PARENTHOOD

Chapter One Hundred Thirty Three

The Doctor sighed as he sat up from the grate. He was tuning up the console and needed a break. His TARDIS was currently in the garage of their house on New Gallifrey so he decided to go inside and get a snack. He closed the panel door and stood up. He went out the door and went inside the main part of the house. He smelled the tempting aroma of grilled cheese and heard it frying and his stomach growled. He figured Rain was making one for their four year old daughter, Hope, but he had a sudden craving for one too.

The moment he entered the kitchen, Hope slid out of her chair at the table and ran up to him.

"Go 'way, Creepy," she said.

The Doctor stared at the impish grin on his face and one of his own spread over his face while he slowly moved his fingers. He brought his arms out while he wiggled his fingers.

"TICKLE!" he bellowed in a deep voice.

"Oops, you better run, baby, he's gonna get ya," Rain said to her.

"I'M NOT AFRAID OF THE OLD WINDBAG!" Hope yelled as she walked up to him.

Rain bent over laughing at the shocked look on her husband's face.

"Windbag?" he said as Rain laughed harder. "Ooooh, that tears it, your grilled cheese is mine now!"

"No! Go 'way," Hope said, pushing on his legs.

The Doctor calmly stood and watched while his daughter struggled to make him move. Rain took a sip of milk and laughed when she saw how hard Hope was trying to move the Doctor while he put his hands in his trouser pockets and stared down at her in silence. Finally, after a minute, Hope gave up and the two of them stood there and stared at one another.

"Ha, I won!" the Doctor said to her.

The Doctor ran out of the room when Hope squealed and chased after him.

"You come back here and get a spankin'!" Rain heard Hope squeal.

She chuckled and turned off the burner.

"Baby, your grilled cheese is done," she called out.

"Ha ha, I got grilled cheese and you don't," she heard Hope say.

There was a pounding of feet and the Doctor zoomed into the room while Hope protested. He put the grilled cheese on a plate with the spatula and held it up triumphantly when Hope ran in.

"Ha ha, I got grilled cheese and you don't," the Doctor said.

"I want my grilled cheese," Hope said, coming up to him and looking up at his face.

"What'll you give me for it?" the Doctor asked.

Hope ran out of the room.

"Hmmm, I wonder what she'll give me for it," the Doctor said to Rain.

Hope returned two minutes later with her Dora the Explorer eiderdown. She laid it at the Doctor's feet and looked up at him.

"This?" the Doctor said while Rain laughed. "What makes you think I want this?"

"It's snuggly soft. I'll give it to you for the grilled cheese."

The Doctor pretended to think that over.

"Hmmm, snuggly soft verses grilled cheese...I can't decide. Do I want a warm body or a warm belly? Hmmmm..."

The Doctor put the plate of grilled cheese up on top of the refrigerator, grabbed the blanket and put it around his daughter. She squealed when he snatched her and the blanket up and held her close to his body.

"Now..." he said while Hope giggled. "I think we'll go in here for a moment..."

Rain watched while the Doctor left the room. The moment he was gone, she took the plate down from the refrigerator. Suddenly, she heard Hope's hysterical laughter followed by the Doctor yelling out, GITCHEE GITCHEE! Hope ran back in the kitchen and hid behind her mother's legs as the Doctor strolled into the kitchen, whistling shrilly with his hands in his pockets. He stopped in front of Rain and leaned over slightly to stare at his daughter.

"Gitchee, gitchee, remember that," he said, taking the plate from Rain. "I am the Oncoming Tickler and I will use force if necessary. So beware!"

"I want my grilled cheeeeeeese," Hope whined.

"Ooooh, okay...here ya go," he said, handing her the plate. "Just remember me when I'm huddled in a corner, cold and hungry, because I didn't get a grilled cheese."

The Doctor feigned weeping while he bent his head and slowly shuffled out of the kitchen. Rain looked at Hope who was watching him go.

"Good, you go 'way and leave me alone!" she yelled when he left the kitchen.

The Doctor came back in the room and stared at Rain.

"Latara, did the bonding process between me and her take place?" he said, poking Hope on the top of the head while she giggled. "Because I seem to recall the daughters must love fathers who love them and not wish them to be huddled in a corner, cold and hungry. Did I do something wrong? Do I need to cut open my stomach, shove her in and carry her for nine months so we can bond?"

"Bye, Daddy," Hope said as she walked past him with the plate into the living room.

"Would making a stomach womb and carrying her around work?" the Doctor said to Rain. "Perhaps if I use that snuggle rucksack thing where you carry the child in front of you while you shop. Would that be enough?"

Rain laughed when Hope ran in, smacked his butt hard and ran back out.

"Or..." the Doctor mused as he rubbed his chin, "perhaps I could spank the living daylights outta her and just fill her full of fear and fearful respect for me. That might be better than bonding."

Hope came back inside, munching on her grilled cheese.

"Mmmm," she said while the Doctor eyed her. "It's GOOD!"

She ran back out while Rain laughed.

"Or tying her to a tree and whipping her unmercifully until blood runs down her body like mini-waterfalls, perhaps that's the solution to this problem," the Doctor mused.

"I think the problem, Thete, is she's your child and she acts like it," Rain said.

"Yes, which is why a good tree whipping might be in order for the little renegade or perhaps a head shove in the loo followed by thirty flushes...Or chain her leg to a stake and get a bear to menace her or..."

He trailed off when Hope came back inside the room, walked over to his pocket and stuck her hand inside it.

"Ahem!" the Doctor said while Hope giggled. "What do you think you are doing?"

"Looking for stuff," Hope said while she ran her hand through his pocket.

"How about if I put my hand on your bum and say that I'm looking for stuff while I whip you unmercifully?"

"You wouldn't whip me, I'm cute," Hope said, pausing in her search to look up at him.

"No, my dear," the Doctor said to Rain, "I think the child's inherited your personality."

"Hope, go and eat your sandwich and let your father rest for awhile," Rain said to her daughter.

Hope took her hand out of his pocket and went back in the other room. The Doctor walked over to the door, peeked out and noticed Hope was settling down behind the coffee table. Her plate was on top of it and she began to eat while she watched TV. The Doctor winked at Rain, opened the kitchen window and climbed out. He walked over to the big bay window by the door and stood at it, staring intently at Hope. Hope, sensing someone was looking at her, turned her head and giggled when he saw her father's intense expression. Then suddenly, the Doctor slammed his hands against the window and bulged his eyes while he pressed his lips to the window. Hope laughed while he made silly faces. And she got up and carried her sandwich over to the window. While he was doing this, Alan was walking by with Rose. They both stopped short and stood on the pavement beside the house, staring at the Doctor. Alan sauntered up to the window and looked inside. Hope squealed with delight and pointed to Alan. The Doctor jerked back and looked at Alan.

"Bored?" Alan said to him.

"I'm entertaining the wee one," the Doctor said to him.

"Ah! Okey-dokey."

Hope laughed when Alan turned around, pressed his butt to the window and pointed to it. Hope smacked the window and Alan jerked his head around and stared at her in shock. The Doctor laughed when Alan ran to the door, opened it and glared at Hope while she squealed and ran for the kitchen.

"VENGEANCE!" Alan screamed while Hope ran around her mother and hid.

Alan ran in the kitchen and bowed to Rain.

"Good day, sister of mine. I am seeking a little miscreant, have you seen her hereabouts? I need to tickle her till no breath remains in her body."

"Um...no, haven't seen the miscreant, sorry," Rain said while Hope giggled behind her.

"Blast. Good day then, Madam," he said with a bow.

Hope peeked out from behind Rain's legs when Alan turned and left. Rain looked at her.

"Are you being naughty?" she said to her daughter.

Hope shook her head emphatically and Rain tousled her hair. The Doctor appeared at the window.

"Is there a pest inside this kitchen? We need to exterminate it," he said.

His eyes bulged when Hope ran over to him. Hope laughed when he let out a high-pitched "Eeee!" and ran away. Rose came to the window and tousled her hair.

"Is your father and uncle being silly?" Rose said to her.

"Yes."

Rose gasped when the Doctor seized her around the middle.

"Greetings, Tarty! I need to keep you away from my daughter so you don't corrupt her!"

Hope laughed and leaned out the window as the Doctor let go of Rose and ran away while he chased her. Alan ran up to the window, leaned down and got nose to nose with his niece.

"This is just like Benny Hill, huh?" he said before he ran away.

Rain came over and bent down beside her.

"They're silly, aren't they?" she asked Hope.

"Yes. I like when they make me laugh," Hope said to her.

"So do I, baby, so do I," Rain said, giving her a hug and a kiss.

Back                         Home                              Doctor Who Main Page                          Next