a/n: Many thanks again to bittie752 for the beta. She really went above and beyond the call of duty listening to me angst over everything this week.

Chapter 3

As soon as Rose realized her jaw had dropped, she abruptly shut it. Her mother's doctor was the parallel version of one of the Doctor's former companions. Dr. Martha Jones.

She plastered a smile on her face to hide her shock. The truth was, other than Ricky Smith and her parallel parents, her stepfather Pete and his first wife Jackie who was the parallel version of her mother, she had met very few parallel people in the parallel world. She had met Harriet Jones through Pete. She had been tempted at first to look up Shareen and Keisha, her old friends on the Estate, when she had first arrived, but she knew that they wouldn't know her from Adam and would be suspicious of any overtures of friendship from the Vitex heiress, so she had never bothered.

But here was the parallel version of a woman she had just met with the Doctor, the Time Lord Doctor, less than two weeks earlier. That other Martha Jones had helped save the universe, no, all the universes, from destruction. And Rose instantly had liked her.

And she had a feeling she would like this one, too.

"Yeah, I'm Rose Tyler," she answered, standing up to shake Dr. Jones' hand. "Pleasure to meet you."

"I'm sorry, you look so familiar," Martha Jones said. "Do I know you?"

Rose's heart sped up. "Uh, I don't think so…" she stammered. Was it possible that she was getting some sort of mental feedback from the other Martha?

"I don't know. I'm just sure I know you from somewhere. Tyler, Tyler…" the other woman puzzled. "Oh, are you related to Jackie Tyler? Are you Pete Tyler's daughter?"

Rose relaxed, smiling. The universe wasn't collapsing. "Yeah, that's me."

"Your mum was just in," Martha said, smiling back. She gestured Rose to sit down. "Now what can I do for you?"

"Well," Rose began, surprising herself with uncharacteristic shyness, "I'm in kind of a new relationship, well, it's not really a new relationship, more of a situation where he and I just got back together and, well…."

"Oh, I think I understand. How long have you two been having sex and what type of birth control have you been using so far?" As a doctor, Martha Jones had learned to be blunt.

"Oh," Rose said, taken aback. "Oh, we're not. Haven't. Well, at least not yet. But I think we might. Maybe. Dunno."

"Have you talked about this with him?" Martha asked, rather surprised that a woman who appeared to be in her mid-twenties seemed so reticent about discussing the topic.

"Well, no," Rose answered. "Y'see, he doesn't talk that much. Well, actually he talks all the time, but about things like this he's really a very private person, and we just haven't… well, talked about it. Much. Hardly at all, really, and not for a really long time."

Martha sighed inwardly. "One of the things I usually tell my patients is that if they can't even say the word sex then they're probably not ready to have it. However, I always think that being ready for every eventuality is wise. Why don't I leave you to change into a gown and we'll do your exam and then talk about your options."

Later, Rose having been examined and prepared for every eventuality in the form of birth control pills, the two women ended up chatting about Rose's life as the Vitex heiress.

"Oh, believe me, it's not all it's cracked up to be," Rose said. "For a while there, the tabloids were following me everywhere, trying to catch me at doing something. Well, anything really. But I never did anything worth putting on a tabloid cover so they eventually left me alone."

"What about now? Now that you've got a new boyfriend?" Martha asked.

Rose laughed at the idea of thinking of the Doctor as something as mundane as a boyfriend and then suddenly gasped.

"What's wrong?" Martha asked.

"Oh, nothing," Rose answered, grimacing. "It's just, well, we've got a big party coming up next week, and I know he's already not looking forward to it. I never thought about the tabloids."

"Ooh, I have always wanted to go to one of those parties," Martha said. "I've never been."

"Why don't you come?" Rose suggested.

"Oh, I don't know," she answered. "I'd have to get a dress…. Could I bring my fiancé? He's going to Africa with Heavenly Healers for a few months, and I want to spend as much time with him as possible before he leaves."

"Of course you can." Rose grinned at the thought of the Doctor meeting the parallel Martha. "Oh, you've got to come," she urged. "I really want you to meet my… friend."

Martha thought for a moment. "Alright, we'll come."

"Fantastic," Rose answered with a big smile.

~oOo~

After leaving the doctor's office, Rose and Jackie went out to lunch and then dress shopping. Rose would have been happy with any one of the first sixteen dresses she tried on, but Jackie found something wrong with each of them.

"That one makes you look…" she would start and then would add: too fat, too thin, too chesty, not chesty enough….

"Honestly, Mum," Rose protested, "what is wrong with this one?" It was an off the shoulder gown in a pale mint.

"Oh, Rose," she replied, wrinkling her nose. "That one washes out your skin color."

Rose sighed. Four department stores, well over fifty dresses, and not one met with her mother's approval. Having money has finally gone to Mum's head, she thought. On the Estate, not only would Jackie have been happy with any of the dresses, but Rose wouldn't have had to go anyway.

On the other hand, when she was back on the Estate, she would have given anything to go to a formal party like this one. And there was a time when she would have cheerfully killed someone to attend one with the Doctor and not be part of the wait-staff.

Finally they went to a tiny boutique in downtown London and found one that met with her mother's approval.

"Now, shoes," Jackie said as they entered yet another department store.

"Mum, I really don't need shoes…" Rose started. Her feet were killing her, and she was more tired than most days when she had been working in Cardiff.

"Not for you, for himself," her mother responded. "There is no way he is going to the party in red trainers." When Rose cheekily mentioned the Doctor also had grey and dark blue ones, Jackie glared at her daughter and stalked off to find men's dress shoes.

As soon as Jackie's back was turned, Rose went to find a pair of black Converse. As she crossed the store, she passed the men's clothing department and remembered her conversation with the Doctor in her stepdad's office. As long as I'm here, she thought, smiling to herself mischievously, maybe I'll look for a pair of jeans for him. And a leather jacket.

~oOo~

It was late when they finally made it back to the mansion. To their surprise, both the Doctor and Tony were sound asleep on the sofa in the living room with a Disney movie playing on the television. The Doctor had his trainer-clad feet on the table in front of him, head resting on the back of the sofa and mouth hanging open, and Tony lay on the sofa with his head in the Doctor's lap. The little boy was already in his summer jimjams, a pair of dark blue ones covered with stars.

"Oh, Lord, he doesn't half snore, does he?" Jackie said loudly, referring to the Doctor. She had a look of mild disgust on her face. "Did old him snore like that?"

"Mum, I told you, we weren't…" Rose protested quietly. At an eye roll from her mum she continued. "Plus, Time Lords really don't sleep all that much. I didn't catch him asleep until we had been traveling for almost a year."

Shaking her head, Jackie walked over to the telly and turned it off. She still did not entirely believe her daughter.

Rose crossed the room and tapped the Doctor on the shoulder. He awoke with a start.

"Oh, you're back," he said with a huge yawn, not bothering to stifle it. "Just resting my eyes a bit."

"Uh huh." She grinned at him. "Time to wake up so you can go to bed." She said it quietly so she didn't wake up her little brother.

He grinned back ruefully. "Yeah, I guess I'd better."

"Why don't you take Tony up to bed on your way, then." As was usual for Jackie, her suggestion came out like an order. The Doctor instinctively wanted to argue with her, but the little boy was still on his lap and he didn't want to wake him. Not to mention he wasn't awake enough to come up with a biting retort. Instead, he just lifted the boy when he stood and carried him out of the room and up the stairs, Rose following behind.

"Blimey," he said to Rose after he had put Tony in bed and closed the boy's door, "I can't believe it. He wore me out. Me! I didn't think it was possible. I mean, I once ran the megamarathon on Raniela 12. Longest marathon in that quadrant. One end of their largest landmass to the other. Forty-two days straight. Awake the entire time, and even then I wasn't as tired as I am now. Came in sixth, by the way."

"Yeah, but back then you weren't human." She bit her lip in an effort not to smile.

"Part human, Rose, part human. By definition, since I'm only part human, that means I'm still mostly something else, in this case Time Lord."

"Yeah, with all those superior Time Lord genes."

"Of course," he said arrogantly. When he realized Rose was laughing at him, he decided to change the subject. "By the way, what took you two so long?"

"Oh, you don't want to know," she responded, hoping he didn't press her for too many details. She really didn't know how to talk to him about her doctor's visit, or the reason behind it. She'd figure out how to bring up the subject later, she told herself.

"You know Mum," she continued. "Sixteen dress shops before she was happy with something. You would have been out of your mind with boredom."

The Doctor and Rose held hands as they walked from Tony's bedroom towards their adjoining ones. When they reached Rose's room, they stopped and he turned to her.

"Well," he said. To Rose's surprise, he looked nervous. "Well. I guess this is good night." He gave her an extremely chaste kiss on the forehead and then turned to go.

"Doctor," Rose said. As he turned, she grabbed his face, pulled his head down to hers and kissed him thoroughly. When they broke apart, he looked even more flustered.

"Well," he said again, his voice sounding squeaky. He cleared his throat. "Yes. Well. G'night, Rose." He turned and practically fled into his bedroom.

"Okay, that was definitely weird," Rose said to herself before she entered her own room.

As soon as the Doctor entered his room, he leaned against his bedroom door and exhaled loudly.

Time for another cold shower, he thought.

~oOo~

"Rose, wake up. Wake up."

It was several hours later, and Rose was crying out, tossing and turning. The Doctor sat on the edge of the bed, holding her down.

"No, no, please God, no," she moaned. "Please, no."

"Rose, please, wake up," the Doctor said. He shook her shoulder gently. "Wake up."

Rose opened her eyes. She seemed to stare through him.

"Rose, wake up," the Doctor repeated, this time more sharply.

Rose blinked, and her eyes opened wide as she suddenly, finally recognized him.

"Rose, are you awake?" he asked.

"Oh," she gasped, and threw herself into his arms. He could feel her trembling as he held her.

"You were having a nightmare again," he told her.

"Again?" she asked. Her heart was racing and she was having a difficult time catching her breath.

He nodded. "You had one last night as well. You asked me to stay with you, and I did. Wasn't 'til this morning that I realized you were talking in your sleep." He looked at her intently. "Are you alright?"

She nodded and buried her head in his shoulder as she held him tightly.

"You want to talk about it?" he asked, and she shook her head. "Do you want me to stay with you again?" She nodded.

"Budge up a bit," he said gently with a jerk of his head and a small, lopsided smile. She moved over and he lay down, wrapping his long arms around her when she snuggled up to him. And as she fell back asleep, he stared at the ceiling, lost in thought.

~oOo~

Very early the next morning, Rose awoke to find herself still in the Doctor's arms. With him here, and them finally being back together, she had truly thought her nightmares would end. Over the years, during the day while she was awake, she was able to be strong, to hold everything together. She could be the woman the Doctor had taught her to be, the one she always wanted to be, the one who could build dimension cannons and face Daleks, command UNIT troops and cross to parallel worlds. But at night everything she had seen, everything she had done, everything she had experienced crashed down on her. She had been plagued by nightmares ever since Canary Wharf, that is, when she had been able to sleep at all. Instead of her dreams getting better, though, they had actually gotten worse in recent days. Now that she finally had found him, she suspected that her fears of losing him again were coming out in her dreams. The only thing that seemed to end them was being held by him.

She snuggled closer and, without waking, he instinctively tightened his grip on her. As she lay next to him, she reminded herself that their separation was truly over and he really was here with her. Taking comfort in that fact, and in the warmth of his arms, she fell back asleep.