Whispers

By DaughteroftheStars

I just want to say thank you to anyone who has continued to follow/favourite/review this story. It has been a pleasure to write, so I'm very thankful that you're enjoying reading this.

Let me know if there is anything I can or should change to make this story better- is something not 'canon,' are the characters out of character, etc.

I'm grateful to you all, and again, thank you for reading!

Allons-y!

Year 2012, The Tyler Estate, Billingshurst-

'You've gott'a be jokin' me! You've known somfin li'e this for six months an' you 'aven't said a word!' Jackie fumes. 'My daugh'er's 'avin' a baby and you keep it from me li'e i's nofin! Is 'at how you two fink of me? Jus' someone to tell half way through li'e i's nofin!'

Rose looks down at the floor with remorse from her spot on the leather couch, biting the corner of her lip helplessly. John stands nearby, his hands in his pockets.

'Oh come on now, Jackie. It's not like that.'

''En wot was it then? You said she could die! You two don' thin' at's worth a mention?' She folds her arms furiously. 'Six months! Baby's almost 'ere and yeh tell me!'

'Actually she's got about eighteen months left,' John informs her candidly.

Jackie turns to him irately. 'You've got my daugh'er pregnant for 'ow long?'

'Well it's not like it happened alone, Jackie. She was there too.'

Rose closes an eye in a cringe. 'Yeah, I wou'nt've put it to 'er that way.'

'Oh don' act li'e I'm not old enough know!' Jackie scolds. 'An' while we're at it, I am not old enough to be a gran'mother! Tony's on'y jus' star'ed primary school!'

'I know, Mum, but there's over a twen'y year difference between us,' Rose tries.

'Don' you start talkin' about age differences, young lady,' she reproaches, eyeing John charily. She goes around the couch and sits in a dejected fury on the ottoman near the fireplace, sighing deeply.

'D'you at least know wot it is then?' she asks at last. 'I need to know what colour blanket to star' makin'.' She pauses and thinks for a moment. 'And it's… it's not gonn'a come out all green or anyfing li'e that, yeah?'

Rose rolls her eyes and puts a hand to her forehead. John rocks back on his heels and answers without a second thought. 'Oh, well, you know, it might come out with antlers and a tail, but those'll fall off after a year or two,' he breathes through his teeth. 'Thinking of naming him after Father Christmas if they stick though.'

'Oh don't you be smart. I'm on'y askin' 'cos I don' know.'

'It's fine, Mum,' Rose says, finally raising her head again. 'He's not goin' to come out lookin' li'e a lowland beastie or anything li'e that. God.'

John grins with a small chortle. 'A timorous beastie.'

Rose smirks. 'Hmm, that was fun, was'nit? Werewolves. Queen Victoria. An' you still owe me for gettin' her to say it, yeh know.'

'Yeah, well,' John agrees. 'But wait, is that how you really see me, Jackie?' he asks, turning to her. 'A green skinned underneath the skin alien? Should I have hidden antennae as well, or am I more comparable to the Sycorax without being all endoskeleton-y?'

Rose gives in with a roll of her eyes and rises to head for the hall behind them. 'You know wot? You two hash it out. I'm goin' to the toilet.'

Taking that as permission, Jackie begins her tirade anew, rising and pointing a finger at John. John runs a hand through his already wild hair, and reciprocates with a playful defensively rant.

Rose shakes her head with a half grin as she leaves them behind and reaches the hallway. She lifts a hand to flip the light switch there when a sudden, sharp pain begins to burn throughout her body, starting at her stomach; a fire so intense and so overwhelming that it nearly forces her to her knees. She curls in on herself and grips the hallway wall in order to stay upright; but a moment later, the pain intensifies, forcing a strained gasp from her lips as she coils inward more.

The two arguers behind her turn at the quiet sound, and instantly hurry to her side, but John holds Jackie back as they approach.

'Don't touch her,' he says quickly.

'Wot d'you mean don' touch her? Wot's happenin' to 'er?'

Rose tries to pull herself upright using the wall, but before she can, another painful flash strikes her. She grunts swiftly against it and collapses to her knees, her eyes forced closed from the pain as John runs the sonic screwdriver over her frenziedly.

'Wot is it, John? Wot's 'appening?' Jackie asks.

John's eyes are wide as he reads the results.

'John, wot is it?'

'Something's happened, it's regenerating,' he nearly whispers. 'But its taking her life with him.'

Rose lets out another full pain-filled gasp as she clutches her stomach, full tears of pain now rolling down her cheeks. Her face has blanched, and her hand has gone white with tension against the wall.

She pants deeply once more when suddenly everything stops- the pain, her quaking, her rapid breathing, and even her water-filled eyes begin to open as a glow of gold and amber emanates from her stomach.

She stares at it curiously, breathlessly, moving her hand slowly away from it.

'What…?'

But the rest never comes. Her eyes roll closed and she collapses down onto the hard wooden floor beneath her, her skin now as white as a sheet.

'No!' John calls out as he bends down to her, scooping her up and cradling her head in his arm as he runs the screwdriver over her body again. 'No…'

'Wot is it, John? Wot's 'appened?' Jackie asks in terror.

John's eyes are wide and terror struck as he continues running the screwdriver over her without change.

'John?'

He runs it over her one last time, reads the results, and then drops the screwdriver to the floor with a sigh. For a long moment he says nothing, but simply stares down at Rose's still form, the glow from within her stomach slowly fading away.

'John?' Jackie asks timidly.

'The baby regenerated,' he says quietly.

'But wot about Rose? Wot's 'appened to her?'

John looks sightlessly up at the wall.

'John, tell me!'

His eyes remain blank. 'Her body couldn't handle the energy of a regeneration inside her. Sh…. She's gone, Jackie.'

Jackie shakes her head in disbelief. 'No, bu' you…. She was fine jus' now…'

John looks slowly back down at Rose, his eyes misted over, when a voice from down the hall brings him out of it.

'Mummy? Wha's 'appened to Rose?

John and Jackie both look up to find a little boy in his pyjamas standing a little ways down the hall, his eyes curious as he holds a stuffed bear by the ear.

'Oh, Tony.' Jackie shakes her head slowly and begins to cry as she hurries over to him, picking him up and cradling his head against her shoulder tightly as she turns back to face them.

John gulps as he watches them, and then closes his eyes as he bends down closer to Rose, putting his temple to her forehead in despair.

'I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry. Please,' he whispers into her ear. 'Not you. You've always been stronger than this. Not you.'

His eyes remain closed as Jackie and Tony approach slowly, Jackie still barely breathing as she holds Tony tightly.

John doesn't move as he holds her, struggling to keep back the tears, when a quiet hiss draws his attention. He opens his eyes and finds Rose's mouth partially open, a soft, slow breath of air escaping from it with a long, whispered hiss. Along with it comes an odd wisp of gold-flecked, amber light. He leans back curiously to allow it room, and watches as it lingers near her lips for a moment before disappearing back inside her as Rose takes in a deep breath of air and opens her eyes. She looks around frantically as she tries to sit up.

'Rose! Oh my god, Rose!' Jackie says, bending down carefully beside her daughter and turning Tony over to see her. 'Oh thank god!'

Rose takes a few more confused, panted breaths as her mother strokes her hair gratefully. John holds her thankfully close but begins to scan her again with the screwdriver as she looks up at him worriedly.

'Wot happened?'

He reads the scanner quickly and his eyes widen again, but his voice remains calm.

'Regeneration.'

Rose nods tiredly, thoughtfully, looking down at her stomach. 'I saw it. Amber glow li'e you had when you regenerated.'

John looks at her firmly. 'Yes, she did regenerate first, but you… you regenerated, Rose.'

Rose looks at him curiously. 'She… I regenerated?'

John nods once but definitively. 'When she- and yes, she. That happens with Time Lords, especially foetuses- regenerated, the process took over and overwhelmed your system, taking your life along with it as it ended. But you regenerated, Rose,' he says, looking at her oddly, worriedly. 'You did.'

Rose furls her brow in thought. 'I regenerated.'

John nods slowly.

'An' h… she… didn't 'ave anyfing to do with it?'

John shakes his head.

Rose takes in a slow breath, thinking very deeply. 'So those… those temporal markers we found in my blood… they weren't hers; they were mine. The Time Lord blood was mine.'

John nods again. 'You looked into the heart of the TARDIS,' he says gently. 'It looks like it left more than the song in your head.'

'So I… I won't…' Her voice begins to break in disbelief. 'So I can't age then?'

John remains motionless. 'Age. Die. And it looks like you can't change your physical appearance at all.'

He nods back to her and she looks at her hands, touches her still blonde hair. There isn't a sign of age or change in any of them.

'But why can't I change? Why didn't I change when I regenerated like you did?'

'I don't think you can. The way this came about, you're not a full Time Lord. Just the body, just the programming.'

Rose's eyes begin to mist in confusion and fear. 'But you… this isn' suppose'to 'appen. I ca… I can' out live Mum and Dad and y…' She looks him in the eyes and shakes her head as she begins to cry. 'We were brought here for a reason, not for this. This was our forever.'

John pulls her into a firm embrace as she cries, his own eyes wide and misted over with thought. Jackie remains behind them, her eyes watering along with theirs, still holding Tony close and gently rocking him back and forth on her heel.

After an eternity, John pulls Rose gently away to face her, looking firmly into her eyes.

'You'll have forever. And you'll will always have her.'

I'm not quite sure how I feel about the way this chapter is worded, so I'd appreciate it very much it you would let me know what you think of it.

Also, I apologize for not posting this this morning. (I promised a friend I would, but work got in the way ):