I'm sure you're getting tired of my excuses for late chapters, so I'll just say that I'm sorry and shut up so you can read the latest installment. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: If I owned Doctor Who, would I be writing fan fiction?

Chapter Ten: Isn't She Lovely

Rose Tyler was not comfortable. It had nothing to do with the bed she was lying in, or the blankets and sheets covering her, or the nice soft pillow under her head, or the handsome man lying next to her, peacefully asleep. No, Rose Tyler was not comfortable because she was twelve months pregnant, plus six days past her suspected due date. And right now, her daughter was simply refusing to stop moving, kicking nearly constantly. When Emma had first developed that habit of kicking all the time, Rose and the Doctor had been amused, saying she was Daddy's little girl, that she'd be a runner just like them. But now that she'd been doing that off and on (mostly on) for the past six months, Rose was very tired of it, and could now say that she was NOT amused. She was tired of being pregnant, and she wanted to hold her baby girl in her arms.

Trouble was, no matter how much Rose and her husband begged their daughter, both separately and together through the parental bond, the only acknowledgment of their pleas that they ever got was a feeling of sincere contentment. They took that to mean that Emma was perfectly happy right where she was, thank you very much. Both parents were getting a bit impatient, and Rose's temper was deteriorating rapidly. The Doctor was taking the brunt of her frustration, both because he could feel it from her mind, and because it tended to be him that she threw things at. So far she hadn't thrown anything more dangerous than a stuffed animal, and he'd either dodged or caught everything she'd thrown. He was being remarkably patient with her, Rose knew, and in her calmer moments she was incredibly grateful for his continued love and support, no matter how hormonal and obnoxious she got. The rest of the time, however, she was just a bit mad at him for doing this to her.

Rose grumbled slightly to herself and sat up, giving up on getting any sleep tonight. She glanced over at her husband, who was still dead to the world, and couldn't help but glare at him. It seemed monstrously unfair that he could still sleep while she was so ridiculously uncomfortable, and she had to fight the urge to wake him up, just to annoy him. She eased out of the bed and scooped up her dressing gown, wrapping it around her shoulders and wincing when she could barely close it in the front. Rassilon, she felt like a whale. She smirked slightly at the expression and shook her head. She still wasn't really used to the bits of the Doctor's mind that kept leaking through their bond. She did have to admit that it was useful at times, though. The Doctor was teaching her Gallifreyan, and though it was an extremely difficult language, Rose had a feeling that it would be even more difficult if she didn't have the Doctor's mind leaking bits and bobs into hers.

She cast one more look at her husband, half jealous, half exasperated, and left their bedroom to wander through the house. After many heartfelt talks, logical discussions and a few screaming fights that left their bond screaming at them, Rose and the Doctor had finally agreed to raise their daughter on Earth, rather than bouncing through the stars with an infant. They certainly weren't going to be giving up traveling in the TARDIS, but they were now going to be based on Earth, in a house with doors and carpets. No mortgage though, thanks to Pete. Traveling the stars was going to be more of a "vacation" sort of thing, though it would likely happen far more often than most families went on holiday. The less frequent traveling was probably going to be good for the TARDIS, however much it might frustrate her pilot. The Doctor had confessed to Rose that despite being "born" in this universe, the ship still didn't really like the different sort of energy. She could still function, but she needed refueling far more often, and the subsequent trips to Cardiff always took longer than they had before.

So, now they had a handsome little house in a quiet London suburb near good schools, doing the most domestic thing in the entire universe. Rose snorted to herself as she pictured the look on her first Doctor's face if she'd told him they'd be doing this one day. He probably would have had her committed. She sat down on the comfortable couch in the living room and continued to ponder the changes in her life.

In addition to having things like a house and a car, they also had jobs, working for Torchwood again. Not as field agents, however. While Pete had been perfectly willing to welcome them back to Torchwood, he had flatly refused to place them both in the field. She closed her eyes, remembering the confrontation.

"Absolutely not," Pete snapped. "I know you don't think much of protocols, but some of them are there for a reason. I'm not sending a pregnant woman into the field, and I'm not going to send both of the parents of my grandchild into dangerous missions together. Even if that wasn't against regulations, I still wouldn't let you do it. End of discussion. Now if you, Doctor, still want to pursue field work, then that's fine, they'd be glad to have you, but not Rose while she's pregnant, and not both of you."

Rose sighed. Her father had been right, of course. They had a family to think of. While they had both grumbled and complained some, they had agreed with Pete Tyler's decision. The Doctor had refused point-blank to go on field assignments without her, so now he was working full-time with R&D, while Rose herself was training new agents. Or rather, she would be doing so again when her maternity leave was up. Right now, she was just wandering around the house during the day, trying not to go mad with boredom and begging her daughter to come greet the world.

Which she did again, now. "Come on, Emma. Don't you want to meet your parents?"

In reply, Rose got a distinct feeling of confusion. It was a little difficult to tell from only her emotions, but Rose got the impression that Emma was trying to say that she already knew her parents. Rose groaned, and tried to explain that knowing them through telepathy wasn't the same as knowing them in person. She felt Emma essentially thinking it over, and was then hit by a wave of nervousness, anticipation, resignation and acceptance, just before her water broke.

For a moment, Rose just sat there, stunned, unable to believe that that had actually worked. Then she remembered what was happening and heaved herself up off the couch and hurried into the bedroom. She shuffled around to the Doctor's side of the bed, put her hand on his shoulder and shook him gently.

"Doctor? Doctor, wake up."

He rolled onto his back and blearily opened his eyes. "Wassamatter?" he grumbled, his voice slurred from sleep.

Rose giggled a little. He looked so adorable, with his sleepy expression and ruffled hair.

He blinked a few times, bringing her into focus, and groaned at the sight of her laughing face. "Rose, did you wake me up just to laugh at me?"

She giggled again, and shook her head. "No, silly. It's time."

"Time for what?" he groaned.

She made a face at him. "You know, you really are extraordinarily thick when you first wake up," she admonished him, poking him in the shoulder with one finger. "The baby's coming, love."

That got his attention, and he sat bolt upright, suddenly wide awake. He flung off the blankets and sat up, swinging his legs around as he turned to face her, placing his hands on her stomach.

"Are you sure?" he asked, just a bit breathlessly, catching her eyes with a look of excitement and anticipation.

"Yeah, I'm sure. My water broke," she told him, her eyes shining. The Doctor's face took on a look of wonder, and he leaned forward to place a gentle kiss on her stomach before standing and kissing her lips.

"Oh, Rose," he said softly, his voice thick with emotion. They took a few seconds to just stand there, enjoying the moment, and then the Doctor snapped into action. He leaned over and flipped on a light, then darted to the wardrobe to get dressed. While he did that, babbling in light-speed Gallifreyan, Rose picked up her mobile and dialed her mother.

"Rose, it's two o'clock in the bloody morning," her mother grumbled sleepily.

Rose grinned. "Yeah, Mum, sorry I woke you, but I just thought you might like to know that the baby's coming."

She'd barely finished her sentence when her mother let out an inhumanly high shriek, forcing Rose to hold the phone at arm's length to avoid getting her eardrums broken.

"Ouch, Mum! Take it easy, I think they heard you in the parallel universe!"

"Oh, I just can't believe it's time! Give us just a tick, and we'll be right there. Oh, my baby's having a baby! Oh, I can't believe it…"

Rose grinned again and hung up as her mother's conversation degenerated into pointless rambling. She glanced over at her Doctor, and discovered that in the time it had taken her to call her mother, he had finished getting dressed in his usual pinstriped suit, complete with tie. She giggled, and he gave her an affronted look.

"What?"

"It's just, why'd you even bother with the jacket and tie? You know you're just going to end up taking both of them off again; they'll get in the way."

He gaped at her, then shook his head in disbelief. "Humans," he mused. "You're going into labor, and you're worrying about my wardrobe. Come on then, into the TARDIS. Allons-y!"

He took Rose's hand and pulled her along behind as he led the way downstairs to where the TARDIS was parked in the cellar.

0-0-0-0-0

Nine hours, ten minutes and forty-two seconds later, Rose slumped back against the bed in the TARDIS med-bay, exhausted. She watched, a weary smile on her face, as the Doctor cradled their newborn daughter, gently cleaning her up with a soft cloth and cooing at her the entire time. When doting Daddy was satisfied that she was properly clean, he wrapped her in a soft pink blanket and brought her to Rose. He settled Emma in Rose's arms, then placed a gentle kiss on little Emma's forehead and another to Rose's lips. Rose cradled their daughter, holding her close, and felt all of the pain and frustration of the last year melting away. It was all worth it now.

The Doctor stared down at his beautiful family, fighting back the tears that threatened to spill from his eyes. He couldn't believe how lucky he was, how truly fantastic his life had become. For so long, he'd been so lonely, an outcast among his own people, then the very last of his kind. Now, his beautiful, brilliant, wonderful, magnificent Rose had given him a daughter. He had a family again, one that he felt closer to than any other people in the universe, or any universe.

"Look, Doctor. She has your eyes," Rose said softly, drawing him out of his introspection. He shifted closer, wrapping one arm around Rose's shoulders and supporting Emma's head with the other hand. He watched as little Emma opened her eyes again, and sure enough, the eyes that greeted him were the exact same shade as the ones he saw in the mirror every morning. He swallowed past the lump in his throat.

"They look better on her," he rasped, which drew a tired chuckle from his wife. He traced one long finger down Emma's perfect little face. "She's beautiful, just like her mother," he murmured, and kissed them both again. "I love you, both of you."

Rose responded with one of the few Gallifreyan phrases she'd mastered. "I love you, my Doctor," and was startled when he suddenly crushed his lips to hers. Tired as she was, she eagerly responded to his kiss, tasting the salt of his tears. She had to say it was one of the most beautiful kisses they'd shared.

A moment later, they were rudely interrupted by a pounding on the infirmary door.

"Oi! Can we come in yet? I want to see my granddaughter!"

Rose giggled and the Doctor sighed at her mother's impatient demand, then both chuckled as they heard Pete scolding his wife in a weary tone. The Doctor took a quick moment to pull himself together and erase the evidence of his tears before sharing a grin with his wife and crossing to open the door.

"Jackie, Pete, there's someone that Rose and I would like you to meet," he said, unable to keep his ridiculous grin off his face. Jackie shoved past him and went straight for Rose, babbling at a mile a minute, and Pete paused to clap him on the shoulder before following his wife into the infirmary. The Doctor, still grinning like a loon, followed his in-laws back inside, and pushed Jackie out of his proper place by the head of Rose's bed, much to the woman's disgust. A look from Rose kept Jackie from saying anything on that score however, and she quickly moved on to address a more important issue.

"So, are you going to tell us what her name is? You've been so secretive, but I think it's time you told us."

Rose and the Doctor rolled their eyes in unison. "Mum, I told you, we just wanted to keep her name between us until she was born."

"Well, she's born now, so what's my granddaughter's name?"

The Doctor shook his head in wonder at Jackie's persistence, then leaned over the bed. Glancing at Rose for permission first, he gently lifted Emma from his wife's arms and cradled her against his chest, turning to face Pete and Jackie.

"Well," he began, "This is Emma. Emma Hope Tyler." He glanced down at his daughter, and, impossible as it might have seemed, his smile widened even farther. "Now, Emma, I want you to meet your grandparents."

"Oh, give 'er 'ere," Jackie demanded, her Cockney accent thicker than ever in her excitement. She reached out and took the baby with loving, practiced hands, cradling her against her ample bosom, with Pete looking over her shoulder.

As soon as Emma was out of her father's arms, however, both Rose and the Doctor sensed a deep level of discomfort from their daughter. Before either of them could react, Emma began wailing loudly, declaring to all the world that she was not happy.

"Oh, there now, love, it's all right," Jackie said soothingly, rocking her gently. "It's just your Gran." The baby's instant negative reaction had her very distressed, but she tried to hide it.

The Doctor winced, and cursed himself for not thinking of this. "Jackie, you'd better give her back to Rose. I'm sorry, I'm so sorry; I didn't even think. She's Gallifreyan, and therefore telepathic, and she's trying to reach your mind, like she would with me or Rose through the bond we both have with her. She can't reach you, and that's very disturbing to her, 'cause she's too young to realize that she doesn't have to be telepathically linked to everyone."

Jackie frowned, hurt, and took two steps to the bed, placing Emma back in Rose's arms. "Why Rose? Why didn't you take her back?" she asked, still trying to cover up how badly the last few moments had shaken her. Emma, meanwhile, had calmed somewhat, but was still visibly (and audibly) distressed.

The Doctor sighed. "Because the maternal bond is generally stronger than the paternal one, since the child spends an entire year living inside the mother." He could feel Emma's discomfort burning in his mind, and he couldn't figure out why she still so fussy now that Rose had her. Rose rocked her, cooing reassuringly, but Emma still wouldn't settle down. The Doctor ran his hands distractedly through his hair, unable to think of anything. Emma had bonded to Rose, and very strongly too, so that bond should be strong enough to soothe her.

Unless…

"Here, give her to me," he said, and gathered Emma back into his arms. Almost immediately, she quieted down, yawned, and closed her eyes, now radiating contentment.

Pete chuckled. "Well, looks like she's a Daddy's girl, then," he said, and Jackie smiled, albeit a bit nervously.

The Doctor looked up from his daughter's face to meet his wife's eyes, and winced as he felt the bombardment of Rose's feelings against his mind. He felt her hurt, anxiety, jealousy and an intense feeling of inadequacy, and his heart broke.

"Rose, love, it's not like that, really, it's not," he babbled hastily, hating the devastated look on her face and trying frantically to reassure her.

Rose took a deep, shaky breath and fought back the tears that were threatening her eyes. "S'okay, Doctor," she muttered, in a tone that meant it was light-years from "okay." "I get it. I'm just too human for her to really bond properly with me. My stupid ape brain can't handle it."

"No, Rose. No. You're just as capable of supporting the parental bond as I am."

"Then why?" she asked, her voice catching as a single tear ran down her face.

He reached out and placed Emma back in Rose's arms, letting her hold their daughter and absorb the fact that Emma stayed quiet and continued to radiate contentment, then answered his wife's question.

"You remember the day you told me you were pregnant?" he asked, using his gentlest tone. When she nodded shakily, he continued. "And how, right after you told me, I reached out for her mind?" She nodded again. "Well, when I did that, I initiated my bond with her. I did that before you connected with her, you remember? It looks like, when I did that, I accidentally usurped the more dominant position in the parental bond. I swear, Rose, I had no idea that it mattered what order we connected to her, or I would have made sure that you bonded to her first," he stated, emphatically and guiltily.

Rose held her daughter just a bit tighter than was truly necessary, and tried to absorb his words, feeling his deep guilt washing over her mind. "So, Emma's more strongly bonded to you, but only because you connected with her first?" she asked.

He nodded. "Yes," he confirmed. "It's not that she loves me more or something ridiculous like that. She loves us both, and you know that, you've been in her mind just as much as I have. And it has nothing to do with you being human."

She searched his eyes and his emotions, and found nothing but sincerity and a touch of guilt for causing this, and tried to let the revelation sink in. Okay, so her telepathic link with her daughter wasn't as strong as her husband's was. But she still had a strong link with Emma, and that was something that no other human mother could say. She squared her shoulders and leaned down to kiss Emma's forehead. This was nothing, she decided. It was just like her father had said; Emma was a Daddy's girl, that was all.

"Okay," she said, locking eyes with the Doctor and smiling slightly.

He gave her a confused look, a bit bewildered by her sudden acceptance of the situation. "Okay what?"

Rose's smile widened a bit. "It's okay, Doctor. It's fine. I think I might have overreacted a bit. After all, I'm exhausted, and my hormones are going crazy right now."

He returned her smile with a tentative one of his own. "I promise, Rose, if we ever have more, I'll make sure that you get a chance to bond to them first," he assured her. He cocked his head to one side, studying her face and emotions, then leaned forward to kiss her, having deemed it safe. She smiled against his lips, returning his soft kiss, glad to have worked out that little bit of confusion.

They broke apart fairly quickly, as her parents were still in the room, and the Doctor turned to face them. "Sorry about that," he said sheepishly. "Now, it won't take too long for Emma to adjust to having humans around, maybe a week or two, so you'll be able to hold her soon," he informed them. "In the meantime, you're still welcome here, and welcome to spend plenty of time with Emma, just as long as you don't touch her without one of us also touching her, 'cause if Rose or I are touching Emma, then she should be okay with you two touching her." He paused. "Was that a sentence that made sense?" he asked his wife, a faint frown creasing his forehead.

Rose chuckled softly. "Mostly," she said, and smiled with her tongue in her teeth. The Doctor sighed in relief as that smile convinced him that his wife really was recovered from the moment of insecurity. He leaned down and kissed first her forehead, then Emma's, and gave them both his most loving smile, sending love across both bonds.

Rose's parents hung around for a while longer, but soon the sight of Rose's eyelids drooping and baby Emma sleeping soundly in Rose's arms made them decide to leave and let the new parents get some rest. The fact that only Rose or the Doctor could carry little Emma made getting them all settled in a real bed a bit difficult, but they managed to get back up to Rose and the Doctor's room, placing their little daughter in the crib at the foot of their bed. Soon, she'd move into the nursery, but for right now, they wanted her close.

Rose spared one last look at her precious daughter before gingerly settling into bed, moving slowly in an effort to not jar her sore body. A few moments later, after he had seen her parents out, the Doctor joined her, settling in beside her and wrapping his arms lovingly around her. She snuggled into his embrace, well content with her world, and they both began drifting off to sleep.

Only to be jolted awake about an hour later by the baby crying and demanding to be fed. They looked at each other and laughed.

"Here we go," the Doctor said, and heaved himself out of the bed to fetch their daughter.

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