Never Too Late

Characters: 12th Doctor, Rose Tyler (Melody Pond IV), Jenny (Doctor's daughter), Clara Oswald, Susan Forman

The Doctor and Rose have mended bridges, and are looking forward to their promise of "forever". Yet, they find themselves getting separated again and trying to get back to one another will prove just as difficult as the last time. Especially with Gallifrey still out there and Missy on the loose. AU: sequel to "How Did She Get Here?"

Prologue

Rose ran her hand over the console. Looking up, she smiled as the TARDIS lit up and pulsed about her. It wasn't long before she felt someone staring and she looked up toward the balcony running around the edge of the main console room to where she knew her husband would be. She caught his gaze and raised an eyebrow at him. It wasn't an uncommon occurrence for either of them to catch the other one staring. It was their way of just checking that they hadn't been left alone. Again. The Doctor smiled at her before he moved to join her on the main level.

"Where are we going, love?" he asked her softly.

"I'm not sure. I wish I still had access to the Lunar University and some of my old professors. There may have been some information there about how we could find Gallifrey. But I had to go and regenerate... They wouldn't let me through looking like this." Rose swept her hand up and down her figure, just to make a point. She smirked when she saw the Doctor run his eyes over her current regeneration. "It wouldn't help though because someone had to go and delete records of himself from all of time and space."

"That wasn't my doing, and you know it," the Doctor laughed. "And I wasn't the only one to do that in this relationship!"

Rose laughed along with the Doctor. "Oh, I know. The Bad Wolf virus wiped out any mention of me. Including my origins. That really stumped Missy."

He stopped in his mirth and leaned against the console. Missy, his childhood friend and now ancient enemy, had given him hope but had cruelly lied to him about finding Gallifrey. "Do you think we'll ever find it?"

Rose stopped and looked over her husband's downcast appearance. "Gallifrey? One day we will."

"How can you be so sure?"

"Because I have faith that we will. That should be enough."

The Doctor looked up and caught Rose's gaze, if only briefly. She looked away from him after a few seconds. "Are you still mad at me?"

"What gave you that impression?"

"Because you're not saying a lot. And I can barely feel you, Arkytior." He moved to her side really looked her over. "Please, talk to me."

Rose couldn't help but smile at hearing the Doctor call her by her Gallifreyan name. "It's been a while since you've called me that." Then, she sighed. "You'd think I'd be used to it by now, but whenever someone leaves, it's always hard."

"It never gets any easier. No matter how many times I've had to say goodbye to people I care about."

Rose reached out and took the Doctor's hand in hers. "I'm not mad. Not at you, anyway." She gave him a half smile. "Just a little worried though. Have a lot going through my mind at the moment." To prove her point, she reached out to him with their bond and shared with him all the worries that currently weighed down her mind. Did he want children again, or was that something he wasn't interested in? Could she give him children if he wanted them? Would she be a good mother? What happened to Jenny? If they found her, would he want her to travel with them - provided she wanted to of course. What about his family on Gallifrey? Would they like her? How would they explain her existence and their complicated history to the Time Lords? Would she actually fit in with the stuffy society?

She heard him whisper 'My Bad Wolf' in her mind, and Rose clung to that thread coming from her husband. Swallowing hard, she looked at him. He gave her a comforting smile and pressed his forehead against hers. Through their bond, he sent her all his love he'd had for her from the 1100 years he'd known her. He sent her his support as well, plus the answers he was certain about. Children would come to them in time; and perhaps he wasn't ready for that step yet, he knew one day he would want children with her, and he knew that she would be an amazing mother. As for Jenny and Gallifrey, his family would think she was the best thing that had happened to him. If anyone disagreed; well, wasn't that the reason he ran away in the first place? He hadn't really liked the stuffy rules and regulations in the first place, so she could keep him company in his 'outcast' status.

Rose laughed through their bond. And then sobered as his next thought trickled through.

'Am I a good man?'

Blinking, she ran her fingers over the nape of his neck. His blue-green eyes studied her carefully as he waited for her to answer. She gave him one of her mega-watt smiles. 'Yes, of course you are,' her reply came without hesitation. To add emphasis, she also whispered his name.

The TARDIS came to a halt. They'd landed without either one of them telling the magnificent old girl where to go. Rose pulled away from the Doctor and asked aloud, "Where are we?"

"Shall we find out?"

Together, they moved to the doors of the TARDIS and the Doctor peered out. "Oh, this is Olympus. I haven't been here in a very long while." He looked down at his wife with a smile on his face. "I wonder what trouble we can find."

"Us? Find trouble?" Rose asked with a laugh. "Really, what gave you that impression?"

The Doctor joined in with her laughter. "Because, love, with you around we always find trouble."

NTLNTL

As the husband and wife pair strolled through the streets of Olympus, the Doctor found himself taking hold of Rose's hand so they wouldn't be separated. Rose noticed that it was him that initiated their handholding and she smiled to herself. So much for his current body not wanting any outward displays of affection. But then, she thought it was more to do with her current body than anything else. She loved to run with the Doctor, holding his hand. In her previous body, it was more about the flirting than anything else.

"So, this place is really called Olympus? After Mount Olympus, home of the Greek gods?"

"Yes," the Doctor smiled. "At least, this part of the planet is. I think we're in the section of the city dedicated to Aphrodite."

"Goddess of love and beauty," Rose added. "Down by the ocean would be the part dedicated to Poseidon. Around the capital building and other important buildings would be for Zeus." She frowned and said, "The section for Dionysus should be around here somewhere."

"Why do you say that?"

"Because he does share one thing in common with Aphrodite: fertility – in regards to humans anyway."

"So you know your Greek culture," the Doctor said, sounding impressed.

Rose smiled sweetly up at her husband; perhaps he'd forgotten what she'd studied at the Lunar University. "I'm an archeologist, love."

The Doctor laughed. Of course, his wife had studied different cultures and ancient ruins while she gained her doctoral degree in archeology. And, he found out once she'd returned, she had studied astrophysics and quantum theory in the parallel world, taking her total number of doctoral degrees to three.

"So where are we headed?" she asked.

"I was thinking of lunch, and then heading to a spa, or any other beauty treatment place of your choice."

She stopped, and pulled him up short beside her. Turning to face each other, Rose asked, "Did you bring me here to get spoilt, Doctor?" He looked down at his feet and he shifted uncomfortably. He may have thought about bringing her here years ago, but hadn't ever really gotten around to it. She laid her free hand over his upper arm. "I was the one piloting, love."

"Yet I was the one who wanted to bring you here. I guess the TARDIS thought it was time we got away somewhere, and not think about the hard times we've been having lately," the Doctor returned.

"Wanna seal that with a kiss?" she tempted. He smiled and lightly brushed his lips against hers before placing his forehead on hers. She returned his smile. Both smiles dropped slightly when they heard someone screaming. Looking in the direction of where the scream had come from, Rose rolled her eyes. "Or not. Looks like our plans aren't gonna work out."

The Doctor glowered at her for a moment, before stating, "Come on."

It didn't take them long before they got to the crowd of gawkers staring at whatever had happened. The Doctor squared his jaw and started pushing his way through the crowds to the center to work out what was happening when he heard his wife clear her throat. The people closest to them turned and looked at the pair of them. And then, their gaze followed Rose's indication down to her identification at her belt. The Doctor frowned as the crowd parted seamlessly in front of Rose. He had to stick close to her as she made her way effortlessly through the crowd to the front.

'How?' the Doctor asked through their bond.

'Family run business.' Rose returned, and showed the Doctor her badge. P.I. Bad Wolf, BWC. 'Worked like a charm in the other universe.' She looked around the crowd and started issuing orders. "Alright, everyone take five large steps backwards and allow us to do our jobs." Looking around, she dared anyone to disagree with her. Her eyes narrowed as a smart mouthed Olympian complained.

"Why should we listen to you?"

Rose got right up into the young man's face. "Do you really want to try me, mate?" The Doctor hid his smile as he knelt beside the body to examine what had happened. Rose was by no means short by human standards, but amongst the Olympians, she was rather on the shorter side. So the Doctor found it amusing that the young man backed down from his spitfire of a wife. "Didn't think so." She turned to look at him. "And you can wipe that smirk off your face, Doctor. What do we have?"

"I'm not sure yet."

She gave him a dry laugh. "Yeah, that's a first. Was this an accident or was it intentional?" Rose noticed his attention wasn't quite with her and the situation around them. Snapping her fingers, she bought his attention back to her. "Doctor! Accidental or intentional?"

"Oh, intentional."

"Thank you." Rose stood up and looked around the area again. The crowd had moved back, just as she'd asked. "Next question: domestic or intergalactic?"

"Does it matter?" the Doctor asked.

"If you want me to be able to use my badge and galactic pull, then yes." She spotted something close to one of the buildings the dead man could have come out of. Moving over to the small, torn piece of cloth, Rose called out, "Doctor, have a look at this." She reached out with a pencil she had in her pocket. He came over and crouched beside her.

"Excuse me, but who do you think you are?"

Rose and the Doctor whipped around. Out of the crowd came the local law enforcement. Shooting her husband a look as if telling him to stay put, Rose stood up and flashed her badge again. "I'm Bad Wolf, P.I. with the Bad Wolf Corporation. This is my partner, codenamed 'the Doctor'. We're here to help."

"We can deal with this," the chief inspector said. "This is a local incident."

"Alright. If that's the way you want to do it. Doctor, with me." Rose began to walk away. The crowd parted for her, just as before.

The Doctor wasn't paying attention. He'd heard her calling for him, but he was more interested in the fabric and the clues she'd found before. That split second of his inattention was all that was required for someone to take their opportunity.

'Doctor!' Rose's panicked voice echoed through their bond before it was abruptly stopped. The Doctor snapped his head up and in the direction he last heard Rose. But it was too late – she was already gone.