Alec was delighted to learn he was going to have another daughter, he'd missed so much of Daisy growing up and he was going to more than make up for it. Rose was on the phone to her mother as soon as they got out to the car.

"Well it's about time we had a girl in the family," Jackie said.

"Yeah, I wasn't going to find out but one look at Alec's face made me change my mind."

Alec just smiled and kissed her cheek.

"Thanks love, it means a lot to me and I know it spoiled the surprise but I'll make it up to you," he told her after she got off the phone with her mother.

"Aw, you don't have to make anything up to me Alec, you should know that. Well, maybe you can get John that pet he's been asking you for?"

"Why don't we go to the dog rescue centre this weekend? Just to see how we go about adopting one?"

"Yeah, John will want to bring one home with him though, maybe you should call them first?"

"Yes, maybe I should and call at the pet store on the way back?"

Alec though had other things on his mind. He dropped Rose back home and she reminded him to get a book of sums for John. That got him thinking. He'd noticed recently the boy was getting a lot of good reports from his teachers and none of them mentioned he was way ahead for his age. Maybe bright students were not quite as rare as they used to be?

Something was still bothering him though, the way the boy took interest in things and was asking him questions but not only that, the way he answered when asked something. Was the Timelord part of him coming to light? Rose had tried to explain the best way she could that John was mostly human, she had tried to keep certain facts about John a secret but over time, she had told him and it had made no difference to him but now, well maybe there were things she was holding back such as just how much had John inherited from his biological father.

Rose was resting on the sofa, trying to find something interesting to watch on TV after Alec took her back home when her phone rang and she was surprised to see it was John's school.

"Mrs Hardy? It's Mrs Williams, the head teacher at your son's school. Can we talk for a few moments?"

"Sure, go ahead. Is it about my friend collecting him from school? My husband explained that to John's teacher, since John comes out at the same time as DS Miller's son."

"No, it's not about that and I meant to try and catch your husband earlier but he was already heading back to his car."

"Yeah, I had a scan this morning at the hospital. Is there something wrong?"

"Well not wrong as such I suppose, John is doing really well at school, his teachers are really pleased with him but there are occasions when he puts his hand up first and the other children get the answer wrong and John always has the right answer. I just wondered if you were tutoring him at home?"

"Maybe we should come and see you then, you should talk to my husband as well."

"Very good then, shall we say after school tonight?"

"Ok, I'll tell John's dad then and I'll meet him there but just one thing? What's so wrong with John knowing all the answers? Doesn't that prove the teachers are doing their jobs?"

"Yes but not all the children take things in the first time, in a test we did recently, John was the only one in his class to get all the right answers."

"Then I'd say he's been listening and doing his homework but we'll be there, say three thirty?"

Rose hung up and called Alec, who thought his worst fears were coming to light.

"I'll meet you there then shall I or do you want me to call for you love?"

"No I'll get a taxi there and you'd best tell Ellie. I'll get there for John coming out."

Alec motioned Ellie into his office and told her they would be collecting John.

"Been called to the principle's office then?" she laughed.

"Very funny Miller. Can you believe they are complaining John is paying attention and getting all the answers correct?"

"I wouldn't worry too much about it, if it was the other way round, they would be just as bad, it's probably nothing to worry about. Are they saying he's getting extra help?"

"So what if he is? There are plenty of websites offering extra help for children, even as young as John, what's wrong with that? I'd say that's cause to be pleased with his results, I'll not have them putting him down or holding him back."

"Maybe they want him to skip a class and go up?"

"Maybe, it wouldn't be the first time, would it?"

Alec was a little annoyed John had been singled out but it was half expected, especially after he'd said the sums were too easy so if he went up a class, it would be an advantage but he knew where this was coming from, the Timelord part of him, was that an unfair advantage? With no real father to show John what a Timelord really was, it was now up to him to tell him what he could with Rose's help. What was unfair was the boy would never know his true heritage so if John was showing signs he wanted to learn more, if it became really necessary, they would send him to a private school where the bright students were not picked on.

It did get Alec thinking though, he wasn't qualified to show the boy why he was picking things up so easily, Rose may be though but she'd said they had spent a lot of time edging their way around their feelings for each other and had barely spent any time getting romantic until a few weeks before Rose had been brought to this world so maybe the Doctor hadn't told her that much about himself.

It had been the time he'd been dreading though but for now, they had to face the school and if no satisfactory outcome could be achieved, then a private school was what it was going to have to be, Rose wasn't exactly without money though so far, they just had bought a house together and not exploited who she was.

Rose had just got out of the taxi and found a bench to sit on near the door John came out of when a few of the other mothers came along.

"Oh, hello Rose, not seen you for a while," one of them said to her.

"No, a friend's been picking John up for me since she's here anyway and my husband brings him in the mornings."

"How long have you got now?" the other woman asked her.

"A little under three months though the baby seems to want to make itself known, especially when I want to go to sleep."

"Well, it should be easier, being your second. We were all talking earlier, wondered why you'd not been around. My Carl said John's always beating everyone with the questions in class."

"So? Everyone is different, he doesn't get any help at home, he does his homework on his own, even before his dad gets home."

"Yeah, but he's not his real dad, is he? Everyone knows that. Why is it such a secret?"

"Because it's no-one's business, that's why, is it really so boring around here? I've lived here for six years, almost three of them with my husband and just because my son pays attention in class you bring that up?"

Rose hadn't seen Alec and Ellie arrive at almost the same time, Ellie reaching her first as Alec's phone had just rung.

"Hello Rose, am I interrupting something?"

"No Ellie, they were just leaving."

She waited until the two women walked off towards the door.

"What's wrong with everyone around here?" Rose asked her friend.

"Boredom, no juicy gossip. Look who finally got here."

"Talking about me were you both?" Alec asked, putting his arm around Rose and kissing her cheek, then spying the two women who were probably still talking about his wife.

He'd seen them from the car but he'd got a phone call back from the dog rescue home to say they had been approved.

"No, they were talking about us or rather me and John. What is it with people?"

"I don't know love, don't take any notice of them, they are probably annoyed there was no truth to the rumour me and Miller here were having an affair that time."

"Shut up Hardy, I don't need reminding of that," Ellie told him, looking for signs of Fred coming out.

Rose smiled. "You'd think they would have forgotten that by now, guess we'll have to give them something else to talk about then?"

Alec smiled back, he knew Rose could cause trouble when she wanted to. He saw some children coming out and soon saw John holding back, looking for his aunt Ellie, he was used to her collecting him up but when Alec stepped forward instead, the boy ran past his teacher for Alec to pick him up.

"Dad! You're here. Where's mummy?"

Alec spun around, still holding the boy. Rose waved to him.

"John, we have to go into the office so why don't you go with your aunt Ellie and play with Fred until we come for you?"

He'd already asked Ellie and she'd been only too glad to take him and get him his tea if they were going to be a while.

"Ok Daddy but why can't I come with you?"

"It's grown-up talk John, you'll have more fun playing with Fred but go give your mum a hug first, ok?"

"Yes Sir."

After hugging Rose, he went off happily with Ellie and Fred and Alec and Rose walked to the office, John's teacher, Miss Foster also being present.

Alec decided he was going to be the one to start this conversation off.

"So, why did you want to see us? You know my wife is expecting another baby soon? Why have you chosen to make an example of our son?"

"Mr Hardy, we're not trying to make an example of John, we were just wondering why this last term, he's been getting top marks on everything he's been doing, including physical activities and while he's popular with his classmates, some of the other parents are expressing their concern."

"Yes, I noticed that while I was waiting for him coming out, they were a bit hostile toward my wife."

"Yes, well that aside, we'd like to know if you are using any outside influence, tutors or suchlike."

"No," Alec objected. "He's doing it all on his own and if we were getting him any help, surely that would be to his advantage?"

"I'm sure it would but we don't encourage it, especially at John's age. If you can assure me you are using no such services then I can tell the other parents and we may have to think about putting him up a class next year."

"I'm not going to discourage him from speaking up when he knows things," Alec told her.

"No, neither am I," Rose joined in. "If it's making the other kids jealous, that's hardly his fault and anyway, it's the parents that have a problem, putting him up a class seems the best thing to do. Maybe you shouldn't wait?"

"Well, we'll wait until next term and see about it, I'll talk with the other teachers but if John goes up a class and can't keep up with it, he's going to be disappointed and we'll have to move him back down again."

"Then give him a chance to prove himself," Rose told her.

Once outside, Alec helped Rose into the car but didn't drive off.

"We need to talk about this Rose."

"Yeah, I know and up until today, I never knew we had a problem with John, he's way too advanced for his own good."

"Yes, I get that love and there's nothing I can do about it, it's going to be down to you to tell John who is real father was."

"He's too young yet Alec."

"No Rose, I don't think he is, not if it's showing in his education. He must be noticing himself that he's the only one getting everything right. You have to tell him."

Alec was afraid that when Rose did tell her son, John would no longer want to call him his dad. They went to Ellie's to collect John, who was watching TV with Fred but got up when Alec walked into the room.

"Daddy! Can I stay and play with Fred?"

"Well just a while longer while your mum and I talk to aunt Ellie."

While Ellie made some tea, she asked how the meeting had gone. Rose had told their friend a while ago about John's real father and she had been sympathetic when told he was trapped in another universe and that he'd stayed to keep this world safe. Rose had not though told her anything more, she wouldn't have believed it.