Adventures in Time and Space (TARDIS Family Adventures: Part 2)

23. Night on the Town

It was a warm, clear evening on Teni. The Doctor couldn't have asked for better weather for the rooftop restaurant he'd picked for he and Scarlett to dine at. He was required to identify who he was making the reservation for, but he'd specifically asked that they not be given any special attention. He knew it was what Scarlett would want. The restaurant didn't exactly listen, or rather, they misunderstood. He meant he didn't want them to do anything special for them because of who they were. They took it to mean they wanted privacy and had moved all their other guests to the inside seating so that the couple could have the rooftop to themselves.
"I'm sorry, I promise I asked them not to do anything special for us, but I think there was a misunderstanding."
"It's alright, Doctor. I'm sure the security detail that Balen insisted on is thrilled for us to have a bit more privacy."
"Yeah, I'd hoped we wouldn't have anyone tagging along this evening."
"Unfortunately, on Teni, I don't know that we'll ever be able to walk around the city streets without security thanks to my former position."
"It's alright, I'm not ungrateful that your brother wants to keep you safe. As long as I'm with you, I could bear just about anything. Tag-a-longs included." He flashed her another smile before his his attention turned to looking out over Citadel City and the ocean he could just see just beyond, in between the tall city buildings.
Scarlett's attention was on him, however, and after giving him several moments to enjoy the scenery. She loved seeing how much he loved this place. "What do you see when you look out there?"
The Doctor inhaled a deep breath. "I suppose I see...home."
She smiled again, then found her own attention being drawn to the clear night sky and the seemingly endless stars. His gaze had turned to her after his question and it was now his turn to smile.
"And you? What do you see when you look up there?"
She grinned. "Ironically...I see home."
He reached across the small table and took her hand, giving it a gentle squeeze. "I suppose it is only appropriate that our home be in two places. And it is ironic. I found my home in the stars all these years and now am happy to have a piece of earth, a house, to claim as my own. You spent all those years on the planet and are thrilled to be out traveling the expanse of space and time."
"And now, we can have both. A house and a ship. To call our own."
He looked up at the stars, then back out over the city line, suddenly overwhelmed by how his heart was bursting with joy. "For so, so long when I thought of the future it was a very lonely place. But you know what I see now—when I look at all this? The stars, the city, this planet, all the other planets out there. I see the future—with you, Scarlett. Together."