A/N: I could have gone on and on with this chapter, but decided to end it at a certain point. This chapter required a bit of research, and probably took more time to write than my other chapters. And no I have not been here. It's all online research from others who have been to this particular stop. I own nothing. Hope you enjoy. Please R/R

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Chapter Seven: Floating Gardens

Tash took a peak outside of the TARDIS. It felt warm and slightly arid. The Doctor grinned, "Mexico City, Tash. Xochimilco, famous for it's floating gardens. Xochimilco, is Aztec, Tash. It means, 'Place of the Flowers.' He inhaled a bit of the air, "Feel that warm sultry air, Tash. Isn't it wonderful?"

Tash sighed, "Of all places, Doctor you had to choose Earth. Not that I am complaining any. But if I don't wear a hat or something over my blatantly obvious ears, I am a dead Mala'shra."

He smiled and plopped a sombrero on top of her head, "Ole…."

The hat plopped down over Tash's head and over her eyes, "Now I can't see."

"Is that all your race does, complain? I can see perfectly fine."

Tash rolled her eyes, "Sure you can see, but all I see in front of my eyes is a bunch of fancy tassels and hat."

"Honestly Tash, I give you a bit of local flavor and all you can do is fuss."

"I am not fussing. It's just really difficult to see anything at all."

She sighed and took the hat off her head, "Don't you have anything that's a bit smaller. I feel like I am swimming in hat."

The Doctor grinned, "I might have something that's a bit smaller. Go check in the TARDIS wardrobe."

Tash nodded and walked back into the TARDIS, a few minutes later she came back wearing a blue flowery head scarf. The Doctor smirked lightly, so much for hat wearing. "I think I liked the sombrero instead."

Tash shook her head, "You would. But it's terribly warm, my ears will sweat, I am hoping that this will keep my head relatively cool."

The Doctor grinned, "You could always go for plastic surgery. Round out those ears of yours." He was joking; he knew that Tash would never go for something like that. Mala'shraians were fiercely proud of their ears, as it was a defining feature of their race.

"Yea, right and you can go and have one of your hearts cut out of your chest, Doctor. No thanks; the ears stay the way they are."

He chuckled lightly, "Let me see, we are in the year 2007, I think…"

Tash rolled her eyes, "What do you mean, you think? Don't you know?

"Umm not exactly, I was having troubles getting the exact date. I know we are in the late 2000's. I believe we are in the year 2007, so therefore we should be in the year 2007."

Tash shook her head, "That makes a lot of sense, Doctor. No wonder you were 72 years late coming to see me."

"Anyway, Xochimilco. Long ago, in the valley where Mexico City stands was a lake called Lago Texcoco. The Aztecs, on its edge, long before the Spanish came, dug a series of canals, whose mud they heaped on the earth around the canals or on anchored reeds atop the water. These plots of land appeared like floating islands called chinampas - hence, their name 'floating gardens.'"

Tash tried to remain interested but she didn't know a lot of Earth history, despite the fact she had been on Earth for at least a good 400 years or so.

The Doctor seemed to sense that she was trying but he went on, "To maintain soil fertility, the Aztec farmers annually scraped muck from the canal bottom and applied decaying aquatic vegetation to the islands to prepare seed beds. The gardens became one of the most productive farming systems ever developed. By the time the Conquistadors came, the area of Xochimilco had become a rich agricultural district where many of the city's flowers, fruits and vegetables were grown."

Tash sighed, "I don't know Earth history, Doctor. So half the stuff you're talking about doesn't make much sense, except for the parts about farmers scraping muck off the canals and using it to grow food and flowers. What are Aztecs and who are Conquistadors?"

The Doctor sighed, "I suppose I am a bit long winded. Oh well, no time like the present to learn Earth history, Tash. If you can recite your own people's history, then learning Earth history should be a breeze for you."

Tash made a bit of a face, "Yea, but that was when I was young and a lot of my learning was not only recitation but…telepathically learned as well. I am not so young anymore and it's a bit harder for my kind to pick up new knowledge after a certain period of time."

"Nonsense, Tash. If I can learn Earth history, so can you."

Tash rolled her eyes, "Whatever you say, Doctor. But I thought you brought me here to see the floating gardens."

"I did."

"Then can't history wait? It's not like it's going to go anywhere."

The Doctor grinned, "That's true, most of the time. Sometimes it can go a bit mad capped but generally, it stays the same."

Tash smiled grateful to get out of studying, but then the Doctor said, "But that doesn't mean you can get out of learning anything. When were done here, you're going to learn some Earth history in the TARDIS."

Tash made another face, since when did the Doctor care about her learning Earth history? She let out a mournful sigh.

"I thought you'd like this place, Tash. Why the mournful sigh?"

"Nothing."

"What?"

"Doctor, I am 639 years old, isn't it a little late for me to learn Earth history?"

"Why Tash, I was in my prime at that age. I am shocked."

"Umm Doctor, I am not a Time Lord, I am a Mala'shra. At my age, I am slowly nearing the end of my life span. It's a little hard for me to…" Tash blushed lightly, "Well it's a little embarrassing to admit but I am getting old and my memory isn't as good as it use to be."

The Doctor sighed and looked down as his Mala'shraian guest, he was so pleased to have a person who could match his years, that he had forgotten that Tash, despite all her youthful vigor was indeed getting old. And she was right, she wasn't a Time Lord. Not only that, she could pass for being human with her looks, so he kind of forgot that she wasn't human either. As much as he was fond of Tash's company, she was an alien from a race which had their own complex issues.

"Well...I suppose the only way to get around that is let you take your time at learning. I still would like if…well if you're going to travel with me for a little while, you should learn a little Earth history. After all, Earth is kind of one of my favorite stopping points."

Tash sighed, "I suppose I can't argue with that. All right, I'll try to learn some Earth stuff."

"That's the sprit. Are you hungry, Tash?"

"It seems like I just ate a little while ago."

The Doctor chuckled, "You should probably eat again, because you kind of lose track of time when you travel in the TARDIS. Besides eating on a trajinera, that's a flat boat, is not to be missed."

"We're going for a boat ride?"

"Yep."

Tash grinned and then gave the Doctor another hug,

"Umm Tash, you might want to cool it on the hugging bit, not that it's cute and all but humans kind of take displays like that the wrong way."

"Oh," Tash said a bit dejectedly.

The Doctor sighed, "Yea, you remember when you hugged me like that and Rose saw you doing that. She was…well she wasn't exactly enthused."

"So all humans are like that…."

The Doctor looked thoughtful. He really didn't care about what humans thought about him and Tash, but he still missed Rose. And truth be told he felt a bit uncomfortable having Tash hug him constantly even though it was basically a gesture of friendship. He knew hugs could be had for all sorts of occasions. But still not wanting to let go of the memory of Rose and how she had felt about Tash touching and hugging him, he lied. "Yes, most humans are like that."

Tash nodded but looked a bit sad, "But how can I tell you and show you, thank you properly."

"Just say, Thank you."

Tash wrinkled up her face in displeasure, "That is so…..cold and unfeeling. No wonder humans seem so cheerless at times."

The Doctor gulped down the sad and displeased looks on his friend's face. The truth was he was struggling trying to find cheer. He changed the subject, "Come on let's go rent that boat."

They walked around getting to the docks, The Doctor flashed his psychic paper around and they managed to get a nice little boat. In truth, a lot of this was a lot like being in Venice, but Mexico was a lot warmer than Venice and Venice was just plain cold. The scenery was nice too, little farm houses, and gardens that made up the canals, that had to be at least hundreds of years old were still bearing flowers and fruit.

The poler, carefully guided the boat down the canals, hundreds of other little boats were in the canals as well. Some were selling food and drinks and the Doctor waved them down. Oh how he wished Rose was here, she would have loved this but Tash seemed to be enjoying the scenery. She seemed really impressed. "So Tash, what do you think?"

"I think my people would like something like this."

The Doctor chuckled, "It wouldn't be the first time people have copied something on Earth."

The sound of a Mariachi band filled the air and the Doctor smiled, "Listen to that music. Isn't it beautiful?"

Tash nodded, "It is, Doctor."

He grinned and then flagged over another flat boat that had food cooking on it, and he said, "Tash, you hungry?"

Tash nodded and he prepared to pay for the food, or rather use the psychic paper to obtain the food for both of them.