Ch 26
Toby woke up River, practically slobbering on her face. River groaned, trying to bat the dog away. "Toby...stop it..."
He refused, barking right by her ear.
She yelped, jumping up, startled by the sudden loud noise, "Toby!" He stalked off the bed, tail between his legs and pouted up at her.
It took her a few minutes to catch her breath, glaring at the dog, "What do you want?"
He went in a circle then sat in front of the door and barked again. The Doctor began to stir. River slowly got out of bed, thinking the dog probably had to go out to use the bathroom. "Alright, alright. I'm coming." He whimpered in anticipation.
She stood, leading him out the door, "Come on." He eagerly trotted down the stairs and scratched at the back door until she opened it for him, rushing outside. She waited by the door for him, letting him do whatever it is he needed to do.
Mr Thomas tried to escape into the yard, seeing that the door was open. "I don't think so, mister." She scooped the cat up before he could escape, closing the door. Toby whined, wanting to come back in. She opened the door for the dog, closing it once again once he was inside. He quickly went to his food bowl, nudging it.
Footsteps could be heard coming down the stairs. She fed the dog, and the cats, giving Toby a pat on the back.
The Doctor came downstairs, hair sticking out in all directions. "Riv?"
"Hmm?" She turned, laughing a bit when she saw him.
"There you are." He grinned at her. "You weren't in bed."
"Sorry, the dog wanted to go out." She yawned, leaning against the counter.
He nodded his understanding. "Can I make you breakfast?"
"That would be nice." She smiled softly, easing herself into a chair.
"What would you like?" He asked, opening up the fridge.
"Eggs? Maybe some cinnamon buns?"
He looked at what they had and nodded. "That's doable, though the cinnamon buns will take longer."
"I can wait." She smiled.
He got to work cooking, doing his best not to mentioned what had happened last night. He didn't think River would appreciate the subject. She didn't say much, her mind elsewhere.
The girls came down a bit later, smelling the food cooking. "Cinnamon buns!" They excitedly ran to the oven peering at the contents.
"Careful girls, the oven is very hot," River warned. They took two steps back, Toby joining them to watch the sweets bake.
Toby barked at the oven, wagging his tail, wanting whatever was cooking.
"That's people food, Toby." The Doctor said. "You already ate."
He whimpered, barking again and jumping up to press his paws to the oven.
"No!" Freya pulled him back, thinking he'd get burned. "That's dangerous."
Toby whined, walking over to River and sitting on her feet.
"Eggs are done." The Doctor announced, depositing them from the pan onto River's plate.
"Thank you, sweetie," River smiled. Toby jumped up on the table, wanting some of River's food.
"Oi, down with you." The Doctor shooed him off. He jumped down again, going back to sit with the girls.
Arthur started whining from upstairs and Toby got up yet again to trot upstairs to him. He was rather restless that morning.
River followed Toby upstairs, "Mummy's coming." She called as she hurried up the stairs.
The dog got there first, trying to wiggle his nose between the bars of the crib. Arthur's tears subsided when he saw the nose, reaching out to grab it. Toby snorted at the little hand, trying to lick it. Arthur giggled, still sniffling a little when River walked in. He reached up to his mother once he spotted her silhouette.
"Good morning, sweetheart." She murmured, lifting up and cradling him against her chest.
Doggie. "Wooh."
She smiled, "Yes! The doggie says woof!"
Arthur grinned. Hungry!
"Alright. There should be some mashed sweet potatoes waiting for you downstairs." She held him close to her, leaving the room with the dog.
"Da." He said, pushing his face against her.
"Daddy's downstairs, and so are Amelia and Freya." She murmured, kissing his head. She hoped that he didn't remember what had happened the day before.
Sisters. He thought warmly.
"Yes, sisters." She repeated, carrying him into the kitchen.
Amelia and Freya had moved to the table, looking up at River as she came in. "Look! There they are!" River pointed to the girls, holding Arthur so he could see.
He clapped. "Ammmma!"
"What about me?" Freya asked.
The boy looked at her, deeming her: "Yaya."
"Hey! You forgot the 'F' and the 'R'!" Arthur's face started to scrunch up. "And you can't forget the F because that's the most important letter!" Freya continued. He started whimpering.
"Freya, he's only a baby. He's still learning how to talk and certain letters are hard for him to pronounce." The Doctor said, taking the cinnamon buns out of the oven.
"Oh, well I can help him practice!" She offered.
"That's a lovely idea, dearie, but try to be a bit nicer." He murmured.
"I didn't mean to be mean." She pouted.
"I know, but sometimes things can come out harsher than we mean them to be." He glanced at River. River didn't meet his gaze, going to put Arthur in his high chair.
The boy clung to one of her fingers. Sister doesn't like me.
"That's not true, my sweet." She whispered, "She loves you very much."
I'm not doing it right so she doesn't like me! He sniffed.
"Shhhhh, shhhhh." She hushed, lifting him up again and rocking him gently. "Freya, I think you should apologize."
The Doctor brought the food to the table.
"I'm sorry." She whispered. Arthur blinked at her, shying away.
"Will you eat now?" River asked him softly. He hesitated, still watching his sister. "Please?" She asked, "For mummy?" He finally gave a small nod. "Thank you, my love." She smiled, putting him back in his high chair.
He kicked his legs, the thought of food distracting him. River got a jar of mashed sweet potatoes out of the cabinet, sitting down to feed the baby. The girls and the Doctor reached for a cinnamon bun. "River, do you want one?"
"In a minute." She murmured, focused on feeding Arthur. The boy didn't push away the potatoes as he sometimes did, deicing he liked them today.
"Yes, good boy." River praised, glad she wasn't getting food thrown at her today. He flung his hands up, trying to reach for the jar. "Do you want to try holding it?" She asked, as he sometimes was good about holding his own jar.
He clapped and reached again. She gave him the jar, "Now, no throwing or else you won't be able to hold it again."
He didn't seem to register, eyes wide with curiosity. She watched him examine the jar. He decided to shove his fist into the potatoes, making a gleeful noise.
"Sweetie, the potatoes are not toys. You have to eat them."
He frowned, yanking his hand out and shoving what he grabbed in his mouth. "Yes! Good job!" River smiled, clapping her hands.
"Does he want a cinnamon bun?" Amelia asked.
"He can't have a cinnamon bun yet, my love." River answered, taking one for herself, "He's still too little."
"Too little for a cinnamon bun?" She didn't quite understand.
"Too little for solid foods. Babies can only have soft mushy food and liquids." She explained.
"Like jello!" Freya listed.
"Yes, he could have jello." She nodded.
"Not for breakfast, though." The Doctor added. Arthur shoved his hand back in the jar, looking around at his family.
"Do you think he'll like being a big brother?" Amelia asked.
Big Brother! He thought, trying to communicate it verbally, "Baaa Buddaa!"
"I think so." The Doctor nodded. Though he wasn't part of the telepathic communication, verbal babbling was easy for him to understand.
River nodded in agreement, "He's been babbling about it quite a bit."
"That's because it's exciting. I like being a big sister." Freya told them.
"I'm very glad that you like it," River smiled, one hand moving to her belly.
"He's gonna have three sisters!" Amelia giggled. "I wonder what it'd be like if you were a boy and Terra was a boy and I had three brothers." She described to Freya.
"I like having a brother and sister, but Arthur will never get to have a brother, so maybe you should have another baby," Freya told the Doctor.
He chuckled. "Four children is plenty, Freya. Besides, if you want him to have a brother you can try being a boy in your next regeneration."
"But...I like being a girl. I don't want to be a boy." She glanced at River, "Maybe Terra will want to be a boy."
"I wouldn't mind trying to be a boy," Amelia said.
"Well… then you can be a boy and I'll stay a girl and then Arthur can have sisters and a brother!"
"I doubt you two will have to worry about regeneration for a very long time." The Doctor added in.
River nodded, getting up and kissing both the girls' heads. "Come on you two, I think it's just about time to get dressed." The both grabbed one last cinnamon bun and hurried off to their room, Toby following.
River sighed, sitting back down in her chair, looking at the Doctor.
"You alright?" The Doctor asked, watching Arthur shove more potato in his mouth.
She nodded slowly, "Yes, why?"
He shrugged. "Just curious."
"Are you alright?" She asked, watching him closely.
He nodded, reaching his hand over to hold hers. "I'm fine."
She squeezed his hand softly, "Good."
Arthur banged his fist on the table. "Gah-b-b-b-b!"
"What is it, my sweet?" River asked, refocusing her attention on him. He settled as soon as her eyes were on him, just wanting attention. "Let's get all those sweet potatoes off your face, yeah?" She smiled, getting up to get a wet washcloth to wipe his face.
The Doctor started cleaning up the other plates and cinnamon buns.
"I think we should go out today." River murmured, "We could take the girls to the beach."
"Are you up for swimming?" He asked, going to wash the dishes.
She shrugged, "I'll be able to swim for a bit, but I can also stay with Arthur. He'll probably be more interested in playing with the sand."
"I suspect so." He smiled at previous memories of the boy attempting a sloppy sandcastle. "Let's ask the girls."
She nodded, "Alright." She cleaned off Arthur's face, and then took him out of his highchair. Terra shifted as she stood, stretching out her leg. River stopped for a minute, startled.
The Doctor glanced at her, "You alright?"
"Yeah...she moved.."
"You look rather surprised by that." He pointed out.
"I'm fine..." She whispered, "I'll go get Arthur dressed."
"Alright." He murmured, finishing the dishes and drying his hands. "I'll get the girls ready."
She nodded, giving him a quick kiss and then heading up the stairs. Arthur burped, then started babbling about being a big brother again. River tried to smile as he talked, changing him out of his pajamas and night diaper into a swim diaper and a swim suit.
He frowned at the new garment, waving his arms. Put me back.
"Shhhh, you're fine. We're going to go to the beach! Remember, you had so much fun last time." She murmured, getting his sunhat and sunscreen.
Sandy water. He tried to look through his memory.
She hummed, "Yes, this time, you and I can try and splash Daddy, what do you think of that, hmm?"
Water splash! He got excited, forgetting about the bathing suit.
She smiled at his excitement, scooping him up and grabbing a blanket and a few of his toys and books. "Now, let's go get the rest of your things together."
Play, play, play! He clapped.
"We'll play very soon." She promised.
Sand house. He insisted.
"Yes, yes, we'll make a sand castle." She carried him downstairs with the rest of his belongings. She set up his basket with pillows and blankets for his nap time, setting it up like a bed, placing his books, toys, and snacks on top.
The Doctor and the girls joined them, all in swim gear and carrying buckets and shovels. River passed the baby off to the Doctor, going to change herself and get more sunscreen.
Eventually, the family was all ready and bustled into the TARDIS. "All the beaches of all the universe, where do we go?" The Doctor asked them.
"I want to go to the one with all the gems in the water!" Freya exclaimed, not remembering the name of the beach.
"Aru' Sumsta." He informed, setting the coordinates, "I love the sand there, it comes in every color you can think of."
The girls nodded, the two of them having decided that was their favorite beach. They were convinced that they would see a mermaid there one day.
"And off we go." The TARDIS lurched. The girls bounced around the console, excited to see the beach and look for mermaids. The two ran ahead when they landed, the Doctor trying to hurry after them with as much of their things as could fit in his arms.
River took the rest of their belongings. Toby ran after the family.
The Doctor was trying to set out the towels and large shade umbrella quickly since the girls were impatiently waiting. They weren't allowed in the water alone.
"You go swim with them, I'll set this all up." River murmured, setting Arthur in his basket-bed on one of the towels. The baby immediately squirmed to reach for the sand, gleefully.
"You sure?"
She nodded, "Of course, go on."
He grinned and kissed her cheek before pulling his goggles down and running with the girls into the gleaming water. She smiled.
She set the towels down neatly, setting up the umbrella. She then lifted the baby up out of his basket, nuzzling his cheek, "Sand or water?"
"Nannnd!" He voiced loudly, trying to reach back to the colorful grains. She set him down on the ground, letting him play in the colorful sand.
Diggy thing. He requested, already flicking sand everywhere. She got the shovel, figuring he would want a pail as well and handing it to him.
He squealed and grabbed the shovel, waving it around frantically before trying to dig a hole. She helped guide his hand in the motion he needed to dig, kissing the top of his head.
