PARENTHOOD

Chapter One Hundred and Seventy Six

Faith giggled while Adam carried her to the couch and was careful not to bump the Little Mermaid sling Grace had given her. Duer sat on the couch when he reached out for her and Adam gently lowered her onto Duer's lap. Faith was still a little groggy as she placed her head against his shoulder and Duer kissed her head, gently wrapping his arms around her.

Frankie sat next to Duer while Cameron went into the kitchen and Adam knelt next to the couch, stroking Faith's hair.

"I am so sorry," he said softly as Faith smiled at him and wiggled her finger for him to come closer. Adam moved closer when she grabbed hold of his nose and pulled. "Owie!"

"Stop being sorry," she said as he rubbed his nose and smiled. He gave her a hurt look when she kissed the tip of his nose and he ruffled her hair.

"Ok, I'll stop," he said then stood up and scratched the back of his neck. "Guess I should go. Marion's waiting and I think I'm about to get a lecture about being more careful."

"You could stay here," Faith said as he looked down at her and smiled.

"Nah, I think I need a good lecture," he said then leaned over and went nose to nose with her. "Besides, if I give her sad puppy eyes, she turns into mush and I get cuddles. I do love me a good cuddle!"

He kissed the top of Faith's head then turned on his heels and left the house, closing the door behind him.

"Is Marion going to lecture him?" Frankie asked while Duer stroked Faith's hair and placed his feet on the coffee table.

"No, though I think she'll give him some cuddles," Duer said as he sighed and looked at Faith. "As for you, do you promise to never climb up the slide again?"

"Yep," Faith said, popping the "p".

"Good," he said when Cameron walked back into the room with a bowl of chocolate ice cream surrounded by whipped cream and white chocolate sauce dribbled down the ice cream. "Is that for me?"

"No," Cameron said when Faith sat up and Cameron knelt next to the couch, handing her the spoon.

"For me?" she asked with wide eyes.

"Yep, can't let my little sister sit here all broken and hurt, can I? She needs cheering up!" Cameron said as Duer winked at him and Faith moved forward a bit so Cameron could kiss her lips. She scooped up some of the ice cream when she placed the ice ceram in her mouth then scooped up some more and offered it to Cameron. Cameron opened his mouth as she placed the ice cream in his mouth then fed some to Duer and he licked the whipped cream off his lips. Faith finally fed some ice cream to Frankie when she handed the bowl to Frankie and snuggled against Duer.

"Tell me a story, Daddy," she said as he placed his head against the top of her head and stroked her hair.

"What sort of story?" he asked.

"Can I hear one about Dex?"

"Okey dokey!" he said, wrapping his arms around her and gently rocked her back and forth.

(Duer's universe)

Gallifrey

"Decided to come home, have you?" Duer's wife, Arianka, asked while Duer walked into the room and the door hissed closed behind him. He had always regretted marrying her, but the marriage had been arranged before they were loomed and he sighed, running his fingers through his blonde hair. His hair hadn't become white yet, but he did look like his first life and he rolled his eyes.

"Yes, I have decided to come home," he said as he walked by the white chair and looked out the window. The burnt orange sky was clear as the sunlight shimmered off the dome and the hove cars moved silently overhead. "Where are the children?"

"They are out doing what you should be doing," she said as he blinked and half closed his eyes.

"You mean they're doing Council business," he said and could feel the anger in her mind. "Where is Dex?"

"He is in his room," she said as he turned and looked at her.

"Why is he in his room, hmm?"

"He was sent home from the academy...again!" Arianka half growled and Duer slightly smiled.

"What did he do this time?" he asked as he walked toward her and Arianka snorted, folding her arms over her chest.

"He nearly blew up the science lab....again! Professor Malchar's eyebrows were burned off," she said and Duer covered his mouth while he laughed. "It's not funny! He could have killed someone!"

"Oh, Ari, he was probably having fun and accidentally mixed the wrong chemicals. I used to do that all the time."

"Yes, and that it what I am afraid of," she said and balled her fingers into fists. "He is too much like you!"

"And what is wrong with that, hmm?" he asked with a smug look on his face and she growled.

"You are reckless! You wander off and are gone for months at a time! You make your own rules and don't care about the consequences!"

"What? I do care about the consequences of my actions!"

"No, you are just like Koschei!" she shouted as his eyes turned into tight slits and he glared at her.

"What did you say?" he growled and she slowly backed away from him. "I am NOTHING like him!"

"No, you're worse! You are a freak!" she shouted as the anger boiling inside him pounded in his ears and he balled his hands into fists. "You heard me! You are a freak! You weren't even loomed! You're nothing more than a...."

"You better not finish that sentence!" he growled then stormed out of the room and headed down the hallway. Leaning against the wall, Duer looked at the ceiling while sliding down the wall and drew his legs up. Placing his face in his hands, he tried not to cry when he felt someone sending love and comfort into his mind and lifted his head, seeing nine year old Dex standing in front of him. Dex was wearing his academy robes as he held onto the teddy bear Duer had brought home from one of his trips to Earth and he looked like he had been crying.

"Are you alright, Father?" Dex asked as he sat next to Duer and Duer let him snuggle closer, wrapping his arms around him.

"Yes, Lasau, I'm fine," he said and rubbed Dex' arm.

"I heard you and Mother fighting. Was it because of me?" he asked and Duer sighed, nodding his head. "I'm sorry."

"No, there is no need to be sorry. I used to do things like that," he said and lifted Dex' chin up to look into his eyes. "From our mistakes, we learn the right solution."

"Who said that?"

"I did!" Duer said with wide eyes and Dex giggled. "Now, would you like to come with me on an adventure, hmm?'

"You mean I can go with you in the TARDIS?" Dex asked with wide eyes.

"Isn't that what I just asked?" he asked and Dex giggled.

"Yes," he said with a nod of his head and they got up. Duer held him to his side as they walked down the hallway and ignored the glares from Arianka.

"Why was she so mean, Daddy?" Faith asked as Duer sighed and kissed the top of her head.

"Well, Butterfly, she just didn't like me. She thought I should act like the other Time Lords, being boring and not caring what happened to people, but that wasn't me! I'm a natural busybody and I love poking my nose in people's business. I cared about what was going on and did my best to help them. True, I failed more than I succeeded, but at least I tried."

"Why did she say that you were a freak?" Cameron asked.

"You both know that I was born naturally, right?" he asked and they nodded their heads. "Well, that made me a freak among the Time Lords. No one else had a bellybutton and some of them thought me inferior and I should have been destroyed."

"My father included," Duer thought after setting up a privacy blocked and sighed, closing his eyes for a second.

"Then why did she marry you?" Faith asked.

"It was one of those arranged marriages. If I had a choice, I would have waited until I met your mother to get married," he said and Frankie moved closer, kissing his cheek. "Now where was I?"

"You and Dex were going on a trip," Faith said as she snuggled closer and he wrapped his arms around her.

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