A/N: Okay I will come clean about why I am calling the Doctor 'Theta'. It was an accident. You see I'm slowly writing this other fic where it is essential that he has a proper name in the story for it to make sense. I began that one before this one and I'm afraid when I began I was on autopilot. So I didn't actually realised what I'd typed until it was posted! If I stop now it'll look weird.

SORRY! FORGIVE ME!

Chapter Ten: …For They Stimulate An 'I-CAN-SOLVE-IT' Attitude

In the midst of 'DELETE! DELETE! DELETE!', even though they all were to die at any second, they all faced the Doctor.

"WHAT!" Five voices rang out together. The Doctor began to turn a revolting shade of pink.

"I asked Rose!" He yelled back. Rose looked at him scared out of her wits.

"Could you repeat the question? I'm sure I misheard. After all over this DIN I could've heard anything." Theta sighed and pulled out the little circuit crystal that was in his pocket, aiming it at the Cybermen. They glowed briefly before disintegrating.

"I said; marry me."

"I thought that's what you said." Rose studied him trying to work out whether he was being serious or not. "Are you being serious or playing a joke on me?" Rose's fingers curled up to form a fist, a sign that she was annoyed.

"I'm serious."

"Rose…" Mickey began.

"Shush!" She snapped. Theta stepped towards her and gently took her hands in his. "Ask me properly."

"Rose Tyler…" The moment was suddenly broken when the Preacher's blue van drove up to them with Mrs Moore at the wheel. Everyone ran towards the van, the bright lights around the estate still partly blinding them.

"Come on get in!" Pete ran towards the house and the Doctor stopped him, grabbing him by the collar.

"Everyone inside is dead!" He spoke forcefully. "The only thing you can do is make sure Jackie didn't die in vain." When he released him he was relieved that Pete ran towards the van. He began to run that way before realising Rose wasn't in there. "She's not your mother!" He told her.

"I know. I know." He grabbed her hand and pulled her into the van.

"This is the slowest get away I've seen in my entire life!" Mrs Moore yelled at them loudly and clearly the joys of Cybermen hadn't ended just yet.

The van was seriously cramped; Rickey, Jake and Mrs Moore were all in the front, while Mickey, The Doctor, Rose and Pete were in the back.

After introductions which were positively boring for Mickey which made the Doctor happy at finding another way of torture for him. Rose looked like she could burst into tears at any minute; her dad wasn't treating her with the respect she deserved.

"Come here love." Theta told her gently, Rose walked over to him and sat closely to him. He soothingly rubbed her back. "You didn't answer me you know." The Doctor whispered into her ear, his breath tickled the hair on her neck.

"You didn't ask me properly."

"Why should that be any reason not to answer me…am I being rude again?"

"No but you were about to." She giggled as she said it; she hugged him even tighter, listening to his hearts beating. "I sometimes forget you're not like us."

"Is that a bad thing?" He mumbled.

"Nope, not at all. It's a good thing."

"What do you mean 'not like us'?" Pete asked suddenly, the Doctor opened his mouth to answer but Mickey beat him to it.

"He's an alien." Rose snapped her head round to face Mickey.

"He's a joker that one." She quickly told them all as they watched the Doctor intently. They seemed to accept her answer and turned back to what they were all thinking. "A right joker." She gritted her teeth as she forced the words out.

"As soon as this mess is sorted out I'm going to see what I can do to hide the fact you're pregnant."

"Why?" She mumbled, once again making herself comfortable on his shoulder.

"Safer for you two that way."

"Great, pregnant staff. Should she even be working like this?" They all ignored Pete's comment.

"Rose don't marry him?" Mickey suddenly asked, he turned on puppy dog eyes that looked more like a vulture coming in for a kill.

"Its up to her don't you think, Mickey?" He snorted.

"Was it up to her when you got her pregnant?" Underneath her Rose felt the Doctor tense up.

"Mickey!" Rose half shouted. "Just drop it. I've explained every thing and there is no way you're changing my mind. Have you got that?" Rose, out of the corner of her eye, saw Mickey nod slowly.

"We're here!" Mrs Moore suddenly shouted at them. Theta gently eased Rose back and stood. He held his hand out to Rose; she took it and pulled herself up.

"Trying to be a gentleman?" She teased, he grinned at her and gently kissed her forehead.

"Come on!" He quickly pulled her from the van and into the midst of a very complex and brilliant plan - the common name for which is running as fast as possible away from the enemy.

"Jake you go to the left and I'll go to the right!" Rickey ordered. "Mrs Moore you look after this lot!" With that Rickey ran.

"I'm going with him!" Mickey suddenly interrupted; he reached over and kissed Rose forcefully. Rose looked outraged and shocked at what he did. Theta just added it to his constantly growing list of things to torture the Idiot over more.

When Mickey met up with them again a few minutes after Jake, Rose wasted no moments in having a word with Mickey. She yanked him to one side while the Doctor watched on pretending to listen to the others.

Mrs Moore was in the midst of comforting Jake over the loss of his best friend.

"What the hell was that?"

"I was saving your life Rose."

"Yeah…well…don't expect any 'well done's from me. I mean what the hell was that in the van?"

"What do you mean Rose?"

"You spouted off that Theta was an alien. They could've killed him or summat."

"They wouldn't do that Rose." Mickey shook his head in disbelief.

"Are you sure? Alternate reality and everything. They could've." Rose sighed and tried to control her hormones. She stepped back slightly.

"Yeah, right sorry." Rose knew that Mickey wasn't truly sorry but it was the nearest she'd get to an apology. She turned on her heel and walked back to the Doctor. Mickey simply stuffed his hands in his pockets and hung his head.

"Oh and Mickey?" She turned round slightly wearing a sugar coated smile, Mickey looked up sharply. "If you ever think about kissing me again you won't like the results." After all her time with the Doctor and watching him work, Rose knew exactly how intimidated people and she used what she'd learned to her advantage. "That's all." She forced a smile again before walking up to the Doctor and slipping her hand in his.

"Hello.

"Hello to you to." She genuinely smiled this time. "And don't bother pretending that you weren't listening. I know you."

"You sure do Rose Tyler." With that he winked at her making her giggle.

Yep, that was certainly the way to deal with people, be sweet and cruel at exactly the same time. They won't stand a chance in hell.

They walked up towards the verge overlooking the Cybus Industries factory. They'd identified where exactly the transmission signal was coming from and how to get into the factory.

"Jake, you stop that signal."

"Consider it done." Jake smiled at the chance to find a way of making sure Rickey hadn't died in van.

"Right Rose and Pete you go in the front door. Mrs Moore will you do me the honour of accompanying me into the cooling tunnels?"

"An offer off cooling tunnels, how could I refuse?" The Doctor smiled, humour was the one think that was needed in situations like these.

"What about me?" Mickey suddenly cut in, as usual ruining the moment.

"Ah, Mickey, you can…um…" Rose looked at Theta and they shared a nervous glance.

"Stay put? Be the tin dog? Those days are over. I'm going with Jake."

"I don't need you idiot!" The Doctor held back a smirk at someone else calling Mickey an idiot, he obviously made good first impressions upon people.

"I'm not an idiot! I just want to help!"

"Fine!" Jake stormed off; obviously he wasn't happy at being lumbered with Mickey. Mickey tried to follow him.

"Rose I'll see you later?"

"Yea you'd better!"

"If we live through this I'll see you back at the TARDIS!" The Doctor called as Mickey began to walk away again, he may not like the Idiot that much but he didn't want him to die.

"That's a promise!" Mickey must've seen the truth in the Doctor's eyes from once without twisting it into something else.

"Does anyone object to what I am about to do for the third…no fourth time?" No one replied. He needed to do this he couldn't leave it hanging in the air incase anything happened to either of them. He stooped down slightly and looked into her eyes. "Rose Tyler will you marry me?" She pretended to consider it for a minute.

"Oh I suppose so!" She giggled. He gathered her up into a hug happily. It was a brief hug but it conveyed masses. They didn't notice Mickey turn back to watch them with anger flaring once more.

"Good luck!" He told her gently.

"You too!" She nodded. They pulled back slightly just before they parted he squeezed her hand gently to let her know everything would be alright.

He had to admit not everything had quite gone according to plan. Mrs Moore had been killed; they'd accidentally broken an emotional inhibitor and to top it off he'd been captured. They wanted to study him!

"I should've remembered the sensors!" He mumbled as the Cybermen led him towards a large room. "Oh look I've been captured but don't worry Rose and Pete are still out there they'll rescue me. Oh never mind!" He loved sarcasm; usually it came from Rose though. It was one way to lighten up a situation.

"Being rude again!" Rose sang to him gently. Pete looked uncomfortable not just at the situation but also with them in general.

"Are you okay?" He asked gently. He knew Rose needed a hug, but he couldn't offer her one. He couldn't give the Cybermen the chance to hurt them at all.

"Yeah but they got Jackie." He nodded, and then winced at the thought of his future mother-in-law being turned into a Cyberman. She'd have more of a chance of causing permanent damage to his face if she slapped him. Even if she was just an alternate version.

"Why have you brought us here?" He suddenly asked the Cybermen.

"He is not under control." The nearest Cyberman to the Doctor pointed at Pete. "You and the girl will be studied."

"Why us?" Rose's voices wavered in fear.

"He has two hearts, you only have one but you carry a child with two hearts. His child. That is impossible."

"How do you know what I carry?" Rose was stunned at how they knew so much.

"We have sensors, we scanned you. The child you carry is a…"

"Stop right there!" The Cyberman amazingly obeyed. "Thank you but we don't want to know the gender just yet!" The Doctor rubbed his temples. "Honestly we don't what to know everything right away! We have another four and a half months to go!"

"Were you trying to spoil it?" Rose snapped at them.

"You will not live that long." The Doctor stepped back towards Rose and sat on the console next to her.

"Oh yes, sorry, back to business. So where is our lord and master the famous Mr Lumic?"

"He has been upgraded."

"You mean he's exactly like you!"

"The Lumic unit has been designated Cyber Controller." They watched in horror, as a Cyberman approached in what looked like a wheel chair.

Rose listened as the Doctor and Lumic had a debate over emotions. She clutched her stomach slightly as she felt a sharp pain.

"Oh no you don't." She mumbled. "Don't you dare move around at a time like this…" Pete looked over to her concern on his features.

"You alright?"

"Fine, this kid's like its father, can't stay still for more than two minutes."

"Is it really an alien?" Pete asked her.

"Half alien." Pete looked disgusted for a few moments. Luckily Rose didn't see. "It's a long story." She smirked slightly.

"Where does you're friend come from?"

"A planet that was destroyed. He's the last of his kind." Rose closed her eyes and winced. "He was the last of his kind." She forced her mind back onto Lumic and the Doctor's conversation.

"Tell me Doctor have you experiences, pain and grief and Suffering?"

"Oh yes!"

"And they hurt?"

"Oh yes."

"I can save you, remove those emotions which plague you."

"I'd rather die!"

"Then I take that option."

"It's not yours to take!" Theta was reaching the end of his patience, then an idea suddenly hit him, maybe he could convince Mickey to disrupt the emotional inhibitor. Looking behind him he saw security cameras and grinned as he saw his plan might just work.

Pete, Rose and the Doctor slowly made their way towards the TARDIS. Rose looked absolutely exhausted. Theta couldn't blame her after all of the running about she'd done in the last 24 hours, she did have slightly more weight to carry round now as well. The final race for survival had taken it out of her; she needed a break, something that Theta was quite willing to give her.

"I'm going to replace the crystal in the control panel." Theta was practically bouncing up and down in excitement at the thought of the TARDIS working again. He ran the last few meters towards the TARDIS, rushing in trough the doors. He carefully and ceremoniously placed the crystal onto the main controls and watched with joy as the whole of the TARDIS lit up.

He slowly and contently walked outside towards Rose and Pete.

"Dad!" Rose pleaded gently.

"Don't just don't." Pete walked away leaving Rose feeling rejected more rejected now that she'd ever felt in her entire life.

"Rose…" The Doctor sighed and wrapped an arm around her shoulders rubbing it up and down. "You've still got me and our tot."

"I know." She sniffed. She seemed to pick up at the thought of her own family. She laid her head on his shoulder as they waited for Mickey. They didn't have long to wait as they saw him approached with clothes in his arms.

"We found it without a single crease." Mickey handed over the clothes to the Doctor.

"My suit! Good man." He quickly filled in details about Mrs Moore and what to do about the Cybermen to Jake, handing over Rose's phone in the process. "Come on then."

"That's the thing I'm staying."

"You what?"

"You can't…" Rose began; she didn't want to lose someone else.

"I have to this world lost its Rickey, but there's me so it balances out. My gran's here Rose." She nodded.

"We can visit though, right Doctor?"

"We can't, we fell through a crack in time when we go I have to repair it." Theta told her ever so gently. Her hormones were still playing her up, making her even more sensitive than before. "Goodbye Mickey the Idiot." Theta smiled at him.

"Bye." Mickey replied, for the first time without venom or any other form of hate towards the Doctor. Theta slowly walked back to the TARDIS watching Mickey one last time.

"I'll miss you." Rose told him, giving him a hug.

"We did have something Rose, but not anymore. It's just you and him and of course your baby." Mickey finally understood that Rose now only viewed him as a close friend.

"Be careful." Rose walked slowly towards the TARDIS doors; the Doctor had left them open for her. "Goodbye."

"Goodbye Rose!" Mickey called as the doors shut.

Inside Rose barely made it to the controls. Luckily Theta was there to catch her.

"Please don't tell me you're reaching that stage already…" He moaned. Rose quickly regained consciousness.

"What happened?" She asked.

"Gallifreyan fainting stage. Occurs later than in human pregnancies." Rose nodded as he gently carried her to their room.

"Where are we headed?" She asked softly.

"Home to your mother. Time we paid her a visit and told her everything." Rose looked away. "It'll help Rose I promise." They reached their room and he gently lowered her onto the bed. He sat next to her and brushed a few tears away.

"I love you." She told him suddenly.

"I love both of you very much." He kissed her deeply. When they pulled apart he gently stroked her stomach. "Get some rest, that's Doctor's orders."

"Yes sir!" She grumbled. Theta turned out the lights in the room. "Theta?" She called, as he was half way out of the door.

"Yea?"

"If we're getting married what's our last name gonna be?" She asked drowsily.

"Erm…" He hadn't quite thought about that one yet.

TBC

Next Chappie: A new phone for Rose, hiding the pregnancy and Jackie discovers she's going to have a son-in-law.

SENSIBLE QUESTION: Now I have announced Rose is only carrying one child, thanx for your response by the way I really appreciated it, it helped so much!

Do you want it to be a girl or a boy?