Chapter One
"Okay," the Doctor said as they emerged from the TARDIS. "I believe I told you we would have a fun day camping on Sirius Five and I believe I have delivered on this promise!"
He turned and looked at his family. Behind him were his ten year old triplets, Rain, Tara, Alan, Rose and ten year old Christopher.
"Yes, I believe I have delivered on that promise," he repeated.
"Uh huh, and what do ya want? A pat on the back?" Rose said while everyone giggled.
"No, money and lots of it," the Doctor said, holding his hand out. "Come on, come on, come on, make with the dinero, loot, dough, scratch, credits, pesos, pounds, whatever ya got to give me."
He glanced down when Sokanon put a gold doubloon in his hand.
"Um, Soki, this is from the game room inside Pirate Pleasure Palace. It's not real."
"That's all I have," Soki said as they laughed.
"Well, fine, the children are excused but what about the adults? Come on, I've ferried your bums across time and space for over two hundred years, it's time you paid me for the privilege."
"Come along, children, let's go find out where we can rent tents," Rain said, putting her hands on Chaska and Christopher's backs.
"Bye Daddy!" Sokanon and Namid said as they started to walk off.
"Wah, wait, wait, shhh, shh, shh," the Doctor said, stepping in front of them. "First off, we are not paying for tents, they cost a fortune. Secondly, I didn't give anyone here permission to leave. Permission will be granted when the toll is paid, so pay up."
His eyes warily studied Rose as she walked up to him. She walked behind him and he let out a grunt when she kicked him in the butt.
"There, there's your flippin' toll," she said.
Everyone laughed when the Doctor let out a roar and took off after her.
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In addition to the forest where people were permitted to camp, there was a small flat plain where the management had set up several shops and restaurants, a playground, a large white stage, a white gazebo with ivy vines going up the sides, restrooms and a few video phones. A sign hung between two trees at the front of the plain said, Welcome to Corrie's Camptown.
"Camptown ladies sing this song, do-dah, do-dah," the Doctor sang to himself as they passed under the sign.
They walked over to the playground, the adults carrying four large black gym bags, and let the children play on the slide, climbing frame, swings and merry-go-round while they sat down on a bench. Sokanon led her sister over to the swings and both of them sat down. They swung side by side while the boys climbed on the climbing frame. While they were resting, the Doctor pulled out a small piece of paper and studied it. The paper listed the zone where they were allowed to camp, a schedule of events at the campground and the rules.
"Good, we're allowed to barbecue," the Doctor said to the other adults. "According to this they have a grill set up at the campsite."
"Good job we brought along some food in addition to our camping supplies," Alan said, patting the side of his duffle bag.
"Also says they have a puppet show and dancers tonight on that stage we saw and tomorrow there's a small band concert in the gazebo," he read them. "I think the children will enjoy all of those."
"Sod the children, I wanna see those things," Alan said. "Well…maybe not the dancers…but the puppet show and band sound lovely."
"Puppet show?"
They looked over when Namid and Sokanon walked up to them.
"What puppet show, Daddy?" Sokanon said.
"There's gonna be a puppet show and dancers tonight on the stage we went past," the Doctor said.
"What's the puppet show about, Daddy?" Namid said, coming to his side.
"Oh…about thirty minutes, give or take."
He snickered when Namid slapped his arm playfully.
"Dunno, Rainbow, doesn't say what the puppet show's about, just that there's a puppet show," he said to her.
"I wanna go, Daddy," Sokanon said, jumping up and down.
"Go where?" Chaska said as he and Christopher came over.
The Doctor repeated what he told the others and both boys made a face.
"I don't wanna see any of that, Daddy," Chaska said.
"Yeah, all that's for girls," Christopher added. "I wanna see ninjas or something."
"Sorry, Chris, I don't believe they have ninjas in Corrie's Camptown," the Doctor said. "But we'll find something for the boys to do. In the meantime, let's get our gear and get outta here!"
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After hopping aboard a tram, the driver took them along a dirt road deep into the woods and guided them to the zone where they could set up their tents. The clearing had a barbecue grill and a port-a-loo near the edge but that was it. The Doctor thanked their guide and he left them alone. The adults waited until they were sure he was gone before reaching into their bigger on the inside gym bags and pulling out their wrapped up tent, gear and food for the barbecue. The children stood back as the adults set up the tent which was also bigger on the inside and waited until they were finished before going in. Inside, the back of the tan tent was about fifty feet away from the entrance with a small kitchenette near the back. There was an electrical outlet on the back wall and scattered near the front were the adult and children's sleeping bags that had been put there by the Doctor before he rolled the tent up. Sokanon led her sister over to her Strawberry Shortcake sleeping bag. Next to it was Sokanon's Pocahontas one. They sat down beside them and Namid opened up her sleeping bag and pulled out her Little Mermaid bag that held her CD Player and some audio books that the Doctor got for her to listen to from a special club that makes them for the blind. She ran her fingers over the covers of each one, reading the Braille titles. Finally, she found Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince and set it aside while she went through the rest of her audio books looking for one very special one. Her father made it a habit to record special discs for her. He would read books, sing and say silly things and he usually put one new CD in her bag every few days. He also, with the help of the TARDIS, printed out a Braille message for her along with writing notes for Sokanon and Chaska and he also stuck these in their bags. Sokanon and Namid found their letters in their bags and Namid found her CD disc and put it on top of her Harry Potter audio book while she put everything back except for her CD player.
Sokanon unfolded her letter and sat on her sleeping bag while she read it aloud to her sister.
My Soki,
Here I am, putting pen to paper and writing you a note that I know you'll set fire to in under two minutes after reading it.
Both girls giggled for a moment before Sokanon continued reading.
Here we are on a camping trip and I couldn't be more thrilled because I'm here with you sharing the fun and the laughter. I love you so much, my daughter, but bear this in mind. DON'T CROSS ME! DON'T DO ANYTHING TO EMBARRASS ME OR I'LL GIVE YOU SUCH A SPANKING!
Both girls giggled.
HOW DARE YOU DEFY ME! I WILL SEE YOU BEGGING AT MY FEET FOR…oh wait, I forgot for a moment who I was speaking to. Sorry.
Both girls laughed hysterically for a couple of minutes before Sokanon calmed down enough to read again.
Anyway, I love you, my hearts. You make me so proud and I'm so glad that you're here in my life along with your brothers and sisters. JUST DON'T CROSS ME OR I'LL GIVE YOU SUCH A SPANKING AND…oh wait…sorry, I forgot you weren't Abdul, I must remember you're not him. But anyway, have a wonderful day and I'll see you when I can tear you away from your Wii.
Wii, Wii, Wii, all the way home! Ha, I made a funny!
Love and kisses and hugs, hugs, hugs,
Daddy.
Both girls giggled as Sokanon put the letter back in her purple Eeyore bag and set it beside her sleeping bag.
"What's yours say?" Sokanon asked her sister.
Namid unfolded the paper and ran her fingertips over the Braille while she read aloud.
Another one of these?
Arrgh, why did I volunteer to do this. Now I'm stuck writing letters for the three of ya. Next you'll be wanting chocolates every two days and soon it'll be gold and jewels and then you'll be wanting my blood, ya little vampires.
Both girls giggled at that.
Only kidding, after all, this is what I chose to do for you lot. Your mummy gets story time and bedtime kisses and I get letter writing and your special CDs and we both get special outings with all of you. So just taking the time to write you another letter and let you know that I love you so much and you are a part of me and my life just as I'm a part of yours. And you better tell me what you lot talk about when you're saying your secret mumbo jumbo language to each other. I know you're planning to do something nasty to me when you're talking back and forth, aren't ya? Admit it! Admit it!
Both girls glanced at each other and giggled.
Know that every day that you're alive, you make me more and more proud, my daughter. You've come so far in life and I will do everything I can to help you so you'll be a brave, strong, smart independent girl. But I know you're probably reading this aloud to Soki so I'll tell you what I told her. DON'T CROSS ME OR YOU'LL GET SUCH A SPANKING! There, now you can go about your business.
Always in my hearts,
Daddy.
Namid smiled as the put the letter back in her bag. Sokanon pulled out her Wii and played with it while Namid inserted the Doctor's disc in her CD player, slipped on the headphones and pressed the play button. Her brother and sister understood that these CDs were a private thing between her and the Doctor so they never asked her what was on them. To make up for it, the Doctor did other things for them and bought them toys so they wouldn't feel slighted that he had made the CD just for her. Namid settled back and listened to the CD while Sokanon played her game.
"Boop-a-doop-doop-doopa-doo-doo-doo," the Doctor said in a high-pitched voice. "It's the Doctor show starring me, the Doctor, daddy to my little Mi-mi who is listening to this right now! Ba-bop-ba-doo-doo-wow! And first up on our show is Lord Ruffington who has flown all the way in from who knows where! Give him a big round of applause!
Namid giggled when the Doctor applauded enthusiastically and yelled, "Yay Lord Ruffington!"
"Lord Ruffington, nice to meet you, old chap!"
Namid giggled harder when the Doctor cleared his throat as loud as he could.
"Yes, quite, quite," the Doctor said in a deep, gravelly voice. "I'm chuffed to be here, Doctor. Especially since you're a busy man."
"Yes, I am," the Doctor said in his normal voice. "I'm very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very…well, you get the idea. Anyway, old bean, why have you popped into my TARDIS today and how in the name of all that's sacred did you get in here when it's currently in the vortex?"
"Magic, old fruit!" the Doctor replied in his Lord Ruffington voice. "I'm a magical being, besides you were drunk and opened the door for me before you left."
"Did I?" the Doctor said in his normal voice. "Yes, that's right, I got smashed on dandelion wine and opened the door. Now I remember. I must have been amiss letting you in here especially since you have a rather large gun pointed at my chest."
"Spot on, old bean," he said in his Lord Ruffington voice. "And now I'm going to kiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiill you!"
"No! No, a thousand times, no!" the Doctor said melodramatically as Namid giggled. "Don't kill me, think of my children! Who will they have to irritate if I snuff it!"
"Bad luck I'm afraid, old corpse, I'm going to pull the trigger and do you in."
"No, no, have mer…"
Namid laughed when the Doctor yelled, "BANG!"
"Oh no," he said in his normal voice. "I'm regenerating! Oh what a world, what a world, who would have thought a snobby toft like you could destroy my supreme awesomeness. Oh look out, look out; I'm going, ooooooooh…"
Namid laughed harder when the Doctor said in a deep voice, "You killed him, you killed the wicked Time Lord of the West. Hail to Dorothy, the Wicked Time Lord's dead! Hail, hail to Dorothy, the wicked…no wait, look, he's regenerating!"
The Doctor made a loud static noise into the microphone.
"Look," he said in the deep voice. "He's finished and…no, it can't be! Oh…saints preserve us; he's regenerated into…HANNAH MONTANA!"
Namid bent over laughing at that. She laughed harder when the Doctor began to sing Best of Both Worlds in a screechy falsetto voice.
"HI!" he said in the falsetto voice. "I'M HANNAH! I'M EVERY GIRL'S BEST FRIEND!"
The Doctor chuckled into the microphone.
"I'll have to stop there, Rainbow," he said. "Because, frankly, I've never watched Hannah Montana so I don't know what she does or how she acts. The only reason I know the song is because your sister Tara used to play it constantly when she traveled with me. Oh, my Rainbow, that was such a long time ago. Decades before you came along."
Namid smiled. She loved these CDs. Not only because her daddy fooled around and acted silly on them but also because she could listen to his voice. He frequently did the radio chat show spoofs along with reading her short stories or telling her a story about his adventures. He had intimate things he did with each of his children and this was hers which was why she didn't tell Sokanon or Chaska about what was on them.
"Now, what's next?" the Doctor said. "Hmm, I s'pose you'd like to hear a story. Let's seeeeeeeeee…what can I tell you about? Oh, I know, I'll tell you the story about Sutekh. That was in my forth life when I traveled with Sarah Jane. Well, let's see…it was an ordinary day in the TARDIS and…"
Namid jumped and gasped. She'd been so engrossed in her father's voice that she didn't notice Rain had knelt down next to her until she put her hand on her daughter's shoulder.
"Oh, Baby, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare ya," Rain said when she took off the headphones. "Is that your Daddy CD you're listening to?"
Namid nodded.
"Well, Daddy and Alan want to go back to the field and look at the shops for awhile since it's not yet time to eat. You wanna go with us?"
Namid nodded.
"Okay, Sweetie, we're outside when you're ready to go," she said.
She kissed her and nuzzled her nose. Namid turned off her CD player and put it back in her bag along with her Harry Potter audio book. Once she was finished, she picked up her cane, stood up, unfolded it and hurried out the door.