Rose stumbled into the kitchen and half-heartedly searched for something resembling a kettle while she probed her mental link with her son. Smiling at the emotions that surged through the bond, she set about making tea while wondering what The Doctor was doing or saying to their baby that had him so happy and content.

Rose settled in the breakfast room sipping her tea and watching the waves crash to shore. She yawned and stretched until her spine popped feeling as content as her son. Content and safe; two things she'd almost lost hope of ever experiencing again.

She absently followed the antics of some bright yellow shore birds while her mind drifted. She'd told The Doctor about Jake and, when all was said and done The Doctor had accepted his son.

She was overjoyed and, truth be told, relieved that he seemed to be taking to fatherhood with little hesitation, his wandering off with her son before she'd even awakened proving that Rose's fears of The Doctor rejecting the 'domestics' of parenting were unfounded.

She frowned as the scene from last night replayed. She hadn't missed his hesitation to accept Jake before discovering he was in fact a Time Tot. What was that all about? Would he not have accepted … she shook the thought away, no since pondering, she'd simply ask him later.

More puzzling right now was where she would fit in with this new relationship. Would he want to be a 'proper' family unit? She knew he cared for her, knew he was happy to have her back even. What she didn't know and had no clue how to ask was how did he see their future? They'd had a baby together yes, but one night of unbelievable sex after nearly dying by the hands of an evil dictator on Niral IV didn't a solid romantic relationship make.

She snorted and poured herself a second cup of tea. She'd been an idiot. They'd never spoken of that night and the following day she'd followed his lead and pretended it never happened, allowing him to continue to define the terms of their relationship. She'd thought there would be time.

She smiled, remembering their trip to Xanalthrok. Standing on that windswept cliff, watching dragonish creatures float overhead against the backdrop of a red sky he'd asked her how long she would stay with him and she'd promised him forever.

He'd smiled, kissed her chastely, and told her he'd be honored to have her forever. The day had been perfect, she'd felt like it was the beginning of a change in their relationship and maybe it would have been but she'd never know now. Torchwood had seen to that.

The banging of a door followed by the entirely too early in the morning to be so cheerful voice of Jack Harkness shook her from her musings. Rose smiled as Jack, Martha, and Mickey entered the kitchen carrying bags of something Rose could only hope tasted as good as it smelled.

"What have you intrepid travelers been up to so early?"

Jack smiled. "Ah, Rosie my love, we've procured breakfast."

Rose's stomach growled as he lifted the paper from an assortment of pastries. "Oooh, criflore berry muffins! Hand one over before The Doctor gets back or I'll have to fight for them."

Jack laughed and handed her one and then winked at Martha. "Didn't I tell you, Miss Jones?" He offered her one of the bright green and black pastries. "The Doc was addicted to these little beauties and Rose, as always, followed his lead."

Martha pushed the proffered baked good away and reached for a more Earth looking confection. "You're saying The Doctor, The DOCTOR's taste should be accounted as normal? You forget, Jack, I've traveled with Himself for a long time, I mean, honestly, green and black?" She shuddered.

Mickey laughed and sank onto the seat beside Martha, bumping her shoulder. "You're a woman after my own heart, babe. Glad there's at least one female who can travel with 'im and still see his faults."

Rose rolled her eyes. "Mickey Smith, you know perfectly well that I –"

"Yeah, yeah, Rose." He winked at her and started eating.

Rose rolled her eyes and turned to Martha. The woman seemed a little less hostile today, at least with Jack and Mickey. It was prudent to get to know a fellow companion if only for less tension in the Tardis but Rose admitted to herself that she was curious about what The Doctor had been doing and, knowing the Time Lord's reticence she'd get more from Martha.

"So Martha, what was your first adventure with –"Rose winced as a piercing wail shot through her skull. She shook her head and smiled at Martha. "Sorry, duty calls. Maybe we can go shop—"

"Rose!" The door slammed open and rubber soles pounded down the hallway accompanied by the squalls of her son. "Rooose, where are you?"

"Breakfast room." She called out while getting to her feet. She laughed at the look on his face as they met in the archway.

He grimaced and held Jake out to her. "I don't know what's wrong, we were strolling along the shore as I told him about the migrating habits of the Yellow Winged Didimus bird versus those of the –"

"He's hungry Doctor. You were babbling and didn't listen so he shouted to me, in here!" She tapped her temple absently while whispering to Jake. "I know you're hungry but you'll get a stomach ache if you try to nurse while screaming –"Rose grinned at The Doctor when their Time Tot promptly quieted.

His mouth dropped open and then morphed into a beaming grin. "Blimey, you're amazing! Hungry, right! So am I, now I think of it." He strolled past her into the Breakfast Nook. "Oooh, criflore berry muffins!" He shoved two into his mouth and continued, "Rose, hurry up and feed my son and then we'll go exploring. I want to show him the -"

"Your WHAT?"

Rose smirked at the shocked expression on Jack's face, ignoring the hard one on Martha's. She headed to the library. "Oncoming Babble strikes again. This is on you, Doctor, you spilled, you explain!"

Rose settled at the bay window and watched as her son greedily filled his stomach. She stroked her fingers through the dark brown fuzz so like his father's and wondered if life could be more perfect.

The sound of clapping hands jerked her eyes to the now open door. She frowned, wondering if Martha Jones had been infected with an alien parasite or was just clinically insane. Well, she traveled with The Doctor so …

"Something I can help you with?"

Martha smirked and stepped farther into the room. "You are some piece of work."

Rose blinked. "What?" Her arms tightened around Jake. "You feelin' all right?"

Martha snorted. "Feel fine, thanks." Her eyes narrowed. "Drop the act, girlie, I'm no besotted alien –"

"What the hell are you on about –"

"Oh please. You've managed to fool The Doctor, and I still haven't figured out how, but you're not fooling me."

Rose stiffened. Jake whimpered and his distress filtered through their link.

Drawing a deep breath, she forced herself to calm down and reassured her son. Once the baby settled at her breast, Rose glared at Martha.

"I don't know what you're talkin' about but you're upsetting my son, and like his father you really don't want to see him angry."

Martha smirked. "You really think I'm buying this?" She waved a hand to indicate Rose and Jake. "How stupid do you think I am? There is no way that is The Doctor's son –"

"How dare you? You know nothing about me or my relationship with The Doctor and furthermore, what business is it of yours?"

Martha glared at Rose and her lips curled into a snarl. "I know plenty about you, I'm a doctor. See your type every day, besides, Jack and Mickey like to talk about you."

Rose's mouth fell open. "My … my type?"

"Chav from the council estate?" She snorted. "So, I figure you leave The Doctor for some bloke who gets you knocked up and then abandons you so you come crawling back to the Tardis with this idiotic plan to convince The Doctor that baby is his." She shook her head. "Did you even do the math? I've been traveling with The Doctor for almost a year and I know he traveled alone for about three months before I met him! That baby is no more than two months old … God! How dumb are you?"

Fury swept through Rose, blinding her even to Jake's distress. She started to stand, intent upon delivering a monumental Tyler slap to the bitch standing in front of her when the key around her neck began to warm and the chimes of the Tardis filled her mind. She tried to shake them away but the volume increased, swamping her thoughts and forcing Rose to close her eyes.

Images flashed through her mind. Martha performing resuscitation on her Doctor, Martha saving the Doctor on a space station. Images and emotions continued to fly by. Martha dressed as a maid, working in a shop, on the Tardis leaving food outside The Doctor's door, trying to coax him to smile –The images faded with the melody, taking her anger with them.

Crying, Rose met Martha's eyes. "Oh Martha! Thank you, thank you so much! I …" she swiped at her wet cheeks and drew a shuddering breath. "I'm so sorry for how he's treated you! You didn't deserve that –"

"What? What are you on about?"

Rose shook her head. "I … I know how hard he's been to live with since I've been gone and I …" she looked out the window, gathering her thoughts. "Let me finish feeding Jake and then we'll talk, yeah?" At Martha's hesitant nod, Rose smiled. "You deserve some answers and most definitely an apology from that git of a Time Lord."

Martha didn't return Rose's smile but some of the hardness left her face. Rose figured it was a start. "Close the door behind you, yeah? And Martha?" Martha turned back, eyebrow quirked in question. "This conversation never happened, all right? The Doctor … it wouldn't be pretty if he knew what was just said."

Martha swallowed hard, nodded, and left the room.

*** The Doctor bounced his son absently as he stood at the window wondering what the two women huddled on the sand were discussing so intently. It was never good when companions got together, good for him anyway, but these two? He shivered and wondered when the proverbial fur would fly.

"Huh …" He blinked as Rose and Martha suddenly jumped up, hugged, and then started back toward the house. "Well would you look at that?" He murmured to Jake. "Don't know why I'm surprised, your Mum always had a way with people, Martha is no exception apparently. Glad of that. Load off of my mind Jakey boy, let me tell you. The thought of the two of them holed up on the Tardis, me in the middle -"

"Don't listen to him, Jake, between two women is –"

"Stop it, Jack!"

"What? The boy will need an education on the ways of women and his Uncle Jack is the best man for the job." Jack smirked.

The Doctor's eyebrows rose to his hair line. "You … you will not – no corrupting my son, Jack!"

Jack laughed, chucked Jake under the chin and then pointed at the two laughing women walking across the beach. His face had lost all amusement as he looked The Doctor in the eye. "Seems those two have had a long talk and come to some agreement, think it's time we did the same."

The Doctor sighed. He'd known it was coming but … "Yep, guess you want to know why you can't die."

Jack's mouth dropped open. "You, you know about that?"

"Mmm, have done from the moment it happened." He pinched the bridge of his nose and then sat on the window seat. "Sit down Captain, it's a long story."

He explained to Jack about fixed points and the grating it placed on his time senses, though he absently wondered why his son showed no signs of distress at Jack's presence, and he apologized repeatedly for leaving Jack on the space station. "I really am sorry Jack. I was regenerating and I had to be in the Tardis and you were wreaking havoc on my senses … by the time I recovered from regeneration you were already part of established events and I couldn't pull you from that time stream without –"

"I understand, Doc." Jack snorted. "Won't say it doesn't hurt but I understand."

He stood, pacing a bit before spinning around. "What I don't understand is how I got to be a 'fixed' point."

The Doctor sighed. "Rose." He closed his eyes, seeing again, Rose in all her Golden Goddess glory. Feeling his terror, his horror – "You are immortal because of Rose, Jack."

"What?" A gasp from across the room had both men jumping. The Doctor's heart pounded and his stomach clenched as he took in the pale face and wide eyes of his Rose. Rasillon, he hadn't ever wanted her to know …

"Doctor?" He heaved breath into tight lungs and met her eyes. "I heard … what did you … how is Jack immortal?"

He held his hand out to her and smiled when she didn't hesitate. Seating her beneath the circle of his arm he squeezed lightly and then looked at Jack. "I hadn't ever wanted …" he dropped his gaze to the floor for a moment and then straightened his shoulders.

"Right then, what do you remember about Satellite 5, Rose?"

She blinked. "Um, Daleks …, Delta Waves, and you tricking me into going home that's about – no, wait! I, I remember singing, it was the Tardis, same as it is now –"

"What do you mean, now?"

Rose closed her eyes and bit her lip. Minutes passed before her eyes opened. Tears streamed down her face as she ran to Jack and pulled him into a tight hug. "That's what those swirling golden threads are! 'S why the Tardis was so afraid - oh, oh Jack, I'm so so sorry!"

The Doctor jumped up, placing his son on the floor before grabbing Rose's arm and forcing her to turn toward him. "What threads? How can you see those?" He gripped her arm tighter, fear coursing through him. "Right before we crashed! I remember you talking to the Tardis, you knew what was wrong but you can't possibly know!"

Rose's mouth opened and closed but no sound emerged. Her eyes were glowing a faint gold and she looked dazed, as if she were locked in a dream. He shook her. "Rose! Answer me, now. ROSE!"

Her eyes closed and then opened to reveal her normal whiskey brown orbs. The Doctor pulled her into a tight hug, relief making his legs weak. "Rasillon, Rose!"

"Uh, not to interrupt but what the hell was that all about?"

The Doctor continued to watch Rose as he answered. "I sent Rose away, I wanted her safe. She …" he gulped and stroked a finger down her soft cheek. "She came back. Opened the heart of the Tardis, absorbed the Vortex, and flew back to me."

"Wha …? That's not good, am I right?"

The Doctor chuckled but he felt anything but amused. He looked at Jack and nodded. "No, Captain, it is bad with a capital "B". She wiped out the Daleks with a wave of her hand and brought you back to life, apparently a little too well but she was new to being a Goddess so don't hold it against her. Trouble was, she couldn't let go of the power and it was … burning her, body and mind. I took it from her, which is why I regenerated."

He looked at Rose, worried about how she was taking everything and to his surprise she didn't appear to be shocked at all. He frowned. "Rose, this isn't news to you, is it?"

Her lips quirked. "No, it was until a few minutes ago, well some of it was … I didn't know about bringing Jack back or killing the Daleks, but I … I've had a few dreams about opening the Tardis –"

The Doctor's mouth dropped open. He swallowed several times before he could form words. "Dreams? What kind of dreams?" He paced, rubbing the back of his neck and tugging on his earlobe. "You shouldn't be able to remember. I wiped those memories, or I thought I had –"

"You what?"

He winced as both Jack and Rose yelled at him.

"You would have burned, Rose. Even remembering could have damaged your mind."

She shook her head. "Then why didn't it?"

His eyes narrowed as he studied her and mentally flipped through the myriad questions he'd accumulated since Rose had arrived. Communicating with his ship not to mention shielding and being mentally linked with their son, apparently seeing the twisted time lines surrounding Jack, not to mention her crossing the void … he sighed. Lots of puzzle pieces but no clear picture. He clapped his hands together and plopped down onto the couch, pulling Rose with him. "Right then, I think it is time for some answers, Rose Tyler, so start at the beginning."

A/N: Thank you to everyone who has reviewed, favorited, and followed this tale. I would answer everyone individually but I haven't managed to figure out how :)