PARENTHOOD

Chapter Seven

"I'm so glad you brought the children over to see me today, Rainshower," Rain's dad said as they sat on his porch.

"I just hope I wasn't bothering you. The Doctor and Alan went shopping and I thought I'd come visit."

"You're never a bother and neither are they," John said, smiling at the triplets as they crawled around the porch.

They were now about seven months old and had been crawling for awhile. The opening that led to the steps had been screened off with a gate and Chaska was currently using it to stand up and try to climb over it to the steps below. John chuckled and scooped him up in his arms.

"This one is like his father. He doesn't like being cooped up for too long," John teased as he brought Chaska back over to his chair and sat down with him.

"Yup, he's been quite a handful but we're very proud of him," Rain said.

They laughed when Chaska struggled to get down from John's lap.

"Okay, little explorer, go be like your father," John said, setting him down on the ground.

John threw up his hands in mock exasperation when Chaska made a beeline for the gate and used it to stand back up.

"This is why I'm glad I had girls. They're so much sweeter," John said.

"Oh, I don't know about that. Namid can be a holy terror when she wants to be."

"Even with her blindness?"

"Ha! Dad, this kid can get around just as well as a sighted person," Rain said, picking her up off the concrete floor. "The Doctor also has to chase after her. Soki's the only one that's mellow. But the Doctor loves that they're so active, especially Namid. He was worried that she would be timid and shy but this little rug rat is anything but. I think my husband can't wait for the day when he can take them on adventures."

"In the meantime, they're having adventures of their own or trying to anyway," John said, getting up to get Chaska before he climbed over the gate.

Chaska cried as John brought him back to his chair and he gave him a kiss on the head.

"Sorry, little one, but I don't think your father would be happy if I let you fall and split your head open on the concrete steps."

He sat him down on the ground again and laughed as he jumped up and got in front of the gate when he once again went to it.

"Yup, just like your father, never gives up if he wants something badly enough," he said as Rain laughed.

He sat down on the floor in front of the gate and Chaska smiled as he came around to his side.

"See, now you have to find a way around me," he said to him as Sokanon came up on his other side. "Ah, teamwork, eh? Well, I'm more than a match for you both! How is the Doctor? He hasn't torn his hair out in frustration yet over these three?"

"No, not yet. He actually enjoys playing with them and feeding them and bathing them and being an all around good dad. He went on the internet and checked the TARDISes databanks to get all the information on how to be a good father since he didn't exactly have the best role model growing up. Sometimes I think he worries that he isn't doing enough but I think he's wonderful with the children. If he has to leave in the TARDIS, he always tries to come back a few minutes after he's left so the children won't miss him. He was a little bit shocked at some of their tantrums. Especially Chas since he has a tendency to beat his head on the floor when he screams and that frightened him since he thought Chas was gonna give himself brain damage. I told him that some babies do that and it doesn't seem to affect their IQ and he calmed down after that. Chas has got one hell of a temper though and that also worries him since he has quite a temper himself."

John smiled at Chaska who was sitting up and sucking on his hand.

"Perhaps he'll outgrow it in time, Rainshower. A lot of babies have tempers, it's part of growing up."

"Was I ever that bad?"

"Um...a bit but you were mainly quiet since Amber was always tormenting you," he said, letting out an angry sigh. "Thank God your sister grew up and got some sense into her."

"Yeah, tell me about it. I have a feeling the Doctor would have punched her face in if she'd kept up with that bullshit. I hated that they hated each other for the longest time. I'm glad she finally accepted him and everyone else and became a part of the family. Are you hungry again, Mi-mi?" she said when Mi-mi began to nuzzle her right breast.

She reached down into her diaper bag and pulled out a bottle filled with her breastmilk.

"I usually breastfeed them but since we're out in public..." Rain said while she took the plastic cap off the top of the bottle.

"It doesn't bother me none, Rainshower. Your mother breastfed Amber around me. I'm used to it."

"Yeah, but still, I don't know when Alan's coming back and I don't feel like hearing moo cow udder jokes," she said while John laughed.

"Ah, that's just his way, Rainshower. He loves teasing you. Pay him no mind, go ahead and do what you have to do."

"Just the same I'd rather be discreet," Rain said as Namid began to suck the bottle.

John smiled as he watched mother and child together. He looked down at Chaska who was trying to get past him to the door while Sokanon crawled over towards her mother's feet in order to look at a bug.

"Relentless, that's what you are, little one," John said to Chaska. "Never can accept defeat. I'm glad though. I'm glad you're like your father."

He smiled at his daughter.

"So...any plans for tonight? You know, I can babysit the children if you and your husband wanna go somewhere."

"I'd love to but I don't want to inconvenience you."

He held up his hand.

"I won't be. I love taking care of the children and besides Samuel, Tim, Linus and Wilf are here to help me out and they all love spending time with the kids too. You need a break, both of you."

"Thanks, Daddy."

"Now having said that, don't run off for twenty years on some wild adventure and leave me to raise the children to adulthood."

Rain laughed.

"Trust me, Dad; I don't think the Doctor would let you."

"At the Copa-Copacabana, the hottest spot north of Havana."

"What the?" John said as Rain laughed.

John shifted around and saw the Doctor and Alan turning the corner across the street. They were sharing the ear buds on Alan's IPod and were singing Copacabana in unison as they made their way towards John's house. John laughed at their loud and off-key singing as they strolled towards them.

"Her name was Lola," Alan sang as the Doctor gave him the other ear bud, "she was a minger. With tons and tons of raging VD that made it hurt when she went to pee."

"God," Rain said, shaking her head as the Doctor giggled.

"She was disgusting but very easy, so Tony threw her bum across the bar and raped her until she saw stars. She was a big fat whore and Tony shoved her out the door, now she has forty babies, who could ask for more at the Copa-Copacabana..."

By now John and the Doctor were laughing hysterically at Alan's improvised lyrics while Rain shook her head and turned her attention back to Namid. The Doctor walked up to the gate, stopped and looked at it in mock confusion.

"Um...barrier here," he said, pointing to it as Alan laughed. "Why is there a barrier here?"

"Because your son has a severe wanderlust and kept trying to leave the porch," Rain said to him.

"Well, that's to be expected since he's my offspring," the Doctor said as John got up off the ground and let him get over it.

He finished getting over the gate and smiled down at Chaska who was crawling up to his feet.

"So," he said, picking him up, "the escape artist had to be confined, eh? Well, I'm not surprised at that!"

He gave him a kiss on the cheek and Chaska held onto him as Alan stepped over, put his Ipod in his pocket and picked up Sokanon.

"Love, our father wants to take the children for tonight so we can go somewhere," Rain said as he sat down beside her on the porch swing.

"Really? Feeling brave this evening, John?" the Doctor said while Alan sat down with Sokanon in a metal chair nearby.

"How about mine, wanna put Chris and Chas together and see how much energy you'll have by the end of the evening?" Alan said.

"If you and Rose wanna go somewhere, bring him over here. I was telling Rain there's me, Samuel, Linus, Tim and Wilf. We're more than capable of watching them."

"Ah, but we shall see once you put Tweedle-dee and Tweedle-dum together in the same house along with the Wonder Twins, Mi-Mi and Soki. I'm betting you'll have heaps of grey hairs by the time we get back."

"Bring it on," John said as the Doctor laughed. "I'm not afraid of your kids!"

"Okay, you asked for it. But for the moment, I need to use the loo, can I?" Alan said, pointing to his door.

"Help yourself," John replied.

"thanks muchly," Alan said, getting up and putting Sokanon on the ground.

"I need to use the bathroom too so could you watch Mi-mi for a moment, Love?" Rain said to the Doctor.

"Dibs on the lavatory!" Alan said, speeding up and running inside.

Rain rolled her eyes as the Doctor grinned and took Mi-mi from him. She gave him a kiss and went inside leaving the two men alone with the babies.

"So, are you enjoying fatherhood?" John asked him.

"Oh yeah, it's wonderful. Mind you, it was wonderful bringing up our other children but this...having three children we made together, I'm just absolutely chuffed that this little miracle occurred."

"I'm glad it happened to you and her. You both needed biological children along with all your adopted ones. There's no greater joy than being a father."

"I wholeheartedly agree," the Doctor said as he smiled at Mi-mi in his arms.

"You've had so much pain and trauma in your life, Star Child, you deserve all the happiness you can get."

"Star Child, you haven't called me that in donkey's years," he said to John.

"Well, you still are a star child."

"You are as well."

"I know and I'll be forever grateful to you for granting me the gift of that crystal and allowing me to be here to see my grandchildren."

"My pleasure," the Doctor said with a tender smile.

He laughed when John threw up his hands again the moment he spied Chaska going for the gate.

"He's bound and determined to get over that gate and get away," John said, getting up to get him when Chaska started to climb over it.

"That's because he has the anti-domestic gene in his DNA. He needs a TARDIS of his own."

"I wouldn't give him any ideas if I were you, Doctor," he said, grabbing Chaska who started to fuss the moment he felt his arms around him.

"Thank you for offering to take care of them for tonight so I can take Rain somewhere."

"My pleasure. You need a break, I can tell just by looking at the gate climber here," John said, sitting back down with Chaska. "Like I told your wife, don't leave for twenty years and have me raise them."

"Not a chance, I'd miss them too much to be gone that long."

The door opened and Alan ran out and leapt over the gate.

"Be back with Chris in a few minutes or an hour or maybe two!" he yelled over his shoulder as he ran away.

The Doctor and John glanced at each other.

"Oh no, now what has he done."

"ALAN, YOU ASSHOLE!"

Both men flinched when they heard Rain scream from inside the house.

"Suddenly, I think Alan's running away was a good idea," John said as the Doctor nodded.

The door banged open and Rain glared at Alan who was by now across the street and speeding away from the house.

"What'd he do?" the Doctor said with wide eyes.

"Crapped out a log-sized piece of poop in the toilet and left it for me to find! Oh! I swear, the babies act more mature than he does! How Rose puts up with him without bashing in his brains with a mallet..."

The Doctor and John waited till she went back inside before snickering softly.

"Yup, your brother is very unique," John said.

"I'll say. I often wonder if he's my hidden comedian that I suppressed for years and years and all of that came out when I poured the regeneration energy into him."

John shrugged and grinned. The two men talked quietly with each other while the Doctor fed Namid and John played with his grandchildren.

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