Sorry guys, this is really short in comparison to usual. I just felt bad about it taking so long, so I'm giving you what I finished today. You get to learn a secret here! One that most of you probably guessed, but I wanna hear your reactions!

Chapter 26: The Truth - An Interlude

When Freya woke up, she was in her bed. Her real bed, her TARDIS bed.

In the Doctor's arms.

"Morning, sleepyhead. I've been worried you were going to sleep all day," the Doctor teased, tweaking her nose.

"Sorry. TARDIS said something about needing to heal," Freya said with a yawn.

"Yes. I scanned you as soon as we got on board. You're fine. So's the baby. However, before we do anything else, I'd like us to go deliver the necklace to your past self and go get a checkup with the doctor friend you have," the Doctor explained. Freya nodded.

"We should," Freya agreed.

"How about you get dressed and meet me in the TARDIS in thirty minutes? Grab a jacket. You get cold way too easily," the Doctor told her teasingly as he climbed out of the bed. Freya nodded and hesitated.

"Doctor? Can we pick up Rose and Marie? I haven't seen them in awhile…maybe we could take Marie with us a bit too?" Freya asked, biting her lip as she asked. The Doctor glanced at her and nodded.

"As long as she looks impressed and listens, why not?" the Doctor asked cheerfully. Freya smiled and made her way to the bathroom as the Doctor headed towards the console room.

By the time Freya had made it to the Console room, both Marie and Rose were there, a duffel bag by each of them.

"How long are you planning on staying?" Freya asked with a grin. Both Marie and Rose rushed for Freya, pulling her into a hug as they did.

"As long as you want us to! It's been too long!" Marie complained, glaring over at the Doctor with her words. The Doctor scratched the back of his head sheepishly.

"It hasn't been that long…just a month or two," the Doctor said quietly. Both girls shot a glare at him while Freya could only smile.

"At least it's not a year this time," Freya reminded them. Marie glared at the Doctor.

"Fine. Take this thing back home," Marie demanded.

"What?" the Doctor asked, gaping at her. Marie pulled Freya's phone from her pocket and quickly dialed.

"Yes darling, pack a bag. Be there in ten minutes. You're coming with us," Marie said before hanging up.

"If we're going to be gone that long, we're bringing Masen along too," Marie declared.

"I'm not a taxi!" the Doctor sputtered, but Marie waved him off.

"It's either this or we're having a movie night every night and we will outvote you. You will learn just how many chick flicks there are in the universe, and you will be forced to deal with three crying women. You heard me. Ten minutes, Masen's house. Chop chop!" Marie ordered. The Doctor continued to stare at her.

"It could be fun. Like having a whole family on the TARDIS," Freya supplied quietly.

"But I don't do domestic," the Doctor protested.

"You've got a wife and a kid on the way. You do domestic," Rose pointed out. The Doctor sighed and made his way to the console.

"Fine! We'll pick him up too, and while the three of you are settling in, we'll take Freya's locket back to little Freya. Then we'll do the doctor's appointment," the Doctor said.

"We'd bettered not go anywhere couple-y," Rose said, scrunching up her nose.

"That wouldn't be fair," Freya agreed, surprised to see the Doctor wilt.

"You three can not do couple-y things, but if I want to take my wife somewhere romantic, we're going," the Doctor protested swiftly. He flipped a switch and the TARDIS shook lightly yet landed nonetheless.

Marie huffed and threw the TARDIS door open, tugging in Masen as he frantically finished a phone call.

"The Doctor can fix your phone for you," Rose offered, only for the Doctor to shoot her a glare.

"That's a frequent flyers privilege," the Doctor huffed once more.

"You sonicked my phone on the first trip," Rose argued.

"If you fix their phones, I'm sure they will leave you alone for a bit," Freya tried offering a compromise. Marie automatically held her phone out to the Doctor, not even waiting for his answer.

The Doctor didn't even take her phone, instead pointed his sonic at it before doing the same to Masen's.

"There. Done. Go find your rooms. If the TARDIS is nice, she'll help you. Freya and I have an appointment," the Doctor said, throwing a switch. The TARDIS jerked abruptly, nearly throwing them all to the ground.

"Fine. No need to be a sore loser," Marie taunted as she pulled Rose and Masen along after her. The Doctor's hand slid into Freya's as he pulled her out of the TARDIS.

"I can't go with you to give the necklace to mini-me," Freya pointed out. The Doctor skidded to a stop at her words.

"Er, yeah. Oops. I guess you can't, can you?" he asked, scratching the back of his head. Freya shook her head before pointing him in the general direction she figured mini-her had to be.

"Go that way. You should find her easily enough. I'll just wander around here. Find me when you're done," Freya told him with a grin. The Doctor gave her a quick peck on the lips before bounding away.

Freya drifted away from the TARDIS, eyes taking in the hospital. It was eerie how everything looked, coming back to the past. She had her own memories of the place, sure, but it was different, seeing them through older eyes. She was able catch details she missed before. The tiredness of the nurses. The hecticness of car accident victims being rolled in.

A room full of terminally ill children.

Being read a book.

By Bad Wolf.

Freya slid into the room just as Bad Wolf was closing the book.

"The End," he said gently.

"Can we read another?" a bald little girl asked, clutching Bad Wolf's leg. Bad Wolf laughed and shook his head.

"Not today. I'll be back," he promised them as he stood.

"Don't go," a boy begged. Bad Wolf smiled and hoisted the kid into his arms.

"We all have to go. Now, I've gotta go see someone," Bad Wolf told them before placing the child back on the ground. He glanced up at that point, meeting Freya's eyes. Recognition filled them and he moved towards her, pulling her into a tight hug.

"It's been awhile. I was hoping you'd show up here," Bad Wolf murmured. Freya tentatively wrapped her arms around him, hugging him back.

He was younger than he'd been before. In fact, he looked to be about her age now, if not a year or two younger.

"Let's get out of here," Bad Wolf said, slipping his hand into Freya's as if it were an automatic reaction as opposed to purposeful. Freya allowed him to tug her along to the hospital chapel.

"You're so young," Bad Wolf breathed as he examined her. Freya smiled at him and shook her head.

"Me? You're younger than me," she pointed out. Bad Wolf laughed.

"Oh, but I should be that!" Bad Wolf said with such knowing that it hurt Freya to not understand. Bad Wolf shook his head, not catching Freya's inner turmoil.

"How's everything in the TARDIS?" Bad Wolf asked curiously.

"It's good. We picked up some friends to spend time with," Freya said. She didn't know how much she was allowed to tell Bad Wolf, where in his time stream he was.

It was extremely early, if his actions were anything to judge by.

"And how's dad?"

It was like a bucket of cold water had been dumped on Freya. Her eyes went wide at his words and she was immediately on her feet.

"Dad?" Freya choked. Bad Wolf hurried to his feet as well, eyes wide in alarm. He was examining her rapidly, checking for injuries. Just like the Doctor did.

But that wasn't it. His eyes. Oh. His eyes were the Doctor's eyes, her first Doctor's eyes. How had she not noticed that before?

Freya gripped his shoulders tightly, slowing her breathing quickly.

"Oh God. You didn't know. But you always told me you knew me before I was born…oh. Oh," Bad Wolf said brokenly, staring at her stomach.

"You're my son," Freya said slowly. Bad Wolf nodded, his own eyes holding panic now.

"No one told me this would happen! I didn't know I'd have to tell you who I am!" Bad Wolf fretted.

And as much as Freya was freaking out, the need to calm her son was more important.

She pulled him to her, wrapping her arms tightly around him, feeling his shoulders shake.

"Hey, shh, it's okay. Everything's alright, I promise," Freya told him gently, rocking him carefully. Her eyes drifted upward to see the Doctor burst into the room.

"There you are! Little you's so funny! I…" the Doctor drifted off, staring at the two of them. Bad Wolf sniffled slightly before pulling back. He tried stepping away from Freya, but she gripped his shoulders tightly, keeping one arm wrapped tightly around him.

"Doctor, I want you to meet someone," Freya told him.

"We've already met," the Doctor pointed out, somewhat stiffly. Freya shook her head, feeling the corners of her eyes moisten.

"No. Doctor, this is Bad Wolf. Our son."

The Doctor stared. And stared. Freya gripped Bad Wolf tighter, knowing the boy was struggling with rejection.

"He's not rejecting you. He's in shock," Freya reassured Bad Wolf, whose shoulders dropped slightly at her words.

"Our son?" the Doctor asked.

"Yes. Our son. He's our son," Freya told him gently. Her own mind was whirling. But Bad Wolf needed someone to be okay with what was happening.

"Did you give the necklace to mini-me?" Freya asked the Doctor as he gaped. The Doctor nodded, eyes glued to Bad Wolf, taking in any detail he could. Freya was certain he could see the details she'd first noticed.

How had they not noticed that when they'd first met him? It felt so alarmingly obvious.

"Darling, this is your earliest meeting of us, okay? Do you understand that?" Freya asked him in a soft voice. Bad Wolf's breath hitched and he nodded.

"Do you understand that you can't tell us things? And that you should be a bit more careful about what you ask us?" Freya prodded carefully. Bad Wolf nodded once more, trying to discretely wipe his nose with the back of his sleeve. It was as if the knowledge that this was his first meeting with his parents had made him revert back to a child.

"But you always told me I wouldn't have to worry about meeting you first. That I'd know what to do," Bad Wolf said, his voice catching. Freya pulled him in to her, pulling his head gently down to tuck it into her shoulder, despite him being taller than her.

Bad Wolf slouched right into it. His shoulders were shaking slightly, as if he was trying to hold himself together.

"You are doing just fine. It's a shock to everyone, I promise. Why don't we go talk in the TARDIS, okay? Maybe a familiar setting'll make you feel better," Freya suggested. Bad Wolf tentatively pulled back, his hand possessively sliding into Freya's as he allowed her to tug him along.

It really had made him feel like a child once more.

The three of them walked to the TARDIS in silence, the Doctor's hand sliding into Freya's free one automatically. When they opened the door, they were met with Marie and Rose arguing.

"I'm just saying, I should have two votes for everything, since I'm the only single one here! What am I supposed to do? Just watch two sets of you snog on the couch all the time?" Rose argued.

"Please. I'm sure the Doctor and Freya snog on the console," Marie scoffed. Freya's cheeks burned at the words and she dropped both of their hands, instead covering Bad Wolf's ears with her hands.

"Not another word!" Freya said quickly, noticing that Bad Wolf was blushing too. The Doctor scratched the back of his head.

"We only did that twice," the Doctor said before shaking his head.

"Not now!" Freya told him sharply, tentatively dropping her hands.

"Guys, this is Bad Wolf. Bad Wolf, this is Rose, Marie, and Masen, our friends," Freya introduced them with a smile.

"But we've already met," Rose said, puzzled. Freya glanced between the two of them before shaking her head.

"No. This is the first time Bad Wolf's met us," Freya tried reminding her gently.

"Why do you keep calling me Bad Wolf?" Bad Wolf asked curiously.

"Because we don't know your real name yet," the Doctor told him sharply.

"But you're my parents. You give me my name. Surely you know it," Bad Wolf scoffed. Freya could only shake her head.

"You inherited your father's sass," she murmured before shaking her head quickly.

"Oi!" Bad Wolf protested.

"Don't get sassy with me," Freya warned him, earning a rueful grin from Bad Wolf.

"It's been awhile since I've been lectured by you," Bad Wolf said.

"Wait. I'm confused. Bad Wolf…is your son?" Rose said slowly.

"Yep," the Doctor confirmed.

"So you're Freya's son? Freya and the Doctor's son," Marie said flatly. Bad Wolf nodded before his eyes caught on something. He pulled away from Freya, walking around the console.

"Oh you Sexy thing, you didn't tell me you changed," Bad Wolf said, patting the console lovingly.

"Doctor, should we be worried?" Marie asked, eyeing him suspiciously.

But the Doctor was just staring at him.

"You can't call her that!" the Doctor protested, quickly moving to jerk Bad Wolf's hand off the console.

"Why? You do," Bad Wolf pointed out.

"You call your TARDIS Sexy?" Marie asked with a laugh. The Doctor patted the TARDIS not unlike how Bad Wolf had been patting her.

"Only when we're alone. Isn't that right, Sexy?" the Doctor crooned. Freya quickly pulled him back when she caught sight of Marie and Masen's appalled expressions.

"What do you mean, she didn't tell you she'd changed?" Rose asked suspiciously.

"I've never seen the TARDIS console room like this. I rather like it," Bad Wolf mused.

"You mean I get rid of this desktop?" the Doctor asked in disappointment. Bad Wolf shrugged nonchalantly.

"I might have to program my TARDIS with this desktop," Bad Wolf said to himself.

"You have a TARDIS?" the Doctor asked loudly, eyes wide. Bad Wolf nodded.

"Yeah. You grew me one…oh. Right. Yeah. That hasn't happened yet," Bad Wolf finished awkwardly.

"We're going to teach you a new word. Spoilers. If someone asks a question that you can't answer, just say spoilers. It'll prevent a paradox," Freya told him gently.

"What kind of a word is spoilers? I don't have to hear that a lot in my future, do I?" Bad Wolf complained.

"Spoilers," the Doctor said with a smirk. Freya slapped his arm lightly.

"I would assume you hear it quite a bit," Freya said with the warmest smile she could.

"What are you doing here?" Freya finally asked him. Bad Wolf shook his head, still seemingly trying to wrap his mind around everything.

"I come here to read to the children sometimes, hoping to….spoilers," he finished awkwardly. Freya rewarded him with a warm smile and crossed the floor, pulling him into a hug.

"You'll catch on. I promise," Freya told him.

"So…where are you guys at then? Mini-me's in there," Bad Wolf said, nodding his head downward. Freya nodded, glancing at the Doctor.

"Wait – I'm still confused," Marie said. Bad Wolf dragged his eyes from Freya and settled on Marie.

And they widened in recognition. He opened his mouth and promptly closed it. Before tentatively opening it once more.

"Aunt Marie?" he asked quietly.

"Of course I'm your bloody aunt! Who else would be?" Marie asked, hands on her hips. Bad Wolf opened his mouth, but Freya quickly covered it.

"That would fall under spoilers," she reminded him. He nodded.

"Does that make him Uncle Masen?" Marie demanded, pointing at Masen. Bad Wolf hesitated, glancing at Marie.

Glancing at her hands.

Taking in the engagement rings.

"Yeah. Uncle Masen," Bad Wolf said.

"What about me? What am I?" Rose demanded nervously. Bad Wolf glanced at her before paling slightly. He turned around quickly, but not before Freya caught his paling.

"Honey, you said you needed to do something, didn't you?" Freya asked, hoping to redirect the attention. Something bad happened to Rose, in the future. And Freya really didn't want to know what it was.

"No. I'm kinda stuck there for awhile. Dad said he'd come pick me up, but he's late," Bad Wolf complained.

"He's always late. Has he told you about the time he first took me on a trip?" Freya asked, grinning at the boy. Bad Wolf shook his head, staring at Freya with rapt interest.

"He said we'd been gone twelve hours. It'd been twelve months!" Freya told him. Bad Wolf's grin only widened.

"Oh just wait! He ends up being twelve years late once!" Bad Wolf said with a laugh.

Only to stop.

"That hasn't happened yet," he said awkwardly.

"And it won't. I'd never be that late," the Doctor said, affronted. Bad Wolf only smiled at him.

"So since you aren't doing anything, would you fancy a trip with us? Let us get to know our son better?" Freya asked with a smile.

"We've got enough people!" the Doctor protested.

"He's our son. Technically, he's already here. You told me before you couldn't take me to the future to see my son. We're in the past. He's come to us. I want to spend time with him now. Who knows when the next time we'll see him is?" Freya stated, irritated.

"It's okay. If you don't want me to come, it doesn't bother me," Bad Wolf said. The Doctor's eyes widened and he quickly shook his head.

"No, no! That's not what I meant at all!" he quickly said.

"We've just got so many of us. We don't want it to get crowded," the Doctor finished awkwardly.

"Dad, it's the TARDIS. I've thrown full out parties before and you and Mum never even noticed," Bad Wolf bragged.

"Not anymore you won't be," Freya corrected him.

But her heart warmed at that. He hadn't mentioned her any time before. That was the first time he mentioned her. And he mentioned her at an age where he'd be a teenager.

She'd get to see him as a teenager.

"Doctor, take us somewhere exciting," Freya ordered. The Doctor didn't even hesitate, quickly skittering around the console. She landed relatively easy, something that surprised Freya.

"Where are we?" Rose asked eagerly, leaning over the console towards the Doctor.

"Step outside and see," the Doctor said, grinning right back.

"Wait! Don't you dare!" Marie shouted, pulling her back.

"It's our turn," Marie pointed out, grabbing Masen's arm.

"Rose can go before me…" he drifted off at Marie's glare.

"Or not. Let's go," Masen corrected himself quickly. The three of them pushed their way out the doors, exclamations reaching Freya's ears.

"Wanna come out too?" Freya offered Bad Wolf. He looked as if he were about to refuse but stopped, thinking carefully.

"Only if you come out with me," he said. Freya nodded and started walking towards the door when something caught her eye.

Their marriage certificate.

Signed by Bad Wolf.

"I'll meet you outside. I needed to say something to your dad," Freya told him shooing him towards the door. Bad Wolf reluctantly exited.

"Hide the marriage certificate. He can't see it," Freya hissed at the Doctor the moment Bad Wolf was out of the TARDIS. The Doctor was over to the coral strut and quickly pressed the frame into the coral. It shimmered for a moment before seemingly fading into the strut.

"There," the Doctor said, smiling as he made his way back to Freya.

"Did you see that coming?" Freya asked, nodding towards the door. The Doctor shook his head before pulling her into his arms.

"No. Can't say that I did. I don't know why he was so mad at me, though, before," the Doctor said, shaking his head.

"We probably shouldn't think about it too much," Freya told him before freezing.

"I've met his wife. I've met my son's wife. I'm friends with her," Freya said.

And the Doctor started laughing.

"What?" Freya asked him. The Doctor shook his head, attempting to control his laughter.

"Remember before, when you told me we couldn't have sex until the baby was born, since he's on the edge of your consciousness?" the Doctor asked. Freya nodded, puzzled as to why he was bringing that up.

"Your reasoning was that he'd end up being Jack's best friend," the Doctor reminded her.

And Freya's eyes widened.

"He is Jack's best friend," Freya breathed. The Doctor's grin increased.

"I guess that means we'd be creating a paradox, not having sex," the Doctor breathed gleefully.

His lips were pressed to hers before she could even respond to his words. Freya hesitated for a moment, but the Doctor's hands were tangled in her hair, pulling her closer.

It was like a fire had been lit in Freya. She kissed him back fervently as the Doctor backed her up, stopping when she rested against the console. His hands left her hair and lifted her up to sit on the edge of the console.

"TARDIS'll be cross," Freya breathed as his mouth left hers to kiss a trail down her neck.

"TARDIS likes you. She'll forgive us," the Doctor murmured in between kisses. He unbuttoned his shirt as he kissed lower. His lips had just begun to move from the center towards one of her breasts when the doors banged open.

"Are you coming sometime….God! Can you….can you not do that in console room? I was right outside the TARDIS!" Bad Wolf's voice went high with his words. The Doctor sighed, not moving his head from its current position. Freya jumped slightly and moved to try buttoning her shirt back up, a feat that was difficult with the Doctor refusing to move his head.

"Can't be the first time you've walked in on us," the Doctor grumbled as he finally pulled away from Freya.

"Never in the console room!" Bad Wolf shouted before dashing out of the TARDIS, cheeks blazing.

"Do you think we've scarred him for life?" the Doctor asked.

"This is probably what makes him become friends with Jack," Freya pointed out, earning a groan from the Doctor.

"Come on. We need to get out there before he accidentally tells everyone their future. He isn't used to this yet, and I didn't like the look he gave Rose," Freya said, tugging the Doctor towards the door.

"What look?" the Doctor asked sharply.

"He didn't recognize her. He's never met her before. But he'd met Marie and Masen. He looked at her as if something bad happened to her. I don't want to see what that is," Freya said firmly.

"Let's not think about it. Come on. I've got an empty planet for you to see."

So...what did you think? Did you see it coming? I figured most of you would, but I'm curious as to the reactions!

The next chapter will involve a few trips, including the Love and Monsters trips. I considered dropping them altogether but I liked the thought of having the whole crew together. Not quite Team TARDIS, but it was a nice team. I like having gangs. :)

Andi