First of quite a few chapters, I hope.

Donna was gone.

Rose was surprised by how much it hurt – she had barely known Donna really, they had met a few times in that alternate universe, but apart from that they had only really talked to each other today. Still, it pained her, and it was even worse to see how much it pained the Doctor to have to do this.

Donna had been so fantastic – once she had absorbed the energy from the Doctor's hand and become part Time Lord, she had saved the day almost single-handedly, with only a little bit of help from the Doctor. It wasn't until afterwards that Rose had realised what would have to be done. Both the Doctor and Donna seemed to already know how the ending to this story went, even if they did not like it, and Rose was starting to wish that she'd had a copy of the script that they had apparently already read.

Donna protested, and the Doctor's face was an ocean sadder than Rose had remembered, and she had just tried to comfort them both and help in any way she could, though of course there wasn't really any way to make this better. It had happened, and after helping the Doctor carry Donna to the front door of her house, she retreated to the TARDIS through the drizzle rather than witness what the Doctor was going to have to say to Donna's family. She wondered whether he had ever thought about the fact that he might have had to do this to her family one day.

That thought had suddenly brought up the goodbye on the beach with her mum, only about an hour ago and yet it felt like a year. The fact that she now could not see her mum ever again made an enormous difference. Even if Rose did not visit her mum that often, the option had always been there. Now, even though she was sure that she had made the choice that would make her happy, she was having trouble keeping her mum and Tony and Pete from her mind. Rose struggled for a few minutes before deciding that she would have to put this out of her head, at least for now. Right at this second she needed to be there for the Doctor, and to be confident in her decision to stay with him. Breaking down in a heap on the floor and crying for her mum was not going to be helpful.

She waited in the console room for him, knowing that the next bit was going to be hard. It was always going to be difficult, and yet she found comfort in the fact that there was nowhere else she would rather be than here, even in the midst of all this grief and confusion. She sat on the jump seat and look up at the central column. She had missed the TARDIS almost as much as she had missed him.

The door creaked open and the Doctor stepped inside, soaked from the rain with his hair lying limply on his forehead. He did not even bother to take off his suit jacket though, instead stepping swiftly across the console room with more purpose than Rose had seen in him for a long time, pulling her tightly into a hug and crushing her against his slightly damp, but altogether welcome, chest.

Rose had hoped that their next hug would have been joyous and manic and just happy, but there was a good deal of sadness and loss mixed in, and all she could do was hold the Doctor tighter and breathe in the smell of him, still unchanged after all this time. They would be OK – they always were, she had said it once and the Doctor had been quick to qualify the statement. She had always known that she was right. Here they were again, on the TARDIS, together. OK.

Eventually the Doctor let go, stepping back and smiling at her for a moment before turning to the TARDIS console and beginning to push and pull the controls in the fashion that he was accustomed to. It seemed that he was trying to compartmentalise – pushing his grief to the side and blocking it off in order to deal with later. Well, Rose knew plenty about that, so she wasn't going to try and stop him. They would talk about it later, if Rose had anything to do with it. Last time she had taken this life and their happiness for granted. Now she knew how precious it all was, and she wasn't going to allow either of them to waste much time with holding back and hiding things from each other.

The Doctor landed the TARDIS with the usual bumps and clatters before turning to Rose with a strange look on his face that she had never seen before. Whatever it was, it definitely wasn't crushing grief. "I've got to go and do something now, and you can't come with me. Please don't worry; it'll all become clear in a little while." Rose might've pushed it if he had said this back then, before they had been separated, but this was now. This was different and the Doctor had sadness in him of a different sort than the darkness and grief that she knew. He needed to adjust, and she certainly wasn't clinging to him like a limpet if he needed to be alone for something.

Saying that, the hour or so that he was gone was not easy.

It helped that she was in the TARDIS – it reassured her that she was really here and that the Doctor was definitely coming back. After a while she left the console room and took a wander, finding herself quite soon at the entrance to the library. She sat down on a leather sofa and toed off her shoes. Taking off her boots really made it hit home. She was here. She was back and safe and relaxing in the TARDIS, the one place she loved more than any other. She shrugged out of her jacket too. It made her feel vulnerable, but also slightly softer and much calmer than she had been. The jacket was armour – not unlike another leather jacket that she had loved but never worn – and removing it felt like becoming a bit less "Defender of the Earth" and a bit more Rose.

She pushed her hair behind her ears and rubbed her eyes. It had been an extremely long day and could feel the heaviness in her arms and legs making itself known. Even her head was starting to protest, lolling on one of her shoulders, and Rose just did not have the energy to pick it up again. However, the Doctor had said that all would become clear and she wanted to know more, so she opened her eyes wide and made an effort to stay awake.

About 15 minutes later Rose heard his familiar footsteps approaching. They were moving quite quickly, but then stopped just outside the door. "Doctor?" she called out hesitantly.

"I'm here Rose, I'm just... I've got something to show you, but you've got to be patient and let me explain."

Rose rolled her eyes. "Yeah, 'cause I'm definitely gonna judge you and have a hissy fit. Come on, Doctor, you know me, I'll be fine."

There was a definite pause. "OK," came the answer, determined and resolute.

The Doctor pushed open the door and stepped inside. There was nothing odd about him at all, apart from the expression of slight apprehension on his face, and the small, blonde haired child that he was carrying close to his chest. She looked to be about 18 months – Rose knew a bit about toddlers from seeing Tony grow from a baby into a little boy – and she was fast asleep in his arms, snuggled into his shirt collar in a way that might've made Rose feel slightly jealous, were it not for the fact that she was staring at the child in complete shock.

"Jenny, this is Rose Tyler, and Rose... well, this is my daughter."

If Rose had been one for fainting, she would have been lying prone on the floor.