Author's Note: This first "adventure" they go on is pretty much just a fun sort of trip; they have a newborn with them! But that's why Jack will be joining after this trip, so we can shake things up a bit for the Doctor and Rose :)
Disclaimer: Right, I forgot to say, I don't own Doctor Who. I figure you're aware of that by now.
Chapter Two
As the TARDIS rematerialized at her first new location, Rose and the Doctor beamed at each other. While the Doctor verified readings on the TARDIS's monitor, Rose consulted with the TARDIS telepathically and retrieved Lilliana from her seat.
"Everything looks good, Doctor," she said.
"Yup!" he replied happily. "Planet Raccorine, only about 500 years in your future. The readings are agreeing with what I remember of the planet and time, and they also match what we verified through Torchwood. Since Raccorinites have made it to this version of Torchwood, I was able to verify that there are no unexpected differences as a result of the parallel dimension."
As the Doctor continued explaining the planet they'd landed on, he helped Rose get Lily into the wrap that would keep the baby safe and securely held to Rose's front, leaving hands free. The new wrap, of course, had a couple pockets that the Doctor had managed to make bigger on the inside, eliminating any need for a diaper bag. In addition, after this first fitting, the wrap would automatically adjust to accommodate Rose and Lilliana.
"This planet is as safe as they come," he told them, "with virtually no crime. The inhabitants are fairly childlike and quite peaceful. Between that and the bright colors to stimulate Miss Lily's eyes and mind, I thought this place would be perfect for our first trip."
As the Doctor finished checking a strap in the back, he placed a kiss on Rose's neck, sending her an image of mock surprise on his face as he felt her reaction to that.
"Ready to go, Mrs. Tyler?" he asked, moving to stand beside her, wiggling his fingers and holding out his hand for her to take.
"Been ready for years," she responded, taking his hand and moving to open the doors.
Despite having been partially prepared by the Doctor, Rose gasped in delighted surprise at the vivid colors the planet had to offer. The sky was still blue, but it was a richer blue than she'd ever seen, and it looked as if she could reach out a hand to touch the cloudless sky. They'd landed in a city, and the roads, instead of a dull grey, were orange, the buildings a wide array of colors. What grass she could see was a maroon sort of color instead of green, and the inhabitants themselves were tall and lavender with varied, colorful hair.
The Doctor seemed quite pleased with her reaction, having been watching her more than the first view of the planet.
"Well, go on, then," he told her, gesturing for her to step out of the TARDIS. She did, and she was startled again as she turned and saw the shape their ship had taken.
"Doctor," she ventured, "the TARDIS is supposed to blend in, yeah?"
He turned to face the TARDIS, looking mildly taken aback as he moved his eyes upward.
"Ah. Well, right, yes, that's the idea," he said, letting go of Rose's hand to take out his sonic screwdriver.
The ship, instead of taking a form that would blend into her surroundings, had turned into a brilliantly-colored spiral, orange and purple stretching high above the local buildings.
Rose tapped briefly into her link with the TARDIS and felt something like pride and amusement from the ship, and she chuckled in response.
"Well, at least the colors seem to fit in," she said while the Doctor still looked a little confused.
"I may have to recalibrate the chameleon circuit," he said. "Still, nobody seems to be noticing her any more than your version of modern London noticed a police box, so her perception filter is working in that regard, at any rate."
After making sure Lily had a chance to see the TARDIS's current appearance, the small family wandered the town, taking their time, stopping at whatever shops caught their eyes. As they passed a fountain that was filled with a bright, turquoise water, Rose thought she heard someone crying.
"Wait, Doctor," she said, moving cautiously to investigate. On the far side of the fountain sat one of the six-foot, lavender locals, a female who was crying into her hands.
"Hey there," said Rose tentatively. "You alright?"
The Raccorinite uncovered her face and looked at Rose, sniffling.
"I lost it," she told her.
"Lost what?" asked Rose, gently.
"My ring!" the woman replied, distraught, before breaking into sobs once again.
"Judging by how upset she is, I suspect she is referring to her wedding ring," explained the Doctor silently. "This race is not naturally telepathic, but spouses are able to share a very limited form of it through a bond created by their rings, making the wedding rings a good deal more important than they are even in other cultures. To lose a ring is to forever lose an important part of a relationship."
"She can't just get a new one made or something?" asked Rose, her right hand unconsciously moving to touch her own wedding band.
"Nope," came the Doctor's reply. "The rings are genetically imprinted at the time of their birth. Each one is unique and can't ever be replaced."
"Well, maybe we can help you find it," Rose told the crying woman. "My name's Rose, and this is the Doctor. The little one who has fallen asleep is Lily."
The woman sniffed again but stopped crying long enough to speak. "My name is Ali. You think you can help me?"
"Well, we can certainly try," said the Doctor positively. "I believe that if I am able to access the other end of the link, I can stimulate a response from the native material, thus creating a beacon of sorts that should lead us right to the ring, theoretically."
At the slightly confused look on Ali's face, Rose stepped in to translate.
"He means," she told her, "that we might be able to use your husband to find the ring."
Ali sniffed again, loudly, looking both hopeful and troubled.
"I was hoping to get it back before he noticed," she told them. "He's going to be so upset with me."
"Well, the important thing is that you get it back, right?" said Rose encouragingly.
Ali took a steadying breath.
"Right," she said. "Okay then. He's probably on his lunch break anyhow, so this is as good a time as any. You're sure you'll be able to find it?" she asked the Doctor, looking him in the eye as she stood.
"Fairly certain, yes," he replied. "I'd estimate approximately a ninety-eight point three percent chance that it will work as planned, with another one point four percent chance that it will work with just a little more difficulty, leaving just a zero point three percent chance that I'll be unable to help."
"And if that happens," added Rose, "then we'll just help you retrace your steps until we find it, yeah?"
Looking slightly reassured, Ali led them away from the fountain and toward the shop where her husband worked. She entered a shop called Galarxtrian's Toys, and she navigated through the spectacular displays to the desk.
"Wow," said Rose, looking around her. "These are amazing."
"Best in town," bragged the man who stood behind the desk, having overheard Rose's comment. "The hovertrain set with fully programmable course up to two miles is particularly noteworthy," he added, pointing to a train that was as brightly colored as everything else on the planet.
Rose watched as the train chugged along invisible tracks while it navigated the room near the ceiling.
"Hey there, Ali," the shopkeeper said. "Rux is in the break room. You can head on in."
Ali smiled at him in a reserved manner before turning to Rose and the Doctor.
"I'd like to talk to Rux alone first, if you don't mind," she said. "Do have a look around, though. It really is the best toy shop in the area."
After Ali made her way through a door at the back, the Doctor explained a little more to Rose as they walked through the store.
"This whole planet specializes in toys," he said. "They don't think they're just for kids, here. All of these are made for the enjoyment of any people, any age. Playing is taken very seriously on this world. You're more likely to get in trouble for skimping on play time than for skipping out on work. Brilliant planet, this is."
Before Ali returned, Rose and the Doctor had chosen a few toys to purchase, including the train they thought would suit the TARDIS.
"It can go through all the open rooms of the TARDIS, if we want," said the Doctor. "And we can use it to send secret messages!"
Rose, who enjoyed when the Doctor got a bit childish in his enthusiasm, didn't point out that there was no need for secret messages when they were the only ones on the TARDIS who could talk or that they could talk telepathically if they did need to hide something.
Ali returned as they were completing their purchase, holding hands with a male they presumed to be Rux.
As they approached each other, Rux made a gesture with his free hand. It was an odd little shake of the hand, with three twitches to the outside, and Rose had noticed that it seemed to be the equivalent of a handshake. She attempted to return the gesture and was met with the look of someone who appreciated the effort a foreigner had made to speak the local language.
"Rux," said Ali, "this is Rose and the Doctor."
"Ali said you can help us find her ring. Do you think you can?" asked Rux, looking uncomfortable at bringing strangers into what amounted to a marital problem. "She wasn't able to find it on her own, and she's always better at finding things than I am."
"We're gonna do our best," said Rose, turning to look at the Doctor.
Her husband switched their purchases over to his left hand and pulled out his sonic with the right hand.
"I am going to use this," he told the nervous-looking Raccorinite, "to analyze the combination of your DNA and the connecting properties present in your ring."
He activated the sonic in the direction of Rux's hand, then studied the tool, tongue lightly touching his top teeth as he concentrated.
"Then, if I activate this setting here," he continued, more to himself at this point than to anyone else listening, "that should trigger… There we go!" he exclaimed as the sonic screwdriver activated again. He looked up and at the others as if wondering why they hadn't moved yet. "Come on, then, this way," he said, making his way out of the shop.
Lilliana woke as they followed the Doctor, and Rose loosened her wrap a little further so the infant could see more easily. She made contented little noises as she took in her surroundings, the bright colors catching her hazel eyes.
"How old is she?" asked Ali.
"She's about two months old," said Rose, hoping that the unit of time would translate properly.
"She's beautiful," said Ali, "and that hair, it's going to be closer to red than to brown."
"Yeah?" said Rose, stroking the fine hairs gently. "It's not really thick enough for me to tell yet properly."
"Trust me," said Ali with the first hint of a smile Rose had seen on the woman, "I know colors. Her hair is going to be a gorgeous auburn color."
Rose smiled down at her daughter and tried to picture the Doctor's reaction when he realized this; the Doctor and Rux were a little ahead of the women and probably hadn't heard the brief exchange.
After just a few minutes, the group had reached the fountain at which Rose and the Doctor had first met Ali.
"But I checked here at least a dozen times," protested Ali. "I didn't see it anywhere."
The Doctor looked at Rux's bright gold ring and then down to the water in the fountain. In the water were innumerable coins, all the same color as the ring. Ali understood his look and turned a slightly darker shade of purple.
"We're not allowed to retrieve anything from the public fountains," she said, sounding hopeless. "We get sent to Time Out if we try."
In response to Rose's wordless query, the Doctor silently explained, "Time Out is their equivalent of a jail cell. It's quite a comfortable accommodation, actually, but there's nothing to play with. Even the pillows are attached to the bed, and the bed has anti-bounce properties. It may sound a bit silly to us, but it's actually the ultimate threat in this society."
"Well," said the Doctor out loud, "I'll risk it. After all, what's a night in lock-up for a life-long relationship?"
He took off his shoes and socks and rolled up the legs of the pinstriped suit he still frequently wore. He hesitated before leaving his socks and shoes on the ground, then decided to slip them into a pocket of Lily's wrap instead, bending to giving her a noisy kiss on the forehead as he did so and grinning widely at the smile he got in return. He straightened, gave Rose a quick kiss on the lips that still managed to get her heart racing a bit despite its brevity, and leapt into the fountain. He quickly narrowed down his search location using the sonic screwdriver, then put it away as he started fishing through the metal at the bottom.
Lily seemed to be enjoying seeing her father splash in the water, and she surprised Rose by laughing for the first time.
Rose automatically looked toward the Doctor, who had just stood up with a ring in hand. He was looking at Lily, clearly having heard the laugh, too.
"You think it's funny for your daddy to be splashing, eh Miss Lily?" he asked as he walked back to the edge of the fountain using much more exaggerated steps than were strictly required, splashing as much as he could in the process.
Lily laughed again, and her parents joined in, finding her laughter contagious. Rux and Ali were happy, too, seeing the ring the Doctor held as he moved back toward them.
Without warning, the Doctor stopped laughing, looking at something behind Rose.
"And that would be our cue to leave," he said, jumping out of the fountain, handing Ali the ring, and grabbing Rose's hand in quick succession.
"Run!" he said, looking at her with a manic smile as they took off toward the TARDIS.
Rose turned to look over her shoulder, safely tightening the wrap as she did so.
"It was nice meeting you!" she called cheerfully to the couple they had gotten to spend just a little time with.
Rose laughed again as they ran hand-in-hand toward the brightly-colored spiral that was currently their TARDIS.
"I missed this, Doctor," she said as they made it to and then through the doors, shutting them behind her while the Doctor started programming coordinates. Rose quickly got the smiling baby into her comfortable seat.
"So did I," he said with a smile as he finished at the console, moving to pull his wife into an enthusiastically tight embrace as the TARDIS dematerialized, bringing the family safely away from well-intentioned law enforcement.
Reviews!
Yup, I'm going to continue responding to reviews here after each chapter because I appreciate the time you take to review, and I want to do the same for you :)
genxblah: I didn't have a convenient point to describe the safety restraint in-story, but you know me; if I mentioned it, I have a clear picture of it. It looks very much like one of the cushy infant car seats, with some modifications. First, it will have to be mostly reclined for a lot longer than a car seat would be rear-facing; with the jerking around the TARDIS does, even a toddler's neck could be hurt pretty easily in an upright position. The harness part has been improved; when unfastened, it is loose enough to get around the child and get it buckled easily. Then, the seat automatically tightens to a safe, but not uncomfortable, point. To unfasten the seat, rather than those hard-to-push buttons, the person doing the unfastening must first place a finger at a small finger print reader at the bottom of a side of the seat, well out of the reach of any child who would fit in it. Then, place the same finger at the spot that the release button would typically be. The harness then releases and loosens to the easy-to-maneuver stage.
britgirlatheart: I'm so glad you're still loving it even with the hints and bits and pieces you're getting ahead of time!