Author's Notes: I do not own Doctor Who. Thank you for all the reviews and follows! I'm glad you're enjoying it. Please let me know what you think and happy reading!
It was the day of the twins' party. Donna had been running around all day and had thirty children in the house. Her father and grandfather were doing their best at keeping them amused, but party games had their limits. Her mother was not helping matters.
"That dog will not stop!," exclaimed Sylvia. "I don't know why you keep her."
"Esther's just excited," said Donna, as the Jack Russell terrier panted happily next to her. "I'm not going to have any more talk of getting rid of Esther, Mum. She's part of the family."
"She's an animal."
Donna rolled her eyes and the doorbell bonged.
"Another one?," exclaimed Sylvia.
Donna walked to the door and opened it to find the Doctor, Oswin and Lydia.
"Doctor," said Donna.
"Oh, not that awful man again," said Sylvia.
"Uh, yes, hi," said the Doctor. "Isn't today the party?"
"Yes, yes, it is," said Donna. She had almost forgotten about Josh's invitation in the intervening period and had never expected to see the Doctor at her door.
Again.
"We brought these things," said Lydia, uneasily holding some balloons.
"And we have presents," said Oswin.
"Also, I got some of those cakes with the edible ball bearings," said the Doctor.
Donna was surprised to see the door slamming shut.
"Mum!," she screeched at Sylvia.
"You're not seriously going to let them in, are you?," asked Sylvia.
"I can't leave them on the front step," Donna protested.
"What will the neighbors say?!"
"Mum, he's just lost his wife. They've just lost their mother. I don't really care what the bloody neighbors think!"
Donna opened the door. She and Sylvia plastered on smiles to further confused the Time Lords.
"Is everything alright?," asked the Doctor.
"Everything's lovely," said Donna, bidding them inside. "Come on in. Josh and Ella will be thrilled to see you."
The three came in as Esther eagerly sniffed them out.
"The party's in the other room," said Donna. "Oswin, Lydia, you can add those things in with the pile."
"More guests?" Donna's grandfather, Wilf, approached from the room where the front room.
"Yes," said Donna, "Doctor, this is my grandfather, Wilfred Mott. This is the Doctor and his daughters, Oswin and Lydia."
"Welcome," said Wilf. "Are you those people Donna works for? The Time Lords?"
"Dad," Sylvia hissed.
"Nothing meant by it, see, I'm just having trouble with my telescope, there's this spot on Ursa Major."
"I could have a look at it," the Doctor said. "I can't imagine it's anything. That's not due to collapse for another twenty billion years or so."
"I think it's just the lens or something probably," said Wilf.
"Could be," the Doctor said with a nod.
Josh and Ella came thundering down the hall.
"Oswin!," Jack exclaimed. "You came!"
"So did Lydia and the Doctor," Donna chided.
"Come on, Oswin," said Josh, grabbing her hand and dragging her along to the party.
Donna was back in the kitchen when she realized that the Doctor was still on her heels.
"Yes?," asked Donna.
"I still have the cakes," said the Doctor.
"Oh, right," said Donna. She took the pastry box from him. "They smell lovely."
"Just stopped by 1953 and picked them up. Queen Elizabeth's coronation party."
"You just came from 1953?," Donna repeated.
"Well, yeah, there was this thing with a menacing intelligence living inside the television that was going to suck everyone in while they watched the coronation. The important thing is that the girls and I sorted it."
"Sounds like fun," Donna said uneasily.
"Does it?," asked the Doctor.
"I guess. Fun for a Time Lord, I guess."
The Doctor frowned as Donna went to remove the cakes to a serving platter. It would be great if Donna could enjoy travelling, but he didn't know that she did. The Oracle had never been much of an adventurer. Still, there were worse things than that.
"Took the girls with you, did you?," she asked.
"Yes," said the Doctor. "At your suggestion."
Donna shrugged. "I thought you'd take them to the zoo or something, not through time and space."
"Well, things escalated," said the Doctor. "It came out that Lydia likes art. Can you imagine? There hasn't been a Time Lady artist since my great grandfather's time, so, clearly I had to get her some tutelage so we visited da Vinci- I'd met him before, you see. Then I thought there had to be other schools of art so we visited Vincent Van Gogh and there was this monster that turned out to be a lost Krafayis."
Donna smiled. "And what did you find out about Oswin?"
"She likes making souffles. I don't know where she could have possibly gotten that from."
"Considering you don't eat?," asked Donna.
"What?," asked the Doctor.
"Look at you," said Donna. "You're too skinny for words. If I hugged you, I bet I'd get a paper cut."
"Oh," said the Doctor, frowning.
"I don't mean anything by it. Who am I to talk?"
"I think you look lovely," the Doctor let slip out.
They both locked eyes, uncertain what to say about that.
"I should get back in there," said Donna, heading back to the front room.
The party continued through the afternoon and Oswin was a big hit with the party guests. Donna thought she had a natural gift with children. The day dwindled and their parents came to collect them. Donna was cleaning up in the kitchen when Sylvia joined her.
"What's going on with that Doctor?," asked Sylvia.
"What are you on about now?," asked Donna.
"He keeps following you around! What does he want?"
Donna shook her head. "His wife just died. Poor man probably doesn't know what to do with himself. I remember how I was when-"
"That can't be it," Sylvia said, cutting her off.
"Why don't you just go and ask him yourself?," asked Donna. "You've barely made any conversation with any of them."
"Because I don't like aliens in my house."
"Oh, let's not start that," moaned Donna.
"Now he's gone up the hill with Dad! Who knows what could happen?"
"I think he'll probably help Gramps with his telescope," said Donna.
"It didn't used to be like this," Sylvia grumbled.
"Well, it is," said Donna.
The back door opened and the Doctor entered, grinning. "Hello."
"Hello," Sylvia grumbled.
"It turned out to just be a bit of blackcurrant jam on your dad's telescope. I'm not quite certain how he did it, but there you have it."
"Thanks," said Donna.
There was another awkward pause. They were getting good at awkward pauses.
"I'm going to go track down Oswin and Lydia," said the Doctor.
The Doctor went to the front room. He could spy Oswin and Lydia kicking a football with Josh out front, but he also saw Ella sitting on the sofa in the dark with Esther snuggling her.
"Ella, what's wrong?," asked the Doctor.
"Nothing."
"Well, that's not true," said the Doctor, walking in and plopping down next to her.
"How do you know?"
"Well, you're sitting alone in the dark on your birthday, but mostly Esther said so."
Ella eyed him. "You can talk to Esther?"
"I speak dog."
"Nobody speaks dog."
"Well, Time Lords do." He looked at her. "What are you sad about?"
"I didn't get my wish. I never do."
"What wish?"
"I wished for my dad."
"Oh," the Doctor said.
"I never got to meet him," said Ella.
"I know," said the Doctor. "I'm sorry."
"Every year I wish for him to come back and he never does."
"Oh, Ella," said the Doctor, "wishes are powerful things, but they can't rewrite history."
"Time Lords can," Ella offered.
The Doctor shook his head. "It's not like that. Trust me, you don't want to go down that road. It's much more complicated than you can imagine. Besides, look at what you do have, a mum, twin brother, grandparents and a great-grandfather right under your own roof."
The dog barked.
"And Esther," the Doctor added.
Ella nodded.
The Doctor looked at the cache of birthday gifts and plucked one up.
"You got a DVD of Dumbo. Have you ever watched it?"
"No," Ella said softly.
"Well, let's," said the Doctor. "You're going to love it. I was there when they made it."
A little over an hour later, Josh, Oswin, Lydia and Donna had joined them to watch the film. Donna watched with satisfaction as Oswin and Lydia curled next to the Doctor on the sofa as her own children watched mesmerized on the floor in front of her.
"Lydia, are you crying?," asked the Doctor.
She nodded as "When I See An Elephant Fly" played.
"You are so young," the Doctor remarked.
"What does that mean?," Donna asked.
"Crying because you're happy," the Doctor explained. "You don't do that at my age."
"Can we watch it again?," asked Ella.
"No, you need to get to bed," said Donna. "It's already half past ten."
"But it's our birthday!," Josh protested.
"Say goodnight and get to your baths," Donna said sternly.
They said their farewells and the Time Lords prepared to depart. Donna said goodbye at the door and watched Lydia and Oswin go back to the TARDIS.
"When can I visit again?," asked the Doctor.
Donna thought a lot of things, perhaps even asking herself why he wanted to visit again and why he was asking.
She finally shook it off and answered. "Friends don't need to ask. Visit me any time you like."
"Do you mean that?"
"I wouldn't have said it if I didn't."
The Doctor smiled. "Good night, Donna Noble."
"Good night, Doctor."
Donna watched as he sauntered off to his TARDIS.
He did have a really nice bum.
Donna turned to see her mother giving her the silent, critical glance that she had gotten before.
"Oh, shut up," said Donna as she marched off to her room.