Tyler had always been a very curious boy. He was usually found dangling off the edge of a tree limb after trying to peek at a bird's nest or being dragged home by his teacher for managing to lock himself into a cabinet in order to spy on the teachers' lounge.
He was sworn to secrecy about many things he found out in the teachers' lounge, but that's neither here nor there.
So, naturally, when a strange door appeared next to the downstairs bathroom, he had to go inside. He peeked at first, cautiously. He'd learned about caution from his parents. Always make sure your back is covered, his Dad had said, you never know when a giant potato's gonna come at you. His Mum had laughed and shushed his Dad then, but Tyler'd kept an extra eye on the potatoes ever since.
The room inside the door was huge. Bigger than his whole house almost. He was in a long hallway with a railing on the other side. It looked over a huge entryway. It looked like it belonged in those really big houses that his Dad always sniffed at, saying that they weren't as good as the one Pete has.
They never explained properly who Pete was, but Tyler was slowly wearing them down on it.
He inched out of the door, leaving it open as a quick escape and began creeping down the hallway. He made sure to keep his back to the wall, pressing his dark little hands into the smooth painted surface. He could hear two women talking from behind a door that was left open ajar, like when you hurry in to wash your hands so you can eat already and you don't bother to close it properly.
"Mum, where's the Doctor?" he heard one of the women say.
The Doctor.
Tyler's eyes widened. He'd found the Doctor. He raced back to the door and into his home. He had to get his parents. Oh, his Mum would be so thrilled. They'd always told him stories about the Doctor, but he never thought he'd actually –
Tyler stopped dead in his tracks.
Right before him, in the downstairs hallway, right outside the bathroom, was a giant, bright blue wooden box. He walked up and gently pushed on the door.
It swung open under his touch.
He walked in, his eyes round with wonder, staring at the cavernous space, the tall, shining column reaching far up into the ceiling. He heard someone say something about spoilers, but he really wasn't paying attention to anything but this amazing room.
"Uh, Doctor?" A small brunette woman had spotted him. She squatted down and grinned. "Hi, there!" she said cheerfully.
Two men somehow popped up from behind the big column. One had messy dark brown hair and looked like he hadn't shaved. His Dad did that sometimes; he said it made him look dangerous. His Mum said it just made him look lazy.
The other had sort of floppy not-as-dark brown hair and wore a bow tie. He reminded Tyler of his great-granddad, the one that always gave him peppermints for some reason.
Tyler eyed them warily, realizing that his back was not guarded. There could be giant potatoes at any moment. He puffed up his chest, set his jaw and gave his best glare.
"I'm Tyler Smith," he said, sounding just like his father. "Who the hell are you?"
"Oh, brilliant," Ten grinned, racing over to the little boy, his dark thoughts momentarily forgotten. He picked up the squirming boy and held him up high, his hands steady with the confidence of a longtime father. "Absolutely brilliant!"
"Let me go, mister!" Tyler protested, twisting his body around. Man, this guy had a good grip.
"Tyler, you said? Oh, well done," Ten continued on, hoisting the boy over his head and settling him on his shoulders. Tyler stopped his pointless protest and took a moment to appreciate his new vantage point. Besides the floppy haired man and the small brown haired girl, there was a ginger woman sitting casually on steps leading to a hallway.
Tyler's eyes narrowed. Wait a second. Blue box. Big control panel thing. Man with spiky hair and pinstripes.
"Oh, my God, you're the Doctor!" Tyler exclaimed, smacking his hand down in realization (and unwittingly hitting Ten on the top of the head).
"Yes, yes I am," Ten grinned. "Tyler Smith. Love the name. I have always loved the name 'Tyler'. So much fun to say, you know? Tyler. Tyyyyler."
"Oi! What about me?" Eleven called in a wounded tone.
"Right, yes, Tyler, this is my… brother/clone thing –"
"Oh, now I'm the clone thing!"
"He's also the Doctor," Ten finished, ignoring the other Time Lord.
"Yeah, Mum told me you were confusing," Tyler nodded vaguely.
"Did she now! And where is your mum?" Ten slid the boy over his head and safely onto the floor. "Actually, what is your mum's name? I always wondered who he'd end up with." He took his hand and let Tyler lead him out of the TARDIS. Eleven, Clara and Donna (wandering over from the stairs and wondering what bizarre drama was going on now – didn't they ever do anything normally?!) followed him close behind.
"Oi, what the hell is that?!" a male voice came from the other side of the TARDIS. "Seriously? You parked in the middle of my damn hallway! You gotta work on those drivin' skills, boss."
"Dad! I found the Doctor!" Tyler called excitedly. He looked up at the man in question and found him staring at the open door – the one that had suddenly appeared in the hall next to the bathroom.
"Rose," Ten said softly. He abruptly dropped Tyler's hand and raced through the door.
"Tyler, what is that?" Eleven asked, whipping out his sonic screwdriver. He stared in confusion at the readings. "Besides impossible…"
"Oi, no more saying that word," Donna ordered.
"Seriously, this is really inconvenient." Mickey Smith stood before them, rumpled and more than a bit annoyed at having to squish against the wall to get to his son. He looked the remaining Doctor up and down. He sniffed. "Changed again, huh?"
"Oh, full points, Smith! No more 'the idiot' for you!" Eleven grinned, happily meeting Mickey's fist bump. He looked around for a moment.
"Yeah, well, kinda figured. What with the whole silent rescue thing followed by six years of nothin'." Mickey shrugged. "What are you doin' here anyway?"
"No idea!"
"'Course not."
"How is the missus?" the Doctor asked conversationally, still glancing around.
"Good. She's at Tish's right now. Man, is she gonna be pissed she missed ya."
"Mickey, don't you need to attend to your other children?" Eleven asked, looking at Mickey oddly.
"What? Nah, we only have the one." Mickey tickled Tyler who giggled and squirmed away. "Why mess with perfection, right?"
"Nonsense! I can hear them chattering away!"
"…Doctor, no one else is talking," Clara said after an awkward silence.
"What? But…" Eleven trailed off, staring into space. He closed his eyes and simply stood there without moving. The other adults looked at one another while Tyler impatiently shifted his weight from side to side.
"Ty, what's that at the end of the hall?" Mickey asked, breaking the silence. He eyed the doorway suspiciously and pulled his son behind him.
"That's the magic door, Dad! It appeared right before they did! There was a woman askin' about the Doctor!"
"-d'ya mean he's in here?!" an unmistakable voice drifted into the Smith hallway. Mickey's face broke into a huge grin. Eleven looked happily over towards the mysterious door as Jackie Tyler appeared in the doorway.
"Doctor, no, wait," Mickey grasped Eleven's arm. He knew that look. Doctor number eleven chuckled and pulled gently away.
"Don't worry. I'm much better with the mothers now."
As soon as he turned around, Jackie Tyler slapped him hard across the face.
Clara really wished she had some popcorn. This was getting good.