I realized that in the last chapter it might seem like Meta was "with" Jack. But Jack just brought Meta to the Wedding as a sort of gift to Donna and apology to Ryder. They weren't "together." I don't think Meta swings that way.
Anyway...a certain someone will recognise something in this chapter. Thank you for the idea. :)
They say that time flies when you're having fun. I have to agree with that statement. A year passes since my regeneration and I finally get the hang of my own body. The harder changes come in the form of telepathic abilities. I'm thankful it's only touch telepathy. Otherwise I'd be reading everyone's thoughts all the time. But touch can be controlled.
What really takes a long time to get used to is time sense. Being able to feel how much time has passed. It's not so much feeling the turn of the Earth I realize, it's feeling the time moving around the Earth that the Doctor can feel. It's amazing. It makes you feel powerful. Time lines are more tricky. The first few months I would focus in and out of them with no control. Calling them up when I want and hiding it from myself when I don't, is harder. But I learn.
I learn that that place at the end of all my possible lines that are connected to me is where I die. It's the one place no time traveler can ever go. My grave. Everyone has one, so I don't let it bother me. I'm fascinated by the way the time lines merge together. Each strand from other people that have come in and out of my life is one more strand to my braided rope of a past. It's beautiful.
A year of having two hearts has gotten me used to it. I can barely remember what it felt like to be human any more. It's one more wall between me and my past. It saddens me. I'm not entirely sure just how many years it has been since the plane crash. But I peer at my time lines and have to say that if you count the dark part that is the void it adds up to a grand total of ten years. A decade since everything happened. But only if you count the void.
I break myself from my depressing thought process and move on. After all, a certain baby boy is about to turn a year old.
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The celebration was a huge success. Everyone was thrilled with it. Especially Junior, which is what everyone has taken to calling him. His name is unknown to everyone but his parents, but that's just fine. He needs to learn to keep secrets.
I don't give him my gift until everything else is done. I go to his room where he's supposed to be sleeping. I smile down at him as he cooes and place the stuffed animal next to him.
"You know, when I was little we had this cat. Just like this one. An orange tabby. Her name was Pippa. Well...actually it was Piper but I was two or three at the time and I couldn't say it properly. So, to me her name was Pippa. She was a good kitty. She liked to catch gophers. She threw one once so high in the air that it landed on top of the shed." I laugh at the memory.
"When I was older, she was having trouble getting a gopher, so in spite...she turned around and went to the bathroom right in the hole. Right on the gophers house." I'd forgotten that. It really was hilarious and still is. (A/N: believe it or not, but that's a true story. lol.)
The Doctor enters then and his face is one of disgust. "A cat? Why did you give my son a cat? Cats are evil and...catty."
I shake my head in amusement. "Relax Doctor. It's not a nurse or a nun, it's not even wearing a weird hat/hood thing. It's just a stuffed animal."
He's sputtering. I continue matter of factly. "And her name is Pippa."
Junior laughs and the Doctor's face softens. Oh yeah. This little boy is going to be trouble. Neither of his parents are ever going to be able to tell him no.
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"Pleeeeeease!" I was right. His parents can't tell him no. It's hard to believe that so much time has passed. It seems like yesterday that Junior was born, not six years. But here he is, no longer a baby but actually a little boy who's trying to grow up too fast. And begging me to let him go on the rollercoaster that he's way too short for.
"No."
"But Daddy would let me."
"Well I'm not him am I?" And here it comes. The Oncoming Pout. He's a master at begging, I'll give him that.
We've come to some carnival on some distant planet in the far future. If I really think about it, it seems familiar to me. I think Eleven came here with Clara once. I look back down at the little boy clutching my hand. Right. Not so much Eleven as it is him. It makes sense. Junior could bring Clara here when he's older. Fond memories and all that. Best not think about the Cybermen though. Not while he's still getting a hang for telepathy. And I still forget to keep my shields up sometimes.
"What's a cyberman?" Oops. His parents wanted to wait till he was older to tell him about them. Since the Cybermen are such a sore subject. Pete's world and Canary wharf. I can't say that I blame them. But now the little boys naked curiosity is too much. Who am I kidding? I can't tell him no either.
"Well, I suppose that calls for a story then."
"Yay!"
I get us ice cream comes and we sit on the bench. I tell him the story that I didn't live. The Next Doctor. But I tell him the version that had his mum in it. Since I wasn't there it means I don't have any fear or memories of pain that I could have for something else. Granted, I wasn't there for any other of the Cybermen encounters either, but they're still too sad for him to handle.
Finally his parents come back, and I'm glad he understands not to tell them about the story I just told him. Instead he starts complaining about the rollercoaster. "Auntie Jane wouldn't let me."
"Well when we're not here, then she's in charge." I smile at Rose as the Doctor picks Junior up.
I nudge her shoulder. "So where'd he take you?" I was babysitting for their anniversary. They've been married for nine years at this point. I keep trying to figure that. Apparently, they used the time machine to take frequent extended holidays from the rest of us.
She smiles at me. "Oh you would have loved it! It had these sunsets..." And she goes on to tell me about the rest of their trip.
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"Hey Dad! Look at this. Look what I found!" I look up from my book as the thirteen year old boy runs as fast as he can into the control room.
I smile as the Doctor reminds him to use Gallifreyan. The Doctor started teaching all of us since Junior was born. But we only ever speak it when there's no humans on board. Which means we don't speak it that often. Giving people thank you trips is a bit of a regular thing for us.
Of course I'm not always here either. I have a home base down the street from Donna and Lee. They have four kids at this point. All boys. But they're in the process of adopting a girl. I enjoy spending time with them. And we visit often enough. And Jonah and Junior are close enough in age that Jonah joins us sometimes. With strict rules of not doing anything dangerous.
Rose joins us in the room as well which means we'll probably be heading off on an adventure any minute. Rose and I have a harder time speaking the language since it isn't our native tongue. But we have fun trying. And it actually does get easier the more you practice. Speaking is fine. What I have more problems with is reading and writing it. It takes forever and the grammar is ridiculous and formal. At least when speaking you can use slang as a short cut. But don't when reading or writing. Something about etiquette and the Doctor won't break that rule because Junior needs to know his heritage...yada yada.
Still, it's really cool. Even if confusing with life on the TARDIS.