DISCLAIMER: Not mine. The characters you recognize belong to other people. I'm just borrowing them for selfish reasons.

SUMMARY: If you haven't seen Father's Day yet, you probably won't understand this chapter. Spoilers ahead.


The Doctor and Rose found themselves standing in Peter Tyler's flat. But something was different this time. They found themselves experiencing things from each other's perspective. She could feel his disappointment and pain as he spat those words at her. "I've done it again. Picked another stupid ape."

He felt her heartbreak as she heard those words and winced. How he wished he could go back and change what he said to her. Of course, then she flung the most hurtful words at him in return. "You're not the most important man in my life!"

Her heart broke all over again as she watched herself hand over the TARDIS key. Then she realized she was feeling his heart breaking as a result of the careless words she had flung in his face.

She felt herself wince as she told him, "You don't scare me. I know how sad you are. You'll be back in a minute. Or you'll hang around outside the TARDIS waiting for me. And I'll make you wait a long time." She felt like crying as she felt that solitary tear run down his face as he stormed down the street.

She felt the panic rise up in him when the TARDIS wasn't inside the box like it was supposed to be. And it welled up even further as he realized what kind of danger he had left her in. She felt his heart in his throat as he ran for the church to try to save her.

Likewise, he felt the pain inside Rose when she was trying to explain things to her dad without telling him outright what was going on. Her heart was breaking again and it was his fault. Her panic when they almost crashed into the car that was supposed to kill her father. The thought that flashed through her mind at that moment. 'I'll never see the Doctor again.'

He wanted to lash out at both Jackie and Peter when he felt Rose's heart breaking at their argument outside the church. When they walked away from Rose, he wanted nothing more than to wrap his arms around her and comfort her. He heard her thought, 'I saved him for this? Mum always told me what a wonderful man he was. But she talks to him like this? Maybe the Doctor was right and I am just another stupid ape.'

He wanted to scream, "You're not stupid, Rose. You're a lot smarter than a lot of your species. I'm sorry. I never should have said that to you."

He felt her smile when she heard him calling her name. Just as she felt his hearts in her throat as he saw the Reaper above them, about to dive on her. Then he knocked her down and for just a split second they both felt better.

Then they were running again. Always running, these two time travelers. They made it into the church and they were safe for a moment.

He felt her on the verge of tears as he explained the problem and when she asked if it was her fault and he didn't answer, she blinked away several scalding hot tears. The thought ran through her mind again that maybe she was stupid, just as stupid as the Doctor had accused her of being. And definitely as selfish as he had implied.

She felt how much it hurt him to see that car that was supposed to hit her father and know that Peter dying might be the only way to fix this. That's what the other Time Lords would have done. They would have gone to that one point in time and stopped her. Then they would have taken her away from him. Left him alone and wiped her memory of him.

He wanted to comfort her when she started crying when her dad figured out that she was his Rose all grown up. The tears in her eyes broke his hearts. When her father wrapped her in his arms, she cried. Not only for the father she had never known, she cried for the Doctor he realized. Cried because he had lost everything and she still had family, friends, a planet to call home. All he had left was the TARDIS and her. And she wasn't the best companion. 'Not true, Rose. You are the best. The best companion ever,' he thought. He wished he could tell her that.

"I've traveled to all sorts of places, done things you can't even imagine. But you two, street corner, two in the morning, getting' a taxi home. I've never had a life like that." She heard the longing in his mind, the desire to have that kind of a life.

A little later when they were talking together at the front of the church, he realized how much he had hurt her when he told her she couldn't touch the baby version of herself. Then she said, "I can't do anything right, can I?" He felt the pain flood through her as he said, "Since you asked, no. So DON"T TOUCH THE BABY."

"I'm not stupid!" she retorted, tears burning her eyes again.

"You could have fooled me!" He could have kicked himself in the arse for the way that made her feel. The tears were almost unbearable. She was beautiful and smart and as fine a companion as he'd ever had.

He felt the small lift in her spirits when he apologized to her and said he wouldn't have left her on her own. Just as she felt how hard it had been to say he was sorry. It had been even harder for him to admit that he didn't have a plan, no way out. But her unwavering faith in him surfaced as she told him, "You'll think of something."

That buoyed his spirits as well when she said that. She was glad she could do that much for him. She knew his spirits dropped when he brought up his people. His people, who would have fixed this she now knew. The same ones that would have taken her away from him and wiped her memories of him the way they had with Zoe and Jamie. It hurt him to think of all the companions he'd lost through the years. So many lost. To lose her too would hurt but more than the others. She was special to him. She could see that now.

"Just tell me you're sorry."

"I am. I'm sorry." And the hurtful words were forgiven, just like that. The tears in her eyes as he touched her cheek and smiled at her were enough. Then he wrapped her in his arms again and she felt safe and protected. She felt like they could do anything as long as they stood together.

As the TARDIS began to reappear in the church, Rose felt a sense of hope and when the Doctor told her he could fix things and that her dad would stay alive, the piece of the Doctor in her mind felt her happiness.

But then she had gone and taken a hold of the baby Rose and the Reaper had gotten in. The Doctor was gone and, while it was strange to watch himself be taken by that thing, it hurt to know how bad Rose felt because of it.

Then to feel her realization that he was gone and that this was all her fault nearly killed him inside. She didn't realize that he would give every single one of his remaining lives to see her safe. He didn't realize it until that moment. She continued to think that this whole mess was her fault, that if the Doctor hadn't indulged her in this. "Be careful what you wish for," he had said. She understood now. She hadn't before but she did now.

Her heartbreak at knowing that her father was right in giving up the life she had saved drove him mad. She had lost the Doctor and now she would lose her dad anyway. She had saved him for nothing. The moment her dad stepped in front of that car the Doctor found his way back. The impact took away the Reapers and brought back everyone else.

When he hadn't seen her in the church, he stepped to the doorway where she stood. She felt his pain for her as he told her to go to him. Meeting his eyes after Peter had died, she felt his pain for her just as he felt her heart tearing apart inside. She wanted to cry but held it back until that night.


She fell asleep shortly after they had returned to the TARDIS. The stress of the day had worn her out. She had slept only for a couple of hours when she woke up screaming for him. Her Doctor. He hadn't been far away, just in the room next door reading when it started. He had tried to sleep himself but one nightmare had woke him up and he refused to go back to sleep.

He had run into the room and gathered her into his arms, rocking her gently as he quieted her. "It's alright, Rose. I'm right here. You're safe. You're safe with me on the TARDIS. I'm here." His simple murmurs returned to her to a semi-conscious state. She didn't let go of him though. She was clinging to his jumper and wouldn't let go. It was as if she was scared that she'd lose him again. He had spent several hours just stretched out on her bed holding her. Both of them had finally drifted off to a deep and dreamless sleep that they both needed.


Waking up in Sam's spare room, they just stared at each other. What in the world had just happened?

"Did you --?"

"Yeah. What caused it?"

"I think it was the TARDIS," he said. "I don't know why but I think she's trying to tell us something."

"But what?"

"Don't know." She moved to the bed and wrapped her arms around him. She didn't care. Her doctor was back and he was with her again. That was all that mattered. Wasn't it?