David stood up angry at his refusal, "I know you don't like to share Time Lord Tech, but how can you refuse to help us? This planet will die along with anyone left on her. It's as simple as that!" He left them to grab his bag and go upstairs to the guest room.

Chapter 69 Father Knows Best

Rose looked at her husband. His brows were turned down in thought. She was going to lose her world and it made her ache inside. "Isn't there anything that can be done? We can't lose our home now. Not after everything we've achieved, everything we've been through." The Time Lord was sympathetic but unmoved. "Lots of things happen, that you don't want to happen." He knew better than anyone what it was like to lose a home he loved. He couldn't help the first one, maybe there was something that could be done about the second one. The Time Lord stood and went out the front door alone to think.

Rose went upstairs to talk to David. She knocked on the door and he replied. He was on the bed with his hands behind his head on the pillow, staring at the ceiling. "I see your impatience hasn't improved. You need to give him time. He'll figure this out." "Mom, we don't have any time. If dad can't help us we'll have to start the evacuations immediately. The real problem is not enough lifeboats for everyone. Our closest neighbor doesn't have enough ships to take on the millions of refugees. And the return trip for more would be too late. Even if we could, how and where would we feed and house them all?

We are going to have to choose at some point who will live and who will be left behind." Rose looked at her sons devastated face. "It'll be alright David. I have faith in your father. You just dropped this on him. You have to give him time." Rose put her hand to his chest and kissed his cheek. "Good night sweetheart." "Good night mom."

David looked around his old room. There were so many memories in this room. He knew his dad was right. There just wasn't enough time to devise and then implement his idea. Hours passed and he couldn't sleep. His head ached. David decided to get up and get some fresh air. He walked out the door to see his father still sitting on the bench in the yard looking up. It was late. David decided to join him and slumped on the bench next to him.

They didn't say anything for a long time. David started off. "I'm sorry about that scene in the house dad. I'm scared. This is going to end very badly." The Time Lord looked at his son and smiled. "You have your mother's temper. If you weren't upset and raving, then I would be concerned." David looked at his father. He felt like he was a kid again asking for advice on girls. They sat on the bench silently looking at the stars for a long time. "Trying to defend against so many projectiles is inefficient. There's always going to be some that get through and that would be devastating. No. We need to go to the source of the problem, the fragment."

David looked at his father in disbelief. "You can't be serious. The largest explosion we could produce wouldn't even budge it. It would take too long just to reach it. And heaven help us if we managed to fracture it." The Time Lord smiled, "David, you know the cool thing about space? Everything is weightless. Yeah, there's plenty of gravity when you're standing on it, but it's weightless as it goes through space. The only thing that keeps this planet from going off on a holiday is the gravity of the sun keeping it from spinning off. David wanted to remind his father that he did have a PhD in astrophysics, but he stayed silent.

Right now the fragment is just moving along, minding its own business. Nothing has a strong enough gravity to pull it off course." His eyes twinkled as he looked at his son. "Of course it's never met a Tardis before. She'll need a little modification, but I think she can pull it out of the way." David stared in disbelief, "What?" "David, the Tardis has an exploding sun at her heart that gives her enough power to move whatever you like. It's not just for making sandwiches and trips to the ocean a hundred years ago." David was skeptical but hopeful. "How long will the modifications take?" The Time Lord was thoughtful and then shrugged, "Couple of days. But we must get permission from the president. We can't just jaunt on up there and fix it on our own.

That will be your job. Go back and convince them that we can do it and meet me here when that's done. We'll do it together." He held back the urge to rub his boys head and mess up his hair like he did when he was a kid. Instead, he grabbed him in a shoulder hug. "Good night David, see you at breakfast. Now, no disappearing tonight or your mother will have fits." He stood and went to go back into the house. David smiled knowing it was true.

"Good night dad." He turned serious suddenly, "Dad… Are you sure?" The Time Lord turned to his son standing tall and formal with a straight face. "David who are you?" It was a question he was often asked as a kid. A reminder of their shared heritage when David was thinking a little too much like a human. David sat up straight, "I am a Time Lord father." His father nodded with pride in his son, "Then you have your answer", and he went into the house.

David stayed on the bench a little longer, relief flooding over him. Answering that question made him wish he knew more about his people. He knew their history and their culture of course, but he didn't know the full extent of their technology. He had gone there for his initiation at eight years old. It was frightening and painful, and worth it, but he didn't get the chance to attend the Academy as his father had.

Father had only taught him the basics of their technology because it was hard to tell someone how to make a complicated device when you don't have access to that device. David knew the sky trenches existed and how they operated, but he couldn't build one, never having seen it. So much of Time Lord tech could be used in their lives, but dad wouldn't share it. He said it was much too powerful for humans to have. They would only abuse it and destroy themselves. Someday they would create it themselves, and that was as it should be.

David finally felt sleep was a possibility and went to bed. He would face the rest tomorrow.

The wonderful smell of bacon and eggs wafted up to his room from the kitchen. For a moment he was transported back to the age of 12 when he last lived in this house. He was going to college and Rose had made him a special breakfast. He stretched and got out of bed and was headed for the bathroom when Rose called up. "David! Time to get out of bed, I made breakfast." "Be right down mom."

The kitchen table was full of food and Rose was sitting with a cup of tea waiting for David. "Well, you put on quite a spread mom. But all I really want is a cup of coffee." Rose looked at David in his blue jumper and jeans with hurt in her eyes. "Ok, I'll have a little." She smiled as David sat down, and then she piled pancakes and bacon on his plate. David looked at her and moaned. "You need to keep up your strength. I told you I thought you were a bit too thin. Did you work things out with your father? He didn't come to bed last night."

David stopped mid bite, "Where is he?" "In the Tardis of course. I can hear him tinkering with something." David swallowed another bite and rose to go find him. "Sit down young man! I want to have a word with you. Whatever your father's doing will keep." David sighed and sat down. "Mom, It's kinda important." "So is this." she insisted. David sat back down and grabbed his fork. He didn't much like being treated like a child, but it's a mom thing. "Ok, what's up?"

"David, I haven't seen you in months. You never call. I'm not going to wait for Christmas to have a conversation when you're right here. Now, tell me about your job. How's it going?" David smiled and told her all about the Azutco company and a few others that he and Lori had made pay for the mistake of not keeping their promises. The park and the free clinic they were building with the proceeds of the fines. The happy families as they moved into a new home. His love for the area and its people and problems." She smiled and nodded the whole time.

David wasn't sure if she was actually listening or just glad for the sound of his voice. One thing stood out. The look on her face as he finished. "I'm so proud of you David. You remind me of your father. Always trying to help. So, you haven't said much about Lori. Are you two still an item?" David blushed slightly, "Mom, she's my boss." "So, This isn't twentieth century earth. You two made a nice couple when you were here in the spring. Boss or not, she had a look in her eyes that spoke volumes. And you did share a room."

Chapter 70 Assembly