PARENTHOOD

Chapter Eighty

While Doc took the children on the merry-go-round, the Doctor walked with Rain. He was telling her of his decision to train the children in self defense and how he would tailor Namid's regimen to accommodate her blindness.

"Any ideas on how to do that, Thete?" Rain asked him.

"Well, I had one idea. You see, in order to know where her opponent is, she'll have to have her hearing sharpened and I think I can ask the TARDIS to come up with a way to work on her hearing by giving her a hearing test. The sounds will start out at a normal range but slowly get fainter and fainter causing her to really have to hear them."

"I like that. I'm glad you're going to teach them some self-defense especially since kooks are starting to come after them now."

"Precisely why I want them to know how to take care of themselves. They need to start now anyway so they'll be ready when they come of age and come with me to more dangerous places."

They were passing by Alan and Rose. Without warning, the Doctor's hand shot up and smacked his brother on the back of the head.

"OW!" Alan said as Rose bent over laughing and the Doctor and Rain quickly sped up. "Bloody hell, that hurt. Right! Come along, Starlight. I must have my revenge now!"

Rose and Alan sped up and followed the Doctor and Rain through the sparse crowd. The Doctor and Rain looked over their shoulders and sped up as Alan and Rose increased their speed. The Doctor glanced over and saw Tara talking with Dex near a game booth. He led Rain over to them and adopted a casual air while he whistled. Tara and Dex looked at him and looked at Rain.

"Okay, what's he done now?" Tara said to her mother.

Rain gestured to Alan who was standing a few feet away snorting like a bull and pawing the ground while Rose giggled.

"What'd you do?" Tara asked the Doctor.

"Gave my brother a playful tap on the back of the head," he said.

"Tap, my arse. You slapped me," Alan said as he came over towards the Doctor. "And now you must pay the price."

"Water pistol game then!" the Doctor said, pointing to the game booth beside them.

Alan studied it and nodded.

"You're on," he said as he walked over to it.

The Doctor stepped up to the counter. Both men paid the man behind it with credit sticks and grabbed their iron water pistols while the others watched. They hunched over, positioning their guns so they'd hit the open mouth of a cartoon clown. Above him was a balloon that went up a metal track to the top where a light would come on and a buzzer would sound. Both brothers smiled when their family members pretended to bet on the outcome. Alan looked around at his wife.

"Put ten quid down for me, duckie!" he said to her.

His eyes widened when the buzzer sounded as he was talking. Cursing, he jerked his head back around and shot a stream of water at the mouth, aware that the Doctor's balloon was already climbing up the track. The buzzer rang and Alan cursed when the Doctor won.

"Sorry, Brother, if you weren't busy placing fake bets you might have won," he said to him.

The man minding the booth reached behind the counter and handed the Doctor his prize. The women laughed when the Doctor stared at a cheaply made green alien with a yellow duck bill. The Doctor thanked the man politely and moved away from the booth. As soon as they were far enough away, the Doctor tried to give the alien to his wife.

"I don't want that crappy thing," Rain said, making a face. "What the hell is it supposed to be, a platypus alien or something?"

"Here, Brother, you can have the prize," the Doctor said.

"Not on your life," Alan said.

"Rose?" the Doctor said, offering it to her.

"No thanks. I have enough crappy things at home without adding to it."

"Tara?"

"Not if you paid me."

"Dex?"

"No thanks, Father. I can do without the cheap alien plushie," he said.

"Drat, who wants it?" the Doctor said, looking around.

He noticed a little girl walking by him.

"Excuse me, little girl. Want a plushie?" he said, showing it to her.

"Ooo, thanks."

"No problem, enjoy."

"Damn, I was hoping you'd get stuck with it," Rain said after the child took it and walked away.

He smiled when Doc walked up with the children.

"Daddy, the merry-go-round was fun," Sokanon said.

"Yeah, come and ride something with us now," Namid said, taking his hand.

"What's wrong, Doc not fun enough for ya?" the Doctor said.

"I want both my daddies and my mummy to ride with me," she said.

"But I'm still upset about not giving blood," the Doctor said.

The children giggled and urged him to go as they tugged at his hands. The Doctor gave a melodramatic sigh and rolled his eyes.

"Okay, okay, I'm coming. Don't wanna spend the rest of this regeneration with no arms," he said as Rain patted him on the shoulder and followed him.

The others fell in behind him as the children and Doc led them back towards the rides. On the way there, Alan had a thought when he saw Namid's ereader still hanging from her neck.

"Meemster, can I borrow your ereader for a momento?" he said, hurrying up to her side.

"Why?" Namid demanded.

"'Cause!" Alan said as Namid giggled.

Namid handed it to him.

"Thanks muchly, just wanna check the Gallifreyan newspaper today and see if there's anything that needs my help."

"Oh puh-leeze, get over yourself," Tara said as everyone laughed.

Alan found the link to the Gallifreyan newspaper and uploaded it. He perused it while they walked, keeping an eye on where they were going. He stopped with them when they stopped in front of a large building. It was a water ride and had two arched tunnels in the front of the ride with a semicircular track of water in between them. At the front was a wooden platform where people waited to get into the wooden boats before they went around and into the tunnel. The outside was painted to look like a field with a man and woman running across it, clearly in love with two hearts above their heads. At the top in big red letters was painted, Tunnel of Love. The Doctor looked at Rain.

"Feel like riding the Tunnel of Love with me?"

"Okay," she said.

"Can we come with you?" Chaska asked.

"Well, um...we wanted to be alone so we could kiss."

He grinned when the children made faces and said, "Ewww," to that. Rose looked at Alan who was still perusing the electronic paper.

"Do you wanna go or do you wanna read the newspaper?" she asked him.

"Yeah, I'll go with you," he said, taking her hand.

The children climbed the wooden steps up to the platform along with Doc, the Doctor and Rain and Alan and Rose. Tara and Dex went to look at a nearby game booth while they waited for the boats. When they came around they noticed that there was enough room for four so the Doctor and Rain got in the front and Namid and Sokanon got in the back. The next one came ten seconds later and Rose, Alan, Doc, Chaska and Christopher all squeezed into it. Alan continued to read the ereader as the boat curved around and went into the tunnel. The screen lit up so Alan continued to read while Rose put his arm around his shoulders.

"You know, this isn't really romantic since you're busy reading that," she said to him.

"Someone committed suicide and I think I know who it is," Alan said.

"What? Who committed suicide?" Doc said as Christopher looked at his cousin.

"Um...I think he was a student of mine back at the academy. His name was Laroc," Alan said grimly as Rose squeezed his shoulder. "If it's who I think it is, he was a very bright student. Had a lot of promise and wanted to be a painter. According to this, he had marital problems. His lives mate was gonna leave him and he was distraught so he took two guns and shot both his hearts. Died instantly."

"Oh, Alan, I'm sorry," Rose said sadly.

"Yeah, funeral and cremation is tomorrow night."

"You wanna go to it?" Rose said.

"I'd like to if you don't mind. I'm pretty sure this is the Laroc I taught and I'd like to pay my last respects."

"Sure. I'll go with you," Rose said.

While they were talking, Doc telegraphed what was happening to the Doctor and he saw him turn around with Rain, a shocked look on his face.

Brother, I'm sorry to hear that, he thought to Alan.

Yeah, he was a good kid, I had high hopes for him, Alan thought sadly.

Namor, did you know a Laroc, was in Alan's class when he taught at the academy, the Doctor thought to him.

No, but I heard what happened. I'm sorry to hear that, Alan, that's terrible, Namor thought back.

Yeah, I hope he's at peace now if he was that tormented, Alan thought sadly.

Rose gave him a sideways hug and kissed his cheek. She glanced back figuring Chaska or Christopher would comment on the yuckiness of it but both remained silent. She turned back around as the boat turned a bend. She heard the Doctor say, "What in the world?" just before they turned and she saw why he exclaimed that when suddenly they were in the middle of a fake spooky forest with fake lightning and thunder crashing overhead. Alan frowned as he and Doc looked up.

"Okay, what has this to do with love?" he said as the two boys giggled.

"It's because love is horrible and scary," Chaska said.

Alan and Rose looked at them as the boys giggled.

"If it wasn't for love, you wouldn't be here, my dear boy," Alan said. "So I wouldn't be so quick to diss it."

"BOOOOO!"

They jumped when a fake ghost jumped out of the trees and yelled at them. Rain looked back at them.

"Gee, why does Rip-off Disney suddenly come to mind?"

"Rip-off Disney?" Christopher said as Alan, Doctor and Rose giggled.

"It was this odd amusement park we went to in China centuries before you were born," Alan said. "A lot of the rides were shoddy and boring and they had cheap stuff in them like that ghost."

"Sounds naff," Doc said.

"Actually, we had a giggle going through it," Alan said to him.

A wistful smile spread over his face.

"That was the day we learned who Morana really was!" he yelled.

Rain howled with laughter as the Doctor turned beet red and looked back at him.

"Mate..." he said, pointing his finger at Alan, "be quiet about that."

"Who's Morana?" Chaska asked.

Alan looked at Rose who was trying not to laugh.

"Should we inform him who Morana is?" he said to her.

Rose looked at the Doctor who was giving her a pointed look.

"I have a feeling if we do, we won't be long for this world," Rose said.

"Who's Morana?" Chaska repeated impatiently.

"Brother, let me explain, don't say anything," the Doctor yelled to him.

Alan gave him the thumbs up and shrugged when both Chaska and Christopher pressed him for information.

"Talk to the man up there. I'm keeping my lips zipped," he said as the boys groaned.

Alan was giggling the rest of the ride because he could tell the boys wanted to know who Morana was. When the boat finally reached the platform, they couldn't get out fast enough. They went over to the Doctor who was letting out a gleeful laugh as Rain poked him playfully in the side. By this time, the children were gathered around him and Doc was nearby, listening out of curiosity.

"Okay, who's Morana?" Christopher asked.

"Me," the Doctor said, pointing to himself.

"Huh? I thought your name was Doctor," Christopher said.

"It is. But I was once known as Morana."

Christopher gave him an odd look when he, Rain, Alan and Rose giggled. He tousled his nephew's hair.

"Come on, I'll tell you the story while we walk," he said to them as he headed for the stairs.

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