"Right then," the Doctor said as he confronted Rose inside the TARDIS. "We can speak here without interruptions."

Rose took a moment to look around. She felt overwhelmed and tried desperately not to burst into tears. The Doctor saw her reaction and momentarily felt himself drawn into her presence. She looked around the console with reverence, even love. The TARDIS even seemed to hum happily when Rose touched the main console.

"Tell me who you are," the Doctor prompted in a soft tone. "The TARDIS

seems to recognize you."

"I don't even know where to begin," Rose said, trying to regain her composure. "It wasn't my choice to leave you."

The Doctor shifted uncomfortably. "So, you've been stuck here ever since," he said.

"Yes," Rose whispered, wiping her tears. "And then you show up! I didn't think I'd ever see you again."

"Well, Rose Tyler, whoever you are," the Doctor said, "there is something else about you. Why do I get the feeling that you aren't just an ordinary human?"

"You mean an ape?" she asked in a laugh. That made him smile. Funny, looking at this girl something seemed to tug at his insides. A warm feeling began to spread through him in regards to her, which made him a bit more uncomfortable. "Look," Rose said, trying to convince him that she was sincere, "if you need further proof, I have the key you gave me." She then pulled out the chain and dangled the key at the end in front of him. "Here, try it. It'll open up the TARDIS."

The Doctor arched his eyebrows and then frowned when he noticed that the key was similar to the spare he had. She must obviously be telling him the truth. He had actually believed her when she mentioned regeneration, but there was something about her that intrigued him and so he followed his impulse to discover exactly who she was. "Ok, Rose Tyler," he said repeating her name once again. "Say I believe you. But why would you want to go back? You seem to be doing quite well for yourself. Working at Torchwood, about to have a baby… saving the universe. You seem to have a fantastic life just right here. What did you do on the other side?"

Rose laughed; relieved that the Doctor was finally coming around and put the key back in the inside of her shirt. "I worked at a shop," she said. "That's where…"

"Don't tell me," the Doctor interrupted.

"I think I already told you enough that it might influence the timeline once you go back," Rose said laughing once more. And then she stopped.

"Doctor…" she began.

"Oh, no," he said. "Don't tell me because it could have repercussions…"

"You don't understand," she said, desperate now. "You can stop it from happening!"

"No!" he exclaimed. He started to think that maybe bringing her into the TARDIS was a bad idea. Rose saw his intention in his expressions and walked to the opposite side of the console, trying to put space between them.

"You need to listen!" she insisted. "I need to go back!"

"I can't just take you back and risk a temporal catastrophe!"

"You don't have to!" Rose cried. "You can just drop me off at the Powell Estates. Anywhere in the year 2007 and I'll take it from there."

"No!" he cried.

"Doctor, please, you don't understand," Rose persisted. "It wasn't my choice!"

"Things happen for a reason, Rose!" he said. "You and I are bound to meet. Don't you think that what you told me already has some kind of affect on the future?"

"You need to stop me then from getting stuck in this dimension!" Rose cried out, desperate. "It might not make sense to you now, but you and I need to be together!"

"Are you so willing to leave everything you have here behind!" the Doctor said, thinking she'd gone a bit crazy. "What about the father of your child. Are you so willing to leave Rickey behind?"

"He's not the father of my baby!" she cried out. "It's the father of my baby that I'm trying to get back to, Doctor! He's still on the other side! I never existed in this Universe! If you take me back around the year 2007 then I wouldn't be interrupting anyone's timeline. I'd only be going back where I belong!"

The Doctor took a pause, trying to assess the situation. "Was the father of your child traveling with us as well?" he asked.

"In a matter of speaking," Rose said.

"Oh, no," the Doctor said. "Be precise. Don't tell me it's a matter of speaking. Who is the father of your child, Rose?"

Rose took a deep breath and then said, "It's you."