A/N: Sorry for the slight delay in posting this chapter, I haven't had a chance to finish writing it until today. Thanks to all for reviewing and I hope you keep doing so.

Chapter Eight.

It had been several hours since Rose's waters had broken yet still she hadn't begun to dilate. The Doctor was relieved to find that she wasn't continuing to bleed; she'd only torn some skin by pushing too early. The contractions had become more intense and frequent, and Rose regularly needed to pee because of the baby's pressure on her bladder.

"How much longer, Doctor?"

"A few hours probably," he replied, giving her hand a reassuring squeeze. "How about you finish telling me the story?"

----

Rose used every last ounce of willpower to turn away from the pool and backed off, trembling with shock and fear. She would die in childbirth? But how was this even possible? She wasn't even pregnant… Was she?

She shook her head and remembered what she was here for. She had to sit beside the Eye of Harmony and wait for the Doctor, should he need her. As time ticked by, a battle had begun above…

The Dalek fleet sailed in through the sky, casting shadows over Gallifrey. The Doctor had brought warning and not a soul was outside. The Daleks soared from their ships and descended upon the planet, eyestalks swivelling in search of any signs of life. The silence was like the calm before the storm, barely a breeze blowing. And then it began.

Time Lords erupted from the Citadel, hollering war cries and brandishing weapons that made Earth's guns look pitiful in comparison. The Daleks reacted, screaming their own cries and deadly light flew in every direction. Blue lasers shot from the Daleks' guns whilst red blasted from the Time Lords, creating fireworks in the afternoon glow. And there stood the Doctor, hearts thumping as he lifted the gun and stared around. This was the moment he had to decide where his loyalties lay. If he were ever to find the Master's whereabouts then he needed the Daleks… But could he sacrifice his own race.

A beam of light shot past, missing him by mere inches and his decision was made. The Doctor had chosen which side to fight for and he lifted the gun, aiming it carefully and pulling the trigger. It was a direct hit and the Doctor grimaced as his victim screamed and writhed in agony before death embraced it…

Rose fidgeted impatiently as she heard the battle begin above. Oh, how she longed to be up there, fighting for this beautiful planet instead of stuck down some hole in the ground next to a giant eye. She sighed, wondering whether the Doctor was okay. The sounds of Daleks chorusing their favourite phrase followed by loud zaps and painful screams made her shudder; even hearing the Time Lords fight back didn't dispel her discomfort.

Loud screams shattered the air and Rose wondered whether it was the screams of dying Time Lords or dying Daleks. That was it; she couldn't stay here any longer. She had to fight. She had to help the Doctor battling the Daleks. Rose leapt to her feet and inspected the hole above her. How would she climb out? Glancing around she spotted a ladder and sighed with relief. Luck truly was on her side today; but how long would it last? Deciding she'd rather not think about it Rose scurried up the ladder and raced past the two guards who were still unconscious.

The Citadel was empty. All of the Time Lords must be outside fighting. Rose hunted around for a while and finally, stashed in a desk drawer, she found a weapon. It resembled a hunting rifle but was made of cold steel and she had a strong feeling that it didn't fire simple bullets. This was it; she steeled herself for whatever awaited and bravely stepped out of the Citadel. The sight that met her was quite horrific.

Time Lords were dropping to the ground with painful screams, killed by the powerful Dalek guns. Bodies lay everywhere, eyes staring lifelessly up at the burnt orange sky. Daleks were being hit by the Time Lord guns and exploding into flames with long, drawn out screams. Thick, choking smoke filled the air and still the battle went on. There were already dozens of Time Lord bodies and burnt out Dalek shells, but thousands were still alive, fighting desperately with a fury Rose had never seen before. And then she saw him; the Doctor.

He had a deep gash across one cheek and blood was dripping steadily from the wound. His velvet jacket was torn and smoking slightly on one sleeve and as Rose approached him the concern left her and was replaced by horror. She did not know this man. He clutched the weapon as though it was all he'd ever known and the look of intense hate was written clearly across his features as he continued to reload his gun and fire at his opponents…

The Doctor looked up and his eyes made contact with Rose's. Shit, he thought. What does she think she's doing out here? His attention was torn from the human girl as something grabbed his arm. The Doctor spun around and found himself facing Rhotau, an old classmate from the Academy. Rhotau's face was thunderous with fury and the Doctor barely recognised him.

"You are a traitor," he hissed and the Doctor almost recoiled. Almost.

"I am no traitor," the Doctor replied calmly, taking out a passing Dalek for effect. "I am here, fighting for my planet. Our planet; Gallifrey. If I were a traitor do you not think I would be fighting for the Daleks, rather than against them?"

"You have been passing them information against us!" Rhotau roared, spit flying from his mouth in rage. The Doctor nodded sadly.

"Alas, you are correct about that. But is it not the present that counts? And here I am, making up for my mistakes."

"You are scum," Rhotau said in disgust. "You are a Dalek."


"Perhaps I was," the Doctor said with a strange smile. "But the errors of my ways were changed when I fell in love."

"Love?" Rhotau repeated doubtfully but before the Doctor could elaborate further his fellow Time Lord froze, blue electricity crackling across his body, and then he was dead.

"No!" the Doctor cried, furiously turning to face the Dalek that had killed him. And then the true power of the Oncoming Storm was unleashed, the Dalek not standing a chance against the fury. Thunder boomed as the Doctor blasted his weapon wrathfully, sending half a dozen Daleks into oblivion.

His rage was nowhere near subsiding and he couldn't be stopped, reloading the weapon with incredible speed and firing again with vengeance. Another line of Daleks became a wall of flame and rubble, yet still the Doctor wasn't satisfied. The screams of his dying comrades only fuelled the Storm, and the smells of death and smoke were filling his nostrils. He vaguely registered someone clinging to his arm, screaming his name, but it wasn't important. The only importance was death, destruction, decimation. That was what he'd brought to the Time Lords, and now he was giving it to the Daleks. The creatures that truly deserved it.

"Doctor!" Her scream could be ignored no longer. He turned and was shocked by what he saw. Her golden hair was a mess, she had dark smudges across her beautiful face and there were several bloody cuts on her arms from flying debris. Her eyes were terrified but she gripped a weapon with defiant assertion, loyalty screaming from every atom of her existence. A surge of love for this human girl filled his body and he swept her up in a quick embrace.

"Rose," he said urgently. "I asked you to stay down there, with the Eye of Harmony."

"No chance," she retorted. "Not while you're up here fighting. I couldn't stand not knowing…"

She didn't need to finish the sentence and they stared at each other for a long moment, before both turning back to the fight and letting their ammunition loose on the Daleks.

----

"Holy friggen' shit," Rose yelped, startling the Doctor from his reverie. Her descriptions were so vivid, so accurate, and he couldn't quite comprehend how similar the parallel war was to his own. The death, the horror, the smoke, blood, fire. It was all just how he remembered it. But no time for that now; Rose was about to give birth.

"Rose," the Doctor said, inspecting her. "You're fully dilated. It's time to push."

"Doctor," she whimpered. "What if I die…?"

"You won't," he said firmly. "Because I'm here, and I won't let that happen. I'm the Doctor, and this is my domain. Now, next contraction I want you to push."

"Here it comes," she said, gritting her teeth and groaning as the pain took over.

"Okay Rose," he said encouragingly. "Push now. Come on Rosie, push!"

Rose wailed and hollered, the pressure making her feel as though she would burst. The contraction ended and she gasped and panted, sweating profusely and awaiting the next one. It came on quickly and she yelled and screamed and pushed the whole way through. And then yet another contraction and something deep inside said that this was it. The Doctor must've thought so too for he became extremely animated, positioned between her thighs.

"Come on, Rosie girl!" he cried, clapping his hands. "Come on Rose, this is it. Come on, big push!"

She screamed, pain and terror mingled together as she felt an incredible, agonising pressure down below. She wailed and gasped as she pushed, nails digging into her palms.

"Oh Rose," the Doctor murmured. "The head. I can see… Oh come on Rose, don't give up now! One more push, that's it! Push, Rose Tyler! PUSH!"

Her piercing scream filled the air, echoing around the dark and empty planet before finally fading away. And then the silence was broken by a small, tentative cry which quickly developed into a wail and Rose collapsed back onto the ground, gasping in relief. The Doctor was speechless as he held this tiny, wrinkled, slimy creature in his arms and felt tears prick in his eyes. After all the death and destruction, to be holding new life in his arms… there were no words to describe it.

"Rose," he whispered. "You did it. I knew you'd get through it."

"We did it," she murmured back before falling into a helpless sleep from pure exhaustion.

TBC…

So, is it a boy or a girl? Review and let me know what you'd prefer, and any suggestions for names?