"But I don't want to go to bed!" Amelia pouts.

"Apparently it's good for human children to have a familiar routine, and that involves going to sleep! Now, come on, go to bed!" The Doctor points in the direction of her room.

The little girl in front of him shakes her head and crosses her arms.

"I don't want to!" she repeats.

"Why?!"

"Because I don't! I'm not sleepy!"

The Doctor sighs greatly. In all his nine-hundred years, he's never had an argument with a seven-year-old. About bedtime, of all things! He's no idea why Amelia seems so averse to the idea of a regular sleeping pattern and he definitely doesn't know how to make her want to settle down for sleep.

Are all children like this or is it just this one who hates her bed so much?

"Please, Amelia!" he resorts to begging. "Please can you just sleep! I'm trying my best here and I don't know what else to do!"

"Just let me stay up late," comes the suggestion in a it's-so-obvious voice. "Maybe even just a few more minutes?"

The Doctor wonders if Amelia remembers that he already gave her a few more minutes. And then another few. And then another few. In fact, this conversation has already added another few minutes. And still Amelia is yet to turn in for the night.

This is exhausting!

But then he gets an idea.

"Why don't I take you someplace and then we'll see if you're still not tired afterwards?"

"We're going to chase more aliens?" Amelia asks hopefully, sounding very ready for that.

"Nope. I'm taking you to one of the most relaxing planets there is."

"But that's boring! And it's not going to make me tired, either!"

She was so wrong, the Doctor thinks as he carries his young friend back into the TARDIS and lays her carefully under the covers of her bed, trying his best not to jostle her too much and end up waking her.

He enters his room and decides he could do with some rest, too... Only to be awakened a few short hours later when Amelia runs into his room and starts jumping on his bed.

"Wake up, wake up! It's time to get up, Doctor, it's the morning! Wake up!"

She tugs off his duvet and tries to pull him off the mattress by tugging at his arm. He groans quietly. Why can human children never just sleep!?

He swears the TARDIS is laughing at him as he gets up to make breakfast, trudging out from his warm room and, more importantly, his bed.