Title: The biggest family on Earth

Summary: An alternate Journey's End, where the doctor admits his feelings to Rose, Donna's fine, and Jack finds someone he really loves. Told from mainly the Doctor's POV.

Rating: T

Pairings: Ten/Rose, some Jack/Donna

Disclaimer: I don't own doctor who, the BBC does. And I certainly don't own the BBC.

This story was originally written by Lupinus Maximus, and I've adopted it. I've made changes here and there, but otherwise it's basically the same. If you don't like the changes I've made, I'm really sorry, but I was given free reign over the story, and I don't feel I've changed that much.

"Why don't you ask her yourself?" The doctor stared at Donna, his expression confused. But Donna stared at a point over his shoulder, a small smile on her face; and a look of hope and disbelief spread across his features. He half turned around, hardly daring to believe...

But there she was. Rose Tyler. His Rose. Standing at the end of the road, gazing at him with a smile on her face. He stared at her incredulously, watching as she started running towards him. A grin slowly spread across his face, as he started running, faster and faster, towards Rose. He knew it was impossible, that she shouldn't be here, but for once he didn't care. He liked impossible sometimes. Sometimes he even loved impossible. So he just raced along the abandoned road, an ecstatic smile on his face.

But then he saw Rose slow down, looking to her right, shock covering her face. The doctor turned in that direction too, just as a dalek manoeuvred out from behind a car. He tried to slow down, as the dalek shouted "Exterminate!" but he was running too fast to stop, to slow to dodge. A green beam of light shot out of the dalek's lethal weapon, hitting the doctor on the side.

A searing pain shot through him, he stumbled, twisting around in agony as he fell. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Jack appear, a large gun in his hand, and shoot that damned dalek. But the damage was done. He had no way to stop himself, he would regenerate. Just as he had found Rose again, he had to change. Ironic. He closed his eyes, breathing heavily.

He heard footsteps next to him, and then Rose was there, kneeling beside him, holding him.

"I've got you, I missed you. Look it's me." He smiled up at her, happiness lighting the chocolate brown eyes that were full of pain.

"Rose..." he breathed.

"Hi." she answered. He closed his eyes for a moment, as the pain threatened to overwhelm him, but he managed to force it down inside him for a moment.

"Long time no see." he gasped out.

"Yeah, been busy, y'know." he looked up at her soft almond eyes, before yelling in pain. The doctor felt her grip him tighter, as he closed his eyes, trying desperately to control the pain inside him, trying to postpone the regeneration. If he regenerated on the street, in full view of the daleks...

"Don't die, oh, my God, don't die. Oh, my god, don't die..." the doctor could hear Rose's frantic cries, but the pain was proving too much for him. He groaned as a fresh assault on his nerves began. Vaguely he heard Jack's command of "Get him into the TARDIS, quick. Move!" but he tuned out as he felt Rose and Donna pulling him upwards, dragging him up the dark road towards the TARDIS.

He was dropped on the floor of the TARDIS. He could no longer control his body, it was convulsing in pain, making him groan in agony as the pain from the dalek ray seeped further into him. He listened to the conversation going on around him distantly, whilst frantically assessing his situation.

"What... what do we do? There must be some medicine or something!" Donna yelled in frustration as she watched the doctor twist in pain helplessly.

"Just step back. Rose! Do as I say, and get back! He's dying and you know what happens next." Jack told them, his voice authoritative, commanding. But Rose ignored him, whilst Donna just looked up at him in shock.

"What d'ya mean?" Donna asked, standing up. Rose stayed crouched beside the doctor, tears streaming down her face.

"Oh no, I came all this way." she murmured.

"What d'ya mean, what happens next?" Donna repeated, walking towards Jack, almost as upset as Rose.

The doctor turned and lifted up his hand slowly, finally swallowing his pain slightly. There was already a faint golden glow coming from it. Deep inside him, his system was converting the pain into energy.

"It's starting." he gasped out, sorrow in his voice. Jack leapt forward and pulled Rose away from the doctor. He needed space for regeneration, or the process wouldn't work properly.

"Here we go," he said gently, "Good luck doctor."

"Will someone please tell me what is going on!?" Donna exclaimed, annoyed that they still hadn't told her the vital information yet. Rose looked at her, before returning to stare at the doctor.

"When he's dying, his-his body, it-it repairs itself, it changes." she explained. "But you can't!" she exclaimed desperately. The doctor had struggled to his feet, clutching the side of the TARDIS console.

"I'm sorry. It's too late. I'm regenerating." he had a grieved look on his face, Rose could tell he didn't really want to change. But he had to. To save his life.

The golden energy Rose recognised so well burst from him, shooting out of his sleeves, the neck of his suit. Rose swallowed, as Jack put his arms around her and Donna. She buried her face in his coat, trying to shade her eyes from the bright, golden light. But then, she sensed movement from the doctor, and looked up to see him bending over, the energy still flying from him, but now it was directed at something new in the TARDIS that Rose had never seen before. A hand, in a jar, wired up to the console. Slowly the gold light disappeared, and the three watched in shock as the same man staggered backwards, panting from the power of his regeneration. He looked at them, breathing deeply, regaining control of his body once more. He almost laughed at the shocked looks on his companion's faces.

"Now then, where were we?"

Rose, Jack and Donna stared after him, as he ran around the console, checking the TARDIS over. He had regenerated, healed himself, but he hadn't changed. All were extremely confused, until finally the doctor decided to explain. He was knelt down beside the jar with a hand in it, blowing off the residual energy.

"You see? Used the regeneration energy to heal myself, but soon as I was done, I didn't need to change. I didn't want to, why would I?" The doctor adjusted his tie, a smug expression on his face,

"Look at me! So, to stop the energy going all the way, I siphoned off the rest into a handy bio-matching receptacle, namely, my hand, my hand there, my handy spare hand!" he explained energetically. Bouncing to his feet, he looked at Rose, who still seemed doubtful. Did she think that he had just changed inside this time? He tried to convince her, babbling slightly, in his usual way.

"Remember, Christmas Day, Sycorax, lost my hand in a sword fight? That's my hand. What d'you think?" he asked, grinning at her happily. He was so glad his idea had worked, otherwise he would be a new man, running out of the door, saving the universe. And that new man might not have loved Rose like he did...

"Your... still you?" Rose's voice penetrated his thoughts, and he smiled at her gently as she walked towards him.

"I'm still me." he replied easily. He held his arms out and she leapt into them, hugging him hard. He smiled into her shoulder, gripping her tightly to him. He hadn't hugged her in so long, hadn't seen her in almost two years. The doctor's mind drifted back to when he had last seen her, on that lonely beach in Norway.

o0O0oFlashbacko0O0o

"I love you." He swallows. He watches as the wind on the beach whips Rose's hair around her face, the face he loves.

"Quite right too." he replies, smiling at her, his hearts filled with happiness at her words. The happiness that gives him the courage to say it himself... "And I suppose... if it's my last chance to say it...

"Rose Tyler..." but the TARDIS pulls him away before he has a chance to say those three words, the three most powerful words. And he leaves a sobbing Rose Tyler on a beach in Norway.

o0O0oEnd of Flashbacko0O0o

The doctor stared down at Rose's blonde head, as she continued to hug him. His own words of 'if it's my last chance to say it' rang in his mind. There were thousands of daleks out there, and Davros too. If ever they had a chance of dying it was now. Admittedly, they'd faced hundreds of daleks before, along with the Dalek Emperor, but they had been mad. Warped by the Time-War. These daleks were new, fresh daleks. Eager to kill, and with the power to do so. And Davros... he had almost died at the hand of Davros before, and wasn't eager to do so again. But it was possible that tonight would be Davros' triumph.

So the doctor summoned up his courage, and bent down to Rose, to whisper in her ear.

"Rose Tyler..." he began, and then swallowed. She looked up at him, wonder filling her light eyes. Staring down at her, he tried again.

"Rose Tyler, I love you." He whispered the words gently, and Rose stared at him, almond eyes locked with brown eyes. She moved backwards slightly, out of the tight grasp the doctor had her in, and his eyes widened. Did he do something wrong? Had she found someone else? But he was startled out of his thoughts when Rose, clutching his shoulders, reached up, and kissed him. Softly, and quickly, and before he has a chance to respond, she has pulled away again.

"I love you." she whispered back. He looked down into her eyes, her beautiful eyes, and saw pure love, hope and peace in them. As he stared at her, all control of his feelings, shields he had placed to stop him showing his true feelings, disappeared in that one moment. Before he had realised what he was doing, he had bent down, cupped her face with his hand, and kissed her back, gently pressing his lips onto hers. She responded, wrapping her arms around his neck, one hand resting on the back of his head. He slid his arm around her waist, hugging her closer to him, whilst his other hand rested on her neck, supporting her, as he dipped her slightly. The kiss deepened, becoming more passionate as their longing for each other won through. The doctor felt that he had found his heaven, the place where he belonged.

Donna and Jack, who had been arguing about something trivial had stopped at the sudden silence coming from the other two. They both turned back to the doctor and Rose, only to see the two snogging each other heavily.

"It's about time." Jack muttered lightly, as Donna grinned.

"I didn't think he had it in him." She replied. Jack grinned back at her, watching her as she turned away from him. There's something different about that girl, he thought to himself. Suddenly the TARDIS went dark, lights turned off, the power lost.