A/N: Next chapter's defo the last. I felt the end of this chapter wasn't really an ending so I could hardly cut it off there :P

Chapter 48 – Grown-Up Hugs

They laid Rebecca Moore to rest the Gallifreyan way. It was no less than she deserved for how she'd sacrificed herself to keep Rose alive. It wasn't really her fault what she'd turned out to be; at core, she was still very human. She hated hurting the Doctor – she'd said as much herself – but it was the only way she knew how to get what she wanted.

Jack kept side glancing at the Doctor throughout the ritual, unanswered questions brewing inside of him. He was slightly unsure, but the name Rebecca Moore seemed awfully familiar to him. Besides that, what had she meant by, "when you attempted suicide" to the Doctor? Jack frowned slightly as possibilities flashed through his mind. Surely not…

After the ritual Jack pulled the Doctor aside from Rose and the others, regarding him seriously. The Doctor already knew what was coming.

"Rebecca Moore, Torchwood test subject 692," the Doctor said simply. "I checked the database." The Doctor had never seen Jack go so utterly pale before. "Seems that place you own has a taste for vivisection."

"I didn't know, I swear I didn't know," Jack said quickly, clenching his fists. He was shocked, upset and angry all at the same time. "I mean, I know Torchwood One have been testin' a few things but…oh God. I didn't know. I really didn't."

"I know you didn't Jack, Torchwood One have kept it under wraps. Took a bit of hacking, even by my standards. Seems they're still out to control the world, and are willing to get it anyway they can."

"Do they still do it?"

The Doctor shrugged. "Don't know. Could be anything going on in that tower." He paused, before suddenly raising a grin. "But with you and Jill, Torchwood and UNIT working together for the first time. I'd say that's progress, wouldn't you?"

Jack nodded. "One final thing…she said you tried to commit suicide…"

"I thought I'd lost the TARDIS, Rose and Rory forever."

Jack nodded once more, understanding. "Which is why you tried to do it."

"I didn't have a clue what I was doing, Jack. I was deluded. I couldn't see a get-out clause. I would've done it if Jackie hadn't stopped me." Jack raised an eyebrow, and the Doctor shrugged. "She doesn't remember now anyway. Timelines and all that. I'm glad she doesn't, and I'm glad Rose doesn't either. It would break her heart."

"Right, have a seat, I'll make this quick," the Tenth Doctor addressed his predecessor in the Ninth's TARDIS, gesturing for his Rose to help him get off the sling for usage of both arms. "Whereabouts were you, anyway? Dickens? Slitheen? Van Stratten?"

"Slitheen," the Ninth Doctor answered, taking a seat in the bouncy chair with his Rose sitting next to him.

"In Downing Street," Rose added on the end. The Tenth Doctor grinned.

"The old days," he said as his arm was freed, and the Tenth's Rose courteously supported the bandaged limb as her Time Lord reached up to his Ninth self's head with both hands.

"You'll look after them, won't you?" the Ninth Doctor asked suddenly, looking straight into the eyes of the Tenth Doctor.

"You know I will," he replied simply.

The Ninth Doctor gave a smile, giving a side-glance to his Rose. "By the way, I love you."

He reached forward and placed his successor's hands to his temples. The Tenth Doctor grinned, closing his eyes as he entered his own self's mind; it was like creating a mini version of himself and scrambling around in someone's private space. Every mind was different. His Ninth body was messy, memories scattered everywhere with the unmistakable scaly coat of grief and anger shrouding some.

He probed around in the younger Time Lord's mind, the Ninth Doctor pushing forward the memory the Tenth Doctor had to eradicate. He took it into his hands, triggering the sleep mechanism before crushing the memory of all that had happened in the past few weeks between his palms. He felt his predecessor become limp, and opened his eyes to see himself in a deep sleep. The Tenth Doctor turned to Nine's Rose, raising a smile at her shocked facial expression.

"He's not lying, y'know," the Tenth Doctor assured her, laughing at her look of astonishment. "Ready?"

Numbly, she nodded. He placed his hands either side of her temples and dove straight into her mind, finding all of her memories organised into neat sections. Finding the right one was easy, and he repeated the process over.

He opened his eyes and drew away from Rose, catching her sleeping self now limp on his Ninth Body's shoulder. She was as beautiful as ever. He turned to his Rose still supporting his arm and suddenly kissed her gently, thankful he was back with her.

She placed his arm back in its sling, gazing up at him with those enticing brown eyes. He took her hand with his free one, pulling her towards the door of the Ninth Doctor's TARDIS. Rose afforded a glance back at their past selves, still fast asleep with her head resting on the Ninth Doctor's shoulder. So cute. She squeezed her Doctor's hand as they passed out the doors and entered their own TARDIS. Rory was staring at the console, waiting patiently.

"All done?" he asked, and the Doctor nodded.

"Just remains to take you and them back to your own timelines."

The boy nodded, regarding his father carefully for a moment. The Doctor looked up to meet his gaze, but Rory's eyes instantly snapped to the ground, uncomfortable.

"What's wrong?" the Doctor asked openly, tapping at a few buttons on the TARDIS with eyes glancing up to watch his son every so often.

"It's just…" He momentarily paused, forcing his head up to look at his father. "I'm sorry."

"For what?"

"For what I said and am going to say to you in the future. I really didn't mean it. I was just angry. I had a talk with the old you about it and I've decided I'll do what you're gonna suggest. You're right."

The Doctor grinned. "Dunno what you're talking about, but good. I'm probably right."

Rory laughed as the TARDIS sprung into action. He moved over to the screen and watched intently.

"You've linked the TARDISes?" Rory asked in bewilderment. The Doctor nodded.

"Just like linking Nintendos. Easy peasy. This way I can get you both back to your right time without jumping a year or something." He tapped a few buttons, and Rory watched the link sever with the Ninth Doctor's TARDIS as they landed back in 2005. Within an instant they were flying again, taking them and the future TARDIS to 43rd century Yechia. They landed, and the Doctor gave his son one last glance before he disappeared out the door to his waiting father. For a moment the Doctor and Rose just watched their grown-up son shamelessly cling onto his father as though he were a desperate child again, the Doctor and Rose smiling to each other before the Doctor severed the link with the future TARDIS, then dematerialised back to the Powell Estate in the correct timeframe.

The Doctor brushed back Rose's hair from her face, giving her another smile. Caught up in the moment she leant forward and kissed him for another time, the one action never getting old. They were finally back together: he was okay, and she was okay too.

"I love you," she whispered against his lips.

"Love you too." He moved his hand from her cheek to her chest, cool fingers tracing delicately over her collarbones made visible by her broad-cut top. His tongue slipped back inside her mouth, that familiar taste of honey and all things good so sweet in his mouth.

"Eww, gross!" suddenly came a voice from somewhere below and the Doctor and Rose instantly sprang apart as though they were both on fire. "Ewww!"

Rory was standing there holding his electronic toy gun in both hands, using it to hit his father's leg in order to get his attention. The Doctor winced.

"Can we play daddy?"

"Rory it's well past eight o'clock. Go to bed," Rose ordered but then stopped, checking herself. "God I sound just like my mum."

Rory beamed and stood up on tiptoes, swaying slightly with hands on hips.

"Uncle Jack said I could stay up and come find you!"

"Did he now?" the Doctor said, "well, you can go back, find Uncle Jack, and tell him that mummy and daddy are going to go and do some grown-ups hugs so he can play Armies with you instead."

Rory seemed crestfallen, but all the same gave his mother and father quick leg hugs before running off out the side door.

"I don't remember sayin' yes to grown-up hugs," Rose said thoughtfully, before they both burst into laughter and slipped their hands in each others', heading to their bedroom.

Three weeks later…

"Well," the Doctor began, glancing down at the clipboard for the results of Jill Lethbridge-Stewart. "I've got your results right here."

Jack took hold of his girlfriend's hand, gripping it tightly. Apparently he was even more nervous than she was. "Just tell me Doc, I don't care if it's bad."

The Doctor just watched them for a moment, jotting something down on his clipboard expertly. Jack's knuckles were now starting to turn completely white with the fear of anticipation.

"Well…" the Doctor began. "Symptoms presented are frequent headaches, backaches, nausea and fatigue. I can already tell you for next year or so it will get worse and worse," he said, and even his eyes seemed to have a cloud of regret in them as he continued to jot down on the clipboard. "It's extremely serious."

"Oh God. Is she gonna die, Doc?" Jack asked in a voice on the edge of breaking.

"Jill, I can confirm the diagnosis, and…" – he flipped the clipboard around to show the picture he'd drawn of a giant smiling baby – "…you're pregnant! Congratulations!"

They both stared at him for a moment, as if slowly processing what he'd said. Finally after about ten seconds of utter silence, Jack slowly slid off of the chair and hit the ground in a dead faint. The Doctor couldn't stop himself from bursting out laughing.

"What's so funny?" Rose's voice suddenly asked from the doorway, and they looked up to see her holding baby Zoë in her arms.

"Jill…she's…ah…hahaha!" the Doctor couldn't even get the words out, now doubling over with the laughter.

"I'm bloody pregnant, Rose, pregnant!" Jill supplied for him, still in a state of utter shock.

"Well," Rose began, looking back up at the hysterical Doctor. "Dunno what you're laughing about." She held up a slim white device in one hand, other still supporting Zoë. "'Cause I'm pregnant too."

The Doctor shortly followed Jack's demise to the floor.