The Doctor-Tyler Family

Family Vacation

The Doctor-Tyler family was a tired, messy wreck. In the TARDIS jump seat, Jamie was almost asleep with his head in Rose's lap. Across from them, the Doctor leaned tiredly on the console, wiping sweat off his forehead with one sleeve. He patted the console in a relieved and thankful manner for getting them out so quickly into the peace of the Vortex.

"Get up, mister," Rose said into Jamie's ear. "Go to bed before you fall asleep here." The ten-year old groaned, but pushed himself up and, keeping his eyes squinted even in the dim console room light, trudged down the hall to his bedroom.

In the console room, the Doctor sat down beside his wife. "Well, that was an eventful vacation."

Rose snorted at the understatement. "Oh, yeah, poachers on Lythure 32 BC, Jamie's broken wrist from netball with the Strandins, and the Cycorax invasion in the twenty third century?" The Doctor look more amused with every word. "Just an average family vacation," Rose concluded, smiling.

"We should have them more often," the Doctor said. "Now that Jamie's older, it doesn't have to be all day trips."

"We've done longer trips before," Rose reminded him. "We just haven't gotten... pulled into so many interesting things. How long has it been anyway? I've lost track."

"Let me see," the Doctor said, considering. "It's been 4, no, 5 weeks for us. So much for a quick trip to the Museum!"

"Well, you can't see the bones of extinct species without going back in time to see the animals," Rose reasoned. "And apparently you can't go back to see the wild life without running into time traveling poachers, too."

"And of course," the Doctor said, "when your son sprains his wrist and you have to wait a few days for it to heal, it's only natural to accidentally wind up in the year 2247 where the Cycorax of this universe are trying to invade."

"And then when you land on Earth, of course it's nowhere near where you need to be, since you have to stop the greedy, telepathic aliens."

"It was only the natural progression of things for us to be gone five weeks when we were trying to go out for an afternoon," the Doctor concluded. He then yawned hugely. "Well, Rose Tyler, I am beat." He stood up, taking her hand with him. "Let's go to bed."

As they walked down the hall, Rose asked, "When we wake up, will we be okay to just show up the morning after we left?"

"Let's see," the Doctor said thoughtfully, "we left on a Tuesday, right?"

"Just after we brought Jamie home from Mum's," Rose confirmed.

"So around four o'clock on 12 April," the Doctor concluded, opening their bedroom door. "Well, that could be a problem."

"We can't just disappear in the middle of the week," Rose said.

"But people are going to notice that we look different from the day before," the Doctor pointed out, pulling off his suit jacket and hanging it in the closet.

"Couldn't we go back to the 12th and get haircuts?" Rose suggested. "It'll hide the fact that our hair grew, and Jamie really needs one by now."

"I was more worried about Jamie's growth spurt."

"It's only an inch," Rose retorted, before peeling her sweaty shirt off over her head and tossing it in the laundry.

"Only?" The Doctor raised his eyebrows quizzically, his hands moving down his shirt as he undid the buttons. "Rose, it doesn't seem like a lot because we've seen him everyday, but to everyone else he'll look taller."

"I know." Rose sighed. "I just don't want to cause problems for him with schoolwork. And Mum won't be happy we went missing."

"You called her, remember? After we left the beach that day." The Doctor's shirt joined Rose's in the hamper.

"Good point," Rose conceded, tossing her husband his pajamas from the bed. "I'm too tired to think straight. I don't want to cause problems at work, either."

"Oh, they'll be fine," the Doctor said. "We'll aim for within a week of where we left and see how it works out. The TARDIS is getting too tired to do any precision work herself, anyways."

He pulled down the covers and got into bed, and Rose joined him. They lay there in silence for a few minutes, listening to the ever present faint noise of the TARDIS, so quiet that you couldn't hear it unless you lay perfectly still and paid attention, and the sound of their weary hearts beating. Then Rose sighed rather loudly, and the Doctor turned over to look at her. "What?" he asked.

She half-smiled."We're being silly. We never used to care, when we got back or who noticed, as long as no one was comin after us for it. And maybe, maybe we're supposed to be all grown up now" - she turned to face her husband and continued conspiratorily - "but I think, as good as domestic's been, we should do a bit more runnin'. Don't you?"

"There's no point in being a grown up if you can't be childish sometimes," the Doctor replied.

"You sound like you're quoting some one."

"I am," he said. "Myself, a long time ago."

There was another pause, an interlude of the TARDIS's breathing. Then: "The scarf?" Rose guessed. The Doctor gave a low chuckle.

"You know me so well." He reached out for her hand under the covers, and she squeezed it a little when he found her. "See you in the morning, Rose," the Doctor said.

"Not if I see you first," Rose retorted. And they drifted off to sleep.

A/N - Well that was a long time to get that finished. I started it weeks ago, and finally finished... and ignored my homework that's do tomorrow. But oh, well, such is life. And, please, reviews are ALWAYS appreciated. Are they in character? Is there something you want to see more of? Just let me know!