The Girl of Colours (Book TWO)

Human Living

"Merry Christmas!" We all cheered, clinking glasses around the table, all wearing stupid Christmas jumpers. Amy, Rory, Luke, my husband of now two years, our daughter Sky, and our first biological child, Lyric, a little girl with dark curls the colour of melted chocolate. She was nearly one and a half now, I fell pregnant again on our honeymoon, and she was born ten months later. "I want to thank you all for coming, mostly because this little one won't leave the my hip, and the Christmas tree. Unfortunately Sarah Jane is stuck up in York, interviewing someone, but we should see her Boxing Day."

Amy laughed, making faces at Lyric who giggled, hiding her face in my side as I tried to get her to eat some carrot sticks, eating my own Christmas dinner. "You're only around the corner. To bad Clani couldn't make it, what with them both being stuck in America visiting that Maria girl. I hope they get back in time for their house sale." 

Ah yes, Clani finally getting together, that had definitely been a perk of the year. "Ah, they will, I'll get River to give them a lift if they need it." I smiled, before looking back as the door knocked. "For..." No, don't swear, little ears about. "Excuse me a moment." I tried to put Lyric down, but of course she started to scream, and I had to pick her back up. "Or not. Argh! If that is more carol singers, I have a water pistol! You don't want to be all wet on a night like this." I shouted, moving towards the door, grabbing it. Opening the door, I squirted first, annoyed that I'd been getting up and down every five minutes, but then froze.

"Not absolutely sure how long-" Dad muttered, staring at me as I stared at him. I worked it out, because I was still here. I knew that he wasn't dead, and a lot of me was angry for it, but I also knew that leaving us all would be killing him. I just had to wait for him to show up again, to meet his new granddaughter.

"Two years?" I pointed out, squirting him another three times, hefting Lyric up a little.

He closed his eyes, just letting it happen. I deserved that, to let him know how upset I'd been, that he wasn't there for my wedding. "Okay. Fair point."

"So, you're not dead."

That made him grin. "And a happy New Year!"

Really? "I worked it out. Then River and the Ponds told me, because she told them."

"Well, of course she did." He sighed. Hey, my mom was amazing. Wished that I could tell the Ponds I was their granddaughter though, and that Lyric was their great-granddaughter.

"Well? I'm not going to hug first." I told him, Lyric hiding in my long red hair shyly. "Kinda can't do it very well right now."

He raised his chin defiantly. "Nor am I."

We spent a moment not looking at each other, before we both laughed and hugged each other, and my daughter looked at him, possibly feeling that Time Lord connection that we felt to our relatives. "Mr Smith, Mr and Mrs Pond, Miss Smith! Guess who's coming for dinner?"

They all came into the hall as dad grinned at Lyric, and she giggled a little. Oh, thank god, she might actually let me put her down. "Whoa. Not dead, then." Rory told him with a very drol voice, a dark green that lit up the dark night outside. 

"We've done that."

Amy and Rory blinked. "Oh."

Sky smiled at him, my now 15 year old going through puberty amazingly with a tall willowy body, filling out in the right places, but keeping her tiny figure, and her electric blue eyes were rimmed in amazing dark lashes. "We're about to have Christmas dinner. Joining us, gramps?"

"If it's no trouble."

"There's a place set for you." Luke told him, an arm around me and our little girl. God, every time I looked at that ring...