So! I just noticed that reviews can be replied to on here! Sorry for not noticing earlier. I feel like a damn fool.
At any rate, please feel free to review, comment and/or ask questions. I will do my best to respond to all reviews going forward. Thanks!
"Donna!" the Doctor exclaimed gleefully, bounding over and throwing his arms around her. The bow-tied man who had been arguing with him seemed absolutely floored. He kept staring at her, mouth opening and closing like a fish.
The Doctor's gleeful embrace knocked Donna back onto the bed at which point she became very unamused.
"Oi, watch the hands there, Spaceman!" she complained pushing him away and sitting back up. She looked at her granddad and the strange girl next to him and then over at the bow-tied fish man. "So, I think I missed something..."
"Yeah, well..." the Doctor scratched the back of his head. To her vague annoyance, he was still lying down on her bed.
Wait. How was this her bed? This wasn't her mum's house.
Oh, that's right. She won the lottery and got her own place with her husband... Well, ex-husband now.
But, the Doctor was...
Donna's eyes narrowed and she yanked the Doctor up by his collar.
"You wiped my memory?!" she raged.
"What?! No! I didn't do anything –"
"Don't you lie to me! I remember being in the TARDIS, pleading with you not to and then I forgot you until now!" She shook him angrily as she spoke. "You made me forget everything!"
"Ow, stop it. Donna, stop it. That wasn't me!" The Doctor placed his hands over her clutched fists, trying to calm her. She paused and glared at him suspiciously.
"What do you mean it wasn't you?"
"I mean it wasn't me! I wasn't even there. I'm the, well, the other one. Remember? TARDIS? Horrible explosions? Life and death crisis? Touching that hand-in-a-jar and WHAM!"
"Oh, stop it. You're just trying to-"
"Look at me. Part human with the aging part, yeah?" The Doctor grinned and pointed at his deeper laugh lines and greying temples. Donna's eyes widened and she let out a peal of laughter.
"Ha! You look older than me now!"
"Oi, watch it!"
"Donna..." Their gleeful exchange was interrupted by the broken sound of the bow-tied fish man's voice. Something clicked in her mind. Ridiculous clothes, really young looking and really old sounding, arguing with this Doctor...
"Doctor." She rose from the bed and walked over to him. His eyes were filled with unshed tears as he looked her over.
Then she slapped him.
"What part of 'no' did you not understand?!" she yelled.
"Well, I'm sorry for saving your life!" he snapped back, holding his cheek. "Next time, I'll just let your mind burn up! I'm didn't realized you'd have preferred to be corpse instead of an amnesiac!"
"I know you had to do it, but I'm still allowed to be mad!"
"I really don't think you are, Donna!"
They stared at one another for a moment before bursting into hysterical laughter and embracing.
"...is it just me, or are they a bit mad?" Clara asked.
"Oh, complete nutters!" the Doctor crowed happily, looking at the scene before him. Donna turned back to look at him.
"So what the hell are we calling you? One and Two?"
"Thank you!" Clara exclaimed, smiling appreciatively at the redhead. "I asked the same question! They're being very unhelpful about this. That one even has a legal name, but he says he doesn't respond to it!"
"Well, if they won't answer, I'll answer for them, so you," she pointed at the meta-crisis "Are One and you," she turned and pointed at the bow-tied man. "Are Two!"
"Now, wait, that's not quite right," the meta-crisis protested. "Technically, I am the tenth physical incarnation known as the Doctor and he's the eleventh."
"Fine, spaceman, I'll call you Ten and Eleven," Donna retorted, looking at him like he was mad. Which, to be fair, he was.
"Ah, but, see, he's not exactly the tenth! He'd be more like Ten-point-Five or Ten-two or –"
"Oh, zip it, Eleven. We have a crisis to solve."
Jackie Tyler followed her daughter into the twins' room. They were sitting up in their cribs, both wide-awake and looking up at their mum.
"Oh, stop it, you two," Rose admonished them gently. "Who was first last time?"
Jackie's brow wrinkled. The nursery was completely silent other than her daughter.
"No, now I know your father has talked to you about this! Be honest." Rose paused again and then, apparently satisfied, bent to pick up her little girl.
Freya Tyler looked almost nothing like her parents. The tabloids had a field day with that with mass accusations of the Vitex Heiress' Cheating Ways and secret adoptions. She had her father's pouty lower lip and her mother's ears and nose, which was a blessing because, unbeknownst to the rest of Tony's World, she also had her father's black hair and piercing blue eyes.
It had been fun watching the Doctor's panicked explanations of how his TNA encoding meant that any parts of his physical selves could be passed on to his children and though that usually tended more towards his current self, that didn't mean that his daughter wasn't going to be a raven haired beauty. Jackie had just been glad it didn't mean his daughter had ended up with those ears.
Rose turned, still holding Freya, and looked at her mother. She seemed confused.
"Mum, why are you just standin' there? Did Freddie do somethin' wrong or are you just deaf today?" Jackie gaped at her daughter. "He keeps askin' you to pick him up…?"
Jackie walked over and picked up her grandson, rubbing his back and kissing the top of his light blonde head. He was such a calm, sweet little thing. She took a steadying breath.
"Rose, sweetheart," she said finally. "The kids aren' talking."
"What do you mean? They're chattering a mile a minute! Even Fred's havin' a go." Jackie stared at Rose and little Freya.
"Then why aren't their mouths movin'?" Jackie asked gently. Rose looked at Freddie, snuggled up against his Gran, his wide mouth closed in a content smile as he laid his head on her shoulder.
"Oh my God," Rose breathed, staring at her son. She clutched Freya closer and stumbled back, sinking down into a nearby rocking chair.
"'S'ok, Mummy," Freya said, petting her mother's hair with her chubby little fingers. "We're just talking like we do with Daddy!"
"Like with Daddy…. Right…"
"Rose, what does she mean?" Jackie asked.
"I don't know," Rose replied, trying to remain calm. Freddie was getting upset.
She looked at her son, still snuggled and seeming content with his Gran. How did she know he was getting upset?
"What's going on?" Jackie pressed.
"I don't know, Mum!" Rose's words came out harsher than she intended. She looked around helplessly, trying to gather her thoughts. It was so hard to think with the twins talking so loudly, getting upset and confused. But they weren't talking? "Where's the Doctor?"
Jackie didn't say anything and kissed Freddie's head. "We should go get them a bite to eat or something, yeah? He's clingin' on a bit tighter than normal. I don't want to upset the little loves."
"Mum, where's the Doctor?" Rose asked again. Somehow she knew he wasn't there. Where was he? She winced involuntarily. Why did her chest hurt? She felt like she'd been punched on the right side. Oh, she felt like she should know what was going on. Like she did know, but just couldn't quite reach the answer. If only everyone would be quiet…
She set Freya on the floor with a kiss to the forehead. The little girl toddled over to play with the sonic screwdriver she was building.
"I don't know," Jackie admitted finally.
"You don't know as in you haven't seen him or you don't know as in –" Rose stopped speaking abruptly and clutched her head.
"Rose?" Jackie hurriedly set Freddie on the floor and sank to her knees in front of her daughter.
"Oh, God, they're so loud. Everyone's so loud, they're screaming over one another," Rose mumbled, clutching desperately at her hair and face.
"Daddys," Freddie commented calmly before reaching down to play with his toes.