Rose sobbed. She couldn't believe she was alone on this beach. Again. Not knowing or caring how long she sat there, she let the cold, wet wind wash over her.

The weeping angels. Rose had been told they sent you back in time. Apparently it had done just that, because she knew that she was in the exact same place she had been only moments before, having told her beloved husband their happy news. Only moments ago there had been a TARDIS mere meters from her. Now there was nothing but the empty sand. It was eerily familiar.

She knew where she was, but not when. And, right now she did not care because none of that mattered without him.

Convinced she was hallucinating, Rose did not even bother to look up when she felt the arms wrap around her. It took him saying her name before she paused in her crying. "Rose."

Her name, in that voice, whispered on the wind. She looked up, disbelieving. Warm brown eyes greeted her and she couldn't believe it when there were tears in his eyes, too. "Hello," he whispered.

After a pause, Rose threw herself on top of the Tenth Doctor, kissing him heartily in the sand. After a few minutes of this, he shifted, rolling over her. "You didn't think I'd let you get away again, did you?" He kissed her deeply again before she could even reply.

They were a mess when they finally bothered to get up from the cold, wet sand. "Is the TARDIS swear filter still functioning?" Rose asked.

"I'm not sure," he told her. "Why?"

"Because I'm so sick of this blinking beach." She laughed. "Yup, still working. Alright, so when are we?"

The part-Time Lord looked baffled. Rose pulled out her mobile. She was not surprised when it started to ring when she dialed, but what she was surprised at was to see ordinary service bars. They had to be close to their usual time zone. Rose called her mother. "Mum… what day is it?"

"Sweetheart," Jackie sounded exasperated on the other end of the phone. "I'm not saying happy anniversary again."

Rose put her hand over the receiver. "It's our anniversary."

The Doctor looked stunned for a moment then put up his hands in mock innocence. "The TARDIS was your gift. I didn't get you anything else."

"Well, that would have been fine if someone hadn't gone and lost her," Rose teased.

"Hey, I didn't-"

Rose turned back to the phone. "Hey, Mum? We'll be home for dinner tonight after all. And, we have news."

Now her husband really did look alarmed.

"And, you are absolutely sure we shouldn't wait here on the beach for them?" Rose questioned him. Ten had explained that eventually River and his other self would show up in their TARDIS. The question was how long they would be.

He shook his head. "It's impossible to tell exactly when the angels sent someone back to. They will be able to see the time distortion and roughly gauge it, but they won't risk being hasty and being too far off. We might be here awhile."

The fact that they had been sent to exactly the day they left was odds beyond incredible. They had left after breakfast and would be home in time for dinner. Without their TARDIS. His shoulders slumped.

"Hey," Rose said, rubbing them soothingly. "We'll get her back, alright?"

He nodded at her encouragement. They headed into the nearest town while Rose asked her mum to have Pete send a zeppelin to fetch them.

"Norway?!" he heard her mother yell through the phone. "What are you doing in bloody Norway? Is that where that daft man thought it would be a good idea to take you on your anniversary? Honestly, some men are asking for a divorce."

With everything else, it was at least good to see that Jackie Tyler had not changed one bit.

They settled in a familiar little cafe in the town. The town was tiny and there weren't exactly many options for them to go to. It was all achingly familiar.

Rose laughed, sitting back and looking around. "I honestly never thought we would be here again. Do you remember the last time we were here? We were so awkward and nervous around each other."

Blimey, did he remember. After one fantastic kiss on the beach, they broke off like complete strangers as Rose worked through the loss of his other self. It would take them weeks to work up to any sort of physical affection again. It had been strange to allow that of himself. The Doctor had denied himself any attraction to Rose Tyler for so long, to be free to move forward had taken some adjustment for both of them.

Oh, but was he happy for it now. "We can try that again… if you want," he teased.

"No, ta!" Rose laughed again. She placed a hand over belly. "I'm quite happy with where we are now." With her other hand she captured one of his and threaded their fingers together.

It wasn't that he had forgotten; it's simply that other things had taken forefront in his mind. But, now that he was reminded, it hit him all at once.

Rose was pregnant with their child.

He was terrified. Sure, they had talked about it, but nothing too serious yet. He knew that she wanted a little one of her own. The child would take on mostly human characteristics, he suspected. He or she would be brilliant, though. How could the child not be, being both his and hers?

Rose squeezed his hand. "Doctor, you've got that panicked look in your eyes. Want to talk about it?"

"It's just a baby. Wow. I'm thrilled. But, I have no idea what to do."

"Look, I'm terrified, too," Rose told him. "This is all new to me. I was around when mum had Tony but I've not exactly had my own before, now have I? You've had children, Doctor! Grandchildren!"

"That was almost a millennia ago!"

Rose looked amused. "I'm sure it works about the same way. Now, come on," she said, finishing her tea. "Why don't we have a look about the village, yeah? No sense getting all distracted now. We have seven months before we really need to worry about it."

"Seven?!"

Rose laughed again. "Well, I'm several weeks pregnant, aren't I?"

Well, honestly he hadn't thought about it, but supposed that must be true since she was already showing signs of being tired and sick. He ran a hand down his face. Seven months? "How long have you known?"

"Since yesterday. Let's just say I noticed some things were off so I finally decided to take the test." They walked hand in hand down an old shop-lined lane. It was just after four in the afternoon he sensed.

"Should you see a doctor?" he suggested.

"Says the Doctor," she gave him her tongue-in-teeth smile. "Yeah, I'll see one before the end of my first trimester."

He was a bit at a loss for conversation topics now. Did he want to be a father again? Losing his children, grandchildren, his entire family had left a hole that he did not think could ever be filled again. He never wanted to feel that again.

But looking at Rose so happy beside him, he was glad she was not denied this. Maybe just the one then. And, he would guard him or her with his life. He would protect his family and they would travel all of time and space. Together.

After several hours of window shopping, Rose was all tuckered out. Happily she rested while they ate dinner. The Doctor still seemed preoccupied and nervous. He would come around, she hoped. It's not as if she had been expecting it either. But she was already in love with the tiny little baby.

Rose wondered if she would have believed any of this if it had been suggested back when they watched the sun explode and destroy the Earth on their first date. No, probably not.

Near the end of dinner, Pete called to tell them their ride was waiting for them. They ordered a car to the city nearby, one large enough to actually have an airfield. After a quick chat with the pilot, they boarded.

Rose and the Doctor hadn't actually ridden a zeppelin since the day they were first brought home from this beach. It was a surreal experience for Rose and she felt a slight panic grow within her. The man beside her stopped and turned. He brushed his fingers along her face and tucked her hair back. Resting his forehead on hers, Rose felt calm wash through her.

He looked down into her eyes. "Better?" he asked.

"Sorry," she mumbled looking down.

The Doctor crooked a finger beneath her chin to bring her eyes up to his. "You have absolutely nothing to apologize for."

She sighed. "If not today, then for those early days, for the moments on this zeppelin and the days that followed when I did not let you in right away." A tear slipped down her cheek. "I was a mess back then."

He brushed it away with his thumb. "No, you were so brave. You crossed dimensions, faced daleks, saved the universe." He looked into her eyes and repeated a line from exactly the last time they had stood aboard this aircraft. "There's no place I'd rather be in all the universe than right here by your side, Rose Tyler."

She tilted up on her tip-toes to lightly kiss him. "Anywhere in this universe is home as long as you're there. Now, enough sappy," she tugged at his hand. "We have a long journey ahead and I remember where the bedroom is on this thing."

Several hours later they landed outside London. Pete drove to pick them up and bring them back to the mansion for dinner as promised.

"Figured you'd want something fancy, so I had the chef make something real nice," her mother greeted them with a hug. It was fairly late when they got in, Rose was surprised her mum was still up to dinner. Tony greeted them excitedly but made a face at their meal.

Pete, Jackie, Rose, Tony, and the Doctor all settled around the table. It had been several months since they'd been round for a proper dinner and her mother was beaming with happiness. They avoided discussing the TARDIS and simply said that traveling would be put off for now and that they weren't entirely sure how long.

"A few more repairs," Ten said casually. "Just want to be sure it's safe."

"So, what is this news then?" Jackie asked for the third time, this time over dessert. In truth, Rose was putting it off, not entirely sure how her mother would react.

Rose looked to her husband and took his hand. Better to just come out and say it. "Mum. I'm pregnant. We're having a baby."

The silence after the slap across the Doctor's face was only punctuated by Tony asking, "What is pregnant?"

After the initial shock, Jackie and Pete were actually very happy for them. That is, with the assurance that any child of theirs would be perfectly healthy and normal. Emphasis on the last part.

Pete dropped them off at their flat very late into the evening. Rose still couldn't believe it, looking around the place. It was all still here. They had been ready to leave it for traveling, at least for a short time. It was so strange to be back.

The Doctor seemed a little sad too. She knew they had both been looking forward to traveling the stars, but it wasn't an indefinite grounding, right? She tried to remind him of this. Soon, she promised.

'Soon' was taking a little too long in coming for both of them.

They rested on the couch couch. Rose had a bowl of popcorn resting on her seven-month pregnant belly as they watched a movie. Ten reached in for a piece and she swatted at his hand. "Mine."

"But if I got up to get my own, you'd lose your extra comfy pillow!"

She was laying half on him, and for once she was actually comfortable. "Oh, alright," she said, relenting the control of the popcorn bowl. Beaming he stole a fistful.

"So, a name."

Ten groaned. "Not this again."

"We still haven't picked one! It's a little boy so maybe your proper Gallifreyan name?"

"Rose, no one can pronounce that. At least not easily."

"Well, how about John?" she suggested. "You've gone by it long enough here. It would be like naming him after you, but not."

"John Tyler. Hmm. I'll think on it." He snuck more popcorn.

Rose sighed. "Doctor, when are they going to bring us our TARDIS back?"

"I admit, I have been wondering the same thing." Over the months they had settled into normal life again. Restlessness still overcame them from time to time as they waited to have their young time and space machine back. "I'm not sure what exactly is taking them so long honestly," he confessed.

"Do you think they are okay?" Rose asked.

"Aw, I'm sure they are fine. You'd be amazed what they've accomplished, I'm sure."

"And, all they have left to accomplish, too," Rose said cheerily but Ten looked off. "What is it?"

He shook his head. "They… don't have any time left to accomplish much."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, this is their last journey. River… is going to die."

"What? But… no!" It had been hard for Rose to see the Doctor with River at first but she had come to see that the other woman was good for the old Time Lord. He needed someone like that in his life. Rose did not want to see him sad and alone ever again.

"It's true," her husband told her sadly. "I told you I only met River Song once. And, it was the day she died."

Rose as at a loss. "Can't we do something? Change it?"

Ten shook his head. "I promised that I would never change our history. Not one line of it. She saved my life that day. I know they have had many adventures since, many days together. But, this one was to be their last."

Rose laid her head back against the Doctor feeling so terribly sad for the other woman and the Doctor, too, who had to know that this was it, his goodbye. It was completely unfair.

She hoped they were okay, wherever they were.