Recall
By Lumendea
Chapter Eighteen: Recalled by the Fourth 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.
….
The Doctor wasn't sure how to feel about Sarah's distance. In the past, Gaia had charmed everyone who met her. And that was the right way of the world. His little girl was charming, intelligent, adorable, and more than a touch impish. He adored her. He was even reaching a point where he might be willing to putting a stronger word to the emotions that Gaia inspired in him. They hadn't spent a lot of time together yet over the years and he wasn't ready to be a parent yet, but he was happy with the knowledge of someday.
He set Gaia down on her feet as he turned his attention to the controls. Already, he found himself missing the weight of carrying her, and that was an odd idea. He wasn't the domestic sort. He wasn't, even if a small part of him was looking forward to having Gaia in his life every day. Maybe Sarah Jane was the same way. Her aunt was still alive, but her parents were long gone and she had no siblings.
"Gaia, are you hungry?" the Doctor asked. It was most important to make sure that the key needs were seen too first."
"A little, but not enough for a meal."
"Ah, then why don't you grab yourself a snack," the Doctor said. "When you get back, we can have some fun."
"Alright, Daddy." Gaia's sharp eyes jumped between him and Sarah Jane.
Clever girl, his future daughter. Not that was a surprise. Gaia rushed out of the console room and the Doctor turned to Sarah Jane.
"Do you not like children, Sarah?"
"I haven't spent much time with any children. I've always thought babies looked a bit rubbery," Sarah confessed. She wrinkled her nose and peered at the door Gaia had gone through. "Kids have never been my thing."
"Ah." The Doctor considered her for a moment and then shrugged. "Well, your society and era does still operate on a default of having children. I suppose that my homeworld does as well, but it certainly isn't necessary. In your lifetime, you'll see not having children become much more common."
Sarah Jane relaxed and smiled a little. The Doctor wondered how long such an issue had been bothering her. What he'd said was true enough. Her society put a lot of focus on the whole script of getting married and having children. He knew Jo would be very happy living out that sort of life around her environmental work. Now that he was thinking about it, yes, the Doctor could see that being the wrong sort of life for Sarah Jane. It was probably for the best that she knew that about herself.
"If you're uncomfortable-"
"No," Sarah Jane interrupted quickly. "I'm not good with kids, but she's clearly important to you." She smiled again. This time, a wider and more genuine smile. "So I'd like to get to know her a bit."
The Doctor beamed at her. He was very happy with that answer. It was difficult to explain how important Gaia was. Susan had somewhat understood, as she knew how emotionally distant things were in their family. Gaia was the opposite of that. She was warm and openly affectionate in a way that the Doctor couldn't help but adore.
Plus, he simply liked the girl. Granted, she was young at this stage and her personality was still forming, but she was brilliant and mischievous. He could only imagine both the trouble she'd get into and the fun they would have. Someday, he'd have a little partner in crime that honestly loved him. He just hoped that Gaia would make Time Lady despite being raised away from Gallifrey. Knowing that Susan would have just one life was already a heavy enough weight.
"Thank you, Sarah," the Doctor finally said. "She's a lovely girl. A bit of an imp, but a good girl."
"Neither of those descriptions surprises me," Sarah Jane replied with a laugh. "She is your daughter. She'd have to be drawn to trouble."
"I feel like I should be offended by that remark." The Doctor laughed and turned to the controls, drumming his fingers on the edge of the console. "Now the real question. I have a day or two with Gaia at the most, so where to go?"
"Just keep in mind that the idea is to keep her safe, Doctor," Sarah Jane said. "Unless that bracelet of here can activate again so quickly and whisk her off to another version of you."
"I'm not sure how quickly it can be used," the Doctor admitted. He'd never thought about that and now he was curious. "But no, we'll avoid danger while Gaia's here. I don't get to see her very often and it's always a pleasant experience."
It was obvious that Sarah Jane still wasn't sure what to think, but he was grateful that she was willing to try. Having Gaia around was pleasant and well, he liked knowing that she got to meet some of his friends and companions. They were important to him. It wasn't something he'd probably thought about before, but he could accept that they had an impact on him now and he liked the idea of his daughter having some understanding of that.
The door to the corridor swung open and Gaia skipped back into the console room. The Doctor put away his thoughts for the time being. There'd be time in the future when Gaia was gone again to consider everything he wished to. Usually, he didn't bother, but miracles did happen from time to time.
"I found bananas," Gaia said. She was carrying three bananas and handed one to her father and held out the other to Sarah Jane. "Bananas are good."
"They are," Sarah Jane agreed. She smiled at Gaia and took the banana, beginning to peel it along with Gaia. "It's nice to see that you like Earth foods."
"I mostly eat Earth foods," Gaia explained. "Chips are my favourite food in the universe."
"Chips?" Sarah Jane repeated.
"Yes," the Doctor said. "She's a feral little wolf cub when she's around chips. At least they're easy to find. You, humans, spread the potato across the universe."
Gaia giggled loudly at his words. Raising his eyebrows at her, the Doctor smiled and asked, "What's so funny?"
"Little wolf cub," Gaia said. "I like it. We can add that to my nicknames."
"Well, my little imp," the Doctor said. He scooped Gaia up once again, making her squeal. "Where would you like to go? Anyplace interesting that you've heard of and haven't seen yet."
"I heard that Gartislo II is really pretty," Gaia said, as her eyes lit up. "Can we go there?" She took a bite of her banana.
The Doctor paused and grimaced. "No, Gaia. That's not a safe place for children."
"That's what you say in the future." Gaia pouted at him and the Doctor inwardly groaned.
"Well, I hate agreeing with myself, but in this case, it seems that I must. The best era for sunrises in Gartislo II overlaps with some rather unpleasant cultural movements. Your father is correct in not taking you there." Gaia didn't look happy, but at least seemed to be considering his words. The Doctor sent a wave of affection toward the girl and kissed her forehead. "Something to look forward to when you're older."
The Doctor hoped Gaia didn't ask about those cultural movements. He didn't want to lie to the girl, but she was far too young to be exposed to the concept of child slavery becoming acceptable for a century. It had been even worse than the Industrial Age and the cocoa plantations of the early 21 century combined. Not worth the risk of his daughter being snatched up even if the pollution in that age did result in some staggering sunsets.
Gaia studied him for a moment, and he felt a gentle poke at his mind. "Okay, Daddy," she said. "Let's pick something interesting."
"Interesting could encompass most of the universe, my dear," the Doctor reminded her. "We'll need to narrow it down a little more than that."
"Maybe an amusement park," Sarah Jane suggested.
"Not this time. We've done that, or will do that," Gaia said with a shake of her head. The Doctor filed that information away for the future. Gaia pressed her lips together thoughtfully. "And we've done sightseeing in London."
"Indeed, we have," the Doctor agreed.
"So not Earth," Gaia said firmly.
"Still not very helpful," the Doctor teased.
Gaia wrinkled her nose at him, and the Doctor laughed. "Animals," Gaia said a moment later. "I want to see interesting animals."
"Interesting animals," the Doctor repeated. "Well, that helps a little."
Setting down Gaia, he went to the controls. "Give me a sky colour."
"Red!" Gaia said brightly. She was at his side a moment later. Gaia had grown tall enough that she could reach some of the controls, but only those in the lowest area. "Wait, no, dark red, burgundy!"
"Is there a planet with that sky colour?" Sarah Jane asked.
"Oh, there are planets in the universe with every shade of the rainbow and a few off the rainbow as their sky colours."
He turned to the controls while Gaia started to move around the TARDIS console room, inspecting it critically. The Doctor wondered what the console room she'd grown up with looked like. He chuckled as she poked one of the roundels curiously, but forced himself to be mindful as he piloted the TARDIS. A few minutes later, the TARDIS landed softly, and the Doctor smiled. Still, he went to the scanner to verify their location.
"I've never seen you double-check the controls so much," Sarah Jane teased.
"Well… it would be embarrassing for Gaia to be teleported away because we found trouble," the Doctor said dismissively. He wasn't a bad driver. The TARDIS just had a strong mind of her own. It was one of the things that gave her character. "You have to be more careful when travelling with a child. One of the reasons that I usually avoid such things."
"Have you ever travelled with a child before?" Sarah Jane asked.
"Well, not by your standards," the Doctor explained. "By my standards, yes. Several of them were very young and keeping them safe occupied a great deal of my attention and energy." He smiled a little even as he grabbed his hat. "Victoria comes to mind. And I travelled with my granddaughter Susan for a time."
He registered surprise on Sarah Jane's face but turned his attention to Gaia. She'd shed her heavier outer layer and the flowery design shirt she wore would work very nicely for the planet. The roundel was open and she was peering at the circuits beneath curiously.
"What are you up to, my dear?" he called.
Gaia's head snapped up and she smiled at him with a hint of guilt. "I was just checking." She hurriedly picked up the roundel cover and slid it back into place. "You've been letting me help some with the TARDIS repairs."
"Does she need a lot of repairs in the future?" He knew he shouldn't ask, but the question slipped out.
"Not really." Gaia's smile widened. "You just like to tinker."
"Ah."
The Doctor could imagine that. His last self had so loved his gadgets. He was a bit more straightforward now, then again, he wasn't trying to cobble things together with only what he could find on Earth. And he supposed that he tinkered a bit in this body. From time to time. It wasn't a bad mental image though. Working on the TARDIS while explaining the various parts and how the systems worked to his daughter. A much better introduction than he'd gotten. TARDISes were usually repaired on Gallifrey and not by their Time Lords. He and his fellow rogues were the exceptions. They knew their ships and cared for them personally.
He offered his hand to his daughter and smiled when she took it with a grin of her own. Their mental connection strengthened. It was no wonder that they'd have such a strong connection when she was born. His mind was already being primed for it. A circular paradox indeed, but the Doctor couldn't find even the tiniest spark of irritation in himself.
Stepping outside, the Doctor's smile widened at the cheer from Gaia and the gasp from Sarah Jane. Ahead of them was a deep valley filled with trees whose leaves were impressionist paintings of purples, reds, and golds. The deep burgundy sky overhead was accented by ribbons of bright blue and green light that lit up the world below.
"It's beautiful," Sarah Jane whispered.
"Are those lights due to solar winds, Daddy?" Gaia asked. "The dark sky seems a little too far away from a star for that."
"This is Berozial." The Doctor gestured grandly with his free hand. "And you're right, my dear, that it is further away from its star than Earth is from its. But as you've noticed, it is a warmer world. The planet has a very thick and magnetically charged atmosphere which combined with the frequent solar storms in this star system result in almost constant auroras. Combined with a very active geothermic crust, the planet stays very warm and has nightly light shows."
"It's so pretty!" Gaia jumped up and down with the sort of innocent excitement that the Doctor usually only got to see in children. "I love it! Thank you, Daddy!"
"You'll love it even more if we find a Varison tree."
"Why?" Gaia asked.
"Their fruit is like a sweet banana," the Doctor replied. "They even look a lot like bananas. They're just pink."
Gaia's eyes widened comically. "There are pink, sweet bananas?"
"Yes."
"And you're only telling me this now!?"
The Doctor laughed. "Well, you couldn't live on just Varsion fruit alone. I suppose I had to make sure that you received proper nutrition."
"And here I was worried that you'd only feed her jelly babies," Sarah Jane laughed. She was still watching them with a dazed expression.
"No." The Doctor huffed at her, but that only made Sarah Jane laugh. Reaching into his pocket, he found the bag of jelly babies. Gaia brightened at the sight of it. "You can have one," he said in his best firm parent voice. "There's a lot of lovely berries and, of course, Varsion fruit waiting. The planet hasn't been discovered by humans yet, so it's just us and the local wildlife."
"Sounds fun." Gaia selected a blue jelly baby and popped it into her mouth with a smile. "I don't think we've ever done berry picking before."
"Something new then," the Doctor said. He squeezed his daughter's hand and ignored the look from Sarah Jane. "Just don't wander too far."
"Berry picking," Sarah Jane chuckled behind them as they started down the hill. "Berry picking."