Chapter 14

Rose was timeless again.

At her house, it was only eight days after she had left with the Doctor. She had been away with him for at least a month, if not longer. Her sleeping pattern was all confused and that night she found herself wandering the halls of the TARDIS in her woollen pyjamas, for lack of anything better to do.

Whilst the Doctor had semi happily agreed to staying at the mansion, he had moved the TARDIS to the back garden and had insisted (although quietly and only to Rose, almost as if not to offend) that he should be allowed to sleep on the ship. Rose had completely agreed, wanting to sleep on the ship herself to keep an eye on the Doctor. She didn't want him disappearing, whether of his own accord or not of his own accord. He was too important to her for that. Much too important.

She came to the kitchen and looked in the fridge for something to eat. There was a bar of chocolate that Rose picked up. She didn't even bother to inspect it as she tore off the packaging and started munching her way through it, sitting at the kitchen table.

It was when she felt a pair of eyes upon her that she looked up. The Doctor was standing at the door in a light grey t-shirt and black pyjama trousers, watching her with an amused smile playing about his lips. She broke off a piece of the bar and held it out to him. Silently, he came forward and sat down, accepting the chocolate and biting into it in such an innocently seductive way that Rose had to avert her eyes.

"You couldn't sleep either?" he asked, swirling his tongue around his mouth in order to appreciate the taste of the chocolate fully. Rose looked back at him.

"No," she said softly, taking another bite. "I don't know. Ever since I've been travelling with you it's been like… I can't settle down again, at home." She looked into his eyes. "Do you know what I mean?"

He sighed. "Yeah."

"And…" She hesitated, tucking a stray piece of hair behind her ear nervously. "I don't know what to do now. Like… what are we going to do?"

"About what?" he asked, his mouth full of the last remnants of the piece of chocolate that she'd given him. His voice was thick, and she had to think for a moment in order to work out what he'd said.

"About… you know. The…" She trailed off, as he gave her a confused look. "The… the baby?" she continued. He hadn't forgotten about it already, had he?

"The baby," he repeated.

"Yes, Doctor. I'm pregnant. That means we're going to have a baby," Rose said patiently, as though talking to a child.

"Uh huh." He stared at the wall. "I haven't really thought about it. Been a bit… preoccupied. With… the whole… arrest… situation."

"Doctor, you said that you would talk to me if something was wrong. Remember that?" He nodded. "I can tell something's wrong. So talk to me."

He looked back at her, swallowing, as if nervously. "It's definitely mine?"

Rose raised her eyebrows. "Is that what you've been worried about?"

"Partly, yeah."

She smiled slightly, putting down the empty chocolate wrapper and reaching across to sandwich his hands between hers. "Then worry no more. It's definitely yours. The nurses said I was about one month along. They couldn't give me anything really accurate, obviously, because I was only there for a little while." She paused, and they descended into a companionable silence. "Mind you, I said I was tired, didn't I? This is probably why."

"Not probably, Rose. Definitely," the Doctor said knowledgeably. "Your hormones are going crazy at the moment. And you're eating for two now." Did she detect a bit of pride in his voice, or was that imagined? "Any other symptoms?"

Rose shook her head. "No. At least, not yet."

"Well, food cravings, apparently," he corrected, pointing at the chocolate bar. She giggled, embarrassed.

"You know, it's funny," she said, once her laughter had subsided. "I always thought that pregnancy would be all- you know, vomiting. Everyone always vomits when they're pregnant. Morning sickness. Everyone knows about that. But… nothing." She shrugged.

He smiled wanly. "You just wait, Rose Tyler. You'll be wishing you hadn't said that."

Rose pretended to be angry, poking him on his forearm, and not lightly. She scraped her chair closer to him, until she was beside him. He snaked his arms around her waist, resting his hands upon her stomach and nuzzling into her ear.

"What am I going to tell Mum?" Rose asked softly, goose bumps rising on her arms because of how he was tickling her neck with his cool breath. "It's not like I can keep it a secret, is it?"

She felt the Doctor shake his head. "No. Some secrets are hard to keep," he responded. Rose flushed, and immediately felt guilty. Before she could fully envelop herself with this emotion, however, the Doctor continued speaking. "Do you want to tell her on this visit or… the next one?"

"How long are we going to stay here?" she asked, regaining her composure.

"I don't know. How long do you want to stay here?"

"Doctor."

She felt him smile against her ear. "A few days? A week? I don't mind, Rose."

She turned to look at him, lifting her hand to stroke his cheek with a thumb. "Do you feel comfortable here? Because if you don't, I don't want to stay here for a long time. Or at all, really, but since you said we would I suppose we have to."

"So long as you're here, I feel comfortable." She smiled at him and pecked him on the lips gently.

"Not for long, yeah?" she promised. "I know you don't like being all domestic, like settling down in one place. Because you said so, didn't you?" He nodded. "Now, since both of us can't sleep, and I'm bored…" She trailed off, a seductive glint coming into her eyes.

"And you're bored…?" the Doctor prompted.

Rose giggled and stood up, breaking the grip the Doctor had on her. She grabbed his hand and pulled him to his feet, reaching up and kissing him passionately on the lips. She ran her free hand through his hair and he slipped his up her top, running it up and down her back. She broke off. "Here, let me spell it out for you." And she led him from the kitchen, towards his bedroom.

x

Rose woke the next morning in the Doctor's arms. It had been a while since this had last happened and she was pleased- incredibly pleased- that it was happening now. She turned and looked at him, unable to help a little squeal of delight escaping her lips. He was fast asleep, his mouth slightly open, his eyes gently shut at he breathed in, and out. He looked absolutely adorable.

And then it hit her. A sudden desperation to go to the toilet. She was almost bowled over by it. Quickly, she disentangled herself from his arms and dashed to the loo, before taking a quick shower and dressing. When she came out of the bathroom, the Doctor had curled around himself protectively, his expression a frown, his hand stretched out with his palm face down on the bed, the spot where Rose had been lying. She smiled and left the room, heading to the house.

When she came into the kitchen, it was to see Jackie already up and about, preparing June's breakfast. Rose immediately went to her little sister, picking her up out of the highchair and snuggling her against her chest.

"Oh, Rose!" Jackie gasped as she turned round. "You almost gave me a heart attack. Did you have to, love, I only just got her settled!"

Rose wasn't even slightly confused by the way Jackie had leapt onto a different train of thought within a couple of seconds. Both Doctors did it all the time. "Sorry," she said, replacing June in the highchair. Her sister began to struggle, threatening to cry. "Oh I'm sorry, June," Rose said, in a simpering voice, taking hold of her sister's hands and tickling her palms, "we'll play after breakfast, yeah?"

"See what you've done!" Jackie said, elbowing Rose out of the way and putting June's breakfast in front of her. "You're such a calamity. I'm not hiring you as June's babysitter!" Rose smiled back at her mother, who was now rifling through different cupboards. "What do you want for breakfast? We've got cereal, or I could make you… I don't know, a fried egg? Or a sandwich!"

"Cereal's fine, Mum."

"What'll the Doctor have?" Jackie turned round, a packet of cereal, three bowls and three spoons in her hands. Rose wondered how on earth she'd got them out so quickly. It came with being a mother, she supposed. "Where is the Doctor?"

Rose took the bowls from Jackie and set them around the table. Her mother followed with the spoons as June slurped her food happily. "He's still sleeping."

"Sleeping?" Jackie looked shocked, and Rose wasn't surprised. "That's rare. You should get people to pay to see that, you should- you'd make a mint."

Rose giggled. "Leave him alone, Mum." She sat down and helped herself to some cereal. Jackie did the same.

"I've been meaning to talk to you about him, actually."

"Oh?" Rose said absentmindedly as she poured milk into her bowl.

"Yeah. Have you told him about him yet? I mean the other him. God, this is so confusing, isn't it? But have you told him?" she pressed.

Rose shrugged, spooning some cereal into her mouth. "What would I say? 'Hey, Doctor. I know I've been with you for a while and I've professed my undying love to you, but the thing is, I was kind of in love with another version of you and I still kind of am, and that's the only reason I came with you in the first place, to find out about you, to see whether'…" Rose trailed off in her recital as Jackie stared. "What?"

"Undying love?" she said, stunned.

"Oh. Yeah. Undying love. Sorry."

"You're in love with him?"

Rose shrugged again. "I guess." She stirred her cereal in a concentrated manner, determinedly not looking at her mother.

"Are you sure you're in love with him, and not him?" Jackie asked.

"I'm in love with both of them, Mum," Rose said. "And it's so hard. And I don't know what to do because what would he do if he knew? He's so vulnerable, this version of him, and if he left me I don't know what I'd do." She began to sob. "I don't know what I'd-"

By this time, Jackie had stood and put her arms her daughter, shushing her. Rose stood up and embraced her mother, still crying. "He'll understand, love. If you love him like you say you do, and he loves you back just the same, then he'll understand. You have to tell him, especially if you want to start a life with him-"

"But that's not all!" Rose burst out. "I'm pregnant! And it's his!"