A/N: Fingers crossed this worked out okay .. I faced endless interruptions throughout ...

~~oooOOOooo~~

The Doctor barely heard the tiny voice through the emotional hoarseness overtaking Gallifrey's little voicebox. He didn't need to hear him, however, to know that the child had asked several questions inside of one three-letter word.

He offered him a grin that stretched from cheek to cheek. "Well. I rather suppose that I am," he breathed in response to what he felt was the most important question of the day. "While you weren't exactly sired from the loins of this particular incarnation, you are still the progeny of the Doctor – which is me. So yes, I am your father. Hello Son."

This time that three letter word wasn't spoken quietly, nor was it posed as a question. Gallifrey let the word bellow out of his chest as an exclamation as he launched from the circle of his mother's arms and leapt into the chest of the Doctor. "Dad! I found you. I finally found you!"

The Doctor stumbled just slightly at the rocket that was his child impacting his chest. His arms flailed unsurely either side of him as Gallifrey wrapped himself around his chest, and he looked toward Rose in question at how to handle the sobbing little creature that was attached to him. He made do with a tender pat of his hands on his son's back. "There, there, little one. There's no need for tears."

Rose frowned at the Doctor's confusion as to how to offer a hug – given that he was more than just slightly partial to a cuddle of any kind in the incarnations that she knew him. She stepped forward and touched her hands to Gallifrey's waist. "Come now, Gal. Give your father some breathing room, yeah?"

Gallifrey continued to sob as he shook his head against his mother's urging. He tightened his hold and buried himself tighter into his father's chest.

"C'mon, Gal."

The Doctor lifted a hand and shook his head at Rose. "It's okay, Rose. He must be overwhelmed. Give him a moment to collect himself." He looked downward with a smile and petted the young boy's head. "Take your time, young Gallifrey, although do keep in mind that it is rather brisk out here and you are soaking wet…" He looked up to Rose. "Come to mention it, you are as well. Dare I query the reasons?"

Rose shrugged. "Ask your son."

"Ahh," he breathed knowingly. "I expect it's an escapade worthy of a retell over a cup of tea in the TARDIS galley where you can both dry off." He looked back down to his son. "Am I right?"

Gallifrey case his head upward to look with red tear rimmed eyes up into the Doctor's face. "I love you, Dad," he vowed on a shaking voice. "I know you don't know me, and I don't expect you to say it back. But I want you to know that I do. I love you. And. And I've missed you so much." He wiped at his running nose with the sleeve of his shirt. "Me 'n Mum – we've needed you, and now we're here, together, and we can be a family."

The Doctor looked down into the child's distraught face and felt both hearts shatter inside his chest.

"Because you want us to be a family, yeah," Gallifrey pressed. "All of us?"

The Doctor couldn't even begin to try to stop himself as he snatched the young boy in for a hug against his chest. He clutched tightly at the youngster and looked up to Rose, who watched on tearfully.

"We'll be a family," he promised breathlessly. "One way or another, I'll make sure that you'll have your family."

A blonde woman wearing a pink coat that Rose would very likely be inclined to commit homicide in order to procure it clicked her tongue as she walked around the Doctor and Gallifrey to head toward Rose. "I would be wary of what promises you make, Doctor."

"Mind yourself, Romana," he hissed in reply.

Romana shook her head at him as she approached Rose and handed her a large fluffy white towel. "You'll catch your death if you stay out here like this," she warned gently. "Come to the TARDIS and dry off. We can discuss this current…" she sighed. "situation we've found ourselves in in the galley over tea."

Rose gratefully accepted the towel with a smile. "Thank you," she said breathlessly as she hugged it to her chest for a moment, and then walked toward where her son was still buried within the arms of the Doctor. "Come, Gal. You need to dry off."

"I'm fine, mum," came his muffled reply.

"No you're not," she said firmly inside a sigh. "Now release your father and please come here and let me dry you off. The last thing we all need is a sickly little boy with a cough and a fever running around the TARDIS making everything slimy because of his snotty nose and penchant for wiping it with his hand.

"Oh I wouldn't worry so much about a cold," the Doctor said with a jovial tone and a matching smile. "Why the TARDIS is more than well equipped to…" He shushed immediately when Rose held up a finger in front of his nose. His eyes crossed to look at it's very tip.

"Rule number one with little Timelords: No goin' against what his mother says. Ever. Even if you think you know better…"

"Which he typically does," Romana offered dryly.

Rose smirked and tilted her head back to direct her words – but not her eyes – at Romana. "He does, doesn't he?"

"Quite often, yes."

The Doctor huffed and held out his hand in a request for the towel. "Rule number two should fall along the lines of: No attempting to emasculate the Timechild's father in the presence of said Timechild." He pulled the towel around Gallifrey's shoulders and pulled it snug as he looked back down into his face. "There you go, young Lord. Dry off, warm up, and we can have tea in the TARDIS."

Gallifrey grinned as he snuggled into the towel, which was the size of a blanket. "Thanks…" His grin widened. "Dad."

The Doctor grinned and lightly pushed his hands into Gallifrey's lower back to coax him to walk forward. "Off you go, young Gallifrey. Romana will take you to the TARDIS and see that you dry off and change your clothing. We have a big adventure ahead of us, so there's no time at all to waste." He clapped his hands as Gallifrey galloped toward Romana. "Chop chop. Off you go. I need to have a quiet word with your mother. We'll be with you shortly."

"Yeah, yeah," Gallifrey sang as he skipped backwards to follow behind Romana. He sucked in playful kisses at the air. "I don't wanna see the smoochie smoochie, anyway."

Rose was aghast. "Gallifrey Tyler! That's just about enough from you, young man." She tried to maintain the scolding visage of a mother with her hands on her hips, but quickly ended up dropping her head into her hand as her son cackled a maniacal laugh. "I blame you for that, just so you know."

The Doctor gave a breathy laugh as he let his jacket slide off his shoulders and down his arms. "Boys will be boys," he stated cheerfully as he draped his jacket over her shoulders. "And I dare suggest that if you truly feel that young Gallifrey has inherited my personality, then you shall have much more to worry yourself over than a little fun teasing."

"I already know that," she sighed as she pulled the jacket closed and inhaled deeply. Her eyes fluttered shut at the familiar scent of him – her Doctor. She let out the smallest of moans.

The Doctor frowned slightly, but was intrigued by her sounds and movement as she nestled snuggly inside his jacket. He was most intrigued by the sigh and moan that escaped her. They were sounds of such longing…

"I've missed you, Doctor," she said softly on a breath. "It's been a very long time."

"At least eight years for you I would imagine," he offered with a shrug as he set his hand on her lower back to gently guide her into a walk toward the waiting blue box. "If I am correct in assuming that young Gallifrey is approximately three hours and fifty minutes shy of his eighth birthday."

Rose's eyes widened and she took a look at her watch. With pursed lips she nodded. "Fifty two minutes," she corrected with a wink.

"And twelve seconds," he added with a smile.

"How long has it been for you, Doctor?"

He paused in his stride and let out a breath. "Rose. I'm not…"

"You've regenerated," she blurted as she wiped at her eye with the pads of her fingers. "So you're not quite the same man that I… I…" she hiccupped. "That I fell in love with. I know, Doctor. I remember how it was the last time." She gave him a weak smile. "I guess this means we have to start over. I'll keep my distance, yeah? Hopefully you can fall in love with me all over again."

"Fall in love with you again," he said softly to himself. "I suppose, then…"

"I don't need time," she said softly as she resumed their walk and hoped that he would automatically join her. "I already know that no matter what your incarnation, I'm going to be in love with you." She sighed. "Been there, done that."

He was quiet for a short moment as he processed her words. "Just how many of my incarnations did you stand at my side?"

That comment drew Rose to an immediate halt. She felt her heart constrict in her chest as she slowly turned in place to face him. She wasn't sure if he could see that her eyes were swirling with tears waiting to fall. "You've never met us before, have you?"

He slowly shook his head. "I'm very sorry, Rose."

She hiccupped as both her hands rushed up to cover her face. The tears she held behind her lashes finally fell against her hands to slip in between their fingers to drop onto the Doctor's jacket. "Oh God. No. We're early, too early."

"Rose…"

Her head lifted from her hands and she gave him a weak smile. "Those inherited traits of yours obviously extend to his time-piloting skills as well." She inhaled a terrified breath. "Oh Gal. How's he going to handle that? He's so thrilled to have found you, and now I have to tell him…"

"Rose Tyler," the Doctor interrupted with gentle sharpness. He took firm hold of both her shoulders and gently forced her to look at him. "My dear and precious girl you need to calm yourself. Breathe. In and out, in and out. Breathe." He urged her with side eyes and an encouraging smile. "Yes. That's it. Just calm yourself and breathe. In. And. Out. Just like that."

She locked her eyes on his and followed his instruction. Heavy pants lessened to lengthened inhales that almost dizzied her. "How do I tell him, Doctor?" Her eyes then shot wide and she exhaled a huff as she slapped him hard on the shoulder. "Your companion was right! How could you make a promise to my son that we'd all be together? How?"

"Our son," he corrected sharply. "I may be a much earlier incarnation than the man who actually impregnanted you, but that doesn't make me any less his father. Your Doctor and I may have a different face, perhaps…"

"There's no perhaps about it, Doctor," she snapped back. "You are have a completely different packaging to the man who made love to me to create our child." She saw the flash of argument in his eyes and raised her hand to ask him not to speak. Her voice softened. "Different face, different body, different personality…"

"But still the same man," he offered.

"I know," Rose said with a bouncing nod of her head. "I know."

"I promised our son that he would have his family, and he will," he vowed. "And based on the conversation I held with the distraught Time Lord who put a call out across time and space begging for my help, the only incarnation of myself that is in any way worthy of having that family is the one who created it." He rubbed his thumbs up and down her neck where he half his hands on her shoulders, and let out a breath of promise. "But I can assure you, my dear girl. If that couldn't be. If the universe wouldn't let that happen, then I promise that any one of my incarnations would glady step up and hold both you and their young Lord to them in his place."

Rose inhaled a shaking breath and nodded.

"He will have his father, Rose," he vowed. "Pinstripes and sandshoes or not, Gallifrey will have his Time Lord father at his side from here until the end of his days."

"As long as that doesn't mean that you'll take him from me."

The Doctor frowned and shook his head. "Of all the species in all of the universe, the most dangerous creature is a Human mother – especially if threatened with the removal of her child." He smiled. "Timelords are a brilliantly intelligent race, but are also incredible cowards." His smile turned to a chuckle. "Not I, nor any of my incarnations would dream of inviting the ire of a human mother by taking your child from you."

"Good," she breathed with a chuckle as she rolled herself free of his hold and bumped him with her shoulder. "Because I warn you – I have a TARDIS key and I'm not afraid to use it."

"Ahh, my dear girl," he answered with a laugh as he resumed his trek to the TARDIS. "My TARDIS would have to let you in. Key or not, entry is not always successful."

Rose brought up a hand and indicated the doors to the TARDIS with a jut of her shin. She waited until he looked toward the ship and then snapped her fingers.

The Doctor's jaw dropped as the doors of the old girl obediently snapped open. "Why I never…"

"She likes me," Rose sang with a wink as she curled around the doorframe.

He walked in behind her with a look of pure astonishment on his face. "So it would seem."

"Hi beautiful," she purred softly as she stroked at the console. "You look gorgeous."

"Oh don't go stroking her ego," the Doctor warned with a sigh. "She'll never let me hear the end of it." He looked upward. "Will you, old girl?"

Rose gave him a tongue-touched smile and spun inside the console room with her arms stretched wide. "Her hum. Her glorious smell. Oh, how I have missed this beautiful machine." She stopped spinning and pulled her hair off her mouth as she regarded the Doctor standing with a smile beside the door. "So. You're going to help us find my Doctor?"

He opened his mouth and breathed out a long note, Ahhhh. He then inhaled and frowned just slightly. "Well, we don't really need to begin a hunt, as such, for your Doctor, Rose. I can safely say that we know his exact location, and that location isn't very far from here at all."

"Oh," Rose said cautiously having detected the rather obvious but in there. "Is this going to be a matter of when rather than where?"

"Not quite," he answered with a slight wince.

"How not quite?"

"It is not a matter of when or where," he admitted. "As it is a matter of who."

Rose frowned in puzzlement. "I don't understand."

"Yes, that was the conundrum faced by Romana and I when my tenth self tried to explain himself to us." He cleared his throat and widened his eyes somewhat as he recalled the conversation. "And let me state that I seem to have developed quite the mouth in my later incarnations."

"The oncoming babble," she said with a chuckle.

The Doctor flicked a brow high and offered her a curious stare. "I expect that's an inside joke between you both."

"Yep."

"I see." He let out a breath and extended his hand to the doorway that led to the main corridor of the TARDIS. "Let's just say that the Doctor you knew is not the man he is now."

"How do you mean?"

"Oh," he answered with the lightest of chuckles. "That's a very long story…"