Recall

By Lumendea

Chapter Three: Recalled by the Third III

Disclaimer: I do not own Doctor Who or any of the spinoff material, and I gain no income off of this story, just the satisfaction of playing with the characters.

….

The Doctor managed to remember his desire to manage some kind of nutrition the next morning after allowing himself a nap. He didn't need as much sleep as humans and certainly not as much as a child with a developing brain, but he was fairly certain that he'd need the rest. When he'd woken, he'd checked the TARDIS kitchen and been pleased to find that the Old Girl had managed to give him some basics. He wasn't the best cook, but he could manage some eggs and toast, and the bananas would ensure that Gaia had some fruit.

"You cooked?" Jo asked with a hint of surprise as she stumbled into the kitchen. She had apparently already visited the wardrobe and found a blue outfit that suited her. "I didn't know you could cook."

"Jo, I'm centuries old," the Doctor replied. "Of course, I can cook."

"Maybe I should make you more often then," Jo teased. "I found some small thing for Gaia to wear in the wardrobe room so we can wash her things. I put them just inside her room."

"Ah, marvellous, my dear," the Doctor said with a smile. "I do appreciate the help, Jo. If I knew in advance when to expect Gaia, this whole situation would be easier, but obviously, that isn't the case."

"You're welcome, Doctor. I certainly don't mind. She's a lovely little girl. And… well, it's pleasant to see you with her. Warms my heart."

The Doctor wasn't sure how to take that, but he was sure that Jo had meant it as a compliment. At least his unease with the situation wasn't showing too badly. Or perhaps she felt he was doing a decent job in spite of it. Sometimes, it was so difficult to understand what humans meant.

"So, this has happened before?" Jo asked. "That's the impression I got yesterday."

"Oh yes, and I'm sure it will happen again. But I don't know when it will happen or how old Gaia will be." He smiled softly. "This is the youngest I've ever seen her."

"What was it like before?" Jo asked.

"Well, a bit easier. Gaia was a bit older for one," the Doctor admitted. "And the TARDIS wasn't grounded and working on less power. That made a difference." He laughed and shook his head. "The first time I met Gaia, I was still travelling with my granddaughter." Jo's eyes widened at the mention of Susan, but the Doctor kept speaking. "We'd only just left Gallifrey, so I was startled at the notion of having more children in the future. Susan took to her right away. They had some fun together, which, well, given that Susan is now married and living her own life, was good. By the time Gaia is born, it's impossible to say where Susan will be in her life."

"I see," Jo said softly. She clearly didn't and had a shocked expression on her face.

"Well, I had better go and get Gaia ready," the Doctor said. "She's waking up."

"You can feel that?" Jo asked in surprise. Then she laughed and shook her head. "Seems that mind link has very nice perks for looking after a child."

The Doctor inwardly agreed but hurried away from the kitchen after shifting the eggs off the heat. There should be just enough time to get Gaia dressed and to the kitchen before things cooled off too much. He opened the door to Gaia's guest room and found the clothing Jo had located on a small table by the doorway. Gaia was tiny in the bed and sitting up and yawning. Then she noticed him and smiled.

"Morning, Daddy." Her small hands rubbed at her eyes.

"Good morning, little one," the Doctor greeted softly.

Bending down, the Doctor debated with himself for a moment before carefully picking Gaia up. He wasn't sure why he was suddenly more nervous about holding her. Perhaps her youth and size were simply more apparent in her sleepy stage. His daughter yawned and leaned against him, nuzzling his shoulder like a small kitten. The Doctor nearly groaned at the comparison he'd made internally.

There was no point in getting attached. Gaia was a sweet girl, and he was fond of her, but she'd be gone soon, and hopefully, he wouldn't see her for a while. Not because he didn't enjoy the small adventure that was looking after her, but that would mean she'd been in danger. Honestly, what he was thinking having a small child around while running around the universe was beyond him. At least, the Doctor assumed he was still running around the universe. Gaia's statements about travelling certainly made it seem that way.

He wasn't sure what to make of that. His lifestyle, while brilliant for him, tended to burn others out. The Doctor remember Ian and Barbara, Victoria, Ben and Polly, and all the others. Eventually, they got tired and wanted to return to their lives on Earth. The notion that someone would stay long enough to them to have Gaia was a strange one. Then again, he might be romanticizing the situation. As he'd told the Brigadier, as long as he didn't know, anything was possible. And he'd hate to build it up in his mind and be disappointed later.

Deciding to wait until after breakfast to get Gaia dressed, the Doctor carried her to the kitchen. She started waking up as he walked and began to tell him about a dream she'd had. By the sounds of it, she'd combined aspects of several different planets together.

"The sky was prismatic," Gaia explained to him very seriously. "And the sun was a bit further away than Earth's, so there were rainbows everywhere. And the trees all had these pretty gold spots on their leaves. And the water looked purple rather than blue, and you could see the rainbows on it. There were lots of animals too. Pink ones and lots of pretty flowers."

"That does sound lovely, Gaia," the Doctor agreed. "Reminds me of a few planets I know."

Gaia nodded. "Yeah, Daddy takes me places that are like my dreams," she said with a grin.

"Well, I'm afraid there'll be no trips to other planets today," the Doctor said. He hated the words as they came from his mouth. With the TARDIS grounded, it wasn't an option at all. At least someday, it would be again. "We need to wait for your father to come and fetch you. But hold that dream in your memory, and I'm sure he'll take you to a planet like that."

She rewarded him with a smile that helped a little. They walked into the kitchen, and the Doctor discovered that Jo had used some books and a blanket to make Gaia a booster seat. He almost laughed at the idea of what his fellow Time Lords might think, but it was a good idea. Gaia had struggled last night and this morning's food wasn't finger food.

"Good morning, Jo," Gaia greeted with a smile.

"Good morning, sweetheart," Jo replied. "Did you sleep well?"

"Yeah, I had some fun dreams," Gaia informed her. "Did you have any dreams?"

"Not that I remember," Jo admitted.

The Doctor quickly finished up the three plates and served his assistant and Gaia, both of whom rewarded him with warm smiles. He did have to admit that it was pleasant. Gaia immediately went for the banana, picking up the pieces and popping them in her mouth with a smile. The Doctor relaxed. He was rather fond of the fruit himself. It was… pleasant to have a similarity like that with his daughter. And if Gaia enjoyed bananas, then he could easily make sure she had some fruits during her visit. Not just sweets this time, he'd told himself, and he was determined to hold himself to that.

Maybe he could manage this after all. Yesterday hadn't gone so badly. Jo seemed happy to help despite not being a full-time companion on board the TARDIS with him. And the Doctor had to admit, the Brigadier, Benton and Yates had all been very supportive of the situation. It was enough to make him smile. Standing still on Earth like this was difficult, beyond difficult, but the people of UNIT had done their best to help ease the ache.

The Doctor just hoped that the Master could behave himself for a few days. While he was fairly certain that his best enemy wouldn't harm Gaia after learning she was his child, he still disliked the idea of the Master near her. Gaia's telepathy was far superior to his at her age, but she'd still be no match for the abilities of the Master. He held back a shudder and focused on making sure that Gaia ate her breakfast. Despite not needing to eat as much as humans or Time Tots, the Doctor indulged in some of the eggs himself.

"That was tasty, Doctor," Jo said. "Thank you."

"Thank you for joining Gaia and me," the Doctor replied with a smile. He looked at Gaia. "Did you have enough, Gaia?"

She nodded and started to clean her hands up on her napkin. The Doctor chuckled and picked Gaia up under the arms, mindful of her messy hands. After he helped her wash her hands in the sink, he got the little squirming girl dressed. Now that she was properly awake and fed, she seemed ready to run off and explore. He'd been rather lucky that she'd been so tired when she arrived yesterday.

Jo had already headed out to UNIT by the time he had Gaia ready. He considered leaving her in the TARDIS, but the Old Girl just wasn't as able to keep an eye on her. It would be too easy for her to stumble into a room with dangerous materials. Of course, his lab wasn't much better. What was he going to do with a three-year-old today? He just had to hope that the recall bracelet had locked onto this temporal point because nothing dangerous was going to happen.

A quick detour to the library that was accessible provided the Doctor with a few reading options for Gaia. At least he hoped she could read. When only a year or so older, she'd already been devouring textbooks, so he assumed he'd already taught her to read. If nothing else, the more simple books had some diagrams and pictures. The Doctor held back a sigh. There were so many little things about caring for a small child that he hadn't needed to consider before.

Stepping outside of the TARDIS, the Doctor was surprised and pleased to discover that Jo had spread a thick plaid blanket out on the floor. He didn't remember having it in his lab, so she must have fetched it from somewhere. Additionally, Sergeant Benton was talking with Jo, and they both looked over at him. Gaia grinned and waved at them both.

"Good morning," she chirped.

"Good morning, Miss Gaia," the Sergeant replied.

"Yes, good morning, Sergeant," the Doctor greeted.

Doctor set Gaia down on the surface. It wasn't ideal, but she couldn't simply stay on the hard lab floor, and he had to hand it to Jo that it wasn't a bad solution. The smooth cement floors, while easy to clean up, were hardly comfortable. Jo put the books he'd selected down and looked at him with uncertain eyes.

"Don't you think those are a bit advanced for her, Doctor?" Jo asked.

"I don't think so," the Doctor said. "Early learners. At least by my people's standards."

"Early learners for physics," Jo pointed out while the Sergeant looked on.

"In a couple of years, he time, she'll be capable of completing advanced equations," the Doctor said. "She and Zoe had a great deal of fun." He glanced towards Gaia, who had opened the books and was starting to look through them. "I'm not sure of her level, Jo," he admitted. "And the TARDIS library isn't fully available to me."

"I suppose that's fair," Jo said. She smiled at him. "Well, just keep in mind that I don't mind running out for toys if needed, Doctor."

"Actually," Benton said quickly. "I might be able to help with that. Uh, my sister's boys love these, and they aren't much older." He looked down at Diana, and the Doctor realized that the young man was holding a colourful tube of some sort. "Well, I'm not sure if these pieces are too small," Benton said, looking a bit bashful. "But given she's your daughter, I thought she might find it fun." He handed the package to Jo, who lit up.

"Oh, tinker toys," Jo said. She looked back at the Doctor. "There's little pieces of wood and plastic that can be fit together to make things." She held them out to the Doctor.

"Thank you, Sergeant," the Doctor said. "That was very thoughtful of you. I think this is an excellent idea. She can hardly play with most of the items in my lab."

"Not that she might not like to try," Jo said. She shared a smile with Benton. "Given whose daughter she is."

Benton chuckled and nodded to them both. "Just wanted to check-in. I'm glad everything is in order. Just let me know if you need anything."

"Thank you, Sergeant Benton," the Doctor said once again. He meant it, and the lad's face brightened.

"Well, I best check with the Brigadier," Benton said. He nodded to them both. "Just let me know if you need anything."

"Thank you, Benton," Jo said with a wide smile, making the man brighten further.

As it turned out, three was within the recommended age for the toy, and the Doctor gave the toy pieces to Gaia with only a small amount of worry before focusing on one of his experiments. A safer one. He'd wait to finish one of the others until Gaia was gone and Jo was out. There wasn't really a rush on it.

Relaxing, the Doctor glanced towards Gaia and watched her assemble the screws, nuts, and bits of wood. Thankfully, Gaia was far too advanced to put them in her mouth, which was a relief. The Doctor didn't know how he would have entertained a child when choking was a potential issue. He supposed television was an option, but he dislikes the idea of putting his child in front of a screen for too long. Family films in the future with himself and her mother as a bonding experience, he could understand, but not just to keep her busy.

"She's fine," Jo said. "Benton was very clever to pick those up. Not what I would have played with when I was her age, but she seems to have your interest in tinkering."

"My dear Jo, I do not tinker," the Doctor corrected. "I work on experiments and repairs."

Jo smiled, and he could see her eyes twinkle with amusement. "If you say so, Doctor." She was definitely humouring him.

And the Doctor had a moment of deep satisfaction when an hour and twenty-one minutes later, Gaia turned her attention to one of the books and began reading it cover to cover. Much to Jo's shock, Gaia proceeded to ask him questions regarding some of the theories and formulas. The Doctor couldn't help the smug satisfaction at the confirmation of how utterly brilliant his little girl was.