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Chapter 40 – Baby Samuel and the Slide

The Doctor stood at the end of the play system on the Observation Deck on the ship.

Tony Tyler slid down the slide, and landing in front of the Doctor, threw his fingers out to point at him. "And that's how it's done."

"You are so strange." The Doctor laughed.

Rose walked in, carrying baby Samuel in her arms. He saw his Daddy and clapped his hands, "Da! Da! Da!"

The Doctor took him and kissed his cheek. "Finally finished eating your lunch?"

Rose put her hands in her pockets. "Oh, he was a mess. I had to bathe him."

The Doctor smelled of Samuel's neck, "Oh, and he smells so good! I just want to eat him!"

Samuel playfully squealed as his Daddy gently bit his neck.

Rose laughed.

Genie called from the top of the play system. Tony had joined her. "Daddy. Can Samuel slide?"

The Doctor looked back at Rose. "What does Mum think?"

She shrugged her shoulders. "Someone will have to catch him."

Tony rolled his eyes. "Is it always about the baby?"

The Doctor pointed at him. "Easy. You were a baby once."

"Yeah, but I had the good manners not to be a baby around any of you lot."

"I don't know. That sounds like a baby's response just there." The Doctor replied.

Tony rolled his eyes and disappeared in the tube. "Whatever, John."

Genie held her hands out. "What is your problem with Sam?"

The Doctor looked back at Rose and sighed.

Rose shook her head. "Damn, he's so jealous."

The Doctor kissed her cheek. "I think I have this. Stay here. I might need you to catch a child."

She smiled, "You're going to let him slide? That's not like you and your overprotective Dad self."

"No." He told her. "I'm going to throw our brother off the top of the play system."

Rose laughed. "I hope you're kidding."

Holding baby Samuel in his arms, he climbed into the play system. When he reached the top, Tony and Genie looked at him in surprise.

Genie clapped, "Daddy is going to slide!"

He sat at the top of the slide. "We're all going to slide."

Tony crossed his arms. "I don't want to slide."

"Then how are you going to get down?" The Doctor asked.

Genie climbed into her Dad's lap on the slide. "Come on, Tony. Don't be like that. With all of us together, we'll go really fast!"

Tony shook his head. "I don't know."

Genie turned and looked at her Dad. "Come on! Let's go!"

He carefully positioned Samuel in his arms. He wasn't comfortable at all with this, but didn't want to give Tony any more reason to complain. He looked back at the small boy. "Are you sliding with us?"

Tony groaned.

"Well, then. Be a pal, and give us a push."

Genie held her hands up and laughed! "GO!"

Tony shook his head. "Wait a bit. I'll go."

The Doctor smiled as he was reminded of Pete Tyler in that moment.

Tony put his back to the Doctor's and pushed hard, they didn't move.

"Come on!" The Doctor insisted. "Put your back in it, man!"

"I am!" Tony insisted.

Genie clapped, "Come on, Tony!"

Tony took a few steps back, took a running go, and hit the Doctor's back with his shoulder as hard as he could. The Doctor's back screamed in pain just as they began to slide. Tony fell on his side and slid behind them.

They all screamed as they slid down the four levels. Genie holding up her hands and laughing, baby Samuel clapping his hands, the Doctor groaning in pain, and Tony Tyler trailing behind them, trying to stop himself from falling/sliding.

Genie, the Doctor, and baby Samuel shot out of the slide and rolled on the floor. The Doctor curled his body around baby Samuel, trying to keep from landing on him as he fell. Tony Tyler was right behind them and fell on his head.

Tony rubbed his head where it had hit the floor. "Damn it. That was stupid."

Genie sprang straight up and cheered! "We lived!"

Samuel, still in his Dad's arms, started to wail.

Rose rushed over to him. "Is he hurt?"

The Doctor shook his head. "I don't think so."

Tony immediately became concerned and knelt beside of the Doctor and Samuel. "Use your screwdriver and check him."

The Doctor rose his eyebrows in surprise and looked back at Rose as he took out his screwdriver and scanned Sam.

Genie knelt beside of her Dad, "Samuel, it's okay."

Samuel screamed.

Tony took Samuel's tiny hand in his own. "Sam. Are you frightened?"

Samuel stopped crying and looked at Tony and whimpered.

The Doctor declared. "He's fine, Rose."

Tony held his arms out. "He's just frightened. It scared him. Come here."

Samuel held his arms out and Tony took him. He hugged him tightly as he sat on the floor, "Samuel. It's just a slide. It's really fun, but you shouldn't be frightened about it."

Genie sat next to Tony and Sam. "It's okay. We're not going to let you get hurt."

Rose knelt beside of where the Doctor sat on the floor and told him quietly. "You are genius."

He looked back at her. "I didn't plan that."

"You didn't?"

"No!" He laughed quietly. "My plan would have involved less bruising on my part. My back and my bum have had it."

Rose laughed loudly.

He looked back at her. "I'm serious. Do you think you can help me out?"

She kissed his lips. "Of course. Let me get the baby."

He relaxed and lay on the floor as he mumbled. "Doctor, you are too old for this."

Genie interrupted his moaning as she jumped on him, "And I've got you!"

He grunted as he knee struck him in the stomach. "Ugh! Really too old!"

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Jane sat at the computer. She smiled as she flipped through the photos that she had taken on Caihiri.

"Hey." Lance, freshly shaven, greeted her as he walked into the room.

She smiled up at him as he handed her a fresh cup of coffee.

"Thank you, Lance. How did you know I needed a cup?"

He knelt beside of her chair and smiled at her. "You've been hard at work all morning."

She ran her hand across his freshly shaven face. "You are so handsome."

"You seem to like it better like this."

"I like it, either way." She insisted as she sipped her coffee.

He laughed under his breath at her. "It just looks cleaner. I need to get back to work. Lewis has me on duty tonight. Is that alright?"

"Where will you be?"

"I need to look over the mansion. I'm not completely happy with the entire….security there. Then I need to go to Tony's tomorrow. He asked if you could come by and take some pictures for him."

She smiled, "Certainly. I'd be happy to."

"Do you want to go to the Expo?"

"No." Jane shook her head.

"No?"

"I think one public appearance with Tony Stark is quiet enough for one month."

He nodded. "Alright. Well, I'll be there. So, can I ask you to stay here?"

"Sure." She looked around the room. "I need to sort this room out. Oh, Lance. It's such a mess."

"Do whatever you want. This is your flat, too. Move my stuff someplace if you need to. I don't mind."

She sat down her coffee. "Lance. I remember a conversation we had."

"Which one was that?"

"Well, it's odd. I think I remember it."

He rose his eyebrows at her. "I think you might have been too drunk to remember that chat."

She closed her eyes and shook her head. "I really hope I didn't do anything to embarrass myself."

"You didn't." He kissed her hand. "But, tell me…what do you remember?"

She shook her head. "It's all….fuzzy. You carried me to the bedroom."

He grinned. "Which I don't do enough."

She smiled, "And rubbed my feet."

He nodded, "Which I should do more."

"And that's all I remember. Something about, driving a car?"

"What? I don't know how to drive a car."

She shook her head. "That's the reason I asked. I think I dreamed half of it."

He sighed. "Sounds like it."

She pointed at the screen. "Look at this. I have a great one!"

He watched as she clicked through the photos. All of them were stunning, but then she reached the one that she was talking about. It was a black and white image of Lewis and baby Arles. Arles was sleeping against Lewis' chest as he rubbed his back.

Lance's heart swelled. "That is beautiful."

She smiled, "I loved it. When I took it, I didn't even notice them. They were in the background. I zoomed in and just kept this bit."

"That is really stunning."

"I did two. One, as a black and white. I love those. They feel…classic to me. But, I also did this one."

She clicked a few buttons and the image looked as if it had been painted.

Lance pointed at it. "That one, looks like the paintings that hang in the hallways of the castle on the homeworld."

"They have paintings where you're from?"

"They have paintings everywhere." He fussed. "Terra isn't at unique as you would think."

She giggled at his grumbling.

He pointed at the photo. "Can you get this one printed? Large? In a frame? We can give it to Lartius to hang there. He would love that."

"Are you serious? A photo I've taken hanging in a castle?"

He looked back at her and nodded. "Of course. This is the first time since Arles was born, that I've seen my brother and felt like he might be alright. You really captured this, perfectly. It's almost as if Arla is with them in this image. I just…it's perfect."

She leaned down and kissed his cheek. "Thank you, Lance. You're going to make me cry."

He looked around the room. "What do you want to do in here?"

She stood up and stretched her back. "Well, I thought it would be a good idea to sort all of this out. Put a cot in here-"

"A cot?" Lance asked.

She smiled at him. "Yes, for Arles."

"Oh!" He insisted and shook his head. "Wow. Totally thought…."

She laughed, "Relax."

He ran his hand through his hair. "Umm….you don't remember anything we talked about on Caihiri?"

She shook her head. "No."

He dropped his head dramatically. "Damn."

She pointed at him, "Don't have…good conversations with me when I'm drunk! This is a good lesson for us both."

He put his hands on his hips. "I think we had a damn good conversation! Maybe I should get you drunk again."

She laughed. "What the hell did we talk about? You're upset-"

"I'm not upset." He shook his head.

She smiled and danced in front of him. "You and I, should have a date."

Her playful mood made him smile. Those beautiful dark eyes, her long dark hair, her lovely lips.

He shook his head and laughed under his breath. "You make me smile."

She put her hands behind her back and grinned at him. "I could really make you smile."

He rubbed his chin. "What do you have in mind?"

"Well, I won that bet with you."

He grinned, "Yeah, you did."

"So, I'm thinking that…and…" She pointed at him, "I'll give you a hint. It involves you carrying me to the bedroom."

He quickly scooped her up. She squealed in delight as he carried her out of the room.

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