"They were hybrids. That's why I couldn't tell what species they were," he commented as he flew around the console. "And this experiment is why the TARDIS brought us here."

"It knew this would happen?" Rose asked curiously.

"Oh yes. Paradoxes, Rose. Endless paradox. It brought us here because of the child, but it brought us here too early. So, the child was created in the first place. See? Like I said. Paradox. Paradoxes everywhere."

He fidgeted with a few things and she placed a tender hand on her belly. "I can't believe this."

"Which part?" he idly answered, placing his glasses on his face and meddling with the wires.

"I don't know. Maybe the part where I'm pregnant, you idiot."

"Now who's rude and not ginger?" he retorted.

"I'm closer to ginger than you are," she returned crankily. "You know, this is how I've always wanted to get pregnant."

He stopped working and looked at her. "Really?"

"Are you mental? No! I at least thought that if I passed out and woke up with a kid on the way I'd have the fun of drinking and shagging beforehand. Doctor…we're having a baby. Us. A baby. I just don't know how I feel. I feel weird…"

That concerned him. "Something the matter?" he didn't let her answer. Instead, he dragged her by the hand to the medical bay and began bleeping her with his sonic screwdriver. "Everything appears to be normal. What symptoms are you having?"

"None," she grumbled as the sonic bleeped her between the eyes. "I meant emotions not symptoms."

"Oh," he responded self-consciously. "Right. Of course. Well, we're here now. Let's make sure all is well."

She didn't get a choice. He ran test after test to make sure that she was all right, as well as the baby on the way. "How does it look?" she inquired, slightly nervous.

"Well, you're pregnant. And fine. Just fine. You're a month along. I checked everything I could at this stage in the pregnancy. Clean bill of health from the Doctor."

"Good," she sighed happily. "How are you?"

He seemed confused by the question. "How do you mean?"

"You're going to be a father."

"Right. That."

Neither one spoke. He helped her down from the table and ushered her towards her room for some rest, though the subject wasn't pushed any farther. She got into bed for some sleep and he went to mess with TARDIS console. Her mind wasn't letting her rest much at all. How did she feel about the idea of being a mother? What was the Doctor feeling? How would their relationship change? How would their lives change? What would her mother say? Oh dear Lord…Jackie. She had to tell Jackie at some point. That would be fun. What if she didn't make as good a mother as Jackie did? What if the Doctor didn't want to have them on the TARDIS? What if he didn't want the baby at all?

So, she was panicking.

Meanwhile, the Doctor tried to fix the same loose connection twice. He was horribly distracted. Unlike Rose, this wasn't his first time as a parent. He had children once, and when they died that part of him died too. It was painful to remember them, and he was terrified that the aliens were wrong. What if the child was sick? What if he got attached just to watch the child die? Did he want his life to change again? He was used to doing anything he wanted to do, and now he'd have responsibilities. What did it mean for him and Rose? What if Rose wanted to settle down? What if she left him with their child? Oh, it wasn't a question of whether he wanted to have a baby with Rose Tyler. The thought made him grin. It was the uncertainties that terrified him.

So, he was also panicking.

The next day, they were eating breakfast on the TARDIS in silence. Both of them didn't sleep much and a million questions in their heads. Rose decided to just get it over with. "Do you want this baby?"

He choked on his food. "Warn people before you ask them a question like that!"

"Sorry," she laughed, offering a napkin as a piece offering. "I just need to know. And don't turn this 'round on me. You will and it isn't fair. I've asked first."

"Fine," he grumbled. "It's complicated."

"What do you mean by that? Is that a nice way of telling me you don't?"

"No, it's not that. I told you I was a dad once before…"

Her eyes fell. "I'd forgotten that."

"Well, I haven't. They died. My children. The idea of going through all that again is hard. I see all the possibilities at once. That's how I view the universe. What is, what was, what could be, what must not. This is in flux. So in flux. The possibilities of what could be are…"

"Are what, Doctor?"

He didn't want say what he was really thinking, so he smiled gently. "They're vast. It's just a lot to take in. And you? Do you want this?"

"Yeah, I suppose I do," she laughed slightly. "Just…like you said. Lot to take in. And we have to tell my mother at some point."

His hands went to his face. "Can't we just show up with our child after they're already born?"

She grinned at the way our child sounded. "No. She's my mum and this little person is her grandchild. Like it or not, my mother is family. Family is involved in these things. Well, human families. Not sure about customs anywhere else."

They exchanged soft smiles. His eyes lit up and he chuckled to himself. "Right. We'll visit her after breakfast. I'm sure she'll be happy to see you. Not sure how happy she'll be about the news."

"She'll be thrilled," she assured him. "They'll hear her in Scotland."

"Blimey, if this child gets her lungs…" he shuddered at the thought. "The crying will echo through time and space itself."

Rose chuckled at that. "I hope not. I'd be more worried about having a kid with your energy. You're so overactive."

"I get more done that way," he defended, pointing a finger. "What about your stubbornness? That would be something."

"Your restlessness, Mum's loudness, and my stubbornness? Sounds like hell on wheels."

"Or hell in a blue box," he offered.

They laughed hysterically and she beamed. "We're really doing this, aren't we?"

"What do you mean?" he wondered curiously.

"We're going to be parents."

He grinned. "Yeah. We are."

She let out a long breath and held her tummy for the millionth time since they left the lab. He pushed back his chair and stood. Her smile faltered as she thought of something. "How are we going to explain this to my mother?"

"That's on you, Rose Tyler. She'll probably just tell me to shut up anyway."

Rose giggled. "That's Mum. She might even try to slap you for knocking me up."

His fingers went to his jowl and he grimaced. "She's got a slap, that Jackie. Make sure you tell her it wasn't me as much as it was the other aliens."

"She'll still slap you," she smirked as he searched a drawer for oven mitts. "What on Earth are you doing?"

"Padding," he explained briskly as he headed towards the console room. "Either she puts these on or I'm taping them to my face."

The Doctor lit up as he heard Rose's laughter. It wasn't funny, but he really didn't mind it. He couldn't think of a better reason to get slapped by Jaqueline Andrea Suzette Tyler.