Whispers

By DaughteroftheStars

Oh my goodness- I've got followers AND reviews! Thank you all so much! It means the world to me to have readers!

And two special 'thank yous' go out to Heart of Diamond and Valerie E. Mackin for reviewing. I know it can be bothersome to stop and write a review, so thank you both so much for your time!

And thanks again to all for reading!

Year 2011, The Smith Home, Greenwich-

'Oh-ho-ho no! No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no! No!' the man says as he thrusts his hands into his wild hair and whirls around.

'Well what did you fink was gonn'a happen? You were the Doctor! You should know 'bout these things.'

The man whirls around to face her. 'But I took… we took precautions!'

'Well they didn't work, did they! And you knew this could happen! What did you fink, John? That it could never happen?'

'But that's just it- it can't happen!'

'What d'you mean- these fings happen all the time!'

'No, they don't! Not to me! Not when I've…' He hesitates just long enough for Rose to catch it. 'It just can't happen, alright?'

Rose's brow furls curiously. 'Not when you… what?'

He says nothing but stares at her with wide, unmoving eyes.

'John?'

He stares at her for a moment longer before letting out a long, sad, sigh and leaning back against a table in surrender, unable now to look at her.

'You remember what I told you about that day?' he says quietly, almost sombrely. 'About the day the war ended? The day Muse died?'

Rose nods sincerely.

'Well what I didn't tell you…' He stops in a quick faltering. 'What I didn't tell you was about who else died that day. Who else I saw burn up in that fire.'

Rose remains silent and motionless as his demeanour droops before her eyes.

'There were three,' he continues quietly, still looking down at the floor. 'Muse and I had three children, two boys and a girl, who were on the planet when it burned… as I watched it burn.' He looks up at her sadly. 'And I mourned for Muse, but my ch… those chidlren were everything.'

Rose's eyes dart between his, unable to make a sound.

'And when they died in those flames, when I watched them die, when I let them die, that part of me died as well, and I took precautions to keep it from happening again.'

Rose stares at him, utterly breathless and frozen in her spot.

'You said you were a father once,' she says quietly, finally looking up at him again. 'When we found tha' Isolus living in Chole Webber.'

He looks up at her with still, quiet eyes. 'I wasn't lying then.'

'I never though' you were… I jus'…'

She stares at him as he remains motionless but taking in a long, silent breath of air.

'An' tha's why you always ran,' she continues. 'It can't set in if you don't stay still lon' enough to le' it.'

Still, he says nothing.

Rose looks down at the floor between her feet.

'So what… er… wot happ'ns now?' she asks quietly, almost shakily.

'What you're saying can't exist, Rose. I made sure of it.'

She looks up at him sadly. 'The blood work says otherwise.'

'Tests can be wrong.'

Rose bites the corner of her lip hesitantly and goes slowly to pick up the sonic screwdriver off of the table, eyeing it sadly in her hands.

'We should find out for certain then.'

He looks her over, every inch of her face, then looks at the screwdriver.

'It's impossible, Rose,' he says, almost as if trying to convince himself.

'We need to fin' out either way.'

He hesitates for a moment longer before taking the screwdriver from her, taking in an emboldening breath, and waving it over her stomach precisely. After a moment, he clicks it off and goes over to the computer nearby. He leans foreword and reads the screen quickly, but his eyes begin to widen as they dart back and forth.

Rose looks at him curiously. 'Wha' is it?'

He takes a quick but deep breath and looks up at her.

'We've got a problem.'

I really hope you're enjoying this. But, either way, if you are or if you aren't, let me know. I enjoys all suggestions and even harsh but helpful comments and criticisms, (nothing done to be cruel), so let me know your thoughts on all this!