A/N: Apologies again if some of the dates were wrong or any of the history isn't quite right. Going to be much of the same in the next chapters too. If I'm glaringly naff with something please let me know.

Own Nothing.

Rose was grateful for the warm bed as she clambered in, the long nightdress bunching around her legs forcing her to hitch it up to get comfortable. The Doctor was peeling off the layers of clothing he'd put on underneath his dinner suit, neither of them particularly keen on the bitter Russian winter. Rose fussed with the bed spread, smoothing it down until she felt the gentle movement as he slipped in beside her.

"Missing Susie?" he said almost reading her thoughts.

Rose nodded, "Lots but its nice, just you and me."

The Doctor gave her a smile but then shook his head, muttering to himself in confusion. He seemed to almost be arguing with himself.

"What's the matter?"

He shook his head one last time, clearly coming to a decision, and looked back up at her, "Nothing. I just thought I felt…its nothing, don't worry."

"Theta?"

"I thought I felt another Time Lord present but its gone now. Probably just my mind playing tricks on me. Silly really, if any of my people survived I doubt they'd head for Imperial Russia. Just feels so familiar. You know when you come home after being out all day and all you hear is the noise of your family and you just feel like you're home? Feels like that. Its weird but hey, ignore me, I'm being dramatic. Go to sleep," he said pulling her into his arms as he lay back amongst the pillows, "We've got an audience with the devil tomorrow."

As Rose's breathing became even and deep the Doctor opened his mind to the universe and sought out whatever had briefly connected to his mind, almost crying out in joy as he touched on the one soul he had longed to see again.

XXXX

He didn't know that she was awake and he didn't know that she had followed him, confused as to why he would leave her in the middle of the night. The floor was cold against her bare feet as she wandered along the corridors of the Winter Palace but she paid them no mind, intent on not being discovered. She watched as he turned a corner and followed behind, keeping enough distance that he wouldn't hear her. She watched him approach a young maid, no older than twenty and then the scene before her shocked her like no other. He pulled the young woman into a desperate embrace, sinking to his knees with her in his arms. Her long blonde hair falling over his shoulder as she buried her face in his neck, running her fingers through his wild, unruly hair. She couldn't hear their words but she didn't need to, their embrace spoke volumes and she needed to see no more. She turned on her heel, trying to keep her head held high but she could already feel the bitter tears on her cheeks. She didn't sob, she couldn't make a sound in the silent palace so far from her home. She opened the door to their bedroom, kicking aside the expensive pink silk she had earlier discarded before clambering into the unfamiliar bed and pulling the covers over her head. Then and only then did Rose Tyler cry the tears she had concealed for three and a half years.

XXXX

The Doctor clung to the woman before him like his life depended on it, not caring as her tears soaked his shirt or her grip around his neck near strangled him. He just held her, feeling the pain of so many years flowing between them as they cried. He stroked the long blonde hair, marvelling that it remained the same after so many years, he had changed many times since their meeting but she remained the same. She'd known him thought, felt him as he'd felt her. Glimmering presences in a dark universe. He could barely find a voice to speak but when he could only her name came to his lips.

"Romana."

"Doctor," she choked back, "Its you, I found you. I've searched for so long, always a footstep behind you but now you stumble upon me."

"I do not think our meeting was by chance," he said as he pulled back from her, "The TARDIS malfunctioned and we ended up here, perhaps she knew."

"Perhaps," said Romana, "But how or why you are here my friend does not matter. You do not know how desperately you are needed."

"But how did you get here," said the Doctor, still overwhelmed by his old friend's presence once again, "You were left in E-Space with no chance of escape back here. Are any others with you? How come I did sense you immediately?"

Romana gave him a smile and so many happy memories mingled with the sad ones in a single glance, " I concealed myself, I had to and I'm afraid I know of no other Time Lord who survived the war, seems you are to carry our burden along alone now. As for how I got here, you of all the Time Lords knew that nothing was impossible but it would take to long to tell you all now. All I can say is that I have tracked a presence here, one I thought long dead. He has concealed himself but I know he is close but he is too strong for me, I need you by my side to fight him and save this world."

"Tell me," said the Doctor, "Tell me who you seek and I'll help you."

"Omega," said Romana well prepared for the Doctor's expression, "Yes, I know, you destroyed him. You're three selves destroyed him and his anti-matter world and yet I'm not lying to you Doctor, he lives and he is here. Since I found myself in this dimension once again I have known he was near and I tracked him here. He survived the anti-matter explosion somehow and he is stronger than before, pure energy like nothing I have ever seen. Everything of our people has gone out in him, he is evil, intent on being a god of this world if he could not be on ours. He plans to bring forward to Revolution. If St Petersburg falls he knows the Russian line will fail and the history of this world will descend into chaos. He will exploit that. But I cannot get near him to stop him, he works through Rasputin and I have no way to meet him. That is why I need your help and that of your companion, the blonde woman you arrived with."

"Rose," said the Doctor softly, "And she's not my companion, she's my wife."

"She's human!" cried Romana, flinching as she feared her voice may raise the alarm, "She's a human woman."

"And I love her," said the Doctor, "Romana I know our people forbad any union with another species but they're gone and I'm…I'm a father again. We have a daughter. Rose gave me a new life, a new hope when Gallifrey died. Please say you'll accept her, for my sake."

"For your sake my dear Doctor," said Romana planting a kiss on his forehead, "Go back to her now. I will send you word when we can meet again. Take care until then and do whatever you can."

The Doctor helped her to her feet as she stood, "Of all the things I've prayed since the Time War, seeing you again was one of them. Come with us, when this is over, travel with us."

"I shall," said Romana, in a whisper, "And we shall have adventures like no one has ever had before. Now go, back to Rose."

The Doctor kept a hold on her hand until their arms could stretch no further before running back down the corridor to his bedroom. His mind was buzzing with the events of the night. He had found Romana's presence, reaching out for him but delicately, frightened of detection. He felt the connection like a the first breath of a regeneration, fresh and new and exciting. Another Time Lord lived, he was not the last and he was grateful but her news filled him with fear. It had taken three incarnations to defeat the renegade Gallifreyan and his anti-matter monsters but now he was only one with no chance of crossing his time streams with another.

He pushed open the door to his bedroom, ready to wake Rose and tell her his news but then a cold fear fell over his hearts as he watched the rise and fall of the sheets as she slept. A force as powerful as Omega would be a difficult battle, a dangerous battle. He knelt down beside the bed and noticed the tears stains on her cheeks. He wiped them away with his thumbs, sighing as he thought of her crying for their daughter. His Littlest Time Lord. He swallowed back any tears as he made his choice. Rose would return to the TARDIS while he sought and battled Omega once again. The TARDIS would take her home if the Doctor perished and Susan would not be left an orphan. He pressed a soft kiss to Rose's brow before moving his lips to her ear.

"I love you. I'm sorry."

XXXX

The Doctor woke to feel the cool winter sun on his back as it filtered through the gap in the heavy drapes. Not opening his eyes he reached a hand across the bed, expecting to feel the familiar silky hair and warm skin that always greeted him but instead a cold pillow was his only companion. He opened his eyes, blinking away the remains of the night, giving himself a half smile as he remembered his meeting. He sat up in bed, draping his arms over his knees as he watched Rose fumbling with the ties of a dress left for her by the Tsarina, the sun dancing over the fly away curls in her hair. He committed the image to memory, his heart heavy at the thought that he might not see her again. He pushed the thoughts down, he would tell her what was happening and he would give her the choice, he could not send her away, she would never go willingly even for Susan's sake. He slipped out of bed, pulling on a dressing gown, and wandered over to her. He felt her tense as he placed his hands on her shoulders.

"Its me," he said softly.

"Of course its you, who else would it be," said Rose, not turning to him.

"Are you alright?" said the Doctor, surprised by her snappy tone, "Still missing Susie?"

"Something like that," said Rose, ignoring his attempt to pull her into a hug and continuing to tie the ribbons of her dress.

The Doctor shook his head at her reluctance, bending so his chin rested on her shoulder, "Come back to bed for a bit, I want to talk to you and its warmer in there."

"I'm up now," said Rose, shrugging him off.

"Hey, quit playing hard to get," said the Doctor, playfully grabbing her hand and tugging her over to the bed.

The sound of Rose's hand connecting with his cheek echoed in the cavernous bedroom. The Doctor took a step back, releasing his grip on her as he stared at her in disbelief. Never in all their time together had Rose struck him in anger and now all he could see was rage reflected in her deep eyes. Unable to speak he watched as her face contorted into choked sob before she dropped to her knees, crying into her hands.

"Rose?" he said, the pain in his cheek nothing to the pain in his hearts to see her crying. He knelt down in front of her and gripped her shoulders gently, "Rose what's wrong?"

"I can't do this anymore," she said, not making eye contact with him.

"Can't do what?"

"Who is she Doctor? Why her?"

"Rose, honey, you're not making any sense. Who are you asking about?"

She finally raised her head and what he saw in her eyes frightened him beyond anything he had ever seen. Her face was pale and drawn, twisted into a bitter resolve.

"Its just like Reinette all over again," said Rose, continuing before the Doctor could even speak, not that he would dare to, "I forgave you for that. I forgave you for abandoning me, I knew you were struggling but now, why again? Why some random maid who you only met yesterday?"

The Doctor shuddered, the subject of Reinette and his abandonment of Rose and Mickey had been a subject well avoided for many years but he failed to see its relevance, "Rose, I don't understand."

"For God's sake Theta don't play the innocent! I'm not an idiot and I know what I saw. I saw you and her last night. I followed you. That blonde maid, I saw you in her arms. How could you do that to me? Its just like Reinette, we had problems then and we have problems now and you go running off to the nearest tart!"

"Now hang on Rose…"

"No!" cried Rose, her fist thumping into his chest, "For once you're going to listen and I'm not going to pretend. You had an affair and I don't care whether you slept with that French tart or not but to me, you abandoning me like that, that was an affair and you would never tell me why. For God's sake I'd only just told you I was carrying your child and you left me! Do you know how I felt? You never even asked, just ignored me, locked yourself away in the library when you got back. You didn't sleep in our bed for five weeks. For the passed three and a half years I have pretended that it didn't matter, that every time I saw you smile at another woman there wasn't some part of me that thought you'd do it again. I was right wasn't I? We're struggling again and you're in someone else's bed."

The Doctor cast his eyes to the floor, he'd never felt more anger and self loathing than he did now but his stubborn side would not back down and against his screaming conscience he looked up at her, seeing the terror in her eyes at his expression.

"I may have made mistakes Rose but you have been in someone else's bed every night since our child was born," he said, the venom in his voice usually reserved for an encounter with a Dalek than a conversation with his wife, "You think I've been unfaithful, you try being where I've been these passed years. I know my regeneration was hard on you and the baby was a shock but the way you are now with Susan pushes me as far away as you possibly can. Now I can see my old self in her eyes, I can accept my daughter will never look like I do now but I know you can't accept me as her father. I've seen your face when you see those blue eyes staring back at you, I've heard you talking about the way I used to be to Susan as if I died the day I regenerated. Do you know how that feels? I'm a step father to my own child because you use her to cling on to the part of me you lost and I'm sorry that I can't be the man he was for you but I want you to love me for me and I don't think you do."

The tears were flowing freely down Rose's cheeks, half in sorrow and half in pain as his grip tightened on her arms in anger, "I do love you, I do I swear."

"You're clinging to a memory. All those times with him, Whitechapel, The Blitz, our ridiculous excuse for a wedding in Vegas, you just cling on to them, cling on to me because you can still see part of him but its not enough. I need to know that I'm not second best to myself in your heart."

"Maybe I did cling on to his memory," said Rose, her voice quiet but strong, "You never warned me about the regeneration, I watched the man I loved change his face in front of me. But then I saw you deep inside, the same man and when you recovered I was even more in love with you than before. Then I told you about Susan and your flippant little life was changed and you couldn't handle it so you ran off. You ran off and had an affair, so maybe, just maybe Theta I clung on to what you were before because then you would never have abandoned me. And now its happening again, another time, another tart."

The Doctor felt his retort die on his tongue as he saw Rose slip her wedding ring off her finger and lie it on the floor between them. Tear drops splashed on the dark wooden , his own mingling with hers. He felt a thousand words reach and die on his lips, only one managed to get through.

"Rose."

"I can't do this anymore Theta," she said softly, "I still love you, I will always love you but we don't talk anymore. I don't know you like I should."

"Rose. Please don't do this."

"Take me home," she said, "Take me home to my daughter I beg you."

The Doctor released his grip on her arms, paling as he saw the red marks he'd caused on her delicate skin. He tilted her chin up to look into his eyes.

"I will do anything you ask of me but first I need you to know the truth, not just who the woman you saw me with last night was but everything, I need you to know me Rose, all of me."

Rose felt his fingers settle on her temples, familiar fingers making her tremble despite her remaining anger. She felt the soft brush of his breath on her face as he spoke.

"Forgive me," he whispered.

A/N: Oooooooh angsty. Sorry. A bit of a whirlwind chapter there. Will Rose leave the Doctor? Will he send her home to protect her? Is Omega really manipulating the Bolshevik Revolution? And is Romana really who she seems?