The Doctor-Tyler Family

Jamie Theta Tyler

"Doctor?" Rose Tyler called from the couch in their living room.

"Yes?" he replied, walking in from the kitchen. He wasn't really the Doctor, the near-immortal Time Lord who lived in another dimension, but a metacrisis clone. Still, he, Rose, and everyone who knew the true story treated him the same as they had always treated the Doctor, and considered him the same person. He was going by Doctor John Tyler these days, but everyone still called him Doctor; the story, as he had once explained off the top of his head when questioned, was that as a child "the Doctor" had been his nickname, and once he had his PhD it stuck for life, going so far as to ask to be addressed as such by strangers.

"So, I was thinking," Rose said, "what about names? For the baby. We haven't really talked about what we're going to call him, yet."

"Do you have any ideas?" the Doctor asked, sitting down beside her. He put an arm over her shoulders and drew her in closer.

"Not really," she admitted. "But we have to come up with something."

"Well, we could call him Pete, after your dad, or Jack, if we want to name him after somebody."

"I don't think naming him Jack would be such a good idea. He might take after him." She turned a bit to the side so she could see the Doctor's face. "And I don't want to name him after Dad." She thought for a minute. "We could always call him after you."

"What, call him John?" the Doctor asked.

"No, I meant Doctor. But then, he might be teased in school," Rose said thoughtfully. "But at least you'd be a good role model for your namesake."

"So if "Doctor" is too weird, I suppose naming him in Gallifreyan is out of the question?"

"Probably. But it depends on the name."

"Hmm..." The Doctor leaned his head back against the couch and shut his eyes. "Earth names that I like. We could call him Wolfgang, or Harry, or Leonardo."

"I said not weird."

"Harry isn't weird."

"Yes, but I never really liked that name." Rose thought another minute. "What about Mathew, or Kyle, or Edward?"

"Not Kyle. Mathew and Edward aren't bad, though," the Doctor said, sitting up right again.

"Mathew Tyler. Edward Tyler," Rose said, trying out the full sound of the names.

"Mathew Edward Tyler. Edward Mathew Tyler."

"No, not together," Rose decided. "Just one or the other."

"I don't think I like either of them," the Doctor said. "Maybe as a middle name. Can you think of anything else?"

"Norman. Fredrick. James. Carl." Rose stopped. "The only one of those I like is James."

"James Edward Tyler. Not bad," the Doctor remarked.

"We could call him Jamie," Rose suggested.

"Do you remember Jamie from the Blitz, the boy in the gas mask?" the Doctor asked.

Rose's expression changed to one of recognition. "Of course! Do you not want to name him that, then?"

Thee Doctor considered for a moment. "No, it's still a good name," he said. "He was a nice kid. And that was the time everybody lived."

"Just that once," Rose said softly. The Doctor nudged her.

"It's okay," he said, softly as well. Then, louder and more cheerfully, "So! James Edward Tyler, right?"

"Actually," Rose stated, turning even more so she could look the Doctor in the eyes, "I already picked out a middle name. " The Doctor raised his eyebrows. "I did want to name him after you, some how. How does James Theta Tyler sound?"

The Doctor grinned. "Rose Tyler, I think it sounds brilliant."

"Well, Doctor Tyler," she said, smiling back at him, "I am brilliant."

The Doctor laughed. "Don't I know it! How long have you been thinking about this?"

"Ever since you told me about your old nickname. Your real name is just too hard to say, and I'm not naming a baby "the Doctor." Theta just sounded perfect."

"You know," he said more solemnly, "the TARDIS should be ready in just a year or two. By James Theta's first birthday, we should be able to travel again."

Now it was Rose's turn to really grin. Just a few days ago the Doctor had been telling her he thought the TARDIS still had years to go, and now they could practically set a date to leave. "Did you hear that Jamie?" she asked, looking down at the baby bump in her stomach. "Mummy and Daddy are going to take you to see the stars." She smiled again at her husband, who reached a hand around her head and pulled her in for a kiss.