A/N: I own nothing.
They were silent for most of the car ride home. Rose told Pete about everything that had happened, and the Doctor helped her when necessary. After the story was finished Rose and the Doctor were silent, too lost in thought to make any attempt at conversation.
When they got to the house Rose took the Doctor's hand and guided him through the house to the few rooms that were hers.
"It's not much, but I've been so busy I never even thought of getting my own flat. Mum and Pete don't mind. I s'pose they like having me around to watch Tony when they want some quiet time." She had her own bedroom, bathroom and a small sitting room. Clothes and books were strewn across the coffee table and the couch. She pushed the clothes into a pile and threw them into a laundry bin in the corner. He smiled as he watched her try and clean up her mess, remembering all the times he had teased her about how messy her room always was.
"Bedroom is this way," she indicated taking him from her sitting room to her bedroom which was equally messy. "Bathroom is through there if you need to get cleaned up." He nodded and then went through the door she had indicated.
When he came out of the bathroom later, having showered and now wearing only a towel around his waist, she was sitting on the bed staring at her feet. He sat down next to her and slipped his arm around her waist.
"Are you okay?" he asked her. She shrugged and then cuddled into his side.
"It's a lot to take in. All of it, especially you sitting next to me. I just never..." Rose trailed off.
"I never thought I'd see you again either." He finished for her. They sat that way for a few more minutes before she stood up and began digging through her dresser. She eventually pulled out oversized sweatpants and handed them to him.
"Until we can go out and buy you some new clothes you'll have to stick with what we have here."
She climbed in bed and settled under the duvet, looking away as he slipped into the bottoms. The mattress creaked as he lay down next to her. At first he kept his distance, as if worried she would kick him out of bed. Rose quickly moved so she was cuddled up next to him, her head on his chest and her hand rest on his stomach. The adventures of the day had taken their toll and soon both Rose and the Doctor had fallen asleep.
A few hours later the Doctor started awake, jostling Rose awake as he did so. She rubbed at her eyes and looked at him, watching as he buried his face in his hands. She sat up and wrapped her arms around his waist, resting her head on his shoulder blade.
"Do you want to talk about it?" She asked him. He just shook his head.
Rose got up and switched the light on, then pulled a sweatshirt on and motioned for him to follow her. He followed her to the kitchen where she busied herself making tea and toast.
She took the tray of food back to her sitting room and they ate in silence. Once they had finished their toast she began talking, telling him of what life had been like without him. Of all of the things that were different in this universe, all of the things she had wanted to share with him. He was soon laughing along with her.
"I missed you," he said.
"I missed you too," Rose replied. He brought one hand up to cup her cheek, the other hand he put on her hip. She had wondered if he would want to take things slow—get reacquainted with each other and figure out how to live together—but now she saw there would be no waiting. He leaned in and kissed her, his hand moved from her cheek to her hair. She returned the kiss eagerly, climbing into his lap and tangling her fingers into his really great hair.
"Maybe we should move to the bed," he suggested as she kissed her way down his bare chest. She continued to kiss his neck as her fingers played with the waistband of his sweats.
They never did make it to the bedroom.
It took a few months for Rose and the Doctor to move out into their own flat. He carried her across the threshold bridal style and that night they made love on a mattress on the floor, since they didn't have any real furniture yet. They lay awake that night discussing their future, and in that moment it seemed as if there were infinite possibilities.
The Doctor was enrolled in classes to begin this fall. Pete had helped them create an identity for the Doctor—John Smith, from London—but he refused to falsify an educational background so the Doctor was forced to go to university. He graduated in record time, and soon he was teaching classes of his own.
Rose came into the living room one evening while he was grading tests; watching from the archway as he muttered to himself and made notes in red ink on the pages he was reviewing. There were still times when she had a hard time believing this was her life, that they were living together in a cramped flat in London and their adventures were no more exciting than a night of shopping and dinner.
She went and sat down next to him, folding her legs underneath herself and turning to face him.
"Doctor, I have something to tell you." He set down his pen and turned to face her. "I'm pregnant."
His face lit up and he pulled her in for a hug. "I suppose we should start looking for a house, something with more space." She laughed and then kissed him.
Rose was laying in bed one night, the Doctor was sitting next to her propped up on some pillows. He was currently reading something that looked suspiciously like a text book and jotting notes in the margins. He had a habit of correcting textbooks, claiming that though they meant well they were leaving out some of the more important details. She loved how he looked when he read, with his glasses on and his intense look of concentration. He continued to read; unaware his wife was watching him.
Grey had begun to streak his brown hair, something he had been complaining about practically nonstop since he first noticed it. "You're human, this is how humans age." She had reminded him. "Plus, the grey is sexy."
Life was so very different now than it had been when they had first been dropped off on that beach, all of those years ago. Spontaneous adventures had been replaced with planned trips to the Zoo or picnics in the park. They spent the holidays with her family, and the evenings they spent in a quiet, domestic style.
Emma would be turning three soon and the Doctor had been busy planning the perfect birthday party for her. He had stopped telling Rose of all of the planets they could be going to, all of the alien celebrations and the magnificent food to be sampled. Now he only told them to Emma as bedtime stories. Maybe someday they would tell her of their real adventures, but for now they were nothing more than stories.
The Doctor closed his book and took his glasses off. He looked down at Rose and put his hand on her swollen belly. "This one is a boy, I can tell." She giggled and stuck her tongue out at him.
"You're not that kind of doctor," she teased him. He laughed and kissed her nose, then settled down in bed next to her.
"Are you happy?" Rose asked him.
He rolled onto his side and propped himself up on his elbows so he could look at her. "Of course I am. This is everything I have ever wanted and more. I wouldn't trade my life with you and Emma for anything." She smiled and pulled him in for a kiss.