PARENTHOOD
Chapter Twelve When my husband and I were raising our children, we decided that we needed to set aside time for each of them and do individual things with them in order to make them feel special and so they wouldn't be jealous of their siblings if they felt that we were spending too much time on one of them. That's carried over now to the triplets and the other members of our family that have young ones are following our lead and giving their children special time to be alone with their mom and dad for an evening. This evening just happens to be one of our special time evenings. Because we have three children, Alan or one of the others usually takes the third while he and Rose alternate between taking Chris out for his special time evening. Tonight, I'm going with Jack and Ianto and taking Chaska to the beach. The Doctor's taking Sokanon out to dinner and Alan is taking Namid to some kind of funhouse wind tunnel thing where you can float in the air and Rose is taking Christopher out to play putt putt golf while John is taking Jackie to the movies. The Doctor looked into the children's bedroom and smiled at Sokanon and Namid who were busy dressing for the evening. "Are we almost finished so we can go on our special time trip?" he asked Sokanon. "Yes, I'm coming, Daddy," his four year old daughter said as she put on a pink t-shirt. The Doctor felt a tug on his trouser leg and looked down at Namid. "I wanna come with you," she said mournfully. "You can't tonight, Rainbow. You're going someplace fun with Uncle Alan. We just took our special time trip a few days ago. Remember, when I took you to the circus?" "Yes, but I wanna go again." "No, it's my turn with Daddy," Sokanon said. "You shut up! I wanna go again!" Namid yelled. "Oi, don't tell your sister to shut up," the Doctor said sternly. "Uncle Alan is taking you to this float around the room thing and you'll have fun with him, you always do. We'll go again on another special time trip but this is Soki's night with me, okay?" "Okay," Namid muttered as the Doctor rubbed the back of her hair and sent love into her mind. "So are we ready now?" the Doctor said when everyone finished dressing. Alan and Rose had come over and Rose was holding Christopher's hand while Alan held Namid's hand. "Ready and willing, Mon Capitan," Alan said, saluting. "Better make this a memoriable evening, Mi-mi didn't wanna come with you," the Doctor said to him. Alan's mouth dropped open and he picked up Namid. "What? After all the fun things I have planned you'd rather go with Mister Fuddy Duddy there?" he said as Namid giggled. "Well...we'll soon see who you have more fun with, me or him!" "Just bring my child back in one piece," the Doctor teased. "I can't bring her back in two pieces?" Alan said shocked as Namid giggled. "Blast, I was gonna strap her to a table, slice her up with a laser and see if both halves regenerated. Spoil sport!" They said their goodbyes and went their separate ways. The Doctor led Sokanon to the TARDIS that was parked in the garage. "I have something for you, my treasure. I want you to wear it tonight because the planet I'm taking you to is very cold," he said as he unlocked the door. "Are we gonna make snowmen, Daddy?" "Nah, something more fun that that, Soki. Step inside, Madam!" Sokanon giggled as he held the door open and bowed to her. She stuck her chin up and marched inside while the Doctor giggled at that. He closed the door behind them with a bang and stared at his daughter with wide eyes. "We're inside the TARDIS, no escape now," he said ominously. "Ooo, are we gonna die?" Sokanon said in a hushed voice. "Do you wanna die?" "No." "Okay, we won't then," the Doctor said airly, stepping away from the door as his daughter giggled and followed him. There was a large gift box on the jump seat. The Doctor grabbed it and gave it to Sokanon. "Wear this tonight for me," he said to her. Sokanon set the box down on the grating and opened it. She oooed when she reached in and pulled out a black velvet coat trimmed with white fir and a hood that was also trimmed with white fir. "This will keep you toasty warm tonight, Soki," the Doctor said, helping her put it on. Once it was on, Sokanon looked into the box and pulled out a pair of matching black boots. She frowned when she looked again and noticed there was a furry thing that looked like a white log. "What's that, Daddy?" she said as the Doctor helped her get her boots on. "That's a muff. Women used to wear them back in the old days to keep their hands warm. I thought you might look cute with a muff so I got it for you." Attached to the muff on either side was a white cord that enabled him to put it around her neck. He put it on her and instructed her to put her hands into the holes on the sides. Once she did that, he stepped back and looked at her. "Ah, brilliant. You look like you just stepped out of a Currier and Ives painting." "What's that, Daddy?" "Currier and Ives painted Victorian scenes with women who were dressed a lot like you are. You're just sooo cute with your little muff muff, my Victorian treasure. And now that you're dressed, it's off to Fornsquare for a night of fun!" "Now!" Alan said as he and Namid stepped out of Daisy in front of Bill's Anti-Gravity Fun Room in London in the year 2378. "We are going to have heaps of fun and no complaints that I'm not your father and you'd rather be with him. Because you and I are going to get into special suits and go wheeee around a weighless room. Okey-dokey?" "Yes!" "That's the spirit, little trooper, now Allons-y, as your daddy would say or as I would say, get your fat bum in there!" Namid giggled and Alan took her hand as they went inside. The first thing they saw was the receptionist who was standing behind an open window at the back of the room. Alan strolled up to her. "May I help you?" "Yes, one adult and one child," Alan said. "That'll be ten credits." Alan gave her his credit stick and she scanned it. "Okay," she said, giving it back to him. "We need to get you into your anti-gravity suits so come with me and we'll get you started." She hit a buzzer and a door slid open a few feet beside the window. Alan squeezed his daughter's hand and they went inside. "Ah, Aruba," Jack said as he emerged from his TARDIS. "Love the beach and it's a beautiful day as well." He took the beach umbrella Ianto handed him and everyone else stepped outside carrying the equipment they would need for a day at the beach. Jack had parked his TARDIS several feet from the ocean and the TARDIS disguised itself as a red and white changing tent. They walked down onto the beach and selected a spot twenty feet from the rolling surf. They put down beach towels and set up the beach umbrellas to shade them. Then Rain sat a picnic lunch down on her beach towel along with a tote bag. She called to Chaska and pulled out some sunscreen while Jack and Ianto got out the same thing from their totes. "So, anyone up for a swim?" Jack asked them. "Me!" Chaska squealed as he stood up. "Just a moment, Baby, let me finish with your sunscreen and then you can go and play," Rain said, holding his arm while she rubbed the sunscreen on him. "What about you, Rain. Wanna go play in the surf?" Jack asked. "I will. Just need to make sure everything's ready when we finally eat before I do," she said. "Yan?" Jack said to his husband. "Do I have a choice?" "Not really." Ianto rolled his eyes while Rain chuckled. "I s'pose I'll go for a swim then," Ianto said dryly. "That's the spirit!" he said, giving him a playful punch in the arm. "Now, hurry up and get that suntan lotion on ya so we can splash around and play!" "So, you wanna go first or do you want me to?" Rose said to Christopher when they came up to the first hole in the putt putt course. "You go, Mummy. I wanna watch so I can figure out how to beat you," Christopher said. "Oho, you think you're gonna beat me, eh?" Rose teased. "Yes! I gonna beat you reeeal gooood!" Christopher said. Rose smiled at her son. "You know, you're looking more and more like your daddy every day. Unfortunately, you're beginning to act like him as well," she said. "Less talk and more golf. Gotta drop some trouser chili, woman!" Rose rolled her eyes as Christopher giggled and ducked behind her body. "You want a smack bottom, Mister Cheeky?" she teased as he peeked out from behind her legs. "No! Now you play golf 'fore I tickle ya!" "Not if I tickle you first!" Rose said, her fingers wiggling as Christopher squealed and ran away from her. Christopher walked back to her side and stood and watched quietly while Rose put her golf ball down on the astroturf and prepared to putt it. "Soooo..." John said to Jackie as they climbed into his TARDIS. "What film are we gonna see?" "Horror movie?" Jackie said. "Uh...no, not at your age. Pick again." "Disney." "That's more like it! Which one?" "All of em!" She giggled as John raised his eyebrow. "All of em? Every single Disney film ever made?" he said, feigning disbelief. "Yup, every one of em! All the Disney films there are!" Jackie said, spreading her arms wide. "Blimey, we're gonna have to get busy then, aren't we?" he said as he started up his TARDIS. He smiled when Jackie came up beside him, put her hands on the rim and watched what he was doing. "Can I fly it?" she asked him. "Someday, my beloved, someday when you're old enough and you have your Time Lady mind," he said, smiling lovingly at her. "And if we're not still watching every Disney film ever made by that time you can fly it." Jackie giggled and nuzzled up against him. He patted her back and rubbed it as he input the coordinates into his computer. "Here we are," the Doctor said as he stepped out of the TARDIS with his daughter. "This is Chene, the capital of Fornsquare and the destination for tonight's delights." "Ooo, it's snowing!" Sokanon said, pointing to the falling snow as the Doctor closed the TARDIS door. "Yup, that's why I wanted you toasty warm, my treasure. Now follow me and I'll take you to the restaurant I have in mind. One of the best in the Follum Galaxy." "Where's that?" Sokanon said as she walked beside him. "That is where the planet Fornsquare is located, Muffy." "Don't call me Muffy, I'm Sokanon." "Not for tonight. Tonight, you are Muffy McMuff," he said while Sokanon giggled. "How much for a ride?" he asked. "Twenty credits, mate," the driver replied. "Wanna take a horse and carriage ride, Soki?" the Doctor asked her. "Yes!" The Doctor handed the driver his credit stick and he scanned it before handing it back to him. "After you, Madam," the Doctor said, lifting her into the open carriage. Soki went and sat down on the red leather seat while the Doctor climbed in. Once they were seated the driver looked for oncoming traffic and then started off again. After donning jet black lycra body suits, Alan and Namid were led into a wide room with quilted leather padding on every side. The door shut and then a moment later, an anti-gravity device was turned on and both Alan and Namid laughed when they began to float. "Wheee!" Namid said as she slowly floated up to the padded ceiling. Alan laughed and grabbed her, gently pushing her back down as he manuvered his body over hers. Namid laughed and floated up, lightly bumping into him. "Oi, go away," Alan said, gently pushing her as he slowly floated up towards the ceiling. Namid laughed as she went down and then slowly came back up again until she hit Alan's chest. "I said, go away," Alan said, giving her another light push. He let out a sigh of exasperation when Namid came back up and clung to him. "I am not a koala bear, Meemer-deemer!" he said as she laughed. He held onto her tightly, rolled over and kicked off the ceiling with his foot. Namid laughed when he bumped the padded floor and began to go up slowly again. "Having fun, Namid?" he asked her. "YES!" Namid squealed. "Now see, I can be just as fun as your dad!" he said to her. He let go of her and both of them floated around the room, pushing off the walls while they laughed and teased each other. (To be continued...)
He heard a clip clop behind him and turned to see a white horse pulling a white carriage down the road. He stopped Sokanon and waved his hand to signal the driver to stop.
Back Home Doctor Who Main Page Next