Chapter 10

As soon as the TARDIS was repaired, Rose and the Doctor returned to earth to tell Jackie and Pete the good news. Rose found her mother in the garden sipping tea under an umbrella as she watched Tony play football with his father.

"Mum?" Rose said, sinking into the chair next to Jackie.

"Rose!" Jackie's face lit up. "You're back already? You only left yesterday."

"Really? It's been longer for us."

Jackie frowned. "I don't think I'll ever get used to this, what does the Doctor call it? 'Time, wonky, whacky' stuff."

Laughter filled the air as the Doctor stepped onto the patio. "You mean, Wibbly, wobbly, timey, whimey?"

"Yeah, that. It gives me a headache."

The Doctor sat in the chair next to Rose, crossed his legs and leaned back. "You have no idea." He looked at Rose. "Have you told her yet?"

"Told me what?" Jackie narrowed her eyes suspiciously. "Are you two in some kind of trouble again?"

"No. Nothing like that, Mum." Rose smiled and paused dramatically. "We have good news."

Jackie looked at them expectantly. "Well, what is it then?"

"How do you feel about being a grandmother?" Rose's voice was soft, barely a whisper.

The squeal Jackie emitted caused both the Doctor and Rose to jump. Before Rose could process what was happening, her mother absorbed her into a massive hug, nearly knocking them both to the floor in the process.

"Oh, sweetheart, I'm so happy for you," Jackie told her as she pulled away, tears springing to her eyes. "I know how much you wanted this."

Rose grinned through misty eyes. "Thank you, Mum." Rose reached around her mother, groping until she found the Doctor's hand and could grasp it firmly. "We're both thrilled." She paused, taking her time before she added in a whisper, "I want you there."

After brushing the last remnants of tears from Rose's cheeks, Jackie cupped her daughter's face. "Wouldn't miss it for the world."

"Thank you." Rose hugged her Mum tightly, wincing when Jackie suddenly yelled in her ear.

"Oi, Pete! Rose is pregnant!"

*****

Pregnancy was a glorious time for Rose. Her early bout of morning sickness dissipated after the first trimester and by the middle of her second trimester she was positively glowing. The Doctor was fascinated by the growth of their child and the changes he was seeing on his wife's body. Every morning, he would wake her up with gentle kisses pressed to her abdomen as he whispered to their unborn baby in Gallifreyan. Rose would watch him, her love radiating from her eyes as he formed a bond with the life inside her.

By the third trimester, Rose was beyond uncomfortable. Her stomach felt enormous and she missed seeing her feet. She was incredibly crabby and found the need for frequent trips to the loo annoying.

To cheer her up one day near the middle of her eighth month. The Doctor took her to the planet of the Whirly Giggles. They stepped into a field of what looked like white dandelions, only instead of being white, they were silver and glimmered brightly under the five colourful suns that surrounded the planet. Tiny silver seeds drifted on the wind, their final destination completely unknown.

"They're called Whirly Giggles," the Doctor explained. "And each of these strands contains a dream." He reached out and caught one gently before handing it out to Rose.

Spinning it in her hand, Rose admired the iridescent shimmer it gave off. Something akin to the rainbow that's formed when light hits a prism at just the right angle. "This is a dream?"

The Doctor nodded and motioned the miles of silver before them. "A field of dreams. Every dream in the universe is preserved in the Whirly Giggles. Every wish, every wistful thought. They come here and are etched on the surface of these tiny petals. Rather remarkable when you think of it."

Rose looked down at the petal in her hand and examined it more closely.Out of the corner of her eye she saw movement and realized that whatever dream it held, was actually playing out along the surface of it, though it was too small for her to see anything more than the motion. She let the Whirly Giggle go, following it with her gaze as it drifted high above their heads and out of sight.

"Doctor, this is beautiful." Rose slipped her hand into his. "Thank you for bringing me here."

"I thought you would like it. It's peaceful here, isn't it?" He smiled at her, but his expression quickly changed to one of concern when he noticed her face was contorted. "Rose, what is it?"

A tiny cry of pain escaped her lips and she looked at him with panicky eyes. "I need my Mum," she gasped as a pool of water suddenly formed at her feet. "Now."

"Can you walk?"

Rose nodded, so the Doctor gently guided her back to the TARDIS and settled her on to the jump seat. Assured that she was safe for the time being, he wasted no time in preparing the TARDIS for a trip to earth. His last thought as they began to materialize in the Tyler living room was. The baby is coming. I'll get to meet my son or daughter soon.He'd never been more excited, or terrified, about anything in his entire life.

*****

Jackie had taken one look at her daughter before rushing her into the bedroom and trying to take control of the situation. "Doctor, I need hot water, and towels. Not the good towels, mind you, the shabby ones, with the gold and yellow trim."

The Doctor gaped at her in disbelief for a moment. "Oi! Who said you were in charge, Jackie Tyler? This is my wife and baby we're talking about. Besides, I think I know a little bit more about these things than you."

Jackie's cheeks were inflamed. "You? Have you ever given birth? I don't think so. I've done it twice. I think I'm the more qualified person in the room."

"I'm a Doctor," he spluttered in exasperation.

"You're not that kind of Doctor and you know it," Jackie countered, hands on her hips.

Rose cried out then, arching her back and scrunching up her face in apparent pain as another contraction rippled through her body. Jackie flew to her daughter's side, squeezing her hand and speaking soothingly until Rose relaxed.

"Please," she pleaded breathlessly. "Don't fight."

The Doctor nodded. "I'm sorry," he said instantly.

"Me too, sweetheart." Jackie rubbed the back of Rose's hand. "I'll go get the towels."

By the time Jackie returned, Rose was having another contraction. Jackie returned to her side, comforting her daughter, keeping her calm. After that, the contractions began coming at an alarming rate. It seemed like only minutes passed before Rose was pushing. The Doctor watched in amazement as a coif of little golden curls appeared. The rest of the head was next, and then the shoulders.

With a final scream and a push, the job was done and Rose collapsed against the pillow, panting as she looked at the Doctor expectantly. A soft, furious cry filled the room and Rose stared, teary eyed as the Doctor held the tiny infant to his chest and kissed its head. Instantly the baby stopped crying.

The Doctor carefully snipped the umbilical cord and wrapped the baby up before handing the tiny blanket-clad infant to Rose. "It's a girl, Rose. We have a daughter." His voice was thick with emotion as he watched Rose cradle the child in her arms.

"A daughter," Rose repeated, her voice filled with awe as she stared down at the living, breathing newborn. She looked at the Doctor for a moment, repeating his words. "We have a daughter."

His own eyes misty, the Doctor nodded, not trusting his voice to be calm. He sat on the bed, wrapping his arms around Rose, as together they studied the child they had created. Her full head of pale blond hair was sticking out in all directions, and when the Doctor reached out to touch it he was surprised to find it softer than feathers. Her fingers and toes were long and slender, ending with the tiniest nails he'd ever seen. Her vibrant hazel eyes looked almost purple as they fluttered open and closed a few times before she drifted off to sleep, her little chest rising and falling with every deep, even breath.

"She's beautiful," Rose whispered.

"Perfect," the Doctor agreed. "Just like her mother." He kissed her temple and tightened his embrace.

"She needs a name," Jackie told them, and they both looked up in surprise, having forgotten that they weren't alone.

"What's in a name?" the Doctor quoted, "That which we call a rose ..."

"...by any other name would smell as sweet," Rose finished for him, trying not to laugh at the Doctor's baffled expression. "Yeah, Shakespeare used that one on me."

The Doctor laughed. "Of course he did. Good ol' Will!"

"You've met Shakespeare?" asked Pete, who had been hovering in the doorway with Tony.

"Oh yes, multiple times," The Doctor said earnestly. "We even saw one of the first ever performances of Romeo and Juliet."

"We also saw Twelfth Night remember?" Rose's lips curved upward at the memory.

She was rewarded with a huge grin. "How could I forget? It's such a brilliant story."

"It really is." Rose looked down at the child cuddled against her chest. "You know... Viola is a beautiful name..."

The Doctor's eyes widened. "Oh! Rose, it's brilliant!"

"Yeah?"

He gazed down at his daughter. "I can't think of a more perfect name for her."

"Me either." Rose stroked her daughter's hair as she tried it out. "Viola." The little girl stirred, squirming in her mother's arms as her eyes fluttered open for a moment. She sighed contentedly and relaxed, drifting back into sleep. "I think she likes it," Rose whispered.

"That's settled then." The Doctor looked over to Jackie, Pete, and Tony. "Viola. We're going to call her Viola Tyler."

*****

Two nights later, Rose woke in the middle of the night only to find herself alone in their bedroom on the TARDIS. She heard murmuring coming from the other room so she quietly slipped on her robe and padded over to the nursery. She froze in the doorway, an adoring smile gracing her lips as she observed the scene before her.

The Doctor was holding an incredibly awake Viola in his arms as he stood in the center of the room. The lights were out, so the swirling constellations on the ceiling shone brightly as he gestured to various planets and stars, softly explaining to his daughter what each one was.

The intergalactic mobile shifted and the constellations for another galaxy appeared. Without missing a beat, the Doctor began to tell Viola stories about the stars and planets within this galaxy. "And that spot there - " He pointed to a dark section where there appeared to only be a few specks of something, "That's the Constellation of Kasterborous, where Gallifrey used to be," he whispered sadly.

"If I could, I'd take you to the golden domed Capitol, and I would show you off to the Time Lords at the academy." He paused, glancing down at Viola, her cheeks were rosy as she stared up at her father, her eyes wide and unusually focussed. "You would have liked the Time Lords, I think, they were a bit of a bossy lot - stuffy old bores, to be frank, but at heart they were peaceful and good. Collectively they had a lot of wisdom." He turned away from Viola for a moment and Rose could tell that he was feeling another bout of loneliness for his people. A part of her wanted to go to him, to comfort him, but she didn't want to intrude on his bonding time with their daughter, so instead she held back, continuing to watch from the doorway.

"You'd like the planet itself too, I think. It really is one of the most beautiful places I've ever been, and believe me, Viola, your father has been a lot of places in this universe and others." He had a nostalgic look in his eyes as he continued. "I always loved the trees best, with their silver leaves that glimmered under the orange suns. I would stare at them for hours as I sat beneath the trees on the banks of Lake Abydos. The best parts of my childhood were spent there. Oh, Viola, I wish I could take you there, so you could speak to the singing fish - you haven't heard anything until you've heard them sing - it's the most amazing sound in the universe..." he trailed off, his voice wistful and sad.

Rose felt her chest constrict and a lump formed in her throat as she watched her husband bare his soul to their tiny daughter.

Viola's eyes began to droop, so the Doctor started to sway back and forth slightly, turning his attention from the swirling sky above to the beautiful infant in his arms. To Rose's surprise, he started to sing, a soft, gentle tune that floated on the air as Viola drifted off to sleep. It took Rose several minutes to realize he was singing in Gallifreyan. Overcome with emotion, Rose turned to slip away, but the Doctor's voice stopped her.

"It's a lullaby," he said softly. "The only memory I have of my father is him singing this to me when I was just a wee boy. It means: 'I was born into sunlight, I will live forever. To sing and to dance, a walker of the night.'" He turned back to Viola and continued to sing, "Rashae'Yer, Ohn'Relue, Nakina'Eusa, Shantet'Naquet."

*****

Rose sat in the rocking chair of the TARDIS nursery, gazing down at the suckling eight week old infant in her arms. Viola cooed softly and turned her head away from her mother, the faintest tug of a smile playing on her tiny lips. Her eyes fluttered sleepily a few times and for a moment Rose saw the flash of an image in her mind. Nothing distinct, but it was bright and happy, whatever it was. Then Viola balled her little hands into fists as she stretched. Her body relaxed again and her eyes drifted shut as she snuggled up to her mother's warm chest and sighed contentedly.

The door opened and Rose grinned as her husband poked his head into the room. "Is she sleeping, again?" he whispered.

Rose stood, careful not to wake Viola. "Yes. Infants need a lot of sleep, Doctor."

He scowled as he watched Rose carefully settle Viola into the bassinet. "But Time Lord infants don't," he argued, his voice squeaking slightly.

Rose kissed her fingers and placed them gently to their daughter's cheek before ushering him out of the room. "We've had this conversation before. You're half human, and she only has one heart, so we don't know if she's human or Time Lord."

"I'm also half Time Lord. And the Time Lord DNA should be stronger." He furrowed his brow as he looked back at the closed nursery door.

"I'm glad she appears to be human," Rose said plainly.

The Doctor gaped at her, spluttering as he spoke. "But she's our daughter, don't you want her to be able to regenerate, to live a long life, to see the stars?"

"Of course I do, Doctor. But --" Rose swallowed loudly and gently touched his cheek. "But you're human now, and so am I. We're going to age and die someday, and if she's a Time Lord, she'll be left all alone, with no one to guide her, to teach her the laws of the universe. I don't want her to have to experience that kind of pain. Do you?"

Sadness filled his eyes and she knew he was recalling his own years of loneliness. "No," he said finally, his voice strained. "I don't want that for her." He studied Rose carefully. "But I still think there's a chance that she's a Time Lord."

Rose nodded. "I know. And if she is, we'll deal with it. I just worry, you know?"

It took only a moment of staring into her watery eyes for him to gather her into his arms and hold her tight against his chest. "Of course you worry, Rose. You're her mother, it's your job."

"I love her so much already," Rose whispered.

"I do too. She's amazing," he marvelled.

To Be Continued