Okay, people. There are 804 views on this story. Yet I still have only five reviews. It's so sad. I don't know if anyone likes it or not. Just that they want to follow it. *goes in corner and cries* Pleeeease just give a little comment!
Disclaimer: Still don't own it, never will.
Rachel however is mine. No touchy.
~.*§Found§*.~
Chapter 5: Parental Duties
Rachel gave a contented sigh as she walked out of her bedroom, freshly showered and rested from a good sleep. She trotted into the kitchen and grabbed a piece of toast covered in jam then made her way into the Console room. As she neared she heard Rose talking softly. "He was always having adventures. Oh, he would have loved to have seen you now. That's what Mum always says. So I was thinking, could we, could we go and see my dad when he was still alive?"
Rachel walked in and smiled at the blonde, conveying her sympathy. The Doctor looked over from his seat on the pilot chair then back to Rose. "Where's this come from, all of a sudden?"
"All right then, if we can't, if it goes against the laws of times or something, then never mind, just leave it." Rose muttered, turning and running her hand up the Time Rotor.
"No, I can do anything. I'm just more worried about you." The Doctor said.
"Time is fragile. You wouldn't be able to interact much with him." Rachel said, walking over to sit next to the Timelord.
"I want to see him."
The Doctor smiled. "Your wish is my command. But be careful what you wish for." He pulled his legs off the console, stood, and flipped a large switch.
~.*§Found§*.~
"I, Peter Alan Tyler, take you, Jacqueline Angela Suzette Prentice." The registrar said.
Pete Tyler nervously said, "I, Peter Alan Tyler, take you, Jacqueline Suzanne Suzette Anita." He blushed and Rachel giggled quietly from her seat in the back with Rose and the Doctor. Rose hushed her, a smile on her own face.
Jackie looked slightly put out, but told the registrar, "Oh, just carry on. It's good enough for Lady Di."
The Doctor grinned at this. "I thought he'd be taller." Rose whispered to him.
"To be my lawful wedded wife, to love and behold till death us do part."
~.*§Found§*.~
"He died so close to home." Rose said quietly. "Mum said no one was there. It was a hit and run driver. Never found out who. He was dead when the ambulance got there. She always said she wished there'd been someone there for him. I want to be that someone, so he doesn't die alone."
The Doctor nodded. "November the 7th?"
"1987." Rose confirmed.
The Timelord spun a wheel and pulled up on a lever, causing the Time Rotor to start up again. Rachel looked at them and saw the Doctor was nervously resigned, while Rose was simply nervous. Rachel herself had a bad feeling about this. When they stopped, they stood and waited for Rose to go first. She stared at the wood separating her from her fathers death for a moment then walked out. When she followed, the younger teen noticed that a song was playing somewhere down the street and the sun was shinning. "It's so weird." Rose said, looking around them. "The day my father died. I thought it'd be all sort of grim and stormy. It's just an ordinary day."
"The past is another country. 1987's just the Isle of Wight." He smiled before turning to the blonde. "Are you sure about this?"
Rose took a quick breath. "Yeah."
They began walking, going down street after street until they reached a curb surrounded by flats. "This is it. Jordan Road." Rose said. Her friends looked at her. "He was late. He'd been to get a wedding present, a vase. Mum always said, that stupid vase."
She turned to their right and they watched a green van come around the corner. "He got out of his car." Rose said as it pulled up to the curb. "And crossed the road."
They watched Pete park the car and reach to the side. "Oh, gosh. This is it." Rose said hoarsely. The Doctor gently took her hand, squeezing it, while Rachel took the other.
Pete grabbed a vase and stepped out of the car, shutting the door and turning to see a beige car slam into him. Rose covered her face in the Doctors shoulder and Rachel gasped. The shattering sound of the vase seemed final as the car sped away from them. Rose quickly looked back up and they saw her father attempting to move before going limp. "Go to him, quick." The Doctor said. Rachel gave her friend an encouraging nudge, but Rose was paralyzed in fear. After a moment she took off down the corner, leaving the two to follow.
Rose was leaning against the alley wall with the Doctor next to her and Rachel rubbing her arm when the ambulance sirens sounded. "It's too late now. By the time the ambulance got there, he was dead." She choked out. The Doctor looked away sadly. With a sniffle Rose looked up at him. "He can't die on his own."
Rachel bit her lip, knowing what Rose was going to ask and thinking it was a very bad idea. "Can I try again?"
~.*§Found§*.~
Rachel tilted her head as they looked around the corner at themselves. "Am I really that thin?" she asked.
The Doctor rolled his eyes. "Right, that's us the first time. It's a very bad idea, two trios of us being here at the same time. Just be careful they don't see us. Wait till she runs off and they follow, then go to your dad."
They watched as Pete pulled up to the curbside again, the first Rose saying, "Oh, gosh. This is it."
Rachel watched as they both held Rose's hands and Pete grabbed the vase. "I can't do this." Rose whispered.
"You don't have to do anything you don't want to, but this is the last time we can be here." The Doctor said gently.
Rose took a breath and ran forward just as Pete got out of the car. "Rose! No!" the Timelord yelled as Rachel reached out to grab her. "Rose!" she called in panic.
They saw their former versions watch Rose in shock and for a moment, the past Rachel met eyes with the present Rachel, both looking terrified. Rose pushed her father out of the way and the car zoomed past as the vase rolled away, unbroken. Rachel watched in shock as her former self disappeared in a flash of gold, along with her friends. "I did it. I saved your life." Rose gasped as her dad stumbled to his feet.
"Blimey, did you see the speed of it? Did you get his number?" He asked, pointing where the car had left.
"I really did it. Oh, my gosh, look at you. You're alive! That car was going to kill you."
Pete frowned, looking slightly shaken. "Give me some credit, I did see it coming. I wasn't going to walk under it, was I."
"I'm Rose." Rose said with a grin.
Pete huffed, still trying to comprehend his near death. "That's a coincidence. That's my daughter's name."
Rose laughed. "That's a great name. Good choice. Well done."
Pete chuckled before saying awkwardly, "Right, I'd better shift. I've got a wedding to go to."
"Is that Sarah Clarke's wedding?" Rose asked.
"Yeah, are you going?"
"Yeah." she said.
"You and your family need a lift? I'm assuming that's your daughter." He said the last part quieter.
Rose looked back to see the Doctor glaring while Rachel looked horrified.
~.*§Found§*.~
Pete opened the door to his flat, sticking the vase on the table by the frame. "Right, there we go. Sorry about the mess. If you want a cup of tea, the kitchens just down there, milk's in the fridge." He stopped, blinking. "Well, it would be, wouldn't it. Where else would you put the milk? Mind you, there's always the window sill outside. I always thought if someone invented a window sill with special compartments, you know, one for milk, one for yogurt, make a lot of money out of that. Sell it to students and things." Rose grinned at him. "I should write that down. Anyway, never mind that, excuse me for a minute. Got to go and change."
He slipped past them and into the bedroom. Rose walked into the small living room. "All the stuff mum kept. His stuff. She kept it all packed away in boxes in the cupboard. She used to show me when she'd had a bit to drink." She laughed, looking over at the two in the doorway. The Doctor was frowning, looking disturbed and Rachel kept looking between the two fearfully. "Here it is, on display. Where it should be." She smiled nervously at them. Biting her lip at the tension, she grabbed a trophy from the table. "Third prize at the bowling. First two got to go to Didcot." She saw the stack of bottles in the corner and grinned. "Health drinks. Tonics, mum used to call them. He made his money selling this Vitex stuff. He had all sorts of jobs. He was so clever." She grinned looking around and pointing at a blueprint on the table. "Solar power. Mum said he was going to do this. Now he can."
She grinned, looking at them. The Doctor continued to look at her, as though trying to figure something out. Rachel bit her lip, looking away. Rose took a breath. "Okay, look I'll tell him you're not my husband and daughter. I'm too young for that anyways."
The Doctor pursed his lips. "When we met, I said travel with me in space. You said no. Then I said time machine." He shook his head.
"It wasn't some big plan. I just saw it happening and I thought, I can stop it."
The Timelord smiled self deprecatingly. "I did it again. I picked another stupid ape." He said, glaring at her. "I should've known. It's not about showing you the universe. It never is. It's about the universe doing something for you."
Rose glared back. "So it's okay when you go to other times, and you save people's lives, but not when it's me saving my dad."
"I know what I'm doing, you don't. Two sets of us being there made that a vulnerable point." he interrupted her.
"But he's alive!" She burst out.
"My entire planet died. My whole family. Do you think it never occurred to me to go back and save them?" He asked.
"But it's not like I've changed history. Not much. I mean he's never going to be a world leader. He's not going to start World War Three or anything." The Doctor walked up to her.
"Rose, there's a man alive in the world who wasn't alive before. An ordinary man. That's the most important thing in creation. The whole world's different because he's alive."
"What, would you rather him dead?" She asked.
"I'm not saying that." The Timelord said in exasperation.
"No, I get it!" She snapped. "For once, you're not the most important man in my life."
The Doctor gritted his teeth. "Let's see how you get on without me, then." He held his hand out. "Give me the key. The Tardis key. If I'm so insignificant, give it me back."
Rose grabbed the key from her jacket pocket and shoved it into his hand. "All right then, I will."
"You've got what you wanted, so that's goodbye, then." He turned and marched down the hall, brushing past Rachel with Rose following. "You don't scare me." She insisted, moving in front of him. "I know how sad you are. You'll be back in a minute, or you'll hang around outside the Tardis waiting for me." The man walked around her and walked out the door, and Rose shouted, "And I'll make you wait a long time!" before slamming the door.
Rose looked around and saw Rachel staring at her sadly, tears leaking from her eyes. Pete looked out from the bedroom and meekly asked, "Having a domestic?"
Rachel gritted her teeth and shoved her way past the two Tyler's. "You're not the only one who's lost family Rose." she said, slamming the door after her.
~.*§Found§*.~
Rachel ran down the sidewalk. She could see the Doctor in the distance, striding angrily. She was about to call for him when a shriek met her ears. She looked up and was horrified to see a giant gargoyle bat creature descending on her. With a yelp she jumped back just as a loud bang sounded. With a cry the creature turned and flew away. Rachel gasped, turning to see a woman holding a gun. She was pretty with very curly blonde hair. She smiled a triumphant smile and blew the smoke from her gun that didn't belong in this time period. "Well, you better get back to the Doctor, Rachel." She said with a smile. "That creature won't be hurt too badly, so it'll be back soon."
Rachel gaped at her. "How do you know my name."
The woman laughed. "Spoilers. That's the thing about time travel. Sometimes you meet people who already know you."
Rachel frowned and looked behind the woman as she saw a flash of movement. She squinted her eyes, sure that something was there. "Rachel!"
The teen turned to see the Doctor, just a few feet away, looking worried. "I heard a gunshot. Are you okay?" He asked, gently looking her in the eyes.
Rachel realized she still had tear streaks on her face and wiped them away with the back of her arm, sniffling. "Yeah it's just..." she turned to look back at the woman but was shocked to see no one there.
The Doctor seemed to think she was looking back toward's Pete's house. "Here." He said, pulling her into a hug. Rachel immediately wrapped her arms around his chest and buried her face in his leather jacket. She decided she liked how it smelled, like sand, woods at night, and time. Don't ask what time smells like, you just know as a time traveler. Rachel imagined that if her dad had lived, he would have smelled just like the Doctor. It was a comforting smell.
"Doctor? You aren't really gonna leave Rose, are you?" She asked.
The Doctor looked down at her and saw her teary brown eyes peeking beneath red bangs. "Nah." He whispered. "Just gonna sit in the Tardis and wait for her." He huffed. "Just like she said."
Rachel giggled into his shoulder. "You know she loves you right? She's just human and wanted her dad. I'd probably be the same about my dad, I just couldn't save him. She never wanted to upset you."
The Doctor smiled. "Did you read her mind?"
Rachel shook her head, finally pulling away from the hug. "I just know. Do you think I wanted to hear any of your thoughts when the two of you were like that?"
The Doctor chuckled. "Yeah. Sorry 'bout that."
The two walked down the street toward the ship slowly, the Timelord keeping an arm around Rachel's shoulders in comfort. Rachel grinned up at him. "That's okay. Consider it your first lovers quarrel."
"Oi!" The Doctor said with false indignity. "I'll have you know that even if there were feelings between us, she's human and I'm a Timelord. It would never work." He said with a shake of his head as though talking to a child. "I'm nine hundred years old, you know."
Rachel's eyebrows shot up. "I'm guessing you live long and fruitful lives." She shook her head and looked back over her shoulder. "Doctor?"
"Yeah?"
"Somethings wrong here. That gunshot you heard? It was a woman. I... think she's from our future. She shot this big bat creature that tried to kill me."
The Doctor frowned, all serious now. "Let's get back to the Tardis and see what's going on, eh?"
~.*§Found§*.~
With a sigh Rose began putting peanuts back into their bowl. Pete emerged, dressed in a suit. Rose guessed it was probably the same suit he wore at his wedding. "Excuse me, do you mind? What're you tidying up for?"
"Sorry. Force of habit." Rose said distractedly, standing up.
"Listen, don't worry about him." Pete said, waving his hand. "Couples have rows all the time."
"We're not a couple." Rose huffed, flopping on the couch. "Why does everyone think we're a couple? Even Rachel thinks we're a couple." She sighed. "I think they left me."
"What, a pretty girl like you? If I was going out with you-"
"Stop! Right there!" Rose said.
"I was just saying-"
"I know what you're saying, and we're not going there. At no point are we going anywhere near there. You aren't even aware that there exists. I don't even want to think about there, and believe me, neither do you. There for you is like... pfft it's like the Bermuda Triangle." She said, horrified at the thought.
"Blimey, you know how to flatter a bloke." Pete muttered, looking at her in confusion.
Rose hopped off the couch and grabbed her coat before offering her dad her arm. "Right, are we off?"
"So, that wouldn't be a mixed signal at all?" He gestured at her arm with the vase.
"Absolutely not." Rose said seriously.
Pete shook his head, looping his arm through hers. "I'll take you back to the loony bin where you belong. Except I'm sure I've met you somewhere before."
~.*§Found§*.~
The Doctor and Rachel walked around the corner and onto Waterley Street. The Doctor had his hands in his pockets and Rachel had her arm linked with his. They approached the Tardis, the Timelord asking questions about Rachel's past. "So what happened to your dad?"
Rachel shrugged. "The government, if it could be called that, took him in. Don't know what happened in there, but mom said that the night he came back he was different. In attitude and physically. He stayed with her that one night, creating me of course." She rolled her eyes. "Then he went off and joined the Rebels. A few months before I was born he blew up the governments Southern base with himself inside. That's really all I know."
The Doctor smiled at her in understanding as he pulled his key out to unlock the ship door. "What about your mum? She still around to notice you went off time traveling?"
"No. She died when I was six. I..." she paused and the Doctor looked at her in concern. "You saw it happen." He said sadly, key still in the lock.
Rachel nodded. They both suddenly looked up into the tree, frowning. "We need to find out what's going on." The Doctor murmured, eyes searching for any danger.
He quickly unlocked the Tardis and stopped as both doors cracked open. Eyes widening he threw both doors open to reveal a small interior. "The inside's gone!" Rachel gasped.
The Timelord frantically stepped inside and placed his hands on the walls, checking that the ship was really gone. He turned back to the door and placed his hands again, looking up at the ceiling. Their eyes met with matching horror. "Rose!" The Doctor yelled, rushing from the box with Rachel right on his heels.
~.*§Found§*.~
Pete was at the wheel, talking as he drove. "I met this bloke at the horse's, and he's cutting me in on copyright."
"But I thought you were a proper businessman and that." Rose said.
"I wish! Oh, I do a bit of this, a bit of that. I'm a strait bloke."
"Right. So I must've heard wrong. So, really you're a bit of a- a Del Boy?"
"Oh, shoot me down in flames." He muttered. "You're not related to my wife by any chance, are you?"
"Oh, my gosh. She's going to be at the wedding."
"What, Jackie? Do you know her?"
"Sort of."
"What's she told you about me, then?"
Rose grinned. "She said she'd picked the most fantastic man in the world."
He looked at her in disbelief. "Must be a different Jackie, then. She'd never say that."
Rose frowned as the radio began making strange noises, then suddenly began playing a rap song. "This stuff goes right over my head." Pete muttered.
"That's not out yet." Rose whispered.
"It's a good job and all." Pete said, not hearing her.
"I'm just going to check my messages." The teen mumbled, pulling out her cell and tapping in a number.
"How do you mean, messages?" her dad asked, glancing at the device. "Is that a phone?"
"Yeah." Rose replied absently, putting it to her ear.
"Watson, come here. I need you. Watson, come here. I need you. Watson, come here. I need you."
They turned the corner to the church and were getting ready to park when the same beige car that should have killed Pete suddenly appeared and came strait at them. "Dad!" Rose shouted.
Pete swerved into the sidewalk, narrowly missing a tree. He pulled on the emergency brake, looking around in shock. "It's that car. Same one as before."
He unbuckled and they got out, looking down the street. "It was right in front of us. Where's he gone?" Rose glanced at him.
He looked back. "You called me Dad. What'd you say that for?"
"Oh, wonderful." A voice Rose knew well said. She turned to see her mom with large hair with a flower in it the same light pink as her dress. "Here he is, the accident waiting to happen. You'd be late for your own funeral and it nearly was!"
"No damage done." Pete snapped, jerking his head at the car.
This unfortunately brought Jackie's attention to the very confused Rose. "And who's this? What're you looking at with your mouth open?"
"Your hair." Rose said without thinking.
"What?!"
Rose blinked. "I've never seen it like- I mean- it's lovely. Your hair's... lovely."
Her eyes moved down to the carrier that her mother held. Her brown eyes looked back at her. "And that baby you're holding." Jackie frowned at her. "That would be your baby." Rose said.
"Another one of yours, is she?" Jackie asked Pete.
"She saved my life!" He defended.
"Oh, that's a new one. What was it last time?"
"I didn't even know her. She was a cloakroom attendant." Rose looked at him in shock. "I was helping her look for my ticket. There were three duffel coats all the same. Somehow the rack collapsed. We were under all this stuff."
"Were you playing around?" Rose asked quietly.
"What's it got to do with you what he gets up to?" Jackie snapped.
"What does he get up to?"
"You'd know." her mother said snootily. Rose decided she liked her mother better as her mother.
"Oh, 'cos I'm that stupid. I play around and I bring her to meet the missus. You silly cow."
"But you are that stupid."
"Can we keep this stuff back home just for now?" Pete demanded.
"What, with the rest of the rubbish? You bring home cut-price detergents, tonic water, Betamax tapes and none of it works. I'm drowning in your rubbish." She yelled at him. Turning to Rose she asked, "What did he tell you? Did he say he's this big businessman, 'cos he's not. He's a failure. Born failure, that one. Rose needs a proper father, not one who's playing about like some big kid."
"Jackie, I'm making a living, it keeps us fed, don't it?" He pleaded over her.
"Stop it!" Rose yelled. They stopped and looked at her in surprise. Rose knew she seemed too emotional for her to be a stranger, but she didn't care. This wasn't how it was meant to be. "You're not like this. You love each other." She pleaded.
"Oh, Pete. You never used to like them mental." Jackie said, shaking her head mockingly. "Or I don't know, maybe you did."
"Jackie, wait, just listen." Pete said.
"If you're not careful, there'll be a wedding and a divorce on the same day." she shouted, walking off with the wailing baby Rose.
Pete groaned. "Wait here." he said to Rose. "Give us a couple of minutes with the missus." He began walking after his wife, but turned back, reaching into his pocket. "Tell you what, straighten the car up. Stick it round the corner or something. Don't cause anymore trouble." He handed her his car keys, taking the vase from her.
Rose exhaled numbly as she leaned on her fathers car. "That didn't go like I thought it would." she muttered miserably.
She moved into the car and parked it right before walking back and watching silently as her parents argued, not even wanting to pay attention. But she heard bits and pieces, and at the end of their little spat Rose was smiling, seeing that they could at least start to get along.
A little black boy ran around the corner shouting. "Monsters! Going to eat us!"
A bridesmaid laughed. "What sort of monsters, sweetheart? Is it aliens?"
Rose frowned, leaned over to see the boy more clearly as he ran into the church. With a start she realized it was little Mickey. "Rose!" came two voices behind her. She smiled and turned to see Rachel and the Doctor sprinting down the street. A grin split her face but quickly faded when she saw their panic. "Get in the church!" The Timelord yelled.
Her friends glanced to the side and she followed their line of sight just as a huge gargoyle creature appeared in the same golden light their former selves had disappeared in. It unfurled large wings and glared right at Rose. It hissed and swooped down, causing Rose to scream. The Doctor grabbed her by the shoulders and all three time travelers toppled to the pavement. They were quickly scrambling back up, the Doctor yelling, "Get in the church!"
The bride and her maids hurried through the gate, along with Pete helping Jackie along as she clutched baby Rose's carrier. The Doctor was keeping one hand on each of his companions, making sure they were safe. They all stopped however when two more of the creatures appeared above the church. One of the bridesmaids screeched. "Oh my gosh. Who are they? Who are they?"
Several people began exiting the church, but the Doctor moved forward, pointing at them. "Inside!" He yelled.
One of the creatures swooped near the group at the gate and more screams came from the wedding party. "Sarah!" One young man from the church yelled, moving to help. "Stay in there!" The Doctor ordered, looking up at the monster.
At this close range Rachel could see bright red eyes on a lizard like face, for insect-like legs, a long lizard tail, wings, and to top it off, a mouth filled with sharp teeth, right on the monsters stomach. At the shouting from the church the monster turned and shot towards an older man that was running away. They all watched in horror as the man was knocked to the ground and attacked by the creature. Rachel tried to grab the bride as she ran towards the church, but wasn't quick enough. The white dressed woman screamed as the second monster flew in front of her. To Rachel's (and the Doctor's) surprise, the thing started to glow slightly gold then flew away and instead attacked the church vicar. Deciding not to question it, the Doctor rushed around the group and began shoving them to the church. "In!" He yelled at them.
Baby Rose was crying and the monsters were everywhere, screeching and flapping at them. The Doctor stared up at on of them for just a moment before slamming the doors shut.
~.*§Found§*.~
Tada. Now, I'm about to pull out an old trick from my first story, Field Trip. So, sing these words to the tune of I'm the map.
Please review,
Please review,
Please review,
Please review,
Please review,
Please review,
Please review,
Please review,
PLEASE REVIEW!
Sherlock: Desperate.
John: Be nice. It's always good to have some feed back.
Sherlock: Like when you tell me I'm brilliant?
John: Yes, Sherlock. Just like that.
Me: Well I hope you all have that song stuck in your head now. I await your comments. Or no chapter. I mean it. I won't update until I have at least 10 more reviews.
Artistically Yours,
Destiny Obake