Rose didn't know how long she had sat curled up in her favorite chair in the library, but it had been long enough to nod off. She woke to her neck aching in protest at her head, which had fallen to rest on her shoulder. Her fingers pushed the thin blanket to the side and slowly stood, a hand pressing to her already sore back. Her stomach size had seemed to double overnight, and with it, the body aches and pains that she knew was part of the pregnancy package.
The Doctor hadn't said much to her since her collapse several days ago. He barely looked at her anymore - it seemed as though every time he saw her wince in pain, or fully looked at the prominent roundness of her stomach, he was reminded of his part in it knew him well enough to know that he was blaming himself.
After his confession in the control room, she knew that any attempt to negate those thoughts were futile.
She hadn't felt much like conversation either, and so she tended to seek out quiet places in the TARDIS. Sometimes she read in the library, sometimes she laid around in her room and watched movies, and sometimes, when she knew the Doctor was sleeping, she would go to the control room and sit in the jumpseat, letting the TARDIS into her mind to calm her. She and the TARDIS had almost silent telepathic conversations, and it was soothing.
Jack hadn't pressed her, he seemed to know that she needed space. He was always there when it was time for her daily scan in the infirmary, and he drifted off soon after the Doctor left.
Rose wandered into the kitchen to find Jack, crunching an apple while he leaned back in one of the dining chairs. Rose picked a peach out of the bowl on the countertop and selected a plate and knife. She sat down across the table from Jack, who smiled at her as she began cutting her peach into slices.
"You look like you just woke up," he noted.
"I did. I fell asleep in the library. I'm so tired all the time now!" She pursed her lips, focusing on her swollen fingers as she tried to slice the peach.
"Here," Jack said, taking the knife from her hand and sliding the plate towards him. "You're going to cut your fingers off."
She groaned, slouching back into the chair. "They look like sausages."
"It's normal, apparently."
"Normal to look like a giant cocktail sausage?"
Jack choked back a laugh, sliding her plate of sliced peach back to her. He watched as she bit into a slice, slowly chewing. "So...you still okay?"
She nodded. "Yeah, I guess. I mean...I didn't expect to be so uncomfortable, but…" Her voice trailed off. She knew he would understand anyways.
You can't exactly complain when you don't know how long you're going to live. In his case, it could be forever, and in her case, it could be until dinnertime.
They ate together in silence for a while until Jack spoke again. "So, you haven't talked to the Doctor lately, have you?"
"I talked to him this morning, during the scan, remember?"
Jack raised an eyebrow. "That was not talking. That was...well, it wasn't talking in the sense that I mean."
Rose huffed. "I know. I get it. It's just...I don't feel like there's any more to say."
"Really? You mean you're fine if you die this second? You're fine with the last things your REALLY said to him?"
Rose considered this for a minute before speaking. "No. I guess you're right. But...I mean, how do I even start? He can barely look at me anymore."
"I think he's just scared."
Rose closed her eyes. Every time she did, all she could see was the Doctor's face. "It's time, I guess. We have to talk eventually, yeah?"
"I should be a couples counselor."
"Stick with your day job, Jack," she said, easing herself onto her feet. "You're better at protecting the earth from aliens anyways."
He winked at her, causing her to smile before she walked out into the hallway. The only problem was that she had no idea where the doctor might be now. She wandered down the hallways, peering randomly into empty rooms. After turning a third corner, she realized that she was out of breath; it was hard work carrying around all this extra weight. She turned, leaning her back against the cool metal wall, letting her eyes close as she slid down to sit.
"Rose?" She looked up to see the Doctor's head poking out of the doorway next to her. Of course - his room. She should have realized. He stepped out, eyes worried. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing, just out of breath. You try carrying around a boulder under your blouse, see how you get on." She smiled to let him know she was joshing him. He sat down next to her, but kept a respectable distance between them. "Was looking for you, actually. Thought maybe we could talk?"
"What's on your mind, Rose?" His eyes avoided her own.
"Well...I hate how things are between us right now. I hate that we haven't been talking. I hate that you can't even look at me-"
"I look at you."
Rose reached out to turn his face until his eyes finally met her own. "There. Now you are."
"Rose…" his eyebrows pressed together, and all of the hundreds of years showed themselves in his eyes. She pressed a finger to his lips.
"Shh. I understand. I just want to help."
He seemed to consider something for a moment. "Can I...can I show you something?"
"Sure. May need some help gettin' back up, though…" At her words, he took both of her hands and gently pulled her up to stand. She didn't let go of his hand as he led her into his bedroom. He motioned for her to sit on his bed, and she complied, trying to ignore the awkwardness she felt.
He turned to his dresser and pulled open the top drawer. "I found this when you were shopping for clothes. It made me think of you." He pulled a small silver box out and turned back to her, kneeling in front of her and placing it in her hands. "Everything happened, and it just never seemed like the right time, and so here we are."
She took the lid off, and her eyes instantly filled with tears. Nestled inside on a bed of cotton was a tiny, delicate silver bracelet. One single charm was attached - two hearts, each with a diamond inside, intertwined with each other. The Doctor carefully picked it up and secured it around her wrist. The tiny chain felt light as air, and the tiny diamonds sparkled even in the dim light of the room.
"It's beautiful, Doctor…" she felt her voice shaking, and he looked back into her eyes.
"I had wanted to find something to show you how much you mean to me, but nothing seemed big enough. But then I came across this, and it was just...it was you."
"Thank you," she whispered.
"Rose," the Doctor enclosed her hands in his as he spoke, "I'm sorry for my actions. It's been hard for me to watch you growing with life and getting more beautiful every day, but knowing what will come...it's been killing me. It's like dying a slow death every minute."
"I'm sorry-"
"Rose, no. It's me. This is my problem, you don't have to be sorry for it. I've been too wrapped up in my pain to see that you need me. And for that I'm sorry. I'm just afraid what will happen after." His hand reached up to cradle her upper jaw in his palm, his fingers reaching into her hair. "I don't think anything could save me except the sound of your voice. No matter what is going on in here," he tapped the side of his head with his other hand, "you just cut through all the noise. And for a time lord...that's quite scary. When I look into your eyes, I feel like everything will be all right, and it hurts. It hurts to look in your eyes and feel that way and know…"
Rose's hand reached up to touch the back of his hand. "Nothing's certain. I'm still fighting, I promise. I just don't mind if I die trying. If I die, I die fighting for you. For me, I'd rather go that way than anything else."
"I don't want you to go at all," he breathed.
"I don't either."
His thumb traced her cheekbone. "I can't believe I wasted every moment we had. I should have told you the moment I met you that I love you."
"Doctor…"
"I love you, Rose Tyler. I can't imagine ever not loving you. Hundreds of years, and you are the only thing I want out of all of time and space. And now it had to end like this…"
"It might not end, Doctor. But no matter what happens, I love you."
The Doctor smiled at her words, the words she had been wanting to say for so long. They finally understood each other. Everything snapped into place. All the misunderstandings evaporated. The words had been said, and their hearts were finally aligned.
The Doctor leaned in, gently pressing his lips to hers. He felt her fingers softly twist into his hair, pulling him closer to her. His hand slid across the wide expanse of her stomach, feeling the flutters of both the baby's movements and Rose's heartbeat. He felt her smiling underneath his lips, and he found himself laughing, sending her into a fit of giggles, and he pressed his forehead against hers.
"Oh, Rose...how did we get so off track?"
"I don't know. I was just so afraid to say it...I didn't know how you felt, and I couldn't bear to think that you didn't feel the same."
"My Rose...I don't think there was ever a time that I didn't love you." His lips found hers again, and he felt her pulling him onto the bed. Soon, they were both on their knees in his bad, arms grabbing at each other, lips scrabbling for purchase as their tongues warred with each other for dominance, tasting every inch it could. The Doctor felt Rose's fingers fumbling with the buttons of his shirt, and he quickly slid off his tie and tossed it aside, letting his fingers dip once again beneath the hem of her shirt to feel the cool skin underneath.
Finally, she was sliding the shirt off of his arms, and her fingers danced across the planes of his chest, feeling the taut muscles clenched underneath. Her lips pulled away from his as she gasped for air, and he took advantage of this, sliding her shirt over her head, He kissed her shoulder just around the strap of her pink silk-covered bra. His fingers worked desperately to unclasp it, finally sliding the straps down her arms to feel her bare chest against his, her gasps in his ear.
His hands slid across her bare stomach. "Are you sure this is what you want, Rose? We can stop…"
"Don't stop," she said, pulling his lips back to hers. "Don't ever stop."
Her words brought a deep growl rippling through his chest as he unbuckled her jeans, pulling them off in one swift motion. His fingers dipped down, the wet heat of her turning him on even more, so much better than the one and only memory of her while he was fighting the chemicals in his own body. He slid two fingers into her, both of them groaning at the feeling. His thumb pressed lightly at the small bundle of nerves, causing her hips to buck up into his hand.
"I'm yours, I'm all yours," she gasped.
The Doctor lightly nipped at her lip, pulling his fingers back from her to pull off his own trousers. Finally, finally, she felt him pressed fully against her, feeling the softness and hardness of him against her. He pulled back from her lips, eyes locking with hers, questioning one last time.
"I love you, Doctor," she whispered.
That was it. He couldn't stop himself from pressing himself into her throbbing, wet core, and they both moaned in unison, even their heartbeats seemed in sync. The only thing keeping them from being pressed flushly together was the giant curve of her pregnant stomach. Slowly, he drew himself out, hearing her gasp before pressing himself in again, and began to pump in rhythm, his lips kissing and sucking at the skin on her neck as she lightly moaned in his ear, her fingers digging into the skin of his back. He took one of her hands, guiding it to his head, the feel of her fingers winding through his hair, pulling, it was intoxicating to him.
His thrusts quickened as he struggled to keep them from becoming erratic. He couldn't hang on for much longer, feeling her all around him. "Come with me, my Rose…"
"Doctor…" He felt her clench tightly around him, and he felt as though his entire body had burst open in that one moment. Her moan turned to a light scream as she let herself go, succumbing to the pulsing waves of her own orgasm, the tiny explosions making her thighs clench in ecstacy.
It was only moments later that they laid side by side, legs and arms tangled together, but it felt like an eternity. Each breath seemed to last a thousand years.
"I don't want this to end," Rose whispered. "I want to stay here, in this moment, in this bed forever."
"My Rose, I want the same thing." His hand gently stroked her cheek as he smiled at her. He felt as though his chest could burst from the happiness he felt he could barely contain. Rose was here, in his arms, and she loved him.
She nuzzled into his chest, and he held her close, his nose burrowing into her hair, smelling the sweet scent of her. Their breathing slowly eased, and they both drifted off into the serenity of sleep.
"Was that your stomach, or did you swallow a lion?" The Doctor teased her when she awoke in his arms hours later.
"Oh, hush, you."
"I suppose we should get you something to eat, eh? It's almost dinnertime. What are you up to?"
"Do you think we could go out? We've been in the vortex for two whole weeks now, I miss the fresh air."
"Mmmm...yes, I think we could do with an outing. There's a wonderful resteraunt in the 29th century, it's situated overlooking a lake, it's quite lovely. We could go there, have a proper dinner."
"Sounds great, but I'd really hate to get dressed...I can't do this with clothes on…" Her head dipped down to kiss the skin in the very centre of his chest, making him growl lightly.
"Rose," he said, pulling her up, "if you do that, we won't be leaving this room, and I can't ignore your growling stomach. You need to eat, for you and the baby." His fingers swept across her stomach, and she sighed.
"You're right."
"Of course I am." He grinned at her.
Soon, they were both dressed and walking hand-in-hand down the hallway when they encountered Jack coming out of the library. "There you two are…" he took in the sight of their entwined fingers and the giant grin on the Doctor's face. "Oh, FINALLY! I thought I would have to lock you both in the bedroom with a box of condoms until you both worked it out."
"Little late for condoms, you cheeky git," Rose said.
"Hey, I don't hear anyone complaining."
"Oh, hush, we're going out to eat."
"Great! Sorry Doc, but I've been getting stir crazy being stuck on this ship."
"Hey, if you've got a problem with the TARDIS.." the Doctor warned playfully.
"Not at all," Jack said as they entered the control room. "I just happen to like seeing the sky every once in a while."
Rose leaned with her back against the rail, watching Jack and the Doctor step up to the control panel. The Doctor tapped away at the screen, motioning for Jack to flip a switch on his side.
"I like the sky, too, thats why there's the glass ceiling in the library where you just came from, may I remind you."
Jack shook his head. "I mean sky as in what you see from Earth. Leave it to the alien…"
"Oy! I take offense to that!"
Rose smiled, but felt her knees begin to wobble underneath her, Her fingers wrapped tightly around the rail as she took a mental inventory of herself.
"Well, it's true! You don't seem to appreciate the beautiful sight of a bright blue sky with scattered white puffs of clouds."
"Well, yeah, it's pretty, but you can't really compare that to being in space with millions of stars and planets shining all around you."
"Doctor…"
Jack pressed a button as the Doctor slammed a gear with his mallet. "You're telling me pitch black sky is better than a bright blue?"
"I'm not saying it's not pretty, it's just not natural. It's the atmosphere. On Jalcaniea the atmosphere turns the sky a certain shade of green that I find lovely."
"Doctor…"
"Now green sky, that's not natural," Jack said, pressing three more buttons.
"It is on Jalcaniea."
"DOCTOR!"
Both men turned to Rose with confused looks. She stood there, looking at both of them with a furrowed brow.
"I...I think that my water might have broken."
The Doctor's eyes slid down her body to see the liquid running down her leg, tinged slightly pink. He rushed over, catching her in his arms just as the first contraction overtook her body.
"Doctor...I think this is it...I think it's time."
