GI's A/N: Hello again people, I'm back but this time with reinforcements. My friend Candlegiglia and I have joined our talents to give you 'Domesticating the Doctor'. This was a story I started then forgot. Giggles kindly suggested that, as I have 'A Bundle of Memories' to finish, we continue this as a joint project. There will be obvious times when you will read it and recognise our separate styles but I think we've managed to slot it all together quite well.
CG's A/N: Hi guys, GallifreyInk has pretty much said it all, so all i can say is: Enjoy!
Chapter One – Multiple Crash Landings
"And I will come again, my love, though it were ten thousand mile." A Red, Red Rose, Robert Burns
"Woo!" The Doctor flung himself out the TARDIS. "Nothing like a good crash landing to cheer you up!"
"What do you need cheering up for?" Martha grumbled, closing the TARDIS door behind her.
"Wasn't talking about me." muttered the Doctor in reply. He looked around the woods and at the thriving plant growth thick around them. "Now, I bet you're wondering where we are."
"Well, yes." came the short answer.
"Right then, I'll just ask." He started to walk away, hoping to run into someone soon for at the moment the wood looked deserted.
"You mean you don't know?!" Martha asked in a high shrill, her eyes wide with shock. The Doctor stopped and turned around to look at her, quizzically.
"Do you know where we are?" This got no reply at all. "Right then. Honestly, you humans." He criticized playfully. Turning around again, he started walking, searching for any life forms other than plants.
That was it. Martha gave chase and they found themselves running through the trees and out into a field. The Doctor stopped dead at the edge of the trees and Martha went flying past him, straight into the path of an oncoming horse.
"Mind the-" He warned her, slightly too late, stopping mid-sentence as he watched the collision.
The horse saw Martha and spooked. Martha sank to her knees and flung her arms over her head. The horse leapt away to the side, narrowly missing Martha but unseating his rider. He galloped past the Doctor and away to the other end of the field. As he passed the Doctor, his rider lost her stirrups, fell out of the saddle and was caught by the Doctor before they both tumbled to the ground.
A second horse galloped towards them, ridden by a teenage boy who pulled him to a halt and was already on the ground before the horse had a chance to stop.
"What on earth do you think you are doing?!" He yelled, causing his horse to shy away, "You could have killed her!"
They all looked at the girl lying in the Doctor's arms. She looked around 15 years old and had long, light brown hair that fell partly across her face when they removed her helmet. The Doctor brushed it away from her face. The steady rhythm of her breathing told him that she was unconscious but definitely not dead.
"Her Mum's gonna kill me! No wait… She's gonna kill you!" He said defiantly to Martha.
"Down Boy." The Doctor addressed the second rider, calm as ever. "What's her name?"
"What, her Mum's?"
"No. I meant hers actually but if you feel the need to tell me her mother's name as well, feel free."
"I know let me just give you her whole family tree." The boy replied sarcastically. "She's Poppy Tyler. Her Mum is Rose Tyler, her Nan is Jackie Tyler, her Granddad is Peter Tyler, her Uncle is Mark Tyler... Need I go on?" This sparked a reaction in Martha.
"Rose and Poppy Tyler?"
"That's what I said." He was getting exasperated with the strangers.
"Who's her father?" The Doctor asked nonchalantly.
"Dunno. She's never met him. Some sort of Doctor I think."
Martha looked at the Doctor in speechless horror but was saved the trouble of words by Poppy who was coming to.
"If you had one word to describe how you feel," The Doctor asked, pulling his glasses out his pocket and putting them on, "What would it be?"
Poppy looked up at him, "Ouch."
"Good one."
"Right, now what?" Martha muttered, to herself as much as anything else.
"We take Poppy home. All she needs is a good cup of tea and she'll be right as rain." The Doctor helped the girl to her feet.
"Nan would say that, you know." She told them.
"I bet she would." Came the Doctor's reply.
Once he was sure Poppy could walk, he sent them both to fetch the horses leaving Martha and himself to follow at a wandering pace after them. Martha stopped walking and started the conversation.
"You have a daughter?!" She almost squeaked.
"What would make you think that?" The Doctor replied, still walking.
"Rose Tyler and the Doctor!"
The Doctor stopped and turned to face her. "How many Doctors are there in the world Martha? And there can't be only one Rose Tyler either. Besides if this was where she is, both universes would collapse." He turned away to hide the sadness that filled his eyes at the thought of never being able to see her again, and continued walking. That ended that argument.
Poppy and her friend came back with the horses. Together they wandered slowly back the way they had all come, the Doctor and Martha more recently, Poppy and the others just less than an hour ago. As they passed the TARDIS Poppy surprised everyone by smiling at the blue box and saying the one word that only a handful of people knew. 'TARDIS'.
"You know what this is?" The Doctor patted the TARDIS fondly.
"Bigger on the inside."
"Oh come on! How can an ancient blue telephone box thing be bigger on the inside? What are you on? You must have hit your head really hard."
"One way to find out." With that, the Doctor opened the door and ushered everyone in. The boy and his horse stood outside looking sceptical.
"Luke, get in or find your own way home."
The Doctor took the horse from Luke and led it inside before shutting the door just as the boy slipped past him.
"Wow! It's—"
"Bigger on the inside." The Doctor and Poppy finished the sentence in unison.
"I know. Didn't I say that?" Poppy flung her helmet and body protector to the side. She seemed none the worse for her fall. Now she was dodging round the TARDIS control panel like she'd been doing it all her life, pressing buttons and pulling levers.
"Are you gonna let her do that?" Martha whispered in the Doctor's ear.
"She knows how to work the TARDIS." Said the Doctor, ignoring Martha's question. "How?"
"Right," Poppy interrupted. "Home!"