Chapter Text
There was a feeling of familiarity when Rose awoke inside the TARDIS. Like she'd been through this before. The BadWolf hangover… unmistakable. Her head felt like it weighed a thousand pounds, and her mind buzzed dully. She blinked a few times before realizing what was above her. It was Captain Jack. He was hanging over her with part curiosity and part concern.
"You're a pretty tough cookie, you know that?" He spoke softly, and a smile broke across his lips.
"Jack…" She mumbled appreciatively. "You came back."
"Yeah… guess you got to me." They smiled softly at each other for a few moments. Then Jack cleared his throat. "Doctor, she's awake." Rose began to lift herself as he spoke over his shoulder. "Easy does it, tiger. You've been through it." Rose allowed him to push her back onto what she could only assume was that beaten old dentist chair in the infirmary. The Doctor soon appeared by her side, a wide grin on his face.
"Remember anything this time?" He asked as if nothing cosmic had just unfolded.
"She came back," Rose stated dreamily. "The singing… I…" She shook her head, the thoughts were suddenly coming in too fast and too complex. Visions whizzed through her mind's eye at breakneck speed, Rose felt exhausted just trying to comprehend them. "I'm not really sure… I can't… seem to focus my thoughts…" She shut her eyes tight and tried to focus on this room, at this moment. The Doctor hummed, nodded and spun around. Rose tried to crane her head to follow him as he walked over to a computer.
"She didn't necessarily 'come back'," He said as he tapped his finger to the monitor. "There was always a piece of the vortex inside you, I caught it early on but thought nothing of it. Side effect of the first incident, nothing apparently harmful." He spun away from the monitor and headed over to another machine. "That said, when you opened that piece of the heart it re-ignited her full power and allowed her to take control again." Rose rubbed her forehead wearily.
"So how did I not get burned this time?" The Doctor cleared his throat uncomfortably and Jack, who had been listening in curiously whilst leaning on a battered piece of medical tech, took it as his cue to make a swift exit.
"Glad you're up on your feet, kid." He pinched Rose's cheek lightly. "Think I'm going to take a look around this place…" Rose touched her cheek and smiled. Jack and Rose had to be closer in age now, but he called her kid just like he used to. Perhaps somehow his memories of them were… but that was impossible… or was it?
"You're going to stay with us?" Rose perked up immediately and Jack grinned.
"If it's good enough for Alternate Universe Captain Jack Harkness-" He raised his hands in a cheeky move, then shrugged and backed out of the room. Rose bit at her tongue, beyond pleased at how things were shaping up. Maybe it was BadWolf, maybe it was fate, but at this point, she really couldn't care anymore. Her mind began to buzz again, visions of Jack as she'd once known him, their adventures together… but also some unfamiliar visions of Jack. They all fluttered about like seagulls for the last chip on a lonely beach inside her mind.
Rose clasped a hand to her head. The Doctor reached a gentle hand out and pulled her palm away from her face carefully. Her attention refocused on The Doctor and they seemed to fade away. He looked more than serious. His hands wrapped around her smaller one comfortingly.
"Rose," He began. "After all that's happened… Do you still want to stay with me? I mean, forever?" Rose blinked a few times. "Because if you don't, I understand, but if you do- well, I just have to know. Could you live with this daft old fool for a million years? Longer? Till the end of time?" Rose reached up with her free hand and touched his cheek gently.
"I couldn't dream of a more perfect life." He smiled, and in his smile, a weight seemed to have lifted. "Better with two, I always say." She beamed up at him and his gaze fell to the hands that gripped hers.
"Right," He cleared his throat. "About that." Rose furrowed her brow curiously, then let out a laugh.
"Oh, you aren't still jealous of Captain Jack?"
"No," The Doctor shook his head as if that was the furthest thing on his mind. "He's alright… I suppose… or at least, there's no getting rid of him now." Rose smiled and nodded in agreement.
"Then?"
"Well… before the Bad Wolf released you…" He was trying to choose his words carefully. "She may have changed a few things."
"What do you mean?" Rose sat up, suddenly quite anxious.
"For starters," The Doctor spun around again and headed back to the monitor. He typed a few things in and turned the screen to show her. "That was your scan before when we found each other again…" Rose nodded. He clicked another button. "That's your scan now." It looked completely different, but Rose couldn't understand why. She shook her head and gave him a confused look. The Doctor sighed. "Just for comparison," He hit another key. "Here's my scan." Rose leaned forward and furrowed her brow.
"They look… similar." She stated. The Doctor nodded. "What does that mean?" He came back to her side.
"Bad Wolf didn't just wipe out the Daleks and every memory of them ever existing in this universe. She's what brought us back together, what kept us going on this path…" He took a deep breath. "She also completely re-wired your genetics. Took out everything that was human and made you a completely different species." Rose was too shocked to respond. She looked down at her hands with wide eyes as she searched for the words or any visible changes to her anatomy. Her hands began to shake as realization dawned on her. Her body was now a completely foreign object to her. She wasn't even sure she knew her own mind anymore. She was so incredibly small and weak against the unlimited power of the Bad Wolf.
"W-what am I then?" She sputtered anxiously. The Doctor gripped both her hands in his own tightly to stop the shaking and offer comfort and support.
"Rose Tyler… You…" His dramatics were killing her, Rose could feel her heart pounding nervously… or… was there another beat in there…? Her brow furrowed as she attempted to keep her focus. "Are an honest to goodness Time Lord." He smiled softly. "Or Lady, whatever you like." He shrugged.
"That's not possible." Rose shook her head. She reached up to her chest and felt both hearts beating insanely fast. She gasped.
"How many things have we seen together were impossible?" Rose bit her lip anxiously, she had to agree. There had been some pretty unbelievable things in the past. This, however, seemed beyond the realm of possibility, even for them. Her mind began to buzz again. More visions flying in and out. As the panic began to overtake her, the harder it was to focus her thoughts.
Scenes replayed before her as if she were standing right there, reliving them. She could see Jack waking her just a few minutes ago and yet she was experiencing it again. She could see the Daleks, the Fountain of Youth, falling through the closet, Liz, Winston, the serpent, the dragon, and sweet little Joan. All at once! She choked on a whimper as the visions continued to pummel her senses. Things she didn't want to ever think about or see again. A small, dark and empty room, a terribly lonely life, a fractured mind, a tragic loss… an empty beach… Rose cried out. "What's happening?"
"You need to calm down, it's alright." The Doctor reached out from the darkness and held both palms to either side of Rose's face. "You're just letting your thoughts get away on you. Focus on my voice…" He spoke firmly, but the calmness in his tone soothed Rose and she obeyed. The visions began to fade into the background once more. Slowly, she could see him again. "There." The Doctor breathed. "It'll take some getting used to… but I'm afraid that will be your new normal." He kept his hands firmly on her head. "I'm sorry, I know it's maddening… but it will get easier. You just need to focus on what's happening in the moment and ignore the past and the future. They can't help you." Rose's mind began to flutter, much slower this time. Visions flashed of The Doctor, a long time ago, in another universe. He was crying, "That's what I see… all the time! Doesn't it drive you mad?" Rose could feel the tears well up as the memory played before her as if it were in real-time. The Doctor's tortured face glitching in and out from The Doctor's current calm one. "The past hurts, and having to relive it all the time is the curse I've carried." His eyes were locked onto hers with an almost kindred intensity. "I'm sorry you have to now too… but I can help you adjust. You'll learn quickly."
"How do you manage?" Rose asked weakly.
"Could be different to be born this way… I suppose Time Lords are meant to think this way and therefor not know any better… but I've always been a bit of a rebel." His eyes looked a little sad now. "I want to live in the now." He confessed. "Humans get to live such rich and fulfilling lives because they never know what tomorrow will bring and I admire that…" Rose nodded her head slowly. "I suppose, I keep myself distracted. I never stop traveling, never stop talking, always have a companion…" He brushed a stray hair out of Rose's face and replaced his palm where it had been on her temple. It was at this moment, Rose realized that The Doctor was no longer moving his lips as he spoke. "We can keep each other grounded now."
"A-are you…" Rose cut in quietly. "Talking inside my head?" The Doctor smiled and looked down. His hands slid from her temples and onto her lap.
"Yeah, sorry."
"S'alright." Rose took his hands in hers. They sat quietly for a few moments. Rose taking in the gravity of the situation, and perhaps The Doctor was too. This was an immense change and one that came with an enormous price tag. Rose would never lead a normal life again… and it was that thought that made the tiniest smile pull at the corner of her lips. She would never live a normal life again. "Is that something I'll be able to do now?" The Doctor glanced up and his smile widened in a cheeky way.
"Yeah." Rose smiled back.
It was at that moment the two took in the truly exciting outcome of the whole ordeal they'd been through. Bad Wolf hadn't been playing with them… she'd given them everything. She had seen in their minds and in their hearts and gave them everything they ever wanted. For Rose, a second chance to live a better life forever with the man she loved, and for The Doctor a second chance to heal, to love, and to move on with the woman who'd saved him.
"You did it, Doctor." Rose beamed brightly, her eyes twinkling with a sudden renewed energy. The Doctor's smile turned to a look of confusion. His brows twisted comically as he tried to figure out what she meant. "You found your holy grail!" It took a minute to register, but once it did, The Doctor beamed too.
"Right, suppose I did!" He leaned back on his stool and crossed his arms proudly in front of his chest. Then he let out a laugh as if he couldn't really believe it. "Oh, well, I can't really take the credit. Bad Wolf did all the work, truly." Rose laughed and pulled him in for a kiss. It was quick but full of mirth. Lovers with a new lease on life. Rose was now brimming with hopeful excitement, but she carefully kept her focus on the present, so as not to spoil their long and happy future together. She could feel the visions tickling the back of her mind but she held firm.
Then The Doctor leaned in once more. "There's something more… if you can handle it." Rose locked onto his eyes with her own wide ones. She remained silent, debating if she could handle anything more, then slowly she nodded her head. The Doctor nodded and took a deep breath. "I had one rule on this ship… what was it?"
"Don't wander off?"
"No."
"Don't touch anything without asking first?"
"No."
"B…..ananas are good?"
"No- listen," The Doctor ran a hand along his face. "Domestic. Don't make it domestic." Rose nodded suddenly recalling his distaste for the whole family scene, or rather the squabbling that came with it. Visions of her mother slapping him whistled briefly through her mind, but she ushered them along. "Well… I think we're going to have to break that one." Rose furrowed her brow.
"You're going to let my mother travel with us?"
"What? No. Why would you even suggest-" The Doctor took a deep breath. "No."
"Quit dancing around and just tell me. What's going on?" They locked eyes once more and The Doctor felt his hearts skip. She was so beautiful, so clever, so warm. He couldn't wait to start their next adventure. A smile spread across his lips as he leaned in close, his hand slithered out from hers and rested gently on her stomach in a warm touch. Rose looked down at it, then back at The Doctor, then down again, then up again. As the realization dawned on her, she raised her free hand to cover shocked expression. Visions of a life she didn't know began to whiz by very quickly and without warning. She couldn't make anything out specifically, but a face stuck out very clearly. Her hearts began to beat with timid excitement.
"Don't mess about, Doctor. Are you seriously implying what I think you are?" The Doctor let his classic grin spread across his face.
"Rose Tyler, you're going to be a mother." Rose began to cry, happy warm tears. "Not just any mother," The Doctor added, his eyes beginning to grow glassy as well. "The mother, of a race once thought to be extinct." She thrust forward and wrapped The Doctor in arms. More beautiful golden visions fluttered swiftly through her mind. She couldn't stop them, she didn't have the willpower. Tiny feet in soft green grass, giggles, snuggles, tears from a fresh bruise magically kissed away. Rose tried not to focus on them, but the warm tears that ran down her own cheeks were filled with a love and happiness she wasn't sure she would ever know. She kissed The Doctor and laughed, but the laughter soon melted away with another realization. She pulled back and with a worried expression, caused The Doctor's smile to disappear.
"Is this-? did she-?" The Doctor pursed his lips and Rose began to grow nervous.
"I can't say for sure, but it looks as though you were already fifteen weeks pregnant before we got here." The smile returned to Rose's face. "A quick scan confirmed, it shares both our DNA." The laughter bubbled up once more and Rose hugged The Doctor again.
"Did you know this could happen?" The Doctor laughed and shrugged his shoulders.
"No." He laughed. "Devine intervention, I suppose." It was his turn to pull back this time, he had a thoughtful look. "It's not too hard to believe, same hardware anyway… Time Lords aren't usually born the natural way anymore… got too advanced."
"So they'll be a Time Lord? Even though I wasn't one… until now, I guess?"
"Right," The Doctor nodded. "They're a Time Lord. I checked. Two hearts and all."
"You've seen him?" The Doctor grinned, his biggest yet, and pulled away from her to bring up the monitor once more. With a few clicks and taps, he turned the screen to show her the ultrasound. There was the shape of a tiny little bean, just waiting to explore all of space and time. Rose began to cry again. "I can't believe it."
"Neither can I." The Doctor beamed. "Never thought I'd be a father again… Or that there'd be any Time Lords again…" He tucked his hands into his jacket pockets. "It's a funny old world." Rose nodded her agreement. "How did you know it was a boy?" The Doctor asked suddenly, his eyes flicking back to the monitor. "Did you peek into the future? Spoilers? Be honest." Rose gave a knowing smile and rubbed her stomach.
"No," She stated. Her eyes glazing with daydreams. A vision of a young man in a cloak. "I've met him." The Doctor looked half surprised, he pulled his hands from his pockets and folded them across his chest as if prepared to hear more. Rose glanced at him and smiled. "The young man who gave me the chest, who warned me of the Daleks, he wasn't you at all… He was our son…" The Doctor joined Rose once more and wrapped an arm around her. "Jude." Rose sighed softly. The Doctor crinkled his nose.
"Well, we'll have to talk about that." He jested.
"Too late," Rose shrugged. "It's already done." They grinned at one another. The Doctor planted a kiss on Rose's forehead then rested his head against hers and sighed.
"The start of the TimeLords." Rose sighed too. "Better get to work on making more." He laughed and gave a mock flinch as Rose lightly swatted him for his cheeky behaviour.
Everything had come to pass exactly as it had been intended. All the players had come to play their part perfectly, but now the curtain was closing… or perhaps a new curtain was opening. With the death of one race, a new one is born. For the two Time Lords, their quest had been a success and their true adventure was just beginning. There is a whole new Universe to explore, and eternity to do it.
THE END