The Doomsday Child

A/N: Hello guys (so soon I know) thought I'd squeeze in this little snippet I've played around with. Thank you for the continued support, and I hope you all enjoy!

Rose slowly opened her eyes as the bed creaked. One bleary eye open, she caught sight of the tousled brown hair inches from her face. She smiled lightly as her mind began to clear the dense fog of sleep. She shuffled down and nestled her head into the crook of his neck and closed her eyes.

'Morning…' Came a quite murmur, and Rose hummed in response. They both shifted from their positions, but only to get more comfortable, not to leave. This was their favourite part of the day; the sun lazily drifting in through the gaps in the blinds, the wakeful chirp of birds, waking up next to each other and laying in each other's arms. Rose could feel his watchful stare, so she opened one eye, and smiled.

'Morning to you too,' She said softly, following up with a light kiss. He smiled in response and stroked a lock of hair from her face.

'How long do you reckon we've got?' He asked, referring to the peace and quiet. Rose folded an arm beneath her head and stared into his deep, brown eyes.

'Five, maybe ten minutes,' She said with a smile. They pulled in closer and shared another kiss. His hand wove itself into her hair, and hers rested on his waist. As they pulled closer in, they were interrupted by a swift kick.

'Oi, you.' The Doctor said, smiling as he pulled away. His hand rested on the swell of Rose's stomach, gently caressing the skin through the thin fabric of her nightshirt. 'What have we said about interrupting Mummy and Daddy?'

'You ain't half daft, you know.' She smiled, her tongue between her teeth, something that drove him crazy. His lips hadn't met hers before there was another kick. 'Someone wants to start their day,' Rose ruefully said, resting her hand atop of his on her stomach.

'Ah, she's just excited. Not long to go now.'

'She?' Rose tilted her head, brushing away her hair. 'I thought you didn't know? Thought the bond couldn't tell you that.'

'It doesn't. Call it intuition.' He said with a know-it-all smirk that she loved.

'You think it's a girl?' Rose looked down at her swollen stomach. She was sure she'd gotten bigger overnight. 'Well I'm sure it's a boy. Mother's intuition and all,'

'You wanna put a bet on that?' He smirked. 'No, it's a girl, I'm sure. Dad's little princess.'

'She'll have you wrapped around her finger.'

'And you don't?' He shot in for a quick kiss as he sat up in the bed, resting his hands behind his head against the board. 'Do you want a girl or another boy?' He asked. They'd had this conversation a thousand times since they found out.

'I'll be happy with either. I already have a mini Doctor, I wouldn't mind another. Or a little girl who will know how to get what she wants from you. I just know, either way, they'll be like you and cause havoc.' She smiled as he pulled her close.

'Speaking of which,' the Doctor said with a chaste smile as there was a loud clang outside their bedroom, followed by hurried footsteps before their door opened. 'Morning monster, what have you broken this time?' The Doctor said with a grin wider than anything as his son ran into the room, launching himself at the bed. 'Mind your Mum.' The Doctor rested a protective hand over the bump, but Harry was careful to mind his younger sibling.

'I didn't break anything!' The young boy replied, pouting. 'I tried to make some breakfast but couldn't reach the marmalade. Why's it got to be so high up?' Harry asked as he wiggled his way between his parents. Rose wrapped an arm around him and pulled him as close as her swollen abdomen would allow.

'Because you're like you father, in the fact you both eat everything within reach. I know about those midnight snacks, y'know.' Harry blushed and busied himself with tracing the pattern on their duvet. Rose smiled at the sight of her little family. It seemed to grow more and more each day and as it did, her love for them grew with it. The Doctor leaned in for a kiss, and as soon as they met, there was a sound of disgust.

'Yuck! Stop it! I'm here y'know!' Harry protested, pushing his giggling parents apart. The Doctor grabbed hold of his son and planted a sloppy kiss on the boy's cheek, much to his disgust. Rose watched and laughed as the two wiggled around, Harry climbing atop the Doctor and urging him out of bed, wanting some marmalade on toast and to start the day's activities, that usually left a mess in the house or some very annoyed neighbours. Rose watched the two people she loved, wanting this moment to stay forever.

She stretched out a hand towards them both, but she was suddenly met with the cold side of the bed, and Rose Tyler woke up.

Donna had retired to her room after their adventure. Perhaps it was a shock, or she was simply exhausted. The Doctor remained in the console room, tinkering away, smeared in patches of grease, and his hair more on end after several electrical shocks. Harry sat in silence on the jump seat, his nose buried in a comic book he'd found in the TARDIS library. He'd asked the Doctor if he wanted him to find the TARDIS manual, and the Timelord had responded by throwing a greased rag at his son with a wide grin.

'Are you not tired?' The Doctor asked as he tried unscrewing the casing on a compact transmitter.

'Nope.' Harry said plainly, not looking up from the comic about some New York superhero. The Doctor raised an eyebrow and considered the boy. He knew he feared nightmares. Harry jiggled his leg when nervous. Plus he was expelling his discomfort loudly along their bond, without realising. The Doctor hoisted himself out of the maintenance hatch and wandered over, leaning against the console, hands in his pockets.

'You're exhausted.'

'No I'm not.'

'Yes, you are.'

'No I'm not.'

The Timelord rubbed his face. He should know better than to get into an argument with the grandson of Jackie Tyler – he certainly wouldn't win.

'Ok then. If you're awake, you can do some learning.' Harry peered over his comic. His eyes were slightly red from tiredness. The Doctor nodded for him to follow, and the boy dropped his comic with a sigh as he followed the man to the library. Between adventures he would have lessons. Science, Mathematics, reading, and Languages. He enjoyed science, because that normally involved a practical lesson with blowing something up. Maths was ok, until he got restless. He enjoyed reading stories, just not dusty heavy history books. He liked languages because they're were so many. The Doctor wanted him to learn universal languages, should the translation circuit malfunction. He was in the beginnings of sign language, and the language of Delphon, who communicated via eyebrows.

'How about history, that'll put you to sleep.' The Doctor smiled as his eyes raked the shelves, Harry sitting himself down at a large table before the crackling fireplace. He scrunched up his face at the idea of a large book on the history of the most boring planet in the universe he knew the Doctor was trying to get him to sleep, but he was adamant he'd stay awake.

'Here we go,' the Doctor said, rather quiet. He held a thick book, with yellow spotted pages. Harry expected something very boring, something that would put him to sleep. But when he saw the faded-gold circular inscription on the cover, he was surprised.

'You want me to learn about Gallifrey?' He asked in awe. The Doctor was very particular in what he told Harry, he told him little about the history or the government. Whenever he talked about his home, the Doctor got a sort of glassy look in his eye.

'It's a book for Gallifreyan language. It's a children's book – it was mine was I was younger.' Harry stared at the old book. He flicked through the pages and saw scrawls in the circular language in the margins and in most blank spaces. The Doctor watched and listened as Harry tried to read aloud the Gallifreyan children stories.

'You're getting better,' the Timelord smiled. He watched as Harry rubbed an eye before slouching in his seat, clearly tired. The Doctor slowly closed the heavy book as Harry let his eyes close, just for a second.

'ImnottiredIpromise.' He mumbled quietly as he leaned on the table, burying his head in his arms. The Doctor smiled and gently ruffled the boy's hair.

'I know you're not. You don't have to go to bed.' Harry nodded before burying himself further into his arms. The Doctor was true to his word. He lifted Harry from the table and sat them both on a sofa besides the fire. He kept the boy tucked beneath his arm as he flicked through a book on electrical engineering.

Every time Harry squirmed, a nightmare beginning to stir, he rested a hand atop the child's head, projecting calm to his sleeping mind. After the events of Pompeii, believing there was no way for them to survive, he was questioning his parenting skills. He knew he'd be rusty, but he'd never nearly killed one of his children before now. The sickness that swirled in his stomach was his own personal nightmare, only he was awake as he experienced it. How did he think he could do this? This lifestyle was not right for a child, yet he knew he was stuck in his ways and change was hard.

He closed the book, letting it drop to the floor. When it landed with a thump, his winced, but Harry did not stir. He rubbed a hand across his face and closed his eyes. Rose would know what to do. She'd do everything to convince him that he was doing his best, and that was all that mattered. He could picture her smile now, feel the warmth of her hand in his. He kept his eyes closed and pictured her, sat at the other end of the sofa. Curled up with a cooling cup of tea in her hands as she drifted off. She'd look over at him and smile. A smile so soft it made his hearts ache. She'd reach across the back of the sofa, and their fingers would interwind.

He reached out along the back of the sofa but found nothing but empty air.

He opened his eyes slowly to see no Rose sat at the end. He stared at the vacant spot until Harry squirmed again, and he was reminded he wasn't alone. 'I'm doing my best, you know. I'm rubbish at some things; weddings, Quantum Maltese Theory, Snakes and Ladders. And being a dad. But I'm trying. I'm trying for you, you know.' He whispered the words as he patted the blond head and sighed. He just wished Rose was here. She always knew what to do.