PARENTHOOD

Chapter Twenty Two

The Doctor and I have been very fortunate in that we've always had support from both friends and family but sometimes even those close to you can end up betraying you. Case in point...my husband had a friend named Ceres who had been one of his closest friends since he was loomed. In fact, my husband and Ceres grew up together. The problem was, Ceres liked me...a lot but he kept his infatuation hidden from the Doctor along with the inevitable jealousy that he had kids with me. This jealousy and infatuation stayed hidden until one summer day shortly after Doc came to live with us...

"I won't be long, Love. Doc and I are gonna pick up some more spare parts for that new radiation converter we're working on. You gonna be okay here?" the Doctor asked as he stood with Rain in the living room.

"Well, yeah, the triplets are six now, I think I can manage by myself. After all, they no longer need to be hand fed or have their diapers changed."

"Ah but you know they are a handful when they want to be. Just wanna make sure I don't come back home to a slobbering drooling idiot because you didn't have enough help."

"Just go, you little maniac," Rain said.

The Doctor kissed her on the lips. He looked over at the staircase.

"Doc? You ready?" he called out.

"Coming, just saying goodbye to the children," Doc called from upstairs.

Doc came down and the Doctor gave Rain one last kiss. He was about to leave when he heard a knock at the front door.

"Go, dear, I'll intercept that," Rain said, waving him on.

"Thanks, Latara. Be back in a mo," the Doctor said as he and Doc hurried to the garage.

Rain waited till she heard the TARDIS's wheezing fading away before she went to the door. She opened it and smiled when she saw Ceres standing there.

"Hello, Rain, is the Doctor here?" he asked.

"Um, no, sorry Ceres, he just left with Doc to go get some parts for a project he's working on."

"Oh. Can I come in and wait for him then?"

"Well, not right now. I need to do a couple of things. Can you come back later though, he'll be back by then I'm sure."

Ceres stared at her intently for a moment and then nodded.

"Okay, I'll be back later," he said to her.

"Sorry about that, but I have things to do and I don't really have time for company," she said.

Ceres nodded but Rain noticed another intense look before he turned and walked away. She was puzzled for a moment about why Ceres would be looking at her like that then decided it was her imagination. She headed towards the kitchen.

"Kids! I'm gonna start baking that pie if you want to help me!" she called up the stairs as she passed.

She heard a thunderous stampede upstairs and sighed.

"Christ, like living with a herd of buffalo," she muttered as she walked towards the kitchen.

The children came downstairs and walked into the kitchen while Rain gathered the ingredients together.

"Is Daddy gonna help us?" Namid asked as she came over to Rain holding Sokanon's hand.

"No, baby, he and Doc went to get some spare parts for a machine they're working on."

"Is Uncle Alan gonna help?" Sokanon asked.

Rain snorted.

"Honey, the only thing he'll help with is eating it," she said.

"Can he come over and help us eat it then?" Chaska asked.

"Well, as long as he doesn't devour the whole thing and leave none for your father, I suppose he can," Rain said.

She smiled and put her finger to her lips as the children listened, she put up a privacy block around Alan's mind and their own. She took a deep breath and thought as loudly as she could...

RASPBERRY PIE!

The children giggled when Alan's mind instantly became so alert that Rain swore she could see a big exclamation point in his mind. Then just as loudly, Alan thought back...

WHERE?

The children and I are getting ready to make it from scratch. I'm teaching them how to do it but you're more than welcome to help us eat it as long as you don't snarf down the entire thing.

Nah, I'll be good for a piece of delicious raspberry pie. However, it may be awhile. I'm helping Rose with the housework and although I'd like to tell her to kiss my arse and run out the door, I doubt she'd let me back in if I did that, but I will be over there, rest assured so have fun and keep a piece warm for me.

"There," Rain said as she cut off contact with Alan, "Now your Uncle Alan will be over to act silly and play with you. Are you happy now?"

"Yes!" the children said.

"Okay, well, let's get started then before he comes rampaging in here demanding pie," Rain said.

The children helped her gather the ingredients and for the next half hour, they helped her make the dough and the filling. The four of them laughed and talked as they made the pie and they were having so much fun that Rain didn't hear someone at the door until they knocked loudly. She glanced back at the door and sighed.

"There he is," she said. "Hopefully your uncle will stay out of the way while we finish up. Stay here and don't touch anything until I get back, alright?"

"Okay, Mummy," the children said in unison.

Rain wiped her hands on a dish towel and walked into the living room. She answered the door expecting to see Alan there drooling but instead she was surprised to see Ceres standing there. The wind blew his strawberry blonde hair around and his green eyes sparkled as he smiled warmly at Rain.

"Sorry, Ceres, he's not back yet," Rain said.

"Well, do you mind if I come in and wait? I need to speak with him as soon as possible," Ceres said.

"Um...okay, but the children and I are making a pie so if you wanna make yourself at home in the living room, I'll get you some tea."

"Thank you, Rain," Ceres said, stepping inside the house.

Rain shut the door behind him and glanced at him. Unlike her husband, Ceres was tall with a muscular build. He was wearing black shorts with a thin navy blue t-shirt that clung to his chest. The heat of the day had made him sweat and the sweat glistened on his forehead and muscular forearms. As Rain turned to go back to the kitchen, Ceres stared at her backside. She had on white shorts and a t-shirt and her long black hair was pulled back and tied in a ponytail that reached down to the middle of her back. Ceres felt himself getting hard and he was glad her back was turned.

He had always been jealous of the Doctor, not only because he had Rain but because most everyone on the planet loved and revered him. He had been his friend for years until he realized that the man cast a very long shadow and he was constantly standing in it. Everywhere they went people wanted to speak to the Doctor and completely ignored him. Ceres couldn't understand what the fuss was about. The Doctor did great things but he was still a man and not much of a man at that. He always wondered how someone so thin and scrawny was able to hold his own against bigger, stronger foes. While Rain went back into the kitchen, he wandered towards the sofa and stopped to stare at some photos on the table beside them. Jealousy seized his mind when he saw a photo of the Doctor smiling broadly while he had his arm around Rain who was sitting next to him. For years, he had held his tongue and bit back his jealousy but he couldn't stand it any longer. He had wondered for years if he had a chance with Rain but hadn't mustered up the courage to ask her until now. Squaring his shoulders, he went past the sofa into the kitchen.

When he reached the door, he saw Rain making him some tea while the triplets sat at the table. Namid was stirring the raspberry filling while Sokanon rolled out the dough with a rolling pin. Chaska was sitting quietly watching them. He looked at Ceres.

"Hello, we're making a pie," he said to him.

Rain glanced over her shoulder.

"Oh, there's no need to come in here I was gonna bring the tea out to you, Ceres," she said to him.

"I need to speak with you, Rain," Ceres said.

"Oh? What about?" Rain said as she walked over to the refrigerator to fetch the milk.

Ceres glanced at the children. Namid was busy stirring but Sokanon and Chaska were watching him intently. He suddenly wondered if he should ask Rain to make the children go someplace while he did this.

"Ceres?"

Ceres snapped his head over to Rain. She was standing beside the open refrigerator door, milk in hand.

"Are you okay?" she said, closing the door. "Is everything alright?"

"I just need to talk to you," Ceres said as she poured some milk in his tea.

"I thought you needed to talk to the Doctor," Rain said, glancing at him while she poured.

"This is more important," Ceres said. "So could you tell the children to go in the other room?"

"I don't think it'll hurt to have them stay here. They're busy helping me make a pie...except for Chas but he was helping," Rain said, gesturing to her son who was now turned in his seat watching Ceres intently. "Now what do you want to talk about?"

"Are you happy?" Ceres asked.

Rain gave him an odd look.

"You mean right now?" she asked.

"I mean overall. Are you happy with your life?"

"Well, yes, I'm very happy. Mi-mi, I think that's enough stirring, you can rest awhile," she said to her daughter. "Why do you ask?"

"Are you happy being with the Doctor?"

Rain gave him another odd look.

"Yes, as a matter of fact I am. Why? What's this about?"

"I've heard rumors."

"About what?"

"That the Doctor is unfaithful to you."

Rain froze and glared at him.

"That's not funny, Ceres," she said.

"It's true, I swear."

"Uh-huh, where's your proof?" Rain said, folding her arms over her chest.

"Mummy, what's he mean?" Chaska asked.

"Nothing, baby, it's just a joke and not a very funny one at that," Rain said, glaring at Ceres. "Is this why you need to talk to my husband, to confront him with this stupid rumor? Because I guarantee he'll ask you where you heard it and who said it so you better have a good answer for him."

"I heard it myself down the pub."

Rain snorted.

"So in other words, you heard that my husband was cheating from a bunch of drunks who probably are jealous of him because he gets a lot of praise and recognition from the community at large, yeah, that's a reliable source, Ceres."

"I swear to you it's true, Rain."

The children flinched when Rain slammed her hand down on the table.

"Damn it, this isn't funny, Ceres. Cut the crap or go home, but I'm not prepared to listen to this bull...crap. My husband wouldn't cheat on me and I wouldn't cheat on him. Now go in the other room and wait for him to come home and take it up with him if you must, the children and I are busy."

She sighed angrily when Ceres started to go in the other room and shook her head, muttering to herself under her breath about Ceres lack of tact. Then suddenly, without warning, Ceres turned, lunged at Rain and seized her arms. Rain gasped as he rammed her back against the counter and the children cried as he rammed his lips down on hers. Chaska hopped down off his chair and smacked his leg hard. Rain gasped when Ceres backhanded him across the face, sending him to the floor. Namid cried, her sightless eyes trying to find where he mother was as Ceres went back to kissing and fondling her. Sokanon hopped down off the chair, grabbed her sister's hand and grabbed Chaska's hand as she ran past him. They ran through the living room and out the front door, crying out for Alan as they ran down the road. At that moment, Alan was rounding the corner with Rose. Sokanon screamed for him and let go of her brother and sister's hands as Alan knelt down to her.

"Soki, what's wrong?" he said when he saw the distress on her face.

"He's hurting Mummy. Help!" Sokanon said frantically.

"Who? Who is?" Alan said.

"Ceres. He's hurting her. We were in the kitchen and he started kissing her and hurting her! He hit Chaska. Help!"

Alan gritted his teeth.

"Rose, take care of them!" he yelled as he took off towards the house.

By now, others were starting to come out of their houses to see what was going on. Rose gathered the children together and reached into her mobile. She dialed the Doctor's number and breathed a sigh of relief when it picked up on the second ring.

"Doctor, it's Rose. You need to come home right now," she said to him.

Meanwhile, Alan ran into the Doctor's house and gritted his teeth when he heard signs of struggle from the kitchen. Balling up his fist, he sprinted towards the door and barreled inside. Ceres had enough time to look around before Alan planted his fist on his jaw. As he staggered back, Alan caught him and rammed him up against the wall, his eyes ablaze. He glanced around and noticed that Rain had a black eye and several bruises on her face and arms. He let out an enraged roar and punched him in the face.

"You bastard!" Alan screamed at him. "I don't know what the fuck's gotten into ya but I guarantee the Doctor's gonna have you arse on a plate when he comes back. And when he's done with ya, I'm next in line! How dare you lay a hand on my sister! I oughta kill you right here, right now!"

"Alan, no!" Rain said, rushing to him before he did something to Ceres who was now shaken and staring at him with wide eyes. "Don't hurt him. I'm alright."

Alan was about to ignore her plea when his ears picked up the sound of the TARDIS materializing in the garage and a twisted smile spread over his face.

"Here comes the Oncoming Storm, mate," Alan said gleefully. "Better have your affairs in order because I have a feeling you won't live to see the next day."

Rain flinched when the garage door banged against the wall.

"RAIN!" the Doctor bellowed. "WHERE IS HE?"

Rain ran out of the kitchen intending to stop the bloodbath. She froze in the corridor when she saw the Doctor and Doc and realized it was a bad idea when she saw them looking at her bruises and black eye with rapidly mounting rage.

"WHERE IS HE?" the Doctor bellowed.

"He's in here, Brother," Alan yelled. "I have him immobilized."

"Good because he's about to become my punching bag!" the Doctor snarled as he stomped towards the kitchen.

"Wait! No, stop!" Rain said, running towards him as he and Doc both made a beeline for the kitchen. "Guys, please, calm down. The children are terrified and this isn't helping, okay? I'm alright; he didn't do anything apart from kiss and fondle me."

"Yeah, well in my book that's going too fucking far," the Doctor yelled. "I thought he was my best mate but I see I was mistaken!"

He took another step and then finally saw how frightened his wife was at his out of control rage and that was enough to calm him down. He put his hand out to stop Doc as he took a deep breath. Doc did the same and Rain breathed a sigh of relief.

"Brother, bring him out here," the Doctor said in an angry but calmer voice.

While Alan pulled him out the door, Doc went out the front door and saw Rose trying to calm down the hysterical children. He ran to them and knelt down, gathering Namid into his arms and giving her a reassuring hug before he spoke softly to Chaska and Sokanon who were both crying hysterically. By now, a large majority of their family was nearby and angry after Rose explained what was going on. Rose breathed a sigh of relief when she saw Doc since she had to stop most of the family from going in and throttling Ceres, especially Jack who had murder in his eyes.

Meanwhile, inside the house, the Doctor faced his former friend who was standing before him while Alan held him against him with his arms pinned behind him. The Doctor came towards him, his eyes black with inner rage.

"I don't know what all went on here while I was gone but you are to leave here and never return and if I ever catch you within five hundred feet of my wife, I will rip your entrails out and make you eat them. IS THAT CLEAR?"

Ceres swallowed hard and nodded, too afraid to explain his reasoning behind why he did it. The Doctor breathed hard out his nostrils as his eyes bored into him.

"Get the fuck out of my house this instant," he said in a deadly tone of voice. "And be thankful I don't sue the pants off ya or kill you for this. Now go!"

Alan let go of him and stepped away. They watched while Ceres ran out the door as fast as he could go and once he was gone, the Doctor hugged his wife tightly and kissed her cheek before he and Alan went outside to calm the children down.

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