A Question of Fertility

Rose had turned 32. They had been trying for two years to get pregnant with no luck. Her cycles were still erratic and they finally determined they needed to get more expert help.

Joshua reluctantly made his way back to Torchwood to be seen by Doctor Martin. They hadn't seen him regularly since Joshua stopped having attacks. He was happy to see them both, though.

They went through a series of fertility tests as well as genetic makeup. Joshua had once told Jackie that he wasn't sure if they would ever be able to have children and those fears were now churning in his mind. He tried to mask his concern from Rose but she'd been thinking the same thing.

The fertility test proved that they were both healthy and fertile, which eased their worried. They were assured that they both seemed perfectly human as well, despite their pasts. Joshua seemed troubled by the news. He should at least only show as partially human. He scanned the results himself but he couldn't dispute the Martin's results. On paper, they seemed perfectly human and compatible. Something didn't add up, though.

He knew he was different. He knew Rose was as well. She hadn't shown many signs of Bad Wolf in years, but the fact that the energy had seemed to bind with her cells made him determined to build something that would be able to give them a more accurate reading.

He began to work on a machine in his spare time. He asked Pete if he could tour the Archives in search of the mechanics he might need, which Pete granted readily. He could see how this was straining the both of them and wanted to help as best as he could.

Joshua took a leave of absence from teaching to work full time on the project. It took him six months of diligent work before he was finished with it, and then he had to test it. He started small, taking volunteers for his project. Many of the mixed humanoids that knew Torchwood volunteered for the process. After a month of tests, he determined that the machine was working. He'd taught Kamille how to work it.

Rose went first. It was intended to be a real-time scan of their DNA. It was very similar in functionality to something he had on the TARDIS. Like the bio-scanner on the TARDIS, he would also be able to see any Artron deposits that were bound to their cells.

At first, Rose's DNA looked to be the same as any typical human. The longer he stared at the image, though, the more he noticed changes. It seemed to flicker, but he could see the Artron welded to her cells. Looking a bit longer, he saw darker particles next to each lighter particle of Time. So many trips through the Void. It was bound to her as tightly as Time was. With power of destruction and life, forever battling with her as their battleground. He'd never seen anything like it before and it frightened him. What would this mean for them?

Rose stepped away and it was Joshua's turn. He turned the monitor so he could read it but closed his eyes. He'd give it a few moments to do a complete work-up before glancing back. When he did finally open his eyes, he gasped. His DNA looked completely human. He knew his mind was the mind of a Time Lord. Otherwise, he would have burnt up before now. His biology, however, seemed to be completely human. He waited a few moments, hoping to see some of the flickers he had noticed with Rose. There was nothing. He was completely human and she wasn't. She was just changed enough, and that made all the difference. He knew with certainty, then, that they would never have children. The abnormalities in her system made it impossible for her to bear children with anything that didn't have similar bindings to their physiology. The only way she would bear children would be if she was with a full Time Lord.

For the first time since coming here, he felt truly sorry that he had managed to take her from him. She would never have a normal life here. Oh, he knew that she would probably live longer than him. He already knew that her cells regenerated at an almost constant pace. That was why she hadn't aged since she looked into the Heart of the TARDIS. But now he knew, with certainty, that after he left her, she would be forever alone. He'd never wanted that for her.

He took a deep breath and looked at her. He barely shook his head, but she noticed. She nodded once before stepping out of the room. He hated himself for upsetting her, but she needed to know the truth. When they got home, he vowed to tell her everything.