Dreaming of a Blue Box ✧ Doctor Who ¹ ✓

41 - Father's Day (Part II)

Continuing from 'Father's Day - Part I'

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"RIGHT, THERE WE GO." Pete closed and locked the door behind him after he let his three guests inside, a vase under his arm. "Sorry about the mess." He apologized and moved to walk in front of them. "If you want a cup of tea, the kitchen's just down there, milk's in the fridge." He kindly offered. "Well, it would be, wouldn't it? Where else would you put the milk?" Pete nervously chuckled. "Mind you, there's always the window sill outside. I always thought if someone invented a window sill with special compartments, you know, one for milk, one for yogurt, make a lot of money out of that. Sell it to students and things. I should write that down." It was then he realized he was rambling. "Anyway, never mind that, excuse me for a minute. Got to go and change." He smiled and headed down the hall to his and Jackie's bedroom.

When he was out of eyesight Rose took a look around the living room, with the largest grin on her face. It would have touched Lily if she didn't feel so ill. "All the stuff Mum kept. His stuff." Rose knelt and rummaged through his belongings. Lily was hugging her body, slightly fearful of touching anything. "She kept it all packed away in boxes in the cupboard. She used to show us when she'd had a bit to drink." Rose giggled at the memory. "Here it is. Like it should be."

The Doctor was silent as a mouse and his face still looking the way it had in the street. Still lingering in the archway, Lily saw Rose hold up a trophy. "Third prize at the bowling. First two got to go to Didcot." Lily felt the Doctor's gaze on hers but she couldn't look away from Rose and all of her dad's familiar objects. Her heart started beating fast and she began to worry if she was having a panic attack. She needed to get out. She needed to breathe.

"I remember these!" Rose laughed, seeing a bottle full of liquid. "Health drinks. Tonics, Mum used to call them. He made his money selling this Vitex stuff. He had all sorts of jobs. He was so clever. He worked late every night but always had time for you Lils."

Lily flinched at the sound of her name. She was in the process of trying her best to not let her eyes stray down the corridor to her childhood bedroom. Rose took her by surprise by her cheerful disposition- pointing at some blueprints spread out on the coffee table. "He was working on this a lot. Solar Powers. Never got to finish it." She sent a beaming smile Lily's way. "Now he can."

The Doctor seemed to have decided it was the time to burst Rose's bubble and snapped. "Don't you even see how this is affecting Lily?"

Rose blinked, and her smile fell. "Lily?"

Lily looked down. "Doctor, please."

But the Doctor didn't listen and trudged on. "How traumatic this is for her. No, this morning you remembered the TARDIS was a time machine and-"

"It wasn't some big plan." Rose defended herself. "I just saw it happening and I thought, I can stop it."

The Doctor started pacing- like he was trying to keep his temper unwrapped."I did it again. I picked another stupid ape. I should've known and not let Lily come back for you." Rose's eyes met Lily's from behind the Doctor. The ginger wished she could vanish into the air. "It's not about showing you the universe. It never is." He sneered. "It's about the universe doing something for you."

Rose let out a loud and disgusted laugh. "So it's okay when you go to other times, and you save people's lives, but not when it's me saving my dad?"

"I know what I'm doing, you don't! Two sets of us being there made that a vulnerable point."

"But he's alive!"

Lily watched them silently like it was a tennis match, back and forth.

"My entire planet died. My whole family. Do you think it never occurred to me to go back and save them?"