Rose propped her head up on her arm and watched the peaceful form of the Doctor sleeping beside her. The storm had finally stopped and the moon was shining brightly in through the window, illuminating the Doctor in its glow. The covers were pushed off of him in the heat of the room, his sleep pants hanging low on his waist and giving Rose a view of him she was not often allowed. She put her hand on his bare chest and allowed herself to run her hand along the places where his twin hearts were beating, steady and strong. She moved her hand from his chest and up to his face, skirting along his cheeks. With his face completely relaxed, he looked so young, so carefree; peaceful. Rose didn't know that she had ever seen him sleep so peacefully; for the first time in a long time, his sleep was not plagued by nightmares.

Rose, on the other hand couldn't sleep. Her heart felt at peace, having shared such deep intimacy with the Doctor, both in physical and mental forms. As much as she was happy in soul, her body was distressed. The tingling, overly energetic feeling she had felt all night, the one that had started when the Doctor and she had joined their minds, the one that prevailed as their bodies had joined, had not only stayed until now but had grown and was growing by the second.

Only once had she ever felt something similar to this feeling; even remembering that made Rose suddenly scared. She had felt something similar to this feeling the day that she had her miscarriage, the day she had lost the time energy that was left in her from the heart of the TARDIS. That day she had felt severe pain and while she didn't feel that now the tingling and almost 'bursting' feeling she had was similar and it made her scared. She looked at the Doctor, so peaceful and wished she could simply be happy. Everything that had happened between her and the Doctor was exactly what she had wanted; for once she should be able to be at peace. But something was wrong and she could feel it in her bones.

Rose lay next to the Doctor, her head on his chest, listening to his hearts and trying to calm herself for a long time but the unease in her grew. Her hands shook from the excess energy and she was filling with a deep sense of doom. She thought of waking the Doctor, but he deserved a few moments of peace so she didn't.

Rose slowly got out of the bed and dressed, her body beginning to ache from the energy she felt brimming inside of her. Her head pounded and she felt herself compelled in one direction, though she didn't understand that either. Rose slid out the back door and out into the dark night of the beach. The sand was wet and the beach deserted from the storm and Rose made her way quickly to the spot that she and the Doctor had left the TARDIS days ago. She felt herself bound to go there even though she doubted that she could even get into the ship. She felt relief flood through her when she saw the TARDIS, a strong beacon on the empty beach, looking just like she had when they had left her. Rose was beginning to feel a dull ache spread through her as she reached the ship, her shaky hands going to the handle on the door. Rose was stunned when she felt the door open.

Rose walked into the TARDIS, feeling a calming wave of energy come over her from the ship. Everything in the ship appeared normal; there were no signs of the distress that had landed them here. Rose, feeling her own distress growing by the second, walked slowly to the console and sat on the jump seat. She didn't know why she was here; she didn't know what was happening to her mind and her body. She was simply confused and scared and she was reaching out to something that had comforted her in the past.

Rose…..shhh….calm down

Rose jumped from the intrusion to her mind. It was not at all like the last time that the TARDIS had communicated to her. The last time, she had felt like the TARDIS was violating her, busting into her mind unbidden when Rose had little experience with such touch. This time, her touch was calming, done in a loving manner. But it was still a voice in her head; it came to her so easily and it alarmed her.

"I…..I can't calm down" Rose said, starting to feel panic rising inside of her. She felt the urge to cry and scream at the same time as her body began to feel like it was going to explode. "The last thing I can do is calm down! I'm going to explode!"

No you're not….Rose, sweetheart…..everything is going to be alright. I promise , The TARDIS cooed at her.

Rose wanted to believe the TARDIS' comforting words but she was scared. She didn't know what was happening to her but it didn't feel like a good thing. "What's happening to me?" Rose asked, her voice trembling.

Exactly what needs to happen…..don't be afraid, The TARDIS assured her.

Rose felt her throat tighten; though the TARDIS was meant to comfort her, her words did nothing but scare her. "But I am afraid…what's going on? I feel so different" Rose asked.

You're changing, Rose. But it's a good thing. It's exactly why I brought you here.

"What?" Rose asked. Her voice was raw and heavy with emotion. Her entire body bristled with energy and she felt like she was holding it in; she just wanted to let it go.

Rose…..you've underestimated the effect it had on you when you connected with me. That changed you deeply.

The tears that Rose had been holding back dripped over her eyelids and ran down her face. "I know what it did…but that's gone!" she said bitterly. "I had your energy inside me and it changed me so much I was able to have to Pete. But that's gone now! Don't you remember?! I lost that energy and I lost my son. I'm not special, I'm not different…I'm just human"

Rose felt the TARDIS energy come over her almost like a warm hug. It made her want to cry more, not less. There's nothing 'just' about being human, Rose. You're spectacular. He only takes the best, and he wanted you here with him. You saved his life…..when I was afraid I would one day be abandoned, seeing his body lying dead , he found you and you made him live. I was so very happy he found you.

Rose was sobbing now; if she made it through whatever this was that was happening to her, she would never once make fun of the Doctor's love for his ship. She understood it now.

Rose…..my energy did leave you when you lost the baby. That energy isn't inside you any longer…..but don't think that it didn't leave a very heavy mark on you. Your mind, your body has been changing ever since then. If it didn't, you'd never be able to connect with me in this way. You'd never be able to be mentally one with him. You were so close…the link you shared with him has completed the change that's happening in you. I knew it would…but I knew that the way he was acting, he'd never let himself connect with you. It broke my heart to see you two so far apart; I know that man very well and he's stubborn. I knew I needed to put him in a place where he couldn't run away so he could stop long enough to let you love him.

Rose wiped at her tear filled eyes; the TARDIS had done all of this out of love. She had dropped them here, on purpose, to bring them together. "How am I changing?" Rose asked, her voice small and scared. She was afraid of what might be happening even if the TARDIS told her it was a good thing.

It's almost done…go back to the Doctor. Let him take care of you…..let him tell you.

….

The Doctor rolled over in bed, grasping for Rose in his half asleep state. He had gone to sleep in post-coital bliss, falling into the most relaxing sleep he'd had in years. With the way that he felt now, he couldn't believe that he'd denied himself this much of what he'd wanted for so long.

As the Doctor's hand reached out across the bed for the soft warmness that was Rose, he came up empty. He opened his tired eyes and saw that the bed was empty. He sat up, looking around the room, wondering where Rose had gone. He'd not had time to grow too concerned when the back door opened and Rose came in from the beach.

"Rose? Where have you been?" He asked. He rubbed the sleep from his eyes and was then able to see Rose fully. And she was not alright at all. He could see Rose, hunched over, holding her arms around herself in pain. Her face was wincing as she walked slowly into the room. She was pale and obviously in a great deal of pain.

"Rose! What's wrong?" he asked, getting up from the bed and going to where Rose was standing.

Rose looked up into the Doctor's face, squinting at him, trying to hold her pain inside. "Something's happening…the TARDIS told me" she gasped out in pain. She fell to the ground on her knees, wincing in pain. The Doctor dropped down beside her, alarm bells ringing in his head.

"What do you mean the TARDIS told you?" he asked.

"I don't….feel right…" Rose said, desperation in her face. "I went to the TARDIS…..she spoke to me"

The Doctor was beginning to doubt Rose's sanity. She looked ill, very ill and she wasn't making a lot of sense. The TARDIS didn't 'speak' to anyone but him. "What do you mean she spoke to you?" he asked.

Rose was now panting from the pain. "I heard….her…..in my…..head. Like you" she said. "She said…..I was changing…..it was almost done…she said you'd….know what to do" she looked into the Doctor's eyes, fear obvious in them. "I'm scared, Doctor"

The Doctor was scared too; he could now see the glowing yellowish tint in Rose's skin. He could feel the energy coming off of her and he knew it meant one thing; but that didn't make any sense. Rose was not a time lord. "It's going to be okay, Rose." The Doctor tried to assure her even though he really didn't know if it would be.

"I feel like I'm going to explode" Rose said desperately, holding out her hands. "Look…I have all this energy in me…its….its dying to get out of me. I can't hold it in anymore!"

The Doctor knew the feeling well; he'd experienced it several times as his body had died and changed into a new one. But Rose was not a time lord and she should not be doing anything similar to regenerating. But if she were, he knew that there was nothing that he could do to stop it.

"Rose…..it's going be alright" the Doctor said, backing up to a safe distance, seeing the panic this move caused in Rose's eyes. "All that that you feel inside, just let it go. Let it all go"

Rose was terrified; it was obvious on her face and the Doctor felt it keenly. He did the best he could to hide his own feelings. "But what's going to happen?" Rose asked.

"Something good" The Doctor said, not knowing if it was a lie or the truth. "Please…just let go"

Rose looked at the Doctor for a moment, scared but her eyes showed trust in him. Her face relaxed before contorting again as she let go of the energy inside her. Yellow energy burst from Rose through her hands and face for a violent moment before she crumpled to the ground. The Doctor's hearts were swelling with worry as he ran back over to Rose, fallen on the ground. At first glance, Rose looked alright. She was still Rose; nothing about her had changed. He quickly checked her pulse and found it beating, thankfully, strong and steady. He tried to shake her awake but she didn't wake up. Guilt riddled through him; he had no idea what had happened to Rose but he instantly felt responsible. Maybe he had pushed her too much; maybe he shouldn't have connected with her the way that he did. Maybe he'd damaged her mind somehow; if he had broken her, he would never forgive himself. Her mind had seemed to so easily connect with his, almost effortlessly and he had just gone with it. He should have thought about it before he did it; he'd been too eager for all of Rose that he could get and now she might pay the ultimate price for it.

Without pausing to think any more than necessary, the Doctor scooped Rose off the floor and into his arms, walking outside and towards the TARDIS as fast as possible. Rose had said that she had opened for her and the Doctor could only hope she would open for him. He ran as fast as he could weighed down with Rose who hung limply in his arms like a doll. Wet sand from the storm stuck to his bare feet and made him slow but he forced his legs to work. The sun was beginning to peak over the horizon, the pink light shining over the ocean as the TARDIS came into view. The Doctor's hearts were filled with panic; the night had been everything he had wanted but never allowed himself to have. He only hoped that it didn't end in tragedy like everything he had seemed to.

The Doctor pushed open the door of the TARDIS with his foot, his hearts soaring when it swung open easily. He ran inside the console room, down the hallway and toward the infirmary. He didn't take time to consider why the TARDIS was now alright or how she seemed to have fixed the problems she had had only a few days ago; all he could care about at the moment was Rose's safety.

The Doctor made his way quickly to the infirmary and laid Rose down on the exam table. Her face looked peaceful and she was beginning to stir and the Doctor felt hopeful for that at least. She didn't seem to be physically harmed but it wasn't really her physical state he was most concerned about. He was afraid what might have happened to her mind through the events of the past night.

Rose moved around slightly on the table but didn't wake as the Doctor began to scan her. It seemed like it took hours for the results to come up on the screen even though it was in reality less than a minute. When he saw the results, he had to check it three times before he would believe what his eyes were seeing. Relief flooded through him; Rose was going to be okay. She was going to be more than okay. He leaned against the exam table as he examined and reexamined the results. Even though he saw it, he couldn't believe it. He wanted to believe it but it was so difficult to wrap his mind around.

The Doctor turned around and looked toward Rose lying on the table. She wiggled around slightly and the Doctor felt himself bursting, hardly able to wait for her to wake up. He put his hand on her head and ran his fingers through her hair. "Rose Tyler…you are one amazing, fantastic woman" he said, his voice filled with awe.