A/N: Apologies for late and rubbish chapter. I'll answer all reviews this chapter :D

FINALE TOMORROW!!! And also finale of Infinite Quest tomorrow at 10:30. Today's ep was like...bleh? I'm also going clothes shopping tomorrow, FINALLY. £90 and the whole domain of Exeter - I don't think it's enough.

Chapter 5 – "No Poodles" Zone

"Daddy what's that?"

The Doctor had only just pulled the ultrasound tool out of the drawer before Rory had started asking questions.

"It's a clever thing called an 'ultrasound' device, it'll show us inside your mummy's tummy," the Doctor replied as Rory almost tripped him over, eagerly scooting around his feet to see every inch of his father's movement.

"Why? What's in there?"

The Doctor connect the ultrasound device to its accompanying machine, resting it on the side as he reached for the tube of gel to spread over his fiancée's womb, currently being help down onto the bed by Jackie.

"Your little sister," he answered carefully, giving Rose a quick glance – who seemed to be perfectly content to let him handle the child's provocative questions as she laid back, content.

"She's in there?" Rory questioned eagerly, jumping up and down to try and get some more height to see. "Why's she in there?"

"Because she's safe to grow inside there," the Doctor said, silently applauding himself for his efforts. He'd only ever had to do this once before and that was over one hundred years ago. He finished with the gel, reaching once more for the ultrasound tool.

"Does she need protection daddy?"

He smiled. "Yep. She'll need protection when she comes out too."

"So you put her in there daddy?"

He paused for a moment, and then nodded. "Yes, I did. You were exactly the same." He was extremely aware of Jackie and Rose watching him with traces of amusement as he lowered the tool to her womb.

"But how'd she get in there?"

Oh Rassilon. This was interrogation.

"How'd you think she got in there?"

Rory paused, scratching his head. His tiny mind was obviously racing through the possibilities.

"Was she so tiny you pushed her into mummy's belly button?"

"Umm…"

"Or did mummy swallow her?"

"…Yes." That sounded good. "Mummy swallowed her down with a nice cup of tea."

Jackie and Rose were staring at him now. He looked up from the boy towards them; giving them both a Doctor patented 'you try answering him then!' expression.

However, they didn't seem to want to interrupt him.

"What's her name?"

"Err…" he garbled for a moment, the question catching him discretely off guard. "Err…well…we…err…we…don't have a name for her yet."

"So she's just 'little mummy'?"

"Yup."

"Where is she?" Rory asked again eagerly, bounding over to the screen to look at the colour ultrasound picture. "What's that?" he asked again before the Doctor even had a chance to reply. "Mummy does it hurt having her inside you? When's she gonna come out?"

Rose grinned down at the boy as he twirled back around towards her, bolting through the Doctor's legs to touch his mother's arm.

"No, no, she doesn't hurt," Rose replied, stroking back his hair. "And she's gonna come out real soon."

"When? What's that?" Rory was looking back at the screen, darting back through the Doctor's legs and staring into the monitor, nose resting on the screen. "Is that her?" He pointed at a small blob on the screen. "Is it? Is it is it is it? She looks weird."

"Rory, heel!" the Doctor called, and reluctantly, the boy backed away towards him.

"Can I try?" he asked, staring pointedly at the ultrasound tool held in the Doctor's left hand. The Doctor nodded, helping his son up onto his lap with one hand. He rested Rory's hand on the ultrasound tool, guiding it carefully over Rose's womb.

"Look, there she is," the Doctor pointed at a small, curled up being just interpretable as a baby. "Perfectly healthy and growing steady."

"Why does she look so weird?"

"'Cause she's still growing."

"Is she asleep?"

"I think so."

"Can she hear us?"

"Maybe."

Rory looked down at his mother's womb, grinning at the baby unseen within.

"My name's Rory and I'm your big brother," he said, "I'll protect you." He looked back up at the Doctor, eyes full of pride. The Doctor patted him on the head applaudingly, glancing at the clock.

"Blimey!" he announced, gesturing at the item hanging on the wall. "Eight o'clock already."

Rory instantly feel silent, as if pretending he was no longer there. Maybe they'd forget about him if he stayed quiet for long enough…

But the Doctor was already lowering him to the Infirmary floor, making to pack away the Ultrasound equipment as Jackie helped Rose to her feet.

"Rory…" the Doctor started as the boy stared miserably at his shoes. "Dreams are just dreams. They can't hurt you. How 'bout you try talking back to her?"

Brief pause.

Finally, Rory nodded, sharply. Determined. "Mmmkay."

She should've expected it, really.

She woke up to a cold, empty bed in the Tyler's flat – the place the Doctor had lain long since deserted. She quickly got dressed, and after a bout of time with her head in the toilet bowl, headed to the spare room where Rory slept in the flat. She felt slightly dizzy – the pain was starting to come back. The drugs were wearing off, rather quickly, she thought.

Sure enough, there was the Doctor lying on top of the covers next to Rory who was tucked within, sleeping soundly. Silently she crossed the room to the bed, sitting down on the mattress next to the Doctor to make it sink down, his head lolling to the side.

A little disoriented, she rested a hand on his shoulder – determining if she tried to kiss him she would probably miss his lips totally – and shook him gently.

His eyelids fluttered open, registering the girl in his vision. He gave her a small smile.

"Morning," he whispered brightly, pulling himself up to sitting position and enveloping her in a greeting hug. He could sense something was wrong immediately.

Pulling away, he held her at arm's length and quickly checked her appearance over, eyes dropping but a few seconds after to her swollen womb. She nodded before he even opened his mouth to ask.

He nodded once more in acknowledgment, getting onto his feet and helping Rose to her own as he led her out of the spare room, towards Jackie's. Jackie was the only one who knew the whereabouts of the TARDIS keys and he desperately needed to give Rose her nullification, preferably before she passed out.

"Jackie," he hissed, tapping lightly on the bedroom door of the woman in question. "Jackie, where are the TARDIS keys?"

"I told you Doctor," came a sleepy, murmured voice from within. "No TARDIS, not 'til after ya weddin'."

"Jackie, please, I need to give Rose her drug prescription." He could feel her starting to lean more against his side, so he slipped his arm around her waist to help her stay standing. "Jackie!"

"Top left hand drawer in the kitchen, under the microwave," she answered a few moments later after careful consideration.

"Thank you!" he said, rolling his eyes at the impossible woman inside the bedroom. Just as he turned to leave, she spoke once more:

"I saw that."

He stuck out his tongue, following up with an inappropriate salute.

"And that." But he had already disappeared out of the front door, TARDIS key in hand.

"Doctor, we really need to do somethin' about Rory," Rose started the dreaded conversation as the Doctor finished administering her the drugs. She was already feeling better because of it. "It can't go on like this."

He nodded. "I know," he said simply, taking a seat on the bed next to her and setting the needle back down on the convenient bedside table. "It's gone way past a phase."

"Maybe we should get him a pet, or somethin'," Rose suggested. "Y'know, like a dog to make him feel safe at night. It's what Shareen's mum did for her brother when he had nightmares."

The Doctor paused for a moment, plaguing it over as he brushed back his hair absently. "Oh Rose Tyler, I like you! That's a good idea. But…" he paused, looking straight into her eyes. "I get to choose the pet."

She shrugged, not really caring. "Sure. Just don't pick a poodle – can't stand 'em." He mock saluted her.

"Guaranteed no poodles, ma'am."

She fixed him with a smile, unconsciously rubbing her belly. "Sorry about all the domestics recently. As soon as it's over we'll go to the most action-packed dangerous planet in the Universe, okay?"

He nodded gratefully.

"Betcha never thought this would all happen when we met in Henriks, did ya?"

He snorted with laughter. "Wasn't on my 'to do' list, I admit. But it's strange. Never thought I'd be ready to have another family after…" he paused, trailing off suddenly to nothing. Rose sighed. She was getting married to this man in eight weeks and she still was totally clueless about him.

She poked him in the chest, grin back in place.

"Oi. Names."

He shoot her a look – since when did she let him name a child? "I was thinking something like Abigail or Lily or Kaylee."

Her eyes instantly widened – disbelief. "Abigail's bit human for you, isn't it?"

"Nah," he shook his head, lowering himself down even further onto the bed so he was lying next to her, head resting on his arm. "The name 'Abigail' originated on Planet Dexal Four by a chap named Throop Palloop. I have no idea how it got to Earth."

"So…Lily?"

"Just a nice name. Kinda like Rose, really."

"If we named our entire family after plants we might aswell call her 'Gooseberry Bush'."

"Oh I dunno…'Gooseberry Bush' has a ring to it." He adjusted his voice to a motherly like sound, "come here little Goosy darling! Dinner's ready!"

Rose giggled, turning and resting her head on his chest. "And Kaylee?"

"I like Firefly."

"You're just full of surprises. Never thought You'd have warmed to the idea of a pet waltzing around the TARDIS."

"It's good for Rory!" he insisted, "and it's entirely justified. The last thing you need right now is sleep deprivation. So how's about you waddle off back to your mother's and I'll go scouting."

"No poodles," she reminded him as he got onto his feet, lifting Rose onto her own two.

"No poodles," he confirmed. "Oh, I've got something a little better than that in mind."