Disclaimer: I don't own Doctor Who or any of the characters.

Not Pregnant

Rose could barely hear herself think over her mother's shouting, and the Doctor shouting back at her wasn't helping either. Rose was absolutely certain that neither of them knew what the other was talking about. She knew this because the Doctor had walked into the flat, noticed her mother yelling at her, joined in the row just because he could, assuming it was something to do with how long they'd been gone this time, and neither was listening. At all.

Finally, Rose decided she'd had enough. Ignoring the Doctor's shouting because she knew this would shut him up too, she addressed her mother's concern. Loudly.

"Oi! I am not pregnant!"

A stunned hush fell over the flat. The Doctor's mouth was agape. His large ears were turning red. "W-what," he spluttered.

Jackie stared at her daughter. "Well, what did you expect me to think, traipsin' about all o' time an' space with this one?"

"Oi! What's that supposed to mean," the Doctor cried indignantly.

"I expect," Rose began, before cutting herself off with a grimace, both women still ignoring the Doctor. "I expect…you to trust me," she finished with a sigh.

Turning on her heel, she walked out of the flat, not slamming the door like she wanted, sniffling to hold back the stream of angry tears. She knew her mother was worried about her, and she knew why her mother might not trust her, but it still stung. She made it to the second flight of stairs before she heard the door close again and the Doctor's heavy tread follow her.

She continued to the TARDIS, making it through the door and to the jump seat before the Doctor caught up with her. The door shut behind him, and Rose sighed.

"Sorry about her," she said, sniffling slightly. "I know how domestic that was."

The Doctor frowned, closing the distance between them. "Never mind that, Rose," he said gently. "Are you all right?"

"Yeah." Rose sighed again, wiping angry tears roughly from her cheeks.

"No you're not," the Doctor said, reaching out brush his fingertips lightly against her face.

Rose slumped, too tired to keep up the façade. "No, I'm not. But I will be. You don't have to worry about me."

"But I do," the Doctor said, taking her hand in his. "Why did your mother think you were pregnant?"

Rose tensed, and the Doctor moved to catch her eye as she tried to drop her gaze to the floor.

"Rose?" The Doctor hesitated. "I know your mother doesn't trust me, but I didn't think it was that bad."

She sighed. "Can we maybe get some tea and go somewhere more comfortable, Doctor? It actually isn't you she doesn't trust." Rose paused. "Well, maybe it's you a little." He grumbled and a smile briefly lit up her face. "But I can't have this conversation here," she finished.

"Of course, Rose." He agreed immediately, leading her gently by the hand that he still held toward the library where the TARDIS had two cups of tea, a plate of biscuits, and a warm fire waiting for them.

They settled in on the sofa, Rose sitting further away from the Doctor than she normally would, despite their linked hands. Releasing his hand under the pretense of picking up her tea, she held the cup between her hands and stared into the fire. She wasn't sure she wanted to see his face when she told him this.

The Doctor waited patiently, understanding that whatever she had to say would be difficult for her. He ate a biscuit and sipped his tea, watching her stare into the fire. The glow from the flames cast shadows on her face and set her hair aglow. It was an eerie combination, one that tickled his time senses in a bad way, and the Doctor hoped she'd break the silence soon.

Finally, Rose took a deep breath and broke the silence. "So, I've mentioned the bloke I used to go with, right? Jimmy?"

The Doctor nodded. Rose hadn't needed to be so open about things in her past, but he found that he enjoyed her stories, and so hadn't really discouraged her. Now, he was glad of it. He wasn't sure what he'd expected from this conversation, but he hadn't expected it to start like this.

"Well, I wasn't exactly…safe…with him." Rose chose her words carefully, letting the double meaning stand, but hurrying on when the Doctor's brow furrowed. She didn't want to dwell on that conversation right now. "I had a pregnancy scare. Thankfully, it was false," she hastened to assure him. "But Mum sort of…doesn't trust me, now. Because of that."

"But what does that have to do with me," the Doctor asked, crossing his arms over his chest in confusion.

Rose settled back into the cushion. "Well, I have a habit of running off with strange men."

The Doctor opened his mouth to protest, but hesitated, thinking better of what he was going to say.

Rose continued, not wanting him to take this the wrong way. "It really is all about me, Doctor, this time. I ran off with Jimmy. In the middle of the night. I just ran off to live with him, even after Mum said I couldn't. And it got bad pretty fast, but I didn't know how to get out," she said, not wanting to go into detail right now. Maybe one day she could tell him. "And then Mum found out, and…well, after I went home, she wouldn't let me out of her sight for a while. So, it really isn't you." She glanced at him, taking in the scowl, the brooding face, and the lines around his eyes. "Maybe it's you a little," she amended, one corner of her mouth turning up. "But mostly, it's that Mum doesn't trust me," she finished sadly. "Not anymore."

The Doctor nodded, contemplating his next words. Rose had tried to make this easier on him, he could tell, but he knew she was hurting from the distrust of her mother. Sighing, he uncrossed his arms. "Would it help if I told her that our genes aren't compatible without some biological tinkering?"

Rose blinked. His frown still showed his concern, and Rose decided to lighten the mood. There was no reason for the Doctor to be upset because her mother didn't trust her. And she was afraid if they continued with this discussion, he'd decide to leave and she'd never see him again.

"Not from the man who excelled in jiggery pokery."

The Doctor started and stared while she smiled, tongue peeking out from behind her teeth, before grinning back at her. He reached out and took her hand, and she laced their fingers together.

Suddenly, the grin dropped from the Doctor's face. "You know, Rose, if traveling with me means your mother doesn't trust you…"

"Stop it, Doctor," Rose replied firmly, meeting his gaze without hesitation. "She doesn't trust me because of me, not because of you. I'm not goin' anywhere."

A daft grin lit up his face. "Well, that's nice to know. But what I was actually going to say was maybe we could stay for one dinner. Could…talk. Might set her mind at ease." The Doctor had no idea when he'd gotten so domestic.

"Really," Rose asked in awe. "You'd do that for me?"

"Yeah." The Doctor was surprised at how much the idea appealed to him. Getting cozy with his companion's family wasn't something he'd thought he'd be willing to do, but it appeared that the thought of losing Rose Tyler could make him do a lot of things.

The bright grin that lit up Rose's face would probably be worth at least most of the discomfort he'd feel at this dinner, but the hug Rose was giving him would definitely be worth it.