Three weeks went by quickly. They were sightseeing and saving the universe, just like they always had. Of course, he was much more protective of Rose than he usually was. She almost gave him a heart attack when she got into a scuffle with an unfriendly robot, but she had everything under control. Still, since then he made them stay inside the TARDIS for a week already.
She was very concerned about him.
"Mum, I think the Doctor has gone mad…" she whispered into her phone as she observed the Doctor fluttering about the kitchen. "He's in a frilly apron. One with lace 'round the edges. He's humming and has insisted on making a fancy breakfast. The man has been watching cooking shows all week. I think that he's gone…domestic."
"Domestic? Oh dear. That sounds serious."
"I know. What should I do? Should I call someone, like a psychologist?"
Her mother cackled. "Please. A lifetime of treatment couldn't cure the Doctor. He's a bit mental. Always has been and always will be. Just talk to him. I'm sure he's fine."
"But he's making asparagus and mushroom frittatas, Mum. And not just mushrooms. He called them porcini mushrooms. They have more zip, apparently. And, he mentioned a kipper mousse to go with it all."
"Send him my way. I could use a chef like that."
She groaned. "You don't get it. This is the Doctor. He is never like this. What if the pressure of having a girlfriend and two kids has made him lose his mind? We haven't left the TARDIS in a whole week, and he doesn't seem the least bit bothered."
"Maybe he's happy."
Rose smiled at the thought. "Thanks."
"Uh-huh. But seriously, do tell him that he can come over to cook any day of the week."
They said their farewells and Rose timidly wandered into the kitchen. He was humming and switching around pans like a madman. When he noticed her, he grinned brightly and continued to cook furiously.
"Doctor," she called gently as if he were completely insane.
"Yes?"
"Are you all right?"
"Never better. Why?"
She motioned to the craziness. "You're cooking."
"I am! Almost done. Although, I'm not sure why the mousse isn't setting. It's very troubling."
"Are you absolutely sure that you're okay?"
He paused with a smile. "Rose, I'm quite all right."
"But…"
"But what?" he wondered as he put on his brainy specs and carefully examined the kipper mousse.
"You're really scaring me. I thought you hated being domestic."
"Right."
"But that's exactly what you're doing. You're acting like you're Heston Blumenthal but in my grandmother's outfit."
He bobbed his head from side to side. "Well, I can't argue with that. But, I don't mind being somewhat domestic. Do you know why?"
"No idea."
"We're on the TARDIS. No carpets. No house. No mortgage. Space beyond the doors. Still traveling. Going anywhere we'd like. It's like settling down without actually settling down. I'm not trapped on the slow path, but I still get the benefits."
"What benefits?"
He smirked smugly. "A family, of course."
Something went ding and he leapt up and down excitedly, rambling about frittatas being ready. She laughed and sat at the table. He set the food down and went through the cupboards, but he didn't find his special finishing salts anywhere. While he went into the pantry, she sampled his food creation. It wasn't bad, but he should stick to building devices and fixing the TARDIS. Rose paused when she felt her stomach flutter. Her hand went to it and the sensation happened again.
"Doctor!"
He came running. "What? What's wrong?"
"Nothing's wrong. Just give me your hand."
"Why do you need my hand?"
She giggled and took his wrist without answering. Gently, she placed it on her stomach and waited. It fluttered again and his eyes grew wide. She smiled. "That's one of the babies kicking, isn't it?"
"It is indeed," he nodded, feeling it again and again shortly after. "What a kick! It's too often to be just one of them. I think they're both kicking."
"Both rambunctious. It looks like they've got your energy after all."
He chuckled. "And they're feisty like their mother."
"They're going to give us a hard time, aren't they?"
"Of course they are. They're our children."
She grinned and gave him a brief kiss. "So, I snuck a taste of your cooking."
"Did you?" he wondered with a nervous expression. "What do the critics say?"
"I liked it and so did the kids, but promise me you won't be like this too often. You gave me a quite a scare. I was convinced that you had snapped."
He winked. "I like to keep you on your toes, Rose. Besides, I'm trying to stay busy."
"We could have kept traveling."
"No, sorry. This is our time off. No more killer robots for a fortnight. I've gotten quite a bit done this week, you know. And not just achieving culinary excellence."
She studied him carefully. "What have you been up to?"
"Come with me. Breakfast can wait."
He pulled her to her feet and began to lead her through the mazes of the TARDIS. They stopped at a room that she had never been inside. Then again, there were still places that she hadn't seen in the massive box. He opened the door and she went in, surveying the contents.
"Is this a workshop?" she inquired, running a hand across a counter.
"Right you are, Rose. This is my workshop. I've been building. Over here we have mobiles. Exact scale models of your Solar System. They actually have an orbit identical to the movement of the planets around your Sun. Well, it is identical but it's also in scale. In seconds instead of days. Naturally, I made two. Exactly the same. See?" he held it up with a proud smile, winding it with his free hand.
She watched it move around. "That's beautiful. Absolutely beautiful."
"I know. I figured the Solar System would be a good choice. Better than the others. It is part of their human heritage."
"We are going to teach them about Gallifrey, aren't we?"
He got a sad look in his eyes, but he nodded. "They're going to be half Time Lords or Ladies. That's for certain. We'll put Gallifreyan on their cribs when we decide on names. But, there's one more thing I made. Are you ready?"
"Very."
Dramatically, he held up two mini sonic screwdrivers. "Obviously, they won't get these until they're at least two or three. We can't have them escaping their cribs at an early age, can we? Or putting these in their mouths. Swallowing a sonic screwdriver? That wouldn't end well for anyone. I haven't put the bulb in yet, so once we know if we have boys or girls I'll know whether to make it blue or pink. These models have limited abilities compared to mine. I wouldn't want them causing trouble like me early on. Maybe when they hit double digits."
Rose put her arms around his waist excitedly. "You're already a great father."
"You think so?"
"I know it. Any other plans?"
"I might have some ideas. Maybe. But, I'm not telling you until they're finished."
She pouted. "Why won't you tell me? I might be able to help."
"You are very good with the TARDIS…" he hummed, lost in thought. "I could use a hand. What do you say, Rose Tyler? Would you like to work with me?"
"I'd love to. What are we building?"
He leaned in close. "Our very own K-9 and K-9 puppy for the children."
"This is one of the many reasons why I love you."
"Robot dogs?"
"No, you idiot. It's because you're clever."
The Doctor smirked cheekily. "You just called me an idiot and clever in the same statement. Isn't that contradictory?"
"Can we just start on the tin dogs now?"
They worked all day in his workshop, beginning the process of building K-9 and a K-9 puppy. Although they didn't finish K-9, they did finish the K-9 puppy. It was more playful and child-friendly than the adult K-9. The Doctor planned to add learning features, games, and other fun things later on. Rose decided to name it, since it'd be redundant to have two K-9s rolling around the TARDIS. It would be called Powell after the Powell Estate.
"Powell the puppy," the Doctor commented as they got ready for bed. "I like it."
"Will he answer to that?" she wondered.
"Powell, come here boy!" he shouted, grinning when the little thing rolled into their bedroom. "Good dog. Very good dog."
"Affirmative, Master. How can I be of assistance?"
"Go play," Rose commanded.
He barked and spun in a circle. "Yes, Mistress. It is playtime!"
Rose chuckled and crawled into bed, feeling the babies kicking left and right. He joined her and put a hand on her belly, also feeling the restlessness. "Our children are not tired, are they?"
"Like I said, your energy."
"Sorry. So sorry."
She merely smirked and kissed him goodnight. "Not a problem, Doctor. I hope that they're just like you."
"Dear Lord, no. They better be your clones. The universe can't handle two little replicas of me. Although, they would make brilliant sous chefs…"
"Still on about this cooking thing?"
"Yep."
Rose smirked wickedly. "Well, if you're in a somewhat domestic mood, why don't we clean the TARDIS tomorrow? Every last bigger-on-the-inside room. And then we can do laundry together. Maybe play a boring board game."
He looked horrified. "I'm not that domestic."
"Or I could teach you how to sew. We can sit around and darn socks."
"Stop it. You're scaring me now."
"Better yet, Mum wants you to come cook for her. We could go there for dinner. Maybe she could be your sous chef! And after dinner, we could watch the weather and discuss her everyday life over tea."
"Maybe we don't have to stay inside the TARDIS for so long…"
She grinned triumphantly. "So we can go somewhere tomorrow?"
"Blimey, if it saves me from that nightmare, we can go anywhere you'd like."
Rose hugged him tightly. "I knew that my Doctor was still in there somewhere. This week has been too normal, even for me. We don't have to get all average just because we've got children on the way."
"Does that mean that I can't cook anymore?"
"You can cook as much as you want. Just lose the grandma apron."