A/N: This is the third in a series of stories involving the adventures of Alan and Rose and the Doctor and Rain and their family. The first two stories are Something Old, Something New and The Soldier and the Scientist.
Chapter One
"You sure you'll be alright?" the Doctor asked Alan as he put on his trench coat.
"Yes, Brother. Considering I originally sprang from you, I think I know how to fly the TARDIS and keep her safe while you take Jenny and Rain on holiday," Alan said. "But my concern is the Valeyard's TARDIS gonna keep you safe? Is she gonna listen to you?"
"Yes, why wouldn't she? We repaired her and removed everything that he did to her. She's just like this TARDIS now. You do remember she defied him to help us, right? She's not like the Rani's TARDIS so just relax. I'm sure she'll be just as happy as we are to get away for a couple of days, being cooped up in that storage closet and all."
He nodded.
"Well, while you're on holiday, we'll be off exploring as well," he said as they walked back towards the storage closet housing the spare TARDIS. "Is there any particular place you wanna meet up at?"
"Yes, we'll meet on the moon by the Sea of Tranquility in three days time," he replied.
"Gotcha."
"Just be careful all of you," the Doctor said.
"You too, Brother."
"I will but I'm just going for a little sightseeing on Tarantan with my wife and daughter, just a little chance for us to bond, nothing more than that."
Alan snorted.
"Famous last words, Te'lesau," he said.
They reached the storage closet and the Doctor opened the door. He smiled when he stepped inside and saw the TARDIS. It was disguised as a huge lump of coral and he walked up, stroking it fondly.
"Hello, old girl. Feel like taking me and my wife and daughter on a holiday?"
He smiled when the TARDIS wheezed once and nudged his brain.
"See, she won't hurt us," he said, stroking her fondly. "Just go ahead and do whatever you want to do while we go on our sightseeing trip."
They hugged each other and the Doctor called to Rain and Jenny telling him he was ready. They walked in the room several minutes later carrying a picnic basket and a large blanket.
"Ready?" the Doctor said to them.
They nodded and set the supplies down while they gave Alan a hug.
"Be careful, Bro," Rain said.
"You too, Te'lesu, have fun."
He hugged Jenny.
"I'll see you when you get back, Jen. Don't let your father run you too ragged."
"I won't, Uncle Alan."
He kissed his niece's cheek and let go so they could take the things into the TARDIS.
"I'll go lower the TARDIS defenses and give you the all clear when I'm done and it's safe for you to dematerialize," he said.
The Doctor nodded and hugged him once more before he hurried back to the console room. The Doctor closed the TARDIS doors and walked over to his family standing by the console.
"This is different from yours, Dad," Jenny said, pointing to the smooth metal surface and the neat arrangement of switches and buttons.'
"Well, not every TARDIS can be as perfect as mine," he quipped.
They stood back while he powered it up. Jenny looked behind her and noticed there was no jump seat. She looked off to her right and noticed two iron rings were hanging out of the wall.
"Dad? What is the purpose of those?" she asked.
The Doctor looked where she was pointing.
"They had chains attached to them. I was chained there when I was first taken by the Valeyard because he made me watch Alan and Rose's wedding."
He held Jenny when he saw her anguished look.
"Don't worry, I survived being chained to the wall when I was his "guest"," he said while Rain hugged him from behind. "Anyway, when we fixed the TARDIS we took the chains out but left those there in case I do need to put them back to restrain a foe and who knows, I might make them into nifty towel holders in the meantime."
He smiled when they laughed and sent love into their minds.
Okay, Brother, shields are down now. You can leave whenever you're ready.
"Brilliant, let's get goin' and head for the open vortex! Next stop, Tarantan," he said, flipping switches and buttons.
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The Doctor opened the door and stuck his head out. It was a beautiful sunny day on Tarantan. The blue sky overhead was cloudless and the twin suns were warming the green grass below. He stepped aside and let his family come outside with the picnic basket and blanket.
"Wow!" Jenny said, looking around.
"I love it. It's just like Earth except for the two suns," Rain said.
"Yes it is. The atmosphere is almost the same. I chose it though because they have gorgeous crystal caves all over the planet that we can explore. I thought it would be a nice way to get a bit of exercise and bond with one another more closely. Plus, we can get away from my bouncy, wacky brother for awhile," he added, winking. "Just the three of us alone on holiday on a beautiful little planet, what could be better than that?"
He closed the door and put his arms around them while they walked a short distance away from the TARDIS. He looked back and noticed the TARDIS now looked like a large boulder.
"Gotta get used to this TARDIS having a functioning chameleon circuit," he said, gesturing to it. "We have to remember she looks like a rock and not a police box when we do get back from exploring."
They spread out the blanket on the grass and sat the basket down while they sat down near each other. The Doctor reached inside, pulled out some sandwiches, cheese and fruit and some cans of soda and passed them out. He lay down on his side and ate while the three of them talked to one another. While they ate, Rain looked around and noticed two stone towers and a parapet of a castle nestled in the middle of a huge forest, looking like something out of Robin Hood. She pointed it out to her husband.
"Oh yes, they have a monarchy on this planet," he said. "That may be the main castle or one of the summer palaces. You don't have to worry, love. The ruler is friendly. We're not in any danger. If we were, I wouldn't eat out in the open like this."
"Are there any dangerous things here?" Jenny asked.
The Doctor munched on a bit of cheddar while he thought.
"I don't think so, is there?" Rain said. "At least, not from the knowledge I have of the planet."
He shook his head.
"Course I haven't been here in centuries and there could be dangerous things here now. But I still think we'll be safe. This is a well defended planet."
"If it's well defended," Jenny said, "then they're not gonna like us lying here and eating, are they?"
He shrugged.
"If someone rides out here and protests, we'll get back in the TARDIS and find somewhere else to have a holiday. I'm gonna try to stay out of trouble if I can help it, especially with my wife and daughter with me. This is just gonna be a relaxing time for all of us and…"
"Thete."
The Doctor looked where his wife was pointing and noticed three people riding out of the woods on large llama-like animals. There were two men dressed in shining armor carrying long pikes and behind them was someone in a long purple traveling cloak, her face obscured by the hood.
"Let me handle this," he said to his family while they stood up.
The men rode up and stopped several feet from them.
"Who are you?" a big burly man barked out.
"My name is the Doctor. This is Rain and Jenny. We're not doing anything except having a picnic lunch and doing a bit of exploring in your caves afterwards. We're not gonna attack you or your rulers. We won't leave so much as an orange peel behind when we leave. We just wanna be left alone. We don't mean anyone any harm."
Rain gasped when the other guard leveled his pike at his neck.
"Please, he's telling the truth!" Rain protested as she and Jenny stepped up beside him, "we're not doing anything except having a little vacation. We're travelers and that's all we are, honestly."
"Stand down," the woman said, holding up her hand.
The man with the pike looked back at her.
"Milady, this man…"
"Is not a threat. He's eating with these two women. Surely you can see that. Now stand down."
"Yes Milady," the man said.
Rain and Jenny breathed sighs of relief when he swung the pike up to a vertical position and backed up the llama creature along with the other guard. They watched warily while the lady rode up and pulled the hood down. She had pale skin, piercing blue eyes and long black hair.
"Doctor, is it? My name is Kida, Princess of the Pashtorian people."
The Doctor bowed his head.
"Your Highness, my family and I are here on holiday, nothing more. We wanted to eat a picnic lunch and go exploring a bit in the crystal caves. That's all."
Kida rode closer to him. Rain raised her eyebrow when she leaned over and stroked his face.
"Um…excuse me, but I'm married and this is my wife right behind me," the Doctor said when he felt Rain's anger flaring up in his mind.
Kida looked at her disdainfully for a moment and then smiled at the Doctor.
"Why not come and eat with me in my palace?" she said. "I have plenty of food and I'm sure you'll be more comfortable there."
"And when you say "you", you also mean the two other people behind me, right?" the Doctor said.
Once again, the look of disdain as she glanced at Rain and Jenny.
"Of course, I do," she said, smiling.
The Doctor stared at her. He caught the way she had looked at his family and didn't like it.
"No, thank you, I appreciate your hospitality, Highness, but we're fine right here," he said as politely as he could. "We came here so we could be alone and enjoy one another's company and if you don't mind, we'd like to eat by ourselves."
Kida glanced at Rain who had a smirk on her face. She looked at the Doctor.
"I will permit you to stay here and eat and do a bit of exploring but you will be watched and if you have a nefarious purpose in mind then you will all be arrested and thrown in the dungeons. Is that clear?"
"Crystal," the Doctor said.
Rain snorted softly.
Gee, she suddenly got all businesslike after you wouldn't accept her advances, didn't she? She thought to him.
The Doctor tried not to laugh at that. He stared calmly at Kida whose kindly demeanor had become cold and impersonal after he rejected her invitation. She looked back at her guards.
"Come on, back to the castle," she said.
They bowed their heads. As they turned their llamas around, Kida glanced back at the Doctor and looked at Rain and Jenny who were both staring at her defiantly. She snorted and lightly kicked the sides of her llama.
"Charming," Rain said as she rode off with her guards.
The Doctor shot her an apologetic look.
"Sorry, Latara. Apparently she doesn't get the concept of marriage."
"Oh, I think she got it alright. I have a feeling she just doesn't care."
"Well, I'm not interested in her. I only have eyes for you, my love."
He wrapped her arms around her and Jenny holding them tightly.
"Come on, let's eat, do a bit of exploring and we can go somewhere else for our holiday. Preferably somewhere that doesn't have a jealous monarch ruling over it."
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Kida sighed angrily as she came up the steps from the stables into the main part of the castle. She was the Princess of Tarantan and she was used to getting her way. She had bedded many men from all over the galaxy, men who had been more than willing to have sex with a princess but this one was different. Now only was he handsome but there was something else about him that made him stand out from the others. The fact that he had a wife and child didn't bother her in the least. She had done away with other men's wives before so she could use them as she pleased. But this man she sensed was destined to be more than just a bedroom plaything. The thing he had that was different from the others was a regal air about him, an aura of authority and power. Kida needed a consort, someone to rule at her side when her father died and she became ruler and she figured this Doctor might be worthy enough. The wife and child were just an afterthought. Once she disposed of them and had him in her power then he would forget all about them and if he didn't…she had ways to make him forget.
Besides, she had a secret weapon and now that she knew they were going to be exploring the crystal caves, she could use them without fear of the Doctor discovering her plan. After all, her pets lived in the caves and it would be all too easy for her future consort's women to run afoul of them and end up as their dinner. The handsome stranger would grieve their loss and while he did that, she would be there to offer her assistance any way she could, all the while seducing him into her bed.
She smiled to herself as she went down another flight of stairs to speak with the largest of her pets. Her family had a symbiotic relationship with them going back centuries. She provided them food while they gave her and her castle protection. Her parents rarely dealt with them, however, since they were uneasy about the arrangement, but she loved it. She loved that these creatures were willing to kill and die for her in return for a little fresh meat from time to time. Usually it was someone from her kingdom. Some homeless vagrant or someone who had been arrested and thrown into prison for some offense. Rarely, did she get to feed them off-worlders so it would be a rare treat for them.
"Poor Doctor," she said, putting her hand against a large stone door at the bottom of the stairs and pushing it open. "Your poor family is about to meet with a tragic death. But don't worry my future consort; I will be there to comfort you in your time of sorrow."