A/N: Here we go! The end of the line. End of the road. Finito. Over. End. Final. To cease. Abolish. Terminate. Wrap up. Abort. Close out. Get done. Halt. Conclude. Discontinue. Stop. The final hurdle. BIG lovely juicy A/N at the bottom for yer.
Chapter 33 – Livin' Da Vida Loca
The Doctor turned the bright white envelope over in his hand, on the front of which the words 'Internal Scan of Tyler, Rose'were jumping out at him like an omen of some kind. He turned it back over again; well aware Rose, Jackie and even Rory were watching him in anticipation, waiting for him to open it up.
"So, date of conception 14th January is yours, 16th January is his?" Rose asked, holding Rory in an attempt to soften her nerves. She absently brushed back his thick golden-ish hair, unconsciously noting he'd need a haircut soon. He was going to be one of those people, like the Doctor, whose hair just seemed to keep on growing and growing no matter what, needing a haircut way more than considered a normal rate.
The Doctor nodded at the question, staring at the back of the envelope as if he wasn't actually one hundred percent sure how to open one.
He let go of the envelope with one hand, brushing back his hair absently. It was extremely apparent of the battle going on inside his mind. To open it, or not to open it. That was the question.
He looked up at Rose, seeing her staring at him, sympathetic. He took a moment of just staring at her face, before he finally made a decision.
"Rose," he started, still clutching the envelope but no longer holding it with that sense of fear and dread. "I love you. I love you, I love Rory, and I love this baby girl. I don't want that to be shattered by this envelope." He held it up, the lettering on the front standing out to both Rose and Jackie Tyler. "I'd rather not know. I know I'm a coward. But I can't stop loving her just because she's not who I want her to be."
Rose nodded, fully understanding what he was actually doing as he smiled his handsome, winning smile at her.
"I'm sorry, but I'd rather live in ignorance." He kissed her on the cheek, before helping her onto her feet and leading her towards the Infirmary door. "Let's go buy some chips to celebrate."
She beamed at him, to which he returned with one even wider, pausing in his stride only to toss the still sealed envelope in a handy nearby bin next to the Infirmary door. Together Rose, Rory and the Doctor disappeared out the door – a family together at last.
Jackie smiled after them, her eyes following along to the bin where the Doctor had dropped the test results. Cautiously, she reached in amongst the other abandoned pieces of paper and junk, withdrawing out the sealed envelope.
For a few seconds she just stared at it, clicking her tongue in contemplation.
Well, it wouldn't hurt. Either way the Doctor wouldn't know, and it wasn't like she was going to tell him anyway.
She used her finger nail to cut through the seal, pulling out the slip of paper from within. It was in English, luckily.
Basic Scan
Name: Rose Tyler
Species: Homo Sapiens
Chronicle Age: 20
Physical Age: 20
Blood Type: O-Negative, minute traces of QQ-Positive
Outer Scan: No faults found
Inner Scan: No faults found
Pregnant: True
---
Requested Scan: Pregnancy
Male/Female: Female
Species: -Error-
Size: 1"
Outer Scan: No faults found
Inner Scan: No faults found
Date Of Conception: 1:56am 14th January
Jackie Tyler was grinning like a lunatic.
Before she could even stop herself she had sped out of the Infirmary door, waving the letter about whilst yelling, "oh my God Doctor, she's yours!" and running out of the TARDIS doors.
Of course she was going to tell him. Now it would just be mean to keep bottled up inside, wouldn't it?
The Doctor held his fiancée's hand in his own, smiling at her as she brushed back his hair from his face, thumb tracing over the cut on his forehead as she kissed his lower jawbone. He kissed her back, a silent thank you for bringing the duvet into the Nursery again when she really didn't need to. He should have been the one, really. She was nearly a month pregnant, and as far he could tell she was going to do at least five months with the single baby. True, she was pretty drugged up to stop the complications, but she claimed it felt just like fading in and out of being mildly tipsy.
He let his eyes temporarily drop down to her engagement ring, letting out a sigh of relief through gritted teeth. He'd bought it whilst she was off buying video games in the Transgalactic Hyperspace Hypergo Market, and had kept it impossibly safe with him throughout his entire ordeal – namely, away from the prying eyes of Jacqueline Andrea Suzette Tyler.
Okay, so the proposal hadn't exactly been 'candlelit-dinner-in-the-moonlight' but surely the temptation of a proposal after surviving a shot in the head and having blood all over you after just defeating your own tormented self from the future was just too great to resist?
The wedding, they decided, would take place in the spring in late March two months from now, when it was a little warmer. Jackie was already fussing over the arrangements and had tried to get them to stay on Earth, but one terrified looked from the Doctor had been enough to get the both of them back into the TARDIS pretty sharpish. They were now doing a loop circuit in the Vortex; the three…strike that, four of them glad to be back home again.
As the Doctor snapped back to reality he noticed Rose was still smiling at him, gazing into his eyes. He immediately squeezed them shut and gave a grin.
"Ruin everythin' why don't ya," Rose said with a smile, leaning harder on her side of the beanbag she was laying on in order to get him to fall onto her. She succeeded with merits, and he kissed her again as he laid over her like a second duvet.
The Doctor had grown to quite like sleeping in this space now, as long as he was with her. He couldn't actually imagine ever being unhappy ever again, to be totally honest. Rose just gave him happiness and didn't seem to be able to stop.
Which was absolutely fine with him.
Rory was sleeping again in the newly constructed crib barely three feet from them, and although the lights were out Rose could see the Doctor perfectly clearly from the beautiful blue glow of the TARDIS walls.
"G'night Doctor," Rose whispered as she slid down under the duvet and her fiancé, her head resting in the crook of his arm where he repositioned it to a more comfortable position from the both of them. He slid down a little, also closing his eyes.
"Nighty night Rose," he whispered back, and the entire room lapsed into silence as the reunited family laid content, oblivious to the horror which was about to befall on them that fateful night.
Not the Daleks, no. Not even the Cybermen. Not a werewolf, ghosts, Slitheen, vampires or the Master. No, it was much worse than that. This was the stuff that haunted the Doctor's dreams…no, nightmares. It fed off his happiness like he was nothing more than a chewy toffee sweet, stopped him existing in total peace for it was there, lurking, all day everyday and he could do nothing to stop it. It was a true monster. It was a presence. It came without warning. It never stopped. It was a horror.
A horror with the name of Jackie Tyler.
Ring, ring.
Ring, ring.
Ring, ring.
Ring, ring.
"Are you gonna answer that?" Rose asked, opening her eyes and looking up at her fiancés still closed ones.
"Wait for it," he muttered.
Ring, ring.
Ring, ring.
"Hi granny," Rory's voice suddenly rang out inside the room, plainly pre-recorded. "It's Rory here. I'm fine, mummy's fine, daddy's fine and the baby's fine, so pwease don't call us anymore unless you want daddy to come and see you with a giant big gun, baam! But daddy says if you're upset over Eastyenders or something then you leave a message after the beepy thing and daddy'll get back to you just as soon as he's finished not giving two monkeys. BLEEP!"
Rose stared at the Doctor, jaw agape as he smiled to himself in the darkness.
"I love answering machines," he declared, turning back over to face the wall as he closed his eyes.
Nothing in the Universe could defeat him.
Not even his mother-in-law.
The End
A/N: That's it then. The end of the line. End of the road. Finito...etc. First of all before anything else; my thanks goes out.
First of all, thanks has to go out to all reviewers and readers whom have stuck with me, for without you this would have never reached chapter five. But I think my special thanks for special people has to go to 0 Keelie 0, forestwife, abcoolness and wyldcat because you practically reviewed every chapter and really kept me on my toes. That's plusing anyone else I forgot who reviewed nearly every chapter, tell me and I'll check, edit this and add you on! Also thanks to crazytellyaddict, 0 Keelie 0, abcoolness, forestwife and Bubblez-rocks-your-socks for reviewing the last chapter.
Second to everyone on MSN I droned on to whilst trying to figure out all the Timelines, Timeflows, soft Timeloops, Blanovitch Limitation Effects and etc. You must have been mind numbingly bored, but hey!
Third, as always, to all my teachers who made this possible from their dull lessons. That's: Mr. S (Science - sorry, that was me who drew moustaches on the sperms), Mrs. P (History - I am so so sorry! I did NOT start that conversation!), Miss T (Maths - sorry I was looking at that pic of David for half your lesson), Mrs. K-S (French and Spanish - I'M Mickey Mouse!), Mrs. K (Cooking and Textiles - sorry for stealing your Icing Sugar, hope you find it soon, it's in the cupboard by the sink), Mr. S (D+T - sorry for kissing your son and all that), Miss. H (RE - haha! CHUBBY CHEEKS!), Mrs T (ICT - OMG, I just feel so SORRY for you! You totally SUCK as a teacher!)...and...I think that's it.
Now, a word about sequels and trilogies and what have you.
In the end it's not me who writes it - it's you. If you want me to write another one, then review and tell me. Even suggest something if you like. I just have to know before I go whizzing off writing that people actually want it. If I ever did write a trilogy, there are a few things I am certain of. One, it would be the last in the series. Two, all of these would be in it - the wedding for a start, the birth, Captain Jack Harkness, chocolate cake, and chickenpox...though not necessarily in that order...
But before I do anything, the penguin fic WILL be finished. I've been somewhat neglecting it of late, but I've been having a think in Geography about it and I've finally come up with an ending...so woo!
Plus, I have my exams all of next week, and also Scooch is kicking the Doctor in the balls and pushing him into next week so I'm not a very happy bunny right now. The trailer on the end of Lazarus Experiment defo made my day though, so I must just be able to cling onto my sanity.
So don't forget - review and tell me what you want me to write! I'll reply to all reviews in a state of withdrawal from lack of Who I'm guessing, but never mind! I'll quietly go psychotic in the corner.
Z-z-z-z-zat's all folks!
RDA