PARENTHOOD
Chapter Thirty Nine "Okey-dokey, have we got everything together?" Alan asked as they loaded their fishing rods and tackle boxes into Daisy. He, Rose and his six year old son Christopher were going on their three month trip to Quasi, a resort planet that had one of Alan's favorite fishing holes. Quasi had a large reservoir that stocked all sorts of fish in addition to renting out fishing boats and equipment. Alan had discovered it a few years ago and fell in love with the place as well as the local fish, the Zarbon which had juicy, tender flesh. For him, it was a time for him and his family to relax and bond away from New Gallifrey. As he finished putting his fishing pole in the corner of the console room, he looked down when Christopher tugged on his trouser leg. "Yes?" "Can Uncle Doctor and Uncle Doc and Aunt Rain and my cousins come with us this time? I want someone to talk to while I fish," he said. "You mean you don't wanna talk to me? Aren't I interesting enough for ya?" He feigned shock when Christopher shook his head and gave him a kiss on the cheek. "I'll ask em but it's up to them if they wanna go or not," Alan said. "Dunno about the Doctor, fishing might be a bit too slow-paced for him. But I would like to show them the reservoir since it's so lovely. Just wait a tic and I'll contact him telepathically." Meanwhile at the Doctor's house, the Doctor and his immediate family were having breakfast. The Doctor had a daily habit of selecting a random date in time and buying newspapers from several countries just to see what was going on that day. He was currently perusing a copy of the London Times from June 15th, 2010 while Rain fixed breakfast. In addition to the real newspapers, the TARDIS provided a fake newspaper in Braille for Namid since she became interested in the newspapers over a year ago and the Doctor figured it was a great opportunity for her to practice her reading skills as well as including her in the morning ritual. Chaska hadn't shown any real interest but Sokanon loved reading the Los Angeles Times so she could see if they mentioned celebrities she liked. He also got newspapers from New York, Tokyo, Iran, Australia, Canada and Mexico. While he read, the triplets came into the room and clustered around him. "Yeeeees?" the Doctor said as he kept his eyes on his paper. He smiled when the children kissed his cheeks before going to their seats. "Thanks muchly for that," he said as he turned the page of his newspaper. He took a sip of his tea while Rain gave the children plates with eggs, bacon and toast on it. She poured them some milk, gave it to them then fixed a plate and a glass of milk for herself and sat down. "Anything good in the newspaper today?" she asked him. "Oil spill in the gulf," the Doctor said. "They're trying to get it cleaned up and Obama is furious, as well he should be." "What happened?" Sokanon asked him. "There was an explosion on this oil rigger explosion out by the United States. It killed eleven people and leaked massive amounts of oil into the ocean and caused an ecological disaster. It was cleaned up eventually but this was when humans got serious about finding alternative sources of fuel besides oil." "Where's my newspaper, Daddy?" Namid asked. The Doctor lowered his paper, found her Braille paper amid the stacks of paper and gave it to her. Namid laid it out beside her plate and used one finger to read while she ate. Five minutes in she began giggling. "What is it, Honey?" Rain asked. "Um, the TARDIS paper says that Daddy is a weirdo and she's tired of him flying her because he gets jam all over her." "I do not," the Doctor said as everyone laughed. "The TARDIS is a huge liar." Namid took a bite of toast as she continued to read with her fingers. While she did, Sokanon walked over, looked through the newspapers and took the LA one. "Did I say you could have that before I finished with it?" the Doctor said, not lowering his paper. "No, but I'm gonna take it anyway," Sokanon said, hurrying back to her seat. "Insolence. That's all there is in this household, insolence and anarchy," the Doctor said. He lowered the paper and eyed Namid when she giggled again. "Now what does that lying TARDIS say?" "It says...the TARDIS said to this newspaper that the Doctor is very dirty and likes to pee in her corners and she can't get the smell out." "I'm gonna kill her!" the Doctor said as everyone else bent over laughing. "When I asked her to make up these newspapers for you, I didn't realize she was going to start making fun of me with them. I'm gonna definitely have a talk with her when I go back out there." "Now she says you take poo and paint smiley faces on her walls." Rain laughed as the Doctor gave her an exasperated look. "You know sometimes sentient ships can be a pain in the bum," he said to her as the children giggled. "What's that about you and poo?" Doc asked as he came into the kitchen. The Doctor explained what was going on and Doc chuckled as he got the eggs out of the refrigerator. "Even your TARDIS has relaxed after being a part of this family," he said as he cracked two eggs on the counter. "Makes me glad I joined up with you lot." "I'm glad you joined too, Dada," Namid said. Doc grinned at that and sent love into her mind. "Hurry up and read that newspaper. I wanna know what other insults the TARDIS thought up about me," the Doctor said as Namid giggled. She went back to reading and eating her breakfast and the Doctor did the same. As the Doctor read, he felt a privacy block go up around his mind. Good morning, my brother, are you awake? Alan thought to him. Yup. And a good morning to you as well, the Doctor thought back. Aw, thanks. Listen, are you and the others in the household doing anything special today? We haven't thought of anything yet, why? Christopher wants you to come with us on a fishing trip. We go to Quasi every so often to get some of that delicious Zarbon that I gave to you that one day. Oh yes, I remember. It was delicious. We all enjoyed it. Then come with us. You don't have to bring any equipment, they rent there and I'll rent everything you need including a boat if you want to go out on the lake. And there's a splendid restaurant that'll grill your catch and serve it to you. Interested? I am but drop the block and let the others in on this, the Doctor thought. Alan dropped the block and thought to the others about his plan. "I don't know how to fish, Daddy," Sokanon said. "Me neither," Chaska added. "I can teach you," the Doctor said. "And so can I. Count me in. I wouldn't mind spending a day fishing and catching some of that Zarbon." "Rain? Interested?" the Doctor said. "Yes, sounds like a nice, relaxing day. I'm in." The Doctor thought to Alan and told him they were interested. Brilliant, he thought back. We'll bring Daisy over so you don't have to come to our house and then we'll take you to Quasi for a fun-filled day. Over and out. "You heard em, you lot. Hurry up and eat so we can go on this fishing trip," the Doctor said to the others when Alan cut off contact with him.
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