A/N: Thanks for the reviews, keep them all coming!

Chapter Six.

"Oh Rassilon," the Doctor said quietly as Rose squeezed her eyes tightly shut against the pain. "Okay, Rose, I need you to lie down." He whipped his coat off and rolled it up, easing Rose onto the ground and using the coat as a pillow.

"Doctor," she said emotionally, "I have to tell you the rest of the story. So you understand."

"There's plenty of time for that," the Doctor soothed. "But right now you're going to have a baby."

"No, you don't understand!" she howled. "I've seen the future. I die in childbirth, Doctor. You have to hear me out, 'cause this is the last chance I'll ever have to tell you what happened."

The Doctor couldn't speak for several moments. "Rose… childbirth… what? But you can't die!"

"Well, I will," she said bravely. "So hear me out, Doctor."

Reluctantly, the Doctor nodded and took Rose's hand in his, prepared to listen.

----

As soon as they got into the TARDIS the Doctor leaned against a wall and slid down to the floor.

"How could you ever stand to look at me again?" the Doctor said weakly and he looked older than ever. "I was in league with those terrible creatures, so selfish. They were right about one thing though: I am worthless."

"Doctor, don't be silly," Rose said softly as she knelt down beside the pitiful Time Lord. "You wanted your loved ones safe, and that's just what anyone wants. I forgive you, Doctor."

She kissed him tenderly on the lips and felt him respond. Wrapping her arms around him tightly she held him, and allowed him to cry.

Eventually he wiped away the last of his tears and stood up, taking Rose's hands in his.

"Rose, I do not know what occurred on your home world, but here the Time Lords are at war with the Daleks. I have to fight. There is a strong chance that I won't survive, but I want you to stay safe."

"But…" Rose paused for a moment. "Won't you just regenerate?"

"There are some things that kill a Time Lord, permanently. Daleks have weapons that counteract regeneration, and one shot will kill me."

"But Doctor," Rose started, panic rising in her throat. "You can't die! What about me?"

"Rose Tyler," the Doctor said softly. "Once we arrive at Gallifrey I will reset the TARDIS coordinates to take you back to Earth. London, 21st century. You can live a normal life, and forget me."

"No chance," Rose laughed. "My old Doctor tried that with me once or twice before. Never worked."

The Doctor frowned and she could see his confusion, so she explained further.

"Daleks. The Doctor thought he was gonna die, and he sent me back home with the TARDIS. Well, if he thought that was the end of me then he was wrong. I looked into the heart of the TARDIS Doctor, and I destroyed those Daleks. He regenerated, but still I stayed with him. And I'm staying with you, Doctor. I'm not leaving you."

The Doctor looked quite gob-smacked by this information and it took him a moment to register it. He opened his mouth to protest but Rose shook her head, and in that moment the Doctor realised how truly special she was. She'd seen things she couldn't speak of, not even to him, and she was a lot stronger, braver, than he'd first realised. So, without speaking, he set the TARDIS coordinates and Rose smiled as she heard the familiar whooshing sound of the ancient machine in flight.

"I hope you understand what we're in for," the Doctor murmured. "And I hope you realise that we might not survive."

"Just as long as I die with you," Rose said bravely, "then I'm sure it won't be too bad."

The moment was too poignant for words, and the emotive silence was only broken by the grinding of the TARDIS that signalled their arrival. The Doctor took a deep breath and placed Rose's hand on his arm, guiding them outside.

"Here we are," he said softly, opening the door. "Gallifrey." And with one last, longing look inside his beloved TARDIS the Doctor stepped out and locked the door.

----

Rose moaned and gasped in pain as a particularly strong contraction spread through her body. The Doctor held her hand tightly and whispered soothing words to her. He could see the strain and the effort she was putting in, though she tried to hide it. Her face was pale and slicked with sweat, agony in her gentle brown eyes.

"Rose, you can't possibly know how you'll die," the Doctor protested. "How could you find such a thing?"

"I saw it," she panted through the pain. "I saw my future. In the Citadel."

The Doctor froze. "What?!"

"The Citadel of the Time Lords," Rose gasped. "Right in the centre of the Citadel, they have this great big thing, and it shows the future."

The Doctor was gaping. "How the hell did you get inside the Citadel?!"

"I'm good," she joked, smiling weakly. "Very good."

"But seriously," the Doctor said. "How'd you get in there? They wouldn't let a human in, especially not during war."

"I'll tell you."

----

As Rose stepped out of the TARDIS she was gob-smacked by the beauty of this planet. She'd always wondered what the Doctor's home planet looked like, and now she was standing here.

The sky was burnt orange and there were two suns, burning brightly. There were huge crimson mountains capped with snow, and the grass at her feet was a deep shade of red. Numerous trees stood tall, silver leaves shining under the twin suns. And to her left was the most incredible city. It was huge, with numerous towers, and enclosed in a gigantic glass dome.

"The Citadel of the Time Lords," the Doctor murmured from beside her and she couldn't even speak.

"It's beautiful," she whispered once she'd found her voice. "The whole planet is so beautiful. And the Daleks want to destroy it?"

"Mmm."

"But why?" Rose was scandalised. "It's so perfect here."

"Rose," the Doctor said, ignoring her question, "I need to get into the Citadel. Inside there is the Capitol, the seat of Time Lord government. If I get there, I can organise troops and fight."

"Right, let's go then," Rose said but the Doctor held her back.

"Rose," he said seriously. "I think we should split up. I'm going to need your help with something else."

"Oh," she said. "What is it?"

"Take this," the Doctor said, pulling a spare TARDIS key from his pocket, and handing it to Rose. It was on a long string and looked the same as the one she still had from her other world. "Wear it. It will help you not to be noticed. I need you to find the Eye of Harmony. Go through the Capitol and find it."

"What for?" Rose asked in confusion. "What is it?"

"A black hole. If the planet cannot be saved then I'll need you to pull the lever beside it. That will give full power and allow all of the Time Lords to flee and save themselves."

Before she could argue the Doctor had grabbed her hand and broken into a run. They raced across fields of red grass and at last reached the giant glass dome covering the Citadel. The Doctor dropped her hand and turned to face her.

"You should get through just fine, even as a human," he said. "The TARDIS key will allow it. Good luck, Rose Tyler."

And then he was gone. She blinked, unsure of what to do before facing the wall of glass. She knew what she had to do and steeled herself. Facing the glass dome Rose took a deep breath and stepped through.

----

A/N: The big question here is: will Rose die during childbirth? The Doctor wouldn't let that happen, would he? You never know. If you want to find out, REVIEW!! Reviews make me write faster!