Small Bump

She noticed it first on the morning she was ill; At least, she thought it was morning because while she had awaken by surprise Rose could not tell if she felt drowsy or well-rested. The TARDIS led her straight to her bathroom where, sinking quick to the floor, the breakfast she hadn't yet consumed was emptied from her stomach. After those contents were gone she continued to dry heave, crying simply from the heinous feeling the sickness had brought her.

Rose stood, flushed the toilet, and cleaned her face and mouth of any signs of sickness. She'd be fine. It was probably just a stomach bug anyway.

It wasn't a bug. On the third morning spent over the toilet-rim, the fact was finally beaten into her head. She cleaned up with the resolution of buying a test the next time they stopped over to visit her mum.

She never needed the test.

A small bump had begun to form. To the normal eye Rose was fine; perfectly, healthily human. To the Doctor, who spent innumerous hours studying and exploring her, it was not unnoticed for long. He said nothing at first, ignoring the hunch in his mind If he brought it up, Rose would probably be offended by his commenting on the change in weight. He wasn't willing to take the chance.

By the third week the Doctor's curiosity had taken him to attempting to scan her with his sonic for an examination. Just one quick scan would tell him everything he needed to know. He had trouble doing this secretly, however, and soon grew tired of attempting to avoid Rose's questions. He wondered if she'd ever tell him.

After five weeks for her and four for him, she called him to the kitchen for tea. Something in the air was different, more hesitant, and the hands of his pink and yellow human shook slightly as she poured their drinks. The notion of the secret hung in the air between them in the air, which only seemed to clear when she whispered 'I'm pregnant' in a timid voice across a table of tea and Jammie Dodgers.

The time between her words and his stretched on forever for Rose, who then closed her eyes and exhaled, preparing for the worst. She did not think that the Doctor was a cruel man, but knew his love of travel and tendency to turn from any hint of domestic. What, though Rose, was more domestic than a baby?

He did not know what to think, himself. He'd written off anger immediately because hell, he'd had just as much a part in this child as she had. Sadness was not an option, because somehow it did not seem to lay in his usually 'determined-to-avoid-this-sort-of-thing' mind to be doleful at all about the situation. Numb? Numb was a nice one, a way to describe his stomach's lack of dropping at the words she had said. So he nodded, held her hand, and said no more on the subject. He was just as frightened as she was.

The more he thought on the subject, the greater the intensity of his feelings rose. Two days after her admission they sat to talk, really talk on the subject, and he recalled the happiness that was beginning to well up inside of him. She did not stop smiling the rest of the day. A week later, when he showed her the nursery the TARDIS had built them she kissed him so fiercely that he had to joke about her turning their child into twins. He got a smack for that.

Along with the bliss that had escalated, however, came crippling fear. His way of life wouldn't suit his Rose for much longer, and the danger…she'd surely leave. The life he led wouldn't suit a child, either, which could only mean…

He did everything in his power to convince her to stay.

The Doctor took Rose to calm planets during quiet times. They did small things like shopping and walking through parks, things he did not normally enjoy doing for long periods of time.

"See," He'd say as her arm looped through his "There can be days without danger." She nodded and smiled in return, grinning at what she knew he was attempting to do.

"I know what you're doing," she said during yet another quiet day, as they were reading in the library of the TARDIS. "I said forever, didn't I?"

It was a girl, a glorious little pink baby with Rose's round, curious eyes and tufts of his wild brown hair upon her head. They called her Stella after the stars, and took her back to her spaceship home after a brief two days.

As the days wore on, it seemed as though the Doctor had never loved anything more than his new daughter. He rocked her as she cried, chattered on to her in Gallifreyan, and made sure the closest of his friends knew all about his little treasure. They stopped to see Jack often, who laughed at the diaper bag slung over the Doctor's shoulder. 'You've done it!' he'd tease with admiration, 'The Doctor has finally gone domestic!'

It seemed that bliss could never last long for the Doctor.

He should've waited, he thought as he ran through empty, echoing corridors. He shouted their names into the darkness, two hearts pounding with fear. It had been far too early to take Stella out.

When he found the place they'd been taken to he stood shock still; they'd been protected fiercely by their captors, tied up although he could tell it had been awkward to tie the baby up as well. The guards grinned at him, malicious hues burning in sapphire eyes as each pointed their guns to the heads of both Rose and Stella. He'd never felt a rage so fiery boil his insides.

He saved them, but at a cost.

It'd all gone so fast, he recalled; the dropping of guns, releasing them from their ropes and two lengthy needles going into his girls before he could stop them. He could still hear the echo of Rose's wincing and Stella's frightened screaming through his mind. He hadn't thought anything of the needles at that moment, only their need to escape. Now, two days after the event, the truth was obvious.

'The choice is yours, and yours to choose,

Who you'll keep and who you'll lose…'

The old rhyme taunted him, echoed in his mind. He couldn't believe he'd forgotten their tricks, this alien planet full of an eviler race…There was no loophole, nothing he could to but tell Rose what was going on. From there, they'd have to make a choice.

She was playing with Stella when he came to her, and just seeing his daughter's innocent, grinning face was enough to set both anger and sorrow immediately through his veins. He sat Rose down in the kitchen, laughing cynically at the sick parallel he had unintentionally created. The last time they'd sat like this, he'd found out they were going to have Stella. He swallowed the lump forming in his throat.

"The needles they stuck in you…oh, they're an evil race." She could tell that the Doctor was trying to stall, was losing his composure. She held his hand in hers over the table.

"Only one of you can live, Rose. They're making me chose between you and Stella and if I don't, you'll both be gone."

She did not take time to internalize the information, merely set a hard expression to her face.

"Choose Stella."

"I can't."

"You want our daughter to die?"

"Never."

"There's no choice here, Doctor." Rose swept a tear from her cheek, blinking furiously. She had to be strong for her Doctor. "She's going to live such a long life, and with the greatest father too."

"She won't have a mother!" His voice raised and he tensed; the situation was not fair, would never be fair. "And…I'll lose you again."

"Doctor," She chuckled, shaking her head "There's no way I'd rather go. If I can die knowing that I'm keeping you two safe, then I'll pass with comfort." He stared at Rose, numbed. She got up from her chair, circling her arms tight around him. "I'll be fine. It's what needs to be done."

He trembled with the needle in his hand, Rose sat before him with the bravest of faces set upon her visage. Stella was napping, after a lengthy and tearful moment of her mother putting her to bed one last time. Although very young, the Doctor thought that maybe she could sense what was about to happen. He hoped Stella wouldn't hate him for this.

"I can't," He said, shaking his head and attempting to put the needle down. Rose let a soft, comforting smile decorate her beautiful face; the one he'd fallen in love with so long ago, the one that'd turned him domestic.

"You have to."

"I don't remember how." He struggled with words, struggled to form any sort of thought that would come out coherently. The Doctor had stopped trying to be strong long ago, letting his tears flow freely now.

"Yes, you do," She consoled, taking his free hand in hers. "Just disable the device they've planted…the right side, remember? It'll be quick, it'll be fine, Stella will be safe."

"I love you, Rose Tyler…Are you ready?" She nodded and he winced as he stuck the needle through her arm. He held her as she took her last breath, bringing soft kisses to her forehead, nose, and finally her lips before closing his eyes and sighing as his sobs began to take over his body.

…

There was a certain emptiness in his spaceship home now that a member of their family was missing. He sat on the floor of the nursery, Stella snuggled close to him, and sighed.

"The thing about mother wolves," He said, "is that they'll do anything for their cubs."