PARENTHOOD

Chapter Seventy Six

"Wondeeful," Alan muttered as he lay bound hand and foot in Marian's ship. "Start out the day going to the circus, end the day a mindless slave. Sometimes I think I need a holiday from being a Time Lord. At least the bitch didn't take Mi-mi, I hope she's alright."

He searched for her mind and found it.

The wheels on the bus go round and round, he sang to her mind.

Uncle Alan? Mi-mi thought back. Are you okay?

Well, apart from being trussed up like a calf in a rodeo, I'm just peachy, Meemster. You okay?"

Yeah, I fell and hurt my knees and I got upset cause I didn't help you.

You helped me. You ran. That was helping me since you didn't get caught.

Is she hurting you?

Not yet. And if I have my way, she won't.

We're coming to get you, Uncle Alan, so you can relax.

Aw, well, I figured you were gonna do that anyway, my Meemster Teamster. I'll just relax as much as I can with my hands and feet bound and wait.

Alan raised his head when he heard the TARDIS materialize beside him.

"Wow, that was a very short relaxation period," he said.

The door opened and the Doctor stuck his head out.

"Yeah," he said, leaning back inside, "he's done up like a Christmas goose but he's fine."

"Oh yuk, yuk, come and get me and get me out of here," Alan said.

Sokanon led Namid outside the door.

"Meemster!"

"Wheels On The Bus!" Namid exclaimed.

"Ugh! Is that my new nickname, you can keep it!" Alan said as they laughed.

The others came outside. Alan smiled at Namor.

"Hi, having fun being a renegade Time Lord?" he said as everyone laughed.

"Um, well, it hasn't been dull, I'll say that much," Namor said.

Jack handed him a knife.

"Here ya go, get in there and get your hands dirty," he said as everyone laughed.

"Wait, is it wise to have the newbie do the cutting? I wanna walk out of here with my wrists intact!" Alan said as he bent down.

"I'll be careful, sheesh," Namor said as he held his wrists steady.

Everyone snickered when Alan let out a yelp the moment Namor started to cut. He apologized when Namor eyed him.

"Sorry, couldn't resist, mate," Alan said.

Namor freed him and he sat up as he rubbed his wrists.

"Thanks, Namor, that feels better," he said to him as he got up.

He picked Namid up and spun her around.

"You...are wonderful. You brought the troops here," he said to her as he hugged her tightly. "You saved me from becoming a mindless Quek which is, I think, that woman's plans."

"Now what do we do?" Awinita asked. "Jump the woman when she comes back in?"

The Doctor scratched his chin thoughtfully. Suddenly, he ran back inside while everyone else watched him.

"What's he up to?" Rose asked.

The Doctor came outside five minutes later with several perception filters and some rope.

"I boosted the TARDISes perception filter so it'll be practically invisible," the Doctor said, "and I want us to all wear perception filters. And Alan, I need you to get tied up again and I want you to find out who Marian is and what she wants."

"Again?" Alan said, looking at the ropes, "not too tight then, alright? My wrists are still hurting from the last time."

They tied him up again and made it look like he had never been freed while the Doctor passed out the perception filters. As he put them around the kid's necks, he instructed them that they had to stand still and not talk so they wouldn't be seen. Alan tried to make himself comfortable while everyone else waited by the TARDIS for Marian to come in. Much to Alan's relief, it was only another ten minutes before she put in an appearance. He stiffened when she came in and relaxed when she took no notice of the TARDIS.

"'Bout time," Alan said. "My wrists and ankles are getting chaffed. It's getting a tad uncomfortable."

"You'll feel even more uncomfortable if you don't shut up," Marian said.

"You know, there's no need to be rude," Alan said. "I would like to be your friend if you'd let me."

Marian snorted.

"I don't make friends with anyone," she said.

"Yeah, cause you enslave them all," Alan said. "Or murder them."

Marian smirked.

"Murdering people is my profession. I'm an assassin for hire."

"I see," Alan said as the Doctor and his family shared looks, "and are you good at what you do?"

"Good? Sweetie, I was born to be an assassin," Marian boasted.

"Really? Why is that?"

Alan's eyes went wide as she suddenly shapeshifted into a young black girl.

"I see. You're a shapeshifter," he said.

"Yes, we Ulu have a natural talent for it."

"Ulu? You're an Ulu?" Alan said.

"Yes. I am."

"I have an Ulu daughter," Alan said.

"What?"

"I said, I have an Ulu daughter."

"Impossible. Ulu stay with their own villages," Marian said.

"You didn't apparently," Alan said.

"I am an outcast."

"Well, I can understand why if you've murdered people," Alan replied. "My daughter is an outcast as well but that's because she helped me and my wife when our plane crashed near her village."

"What's her name?" Marian said.

"Tia."

Marian paused for a moment and then a smirk spread over her face.

"I know her. I remember hearing stories about her being exiled from her village in disgrace. She ended up with a worthless human then?"

"No, because I'm not a human," Alan replied.

"Oh? And what are you then?"

"I'm a Time Lord."

Marian did a double take.

"A Time Lord? But they're extinct," she said.

Alan snorted.

"That's old news, duckie, you apparently didn't get the memo about my race being resurrected and finding a new planet centuries ago."

"So, a high and mighty Time Lord has adopted an Ulu. As what? Your pet?"

"No, I believe I told you she was my daughter and thanks to a little bit of magic, she's no longer an Ulu, she's a Time Lady."

"You lie."

"You wanna come back to New Gallifrey and meet her? I'd be happy to arrange it. Course if you love to murder people, I would have to take precautions since I don't want her ending up dead."

Marian stood and thought for a moment and then she chuckled.

"You know, I might have use for you. If I make you my slave, perhaps you can take me back to your planet so I can do a little harvesting."

The Doctor and the others grinned when Alan laughed out loud at that.

"You think you're just gonna pop in and take my people and pop back out without no one noticing. Sweetheart, this isn't some backwater mudhole we're talking about. New Gallifrey is a fully developed civilization with their own military. They watch our airspace and if you fly up without identifying yourself, they'll shoot you out of the sky."

"Not if you convince them to give us clearance."

Alan snorted.

"Like I would."

"You would if you were my slave."

Alan snorted louder.

"Just try to make a Time Lord your mindless slave and see how far you get with that," he said to her.

"I'm a lot smarter than you think I am, Time Lord."

"Not that smart," Alan said.

"What does that mean?"

"It means there are some things you can see even though they're right there staring at you in the face."

"What does that mean?"

Alan grinned and winked which made Marian angry. The Doctor grabbed Sokanon and Chaska's shoulders when Marian slapped him hard across the face.

"You will not make a fool of me, Time Lord. I'll see you become my slave or you will die!"

"Daddy," Namid whispered fearfully.

Shhh, baby, gotta keep quiet, Rain thought to her. He'll be okay. We're not gonna let anything happen to him.

They watched while Marian pulled out a knife, cut the ropes around Alan's ankles and hauled him to his feet.

"March!" Marian snarled at him.

Namor, can you watch the children while we follow them? The Doctor thought.

Namor nodded and the Doctor and Rose gave their children quick kisses before Namor came over to them. They clustered around Namor while the Doctor beckoned to everyone else and they followed Marian as she ushered Alan out of the room.

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