(The Doctor & Rose)

They had just dropped off Jack, Martha and Mickey when the Doctor turned to Rose and Donna. He was about to open his mouth when he noticed Rose staring with worry at the console.

"Rose?"

Rose, for her part, suddenly found herself trying to recall the last 48 hours. There had been a container of some sort under the center console that contained the Doctor's first hand. The one he had lost during his battle with the Sycorax. Now the container stood there broken and empty. The Doctor had poured excess regeneration energy into the container after he had been shot, using only what he needed to heal, siphoning off the rest to stop from completely regenerating. Had that caused something to happen to the hand?

"Rose?!" The Doctor's voice broke through her musings.

She nods her head slightly toward where the container had been. "Your hand, s'gone."

"What?" He moved to get a better look under the console. "What?!"

"What happened to it, Doctor?" Donna asked with some concern.

The Doctor turned to look at both women, brows furrowed in concern and concentration. "I…I have no idea… A mystery for another time, perhaps?" His features relaxed only slightly as he approached Rose, resting his hands on her shoulders. "Rose…Do you…do you want to go back? To stay with your mother, I mean." Worry and fear were now evident in his eyes.

"No. I told you before, yeah? I made my choice. It's you, Doctor, it's always been you. But…there is something I need to go back for."

"Right." He nodded his head as a smile spread slowly across his face. "There's still a hole big enough to get through. There's something I want to do, or rather ask, that I'd like your mother," he nodded toward Jackie, "…and Pete present for, anyway. Even at the risk of a proper Tyler slap." Jackie, for her part, remained quiet, watching the two of them with a sinking feeling in her gut.

Rose looked up at the Doctor questioningly as he wrapped her up in his arms, resting his chin on top of her head. "Alright." She answered simply and his smile broadened as he pulled her back towards the console, flipping switches and pulling leavers to take them back to Pete's World so Rose could say good-bye to her family.

Rose stepped out of the TARDIS first, looking around the beach, the memory of the last time she stood here nearly bringing her to tears. But she sternly reminded herself that she wasn't staying this time, and the Doctor's hand now clutching hers tightly helped to ease her fears. With a look and a smile at each other, they begin to walk down the beach toward Pete Tyler, with Donna on the other side of the Doctor and Jackie at Rose's side.

Pete watched the three individuals walking toward him. Looking down at the two toddlers sitting on either side of him, Pete took a deep breath before speaking. "C'mon, boys. Let's go meet up with the family."

"K, Daddy." The little blonde boy responded to his father.

'Grampa? Who's with mummy?' Pete felt the question in his mind and about jumped.

"John, I wish you'd stop doing that…I know it's how you and your Mum communicate, but it still freaks me out."

"Sowwy, Grampa."

They all met somewhere in the middle, forming a semi-circle where they stood. Jackie picked up the little blonde boy and hugged him tight, then wrapped an arm around her husband. She eyed her daughter, then the Doctor. "You're really gonna go back with himself then, aren't you." It was more statement than question as she turned her attention back to Rose. The Doctor wrapped an arm around Rose's waist possessively.

"Yeah, mum. I don't belong here, you know that. And…" She turned toward the Doctor, "There's something I need to ask you. S'silly, but I need to know, Doctor. The last time we stood on this beach, you were gonna say something. What was it?"

"I said 'Rose Tyler'."

"Yeah, and how was that sentence gonna end?"

"I think I can answer that and ask my own question at the same time." He turned to face Rose fully, casting wary glances at Jackie out of the corner of his eyes. He cupped Rose's face in one hand, lacing his fingers in her hair and took a deep breath. "Rose Tyler, I love you and…" he braced himself for either her rejection or Jackie's slap, or both as he carefully pulled his other hand out of his trouser pocket, clutching a small box. "Would you honor me by becoming my wife?" The Doctor held out his now open hand toward Rose so she could take the box.

Rose blinked at the box almost disbelievingly while Jackie squealed in excitement. Even Pete looked on at the Doctor like he had been waiting for the hat to drop. He had no doubt the Doctor loved his adopted daughter, but never for a moment did the man think The Doctor would force himself into domestics. With a shaking hand, Rose took the box from the Doctor's outstretched hand and opened it. There was a sharp intake of breath and she covered her mouth with her free hand.

"Oh, my God!" Rose felt like she couldn't breathe.

"Time Lord," he amended for her and he was rewarded with a playful slap to his arm.

"Well, c'mon, let's see it sweetheart." Jackie crooned.

"Yeah, gotta share with the class now," Donna beamed.

Rose took the ring out of the box and slipped it on her ring finger. The simple band appeared to be made of blue steel with a TARDIS blue heart shaped sapphire set at its center. Once Jackie and Donna got their eye full of the ring, Rose threw her arms around the Doctor's neck and kissed him soundly on the mouth.

"Is that a yes, Rose Tyler?" he asked playfully. But his tone turns more serious, "I've waited so long, too long, to ask you that. Properly ask. Two years, Rose, before it all went pear-shaped. I should have asked you that night. I…"

She silenced him with a kiss."I…have something to show you. Someone to introduce you to, really." Rose picked up the other toddler standing next to Pete as the Doctor looked on. His eyes widening by the second. "That same day, I said I was pregnant, but then took it back, said it was Mum. I…I was too. I took it back, 'cause I didn't want you to worry. Or feel guilty. Any more than you already were, knowing you." She brought the child to him and the Doctor tentatively took the toddler from her. "Doctor, meet your son, John."

'Daddy?'

The Doctor looks over the boy's face, feeling the prick of tears behind his eyes. He had Rose's eyes, but the Doctor could see himself in the child. It was almost as if someone had taken features from each of his incarnations and smooshed them together, then smoothed them out and made this little boy. John even had the Doctor's mop of wild brown hair atop his head. Tears of joy ran down his cheeks as it sank in the boy really was his. His and Rose's. He had a family again, a family he wanted, and not one he was obligated to. His love for Rose only grew.

'Yes, son.'

John placed his tiny hands on either side of the Doctor's face, trying to brush away his tears. 'Daddy? What's wong?'

The Doctor smiled through his tears at John. 'Nothing's wrong. I'm just…very happy to finally meet you.'

He cleared his throat, a bit unsuccessfully "We…we need to go, before the walls close." He held the child close to his chest, voice raw with emotion and full of awe.

"Right, then. Sorry, mum, we have to go." She gave her mother the tightest hug she dared. "I'll miss you."

"It's alright, sweetheart. Take care of yourself. And you, ya plum," Jackie now directed her attention to the Doctor, "You take care of them, both of them and yourself. You hear me?"

"Yes, mum," the Doctor teased.

"Oi! I'm serious! You take care of them, like a proper husband and father!"

Donna let out a small laugh. "Come on, Spaceman, before Mother Wolf gets her hackles up."

"Yeah, and she forces you to regenerate. I love you, but no." Rose turned back to her mother for another hug. "Promise me you'll keep telling Tony stories, yeah?" She kissed the boy Jackie held in her arms, then turned to Pete to give him a hug. "I'm gonna miss you too, dad."

"We'll miss you too, love. Now, get out of here. Be happy with your Doctor." Pete kissed Rose on the forehead, smiling at her with pride.

"'Course we'll tell Tony about you and the Doctor, sweetheart. You'll find a way to let me know if I'm getting any more grandkids, won't you?" Jackie looked from Rose to the Doctor, her expression was a combination of hope and worry.

"Mum!"

"Well, I'd like to know, alright?"

"I promise, Jackie, if there's a way to get a message through, we'll let you know. Two minutes left! Back to the TARDIS, ladies!" The Doctor turned to face the way they came and extended his elbows out to either side, one hand towards Rose, the other towards Donna and pulled them both back to the TARDIS, carrying his son on his shoulders, leaving Jackie and Pete to watch them leave in the Time Ship.

Once aboard, the Doctor rushed to the console, handing John over to Rose, and started to flip switches. Rose flopped down on the jump seat, watching the Doctor intently. Neither notice Donna holding back, still standing at the top of the ramp. The Doctor threw a final lever and the ship shakes a bit.

"There. Safely back in our own universe," he smiled with satisfaction.

"S'pose you'll be taking me home, then?" Donna looked down at her feet.

What? Why would I… Donna? Do you…do you want to go home?"

"Well no. But won't I be in the way now? Third wheel, right?"

"Donna, s'the TARDIS, yeah? Hard to be 'in the way' in here. Tried it once." Rose laughed. "Besides," she looked up at the Doctor, "I think our daft alien still needs you."

"Right! Here!" He huffed, but squeezed Rose's hand before coming around the console and walked up to Donna. "She's right though. Donna, you've been my best friend. Well…more like a sister, really."

Rose stepped up beside the Doctor, taking his hand. "We'd like you to stay, yeah? Besides, we could always use an extra hand with John." As if in agreement, John reached out towards Donna.

"Yeah?" Donna asked, looking between them.

"Yes," the Doctor answered. The three shared a hug with John trapped in the middle, then he bent his head to kiss Rose.

"Auntie Onna!" John squealed in excitement.

"Alright, Space Boy, where to?" Donna asked, smiling at John as she took the boy from Rose.

"If I know you, Rose Tyler, you're going to want to tell Martha and Mickey and…" he shivered visibly, "Jack about John and our engagement eventually. Weellll," he drawled out, "Suppose Mikey already knew about John, didn't he?" If Rose didn't know better, she would have thought he was accusing her of something.

"Yeah, he did. I…I'd like to take John to see Mickey on occasion, actually. I feel guilty enough he's never gonna see Tony again. Or Mum and dad, for that matter." The Doctors features softened and nodded.

"Right, then. Perhaps we avoid danger for a day, hum?" He wrapped an arm around Rose's waist, pulling her with him back to the console. "Give ourselves a day to celebrate before we go back to Earth."

Rose and Donna both rose an eyebrow at the Doctor. "Avoid danger? You?" they asked incredulously and in unison.

"Oi! I can be very careful when I need to be!" Grinning like an idiot, the Doctor looked over at the three people who were, for all intents, his wife, sister and son. Then set the coordinates and sent his Time Ship in motion.