The Doctor

A few days later the Doctor and Rose crossed the bridge to the dunes and began a leisurely stroll along the beach, hand in hand. They hadn't gotten very far, though, when Rose nudged her husband. Davey was sitting alone, tucked into a hollow in the dunes, chin set morosely on his knees. His parents wandered over, deceptively casual, and settled into the sand on either side of him. When did he get so tall? Rose couldn't help but wonder; sitting, Davey's head was on a level with hers.

After a couple minutes of silence, she glanced questioningly at the Doctor, but he shook his head. Wait it out.

Finally, after almost ten minutes, a tiny voice issued from the form between them. "What am I?"

The Doctor was puzzled. "You're my son."

Davey shook his head. "Not who. What?" He took a deep breath. "Am I a Time Lord? Or a human? I've only got one heart."

It was the Doctor's turn to be quiet. Finally, he said softly, "You're human. Mostly."

Another deep breath, then even softer, "Then how can I be your son?" Then, in a rush to get it out, "Humans and Time Lords are two different species. They can't... You said different species can't interbreed, that's what makes them different." They'd been studying biology recently.

The Doctor and Rose looked at each other behind his head, communicating wordlessly. He's figured it out.

Should we tell him the truth? his raised eyebrows asked.

Rose nodded. Of course! We always said we would!

The Doctor put a hand on Davey's shoulder. "You're my son because I raised you and loved you since the day you were born. Even before. But you're right. I'm not your biological father."

"Then who is?"

This was Rose's question to answer. "Your Uncle Mike." He finally looked over at her then, shock making his eyes huge. She went on, "You remember the story of how Mike came to be, born in the metacrisis from the Doctor and Donna? And that's why he's half human?" She waited until he nodded. "And you also remember how we were stuck in the parallel world for a few years right after he was born, all four of us?"

He nodded again, and she continued. "The part of the story we haven't told you is this: just after we got there, because of a series of misunderstandings, and stupid mistakes, your father – the Doctor and I were separated from each other. And each of us honestly, truly believed that we'd never even see each other again, ever. I don't mean 'see' as in date, I mean it as literally lay eyes on each other. And it hurt both of us, very very much. I was dying inside." She made a quick decision not to tell him about her attempted suicide – he did NOT need to know that part, ever.

"We both were," put in the Doctor.

"During that time, though, Mike was with me – I mean, we were hanging around together. This was before he and Donna got married, before they even started dating. And Mike and I decided... well, we thought we'd give it a try." She gave her son a quick little smile. "I don't mean to embarrass you with this, but... we only slept together once. Then suddenly, before I even knew I was pregnant, the Doctor came back into my life, and we were back together. And we've been together ever since. Mike took off for a few months then, traveling with Donna, and they got married shortly after that." She smiled past Davey to her husband, her love shining through her eyes. "And we got married, too."

Davey half-turned to the Doctor, still not quite able to look at him. "You knew?"

"Yes, I knew," he replied evenly. "The same way you figured it out. We're different species. But listen to me, son. I never held it against either one of them. Never. Nor you. You're my son."

Davey was quiet for a while, absorbing it all. Then, again without turning, he asked, "Does Mike know he's my real dad?"

The Doctor took a breath to reply, but Rose beat him, in a surprisingly low, intense voice. "Yes, he knows. He's known since before you were born. But you listen to me, David Smith. Mike is not your 'real dad'. He's your biological father. Your 'real dad' is the man sitting next to you, the one who raised you and loved you your whole life. And don't you ever forget that."

Davey looked over at her, surprised, and she relented slightly. "'Dad' isn't a name, or a biological relationship. It's a title that must be earned, by being there every day. And that's the Doctor, right there. The man you've called Dad your entire life. That hasn't changed, bub, nor will it."

The Doctor found he had to look away, tears stinging, and he held his breath while he waited for his son's verdict.

Davey wasn't quite ready to give it yet, though. After a long pause, he asked Rose, "Why didn't you ever tell me, though?"

"We never meant it to be a secret, sweetheart. It just... never came up. Till now. We always figured on telling you some time, when you were old enough to understand. Which you are, now. You just beat us to it by asking before we could tell you. Okay?"

"Okay," he replied slowly, still working on processing it. There was still more bothering him. "So... what's going to happen to me when I grow up? Am I just going to keep living in the TARDIS, traveling around with you until the day I die?"

"If that's what you want to do," answered the Doctor, making himself breathe again. "It's up to you. You can do whatever you want, whenever, wherever. Just say the word." He paused, looking at the top of the boy's head as if trying to see inside without actually linking up. "Don't you want to any more?" Then, thinking of a better way to phrase it, "Is there something else you want to do?"

If he hadn't put it precisely that way, Davey might not have been able to say it. He nodded his head, not daring to look at either parent again. "I want to go to school like Loren and Lyra and Lucy."

Rose and the Doctor shared mightily surprised glances. "Why?" she asked Davey. "Don't you like our school?"

He shrugged. "Yeah, but..."

"What do other schools have that we don't?" she prompted him.

He was silent, and the Doctor put in, "Other teachers, other students...?" Then it hit him. "Oh, snap. I am such an idiot." He shook his head, flabbergasted at himself. "I'm sorry, Davey. I'm so, so sorry. I'm such a bloody idiot."

Rose was almost laughing. "Translation, please?"

He looked at her, still shaking his head. "I've told you about my childhood, love, growing up on the mountain, how lonely it was with just me and my parents. Well... how is what we've been doing any different?" She started to react and he held up one hand to forestall her. "There's no doubt in my mind that we're better parents than mine were; more involved, more supportive, more affectionate. And yes, we're continually meeting new people. But we're continually moving on, too. You and I are the only constants in his life." He glanced sideways down at his son peeking up at him. "You'd like to make some friends your own age, and keep them, wouldn't you?"

Davey nodded wordlessly, and his father looked back at Rose, sealing the deal. "Where would you have been without your mate Shereen?"

"In Lonelyville, that's for sure. Well, then. We were talking about slowing down; it looks like we're actually stopping for a while."

"Yup. So. Where and when do you want to try this school thing? You've all the universe, and all of history, to choose from."

"Well," Davey said thoughtfully. "I'm most comfortable here. I mean, in London. This time period. And..."

"Yeah?"

"And it'd be kind if neat if I could actually go with the twins – to their school, I mean."

Both adults nodded. "If it'll take you – if you fit academically, I mean. We'll see."

"You mean it? Really?" Davey looked from one to the other, incredulous delight dawning at their twin nods, then he sat looking forward for a moment, grinning and hugging himself with joy, while his parents shared knowing smiles.

After a bit, Davey looked down at the sand right next to him, and quietly dropped one hand down on top of his father's. "Thanks... Dad."

The Doctor suddenly remembered how to breathe again, and he pulled Davey into his arms, squeezing his eyes shut tight. Then Rose added her arms to the cuddle, and before they knew it, a full-on three-way wrestling match was in progress, the kind Davey had 'outgrown' about two years before.

^..^

A couple of hours later, dinnertime rolled around, and the trio gathered themselves up and began walking back up to the bridge across the dunes, realizing the rest of the clan was already in the house. They'd just reached the top of the stairs when they heard Donna nearly scream, "Dooooctooooor!" from the breezeway ahead, and they ran forward, the Doctor's long legs pulling him ahead of the other two.

As other heads began popping out of doors and running down stairs, they found Donna in the middle of the balcony, staring openmouthed at a young blonde woman standing before her. The Doctor vaguely registered another figure off to one side, before he focused in on the blonde's face, and his jaw dropped halfway to the floor as he came to a screeching halt a few feet away.

"Jenny?" he gasped.

She'd turned to him as he ran up, her brilliant smile lighting her face, and she flashed back to her first words after her very odd 'birth'. "Hello, Dad."

"But..." He shook his head helplessly. "Jenny, you died..."

She shook her own head back at him. "No. You thought I did. But I'm more your daughter than you thought. After you and Donna took off, I... woke up. Stole the Captain's Launch and took off, and went traveling."

He slowly stepped forward, one hand reaching and touching her cheek. "Oh my stars. Oh, Jenny. It is you." His infectious, manic grin suddenly split his face, and he swiftly gathered her up in a bone-cracking hug. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry I left you. Oh, gods, I wish I'd known. I should have..." He let her down again, so he could see her face – and then his own face twisted in confusion. "But... how did you get here? How did you find me?"

Her grin turned a bit sly. "Wel-l-ll, after a while, I ran into somebody else, who knows you, and knows how to find you." She gestured over her shoulder to the other figure he'd been ignoring, and the Doctor turned to look – and his jaw dropped again.

"Hello, sweetie!" said River with her always-sunny smile.