Kids
Characters: TenToo, Rose Tyler
~Pairings: TenToo/Rose
Genre: Family
Rating: K+
Note: None

For DatNatCatThoe who wanted TenToo to show his Dad side

Rose forgets sometimes (no, most of the time) that the Doctor has been a dad before.

It just seems so surreal and unnatural, that this ancient, untouchable, man could have ever cared for a child, but it's all there in the way he interacts with kids.

She sees the way he comforts Tony and how he plays with the younger boy, speaking patiently and softly as he explains things.

She sees the way that he scolds her younger brother and the way he praises him.

It was during times like those that Rose remembers, just as she was remembering now.

It had begun as a normal day, they has taken the bus downtown (because the car was in the shop—again—due to the Doctor's driving attempts) and that's when they had found her.

She was young, no more than six, but she looked terribly frightened standing in the midst of the busy Saturday afternoon shoppers.

Rose was just about to suggest to the Doctor that they should go help, only to notice that the man had vanished. Confused Rose looked around for the part-human, before spotting him.

There he was, walking straight towards the young girl, literally. He wasn't stopping or dodging people, in that moment he seemed to only see someone he could help and would help…Rose should've known.

Sighing she made her way over to him, just as he was bending down to the girl's eye level. Rose decided suddenly to stop a short distance away, (close enough to hear, but far enough away as to not interfere) for she wanted to see what her Doctor would do.

"Hello," he says softly, eyes twinkling. "What's your name?"

The young girl sniffs and shies away, "I'm not supposed to talk to strangers," she mumbles.

"Oh? Who told you that, you're Mum?"

The girl nods.

The Doctor smiles, "good woman you're Mum, is that who you're looking for?"

Again, the girl nods.

"Did you get lost?"

This time the girl shakes her head and the Doctor raises an eyebrow.

"Really? Then what happened?"

"She got lost," the girl supplies, as if the answer is obvious.

He laughs, "Did she now? Rotten parents, never really can stay still can they?"

The girl laughs and the Doctor's smile widens.

"So what's your Mum's name? I betcha there's someone in this mall that can call her."

"Mum," the girl supplies helpfully.

Once again the Doctor raises an eyebrow, "Mum who?" He jokes.

"Just Mum," the young girl giggles. "At least that's what Daddy and Jacob call her," then as an afterthought adds. "Jacob's my brother."

The Doctor smiles, "that's brilliant, I used to have a brother," then as his own after thought. "You know I'm called the Doctor."

"Doctor who?" she asks echoing the Doctor's previous question.

"Just the Doctor," he supplies, eyes shining. "A bit like your Mum. Okay, so now that that's settled, how about your name? We can tell one of the workers that there's a fantastic little girl here looking for her Just Mum."

Again the girl hesitates.

"It's okay, I promise."

"Melissa," she supplies. "But Mummy calls me Lisa."

"Lisa, that's a fantastic name," The Doctor praises. "Do you have a last name to go along with that? Or is it Just Lisa?"

Lisa giggles, "Brown," she supplies, "like the color."

"Well then Lisa Brown! Let's go find your Mum shall we!" He stands up and grabs her hand. "Allons-y!"

"What's that mean?"

"It's French," he answers easily. "For let's go."

"Where are we going?"

"Well to find your Mum of course!"

"Can you really find her?"

The Doctor smiles wildly, "course I can! Did you know that one time I found the Lost Moon of Poosh? Well I say found, it sort of just came to me. We-ll I say came to me, but really it was kidnapped—or planet-napped—out of the sky, and I just so happened to be there."

Lisa stares at him, "what's a Poosh?"

"A boring old planet—well moon—but you wouldn't want anything to do with it, incredibly boring…a bit like Clom actually."

Lisa continues to stare, "You're funny." She finally decides and the Doctor laugh.

"Am I now? Well it sure beat being boring."

At this time the Doctor had pulled aside a worker and was now explaining the situation, soon they were announcing that a Lisa Brown had been found, and asking if her mother please come to Costumer Services.

It wasn't long before a woman came racing down the hall, before scooping up little Lisa into her arms.

Saying things like, "I was so worried" and "where were you" as she counts all of the fingers and toes, making sure Lisa was alright.

"I'm okay," Lisa says, happily. "The Doctor helped me."

Soon the mother's frantically thanking the Doctor, who blushes and seems a bit flustered by the attention.

"It was really no problem," he keeps telling her and while Rose was too far away too hear the woman the Doctor was now glancing her way, before saying something to the woman and point at her sheepishly.

The woman says something else and the Doctor shrugs and says, "I'll ask," before turning and making his way over to her.

"Everything okay?" Rose asks him.

"We've been invited for lunch," the Doctor supplies. "No, wasn't an option…I tried to use you as an excuse…she just invited you along."

"And this is a bad thing?" Rose laughs.

"Well, no, but—"

Rose laughs harder, "you're scared."

"Am not!" He denied.

"You are too, you're nervous and embarrassed by the attention. Oh, if the Doctor could see you now!"

For a moment hurt crosses across the Doctor's eyes, but it's gone before Rose notices, instead he just pouts and says something that sounds like, "I am the Doctor."

But Rose ignores that last bit, "Come on you." She laughs, grabbing his arm. "Lunch isn't going to kill you, besides I think Lisa might cry if you say no."

The Doctor smiles and allows himself to be lead back towards Lisa and her Mum.

And as Rose watches the Doctor scoop Lisa up into his arms and promise her ice cream, Rose remembers that he had been a father once and she is willing to bet that he had been a fantastic one.

I love the fact that the Doctor was once a Dad...it just seems right some how

On a side note originally this story was going to end with Rose telling the Doctor about how he was good with kids and after a short conversation there was going to be a mention of how he'd still be a good Dad...you know if he still wanted kids

Followed by a very flustered Doctor :P

But instead we got Rose and the Doctor being invited to Lunch

On a side note, yes I changed the title of the story from Human Life to Human Nature, I just felt that it fit better

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