A/N:
Have I mentioned lately that I love to rattle the Doctor's cage?
Consider it mentioned.
Variations in Time
01
The Fixed Point of No Return
He stared at the readings on the now repaired scanner display, understanding once and forevermore, exactly why Rose had left the future self on his other timeline. Pregnant. With his child...or rather, children. He traced the outline of a pair of fetuses that the scan showed, a soft smile on his face. The rest of the scan results under his eyes explained the shift several days ago when his timeline had split. She'd been feeling a bit ill, with what he now understood was, for humans, routine morning sickness, and he'd run a few diagnostic scans. The results had been, over all, quite fascinating. The Timeship's reaction had been even moreso. For instance, the instant the TARDIS had seen this one, she'd split him down the middle, then and there...and took this one, with Rose on board, in a new and entirely different direction. In the other Rose would be returned to the future self, he supposed. But in this one, he was going to be a father again...only this time, he'd get to raise his children himself.
The looming sense of disaster was gone, too and the new timeline felt odd, frankly. He rather suspected the TARDIS had him using Rose's since that would have allowed him to skip said looming disaster altogether. He was pretty sure the young blonde had been riding...she never said 'traveling', just that she rode with him, but not, as she put it, for two full calendar years...an older self. He'd apparently done or said something that had hurt her tremendously and made him run away from him.
Without bothering to go back to Earth before disembarking from the TARDIS, which was frankly disturbing.
He walked into the library where she was trying to ignore her upset stomach to read, with a dose of something safe for both their species which would reduce or possibly stop the effects of the morning illness...a misnomer that, for the day. She would have to take it every day, though as it included the nutrients needed for the infants she carried. The biggest difference between herself and a woman of his people, though, was that her body was designed perfectly for carrying developing young. Gallifreyans might have vast superiority in some aspects of their physical beings, but where successfully carrying healthy children to term, from conception to delivery, was concerned, healthy human females had few equals and no superiors in the universe. And Rose was most certainly healthy.
He also began insisting she could repeat, accurately, his name. He also admonished her to never say it around other people unless the only other person was one or more of his selves. She had thought that odd until they ran into First a few weeks later and the older looking, younger version said something rude.
She had gotten right in First's face, one protective hand over her belly, the other one with her index finger extended and being shaken under his nose...and called him by his name in an offended, half snarled tone and then began to scold. Shock covered the First's face, Eight had covered his reddening face with one hand as he found his first body being chewed on in some of the worst terms in the universe...by a young lady First had no choice but to acknowledge as his wife.
Rose cussed First out good an proper, then finally both her hands came to rest on her widening hips and she barked, "Do you understand me, Doctor?"
"Yes...quite." He was still stunned, but the earlier motion of her hand to her belly had drawn his eyes. Once he really looked, the slight swell of an expanding womb was obvious.
"You got her pregnant?"
"No...an older form did. She just decided this one would make a better father...I did something apparently, to make her disembark while not on Earth...at top speed. She won't tell me when or who and if I've broken the promise enough to be cruel to the mother of my children, that me shouldn't be around the kids anyway." Eight paused to run a calming hand down Rose's back. "I decided she wasn't going to be raising them by herself and that I should bind my life to her's. The TARDIS insisted, actually. Diverted my timeline to ensure it."
"She split us?"
"Yes, right down the middle: One went on as I had been, returned her to my future self and this one...that being the case, I wed her."
"Wait...wed?" Rose interjected in shock.
"And didn't explain, apparently." First snorted, taking the girl by the hand and off to one side to do just that.
After a bit she grinned down at him and smiled. "So, you're telling me that so long as I'm present with one of you, all of you can safely be present too...cuz we're married, the lot of you and me?"
"Yes, that's it precisely."
"You do realize that you've effectively given me a harem...even if all the men in it are just you?" The more she thought about it, the more ideas she got...and it showed on her face. Then, ignoring First's growing unease, took his head in her hands and kissed him right on the top of his head. "I like it."
First spluttered in shock, but behind her, Eight had begun to laugh.
~ Finis ~
