ALAN AND TARA'S DAY IN THE CITY

Chapter Two

On the way to a car rental place, Alan saw a sign advertising Detroit Tigers baseball at Comerica Park.

"Aha! We have landed in Mooooooooootown! The Motor City, perfect place to drive a car," he said.

They walked down the pavement in search of someplace to rent a car. While they were doing that, Alan kept looking behind at Tara who was giggling hysterically. Finally, Alan turned and put his hands on his hips.

"Scuse me, little lost waif, why are you following me?" he asked.

"I need a home?" Tara said.

"You need something more important than a home," Alan said, tapping her head.

He laughed when Tara tried to take a swing at him. They ignored the looks from the people around them and concentrated on having fun. Suddenly, Alan let out a melodramatic gasp and pointed to a tall skyscraper. The tallest part of the building was encircled by several smaller skyscrapers. The glass from the windows gleamed in the sunlight.

"Lookie," Alan said to Tara as he pointed to the logo on the tallest one. "It says GM, what d'ya think that stands for?"

"GM cars?"

"Nah, couldn't be, not in the Motor City. I think it stands for goddamn, this is a monstrous building, eh?"

"No, because then it'd be GTISAMB."

"Well, it must stand for Goober Moober then which makes it your building," he said.

"No, it stands for Goofy Mentalcase and it's your building."

She laughed when Alan chased her for several feet before giving her a big hug.

"Come, let us see what lies around the GM building there," he said to her.

He took her hand and they walked through downtown Detroit towards the GM building. On the way, Alan looked at the doors and windows of every shop and restaurant they passed.

"No public restrooms, no public restrooms, no public restrooms, blimey, good thing we don't have to pee just now, huh?" he said to Tara.

"You'd just pee on the sidewalk."

"I would not. I'm not that uncivilized. I'd pee in the dustbins instead."

He snickered when Tara slapped his back. He turned and gave her a wide-eyed look as she backed up several feet.

"I will ring your father and tell him you're being abusive towards me if you don't stop that," he said to her.

"I'll do it myself, I'm not afraid of him," Tara said.

"I dare ya to."

"Okay," Tara said.

She reached inside and pulled out her cell phone as she followed Alan. It rang twice and Rain picked up.

"Already? Didn't take ya long to get thrown into jail," she said.

"See, I told you so, Latara," the Doctor yelled in the background."Did I say not two minutes would go by before they were in the slammer? Huh? Didn't I?"

"Your father and I had a bet going and he's rubbing it in because he's right," Rain said.

"We're not in jail, Mommy, we're in Detroit!"

"They're not in jail, they're in Detroit," Rain repeated to the Doctor.

"Can't be, I'm always right about this sort of thing," the Doctor said in the background.

There was a pause.

"Alright, Star, come clean, what filthy rat hole were you thrown into?" the Doctor said over the phone as Rain, Rose and Madison laughed in the background.

"We're not in jail, Daddy. We're walking down the sidewalk to the GM building."

"Uh-huh, what year is it?"

"Dunno, we just found out we're in Detroit."

"Ah ha, so Brother went with the random I don't care where we're at selection," the Doctor said. "Has he been doing daft things?"

"Yes, ever since the garage door was closed," Tara said.

"I know, we heard him through the door which is why we're worrying," he said to her.

"Ooo, Daddy, we're across the street from the GM building and there's this tunnel to Canada right beside it."

"Wanna go to Canada?" Alan said, spinning around to face her. "Do ya? Do ya?"

"Put Alan on for a moment, Star."

"Okay, Daddy."

She handed the phone to Alan.

"Yeeees?"

"I suggest not going to Canada because you don't have a passport," the Doctor said.

"I don't need a passport, me and Sunshine have our psychic paper," he said as he and Tara hurried across the busy street. "But for the moment, we'll go in the GM building and tour it and ooo…lots of lovely cars just inside it. Huge glass windows and there's a red Camaro and a Dodge Intrepid. We're thinking of hiring a car to drive around Detroit, perhaps we can nick the Camaro and drive it right through the glass."

"I would advise against that," the Doctor said to him as they went inside. "I think they frown on you taking their cars and shattering their glass.

Tara noticed a man and woman sitting in the Camaro. They got out and she looked around and went to sit in the driver's seat.

"Hmm, apparently they'll let you sit in them though," Alan said to the Doctor while he went around to the other side.

He opened the door and slid in.

"Very nice," he said to the Doctor while he ran his hand across the dashboard. "No key but I know how to hotwire a car. I think we'll go on a little road trip here."

"If you get caught, I'm not bailing you lot out so just be aware of that," the Doctor said.

"Not to worry, I can get out on me own and get your daughter back in time for bed," he said.

Tara looked under the steering wheel.

"How you hotwire a car anyway?" she asked while she looked around.

"Brother, your daughter is wanting to know how to hotwire a car. Shall I inform her?"

"Put her back on."

"Okley-dokley."

He handed the phone to Tara.

"Yeah?"

"None of your business how to hotwire a car, young lady," he said while Rain, Rose and Madison laughed. "You want a car, find a car rental place, do not drive the Camaro out of the GM building or I'll be coming to Detroit, tying you to the bonnet of it and taking you for a joyride, got that?"

"Yes, Daddy."

"Come on, Tara Gone with the Wind, let's explore further."

"Alan wants to go further inside the building, Daddy."

"Well, you behave and have fun and don't…get arrested."

"We won't, Daddy. I love you."

"I love you too, Star. Have fun and we'll see you when you get back, yeah?"

"Okay, bye."

"Bye."

Alan grinned when she hung up the phone and put it back in her pocket.

"Now see, the fuddy duddy wants you to be calm and quiet and that's not for us. So come along, building to see and people to annoy!"

Tara giggled and got out of the car with him. They closed the doors and Alan took her hand as they headed deeper inside the building. Several feet in they noticed a series of escalators.

"Look, crank monkey stairs, wanna go up and see what's up there?"

"Okay."

Alan ran over and jumped on the up escalator.

"Hurry up, Poky Butt, before I reach top!" he yelled.

Tara ran over and got on it. She climbed up to the step below Alan's and he ruffled her hair affectionately. Once they got to the top, Tara laughed when Alan rode the step to the edge and pretended to trip over the metal panel in front of it.

"Ruddy escalator, they should have stopped the stairs to let people off!" he said as Tara got off beside him and took his hand.

They looked around and noticed some shops. In front of them was a doorway with three steps going up. They went up them and saw a circular walkway. In the center of it was another straight walkway and a circular area that had a Starbucks and several pods jutting out from it that had comfy chairs and couches. They walked around to the beginning of one side of the walkway and saw several elevators in a tiny corridor in between the walkways. People were getting on and off them but Alan and Tara walked up and turned to the right just before it heading into the Starbucks area. They walked up into one of the circular pods and sat down on a plush black leather sofa.

"Blimey, these are comfy," Alan said, leaning his head back on the stuffed leather pillow.

"Yes, these are very comfy indeed," Alan said. "Goodnight, Tara."

Alan shut his eyes and adjusted his body so he was comfortable. Tara did the same and lay against him. Without meaning to, both of them were asleep within minutes.

"Sir, Miss…"

Alan's eyes snapped open and they saw an elderly security guard standing in front of them.

"No sleeping!" he said sternly.

"I'm sorry, mate. Didn't mean to nod off but this is so comfortable we just couldn't help it."

The guard nodded.

"Just don't fall asleep again," he said to them.

Alan and Tara nodded and watched as he walked away. Alan winked at Tara and slammed his head back into the pillow and let out a series of elephant-like snores while Tara giggled. He snorted and his eyes opened.

"I'm sorry, did I drift off again? My bad!"

Tara giggled and shut her eyes, pretending to sleep.

"Oi!" Alan said slapping her cheek.

"Hey, you Goober, don't!"

"Don't what? Prevent you from ending up in the GM torture chamber where they put hot coals to your tootsies for sleeping?"

Tara swiveled her body around and laid her head in his lap while she hung her legs over the lumpy armrest.

"You're gonna get in trouble, you know. They'll go up to the very tiptop of the building and throw you off for this!"

"Then I'll regenerate and turn twenty!" Tara said, stretching her arms.

"No, you'll regenerate into a puddle of goo since I'm sure that far a drop will shatter both your hearts," he said. "But…as much as I'd love to sit here and sleep and annoy geriatric grandpa guard, we need to get moving and see and do. So up and at em, my niece."

They got up and left the area heading through the other walkway. They explore the rest of the building and found more shops, a movie theater, offices and a food court on the lowest level. Across from the food court was a large open area with tables and chairs in it and beyond that was a granite plaza with a view of the Detroit River. Across the river was Canada and they could see Caesar's Palace not two miles away. Behind it was the city of Windsor and off to the left of it was a series of houses and a road. They went outdoors and walked across the street to the plaza. There were several couples staring out across the water at the casino and forty feet away were sprinklers built into the ground that children were running through. Alan and Tara walked down some granite steps to a metal barrier that separated the plaza from the water below. They walked up to the barrier and rested their arms on the top of it while they stared at the casino. Alan put his arm around her shoulder while they stared at the white casino and hotel. In the front was a huge jumbotron that advertised upcoming shows. Alan squinted and read some of them.

"Loggins and Messina," he read aloud. "Alan Jackson, Larry the Cable Guy…so judging from that and the photos of the entertainers, early twenty first cen…ooo, look Michael Bolton is coming, let's go see him!"

"I don't know who that is."

"Believe me, you're not missing much," Alan replied.

They stared out at the water and watched people going by in speedboats and sailboats. Off to their right was the Ambassador Bridge which also went into Canada.

"So close we could spit on the maple leaf, eh?" Alan said with a wink.

"Yeah, hard to believe that's another country just right there."

"Well, it is and ooo, Donna Summer is coming to Caesar's as well, have to go see her."

He squeezed her shoulder when Tara giggled.

"You know, you and I have never had bonding time like this," he said to her. "We're usually with the Doctor and Rose. Nice to be able to spend time alone for once."

"Yeah, I like being with you, Uncle Alan, you're funny."

"Aw, well, I try to entertain. Granted Rose doesn't often appreciate my attempts at humor but I try."

He rubbed her arm.

"Perhaps my humor is more suited for children, after all, I'm just two years old," he said to her.

"I think cause Daddy and Aunt Rose have been through a lot so they don't laugh as much," Tara said to him.

Alan thought that over and nodded.

"You could be right, my Doodle Strudel. After all, my Rose started out traveling with Brother's ninth self which wasn't very much fun for her and then they basically went from one crisis to another without stopping and then Rose went on to Torchwood after she was stranded and worked herself to death there. And Brother's had over twelve hundred years of grief. I think you're right, Tara. I think life got to both of them a bit."

"Which is why I don't want that to happen to me. I wanna be happy and have fun and never get bored with traveling."

"Same here, Doodle Strudel, I love being out here and going places and seeing new things and I don't want that to ever wear off."

Tara put his arm around his side.

"I love you, Uncle Alan."

He kissed the top of her head.

"I love you too, my child bride."

"Hey!"

He winked.

"Well, everyone else out here seems to be a couple so I s'pose that means we are too."

"Couple of goofs, you mean," Tara said.

He chuckled and rubbed her arm.

"Yup, the very goofy of goofs. So now, my goof, you wanna move on and try to find a car legally so we can tear up Detroit?"

"Yeah!"

"Follow me then, oh lover of fun times!" he said.

Tara took his hand and Alan sent love into her mind as they headed up and out of the plaza.

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