Chapter Twenty

That night The Doctor had a strange dream. He didn't remember much of it, but there was a girl. She was about three or four, and had sunny blonde hair down to her shoulders, and her eyes were shimmering gold. She was talking, but The Doctor couldn't quite understand the language, which baffled him completely, as he knew every single language in the galaxy. Period.

He shook it off as a weird dream as he woke up, stretching a little and then turning his head to greet the bottle-blonde love of his lives, but was surprised to see that his bed was empty. Rose usually didn't stir until an hour after him, so it was odd that she had awoken first. He frowned slightly, looking around, before realising he could hear her voice coming from Xavier's room. He stood up, and stretched again, pulling on his discarded boxers and t-shirt and walked over to the door. He opened it slowly, and leaned in the doorway watching his family. Xavier was lying on the floor, looking rather content as Rose was sitting on her knees beside him, trying to coax him into something. He cleared his throat, and Rose looked up, noticing his presence. "Good morning" he said, smiling.

"Oh Doctor, you missed it!" Rose said, rushing over to him and pulling him down to kneel on the floor beside her in front of the infant.

"What, what did I miss?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

"He crawled!"

"He what?!"

"Crawled, moved himself along the floor with his arms and legs! Whatever you want to call it!" Rose said, a little louder, her face glowing.

"Why didn't you wake me?!" he asked.

"I was going to, but as soon as I turned my head he stopped. And now he won't do it again. Just keeps rolling around." She replied, motioning to the child in question, who was now gurgling happily as he rolled back and forth across the carpet. This was a trick that both The Doctor and Rose had already seen a hundred times and were clearly bored with.

"Come on Xavier, crawl." Rose tried again, gently pushing his side. The baby just gurgled again and rolled over, away from her. Rose sighed, and ran her hand through her hair. "Looks like that party trick's been put away for another time then."

"Well, maybe next time." The Doctor said, smiling a little. "Come on, I'll make breakfast."

oOo

Rose sat Xavier in the highchair, and settled down into the diner style booth that the TARDIS had added to their kitchen since the remodel. The booth seats were plush and comfortable, which was nice and added to the 60's diner feel of the kitchen. The Doctor made bacon, eggs and toast, just the way she liked it and she thanked him happily.

He sat down opposite her, opting for just a few pieces of toast with banana jam, which personally made Rose gag. Xavier wasn't due a feed any time soon, so he just sat happily, playing with the toys placed in front of him.

"How can you eat that?" Rose asked, scrunching up her nose as The Doctor dug his knife into the banana jam "I didn't even know they made banana jam."

"Oi, excuse me, Rose Tyler! This is the best Banana jam in the whole of time and space, only available in new Germany in the year 5067! Never been any other like it, and thanks to the TARDIS, I have an unlimited supply."

"That doesn't stop it from being gross."

The Doctor just rolled his eyes and stuck his tounge out at Rose, before digging his finger into the pot and eating the jam straight. "You are disgusting" Rose said, grimacing. Unfortunately, this didn't stop him and he continued to eat from the jar, licking around his mouth enthusiastically. Then he added a little to his pinkie finger, and coaxed it into Xavier's mouth who gladly sucked his finger dry.

"See, Xavier likes it plenty." The Doctor smirked, the smugness obvious in his voice. It was Rose's turn to roll her eyes and go back to her bacon, nibbling the edges like a rabbit. Before The Doctor could gross her out even more with his jam habits, Tia entered the kitchen, in some kind of pink silky kimono. Her hair was out and still somehow fell effortlessly past her shoulders. She smiled and said 'good morning' to The Doctor and Rose, before gliding over to the kettle and making coffee.

"You seem at ease this morning." Rose snorted, mouth full of egg.

"I had a good night." Tia shrugged, reaching up for the mugs. She pulled out two, and Rose assumed one was for the professor.

"I'll bet" Rose murmured under her breath, glancing at The Doctor, he snickered like a little kid.

"I can here you two giggling, time angel, remember?" Tia said, not turning from the counter.

The Doctor and Rose continued to laugh, but under their breath a little more, not that this made any difference. Tia just chose to ignore the pair, and spooned coffee into the mugs. Just as the kettle boiled, The Professor slinked into the kitchen, fully dressed in his usual attire. He grunted hello and grabbed the mug off the side, just as Tia had finished pouring it.

"Your brother is not a morning person, is he?" Rose whispered to The Doctor, watching the other timelord come towards the booth and slink down, next to Rose. "Never had been." The Doctor smirked, sipping his tea. The Professor ignored this, and grabbed a bacon rasher off Rose's plate. "Oi!" Rose protested, slapping him on the arm, and shifting her plate over.

"Oh, bad move Drayschel, never come between a Tyler woman and her bacon." The Doctor chuckled, as Rose gave The Professor looks that could severely murder. The Professor just grunted an apology, and drank from the cup. Tia sauntered over with a buttered piece of toast, and sat opposite him. He reached out to grab one half of the toast, but one look from the angel had his hand retreating.

"Good boy." Tia said with a sickly sweet smile, nibbling on the crust.

"She's got you well trained" The Doctor smirked. The Professor sent him a look, almost as furious as Rose's and spoke the first words of the morning "Don't think I won't beat the shit out of you Theta"

"Not in front of the baby." Rose sighed glancing upwards at her son, but Xavier was clearly much more engrossed with stuffing the plush Dalek down the front of his baby grow.

"I'll apologise when he's eighteen."

"I'll hold you to that"

oOo

Eventually The Professor sulked off to go and mess about with his screwdriver or something like that. He hadn't really explained where he was going, just sort of mumbled under his breath. As soon as he was down the hall, Rose piped up. "What's got himself in such a thunderous mood this morning then?" she asked Tia.

Tia just shrugged and sipped her coffee "How am I supposed to know?"

"Well, you are his girlfriend."

She visibly winced, "Girlfriends a bit, strong?"

"What? You two aren't?" Rose stuttered

"Well. We haven't really talked about it, I guess."

"Typical Drayschel." The Doctor muttered "I'll go and talk to him. Find out what's wrong."

"Thank you." Rose said. He leaned in and kissed her gently, before ducking out of the booth, and heading off into the depths of the TARDIS.

oOo

"I can't believe you haven't talked things out Tia, that really can't be good." Rose warned, sipping her tea

"We're not really, into the whole talking thing I guess" Tia shrugged "It's more, bed first, talk… never?"

"That's not healthy"

"Well it's worked for the past, what three months?" Tia said, waving her hand in the air and taking a gulp of the coffee.

"Yet you still argue almost every night." Rose pointed out

"Those are just little things though."

"Yes," Rose said, sighing a little "But when you haven't talked out your relationship, all those little things can build up and tear you down. You need to have that sense of stability in a relationship Tia. You can't just wing it."

"Well, The Professor is hardly an open book, I learnt that three hundred years ago."

"Have you ever though, maybe he doesn't confide his problems in you, because you don't ask?" Rose said.

"What?" Tia said, confused "I… I ask? Sort of. Well, not really ask I guess, but the intention is there" she stuttered.

Rose sighed again "No Tia, you don't ask. The Professor, he doesn't trust easy, I mean he was lost to a parallel world, and thought he was abandoned by his own people, his family. But somehow, he trusts you completely. If you asked him, you'd be amazed how much he opens up to you. Like honestly, The Doctor, when I first met him was not the man you see today- literally. His ninth regeneration, fresh out of the time war, alone, cold and hard. And me? I was some stupid nineteen year old kid to him, but still whenever he wanted to talk, which wasn't often, I was there to listen. No matter what. And I softened him, I changed him, literally when he regenerated. And now, he tells me everything, and we're happy."

Tia stared into the now empty mug, turning it in her hands as she absorbed Rose's wise words. "God, I've completely fucked it all up haven't I?" she sighed.

"No, not completely," Rose chuckled "You're allowed to get it wrong sometimes Tia, your new at this. Just wait, if I know The Doctor, I know he'll find out what's wrong. Then, just try and talk to him."

"When did the 21 year old human become wiser than the 600 year old Angel huh?" Tia laughed.

"Bloody hell, 600? I'm so young."

"Hey, if it makes you feel better, buy human-angel standards I'm considered the same age as you. Treated like a kid almost by my superiors."

"I know how that feels." Rose laughed "But it's nice to have someone kind of the same age around I suppose." She smiled, and Tia smiled back.

Yeah this is practically half of a chapter, but I haven't updated this in ages, sorry. The rest should be up (probably as another short chapter) soon, apologies xx

Also, check out my two Rose x eleven stories – It Started At The Asylum and The Blue Envelope, seriously guys your support means everything to me.

Also my Ten x Rose story, Grief, if you want your soul to be crushed.

(Together or Not At All should be updated soon as well)