Title: Story Time

Rating: PG

Author: Emma (kharma2815)

Summary: While stuck in the church after saving Rose's fathers life, the Doctor gets stuck looking after baby-Rose for a while.

Spoilers: Various and sundry up to Father's Day.

Disclaimer: All things Dr. Who related belong to the BBC. No infringement of copyright is intended and no money is being made, I'm just having a little fun.

Archive: If you've had my permission in the past, you have it now (just let me know that you're taking it). Anyone else, please ask. Previously posted to my lj and Time and Chips.

Reviews: Yes, please.

A/N: After hearing Chris read a story on C-Beebies, this plot-bunny bit me and it wouldn't let me go until I wrote it. Hasn't been betaed (although I have read over it a couple of times), so any and all mistakes are mine and mine alone.

STORY TIME

"Here," Jackie said as she handed the baby to the Doctor. "You hold her for a second."

He looked down at the crying baby in his arms for a moment and then turned shocked eyes up to her mother. "What am I supposed to do with a baby?" he asked incredulously and Jackie shrugged.

"I don't know," she said and then sighed as she glanced across the church to where the older version of Rose was talking to her father. "But you obviously take good care of her when she's older, so I suppose you can take care of her now as well. Besides," she said with a sudden wicked smile. "It'll be good practice for when you have one of your own and don't bother telling me it's not like that between you and my daughter, because I'm her mother and I know these things."

"But she's crying!" he almost shouted and then winced when the volume of baby-Rose's crying went up a notch.

Jackie sighed. "Honestly!" she said. "Typical man, show 'em a crying baby and they turn into useless idiots. Just hold her and talk to her, Rose likes listening to people talk."

"Really?" the Doctor muttered as Jackie walked away. "Could have fooled me!" He looked down at the still crying baby in his arms and couldn't help smiling; even all red and sweaty from crying, Rose was a very cute baby.

"Well now, Rose," he said softly. "Might as well make the most of the opportunity to have you as a captive audience. You've got no choice but to listen to me now, have you?"

Rose slowly stopped crying and gazed up at him, seemingly captivated by the sound of his voice. "There," he said gently. "Isn't that better? I don't know, you humans, always crying for no reason. The problem with you, Rosie, is that you always want to be the centre of attention."

He sat down in a chair and carried on talking to the baby who was too busy staring up at him to cry. "What shall we talk about?" he asked and then smiled. "I know, I'll tell you a story. Would you like a story, Rosie?"

Baby-Rose made a noise somewhere between a sob and a sigh and he took that as 'Yes, I would like a story, thank you'.

The Doctor settled the baby more firmly in his arms and glanced around the church for inspiration for his story. His eyes settled on where adult-Rose was still talking to her father and he smiled. "Once upon a time," he started and looked down at the baby with a smile. "There was a silly little human girl called Rose." The baby waved an arm at him and he gently grabbed it. "I know," he said. "Same name as you, but let me finish before you start going off into one. Where was I?" He thought for a moment and then remembered.

"Oh yes," he said. "I remember. As I was saying, there was a silly little human girl called Rose who lived a nice, safe, normal life with her mother and her boyfriend.

"One day, Rose was at work and she met a tall, dark and handsome man who saved her life and took her on many adventures. Rose sometimes wanted to go back home to see her family and the tall, dark and handsome man, who had realised that he couldn't deny her anything, always took her.

"It seemed like every time that he took her home, something happened. The very first time that he took her home, her mother slapped him because they had been a lot longer than they thought and she had been worried. The girl and the handsome man were very sorry that they had caused Rose's mother so much pain, but they knew that they would never be able to stop travelling together; he even gave her a key to his home, something he had never done to any of his other friends.

"That was also the time that London got invaded by aliens but you don't really need to know about that. The handsome man could see that Rose's boyfriend was upset about her leaving again, and he had helped to save the world, so the handsome man asked him if he wanted to go travelling with them, but he said no.

"Anyway, Rose left her mother and her boyfriend behind and went travelling with the handsome man again. One day, she decided that she would like to see her Dad and, seeing as he couldn't refuse any request of hers, the handsome man agreed to take her as long as she didn't do anything stupid. Well, something went wrong of course, and everybody found themselves in lots of trouble and it was up to the handsome man to do something about it." He suddenly stopped talking and looked around the room, before looking back down at the baby in his arms. "And now," he said. "I think it's about time for you to have a nap, Rosie."

He walked over and gently placed her into her carrier, tucking the blanket securely around her before bending down to brush a soft, loving kiss on the top of her head. "Sleep well, little one," he told her. "I'll see you in about 18 years."

"If you think you're calling me Rosie when we get home," a humour-filled voice said from behind him. "You've got another think coming."

The Doctor turned round and smirked. "Don't like the nick-name?" he asked and Rose scowled.

"No, I don't!" she told him firmly. "One of my uncle's used to call me it and I always hated it."

"I don't know," he said. "It's so cute, I may just have to keep it." Rose folded her arms and glared at him. "Okay," he said, giving in with a laugh. "No Rosie."

"Good," Rose said. "Glad we got that sorted out." She reached out to the baby carrier and the Doctor stopped her hand before she could touch it.

"No, Rose," he said gently and she sighed.

"I only wanted to see what she looks like," she explained. "Mum doesn't have many baby pictures of me and I'm curious."

"She's got big ears and a huge nose," the Doctor said with a grin.

"Oi!" Rose exclaimed. "I do not!"

"No," the Doctor agreed with a soft smile. "You don't. You're quite beautiful actually." Rose's expression was one of pleased shock and the Doctor coughed as he realised what he had said. "For a human, that is," he added.

Rose couldn't help smirking and he sighed. "What?" he asked.

"You think I'm beautiful," Rose said with a laugh.

"I didn't say that!" he denied. "I said you were quite beautiful for a human. There's a big difference."

"Hmm," Rose said, not believing him for second but willing to let it drop. "So," she said as she looped her arm through his and led him away from the chair where the baby-carrier sat. "Any ideas on how to get us out of this yet?"

"Not yet," he admitted. "But I'm working on it."

"Okay," Rose said with a shrug of her shoulders, trusting him completely to save the day, just like he always did. "Well," she said. "I think I'll go and see where Mickey has run off to." She shook her head in exasperation. "I don't know," she said. "It doesn't matter whether it's 2005 or 1987, I'm still looking after him." She suddenly leaned up and kissed him on the cheek.

"What was that for?" he asked, one hand resting where she had kissed him.

"For my Dad," she told him simply and walked away. She hadn't gone far when she turned back. "Hey, Doctor!" she called. "What ever happened to the silly little human girl and the handsome man?"

The Doctor smirked. "He got fed up with her teasing him and left her on a planet on

the edge of nowhere and found a new friend to have adventures with."

Rose poked her tongue out at him and went to find Mickey and the Doctor walked over to the baby. "Rosie," he said softly. "I forgot to tell you something. You know I told you that the handsome man saved the young girls life? What I forgot to tell you was that she saved his right back."

He took one last look at the baby who would grow up to be his Rose and went to save the world. Again.

The End