Reunion
The atmosphere at the Tyler mansion was subdued. Each member of the family, including Tony, sat around the Christmas tree. None of the presents had been opened. They were all thinking of their missing family member. Joshua was the worst. He'd hoped that whatever had happened, she would come back at least within a few days. But she still hadn't shown. Torchwood had conducted tests, trying to find who had taken her but had come up empty handed. She had just disappeared with no trace.
Joshua sat with his back to the tree. He didn't want a reminder of the season and the fact that his wife, the love of his lives, wasn't there with him. He didn't even really want to be here but Jackie had persuaded him to come. By persuaded, she had grabbed him by his ear and forced him to come.
A crash and some very feminine cursing roused the household. Joshua was the first. He stopped in the doorway, hardly believing what he was seeing. There was Rose, in the same clothes she had left in, with broken dishes surrounding her. He didn't care. He ran up to her, stopping his outside of the ring of broken dishes.
"Are you really here?"
Rose turned slowly towards her husband. What she saw broke her heart. He looked withdrawn, like he hadn't been eating. There were dark rings under his eyes. His skin had taken on a deathly pale color. That was all that she needed to know. She stepped carefully out of the broken dishes and immediately hugged him. As soon as she touched him, he broke down crying.
'I thought I'd lost you.'
'You won't ever lose me, Joshua. I'm sorry I've been gone and I promise I will tell you everything once we get home. I've been gone about three months, but my family mustn't know. That's why I came back with the clothes I left in. Oh, I have so much to tell you!'
'I'm just glad you're back. Please don't ever leave me.'
'Never. You're stuck with me.'
Rose kissed Joshua tenderly on his mouth, cupping his face gently. She kissed his face where his tears had fallen before kissing both eyelids. He gradually calmed, but refused to let go of her. After a moment, he felt other arms encircling them. Jackie, Pete, and even Tony enveloped the two. It became a large group hug and the little family healed.
~DW~~DW~~DW~
They finished Christmas in much better spirits than they had started. Joshua refused to let go of her hand through dinner and they unwrapped their presents together. Rose told them all that she had only been gone moments, not the months that she had told Joshua. Finally, much later than they would normally stay, Rose and Joshua excused themselves. They promised Jackie they would be back the next day.
Once home, Joshua wasted no time in kissing Rose the way he'd wanted since he'd seen her in the Kitchen. She responded just as frantically. It had been over a month since she'd let him touch her at all, let alone intimately and even longer for her. They shed their clothes on the way to the bedroom.
They made love frantically, pouring their emotions through the Bond. Rose felt his hurt at her pushing him away. He felt her depression that they would never have a normal family. She felt his loss when she disappeared. He felt her fear of rejection that she couldn't provide him with the family she thought he wanted. More than anything, they each felt the love that they held for one another.
After they had found completion, they lay there, basking in each other's presence.
"I have something I want to show you. How I spent my three months."
"You don't have to do this now, Rose."
"You really need to see this."
With those words, she placed her forehead against his. He felt like he was tumbling as he fell into her memories.
~DW~~DW~~DW~
He gasped as he tumbled through her memories. She was on Gallifrey! But how? He could ask questions later because now, someone was talking to her. The woman talking startled Rose, but she quickly regained her composure. He felt the exact moment Rose realized who she was. He hadn't seen her in years. Centuries, even. After his name was struck from the Record, his father had banished him from the Household. As such, he never saw his mother again. It was good to see that she was alive and well.
He wasn't so sure about Braxiatel. Joshua remembered him as the rigid sort, always following the rules while the Doctor usually broke them. He had the distinct suspicion that Braxiatel hated his younger brother. He couldn't help but feel relieved that he had treated Rose with the respect that she deserved.
He was surprised to find out why she had disappeared. He suspected she was becoming part Time-Lord. Moreso than him. He never expected her to become a TARDIS as well. As the lessons progressed, he could see that it was true.
He watched as she mastered each step. Moving through Space. Moving through Time. And taking someone with her. She was a TARDIS without the capsule. He could see how her mind had changed. She could sense Time Lines and her sense of Time had developed. All she had to do was think of a place and a Time and she could go there. It was profound. She was literally the soul of a TARDIS with the mind of a human. It was unheard of but also humbling.
She would outlive him. She would outlive everyone, even Jack. She was bound to the Vortex. So long as it survived, she would as well. And the only way she would die would be the end of creation.
~DW~~DW~~DW~
They pulled back from her memories. Rose could see the pain in his eyes at her impending fate. She kissed him softly.
"I chose this when I opened the Heart of the TARDIS. I chose you at that beach and I'm not leaving you. Don't feel guilty at something I chose."