Recall

By Lumendea

Chapter Ten: Recalled by the Eleventh II

Disclaimer: I do not own Doctor Who or any of the spinoff material, and I gain no income off of this story, just the satisfaction of playing with the characters.

AN: Thanks for the great response to Eleven. It's fun bringing him in, but now I have to figure some things out about this world and its future. Why do I do this to myself? Now Recall is going to need a note document.

….

The Doctor's brilliant mind was oddly quiet. He was thinking about if they should go and see the Ponds or if he preferred to keep Gaia in the TARDIS. The second option was very attractive. Having the extra time with his daughter was tempting, but he also knew that Gaia would enjoy meeting the Ponds. It would also explain a few things she had said when he and Rose first met Amy and Rory that had struck him as odd. He wouldn't put it past his little girl to subtly tease him with future information after years and years of being so good. In fact, the idea rather pleased him. As responsible as Gaia was, she did have his mischievous streak.

Honestly, if he'd ever been put in the position that her recall bracelet had her, the Doctor doubted he would have been able to keep secrets. He hadn't even been born as young as she had and knew prior to entering the Academy that he'd have said something. Gaia, on the other hand, had been a champ, so he couldn't be annoyed at the teasing. Smiling, he kissed the top of her hair again. Rose shifted just enough to look at him once again while Gaia snuggled them both.

His beautiful wife smiled at him, her rich amber eyes twinkling with amusement and a hint of happy tears. Offering her a soft smile, the Doctor did his best to reign in the stormy emotions surging through him.

"Do we have a plan?" Rose asked softly. Still, it was enough to draw Gaia's attention and the little Time Lady leaned back to look up at their faces.

"I thought before Gaia arrived that we might go and see the Ponds," the Doctor said. Option two also had the chance to see the reaction of the Ponds to a little Gaia.

"Who are the Ponds?" Gaia asked.

"Friends of ours," the Doctor replied. "But from our future."

"Maybe we shouldn't then," Rose said with a frown. "I don't want Gaia to have to keep too many secrets."

"I can obey the Laws of Time!" Gaia pouted, and the Doctor almost collapsed from the cuteness of it. "I'm not a baby, Mummy."

"No," the Doctor said, chocking up a bit again. "You're not. You're our brilliant little Time Lady!" He swept her out of Rose's arms and twirled Gaia around, making her laugh. "So, what would you like to do, my little dear? Go and visit friends from Mummy and Daddy's future or stay in the TARDIS and make a massive blanket fort?"

Rose laughed, and the Doctor brightened at the sound. He hadn't made a blanket fort in years. Surprising that now that he thought about it. Maybe he and Rose should talk about having more children; he was clearly growing up more than he liked if it had been so long since he made a blanket fort. Gaia's features turned serious as she considered the question. Blanket forts usually meant cuddles and treats, but he suspected a peek into the future would be very tempting for her as well.

"Would the Ponds like blanket forts?" Gaia asked. "We could pick them up and then do blanket forts."

"As I said, our brilliant little Time Lady!" the Doctor cheered. "That's a first-rate idea, Gaia." He shifted her into one arm and held her against his hip as he turned to the controls. With a grin, he looked at Rose and found an answering smile on her face. "Let's see, Gaia is just over five years old, so how about when Melody is around that age." He paused and sighed. "Oh, the ginger envy is going to be rough today."

That made both of his girls laugh, and the Doctor sighed dramatically again. "It's not fair, Rose. I've always wanted to be ginger, and you made me a ginger baby to mock me."

"My dad was ginger," Rose pointed out with a shrug. "I can't help it that those genes are rattling around in my DNA. And when I was 'making' you a baby, as you say, hair colour was not my primary concern."

"Still," the Doctor pouted. "Very harsh." He looked at Gaia. "I'm just brown, my little dear. Still not ginger."

Gaia patted his cheek and nodded solemnly in sympathy. "We can't all have ginger hair, Daddy. Maybe in your next body."

The Doctor grumbled, knowing his girls would expect it and enjoying their soft laughs. But it wasn't fair. Granted, the brown wasn't bad in this body, but was it really too much to ask to be ginger? With the right bone structure, he'd make it work. Rose set Gaia back on her feet as he began adjusting the TARDIS controls.

Gaia and Rose joined him at the console. It was a little high for Gaia, but standing on her toes, Gaia was able to help her mother in throwing some of the levels. Rose moved smoothly opposite of him, helping with the controls before he even needed to say anything. The Doctor smiled. It was easy to smile. It was too easy to remember when he'd been old big ears, in love with a younger Rose Tyler and beginning to wonder if maybe, just maybe, she might be Gaia's mother. Here they were, centuries later, still happy and spending a day with their first child back when she was tiny.

"Stop grinning and start piloting," Rose said. Her tone was warm, and she was grinning just as widely with Gaia close beside her.

"Have it your way, Tyler!" The Doctor threw the last level, and the TARDIS spun out of the Vortex, making the three inhabitants whoop as one.

They landed gently, and the Doctor patted the console while Gaia grinned and repeated the gesture. The TARDIS hummed, a soft and happy note that he fully agreed with. He swung the door open and poked his head out, right in the Ponds living room. Perfect landing. His eyes jumped to a nearby shelf with family photos, checking them quickly to make sure there were no new ones that contained unknown faces. There weren't. Perfect landing indeed. He glanced back at Rose and Gaia.

"Give me a few minutes. Then we'll surprise them."

Rory entered the room first, both pleasure and resignation playing over his features. He was dressed in jeans and a jumper, so not on his way to work or returning from. Even better. Stepping out, the Doctor clapped his hands.

"Hello, Rory! Family about?"

"Outside," Rory said.

"Excellent, I have a surprise for you lot."

"What is it?" Rory asked suspiciously. When the Doctor merely smiled at him, Rory narrowed his eyes. "Doctor, what is it?"

"Doctor!" Amy came around the corner with a wide smile as she approached the TARDIS. "Good timing for once. A Saturday when Rory is off."

"Well, I am a Time Lord. Master of Time me," the Doctor said. Amy shook her head fondly.

"If only I believed that you planned it that way." She stepped forward, and the Doctor opened his arms to accept a hug. Amy laughed and squeezed him tight. "It's good to see you, though!"

"Missed you too," the Doctor said fondly.

"Sweet, but I know how you and Rose get," Amy teased as she released him.

"Oh, we miss you," the Doctor assured her. "And where is little Melody Pond. Not off to college, I hope."

"Don't even say that," Rory said with some alarm. "I'm not ready to even start thinking of that."

"She's cleaning herself up," Amy said. "Might have been making a mess in the garden."

"Ah, that's our girl!"

"She really doesn't need you encouraging her," Rory said drily. Then he glanced at Amy. "But, uh, we have news."

"News?" the Doctor asked, raising an eyebrow. They didn't sound worried, so he tried not to panic. Panic didn't help.

"I'm pregnant," Amy said. She beamed at him, her eyes a bit wet as she touched her stomach. "Another Pond on the way."

Rory chuckled, but he was smiling and put his arm around Amy's shoulders. The Doctor blinked and then lunged forward to hug them both together.

"Congratulations!" he cheered. "Have you told Melody yet?"

"Uh, not yet," Amy admitted. "Honestly, you're the first person we've told. Just in case, you know." Her nerves were back, and the Doctor decided that wouldn't do.

"I'm touched," he said softly. "If you like, we can run some checks in the TARDIS."

"Thank you," Rory replied, sounding grateful. "That would be great."

"You excited? Wait, of course, you are," the Doctor said. "I know you two."

"We're excited," Amy confirmed. "Bit nervous. Rory and I have been talking about having another one for years. We didn't mean for Melody to get so old, but well… kids are a lot of work, but he's always wanted, multiple kids."

"If she has a playmate, she may not cause so much trouble," Rory pointed out.

Amy laughed. "I think you're being too optimistic there. We're just giving her a partner in crime to train."

The Doctor smiled. He remembered that well. It was a shame that only Gaia's recall had worked oddly. It would have been a treat to see the others as small children again. Of course, his past selves likely would have struggled with taking care of multiple children at a time.

"Doctor!" Came a shout. It was the only warning before Melody Pond came rushing into the room.

Little Melody Pond was a perfect blend between her mother and father, though she favored her mother around the face and hadn't inherited her father's nose. The Doctor had laughed when Rory had confessed he was grateful for that. But he understood. He'd been happy that Gaia hadn't inherited his old ears. The eyes were fine, but not the ears. Melody's ginger hair wasn't as vibrant as her mother's but was a few shades darker than Gaia's, and she had her father's blue eyes. She grinned up at him, revealing that she was missing a tooth.

"There's Trouble!" the Doctor proclaimed, bending down to sweep Melody into a hug. "And missing a tooth. What did you do this time?"

"Nothing," the child said firmly. "It just fell out."

"After she helped it along," Amy sighed. "Aggressively. Honestly, I don't know where she gets it." The Doctor, Rose, and Rory all stared at Amy, who huffed and lifted her chin stubbornly. "Choose your next words carefully, boys."

The Doctor snorted and set Melody down. "Where's Rose?" the girl demanded.

"Inside," the Doctor said, straightening up. "And we have a surprise."

"Surprise?" Amy asked, thankfully not sounding as suspicious as her husband.

"Rose and I had a visitor," the Doctor explained. "Gaia."

"Oh, Gaia!" Amy's eyes widened, and she beamed, slipping past him. The Doctor sighed and turned to head inside himself with Rory and Melody behind him.

"Uh, Amy-"

His part-time companion came to a stop inside of the TARDIS. Gaia was standing next to Rose and considered Amy with curious eyes. Then she raised her hand and waved, letting the recall bracelet flash in the light of the TARDIS.

"Hi, I'm Gaia."

"She's Gaia?" Amy asked.

"Yes," Rose answered, her mouth stretched out in a smile. "This is Gaia when she was five years old. Gaia, sweethearts, this is Amy Pond. She's a friend of ours and travels with us from time to time. You'll get the chance to know her better when you're older."

"You're Gaia?" Amy asked, keeping her eyes on Gaia.

"Time travel," Gaia said. "It's nice to meet you, Amy."

"Uh, hello, Gaia." Amy blinked and then shook her head.

"Gaia?" Melody was peering out around her father. "You're my age! That's weird!"

Melody hurried around Rory and stopped a few inches from Gaia. The two gingers studied each other, and the Doctor held back his grumbles. Too many gingers, and he wasn't one of them. Still, the looks on Amy, Rory, and Melody's faces were worth it!

"Gaia suggested that we should build a giant blanket fort," the Doctor said, taking pity on the stunned Ponds. He watched with amusement as Rory immediately relaxed and started to smile. Amy looked a little less impressed but glanced down at Melody and smiled as the little girl's eyes lit up. "Which also means stories and snacks, of course."

"In our house or in the TARDIS?" Rory asked.

"Inside the TARDIS, of course," the Doctor scoffed. "I'm sure the Old Girl will be able to help us out with plenty of building materials." The Doctor rubbed his hands together. While not the most exciting activity, he had plenty of fond memories of making forts with Gaia when she was little. He scooped up Gaia and held a hand out to Melody. The girl took it and followed as he headed back into the TARDIS. "Come along, Ponds."

He heard Rose laugh and say something to Rory and Amy, but he wasn't worried. This was safe, almost annoyingly safe, but it wouldn't be boring.

"Are we really not going to hear why Gaia is here?" Rory asked. "Really? Nothing, Doctor?"

"Oh, she just popped by for a visit," the Doctor said. "Nothing out of the usual here, Rory. Not when you're a Time Lord or a brilliant little Time Lady. Just be careful what you say. Gaia will be returning to the past, and if she learns too much, it could be dangerous."

"So you brought her to meet us?" Rory asked, looking at the Doctor as if he was an idiot.

"Forgive me for having some faith in your ability to navigate time travel."

"Oh, you two," Rose laughed. "Don't start that up."

"It's the not weirdest thing we've come across in the TARDIS," Amy offered. "Are the others-"

"No," Rose said quickly. "Gaia was our only surprise today."

"The others?" Gaia repeated, wrinkling up her nose as she studied her father and then her mother. "What others?"

"Other friends," Rory offered. "Sometimes your mum and dad have other people here when they pick us up."

"Yes," Amy agreed quickly. "So, it's just the six of us. Two sets of parents and their only children."

The Doctor almost groaned. He adored Amy, but it wasn't her best work. Both Melody and Gaia were looking at her with sharp eyes as they tried to detangle her words. Gaia glanced at her mother, but Rose shook her head slightly. His daughter sighed and reached up to poke his shoulder.

"Blanket fort and snacks," she reminded him.

"Right you are, Little Tyler. Come on, folks, Geronimo!"