THE GALLIFREY CHRONICLES, THE FALL OF GALLIFREY

A/N Beta read by nightserenade.

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"Romana, I could do the scan. I have a medical room in my ship."

For the first time ever, he was different. He seemed genuine happy about the baby and she looked at him in surprise. "I didn't think you wanted..."

"I do want our baby." He pressed a kiss to her forehead. "Never think I don't want the baby, our baby," he added. He held out his hand and she took it as he lead her through to the room.

She climbed onto the bed. The blinding white of fluorescent lights filled the room. Romana tried to focus on the monitor. That monitor held the answers to all the questions floating around in her mind. Was her baby really okay? She had been thrown about an awful lot these last few days. And was there really just one baby?

She had felt a little lighter now telling him. She had kept this huge secret to herself for so long that it had been a relief that Braxiatel now knew.

She had wanted to raise her baby alone, but she had been selfish and she knew it, and her baby did deserve to know their father. Braxiatel was not a bad person and she could not take the opportunity for him to know his own child away from him. It wasn't who she was, to be that unkind.

"Oh," said Braxiatel. He slightly smiled making Romana nervous.

"The babies are fine," he said.

Romana smiled before she froze "What did you just say? Babies? Plural?" She had never meant to sound so stupid. "Twins?" Romana asked. She sighed. How could she not know that. The Doctor's previous wife had twins, obviously twins ran in his and Braxiatel's family.

Romana's hearts sank. What was she going to do? One baby she could cope with, but she was not sure she could deal with two babies as well as Emmaline and Awen.

"It's okay," he said, taking her hand

Romana had always known that Braxiatel would take care of her. He always told her he would, and Rassilion it would be so easy to let him, to allow herself to want him, but sooner or later he would resent her and he would only be doing it for their children.

She could not allow her children to feel that same rejection Emmaline had felt. On the other hand there was Narvin but he loved her and he had cheated on her so she could not forgive him

But right now how could she go through with a marriage, stand there and pledge her love to someone she did not love, someone whom had cheated on her? No, if she was going to raise her children she would do it alone and on her own terms and she did not need any man to do it. Her mind continued to wander as she wondered if she really could do this alone.

She sat up and again started to cry. It felt like a daily occurrence and the worse thing was that she couldn't stop the tears. She hated being this emotional.

"Its all right, everything's going to be okay, I promise, don't cry," he said, wiping the tears from her face as he felt an enormous rush of love for her and he wanted her and their children and he would do anything for her.

"I'm sorry," she mumbled into his shoulder.

He did not care what Romana thought about herself, she was still very beautiful.

Suddenly a wave of sickness hit her as he grabbed a bowl he gently rubbed her back. He laid her back on the bed and wiped the sick off her face. She sighed, her face still wet with tears. He gently wiped her tears from her face. "I promised I would take care of you. You are the mother of my children."

Romana sighed heavily. "Is that all I am to you? Someone to give you children? I am not a machine!" she screamed at him. "I'm not. I wont be." She tried to storm away before he grabbed her arm pinning her down against the bed.

"Just rest," he said as he attempted to clean her up.

"I want to go to Paris. I just want..." she managed. "Are you listening? Do you hear me? Now my dress is ruined and I am so fat, so ugly, nobody would want me. No wonder Narvin cheated on me."

He helped her sit and before he could stop himself he brought his lips to hers and kissed her softly.

Romana was stunned into silence but she felt her lips moving against his. She didn't want it to stop as she closed the gap between them and he pulled her closer to him until she was almost on his lap. Both of them feeling they should stop finally Romana pulled away and rested her forehead against his. Neither spoke of what had just happened and Brax was just happy enough to hold her in his arms.

"You think because Narvin did what he did that he saw you as this person you label yourself as and nobody could look at you but it's not true. One day you will meet someone really amazing and you will fall in love again."

"What if I already have?" Romana asked.

"Oh," said Braxiatel sadly.

"I want to get away from Gallifrey, escape. Just to be me. I just want to be me. Is that so wrong?"

"No, it's not wrong." He brushed a strand of hair away from her face. It hurt his hearts to see that level of sadness in her. He just wanted to scoop her up into his arms and take away all her pain.

"We can go to Paris if that is what you want," he said, wanting to give her everything she wanted.

Braxiatel and Romana headed out and sat on a bench over looking the city, it was cold and soon she was shivering. Instantly he removed his thick coat, wrapping it around her shoulders as she rested her head on his shoulder. He wrapped an arm around her holding her close to him. it all felt so right being here with her, as they sat on the bench looking out towards the Eiffel tower.

"It's beautiful," she said softly. "The Doctor once told me that it's the one place in the universe where one can totally relax."

"Romana, do you still love him?"

"Not like that, it's different. We changed, we followed different paths. I guess I don't have the right to say he's mine anymore. I have Nar-" she started to say. "That is I had Narvin, but not anymore."

"There is no chance of giving him another chance?" Braxiatel asked hoping she never would. Narvin was bad for her.

He had never seen her confidence so low since Narvin had being with her. He had changed her and not for the better either. He once thought there were good for each other, but maybe he had being wrong.

"Hardly." Romana answered her voice so broken tainted full of pain.

The breath-taking sight of Paris stood before her as the beautiful music from afar floated softly on the air along with words sung in an unknown beautiful language and it's comfort washed over her.

"Good afternoon," said a woman carrying a box of roses. "Would you like to buy a rose for your lovely wife?"

"Oh, we're not married," they both said together.

"Then perhaps you should be, you make an adorable couple."

"Really?" said Braxiatel. "I would like one if that is okay." He handed the rose to Romana as the woman departed.

"They thought we were a couple," Romana said.

"Absurd isn't it." He laughed it off.

"I guess we had our time," she said quietly with a hint of sadness as both her hearts felt like they would shatter.

"Exactly," he said. She looked away wiping a tear from her eye.

"So shall we go eat?" he asked

She shook her head. "Please take me home."

"Have I done something wrong?" But she had already slipped into his ship.

Braxiatel sighed, looking puzzled. He walked in as Romana sat on the sofa looking so sad.

"Romana, tell me, what's wrong?"

"Nothing is wrong, I'm just tired."

He came and sat down beside her. "Please don't push me out." He held her tightly as she rested against him. He kissed the top of her head softly. Finally her eyes shut as she fell asleep and he held her closer as he gently ran his fingers through her hair. He laid her down on the sofa.

He walked over to the ships console. He started to mess with the body scanner as it flashed on the monitor. Romanadvoratrelundar Pregnancy scan Positive.

Father Braxiatel, but then changed to The Doctor. It continued to flip between the two names, making even Braxiatel confused. His scanner was accurate but his ship could not tell, even though Romana had told him he was the father.

When they arrived home, Romana left his ship in silence and did not look at him. She made her way back to the Presidential palace in silence. Braxiatel watched her walk away, when all he wanted do was to run after her and kiss her.

He wouldn't he was far too old to be chasing after Romana or any other Time Lady. This had to be a crush he told himself, althopugh he knew he was way too old to have a crush.

"I don't know what I did. Did I make her mad?" he asked Awen who was stood in the TARDIS bay area.

"Are you completely stupid?" Awen asked. "Never mind, you are a guy, all guys are stupid. I should knock your head against the wall. She likes you."

"Don't be absurd."

"More to the point, you like her."

"Even if I did, it doesn't matter, She has Narvin."

"Because she thinks that's all there is, that nobody else is going to want someone with a baby or look at her because she's pregnant, and she thinks she doesn't deserve happiness."

Braxiatel frowned. He hated to see Romana accepting second best but he didn't particular want to take advice from a child either.

"She's happy when you are around. I see it in her eyes, surely you see that. All right then tell me this; why is it that she turns to you and not Narvin? She is in love with you and you can't see it."

"Love," scoffed Braxiatel. He and Romana did not go into the whole love thing, but as much as he denied it, he knew he was crazy in love with Romana.

He walked into the presidential office's expecting to find her working, as he called her name. Concern grew for her as he padded down towards her quarters his robes trailing behind him finally finding her curled up asleep in a chair.

Gently he brushed the hair out of her eyes and lifted her into his arms, carrying her to her bed, before placing a kiss to her face. He closed the curtains before returning to her side and pulled a blanket over her.

She was always beautiful to him. He had never felt this desire to care for anyone like he had with her. It never pained him to see all that sadness in anyone but her, and he had never felt such deep feelings for another Time Lady like he did for Romana.

"I love you very much," he said in a low voice as he gently stroked her hair. "If only you knew how much you mean to me," he said finally before he pressed a kiss to her cheek and departed from the room.

Romana stirred briefly. "Braxiatel," she mumbled, opening her eyes. She had been so sure he was here with her that he had told her he loved her.

She shook her head sadly. "Just a dream," she whispered.

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