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Chapter 63 - Comrade's Reaction

The Doctor popped into his office with Lance and Logan. Logan had a very short haircut and wore black army fatigues. Logan sat down his huge duffle bag in a chair and looked back at the Doctor. The Doctor held up a finger and smiled. "Just one second, Logan."

The Doctor walked over and opened the door to his office. "Michelle. May I have a minute?"

Michelle walked into his office behind him. She saw Logan, covered her mouth and forced herself not to scream. "What are you doing here?" She jumped in his arms and hugged him.

The Doctor walked behind them. "He's not in trouble if that's what you are thinking. Don't smack him around."

Michelle leaned back and wiped her tears. Logan looked down at her and laughed. "Oh, Mum. Geez. Let me get you tissue." Logan walked over to the table near the sofas and brought her back a tissue.

The Doctor smiled proudly at the young man's thoughtfulness. "Michelle. I'm going to need you to clear my schedule for the week. Perhaps longer. Pete can handle anything you can't push off. I'm going to be recovering from a gunshot if anyone asks."

Michelle looked surprised at him. "Jake said you where shot. Are you alright?"

He leaned on the desk and nodded his head. "I'm fine. But, honestly, I'm going to be out of town. I have to go on a bit of a trip. I'll be in touch and you can reach me if you need to."

Michelle smiled. "Alright. Rose joining you?"

He smiled. "Yes! Clear her schedule as well! Good point."

Michelle looked back at Logan. "Why is he here? He is supposed to be in Canada."

Logan smiled at his mum. "Doctor Smith has selected me for a special assignment."

Michelle looked surprised back at the Doctor. "What's this?"

The Doctor smiled as he pointed at Logan. "I'm going to handle Logan's training myself. I need someone with firsthand experience of off-world life and cultures. I realize that only myself, Rose and Jack have that. Logan is such a thoughtful young man and clever that he's perfect for the job. He reminds me of Rose when I first met her. Before she became so damn scary."

Michelle, Logan and Lance all smiled at him.

He looked at them. "Logan. Take your mum out for lunch. Lance will bring you to me this afternoon and we'll leave orbit. Michelle, I'll take care of him like he's my own. There's no need to worry. Get some sleep tonight."

Michelle nearly cried. He could feel her immediate relief. She walked over and hugged The Doctor. "Thank you."

Logan took his mum's hand and walked out of the door with her. Lance walked over to the Doctor. "A very happy family there."

The Doctor smiled, "Yeah. Logan is a good man. Michelle has done a hell of a job with him. I hope people can say that about my Sam one day."

Lance smiled, "Oh, I wouldn't worry about little Sam. He's got a lot of growing to do. He's loved more than he can imagine."

The Doctor smiled. "That's very true. Ugh. I've got to go get the children."

His bracelet lit up. Friday's voice spoke. "President Shepherd wants a quick word with you, sir."

"Ugh. Stop calling me sir! No matter what Tony says. Stop it!"

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The Doctor popped into the Tyler Mansion's grand entryway.

"Hello?" he called.

Jackie called back. "I'm just here in the kitchen."

He walked into the kitchen to the smell of something lovely cooking. He stood in the doorway and crossed his arms. "What are you cooking?"

Jackie rolled her eyes at him. "So, you can complain about it?"

He shook his head, surprised at himself. "No, it smells really good. What is it?"

"Fish fingers. Do you want some? You look pale. Are you alright?" she asked him.

He sat down at the bar and watched her as she took the tray of fish fingers out of the oven. He rubbed his face. "Pale? Is that what you said?"

She looked back at him. "Yes. You don't look well. Are you sure you are up for a trip?"

He sat back and took a deep breath. "So, Pete called you about that. You're okay with me taking Tony, then?"

She piled some fish fingers on a plate and handed it to him. "Eat something. Maybe you are hungry the reason you look so pale. Pete said you got hurt last night. Are you alright?"

He crammed the fish fingers in his mouth and nodded his head. "I'm fine. It sounded worse than it really was."

Jackie reached in the refrigerator and pulled out a bowl of something. She sat it next to his plate. He absentmindedly dipped his fish fingers in it and continued to eat.

Jackie didn't notice and had disappeared into the cupboard. She called out to him as she continued to speak. "I'm fine with you taking Tony. It's no problem. Pete and I can have some time to ourselves. I just feel badly putting him on you when you already have Genie and Sam."

The Doctor shook his head. "Nah, they're not a problem at all. I'll have Jacob as well. I just picked him up. He's on the island now with Rose, helping her pack."

Jackie laughed, "Good Lord. You and a ship full of children! Are you sure you can manage that?"

He continued to dip his fish fingers in the sweet dip she had put next to the plate and eat. "Arla is coming. So is Legate. I have reinforcements when I need them."

"Just be sure to spend some time with just Rose and yourself. It's important."

He nodded, "Right."

She came out with a cloth bag that was half full of something. She sat it next to his plate on the bar. He looked surprised at her. "What is this?"

She smiled at him. "Jam. Take it with you. I know how you are with that damn sweet tooth of yours."

He laughed at her as he continued to eat. She saw him dipping his fish fingers in the bowl.

"Oh, that's just nasty! Why are you doing that?" she asked him.

He looked confused. "What? You put it up here for me to eat. What's wrong?"

"That's custard, you plum. It's for after you eat, not during!" she fussed at him.

He ran a fish finger around the edge of the bowl to coat it in the custard. "Odd. I've never had that before. It's not bad."

Jackie shook her head at him. "Oh my God! I might be sick. That's disgusting."

Pete walked into the kitchen. "What's disgusting, Jack's?"

Jackie covered her mouth and waved her hand. "Your son-in-law. That's what."

He laughed at her as he continued to eat.

Pete looked at him. "What are you eating, son?" Pete reached over and took a fish finger off his plate. He took a bite and shrugged his shoulders. "That's fine."

The Doctor smiled at him and pointed at the custard. "Try it with that, Pete."

Pete dipped it in the bowl and ate it. He chewed up the fish finger as he ran his eyes around his head in thought. "What is that? Custard?"

The Doctor nodded his head. "Yeah. It's not bad, is it?"

Pete grabbed another fish finger off the Doctor's plate, and sat down next to him at the bar. "No, that's pretty good. Hey, Jack's. Do you have some more of this? I haven't had lunch."

Jackie shook her head as she poured up the rest of the fish fingers on a plate and handed it to Pete. She took a bowl of custard out of the refrigerator and handed to him, too.

"I'll just cook some more of these for the children. Two grown men eating fish fingers and custard." She complained.

The Doctor pointed at his plate. "This might be the best thing I've ever ate of yours, Jackie."

Pete leaned over, "How's that head injury, son?"

The Doctor laughed under his breath. "Oh, that might explain this."

Pete laughed as he ate. "No, really. How is it? Still confused?"

"It's not as bad. I probably just need a cup of tea. Hey, Jackie. Could you make me a cup of tea, please?"

Jackie fussed at him. "What is this? A short order kitchen?"

Pete looked up at her, "Yeah, I'll have one, too. Thank you, Jack's."

Jackie put a kettle on and shook her head at them in playful annoyance.

Pete suddenly remembered, "Jack's. Remember when we talked about getting a smaller place?"

Jackie leaned against the counter. "Yeah. I thought we decided against that. We needed to stay here. This is the only place big enough to host all of those fancy parties and such."

Pete nodded his head. "Well, what if we kept the mansion, but got a smaller place to use as a primary residence? Rose and the Doc' have that huge home on the island, and the flat here in London. They manage well. What do you think?"

Jackie shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know. Where do you have in mind? Someplace close-by?"

"With our watches, anything on Earth is close-by. Where would you like to live?" Pete asked her.

"I liked Greece. That was a lovely place that we stayed in. I loved the water being so close-by. It was so relaxing." Jackie told them as she made them tea.

Pete pointed at her with the fish stick. "This week, while Tony is gone, let's give that another look. Not just Greece, just anywhere. Maybe more than one place to live. Find someplace and we'll go look at it. Alright?"

She handed them both up their teas. "Alright. I'll give it a look."

Pete looked back at the Doctor. "That work for you?"

He sipped his tea and sighed, "That sounds great. Oh, thank you Jackie. This is just what I needed."

As he sat and sipped his tea, his confusion seemed to diminish. He still couldn't remember what happened the night before, but he didn't seem to be as sluggish as he had been all day. He suddenly remembered, "Oh, Pete! I need you to tend to something for me while we're gone. I'll need to show you what to do. It's very simple, but extremely important."

Pete nodded his head as he continued to eat. "Sure. Happy to."

The Doctor, remembering something suddenly, stood up and ran his hands in his pockets. "Oh! That's what I was trying to remember. Where is it?"

Pete looked back at him. "What are you on about, son?"

The Doctor smiled, "Ha! Oh, thank you, Jackie! The tea seems to have really helped! I can think clearer now." He handed her a small jewelry box. "There, I got that yesterday."

Jackie looked surprised as she took the box, "What is this?"

He smiled at her. "Your new matriarch ring. It has an extra stone in it for Sam. Anytime there is a change in the family, it's my responsibility to give you another ring. I've got one for Rose, too that I need to give her."

Jackie smiled proudly down at the ring. "Is Sam's stone from here?"

He nodded his head. "Yeah. I had a hard time trying to decide if I could have the jeweler use one from here, or from the Prime Dimension. In the end, I put one from here in your ring and one from the Prime Dimension in Rose's. A child of two worlds."

Jackie smiled proudly. "Thank you."

Pete grabbed his and the Doctor's plates and bowls, and took them to the sink.

"Ready to have this chat with Tony?" Pete asked him.

The Doctor dropped his head. "Ugh. As ready as I'll ever be. How do you think he'll take it?"

Pete shook his head. "I have no idea. That's the reason I came home. I figured you needed some help."

"Oh, I do. Especially today! Thank you, Pete." The Doctor nodded his head.

Jackie looked confused. "What are you lot on about?"

"If he's going to take Tony into space, we need to tell Tony he's an alien. Don't you think, Jack's?" Pete explained.

Jackie sipped her tea. "Well, that's true. Call him down here, then."

Pete walked out of the doorway and shouted, "Tony! Genie!"

The Doctor looked back at Jackie. "Can I ask you to make me another cuppa? It seems to be helping my head."

Jackie smiled and handed him another cup. "You aren't looking as pale as you were. Something is helping."

He took the cup and sipped it. "Oh, that's lovely. Thank you, Jackie."

Tony, Genie and Zeus ran into the kitchen. Tony jumped into Pete's arms. "Hey Daddy! Why are you home in the middle of the day?"

Genie smiled at Pete. The Doctor sat down his tea and whistled quietly to get her attention. She laughed and climbed into his arms. He held her tightly and kissed her cheek. "How are you today, my Sara Gene?"

She sat back and looked at what he was wearing. "Daddy. Have you been playing football all day again?"

He looked down at his jeans and t-shirt. "Maybe I have. So what of it?"

She smiled at him. "You should have come to get Tony, then."

Pete held Tony in his arms as he sat down at the kitchen table. "Well, we need to chat about that. John did come to get you both. He has a bit of a surprise for you."

The Doctor nodded as he picked up Genie, and his tea, and joined them at the kitchen table. "Yes. We're going on a holiday. Someplace really cool." Genie sat on her knees next to him in a chair on her own.

"Where are we going, Daddy?" Genie asked.

He took a deep breath and looked at Tony. "We're going to another planet. A place called Plentitude. We'll take a space ship that I have there."

Pete looked to see Tony's surprised face. The Doctor sipped his tea. Tony smiled in disbelief. "Right, John. Good joke. Where are we really going?"

Genie looked at Tony. "No, Tony. He's telling the truth. I can tell."

Tony threw his arms up. "But, you don't have a ship anymore! Who's ship are we taking?"

Pete and The Doctor looked surprised at Tony.

Pete asked, "How do you know about his ship?"

Tony shrugged his shoulders. "I figured you didn't have it anymore, otherwise you would have taken Rose traveling again already."

The Doctor looked at Pete in complete shock. "Tony. Ummm. Tell me. What do you remember about the stories Rose told you about me?"

Tony smiled, "She told me about fun places you took her. She said you met the Queen way back in the past, and strange people in the future. I always imagined it was aliens the way she described them."

Genie smiled, "Just like Spartacus!"

Tony continued. "Rose was really sad and was sure she would never see you again. She would sit in her room and cry sometimes. I would try to make her feel better and she said that it 'served her right for being stupid enough to fall in love with an alien'. She meant you, I'm sure because you are here now and you two like to kiss all of the time."

The Doctor rubbed his face, "Again with the kissing. I'll remind you of this one day!"

Pete laughed in relief. "You mean you know all about him?"

The Doctor shook his head. "No. You couldn't have known this entire time. You were always so scared of aliens. I remember taking you to the Smithsonian and we talked about it then."

Tony looked seriously at The Doctor. "I am scared of aliens. They are very scary! But, not like you. You are….. normal."

The Doctor looked at Pete. "Well, I've never been called that in my entire life."

Pete chuckled at him and tried to understand. "So, you're frightened of aliens, just not him? Even though you know he is one. Is that it?"

Tony shrugged his shoulders, "Yeah. It's like Genie says. He's like Han Solo. He just looks like us, he's not from here. It's not a big deal."

The Doctor looked at Genie in surprise. "You told him?"

Genie held up her hands. "He asked. But he already knew! Mum had told him stories before you got here. How long have you been here, Daddy? Tony says it hasn't been long."

The Doctor rubbed his face in relief. "Damn it, Pete. These kids are too clever. Why were we worried?"

Pete was laughing at him. "I feel as if our future is in good hands."

The Doctor sipped his tea. "Indeed. Wow."

Tony leaned into the table. "What I don't understand though, John, is this. If you didn't have a ship, but now you do, where did it come from?"

"I bought one. I just got it a few days ago. Your Mum and Dad went to get it for me."

Tony looked at Pete. "Are you an alien, too?"

Pete laughed, "No son. The only alien in this family is him."

The Doctor sipped his tea and looked at Tony. "Is that alright?"

Tony threw up his hands. "Why wouldn't it be? It's never been a problem before."

The Doctor rolled his eyes. "Jackie! Your son is behaving like you. Are you proud of yourself?"

Jackie, leaning on the bar, smiled at them. "Incredibility proud. Tony, why haven't you said anything about this? Have you known this entire time?"

Tony shook his head. "No one else said about it, I figured it wasn't something he wanted to talk about. I guessed it would make him homesick and so sad like Rose had been."

The Doctor's heart sank at the reminder of how upset Rose was while they had been apart. He looked at Pete and sighed. He took the opportunity as he sipped his tea to reach out to her through their connection.

'Rose, my darling. I love you. So very much.' He said.

He could feel Rose's surprise at his sudden words.

'I love you. Are you alright?' Rose asked concerned.

'I'm fine. I just needed to tell you that. I'll be home in a bit.'

He smiled as he sat down his tea. Tony asked him, "Are we going back to where you are from, John?"

The Doctor smiled, "No. But, it's a really neat place."

Tony asked him. "There will be aliens, won't there?"

The Doctor smiled, "Yes, the planet will have aliens. But, if you don't want to go down to the planet, you don't have to. You can stay on the ship. There are all sorts of things on it to keep you busy."

Tony leaned on the table, "Like what? How big is this ship?"

"Really big! It's almost as large as a Star Liner. It has a hanger with room for twelve smaller ships that I can take you out in and fly around in space while we're gone."

Genie looked surprised. "You have thirteen ships?"

He shook his head, "No. I have four. The bigger ship, and then three smaller ones. Legate will have his ship there, too. It goes really fast! Like a rollercoaster! It will suck you into the seat and make your eyes pop!"

Tony held up his hands. "Hang on! Legate has a ship? That means he's an alien, too? Is Poltoius one?"

The Doctor looked at Pete.

Pete shook his head and smiled. "Might as well get it all out in the open, son."

The Doctor smiled as he looked back at Tony. "Comrade. Poltoius and Legate are aliens. Yes. So are the rest of our body guards."

Jackie complained. "See, and we had them for years before I was ever told that."

Tony accepted his answer. "They are from the same place you are! Right?"

The Doctor shook his head. "No. They are from someplace else."

"But, they look like you."

The Doctor pointed at Tony. "You look like me and we're not from the same place. See how that works?"

Tony looked surprised. "Okay, hang on. If you look normal, and so do they, and they are all aliens, maybe aliens aren't really scary. Are there aliens who look scary? Or is that some crap the telly has made us think?"

The Doctor fussed at him, "Don't say 'crap' in front of the ladies, Comrade. Mind your manners. There are aliens who look scary. There are some that look rather…..strange. Everyone is different."

Genie smiled, "I'm more interested in the ship! When are we leaving?"

The Doctor smiled at her. "We leave this afternoon. Jacob is coming with us, too."

Tony did a little dance. "Brilliant! Space adventures with Genie and Jacob! Will Rose come too?"

The Doctor smiled, "Rose, Sam, Legate, Lewis, Arla, Mr. Tony and a few others."

Pete looked surprised, "Stark is going?"

The Doctor nodded as he sipped his tea.

Tony looked back at Pete. "You're not going, Daddy?"

Pete shook his head. "No. I've already been. I need to stay here and get some work done. You mind John and Rose, and you'll be fine. We'll be able to call you and hear all about your adventures."

Tony nodded his head. "Can Zeus come, too?"

Zeus lifted his head up and looked at the Doctor. Jackie spoke quickly. "Now, come on! Tony, if I have to be without you for a few days, you aren't going to take my dog, too! He's staying with me so I'll have someone to talk to."

Tony looked disappointed, "Alright. He probably wouldn't like space anyway. What do I need to pack?"

Jackie spoke again. "I've already packed your bag, son." She looked at the Doctor. "And don't forget all of this jam, you."

The Doctor smiled at her. "Oh, I won't. Thank you, Jackie."

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