A/N: Alright, I told you it'll get timey whimey and what not. So, this is 'present' day for Rose Tyler and the Doctor.
Enjoy!
Rose Tyler hated being away from her family.
Before Romana had been born, she'd nearly lost the Doctor countless times. Whatever it may be- war, sickness, time- it all seemed to be trying to tear them apart. On more than one occasion, it almost had.
As it were, the Universe had finally been merciful and they'd been granted the forever they'd always wanted.
They'd spent decades, millennia, even, just travelling among the stars and the whole of time, finding trouble and saving people. Life was, to be quite honest, perfect.
Then Rose had fallen ill.
They were sure it was another cruel twist of fate placed upon them by the universe, intent on tearing away the happy ever after they were sure they'd deserved.
It'd been the farthest thing from.
Their little miracle, as they liked to call it. Rose was pregnant.
They'd accepted never having a family, considering the Doctor was a Time Lord and Rose was, well, they weren't entirely sure. When she discovered she was pregnant, she was ecstatic, if a little suspicious. It took a lot to convince Rose and the Doctor that she really was pregnant. (In fact, they'd been in complete denial until a doctor from the 78th century let them hear their baby's heartbeat.)
The months following were some of the worst she'd ever experienced, despite the now obvious delight at having a child.
Her body was actively rejecting the pregnancy, and she seemed to be getting more sick as time progressed. Her and the Doctor were so afraid they'd lose the child. Every groan of pain or whimper had them running for a hospital, tears in their eyes as they readied their hearts for the bad news.
But no, their little girl was so strong even then. She fought and fought and their little miracle survived.
They'd named her Romana Jane, after two very strong woman from their pasts: Romanadvoratrelundar and Sarah Jane Smith.
Their family was so very happy, save the occasional spat that tended to rise with every family. Everything was perfect once more.
And then the Doctor had gone and gotten himself killed.
He'd been protecting Romana, though she didn't know it at the time. The Romana of their time wasn't there, it was her in a future rather near to them. He'd given his life to save her without a second thought. Not that Rose could blame him, she would do the same a thousand times.
The regeneration had been quite rough on Rose, considering she'd been through so much with her pinstriped Doctor, but paled in comparison to the reaction of their daughter. While Rose had been a little melancholy to begin with, she enjoyed exploring the minute differences that seemed to change with each regeneration. Their daughter, however, reacted far differently.
She didn't yell at him or cry or ask what happened. She was silent, staring at him with eyes that spoke of an unsteadiness she didn't voice.
Rose knew it would be rough when it happened eventually, but she didn't expect her little girl to look at her father like she wasn't quite sure how to react.
It stung the Doctor.
After spending the next few weeks with them, it became abundantly clear that she was struggling to cope with what happened. Regeneration was hard, Rose was more than aware, so she requested for the Doctor to cash in on a favor.
He owed her a trip to a particularly nice resort, and it would be the perfect opportunity to allow some much needed bonding.
So Rose didn't feel too sorry when she was dropped off at the resort with a lingering kiss from the Doctor and a tight squeeze from Romana.
That was three days ago.
Worry and fear began to settle in her mind like a fog, and she was struggling to convince herself nothing was wrong. She couldn't relax, despite being in a place where that was, quite literally, the entire point.
She found herself jumping at every noise, running towards anything that sounded remotely like the TARDIS.
It wasn't until well after the sun had set and she was lying in bed, convincing herself to fall asleep, that the comforting sound of the TARDIS filled the silence of her room.
She waited as the gentle hum in her mind grew in volume, the strength of the bond increasing at the closeness to the TARDIS. Her smile, however, faded as she felt the TARDIS' pain wash over her in waves.
Something was terribly wrong.
"Doctor!" Rose shouted, tears pricking at her eyes as she tried and tried to swallow down the fear.
Images of the Doctor hurt, of her daughter injured, flashed through her mind and she couldn't help but guess the worst.
Her patience all but ran out, the TARDIS door opening for her without any prompting. Inside, standing under the gentle glow of the time rotor, was the Doctor. His typically floppy hair was strewn in all directions, green eyes tinged with red from tears.
Inside, Rose felt like crumpling.
The look he'd given her, one of complete shame and self-hatred, had her knees buckling. Her steps faltered and she fell to the ground, all strength running dry. Tears had began to fall from her eyes, and a deep pain embedded itself into her gut like a knife. She felt sick and overwhelmed, a strangled sob crawling up her throat.
All of the emotion turned her body numb. At some point, the Doctor had fallen beside her, holding onto her like a lifeline. He was apologizing over and over again, unable to voice anything else. He had nothing else to say.
Tears were sliding down his cheeks in hot trails, a bitter reminder that he could still feel, despite the numbness taking over. He had pulled Rose into his lap, his hearts breaking with each utterance of 'Romana' or 'my baby girl'.
Their sobs were all that filled the silence. Even the TARDIS' song seemed to be a fair bit more somber.
They were drowning in grief, trying to stay afloat by holding onto one another and refusing to let go. The passing of time became of blur for Rose and the Doctor, they knew nothing outside of their sorrow.
After what could've been twenty minutes or just as possibly two hours, Rose spoke.
"W-what-"
She choked on her words, unable to finish what she was saying, though the Doctor understood.
"Canary Wharf," he replied, words broken and strangled. In his eyes, memories began to play, causing more and more tears to fall. "Something changed."
"I don't understand," Rose admitted, holding back a sob she desperately wanted to release.
The Doctor swallowed roughly, attempting to keep his voice steady as he began to speak.
"The TARDIS landed us during the Battle of Canary Wharf," he explained, pausing so that he could try to calm himself. Rose pulled him a little tighter to grant him some comfort. "Somehow the timeline was messed up. I lost you there."
Her brows furrowed, head resting in the crook of the Doctor's neck.
"But I'm here," she said, feeling a light pressure in her mind.
It was like she'd forgotten something important that she needed to remember.
"Yes," the Doctor muttered, moving back so he might study Rose a little more. He, too, was feeling something just out of reach.
"If you lost me that day, then I shouldn't be here," Rose reminded him, gaining a little bit of hope. If she was here, then clearly something was keeping the timeline intact.
"It's right here," the Doctor told her, "right on the tip of my tongue."
Rose nodded, closing her eyes to concentrate on that odd little feeling that had cropped up in her mind. The TARDIS' song grew in volume, taking form in golden waves. The waves were gently moving about her as she made her way through her own mind, guiding her towards whatever it was that was just out of reach. She followed it, faster and faster as time moved, and eventually found herself outside of a great, big, golden door.
Cautiously, she reached out for the handle. As her fingers made contact with the cool door, a gentle laughter rang out. It was light, childish, and just a bit loud. She'd recognize it anywhere, however, as she'd heard it many times from her own daughter.
"Romana," Rose breathed.
As she said her daughter's name, a pressure appeared on her temple. Beside her, now stood the Doctor.
"You see it too," he stated, to which Rose nodded.
It was memories, ones that they couldn't recall, locked behind the door. They weren't complete, not yet, but they were there nonetheless.
"She's in our past," Rose finally said, a smile cracking on her lips.
It looked as though her daughter was doing what their family did best; protect each other.
A/N: Let me know what you thought! I'm thinking of either doing two updates of this a week, or keep it to once a week, but start updating another story once a week as well.