Chapter Ten

"What does that mean?"

"I don't know but first Ood Sigma and now *he's* on their planet… I'm scared. Rose what if I'm right? You're pregnant what if…?" He stopped unable to voice the question that had died on his lips and yet still hung in the air between them.

"But John you just got a clean bill of health. Dr Vince says you are as fit as a fiddle and aside from some sleep issues you look perfect to me." She hugged him close to her, she knew he was afraid to leave her and she was scared too but for now she had to be strong for him and for herself. If she gave way to the idea he'd be leaving her soon to do what her Mother had done… and bring up their child alone she didn't know what she would do. To put it simply she wasn't prepared to go there.

"What time is it?"

Rose checked her watch,

"Time we should get up. It's after lunch time and Tony will be home. We'll have something to eat and then go and see him and Mum and Dad."

"Do you want to tell them about the baby?"

"No, let's keep that to ourselves for a bit at least until I've had it confirmed by a doctor and a scan."

He nodded and stood up,

"Did we leave our clothes…?"

"Downstairs? Yes we did."

"I'll just run down and get dressed and bring yours back up to you."

"Put the kettle on" she called after him and rolled on to her back. Why did *he* have to spoil everything now? She was carrying John's child. Why now?

And then she thought again. Wouldn't *he* have thought of this? After all *he* knew *he* would change eventually and knowing how *he* got *himself* in to trouble *he* had to know that would likely be before anything untoward would happen to John. *He* hadn't disagreed when John had said they could grow old together and neither had Donna and she had everything in her head that the two men had as well.

Was John worrying about nothing? Was she scaring herself for nothing?

Downstairs John was thinking similar thoughts. Surely *he'd* have taken care of this. But *he* hadn't know the metacrisis had even taken place until John had shown up on Davros' vessel so how could *he* take care of it? *He'd* left almost immediately afterwards and knowing what John knew of Donna now he knew *he* had taken care of her. But not him.

If it was just him it wouldn't matter… was it time to leave? Walk away from Rose and the baby? Hurt her now to avoid hurting her more later? But what if he was wrong and nothing happened? What then? He'd have left the woman he loved and his child for nothing and he would have destroyed Rose for nothing. She'd hate him. He couldn't do that but…

He was jolted out of his reverie by Rose joining him in the kitchen. She had put on her robe as he still hadn't bought her clothes up to her. He was half dressed and shivered as he quickly pulled on his t shirt.

"What are you doing John?"

"I was just thinking, just thinking…"

"About?"

"Oh nothing much. You wanted the kettle on didn't you?"

"Yes please, I'll just go and get dressed, be right back."

John turned and flicked the switch and it was then that he felt it a punch to his chest, dead centre. He gasped winded and fell on to a chair at the table,

"What the…?"

It happened again knocking him off the chair and to the floor. He had no breath to call for help and simply lay on his front gasping for breath. Was this it? Already? He didn't want to die alone and he managed to drag himself to the foot of the stairs. He began pulling himself up and called weakly to Rose. Then he heard a drum beat, four beats over and over like a double heart beat. The beat was replaced by gunfire; bullets seemed to be whipping through the air around him. He covered his head with his hands and called out as loudly as he could to Rose,

"RUN!" Before he slid back down the stairs on his stomach and landed in an unconscious heap at the bottom.