Unexpected Meeting

by

BlackFury

It all started during a thunderstorm. Her contractions were getting stronger and closer together and she knew, she knew that the midwife would not arrive in time. The storm was too severe for anyone to go anywhere and Grace Holloway knew she was going to have to do this alone. She didn't even worry about him showing up. He probably thought she was dead and for all intents and purposes, she was.

When she had disappeared through that rift, she had landed here. She was alone, scared and three months pregnant. She hadn't even had the chance to tell him anything really. That didn't stop the fact that she wanted him there with her, wanted him badly, after all, this was his child she was having. She hadn't even had the chance to tell him about this child. With the end of the Time War in sight, she had had her hands busy tending him even though she knew that regeneration was coming.

Then, she ended up here, in this parallel universe. Once UNIT determined that she was not a threat, they had helped her by first hiring her to be their chief cardiac surgeon. Then, they found her a place to live in London. San Francisco held too many memories for her to go back.

Now, she was preparing to have the child she had wanted so much and the man she loved would never know, never know about this tiny life coming into the world. She managed a soft smile thinking about him, her 'Victorian Gentleman' she was fond of calling him. She made her way downstairs to where her medical bag was when, suprisingly, her doorbell rang.

"Who the hell is out in this mess?" She thought. It kept ringing, "I've coming!" She yelled and finally got to the door. She opened it and saw a tall, lanky man with a wild mop of hair and squared off sideburns. The woman with him was blonde and dressed in jeans and a jacket. The man spoke, "I'm sorry to bother you but, our car just died and with this weather..."

Grace smiled, "Of course, come in, please. This weather isn't fit for anybody to be out in. Excuse the disarray. The fireplace is lit, go on in there, I'll see about hot coffee." The blonde woman had a slight cockney accent, "Thanks. I'm Rose, by the way, Rose MacInnes. This is my husband, Darick." Grace nodded, she was going into the kitchen when she spoke again.

"I'm Doctor Grace Holloway. Sit down, I'll be right back." She didn't see Darick's face but Rose did. He sat down in pure shock. Rose knelt in front of him. "Are you all right?" He shook his head, "She's alive, all this time and I thought she had died in the Time War." Rose frowned for a moment then, her eyes widened, "You mean, she's your Grace?"

Darick nodded, "Yes, in my Eighth incarnation, she was to me what you are now. I thought, when she vanished off the TARDIS that she had died and now..." His voice trailed off as they heard Grace scream in pain and heard the coffee pot crash to the floor. They ran into the kitchen to find Grace bent double. Rose went to her and as Grace straighted up, they could both see.

Darick was doing some quick mental calculations and realized that the rift had brought her here six months earlier, about four months after he and Rose had been brought back here by the Tenth Doctor. Thanks to the quirks in the timestreams, he was here to witness the birth of his Eighth incarnation's child.

Grace looked at Rose, "Contractions started about four hours ago and are getting closer together. The midwife can't come because of the weather. Fortunately, I'm a physician but, I'm afraid to do this alone you see, he never knew I was pregnant." Rose darted a quick look at her husband and he nodded. Then, the power went out. Grace chuckled, "Great, that's all I needed. Candles are in the pantry, and the lamps are in the dining room."

Darick went to light the lamps, his mind in a spin. All this time, he had been in mourning for her she was here alive and, he stopped, carrying his child! His hands were shaking when he lit the four kerosene lamps in the dining room. Rose was setting candles out when Grace cried out again. Darick ran to her and she smiled. "Sofa." He helped her to get there then she sat down. "What do you need?" He asked.

She was breathing heavily, "Up in the nursery, there in a bag, dark apple green, I need it." Darick nodded and ran up the stairs. He had no trouble finding the nursery and he looked inside. It was all ready for a little girl and he smiled ruefully then, he saw the bag, grabbed it and headed back down. He was halfway down the stairs when he realized the bag felt familiar then, he stopped and looked at it and smiled, "So that's where the other frock coat disappeared to." He continued down the stairs.

When he got back, Rose had been helping Grace prepare for the birth and Grace looked at both of them then, her face cleared as she looked at Rose, "I've seen you before. That's it, you're the one I saw being interviewed and you said you came from a different universe?" Rose smiled, "Yes, I did." Grace seemed to relax, "Then you'll understand what I'm about to tell you. You see, I'm from that Universe as well."

She told Rose about her meeting with the Eighth Doctor, how he had come back for her. Then, the Time War had begun and they had married. She spoke of that last battle and the signal from Earth they had tried to answer when the TARDIS had hit a dimensional rift. "One minute, I was running to him with my bag and his other frock coat over my arm and then there was a flash and, I was in UNIT HQ in London. That was about six months ago. I was alone, pregnant and scared. UNIT gave me a job and helped me find this flat."

Tears began running down her face, "I never had the chance to tell him about...about our baby. Now, He'll never know, never." Grace drew in a deep breath, "Oh God, here we go." She began breathing in regular intervals and Darick began coaching her. It was surreal, Rose would think later, Darick delivering his own child. It took three hours and the storm seemed to progress in rhythm with the pace of the birth.

Finally, a loud cry filled the small flat and Darick took care of the cord then, cleaned up the small infant, wrapped her in a blanket and handed the small bundle to her mother. Grace smiled when she saw the small face. "Hello there, my sweet. How are you?" She looked into those eyes that were so much like her father's and she began to cry, "How I wish your father was here to see you, he'd be so happy."

Rose drew her husband aside. "She has to know. She'll be here forever and she deserves to know. I already knew, remember?" Darick nodded, remembering when the Doctor, before the Metacrisis happened, had told her about Grace. "Darick, it's all right. I know how you feel about me. I know you love me but, she is a part of your life. I learned that a long time ago. I mean, come on, this is your child."

Darick nodded again, realizing that Rose was right, he could not just walk away this time. Their lives were linked together and this had to be addressed, now. Taking Rose's hand in his, they moved back to where Grace was talking to her daughter. "Have you picked a name for her?" Rose asked. Grace smiled, "Yes, there was a friend of his that he admired very much. She died in the Time War so, I decided to name her Romana, in her honor." Darick's heart caught in his chest. It had devestated him when he and Grace had found his friend's body in the rubble on what was left of Gallifrey.

Darick crouched next to the sofa. "Let Rose take her for a few, ok? She needs the practice." He managed a smile. This was not going to be easy for any of them but, especially for him as memories of Grace and her warm, loving nature began to resurface. Grace nodded and watched as Rose took the small child and found the rocking chair. She sat down and began softly singing to the girl. Darick took Grace's hand in his and looked directly at her. "Grace?" He said softly.

Grace looked at him then, she looked into his eyes and gasped, "It's you?" He smiled "It is and it isn't, I'll try to explain." In a quiet voice, he told her about his regenerations and finally, about the Daleks and the Metacrisis. "I'm an exact clone of the Doctor except, I have only one heart and I cannot regenerate. I have all of his knowledge and all of his memories but, I'm not him anymore. I love Rose the same way my eighth incarnation loved you. I never knew about little one. I wish I had." Tears formed in his eyes.

Grace reached out to touch his cheek. "It's all right. You told me that when you regenerate, you change not only form but personality as well. I expected things would change when you changed and I was ready to live with that. Look, now that I know who you are, I would like you and Rose to be her godparents, if that's ok with the two of you. I know that, if something does happen to me, she will be loved and cared for." She looked over at where Rose was with little Romana.

Rose came over to hand Romana to Grace and smiled, "We'd be honored, wouldn't we, Darick?" Grace raised an eyebrow, "Darick?" She asked. He blushed, "Yes, I got to chose my own name." Grace nodded, "I like it. It fits. " Her eyes clouded, "Forgive me if I say I miss my Victorian Gentleman." Darick looked sad, "I understand, you loved him and he always loved you, up until he died."

Grace sighed, "I've been trying to figure out how to explain things and I finally told UNIT that Romana's father died before she was born which really isn't a lie." Darick nodded, "I know." He abruptly got to his feet and walked over to the bay window. The storm was still raging. It matched the one in his heart. His child, his daughter and now, she would never know that he was her father. It hurt more that he thought it ever could.

Grace looked at Rose. "You met him after he changed?" Rose nodded, "Yeah, he was in his ninth incarnation when I met him. He was angry, sad and in so much pain." Grace nodded, "I am so glad he loves you. One thing I learned about him, the one thing he always desperately wanted was to be loved and to give love in return." Rose smiled, "I learned that too. Listen, I know this is hard for you, seeing him again after all this time."

Grace smiled, "No, not as hard as you might believe. I've had time to adjust to knowing my Doctor is gone and never coming back. I just wanted him to know about little Romana, how our love created this beautiful little girl. My gynecologist told me, she's physically human, I guess because of me but, I have no clue as to what she may have gained from him. I meant what I said about you and Darick being her Godparents. He will understand some of what she will go through growing up. I don't want him, he's yours Rose and he always will be. I can see you two are suited to each other."

Rose smiled softly, Darick had been right, Grace was a generous, loving woman. "As I said, Grace, we would be honored." Grace nodded and then, the power came back on and the storm was abating. Rose was able to use her phone to call her father and tell him what had happened with the car. The midwife arrived and Romana's birth was recorded and Darick and Rose signed as witnesses. Grace insisted that Darick be listed as the one who delivered the child.

When the midwife asked about Romana's father, Grace smiled sadly, "He died before he knew about her." The midwife nodded and made the notation. Darick pulled Rose to him so no one saw the tears. Pete's driver arrived then to pick up Darick and Rose. She said goodbye and Rose whispered something to Darick then, she went on to the car.

The midwife had also left and Darick crouched next to the sofa. Grace looked at him, "The eyes never change. Same warm ,loving look." Darick managed a smile. Grace looked at him, "Would you like to hold her for a bit?" His eyes lit up, "May I?" He asked softly. Grace nodded, "Of course you can, she is your daughter after all." His eyes were filled with wonder as he gently took the tiny bundle into his arms.

Grace watched his face as Romana reached up and grabbed his little finger, her own eyes dancing as she gurgled. He smiled, feeling better than he had in months. He had Rose, the love of his life and now, Grace had given him this amazing gift, the chance to hold this tiny life that he had helped to create. He just wished The Doctor could know that Grace survived, that she held on to life and was living.

He handed Romana back to her mother then, leaned down and kissed Grace on the forehead. Grace smiled, "You and Rose, visit whenever you want." Darick looked at her then, again crouching next to her, kissed her lips. In that one kiss, he conveyed all of the regret he felt at not knowing what had happened and that one part of him still loved her and always would.

When he pulled back, there were tears in his eyes and hers, "I am sorry," He said. Grace was suprised, "Sorry for what?" "I should have tried to find you after the Time War but..." Grace looked at him.. "Stop that! That's not you. You had no way of knowing how to even begin looking for me. Just stop that. Go, your wife is waiting for you. I have friends now, Romana and I are no longer alone."

Darick smiled, "You'll never be alone again, Grace, neither of you will be." He got up and headed for the door. Soon, he and Rose were gone and Grace carried her daughter up to the nursery. She laid her in the crib and smiled. She reached up to turn on the mobile of the planets she had had made. There was one planet that no longer existed. She had a planet sphere representing Gallifrey made.

She sat in the rocking chair and smiling, reached into a side pocket and drew out a sketch pad. Opening it, she smiled. She had drawn several sketches of 'Her Doctor'. She had drawn them because she wanted to remember and now, she had them to show their daughter. She wanted her to know what a kind, loving man her father was and would always be to her. It had been nice to meet the current incarnation but, this would always be the love of her life, now and forever.

She drew the wedding band off her right hand and looked inside. The one word he had engraved inside said it all, 'Forever'. She would forever be the wife of the Eighth Doctor. The Tenth belonged to Rose now and that was as it should be. Then, she smiled, of all the people to show up at her door step at that particular time, it hadn't been an accident, Grace firmly believed that. Fate, Karma, call it whatever you will, he had been led there to learn that he really hadn't lost her after all, that love didn't always end in loss. Sometimes, it provided surprises beyond your wildest dreams.

The End