A/N: This is where you can really, truly, feel my procrastination to get to where I need to get to in this fic... It's tough, because I'm not sure I want to do it anymore... I have to, no doubt about it, but I am more tiptoeing around it right now.
Please enjoy this offering ... I do hope that I can get the next bit up later this afternoon. It really depends on how well my fingers move across the keyboard. Wish me luck, I'll be listening to some really soppy 90's songstresses to get me through it. :) Got any suggestions? I've lined up Celine Dion and Mariah Carey so far ... and I'm truly not a fan of either of them, so double tough pour moi.
I hope you enjoy this wee snippet...
Oh, and if you have a problem with breast feeding and descriptions of, then you might want to avoid this chapter...
~~oooOOOooo~~
It was a rare time when the family Lungbarrow would all leave the house together and venture to the Capitol for a day-visit. Rarer, still, when their two furbabies were allowed to join them, but Council were opening a leash-free park for the residents and their animal companions, and they'd all been invited for the grand opening.
Quite exciting, really. Well. Exciting for a stay-at-home mother who really didn't get out beyond the local markets all that much at any rate. Rose was quite excited in making sure that the kids were bathed and dressed in their finest casual gear. She ensured the same of her two beloved Dahramas, making sure they were washed, brushed, and clean…
…Much to their chagrin, of course. They self-groomed. They didn't much like being stuck in a bath and scrubbed with sweet-smelling soaps. At least Soliarn wasn't all that impressed. Tiallu did seem to take to the pampering a little more than was considered acceptable for a large white wolf. Her mate made sure to show admonishment for her enjoyment toward being pampered with a lift in his nose, a gruff, and then walking away when she came to him with a proud walk around as though to ask: "How do I look?"
"Oh darling," Rose cooed as she petted the head of her disappointed wolf. "I think you look beautiful. Don't you mind his indignant macho self. It's not often that a bloke gets as excited about the results of a pampering like we expect them to." She leaned down. "They can get pretty ignorant over it…"
The Doctor sighed from the doorway. "That's because we always think you look beautiful," he remarked in support of Soliarn. "And we don't understand why you think that you have to get all coiffed and made up to impress us."
Rose pulled herself up straight and gave him a shrug. "It's more for us than for you," she admitted. "We want you to notice, that's all. Sometimes you blokes forget to tell us how beautiful we are."
He kissed her cheek. "I think you're very beautiful," he offered her. "And never moreso than when you're completely bared to me, without all of the coverings of clothing and makeup…"
"You mean naked," she huffed out with a shake of her head. "That's just your hormones talking at that point, Doctor." She pointed to his groin. "When that's in control, you could put a potato sack on me and still think it's an amazin' sight."
He scratched at his head. His mouth dipped in a bit of a frown of disagreement. "Actually. No. Not Human, remember. That thing is never in control of my thoughts and behaviours.." he lifted a brow. "Although that does lend a question or two about when your own hormones take over and just how…"
"Nope!" she interrupted. "Not heading into any conversation like that right now."
"Well it is curious," he ventured with genuine interest. "Despite being mated with a Human for the best part of a decade, I've truly never completely delved inside the sexual hormonal effect of Humans toward their mate, and the apparent blinding effect the rush of hormones provide…"
"Just making it up as you go along, then," she said with a sigh and a roll in her eye. "No intel, no plan, just running with it."
"Seems to have worked till now," he answered with a shrug. "And I do tend to be more successful at a task when I go in without a plan."
She moaned dramatically. "How positively soul-warming is it to know that you consider lovemaking a task…"
"I never said that," he countered with a small smirk. "I'd put it as a rather exciting endeavour." His eyes flared happily. "Oh! Much like putting together a handy little device when I'm out in the field…"
"You compare it to tinkering?" she gasped. She shook her head with a smile and walked by him, giving him a little bump on the shoulder with hers. "Tinkering with electronics, tinkering with your human, yeah, makes sense. Of course it does."
He captured her from behind with a chuckle in her ear as his arms shifted around her belly. He swayed them lightly together in a songless dance. "I don't tinker," he assured her with a graze of his lips against her ear. "I excitedly pull together the knowledge I gather in the moment – many times new and wonderful discoveries – to create the perfect means by which to perform to the very best of my ability."
She chuckled. "You're so full of it, you know."
"One of my endearing qualities, wouldn't you say?"
"It's a quality," she agreed. "Dunno that I'd call it an endearing one." She lowered her hands to his forearms and noticed he had red velvet draped over them. "Hold on," she remarked with curiosity as she stepped out of his arms and gestured toward the thick fabric. "What's this?"
"Ahhh," he breathed out with a slight measure of distaste. "Robes of the Prydonian Order." He held up two such items. "As the invitees of the President, you and I are required to wear them. Rather droll and pompous formality, really, but Romana did insist."
Rose ran her hands over the fabric and let out a breath of admiration. Her fingertips traced over the embroidered gold edging. "They're beautiful,' she breathed. "So soft." Her eyes lifted. "These are ours? To Keep?"
He nodded and circled his finger over a series of embroidered circles. "This denotes our bond – signifying us as mates – and this, our chapterhouse affiliation." He opened one up and put it over her shoulders. "There are other meanings to the texts bordering the robe, but it's more about how great and mighty the Prydonian order is, and means nothing more than just being pomp and circumstance." He smoothed it over her shoulders as she slipped her arms into the sleeves and gave her a smile. "Now you look like a real Lady of Time."
"Shame I'm not really one," she said with a sigh.
"You are to me, and to those that matter," he cooed with a kiss at her temple. "In all the ways that matter."
She turned and raised her arms over his neck. "I love you," she breathed out with a shudder as his arms slipped underneath the robe to circle her waist. "My heart couldn't beat without you holding it like you do."
He captured her lips in a searing kiss that affirmed his own feelings toward her. He pulled back before it could move any more forward and breathed a somewhat disappointed breath against her mouth. "We should go before I say to Hell with it and take you to back to bed instead…"
"With the kids waiting for us in the living room and all," she teased softly.
"Yeah,' he drawled. "Put a bit of a damper on spontaneity, don't they?"
She petted his chest lightly with both hands and lifted her eyes to his. "Best hope that we tucker them out today, yeah? Get 'em both down early and have some fun with these robes of ours."
He watched her leave the room with his brows down low over his eyes with puzzlement. "Just what kind've fun do you think we can have with them?"
~~oooOOOooo~~
Although it was in the middle of what looked like a hot and arid desert, the interior of the crystal dome that covered the Capitol was really quite comfortable. Of course, with thick velvet robes being a requirement for many of the Time Lords and Ladies that worked within the dome, they'd have to do some serious climate control for them to survive it. Even with the artificial cool breeze that blew through the halls, she was warm underneath her own robe. She wondered how the Doctor was faring as he walked close to her side. His own robe bore a high sweeping cowl that sat on his shoulders with an arcing fan that sat as a halo to the back of his head. There was a gilded helmet he was required to wear as well, although at the moment, he had it seated on the sunscreen that covered their daughter's stroller. Alirra wasn't in her stroller, of course. She hated the damn thing and threw a rather impressive tantrum about it until she was finally settled on her father's hip happily bouncing and babbling away.
"She gets that from you, you know," the Doctor said with a chuckle as they strode the crystal-covered walkway toward the park.
"I'm sorry? Get's what from me?"
"The endless chatter. Always wanting her daddy's undivided attention toward whatever topic pops up in her mind." he answered with a chuckle as Alirra suddenly discovered she could play peek-a-boo with his robe. "Yes, peek-a-boo, my little darling." He looked back to Rose. "Now I can see why you're so exhausted at the end of the day."
"She only does that with you," Rose answered with a chuckle as she swept her finger along Alirra's forehead to sweep away her blonde hair from her eyes. "With Mark and me, she's less likely to chatter on nonsensically like that."
"Right about that," Mark offered with a shrug. He walked with his hands in his trouser pockets and his head down as though slightly uncomfortable about being around so many adults at one time. "Usually she's all papa papa papa, I want papa. Where's papa?"
The Doctor looked up from his game of peek-a-boo with Alirra. His brows were high at that revelation. "Really? You've never mentioned that before."
Rose shrugged. "No point in it, really. This one's a daddy's girl without a doubt."
"But she should be a mummy's girl as well," he countered with a frown. The frown fell to lengthened into play expression of surprise when he looked back down at a peek-a-boo from his little girl. "Hello darling, there you are!"
"Wouldn't worry about it," Rose offered with a smile toward their play. "I've got my little mama's boy in Mark, Don't I little buddy?"
Mark took her hand and gave her a toothy grin. "Yep!"
The Doctor looked down at his daughter. "But you love your mum just as much as you do your papa, right, little cobblemouse?"
Alirra blinked quickly at him. She then leaned around him and reached out for her mother with both hands. There was an urgent sound in her whimpering and the Doctor was quick to hand her over. He grinned as he took control of the stroller from Rose. "See?" he chirped out proudly. "A mama and a papa girl!"
Rose chuckled at the urgent hands of her little girl pawing at her shirt. "Yeah, when she wants a feed she's mine alright."
"Ahh," he drawled. His head tipped side to side. "But with Daddy she only gets snuggles, cuddles, endless playtime, and bed time stories – all of which she also gets with her Mum. With mum, however, she gets life sustaining nutrition. You're one up on me, my hearts."
Rose winced with discomfort at the child pawing at her chest and the inevitable swell and letdown of milk in her breasts. "Yeah, but only till she's weaned, Thete. After that, she's going to be all about Daddy, you just wait and see."
He frowned at his wife's urgent discomfort. "We need to find you somewhere to sit." He looked around at the corridor, seeing nothing around them to assist in a feed. "Do you think she can wait a few more minutes. Once we get to the park and sign in so to speak, then we can find you both somewhere comfortable."
Rose shook her head. "Neither her nor I can wait," she admitted. "Since she started teething, Alirra's been grazing rather than taking a full feed. She barely suckled for two minutes this morning before we left the house." She looked up at him with a wince. "And the lack of a full feed is affecting us both."
"Urgent, then," he breathed out worriedly. "How are we going to manage this?"
Rose tucked Alirra in under her robe as she shifted herself as discretely as possible to allow her child to at least start to feed and release the heavy painful pressure in her breast. She let out a sound of relief and looked toward a corridor to their left. "We'll head down there for now and I'll find a spot to sit. Go ahead to the park, we'll meet you there in a few minutes, okay?"
"I'd rather not leave you alone," he admitted. He pulled his pocket watch from his waistcoat pocket and frowned. "Low on time, though."
"I'll be fine," she assured him. "Leave Mark and the fur kids with me, and I'll be perfectly safe." She nodded urgently toward the end of the walkway. "Head on up, I'll meet you there. Give my apologies to Romana and Brax for being late."
He kissed her brow, and then the side of her mouth. 'I'm sure they'll understand. Go make sure our daughter's fed, and I'll see you shortly." He peeked into Rose's robe, smiling at the sight of his little girl latched happily to her mother's breast. "Get your fill, darling," he cooed with a drop of his head to kiss her little blonde head.
Mark chuckled. "If only the two of you could see how that looks from here." He looked around him with a smirk. "And the looks you're getting from everyone."
The Doctor closed Rose's robe and rubbed his son's head. "Little devil," he accused lovingly. "Don't you start thinking for a moment that I care anything about what this pompous lot thinks." He increased the volume of his voice just slightly in a somewhat passive aggressive chiding toward those judging him. "The nutrition and sustenance of a small child is far more important than the judging minds of others. The true beauty of nature in the love and care of a mother toward her child."
"Doctor," Rose warned softly.
"They should show reverence toward you," he said with a sniff. "Not judgement."
"I really don't think they are," she said softly. "Probably more curious than judgmental." She tipped her head to the corridor. "But, I gotto go sit down."
He handed off the stroller to his son. "I leave your mother in your protective hands, Mark. Keep her and your sister safe."
"You got it, Dad," he assured him with a smile. "You go and represent the family."
He kissed his son's head and then leaned in to kiss Rose on the cheek. "See you soon, Hearts." He spun and walked away with a wave to his small family.
"Doctor," Rose called out. "I-Io – I love you," she said in a manner of urgency when he turned around.
He offered her a strange look, one of pinched eyes and a curious dip in his brows. "My hearts beat for you as well, Rose. Always. Forever." He stepped forward with worry in his expression. "Are you okay?"
She winced, but nodded with a tilt of her chin downward. "Nursing," she said with a shrug. "Always makes me all, you know. Emotional."
He smiled, blew her a kiss, then turned and started to jog toward the park.
Rose watched him run, his robe billowing out behind him like a cape. She let out a sigh of appreciation at the way the other robe-wearing Lords and Ladies parted quickly to get out of his way, and his skipps and waves of apology to each and every one of them. God, she loved that man…
Mark walked at her side with the stroller pushing in front of him. "You okay, Mum?" he asked curiously. "Feeding stinky there doesn't usually get you all mushy like that."
She didn't want to admit that a sudden feeling of dread was settling inside her shoulders and belly. Instead she changed her hold on her daughter for comfort and led them down a long and darkened corridor in search of a seat. She was thankful for the presence of her two wolves, such was the eeriness of this new path. "I'm fine, Sweetheart," she assured him. "I just don't like being here without your dad, that's all."
"Tell me about it," he agreed with a huff and a curl in his lip. He didn't like this place at all. "Too many people trying to make themselves look bigger and more important than they really are."
"For a Seven year old to make that observation," she remarked. "Is really saying something. I reckon your dad will agree with you on that."
Rose was beginning to wonder if they'd installed any seating at all in this place. She had to stop in the corridor and juggle Alirra to switch to the other breast before they'd found anything to sit on. She winced as she helped her child latch, and then covered up her damp, but definitely relieved other breast. Feeding while standing and walking was not a particularly pleasurable bonding experience for her.
"I really need to sit down," she huffed.
"I can't find a seat, mum," Mark said with sympathy. "But maybe if we put your robe down, you can sit on the floor?"
"I'm close to doing just that," she agreed. Her breath hitched and a smile of relief to see an open door at the end of the hallway that led into a darkened room. Toward the wall, she could make out the shape of a chair. "Oh thank the stars," she breathed out with relief. She pointed out the chair to her son. "Mark, in through here."
He looked around with a crease of concern in his brow. "I dunno, Mum. Are you sure we're allowed in here? Looks kind've dark and do-not-enterish."
"I need to sit down," she huffed out. "My legs are about to give. Tiallu and Soliarn will keep watch."
"But it's dark."
Rose took a seat and properly shifted Alirra to a move comfortable position. She let out a long sigh of relief. "God, that feels better." She petted her other knee. "Come here, Mark. If you're scared, come sit with me, I'll protect you."
He walked to her, but didn't seat himself on her knee. Instead he stood at her side and curled his arms around her neck. "I'm not scared," he assured her. "I'm the Doctor's son, I'm brave."
"He gets scared too," Rose said softly. "More often that you think he does."
"Does he?"
She nodded. "Of course he does. But you know what?"
"What?"
She ran her thumb over his cheek. "Even the bravest people get scared from time to time. They have to, because you can't be brave if you don't get scared here and there. Being brave is being scared but still doing what you need to do to succeed despite your fears."
"Really?"
"Mmhmm," she hummed in reply. She looked down as her daughter started to stir, shaking her little head against Rose's breast to let her mother know she was finished feeding. "Oop, okay Alirra," she cooed as she released her from the robe and held her up with the intent to give her a quick burp. She didn't need to hold her daughter at her shoulder, because the little one opened her mouth wide and let out a loud, long, milk-smelling burp into her mothers face.
"Said the queen!" Mark cheered to his sister with a fist pump in the air. "That was awesome, Lirr."
"You are not being a positive influence," Rose warned her son as she covered herself and then leaned forward to settle her now sleepy child into the stroller.
"I think I was being very positive," he disagreed. "I was very supportive of her."
"True," Rose sang. "Guess I can't argue that one." She looked up, and then sat backward, feeling the exhaustion of having nursed her daughter in the manner she had. She held Mark's arm, that was still curled around her neck. "Let's just sit a minute," she requested. "Then we'll go find your dad."
"Sound like a …" His words cut abruptly at the snarl of Tiallu in the darkness ahead of them. "What the? Tiallu?"
Rose held onto her son's arm just that little bit tighter as Soliarn stepped into the shadow and let out a growl of his own. Although dark, it wasn't pitch black, and she could see the outlines of her wolves stalking a circle around a box in the centre of the room.
"What's there?" she asked her wolves wit deep concern in her voice. She looked around, them, seeing nothing. Of course, that didn't mean there wasn't anything to be concerned about. She petted Mark's arm. "Come on, Sweetheart. It's probably best we go catch up with your Dad, yeah?"
He nodded urgently as the prowling and snarling of the two wolves increased. "Yeah, Mum. Good idea. Let's get Dad."
She nodded and quickly stood up. She leaned down and snapped closed the clips of Alirra's stroller to keep the sleepy child in place. "Time to go."
"What's the hurry?" her own voice asked her from behind.
Rose stilled immediately. Beside her Mark gasped, both hands flying to his mouth to cover it. His eyes were wide with terror. Rose quickly stepped in front of him, her hand held back on his chest to keep him in place behind her. "Who's there?"
Her wolves were no longer snarling with threat. Now they paced a wide circle with their heads obediently held downward in a submissive posture. In the centre of that circle an amber blob began to rise. It shifted and morphed a twisting and turning motion until it finally lengthened and stretched out into the form of a woman…
…A woman identical to Rose Tyler herself. "Oh it's about time," The woman said with a sigh of relief. She then gave Rose a smile and a wave with her fingers held up at her face. "Hello Rose."
"Who-Who are you?" Rose stammered out, battling to find any courage at all when faced with the image of herself.
The woman tilted her head with a wide smile that stretched across her cheeks. "I'm Rose Tyler," she answered. She then stopped, shook her head and frowned. "No. That's not right. I'm not Rose, I'm someone else." She slouched. "But who? Oh. Oh!" her grin returned. "That's right. I'm the wolf," she said with cheer in her voice. "The wolf. Wolf…" Her smile fell again. "Oh, but which one?"
Tiallu gave a yap, and the woman looked up, all humour and confusion gone from her expression. Now she looked upon Rose with a glowing expression of warning. "I'm the Bad Wolf…"
