I apologise for the shortness of the chapter but it's really only here to set up what's going to happen in the next few chapters.

As always, Doctor Who doesn't belong to me.


Chapter Nine

Depends on Your Viewpoint

This must be what they felt like getting ready for battle years ago, Rose thought as Rory walked out of the TARDIS dressed as a Centurion and the Doctor informed Madame Vastra, Jenny and Commander Strax what had happened.

Well then again she knew what they felt like. She could see them all in their head if she wanted to.

"Will it be a big battle?" Jenny asked, watching the Doctor with curiosity.

"Don't know. Find out later, won't we?" he said with a smile.

Before long they were joined by Dorium and Rory returned, looking very uncomfortable.

"Where's River?" the Doctor asked, barring Rory's way.

"She said she couldn't come yet. And that today's the day you find out who she is."

"She's not going to help us?" he hissed. Rose walked over to stand beside him, wrapping her arms around his waist.

"She can't, Doctor. Just let it go."

The Doctor looked at her, comprehension dawning across his face.

"You know who she is, don't you?"

Rose lifted her chin. "Yes. And no, I won't tell you."

"Rose," he pleaded.

"Doctor, you know why Demons Run is called that, don't you?" asked Dorium, drawing his attention away from Rose.

He frowned. "No. No I don't. Why is it?"

Next to him Rose muttered, "Oh God."

"There's an old saying, you see. 'Demons Run, where a good man goes to war.'"

The Doctor froze in horror. He turned to Rose, fury in his eyes.

"You said that in the poem you sang. Did you make it?"

With a worried glance at his face, she nodded.

Looking into her eyes, the Doctor relaxed. She hadn't done it to glorify him. She had done it to put the fear of God into them. He felt his anger trickle away.

But still, some part of him wasn't sure whether he liked it or not. Before he could say anything else, she stiffened. With a tight, rueful smile she walked out of the console room.

The Doctor turned to his current companions.

"We're almost there. Vastra, will your people meet us?"

"Yes. They are following our trail. The Judoon are also."

"Good. I'm going to…"

That made him pause for thought. What would he do with the people who had done this? Would he let them go or take his revenge?

He left the room as fast as he could.

Anger was coiling in his stomach, making him feel hot and out of control. He was so close to finding the people who did this to Amy, and to Rory. He didn't want to think of the people who had hurt his two best friends.

He paused slightly before shaking his head and entering the library.
Rory was his best friend. He cared about him and he didn't like that he was hurting over this.

Travelling with a married couple had made him domestic, he thought as he sank wearily into a worn armchair.

Calm down, he told himself firmly. You're no use to anyone like this.

"Doctor?"

He looked up to see Rose standing in one of the library's numerous doorways.

"Hello," he said softly. When she didn't move he asked, "Something wrong?"

She moved forward ever so slightly, for which the Doctor was grateful; at least now he could see her face properly.

"That depends on your viewpoint," she said, not meeting his eyes.

If speaking in riddles was the only way to get answers he would gladly do it.

"Is it wrong from your viewpoint?"

"For me it's…" She was silent for a moment, frowning. Then she looked up at him and grinned, eyes shining. "For me it's good. It's brilliant and fantastic and-"

"Molto bene?" he asked quietly, watching her warily. Her smile grew.

"Exactly," she said with a happy sigh.

"So…" he prompted.

"Doctor, I-"

"When will we get to this Demons Run? Because this is taking forever," Rory said loudly, as he entered the library from a door behind them, unaware of what he had interrupted.

Rose jumped at the sound of his voice and with an apologetic glance at the Doctor, she hurried out. The Doctor practically leapt out of his chair and started after her.

"Oh ok, just ignore me. I'll wait, I'm only trying to find my wife and child but it's fine, really. I did everything you asked, went to the Cybermen, went to River, but I ask you one question and you bugger off! Fine, ignore me. Thanks anyway!" Rory called sarcastically after the Doctor.

"Rose! Rose, wait!" the Doctor shouted, running to her and grabbing her arm.

She stumbled slightly as he caught her. She opened her mouth to say something but instead threw up all over the floor.

"Oh God," she mumbled, pushing her hair away from her face.

"Are you sick?" the Doctor asked stupidly.

She ignored his question.

"It's your fault," she moaned. "I would have made it in time if you hadn't stopped me."

She wiped her mouth self-consciously.

With a hum the TARDIS produced a new floor immediately.

"Thank you," she said gratefully, resting her hand on the wall.

"Rose, will you please tell me what's going on?"

"In a minute. I still feel crappy."

"Rose, I will get you whatever you want to feel better. Just please tell me what's wrong." When she still remained silent, he cried, "I'm going out of my mind here!"

She looked at him appraisingly.

"Come with me," she said calmly, the complete opposite to how the Doctor was feeling.

He took her hand as she silently led him to his room, never once letting go of him. He shut the door with his foot and stared at her apprehensively.

Still not saying a word, Rose placed his hand on her stomach.

"Rose, what-?"

"Just…tell me what you feel."

"Well you've put on some weight," he joked nervously. Rose looked like she was about to kill him.

With a calming breath she said rather tersely, "In your head, Doctor."

Keeping his eyes on hers, he reached out with his mind.

He gasped in amazement, looking down and placing his other hand on her stomach too.

"You're…?"

"Yes."

He glanced between her face and her stomach. He moved his hands over the gentle swell of her stomach. It was so obviously now he thought about it.

He really was an idiot.

"So we're-?"

Rose didn't let him finish.

"Oh my God, you're freaking out! Of course you are, you can't even say it!" she cried, tears in her eyes. The Doctor could only watch in bewilderment as she grew more hysterical.

"I knew it! 'Cause you think it's domestic and you'll say how dangerous it is and-"

She gasped so dramatically that the Doctor actually backed away from her in alarm.

"You're going to send me away," she whispered. "It'll be like Satellite Five all over again."

"What?" he yelped. "Rose, no. No, no, no, no, no! I-I just don't know what to say."

"Are you speechless in a good way or a bad way?" she asked worriedly.

He wrapped his arms around her, pulling her close to him. Cupping her face with one hand and keeping his other still pressed against her stomach, he looked her straight in the eye, a wide smile spreading across his face.

"Speechless in the best, most glorious way imaginable," he murmured before capturing her lips in a kiss.

For a moment she was frozen but as his words sank in she responded with enthusiasm.

Breaking away, he rested his forehead against hers.

"Rose Tyler, we're having a baby. I'm having a baby with Rose Tyler. I AM HAVING A BABY WITH ROSE TYLER!" he yelled ecstatically.

Suddenly Rose's beaming smile turned into a frown.

"What?" he asked worriedly. He was terrified she'd freak out again; he didn't think his hearts could take another Rose-meltdown so soon after the first.

"It'll be half-Time Lord, won't it?"

The Doctor slowly nodded.

"Will it hate me?" she asked fearfully.

"Oh, Rose, no. We won't raise it like they did on Gallifrey. And don't forget, it's half-human too; it might end up hating me! Plus, if it's a snobby Time Lord we can always disown it."

They laughed, their chests bumping together.

"Rose," the Doctor said, serious again now. "I don't want you to come with us."

She sighed. "I knew you'd say that. I have to be there. It's a fixed point in time. I don't go and-BOOM-paradox."

"You're so sexy when you talk scientific," he said, torn between how he was teasing her and being totally honest.

Rose rolled her eyes. "I'm coming," she said firmly.

He nodded and kissed her one last time.

"You think I'm still going to die, don't you?" she asked, amused.

The Doctor exhaled shakily.

"I don't exactly want to put it to the test, no."

"Silly Doctor. If I tell you this, do you promise not to go mental?"

The Doctor snorted. "When have I ever gone mental?"

Rose just stared at him, one eyebrow raised. He rolled his eyes.

"Fine, yes, yes I promise."

She continued to stare at him for a second longer.

"Ok then. I was going to die in this battle, some Monk thing was going to get me when I was…doing something."

"So the baby would have died too?" he asked, his hearts constricting at the thought.

"No. God no. If I had continued on that…path you could say, I wouldn't have gotten pregnant."

The Doctor just looked on, seriously confused.

Rose gasped mockingly. "Have I bested your incredible Time Lord brain?" she asked, mock-concerned.

He glared at her.

"Right, I'll try to simplify it. When I said I was going to die, I was human, yeah?"

"Yes…"

"But then I rewrote your death and the Bad Wolf woke up and decided to merge with me, yeah?"

"Yes…"

"Well that took away the possibility of me dying, see, and put me on another path. One where we would sleep together and I would get pregnant."

"So if you had just let my death happen, we still would have…made love but you wouldn't have fallen pregnant?"

"We have a winner!" she cried.

"So will the baby actually be half-human?" he asked.

"Yeah. It was conceived when I was still effectively human. Minor details," she said with a shrug.

The Doctor nodded, the word 'conceived' making him feel oddly queasy.

Rose pulled him close, resting her head on his chest, his double heartbeat soothing her in a way nothing else could.

"I love you, Rose Tyler," he murmured.

"I love you too, Doctor."

"Quite right too," he said, voice thick. Leaning back, he grinned and grabbed her hand, pulling her back towards the console room. "Now let's go find us an Amy!"