Extreme Time Twist

by Lumendea

Chapter Fourteen: Babysitting Nightmare VII

Disclaimer: I do not own Doctor Who and gain nothing from the creation of this story.

…..

The Doctor grinned as the equation appeared on the scanner it all its perfect and working glory. There was beauty in the sight of a perfectly defined temporal application if he did say so himself. He hadn't done much in the way of complex temporal math for at least a hundred years, usually it just wasn't necessary thanks to his experience. He had dealt with more than his fair share of temporal loops and odd little blips in time, but it was still nice to see that he remembered the basics of mathematically charting them out. And to think that professor had insisted that he'd be an utter failure.

Then the smile fell just a bit from his face as he heard the sounds of laughter from deeper in the TARDIS. It was musical and he felt and heard the TARDIS hum in delight. The old girl seemed to enjoy having little time lords on board which was a bit of a surprise. Catching the direction of his thoughts the Doctor shook his head and sighed. Leaning forward, he added in the necessary equations to track the point in his time line where the children had originated from.

Now the TARDIS was tracking the location of his future self. He had done it, everything that he needed to do to send the children home was done. They would be back with their parents soon enough and it would just be him and Rose again. Sitting back into the jump seat, the Doctor shook his head at himself. He was being silly and ridiculous. Domestic wasn't something he was ready for yet, nope not him. He was glad it was just him and Rose, exploring the universe and just having to worry about each other. Even having the little ones just visiting had been a lesson in the stress that protecting them would bring and the utter chaos they were liable to unleash.

Shaking his head, the Doctor put his feet up on the controls and laughed silently at himself. Since when was he become so obsessed with having a family? Even as a young man on Gallifrey he hadn't thought much of the idea and he knew that it was completely his fault for how his first family had turned out. Susan had been alright mostly due to her own natural intelligence and fortitude rather than any parenting he might have done for her. Yes he'd taken her with him to save her from their plans for her… he shook his head to dispel the ghosts trying to creep up on him.

Listening again, the Doctor noted that the TARDIS had quieted down and he frowned at the odd silence. In the last day that the children had been with them, he had learned that it was never quiet. Well last night it might have been quiet, but he and Rose weren't paying attention to that sort of thing at that moment. Soft footfalls made him look up as Rose entered the control room and smiled at him. His heart jumped as it often did when he saw that look. He wondered if it always would or would there come a day that he took it for granted. The Doctor almost hoped so because that would mean that she'd been there with him and beside him long enough to become someone that he could take for granted.

"It's very quiet," the Doctor observed with a grin. "Should I be worried?"

"I convinced them to take a nap before we send them home," Rose explained with a soft look.

Nodding, the Doctor held out his hand to her which she took with a smile and slid next to him on the jump seat. Leaning her head against the Doctor's shoulder, Rose looked at the screen and watched the TARDIS run through the program.

"That it then?"

He nodded and wrapped an arm around her as he said, "It feels so quiet." He meant it in a different way now.

"I know," Rose replied with a nod. "I've gotten used to them around here too even though they've barely been with us a day. It is going to feel strange when they are gone."

"True," the Doctor remarked, his tone making Rose look up at him, "But at least we can go back to working on them again."

"My Mum was right. You might be an alien but you are still a bloke," Rose laughed as she elbowed him lightly and shook her head. "If she could see you now she'd be gloating like mad."

The Doctor shrugged around his grin and pulled Rose tighter against him. He breathed in the smell of her vanilla shampoo and kissed her forehead. Rose sighed and relaxed against him making a feeling on contentment well up inside the Doctor. He was still so unused to feeling that way that it made him gasp softly.

"Didn't used to act like this," he told Rose with a soft laugh. "That started when I met this shop girl who was about to be squished by some Autons."

"Squished?" Rose asked, raising an eyebrow,

"You had your eyes closed, but it certainly looked like that one was getting ready to hit a bug."

"Oi," Rose said sharply. "You happen to be talking about the mother of your children."

She froze at the odd look that crossed the Doctor's face as he looked at her. A small smile spread over his face and he brushed a finger down her cheek.

"Yes I is. The mother of my children."

Smiling, Rose leaned up to kiss the Doctor when Diana began crying down the hall. Sighing the Doctor jumped up and checked the scanner.

"We can send them back to the future in five minutes," the Doctor informed her.

Nodding, Rose sighed and headed for the door before adding, "I hope they enjoyed their time alone."