Reunions

by warinbabylon

A prequel of sorts to the Lost Children; first of six stories. Part of the Nowhere Series

Disclaimer: It all belongs to BBC. Really, I just play. And play and play and play. Who needs reality anyway.

Authors Notes: Well, I had this pointed out recently that the boy in this story was the same name that I had used in the Lost Children. So I thought I might put this up as a prequel of sorts to that story. This is part of a series that I have written entitled: Nowhere Series. You can guess why. Doesn't take a lot of thought. There are five other stories that lead up to why it is so important that the character of Michael is on that space station in the Lost Children. Hope you enjoy them as just stories and for that purpose. And as always, I love feedback. So.fire away.

****

"No, Michael," Tegan gently reminded her son. "For pity's sake,
don't eat that"

"Tegan" Samantha Jovanka chided her youngest daughter. "He's a
little boy. All little boys eat dirt."

"I would prefer if my little boy wouldn't," Tegan groused as she rose
from the blanket. After a couple of quick swipes at her legs, she
cleared the sand them. "Keep an eye on Amy, please? I'm
going to go get my little terror before he crawls back into the
waves."

Her mother clucked her tongue in agitation. Tegan was a very good
mother in her estimation if not a bit overprotective. She had often
wondered aloud about her daughter's attitude toward her children.
The answer was as much the same now as it was when Amy had been born
five years before: "I learned that the universethe worldisn't a
safe place, Mom."

And since Thomas had passed away a year before, she agreed with her
daughter. But still, sometimes Tegan's mothering instinct went a bit
far.

She didn't muse long as Tegan rejoined her mother, carrying her
infant son on her hip. They were both soaked.

"Washed him off in the sea, did you?"

"I had to, Mom," Tegan laughed, removing her bikini strap from her
son's hand. "He was head to toe with grains and mud. Do you think
we ought to take them back to the hotel for a n-a-p?"

Samantha nodded quickly. After several minutes of collecting games
and toys and blankets and towels, they were ready to leave. Tegan
kept Michael balanced on her hip precariously as she tucked
everything else into a bag. With a sigh, she shook her head. "I
miss Tom all the time," she admitted. "But when I'm trying to get
these two munchkins together"

Her mother agreed silently. She knew that Tegan missed her husband
dreadfully. "Well, I'm here with you now," she said
practically. "And until we go home."

Tegan's smile returned quickly. "Yes, Mom, and I do appreciate it.
There, that does it," she grit out, bouncing her son on her hip as
she scooped up the last of his toys. "And I do love that you and Dad
paid for this vacation. When I get back to London, I've got to close
down the house and move us. And the job will start"

Her granddaughter was already pulling off Samantha towards the
looming building. Tegan laughed. Her daughter was very much as she
had been as a child: headstrong and full of energy. She grabbed the
last bag and began to walk up the dunes as well. She only hesitated when she reached
the pathway between the mountains of sand.

If she hadn't been looking off to the side, toward the waves, she
wouldn't have seen him. But he obviously had seen her. His ever
present tan coat was missing and in its place was a colorful vest.
The rest of him, however, was obviously quite the same. Her steps
drew to a complete stop and she felt a lump growing in her throat
much like a root crop might grow in the proper soil. She supposed it
was obvious to him and anyone else that might have been watching her
that she was in shock.

His movements betrayed his disbelief as well. A well-formed hand
pulled his panama hat from his head. He slightly ducked and, to a
sudden level of humor in her mind, gaped at her. As several children
ran around him, she frowned at the distinct contrast of happy
children running about his feet in the face of the end of the
universe situations that usually followed her friend around. But
despite of that and despite the years and the last time that they had
parted ways, Tegan was very glad to see the Doctor again.

It appeared that he wanted to not greet her, but then certain steadfastness
came over him and he began to walk toward her, dodging children,
reclining sunbathers and sandcastles alike. She stood her ground,
although there was nagging at the back of her mind to run, to protect
her child, and her family. Soon he stood even with her, his blue
eyes shrouded in shadow and his blond hair blowing in the breeze.

"Tegan."

A simple greeting, she supposed. A laughable one and she found her
lips breaking into a smile. After all that they had gone through in
their time together, it was as if he were bumping into her in the
TARDIS corridors for all the banality of his voice and words.

"Doctor," she returned, squinting at him in the sun. "I never
thought I would see you again."

He frowned and slipped his hands into his pockets. "Yes, well,
Tegan. You know the TARDIS"

"So you didn't plan on seeing me again," she bit out. She nodded
when his eyes turned wary. "That's just the way of it, I suppose.
Hello and all that, Doc, and take care. Hail well met and happy
landings. Now, if you would excuse me" she turned, shifting her
son on her hip. She made two steps before she felt the familiar yet
not touch at her arm.

"Tegan."

With her back to him, it was easier to take a full breath. And a
full breath gave her energy to launch into a tirade, but his calming
deep voice stopped hers before she could get started. "I am glad to
see you again."

She wilted unexpectedly, her head falling forward. Michael pulled on
her bikini strap and worried at her hair for a moment. "Why are you
here?" she asked quietly, her arm tightening on her child. "What end
of the universe have you brought with you?"

His fingers relaxed and released her. She heard his hand hit his
thigh before his sigh erupted above and behind her ear. "I'm not
here for anything. I was simply taking a walk. Peri is visiting a
friend."

"Peri?"

"My new companion," he answered quietly. She glanced sideways at him
and saw his face serious and tight under the brim of his hat. "She
joined me after you."

Tegan nodded, once and quickly. "Soit hasn't been all that long for
you?"

"About one year, I suppose."

She faced him fully again, bouncing Michael on her hip. The Doctor
continued, offering a slight smile. "It's hard to tell time in the
TARDIS, you know. Turlough traveled with me until just about last
week by a certain reckoning. And then Peri joined."

Tegan rolled her eyes and glanced at her son as he fussed. The
Doctor's gaze moved from her face to the child she held and
softened. She shook her head slowly. "It's been more than a year
for me, Doc."

"I can see that."

"He's mine."

"Your only?" he asked gently.

"No. Amy is five, Michael just passed nine months," she sighed as
Michael began to fuss more loudly. "And he is in desperate need of a
nap. Doc, it's been nice seeing you, but I do have to get Michael
back to the hotel and my mother"

He glanced down at her hands and at the child and then finally behind
him. In the distance, she saw the TARDIS nestled in the dunes.
Turning, there was a fair amount of resignation in his eyes. "You
look like you have your hands full, Tegan. Could I lend a hand?"

"Your companion?" Tegan croaked out quickly.

"She's not due back until tomorrow. Truly, you do look like you
could use the help."

Tegan stared at her old friend and was hit with a wave of nostalgia
that threatened to overwhelm her. He looked as young as he had when
she had left him, running through the warehouse and into London.
If she concentrated hard enough she was sure that she would feel the
tangy touch of fog against her skin and hear the sound of the TARDIS
wheezing out of existence. The profound feeling that a great wind
had blown past or a train leaving the station for the last time gave
her back the deep depression she had had after she had left him that
last time.

She had traveled all of time and space with this pseudo-man; she had
seen wonders that no other human had yet experienced. And yet here
he stood, surrounded by sunbathers and children, sand and sea
greeting her as though he were simply a friend, an acquaintance
rather than someone she had saved and had been saved by more times
than she wanted to admit or could count for that matter. It was
strange and despite her want to walk away and leave, she wanted him
to stay. "Carry the bag?" she asked, quietly, offering him a little
olive branch drenched in mundane everyday life.

His smile showed her that he understood and he seemed out of place
himself as he reached to take the burden from her arm. She began to
walk away, back toward the hotel and up the path. His long stride
had not changed and he gained on her, falling into step along side
her. He looked down at the bag and at Tegan his eyebrows raised high
over his eyes. "Tegan, do you have me carrying a diaper bag?"

"Yes." It was said simply, but she could barely keep the laughter
out of her voice. "You asked to help."

"Hmm."

They trudged up the dune and to the gate at the hotel. He leaned
over it to open it for her and her son and closed it behind them
soundly. Tegan was shaking by the time they encountered the pavement
near the entrance door. Michael sensed her unease and quieted,
playing with her bathing suit. It seemed all unreal, all too
strange. It was a clashing of two periods of her life.

A cool hand cupped her elbow and another gently touched her shoulder
near her son. She glanced at him, speechless.

"Let's getto his nap and thenwe'll talk?" he offered
quietly, very quietly.

And as she had so many times in the past, she agreed.

**

It must have been Tegan showing up at the door with a man in tow that
made Samantha Jovanka disappear quickly with both of her
grandchildren. She simply gave her daughter a smile and retreated to
the adjoining room.

"She's going to think I harpooned you on the beach and brought you in
here," Tegan joked.

"Yes, well" he looked uneasy.

"I've never told her about my 'traveling days', Doc. I told her I
went here and there and found myself those two years I was missing.
I never told her about youbesides you were a friend who looked
out for me," Tegan reassured. Suddenly feeling weird, she went to
the closet and gathered a large beach shirt and slipped into it.
When that was done, and her armor was in place, she turned to him
again. "There was no point of saying otherwise."

"Very true. How long has it been, Tegan?" he asked, slowly sitting
in the chair by the window. To her, he looked a little more at
ease.

She closed her eyes. With a vicious shake, she banished the memories
of her last time with him from her mind. "Give or take a couple of
months, close to seven years."

"Seven," he replied, nodding solemnly. "And you've married."

"Married happily for five of those years, yes," she hedged. She
slowly sank into the other chair and pulled back the drape to let in
the late tropical sun. She felt better with the light.

"And two children"

"Amy and Michael," she replied. And then suddenly she harshly
stated: "Doctor, please."

"What?" he asked confused. She could see his youthful face
crunching in pain.

"This can't happen. You aren't in my life now. You can't be."

"I didn't plan this," he rumbled warningly. "Truthfully. I would
have never expected you in Morocco."

"That doesn't matter," she shot back, angry. "You can't be here.
You should have never approached me; you should have kept walking."

"Teganto meyou've been gone a very short time. And the way you
leftyou have to admit that I would have an amount of curiosity about
what happened to you"

"I'm fine."

"I can see that."

Tegan rubbed her thighs, agitated. "You don't like to visit
companions, old friends, Doctor. You told me that was why we
couldn't visit Nyssa. So now that you know I'm all rightyou can
leave"

"What's the matter?" he asked in return, not budging from his
seat. "Hmm? You were never one for hiding a problem or your
emotions, Tegan. That much, surely, hasn't changed."

"Go back to the Universe," she warned. "Leave me to my life, please."

"I might be able to help."

"I don't much care for your type of help, thank you very much," she
protested.

His mouth tightened into a thin line. "I could listen."

"You could," she admitted. "But what good would it do?"

"Tegan" he sighed agitated. "I only wanted to see you and talk to
you."

"And relieve a certain amount of guilt," she nearly snarled.
Turning, she caught his look of surprise. "I've guessed it right.
You had guilt when I left you, didn't you?"

"You ran from me," he muttered under his breath and then with
strength. "After three years, Tegan, you ran from me, as though I
were the harbinger of doom. Yes, of course, there was guilt. You
had seen too much."

Tegan gave a nod quickly. "I understand. I do. And yes, I was
scared, hurt and I couldn't handle seeing any more people die, any
more mechanical evil beings explode, and I couldn't see you turn into
a murderer. But now that you've relieved your guilt, you can leave
I'm fine and you aren't the evil being of the universe, all right?"

He leaned forward and steepled his fingers under his chin. "What's
the matter, Tegan?"

"This is life, Doc, nothing you can fix," she angrily sighed, sinking
back into a chair.

Surprisingly a cool hand covered hers on her knee. "I'd like to
offer help if I can, and I can't if you don't tell me what's wrong."

"Guilt again, always guilt with you" she whispered.

"Concern. Tell me."

Tegan was embarrassed to hear the words tumbling out of her mouth
before she could stop them. This, she thought at the back of her
mind, was why he was always able to get people to talk to
him. "Thomas and I were married just over a year after I left you.
He was an engineer and worked on petroleum platforms, building them.
He was wonderful, sweet. And we," Tegan lowered her eyes from the
Doctor, almost embarrassed to admit something that she had always
deemed 'off limits' to the Time Lord. "We were very much in love.
Amy was born just over a year later and I got pregnant with Michael
about two years after that."

"It sounds wonderful," the Doctor stated quietly. "Very idyllic."

Tegan shook her head. "Thomas died in an accident on the last petrol
platform that he was working on a year ago. I was seven months
pregnant with Michael."

His blue eyes widened and she beat him to his next question by
answering it first. "I carried him full term mostly thanks to my
folks. It wasn't easy, though. And it hasn't been easy for Amy
either. She was just old enough to really know her dad. She misses
him. I've tried not to"

A humming noise that was meant to encourage her was issued from the
Doctor and she reacted much differently. "This is just life, Doc.
Nothing you can do."

He contemplated her, tilting his head slightly to the side. "It's
brought back a lot of your other fears, hasn't it? The shouting, the
shooting, the running"

Tegan shook her head once quickly and then slowly began to nod.

"And it's made you afraid for them. And afraid for yourself."

"And it's made me alone," Tegan choked out, surprising herself. "I
miss him"

The Doctor slowly slid from the chair and crouched in front of her as
tears slowly began to fall. "Of course you do, Tegan. You love him."

She lifted her eyes to his again and was rewarded with a look of
understanding that far surpassed anything in the last year. It was
an understanding that wasn't from one who knew her feelings, but who
knew her intimately, platonically, but intimately. Through her
hated, unwanted tears, she saw him give her a nod of encouragement
and then she was crying openly, for the pain, for the anger and
because he was probably the only person she knew who would understand
exactly why she would fall apart. And why she hadn't cried up until
that time.

**

"Thanks."

The Doctor gave Tegan a nod and smiled across the top of the tea
cup. The hotel room had a small wet bar and teabags. He had made
somewhat acceptable cups of tea and they were seated as the sun
slowly lowered in the sky outside the window.

She lowered her eyes to look at the table. "It's always tea with
you. It would cure all the evils in the Universe if you would let
it."

"I think it should," he said indignantly. Gently he set his tea cup
aside and contemplated her as he sat back from the table.

Tegan shook her head. "I'm sorry, too. You didn't deserve to have
an old companion falling apart and soaking your shirt with tears."

"An old friend, Tegan. An old friend," he corrected. "I'm afraid
that your apology isn't needed, however. Don't worry about it. But
I do think we should talk about happier things. Your children, for
instance."

Tegan frowned and quickly put down her cup. "Lord, I should check on
them" As she scooted the chair away from the table and stood, he
joined her and slowed her run from the room.

"They're all right," he reminded her as she slowly opened the door
between the adjoining rooms. He held the door, placing his shoulder
to it. After the harsh afternoon light, the darkened room was a
shock to even his eyes. But he could see the two children curled
together on one bed. Samantha Jovanka slowly sat up on the other bed
and crossed to the door.

She motioned for her daughter to walk backwards out the door and
followed, closing the door softly. A glance at Tegan's face and eyes
brought a concerned and stern glance directed at the Doctor. "Are
you all right, Tegan?"

"I'm fine, Mom."

"I see," her mother said lowly and crossed her arms over her
chest. "You've been crying. Has something upset you?"

The Doctor looked ashamed and lowered his head. "I believe I might
be to blame for that."

"Are you?" Samantha asked coolly.

"Mom" Tegan frowned and laid a restraining hand on her arm. "Mom,
this is the Doctor. He's a friendfrom long agofrom when"

Samantha's gaze changed from stern to curious. "One of the ones from
when you"

"When I was out finding myself, yes, Mom. I haven't seen him in a
while and wellwhen we started to talkI just"

"I think it's safe to say," the Doctor began, rubbing his neck self-
consciously. "That Tegan had a slight cleansing."

"And about bloody time too," Samantha stated decisively, ignoring her
daughter's warning look. "It is nice to meet you, Doctor"

"Just Doctor," Tegan issued. "It's a nickname that just"

"Fits me," the Doctor continued, giving Tegan a slightly wary
look. "The pleasure is mine. You're Tegan's mother, I gather."

"Samantha Jovanka," she extended her hand which was then shaken
warmly and firmly. She glanced between the two of them and
sighed. "And I'm going to be a mother here. Doctor, it has been a
pleasure to meet you, but I think that you should take my daughter
out of this room and into that sunshine out there."

"Mother," Tegan warned. "Michael and Amy"

"I need some time to spend with my grandchildren too, Tegan,"
Samantha responded quietly. "And I'm only talking a few hours. You
need timethat was part and parcel what this holiday was supposed to
be for you. Your life is going to be hectic and worn when we get
back to London."

Tegan bit her lip and shook her head as she heard Michael
fuss. "I'll need to change him, Mom. And Amy is going to need her
medicine for her nose and"

"Andyes. I raised four of my own, Tegan."

The Doctor gently touched his arm to Tegan's. "I think even you
would lose this argument, Miss Tegan. And I'm too worn to try."

Tegan growled under her breath and sighed at the end of it. "Just
for a couple of hours, Mom. You'll need my help for bedtime."

"Of course," her mother agreed jovially. "And as for changing him,
nonsense. I'll get him in a few minutes. Get changed and get out of
here. Go walk on the beach, grab a bite, or a drink. Have a little
bit of fun with old friends, Tegan." She encouraged her youngest to
turn and walk towards the far closet. The Doctor stifled a smile at
the commanding way his young companion was manipulated until he was
pulled over and into a conversation with Tegan's mother.

His last glance at Tegan before she disappeared into the bathroom
showed his old friend smiling widely at his discomfort.

**

She fidgeted. To the Doctor, this was a strange thing for his
friend. Tegan was not one to be uneasy about situations, but as she
sat across from him in a seaside café in a summer dress, she could
barely sit still. He knew exactly what was wrong. "Tegan, I'm sure
they are all right," he reassured. "Is this the first time"

"Since Tom's death that I've been apart from them? Yes." It was
obvious that she took no shame in that admittance. She shook her
head and picked up her glass of red wine, swirling it. The sun was
setting and it just seemed right to have a glass of Shiraz. "Enough
about me being uneasy without my children, Doc. What have you been
doing with yourself? And what happened to Turlough?"

"Ah well" the Doctor shrugged. He, too, sipped from his glass of
wine. "Been going here and there, saving people, exploringthe
usual"

"Getting into trouble, you mean," she joked.

"Tegan," he admonished, setting down his glass and waving a finger at
her. "Never trouble. I'll admit that my and our traveling when you
were with me ran into a bit of a snag now and then. It was
never 'getting into trouble'."

"No, true," she admitted, setting down her glass. "More like always
getting out of trouble once you stumbled into it." Her smile set him
off his tirade. "And Turlough?"

"We found his people and he went home. And did so as bit of a hero,
I must say." Her confused look made him elaborate. "He was an exile
from his home planet due to a political upheaval. The tide had
turned there, on Trion, and he went home with his only surviving kin
a younger brother."

"So"

"was a much better man than either you or I gave him credit for,
apparently," the Doctor completed quietly. "I was sad to see him go."

Tegan nodded. "He wasn't all that bad, considering"

"Hmmm," was the noncommittal reply.

They were both disturbed from further conversation by the Doctor's
alias being called for a table. They rose together and Tegan
retrieved her wine glass. The Doctor squinted at her actions and
followed suit somewhat awkwardly. She frowned, but refrained from
comment. As they neared the table, he stepped in front of the waiter
and pulled her chair out for her, helping her to sit.

"You're quite the gentleman," she joked.

"When was I not?" he returned haughtily as he accepted the wine
list. "I recall being quite the gallant escort whenever we were out
in public." The waiter lifted an eyebrow but didn't comment,
wisely. He left to refill what they were already drinking.

Tegan made a little face, but answered him honestly. "Well, most of
the time we were in the different times and different places, weren't
we? And I barely had honed my manners then and had to rely on you
for some guidance."

"And you've better honed your manners now?" he asked, picking up the
menu. Out came his half moon spectacle glasses and she smiled. As
he looked down the menu, it was clear he was waiting for an
answer. "Hmm?"

"Well, yes. I am thirty-two, a wife and a mother," she
protested. "And I've finally grown up."

"Have you?" the Doctor remarked, clearly looking for a certain
answer. She realized that as she noticed his gaze had moved from the
meal of the day to her face.

"I had to, but it was a pleasure," she admitted, looking for a basic
fish dinner. "It's hard to raise children if you're but a child
yourself."

"Very true," he admitted. He appeared to make up his mind quickly as
to what to eat and set the menu aside. "And I do have to admit, you
do seemmore mature."

"Thanks a lot."

"Not that you were evercompletely immature, Tegan," he qualified his
statement. "You were quite mature about some things and positively
childish about others. You have to agree about that," he warned, his
mouth quirking into a smile.

She allowed the ease of conversing and laid aside her menu as
well. "Yes. But you seem different now, as though we've switched
position. It almost seems like I'm the leader here and you're the
student."

"I'm a student of the Universe, Tegan," he reminded her. "But in
some ways, you're right. And you're right for two reasons: This is
your time, your life and your culture and you don't travel with me
any longer."

She sipped her wine. "For the longest time," she began, honest, "I
wanted you to turn back up so that I could tell you I made a mistake
and to ask you to have me back on board." She saw a flicker of
surprise in his eyes, but hurried onto the rest of what she wanted to
say. "I always assumed you would say no-"

"I would have, Tegan. It was time for you. Time for you to go and
go on living. Traveling with me seems to be a type of stasis on a
person's life and it's no different with you." He admitted quietly.
The honesty helped her to continue.

"So you feel out of place here?"

"Quite."

"You don't have to stay," she said, reaching for her napkin to take
it off of her lap. "We can go back to the beach and you could"

He picked up his wine glass and swirled it. "I feel out of place,
Tegan, but I don't want to leave. I'll live. It's just a new
experience."

"Mundane life?"

"Life as it is meant to be experienced," he corrected quietly. "One
day at a time in succession with other days. And on that note, I
would like to hear why your mother thinks that your life is going to
get very hectic when you return to London."

Tegan smiled at the humor of the situation and at the absurdness of
him wanting to hear about her life. "Your curiosity"

"Yes, wellI have heard that it will kill me eventually." He stopped
and smiled. "Please." She could see the honesty in his eyes. "Tell
me about your life. I do honestly want to know."

With a nod of acceptance, she replaced her napkin on her lap and
reached for her wine glass. "How long do you have, Doctor?"

"WellI have heard that this restaurant has a wonderful take on
desserts. Shall we say three hours?" he asked graciously and turned
to wave down the hovering waiter.

**

Tegan stifled a laugh and accepted the chiding look from the Doctor
as her due. He glanced up at the sky as they exited the restaurant
and hummed under his breath. "You'd better use your shawl, Tegan.
It's a tad bit chilly."

"Still protective."

"It's in my nature. And you are a tad bit tipsy, Tegan," he
admonished.

"I haven't drank, not really since before Michael was conceived," she
admitted. "Actually, I think it was the night Michael was conceived."

The Doctor lifted an eyebrow and looked embarrassed for a
moment. "Ah, yeswell," a quick clearing of his throat had Tegan
smiling widely and the subject changing. He frowned and then, almost
as a side thought, he offered his arm to Tegan. She took it
hesitantly, but as they stepped from the restaurant and onto the
paved seaside path and he didn't pull away, she accepted the escort.

They talked of nothing of substance for a suitably long enough
period. And as they neared both the beach and the hotel, she slowed
her steps. That drew his attention. "Is something wrong, Tegan?" he
asked gently. "Am I walking too fast for you?"

"Well," she frowned, slipping her hand from his arm and tucking it
about her shawl. "If you must know, you've done exactly what I wish
you wouldn't have."

"And that is?" he asked, slipping his hands into his pockets.
Separatist, Tegan thought, but realized that she was doing the same
thing.

"We'll be at the hotel in a moment and the beach path that'll lead to
the TARDIS. I'll be going my way; you'll be going yours and that'll
be it. I'll never see you again. And it is leaving me a bit sad,"
she said plaintively.

"Ah, that would be depressing, stated like that," he agreed. He
frowned and glanced at his old companion. "Peri won't be back until
tomorrow night," he said, gently. "I'll not be going anywhere until
she returns."

Tegan shrugged. "I did haveI mean it was quite a relaxing evening.
I had fun and it was excellent to see you again"

He adjusted the hat on his head and slowed his steps until he
stopped. Then suddenly, he pulled his hat from his head and turned
to lean against the sea wall. "Your plans tomorrow?"

With a frown, she faced him. "No, Doc."

"You don't have any?"

"I do, but-"

"What are they?"

"The same as today. Beach, sun, fun and keep my children somewhat
occupied," she opted to let him know. "But no, Doc, this should be
it"

"Shall I meet you and your family at the beach or would you rather
take a late continental?"

"Why?" she pressed, her anger surfacing. "Doc, this will make it
harder"

"Harder? No, I don't think so," he commented.

"You don't like families. You don't do families," Tegan retorted,
crossing her arms over her chest. "Remember my grandfather?"

"Yes," he drew out. "We spent the better part of a fortnight with
your grandfather. I rather enjoyed talking with him. How is he?"

"He passed four years ago."

"I am sorry, Tegan," he offered. He let silence stretch for a few
moments before he re-engaged her in conversation. "I stayed as long
as was healthy for all of us: you, me, Turlough, your Grandfather
and Jane. Longer than a fortnight and it would have been very hard
to leave for you and admittedly for me. Being in one place, for me,
wears on my sanity. I'm so used to traveling."

"And humans aren't. Not like you are. Still, the crux of the
conversation is that you don't like to get to know-"

"No," he shook his head with a small smile that she found
patronizing. "No, that's not it at all, Tegan. You've missed the
crux of the conversation. I don't mind getting to know families,
brave heart. I mind staying in one place that long, but I can live
with it. Relaxation is so hard to actually fall into, you
understand."

"So"

"I would like to spend a little more time with you. That is the crux
of the conversation. I'm still curious about your life. And to be
absolutely honest" he took a deep breath and looked out towards the
ocean. "Painfully sothe TARDIS has been quiet with you gone and I
have missed you." He turned back towards her and gave her a small
smile. "Shall we just make more happy memories?"

Tegan gaped and struggled to find words. The Doctor held up his
hands to ward off unwanted words. "Yes, wellthe offer is there,
Tegan. What do you say?"

"I still say it'll hurt more to say goodbye."

"Then," he said, straightening up to offer his arm again, "I'd
advise you not to do so."

She accepted his escort again and laughed quietly. "Oh, all right.
If you want to see my lifeyou'd better come for breakfast."

With a smile of genuine pleasure, he agreed.

**

There was something sweet, bittersweet and downright outrageous about
the Doctor sitting in the sand with a pail of wet grains between his
legs teaching Amy how to drizzle the perfect pile. Although, Tegan
thought as she adjusted her sunglasses and glanced over her son's
head to the duo, she shouldn't have been too surprised.

The Doctor released a small chuckle as Amy rose and just upturned the
bucket. "Well, there is the bull in a china shop approach to
sand castling as well, I suppose," he confided to the girl. The girl
reached for his hand and pulled him to his feet.

"Ocean, Docer," she insisted and began to pull him toward the waves.

He glanced at Tegan and she shrugged. "She has problems with t's at
times. But she definitely wants you to help her get more wet sand."

"I gathered that," he smiled. "She's very headstrong. I can't quite
recall the person that she reminds me of"

"Get on with you," Tegan swatted at the sand with a laugh. "She'll
throw a fit. Besides, Michael and I are going to complete our
sandcastle first."

"Will you?" he asked, slipping one hand in his pocket as the other
was pulled by Amy toward the ocean.

Tegan continued to smile, shaking her head as she set another pail
upend to create a turret. Michael threw two shovelfuls of sand on
top. "Absolutely beautiful," she offered to her son. Michael
released a swirl of baby talk ending in 'Momma'.

Samantha tilted her hat back and lowered her book to watch Tegan and
then to glance at her daughter's friend scooping up Amy in one hand
and the pail in the other as a wave made the lass squeal with
laughter. With a sigh she adjusted the hat on her head and looked to
Tegan. That man looks a sight what with his shirtsleeves rolled
up, his trousers rolled to his knees and a hat on his head. But if
it doesn't bother you, Tegan, I suppose it's nothing to me."

"We need more sand, baby," Tegan cooed. "I wonder if our moat can
supply the lot of it." She hefted Michael onto her lap as they tried
to coerce more mud and water into the pail. "The Doctor always seems
a bit on the fashion dead side, Mother and I think he always will.
The attraction people have for him, I've learned, is more in his
personality than anything else."

"And," Samantha noted, adjusting her novel on her lap. "I notice
that you aren't watching him like a hawk with Amy."

Tegan started and finished loading her pail with mud. "Mother."

"Wellit would be a first. You don't even trust your brother with
his own niece," Samantha complained good-naturedly.

Tegan steadied the pail and let Michael pound on the sand. "Mom,"
she said quietly. "You have to understandsome of the things I went
through back when I was youngthe Doctor was the only man that helped
me through all of that. I trusted him with myself then; I trust him
with Amy. Or Michael. He would let no harm come to them if it were
in his power to do so."

Samantha took in the statement quietly and watched as the Doctor
trudged back up the dunes, Amy tucked under one of his arms, the pail
in the other. He set the girl down and she giggled and ran towards
the sand castles and her mother. At the last minute, the Doctor
realized that the girl was headed right for their creation. He
couldn't stop her quick enough and she ran right through the
building. The turrets crumbled and the walls fell inward.

And, of course, Amy sitting down next to the castle and bursting into
tears followed it. Tegan winced, and Michael immediately began to
fuss as he heard his older sister crying. Samantha set aside her
book and Tegan tried to turn around, but the Doctor reached the child
first. He sat down next to Amy and tilted his hat back on his
head. "It appears, Miss Amy, that our sand castle has fallen upon
hard times."

Samantha lifted an eyebrow and Tegan studiously continued building
her sand castle with Michael. The activity stopped her son from
launching into full blown cry. Amy continued to cry, but her
whimpers were quieter. The Doctor folded his arms around his knees.
Tegan knew it was the tone he was using with her daughter that was
calming and not the words.

"I think we should attempt a different building plan, don't you?" he
asked, quietly, handing the girl the pail. Together they turned it
upside down and he tapped on its exoskeleton. "One turret and a nice
moat would be superb."

Amy sniffled and pounded on the pail. Together they pulled the pail
up revealing a turret. As the building was revealed, Amy sat back on
the ground and began to dig as the Doctor plowed a moat. "Sand fall
down," she told the Doctor plainly.

The Doctor nodded. "Gravity."

The girl sniffled. "I fell into the sand."

"Inertia," the Doctor commented, his voice still calm and easy. He
set aside the shovel and began to dig with fingers.

"Was I bad?"

The Doctor stopped his digging and faced Amy. Tegan thought she
could hear him sighing. He leaned forward and wiped at the girl's
face with his thumb. Her tears had stopped. "No, Amy. You weren't
bad. You're a good little girl."

Amy gave him a smile and he sighed again.

**

"Doc," Tegan asked over the whimpers of her son. "Could you pass me
the wipes, please?"

The Doctor tilted his hat back and frowned, looking into the
bag. "Could you be more specific, Tegan? Wipes"

Tegan held her son's legs and slid his soiled diaper from under his
backside. She glanced over at her friend. "A medium long box with
wipes coming out the top. Should be on the right side."

Amy clamored over the Doctor's lap and reached into the bag blindly.
Then with a smile still gaining its teeth, she handed him the
wipes. "Wipes, Docor."

"Ah, yes," he cleared his throat. "Thank you." He then shifted his
weight and handed the box to Tegan.

She shook her head with a laugh and leaned over Michael to nearly rub
noses with him. "The Doctor is out of his league here. I believe we
have found a situation he doesn't know how to handle."

Under the umbrella, sheltered from the hot afternoon sun, her family
both rested and prepared for sleeping. After she handed the wipes to
the Doctor, Amy turned around and lay down, her head next to the Time
Lord's knee. The Doctor stared down at Amy for a moment before he
turned to Tegan. His old companion lifted an eyebrow. "You tired
her out."

"I am not out of my depth," he insisted haughtily.

Tegan wiped Michael and pulled over the powder and a clean
diaper. "Ah, but my dear Doctor, for all that you know how to do
with maths, you've never changed a baby's diaper."

He muttered under his breath and watched as she sprinkled powder and
secured the diaper about her son's waist. "Tegan, I've never had the
needto change a diaper."

"Then this is all a new experience for you, isn't it?" Tegan asked
cheekily. "Could you hold him for a moment while I get this all away
and clear a space for him to sleep?" After a moment, she asked: "You
do know how to hold an infant, don't you?"

"I know the proper way to hold a child, yes. And at his stage of
development, I would hazard a guess"

"That he's fairly heavy for his age," Tegan tickled her son's
stomach and then lifted him to set him on the Doctor's knee. "Just
for a couple of minutes." There was no preamble as she set him down,
facing the Time Lord.

The Doctor quickly lowered his hands to encircle the boy as Tegan
stood and moved around him to cover her daughter with a towel. Amy's
eyes were already closed. "You really did tire her out, Doc; she's
out like a light."

"Ah, yeswe did run in the waves for a little while." The Doctor was
mesmerized by the child he held; neither could look away. The longer
he stared at the boy, the more the boy stared back at him.

Tegan cleared a small area on the blanket, lining it with
towels. "Bring him back?" she asked quietly.

The Doctor rose without comment and brought the boy three steps to
the area cleared. Michael didn't want to be put down and reached out
for his mother. He released the boy without a fight.

Tegan sat quietly for a few minutes, gently whispering until
Michael's eyes drooped. Inside of fifteen minutes, he was sleeping,
his breathing steady. She smiled as left him, coming over to stand
next to the Doctor. He had moved out into the sun, his hands in his
pockets and his hat tilted to cover his eyes. She couldn't tell what
he was thinking. Not that that was any different from what she
remembered from traveling with him.

**

"It was a very interesting day."

Tegan nodded. They had long ago taken the children back to the hotel
and to bed. She agreed, squinting at the setting sun. "Your friend?"

"Ah, Peri. Yes, she should be back soon," the Doctor stated
quietly. His vest was over his arm and his hat was gone. He stood
only in shirttails and his trousers.

With a sigh, Tegan stared out over the ocean, on the
Mediterranean. "It was very interesting, Doc. And"

"Do you know why I hate good-byes?" he interrupted.

Surprised, she glanced at him. "I just knew that you never wanted to
stick around for one," she replied.

The Doctor nodded, patting the side of the TARDIS. "Wellyou see
it's"

Tegan growled under her breath. "Cripes, Doc, I understand better
than you think I do. It was good to see you. I'll miss you."

He smiled suddenly, a brief flash of happiness in his blue
eyes. "Your family is delightful."

He turned to step back into the TARDIS and she reached out blindly to
touch his arm. It was reflex action, driven by what she didn't know.
When he turned, she bit her lip and glanced at him, feeling the same
as she had when she had left him all those years ago. And found her
hands gripping his arms.

"I'll miss you," she whispered.

His arm twitched and she felt him draw away. She had overstepped a
bound, she supposed. It wasn't a surprise, but when he took her hand
in his, warmly, tenderly, she was astonished. "And I'll miss you,
Tegan. It has been" he cleared his throat and looked unbearably
lost. "It's been wonderful to see you again. And I'm glad you're
quite all right."

She swallowed, unsuccessfully clearing the lump in her throat. She
couldn't talk.

The Doctor understood that, it seemed, and nodded. "You've grown
up," he whispered confidentially. Louder, with a sniff: "It's a
shame, really, that you didn't stumble in off of the Barnett Bypass
now."

"Classy," she muttered. "Doc, I have two children."

"Yes, and well, the TARDIS isn't quite up to diaper changing and
cleaning, I'm afraid," he smiled. "But I think"

She nodded, relinquishing the point to him. "I understand."

He bent near her. "They are excellent, healthy children, Tegan and
very bright. I quite like them."

"Thank you," she accepted. The smile she shared with him was tinged
with years gone by. "You'll always be welcome with my family, Doc."

The Doctor turned to her, his blue eyes hooded but a smile on his
lips. "I know that, Tegan. But he leaned back against the TARDIS
and frowned. "You know the TARDIS, Tegan. She has a mind of her
own. I can't promise that I could ever stop by-"

"Then don't promise," she whispered but then shook her head. "If I
see you again, it'll just be a nice surprise-"

He nodded, a sure nod, quick and strong. "This is a sight better
than our last parting"

"Anything would be a leg up on that," she laughed.

With a sigh, he turned to glance out at the sea. And then, his gaze
somewhere between sad and lost, he turned back to her. "Good
evening, Tegan. Take care of yourself" he said, so tenderly that
she felt the lump in her throat expand. Then he smiled and stepped
into his ship.

And she turned back towards the hotel and her daughter and son
feeling a strong want to run to the Time Machine and to join the
Doctor. But, as hard as it was, she turned and walked away.

**

Tegan laughed as Amy ran ahead of her onto the beach, and behind her,
Samantha carried Michael.

"Momma? Will Docor be on the sand?" Amy asked, honestly, with the
blatant curiosity that only a child could muster.

Tegan turned her sight to the space where the TARDIS had been and saw
that it was empty. "No," she said quietly. And then louder: "No,
Amy. He won't. But that won't stop us from making another sand
castle."