"Wendy dear its almost time to go! Doctor is she ready yet?" Rose called through the house. Wendy's first day of first grade was here. Jack threw his cheerios across the room from his highchair. He cooed and laughed as Rose swept them up.
"Taadaa!" The Doctor sang as he and Wendy appeared in the kitchen. Wendy dawned the blue dress with stars that her parents had gotten her for Christmas. It had become a tradition to give her a new Tardis blue dress with stars on it each time she grew out of the one she owned.
"How do I look Mama?" Wendy twirled on the spot. Her long dirty blond hair went down to her waist, but was kept very clean and neat. Wendy reached up to take Jack's hand from his spot in the highchair. His tiny fingers curled around her thumb. "How do I look Jack?"
Jack's bright brown eyes got wide as he reached for his sisters hair. Wendy leaned out of his reach. His smile faltered. Rose scooped him out of his highchair before he could start to cry.
"Wendy, you look lovely!" Matt burst into the kitchen, picking Wendy up and twirling her in circles.
"Uncle Matt!" Wendy wrapped her arms around his neck as he balanced her on his hip.
"Are we all ready to go?" Pete and Matt were taking Wendy to school for the next few weeks until Rose and The Doctor could figure out a schedule. The Doctor's books had taken off in the last few months and he had meetings with his publishers, editors, and many other people. Rose was finishing up her teaching degree.
"I think so!" With that Matt, Rose, and Wendy left for their schools. The Doctor picked up his rough draft papers; all tied together like a newspaper, and his backpack with his laptop. Walking the short distance to the train station he waved at his neighbors and enjoyed the fresh air. The train ride to the editors office was quiet, but the walk through the city towards the office wasn't. The Doctor smiled the entire time. He loved the hustle and bustle that the city provided. It almost made him feel like he was on another planet again.
"John Smith!" His editor exclaimed when he walked in. Anna Wolf was a petite woman with a loud voice. Her short blonde hair bounced as she stood from her desk to greet him. Rose and Anna had met at the hospital after their children were born, on the same day. They two had bonded over their eccentric husbands and adorable children. After Anna had heard that The Doctor was trying to become an author, she had offered to read some of his stories to see if they were any good. She had become interested immediately.
"Hello Anna, how have you been? How's the family?" The Doctor sat on the couch with Anna next to him.
"I've been good. Dave is doing well. Oh! Jace took his first steps the other day. It was so exciting!"
"Congratulations!" The Doctor cheered. While Anna read through the last pages he had been editing he went downstairs to get coffee. When he came back up, he walked in on Anna arguing with another lady. His papers were in the one's he didn't know hands, being waved around.
"He isn't," she hissed, but Anna cut her off.
"John! Thank goodness your back. Auth- Aurora was just leaving. She gets pretty passionate about writing." Anna snatched the papers from Aurora's hands. Anna's voice turned soft. "Come by for dinner sometime Aurora. I'd love for you to meet Jace."
"Bye Editor." Aurora left quickly, brushing past the Doctor. Anna waved her hands at the Doctors worried look.
"Don't worry about her. We have a hard relationship." Anna gave a sad smile before brightening up. "It looks like your story is all done! If you have the typed up version I can send it over to publishing right away." The Doctor nearly choked on his coffee.
"Right away?" He spluttered. "Doesn't it normally take weeks to find a publisher willing?"
"Not when your husband is a publisher." She winked at him. "Come on. I'll take you over to see him. It's just a short ride over to his building." The two gathered the papers and off they went.
"I've never met your husband." The Doctor brought up in the cab.
"Yeah. He was there when Jace was born, but we are having some issues with these people and so he was settling that while I was at the hospital. Aurora, the lady from earlier, was there a lot. Well before Jace was born. She had to go with Perry." The Doctor nodded. If anything he understood problems. He did spend his life solving them and trying to prevent them. "Here we are!"
The publishing office was nothing like what the Doctor thought it would be. It was nice on the inside with almost nothing but a few couches and a receptionist at the desk. Anna waved to the lady and continued to the back. A soft humming radiated throughout the hallway.
"Anna!" A male voice boomed. Anna turned and twirled the Doctor around as well. A tall, well built man stood a few feet away from them. His dark hair was curly, his green eyes bright, and his jaw sharp. The couple hugged before Anna introduced the Doctor.
"Perry this is John Smith." The men shook hands. The door Perry had come out of opened. Aurora walked out. The Doctor finally got a good look at her. She was almost as tall as he was, her short brown hair was curly, and her brown eyes glared at him. She popped her gum.
"Bye Perry. Anna." Before walking away she placed a hand on Perry's arm. "I don't think we should do it."
"Perry." Anna said lowly. He shook his head gravely. Smiling at the Doctor he lead them down the hall to another room.
"Let's get your book published. We'll have to go over lots of technical and expense things first, but we'll get your book published. Anna says it has great potential." The Doctor nodded, but he wasn't really listening. Never one to be able to walk away from a mystery, his mind wandered to Aurora. Who was she? Why was she fighting with Anna, why had she just called her Editor, and what kind of trouble was she connected with?