Genes

Every member of their family carried the anti-plan gene, and it came from their father's family —pointed out their mother one day. As soon as she said it, their dad started to ramble, telling tales that proved their mum right. But not before reminding her that she is the one their children got the jeopardy-friendly nature from.

A man and a woman were running around the control panel, hitting buttons and pulling levers randomly. Well, one of them knew what he was doing, but his female companion didn't. She tried to copy the movements of the man, but without success.

"No. I told you, you need to hit the red button first, then the purple and then the green. Not the other way around," he scolded. He really had enough of this day.

"No, you didn't say a word about the purple one. Just the first and the third."

"I'm sure I told you. Should we ask the Tardis?"

"No need. She'd just side with you. The old girl loves you more than me," she grumped.

"She doesn't love me more. She just knows me better. I was piloting her when you weren't even a dirty thought," he corrected her with a smile on his face.

"Thanks for reminding me of my conception. You old man."

"Yep, I'm the older. That means that you really should listen to me. So please stop pushing the yellow button."

"Why? What does it do?"

"Er...Well..."

"You have no idea, do you? Not that it's surprising. You don't have a license to pilot the Tardis," she taunted.

"No, I have no idea. So please stop pushing it before you destroy the time vortex. Oh, and I might not have a license, but I'm allowed. Just ask the old girl. And by the way, neither you do have one. And believe me, you'll never be able fly her. Not by the rate you're learning."

"Oi. Don't insult my simple human brain!" she protested.

"Your brain is not a simple human brain, love," he retorted.

Her answer was cut off by the exploding control panel. There were flames and sparks everywhere. With one final, violent lurch the Tardis crashed, sending both occupants to the floor.

The man was on his feet within moments, and run to the panel to check the damage. What he found was beyond his imagination. The Tardis was unconscious, almost dead, he could feel it.

"Shitshitshit," he cursed then turned back to his companion, "let's hope that we're somewhere safe."

"Why?"

"The vortex is gone. So she won't be able to move for a rather long time. We need to find a way to power her up and push our way back into the vortex. We might have to give her our energy too," he said and walked to the door. "Oh, and Serena?"

"Yes, Alex?"

"If we ever get back, You'll be the one calling uncle Jack and telling Dad that you crashed the Tardis!" Without waiting for an answer he opened the door and walked out, only to find himself in a huge garden.

"No way. They're gonna kill me. And as you said, you're the eldest. You are the responsible sibling. So, it's your fault," she stated smugly while following her eldest brother.

"You wanted flying lessons."

"You agreed to teach me."

"But you promised that you'd listen, and not touch anything I told you not to."

"You didn't tell me to avoid the yellow button."

"I did. And then warned you abo...Look out!" he yelled the last part, pulling the girl behind him.

Their argument was cut off in a way neither of them would've thought of in a million years. By a frying pan hitting the tree next to Alex.

"What the hell was that?" demanded Serena, still holding her brother's hand. Her question was soon answered as the screeching reached their ears.

"You! You dirty old alien! How dare you! Leaving my little girl behind, pregnant and alone, then coming back with a new face and an even younger plaything in tow? I bet it was just an accident, you coming back, right?" the voice screamed, but they still couldn't see the woman.

"Illusion field. They see us, but we can't see them," muttered Alex.

"Whatever. So, who did you knock up and left behind?"

Her brother glared at her and answered, "I didn't knock up anybody. I'm married, for Rasillon's sake; you know my wife'd castrate me with a plastic spoon if I even thought about knocking up some other woman."

"That's right," snickered Serena, thinking about her sister-in-law. A moment later Alex joined her.

The owner of the voice noticed their amusement and started to scream again, "You're married? And you think this is funny? I'll give you funny!" Suddenly a hand appeared out of nowhere and smacked Alex.

"Who are you?" asked Serena, still fighting her laughter. But then she turned to her brother, who was gripping her hand almost painfully, and had a desperate expression on his face. He was also swearing, and because the Tardis didn't translate it, she knew he was muttering his favourite dirty phrases. When she realized that she won't get an answer out of him, she turned to the direction the voice came from.

"Who are you?" she asked the air again. The scene flickered, signalling that somebody switched off the illusion field. A moment later she found herself face to face with a murderous looking Jackie Tyler. Her grandmother, who was still glaring daggers at Alex.

Serena turned to look at her brother and saw that he wasn't focusing at Jackie at all. She followed his line of vision, then saw her. A blonde woman standing about ten feet behind Jackie.

Serena was gobsmacked. Her eyes saw that the woman looked like her mother, but she couldn't believe that the...ghost she was seeing was her beloved Mum. Her Mum looked nothing like this; her eyes were never dull, she was always smiling and joking, and her shoulders were never slumped.

She looked back at Alex when she felt him let go of her hand and move towards the Rose lookalike. She also saw Rose stiffening and turning and running back to the house, with Alex following her. He was able to stop her before she entered the mansion. He gently wrapped his arms around her and didn't let her run away.

Jackie also made a move to follow them, but Serena caught her arm and held her back. The elder woman turned back to her.

"Let me go you little..." she trailed off after really looking at Serena for the first time. Until this point she was too occupied with the man to notice the girl next to him. Jackie lifted her hand to Serena's face. Rose's face. Jackie's eyes widened and said, "You...you're my..."

"Hey Grandma!" helped her out Rena before Jackie pulled her into a tight hug. The scene made Rose stop struggling, as she watched the women with interest.

"Oh my God. You're so beautiful. Just like your mother. Oh, wait 'till we tell Rose. She'll be so happy, she'll smile again," she muttered to herself, then trailed off as realization dawned on her. He turned to Alex who still had Rose in his arms. "He's not your... He's your father. And I slapped him. Not that he didn't deserve it, but still. And where is your Rose? Has something happened to her? Is she hurt?" she ranted, but Serena cut her off.

"Grandma, stop. He's not my father. Alex is my brother. And I'm Serena."

"Alex? As in Alexander? The baby's name is going to be Alexander...Wait. If you're not Alexander, or Alexandra, but he is, but you say that you're my daughter. Who are you?" spoke up Rose for the first time since they arrived.

"Well, he is Alex the baby who's not a baby anymore. When did you arrive here?" said Serena, while Alex let go of the now still Rose and waved at Jackie.

"Ten weeks ago. Answer my question!" ordered Rose with a stronger voice. Rena and Alex smiled; this was the mother they remembered.

"Ten weeks. That means that I'm the proof that in two weeks you'll be able to slap Dad for real." She grinned as Jackie's jaw hit the floor and Rose's eyes sparkled with happiness.

Two hours later they were all sitting on the floor of the Tardis, drinking tea or tinkering under the control panel, respectively.

Pete, who's never been in a time machine, was inspecting the control panel and the rather unusual levers and buttons —or rather bicycle pumps and magic eight balls.

Mickey was busy scowling and alternating between glaring at Alex and eyeing up Serena, until he noticed the looks two other occupants were giving him. Jake's stare promised a very long and dry month on the couch, Alex's was threatening with instant death.
Jackie was oblivious to this all, she was too busy bonding with her new-found granddaughter. Serena was answering everything she could, careful not to damage the timeline.

Rose was sitting with Alex, who was lying under the panel, in his father's workhole. She was giving him instructions how to fix the Tardis, or at least she tried. After their first visit to Pete's world, the Doctor was trying to take her mind off of Mickey's leaving, so he was giving her a 'what-to-do-if-you-were-blown-out-of-the-vortex' crash course. She remembered very little of the Doctor's speech, but it was enough to get Alex started. After she saw that her son finished most of the work, she asked,

"Tell me about the future?"

"Mu-um," came the groaned answer, "you know that I can't tell you. You might cause a paradox."

"Ok. Then tell me everything you can. I already know that your Dad will come back in two weeks. Where will we meet? How will we go back? Will the whole universe hopping affect my pregnancy? Because I let you know that because of you, little one, the only thing I can eat in the morning and not throw up is marmalade and my head always hurts," she complained, but there was a teasing twinkle in her eyes.

"The headache will pass. You only have it because we're in the wrong universe. Just like the Tardis, I'm connected to our world. And I'm pretty sure that not trying eat a full english breakfast every morning would make most of the sickness go away."

"Tell that to your grandmother. She keeps giving me speeches about the importance of a healthy breakfast," grumbled Rose, then asked, "Can you answer my other questions?"

"Yeah. In two weeks Dad will contact you. Telepathic connection. You'll have to go to Norway and lie about me."

"What?"

"Norway. Bad Wolf Bay. You have to tell him I don't exist. He has to learn it from me later...er...years ago...whatever. Time is not linear. You lie to him, he meets me at home, I tell him a way to get back, he will go back to you three minutes after you saw him," ranted off Alex.

"So, the timey-wimey stuff strikes again?" mused aloud Rose.

"Pretty much, yeah. Oh, and don't tell us about this, ever. Not Dad, not me, not anyone."

"Okay. Is it just you and Rena?"

"What?" he asked back, then understood the question. "Oh. No there's still Sam between us. And no, I won't tell more about him or us. You'll see," he grinned.

After a moment of hesitation she pulled him out of the hole and hugged him tightly.

"Have I ever told you why you were named Alex?" when she felt him shook his head, she explained, "It was because in the last ten weeks you were my saviour; the only thing that kept me sane and alive. I love you, baby," she whispered then let go of him and wiped her tears away.

"I love you too, Mum," answered Alex with a smile and kissed her on the forehead.

"Do you think I could get my hands on your sister before you go back? Mum seems to hold her hostage."

Alex shot her a conspiratory glance. "I divert the dragon's attention, you rescue the princess?"

xxx

An hour later they were ready to go, but it took another to make copies of all the photos the Tardis dropped into Jackie's lap.

After they managed to disengage themselves and promised that they will take care, and will give Rose the letters Jackie and Pete wrote, and won't grow up to be as rude as their father — "a little late, don't you think?" commented Serena —they left Pete's world and returned home.

But they were the children of a certain Doctor. They carried the anti-plan gene. And that meant that no plan turned out the way they wanted it to. Ever.

"Serena?" asked Alex from his position on the ground.

"Hm?" came the answer.

"What did I tell you about pushing random buttons?"

"That it's exciting and brave and just a little bit dangerous?"

"Yes. But I think the word I used was Don't."

"Damn. I knew I've forgotten something." then "Shouldn't we get up and find the Tardis?"

"Good idea, Rena," he answered. He pushed himself off the ground then helped her sister up. He was way too calm, she noted.

"Alex?"

"Yes Rena?"

"How did this happen? I mean we..."

"I," he corrected.

"Okay, I shouldn't be able to lose the Tardis while we're in the vortex."

„Emergency programme three. You can make the ship throw out every sentinent being if somebody —that isn't one of us- is trying to take control. All you have to do is to pull the orange lever."

"'That' orange lever?"

"Yup. Come on, let's call the Tardis back to us," said Alex, then walked off.

"But how?" she asked, walking after him.

He held up his Tardis key and a psychic paper. "We're going to Cardiff and use the Rift."

"Are you not mad because you know the way back, or are you going to let Mum and Dad and uncle Jack chew me out?" she asked after a while.

A moment later she heard the cheery "Wait and see."

They've been walking for five minutes when he heard Serena stop and let out a little scream of joy.

"What happened?" he asked.

"I found the Tardis!" she squealed and ran to the blue box before he could stop her. Alex followed her, and arrived in time to see her pulling out her own key and open the door. Again, he followed with an uneasy feeling.

The control room looked like the way they left it, so he forced himself to calm down. There was nothing wrong. He kept repeating this until he had the chance to take a look at the control panel.

Everything was wrong. He didn't even need to hear Serena's innocent questions - "Jack? What are you doing here? And when did you start wearing tight leather pants? Mom?" - or the nothern-accented voice's rather loud exclamation of "Who the hell are you and how did you get in?", followed by the unmistakable sound of Jack pulling out his sonic blaster to confirm it.

He had to laugh at the expression on his sister's face when she groaned, "You've got to be kidding! What did we do to deserve this?"

"Blame the genes!" he answered before pulling her into a hug and turning to face the blue eyed man in the leather jacket.