Chapter Text
“I see you still have Mr. Mickey there,” Rose suspected the daft alien was avoiding the pain of their parting. But she held no clue just how deep the Time Lord was holding back for her.
The Doctor had changed to fit her and this showed clearly how deeply he had fallen for his pink and gold human. All he avoided dealing with to save himself pain after Rose grew too old to run with him suddenly the Doctor craved to have back in their final goodbye. Each kiss he dodged, though the ones they had once he relaxed at the unity celebrations and the magic stirred with those hours were all he held to his bleeding soul. If he had only married his Rose. An adventure he would have liked to live with her.
Rose swallowed. Her mum was right. The Doctor had the right to know her secret. “Yeah, there’s five of us now. Mum, Dad, Mickey, and … the baby.”
“You’re not….” His mind could not fathom this shock. His Rose pregnant? He begged every higher being that the father was not Mickey the Idiot.
Tears welled in Rose’s eyes while lips gave a sad smile as she nodded. “I’m three months gone now. Way I count it, I think it happened during that last trip to the Moon of Aiag and their unity celebrations. Or my room after. Guess that old woman knew what she was talking about when she talked about our first-born at least.”
“Oh, Rose … I wish I could be with you both. You have no idea how much so.”
“So do I. Will we ever see you again?”
“You can’t.”
Both of them died within for all their child lost because of fate and chance. Rose simply could not hold her pain back anymore as she sobbed twice trying to say what they too rarely gave words and voice to together. “I-I love you!”
He wanted his mate to laugh so deeply. “Quite right too.”
Of course that gained him a broken chuckle, but was better than sobbing. He exhaled and fought off his tears a bit harder. “And, I suppose as this is my last chance to tell you—”
For a beat, nothing could move around the swelling in his throat. Rassilon, why were the most precious of words the hardest for him to say? “Rose Tyler, I—”
Before he could say the most important part, the path sealed itself and cut the transmission forever. Tears slid from his eyes unchecked because the three most important words needed said were lost! Never had he said those three words to his Rose! Worse, he’d never know if he had a son or daughter in that universe. All that the Doctor could hold in his hearts as certain was he knew the child would be loved and safe. If only he could support his love and care for their child!
The universe was cruel even in kindness and protection both as the Doctor turned to meet the woman to protect him from his heartbreak and be his big sister when he needed one.
Rose too grieved at the loss, sobbing as her Mum ran over to hug her expecting daughter. Her heart broke and she would have ended her life to remove the pain if someone else didn’t depend on her. Even with all the love of her friends and family, only the baby made a real difference. At the motel, after losing the father of her child, that knowledge alone forced Rose to eat what she could. The trip, her emotions, and the lack of sleep were taking a toll on her body. In the shower, she ended up crying some more.
The water mixed with memories of after the celebrations. She was rinsing her hair when the Doctor slipped into her shower. Once more the pair touched one another until they left her shower to pile into her bed still soaking wet. There he took her as his four more times over hours. In between they cuddled, slept (that was mostly Rose of course), and talked about what they wished could be for their future. Rinsing her face, Rose wished the man would join her under the water again … make love to her again.
Out of the bathroom, she dried off her body and suddenly noticed an obvious swell just over her … reality hit her mind. Looking in the mirror confirmed Rose’s newly noticed baby bump. A small swell that meant so much to his pink and gold human. The baby became real and solid for Rose as she began talking to her baby that night.
“Hey in there. I hope you can understand me. Sorry I got so upset. I had to tell your Daddy goodbye today. He’s not dead, but in our home universe and can’t get to us. But your Daddy knows about you, and I’m sure loves you as much as I do. Let me tell you about how I first met your Daddy. See, he is the last of his people. The rest died.” Rose told her baby of Time Lords, Autons, Hendrick’s, and more until the emotions of the day and her condition sent Rose to sleep.
In the morning, Rose was still heartbroken but held more joy in her soul at the same time. After this, her life centered around protecting the Earth of Pete’s World and her baby. Wearing a wedding band to protect reputations all around, a hidden marriage was leaked to the press after thousands were lost in an attack the previous month. Rose’s husband was named John Smith and among those killed in the attacks. Still, using her parents as proof, Rose publicly hoped to find her husband again. She began using the surname Tyler-Smith after this and was married to the Doctor in her heart if nothing more could be done. Soon after that, Rose’s pregnancy was called a little victory—that her husband still lived inside of his widowed wife.
Six months dragged by for Rose. Though she did no field work due her pregnancy, Rose worked near every day the first three months after she lost the alien who made life better for Rose and those she loved dearly. Then her stomach cramped hard at work to the point she screamed. Rose was rushed to the Torchwood Doctor the family trusted with the truth who checked Rose all over. He guessed it had to do with the blend of Rose’s blood and the Doctor’s with whatever altered Rose. After that day, the woman was on modified bed rest for the remainder of her pregnancy.
Pete took the changes in his life well. He loved Rose dearer than he once would have thought possible. When she and Jackie came home to him, they announced that Rose was kidnapped hours after birth when he and Jackie were poor. The lack of money left them with no means of searching for their child. Rose was accepted easily with that in most areas. The first time she called him Dad made a hard knot within him loosen with Daddy warming his soul. He and Jackie had a second honeymoon and conceived Rose’s little brother who came two months too early with Rose’s near miss miscarriage. Tony survived and thrived in a month and a half.
Rose focused on making the birth easiest for her and the baby without drugs. She wanted to be home for the security and comfort, but the idea worried her parents. Her almost miscarriage still held the couple on edge, but Rose pointed out how close they came to losing Tony in the hospital. A crazy woman thought they were abusing the boy with all the wires and tubes, so she decided to be a better mother to him. Luck held that Mickey was visiting on his break and stopped her. This along with the fact of the baby’s mixed blood granted Rose her wish for a home water birth.
Twenty-fourth of November Rose could not settle into a comfortable spot as she groaned in her bed. No surprise that both of her parents rushed into the room, with Jackie declaring it was time. Before Rose could argue, she felt a pop followed by a gush of water that made her groan louder. Pete ran off to get Mickey while Jackie helped her daughter up to walk through the contractions. Each time the pain grew too intense, Rose thought about the Doctor and what he was missing. She would have slapped him no less than twice for the agony birthing their child caused. Once the guys had the pool set up, she got in to find the water did help a little. Rather than a midwife, the Torchwood doctor came to monitor the young mother. He agreed to draw no blood work or take any samples of mother or child. The attempted kidnapping early in Rose’s pregnancy by one of the less sane in the company insured this. He tried to mess with Rose’s blood to make her his much as physically possible—a lifetime blood marriage from Laredef 13. No divorce and strict rules of conduct for both parties involved.
Rose moaned and sighed hard with the contractions as she forced herself to remember he lost lover in the worst points. When her daughter came into the world tasting the water and looking around her franticly, Jackie declared the girl was mostly her father reborn to the amusement of everyone. For the first time, Rose Tyler-Smith gave a true smile.
A month later, Christmas eve arrived in grand style. The first for both Tony and his niece, the Tylers spoiled both children and showed so much holiday spirit that Rose could help half crying and half beaming. She carried her baby girl to the enormous tree Rose was certain the Doctor would have been giddy over. Their child certainly seemed eager to climb the thing with her wide eyes eating the decorated evergreen like a sweet treat. On one branch hung a special ornament—a miniature TARDIS that opened on two sides.
“This, my little love, is what will one day be our home again. She is alive and has the name TARDIS. Your Daddy told me it stands for Time and Relative Dimension in Space. On this side,” Rose said as she opened one of the little set of doors, “is what your Daddy looked like when I first met him. All ears and leather he and your Gram would say. But this face died to keep Mummy alive when she became a Time Goddess. Your Daddy died because he loved your Mummy that much.”
Opening the second set of doors, Rose sighed at the tiny figure of her lost lover. “This is how your Daddy looked when I last saw him. One day, I promise, we will see your Daddy again. He might say we can’t, but he also said no one could survive looking into the heart of the TARDIS or that he could fall in love. We will see your Daddy.”
When her daughter cooed, Rose noticed the child’s full attentions were on the ornament and the young mother laughed. “Well, you and your Daddy share the same love for Christmas. I’m glad to see that in you. Keep right on reminding me of your Daddy, baby girl. Don’t let me ever give up.”