ALAN AND TARA'S DAY IN THE CITY

Chapter Three

They went back through the GM building and Alan stopped someone near the food court.

"Excuse me," Alan said. "Where can we find a car rental place?"

"Probably out by the airport," the woman said. "But you'll have to take the bus to get there."

"And how much is bus fare?"

"A dollar fifty," she replied.

Alan thanked her and she moved away.

"So…gotta cough up three dollars for us to get out to the airport," he said, reaching for his wallet.

While he walked, he fiddled with the wallet so he could get some American money. Tara walked behind him and looked down when her mobile rang. She pulled it out and answered it.

"Hello?"

"In jail yet?" the Doctor said.

"No, Daddy, we're not in jail," she said giggling.

"Just calling to check on ya and I'll be calling every five minutes to make sure you're not somewhere at president Obama's pleasure," he said.

He chuckled.

"Just kidding. Jack and Ianto came to the house and they're taking us out for lunch. Don't know how long we'll be gone so just wanted to let you know in case you get back and we're not here."

"Okay, I'll tell Uncle Alan," she said.

"Tell me what?" Alan said, looking around at her.

She told him what the Doctor said as they went up the escalator. Alan nodded.

"Tell him to have a good time," he said.

Tara started to tell the Doctor.

"I heard him, Star. So…where are you at now?"

"We're still in the GM building. We're going to go get a bus so we can go up around the airport and rent a car for the day."

"Oh blimey," the Doctor said to the others. "They're actually gonna hire a car. I suddenly am very afraid for Detroit."

There was a pause.

"Hey, Sweetie," Jack said when he got on the phone.

"Hey, Uncle Jack."

"So…you're in Detroit, eh?"

"Yeah, we haven't seen very much yet."

Jack chuckled.

"I've been to Detroit once but that was 1919 so I'm assuming it looks totally different now," he said.

They headed out the front door into the hot summer day. Alan looked around for a bus stop and noticed one off to his left.

"This way, Tara," he said.

"Now where are you going?" Jack asked.

"Down to the bus stop by the building. We're passing by this tunnel to Canada."

"Oh yeah, underwater tunnel," Jack said. "I know where that is."

"Should we cross it and pretend we're refugees?" Alan said to Tara.

"Nah, let's go ride the bus," Tara said.

His face fell.

"Aw, nuts, I wanted to become a refugeeeeee," he moaned as Tara giggled.

When they reached the bus stop, Alan noticed another park nearby.

"Tara, let's explore this park a bit before we get on the bus," he said.

"Okay."

"Now what are you doing?" Jack said.

"We're going into this big park by the bus stop. Ooo, they have this huge fountain thing. It looks like a big metal donut on metal poles and it's spraying out water like a shower. It's cool looking."

"Where are you guys? I mean the date and the place."

"Um…we're in Hart Plaza according to the sign but I don't know the date or anything," Tara said to him.

"Miss!" Alan said to a young woman. "What's today's date? The full date, I mean."

"July 25th, 2009."

"Thank you," Alan said to her.

He told Tara and Tara relayed it to Jack.

"Okay, just a moment, Sweetie," Jack said.

Tara frowned as they kept on walking to the fountain.

"Just a moment for what?" she said.

Suddenly there was this flash and the Doctor, Rain, Ianto and Jack appeared behind them.

"Oh, that fountain," Jack said as they laughed.

He grinned as he closed the cover on his manipulator.

"Sorry, we wanted to see this really cool fountain for ourselves before we head out to eat," Jack said to them.

"Where's Rose and Madison?"

"They're in their rooms getting ready so we thought we'd come down and say hello," the Doctor said.

Ianto looked around and pointed to the GM building.

"That's what you were talking about?" he said.

"Yeah, it's huge inside," Tara said.

They walked down the brick surface to the fountain. There were no barriers around it so they could walk right up to it. In the center of the sculpture was a large circular marble block that the water cascaded down onto. Around it was a grate to catch the water. Jack cupped his hands in the water that was pouring down the block and splashed it on his face.

"Yeah, this was definitely not here when I was here," Jack said.

They moved away from it and slowly walked along the brick walkway looking around.

"It's a beautiful day," Rain said, holding the Doctor's hand.

"Yeah, this GM building is new to me. The only time I was here was in the '60's during the height of Motown and…"

They stopped and stared as a small subway train rolled by on an elevated concrete track.

"Whoa, they got a monorail!" Tara said.

"I don't think it's a monorail, Star. Looks more like the Elevated trains they have in Chicago," the Doctor said.

Alan thought for a moment.

"I wonder if that'll take us out to the airport. I'd rather ride that than the bus," he said. "Let's see if we can find a station and ride it."

They reached a flight of stairs and went down it. They noticed a bronze sculpture and went to examine it. It was a group of black slaves, men, women and children who were standing and pointing and looking over at the Canadian side.

"According to the plaque, this is in memory of the slaves that made it here via the Underground Railroad and this was their last stop before freedom in Canada," the Doctor said.

"You can't go, they won't let you in without a passport," Alan said as they laughed.

"Whoa, a boat!" Tara said, pointing off to the right.

They looked over and saw a large paddleboat anchored nearby. They walked over to it and examined it.

"Detroit Princess," Jack said reading the name on the side. "Yup, went on a few of these in the 1800's too."

They looked at it for a moment and then the Doctor and Jack escorted their spouses over to the railing where they stood and stared at the Canadian side for a moment as they held hands. They heard a rumbling and another train went by overhead. Alan saw a man coming around the deck of the riverboat.

"Oi, mate, where do you board for the train up there?" he said, pointing to the track.

"You can either board at the Arena or in the Cobo Center," he said, pointing to his left, "or in the Renaissance Center," he said, pointing to the GM building.

"Cheers, mate," Alan said.

He looked at Tara as they walked back over to their family members.

"Well, we can go back in the GM building then and board there," he said to her.

"Cool," Tara said.

The others joined them and they walked back over to the building. As they neared the front, Alan pointed out the cars.

"Whoa, Camaro, now that's what I'm talking about," Jack said as they went inside.

"You can get in em too," Tara said to him.

"Come on, Yan, let's get in our Camaro," Jack said to his husband.

They got inside while the Doctor and Rain looked at the Intrepid. Rain looked at a sign in front that had the year, make, model and features.

"2010, this is next year's model," she said walking back to the Doctor.

"Yeah, but if we were home, this would be an old, old, old, old, old antique," the Doctor replied.

After they were done looking, Alan and Tara escorted them through the building. They led them to the comfy sofa and they sat down in it and the matching chairs on either side.

"Oh yeah, gotta steal this for our home," Jack said, leaning back. "This is nice!"

The Doctor put his arm around Rain and they snuggled down into the sofa while Tara and Alan sat beside them.

"Yup, we definitely got the wrong sofa. I like this one a whooooooole lot better," the Doctor said. "Need this for my console room."

"You'd never get out of it to go explore," Rain said.

The Doctor thought about that and nodded as Rain laughed.

"Just don't go to sleep in them. Tara and I drifted off and an old guard woke us back up," Alan said.

"Well if they don't want people to sleep in them why did they put them here in the first place?" Ianto said.

"My point exactly. Both of us went to sleep without any trouble. I'm sure a lot of other people have done the same."

"Maybe it gives Grandpa something to do to earn his pay," Jack said.

They stayed that way for a few more minutes, relaxing their bodies before deciding to move on. As they walked, they looked around for the train station. Finally Alan asked someone and found out it was called the People Mover and the platform was one floor above them. Thanking the man who supplied the information, they headed up the escalator. As they went up, Alan noticed the other four were still with him and Tara.

"Coming along?" he said, amused.

"Yeah, I wanna ride it," Jack said while the others nodded.

"What about Rose and Maddie?" Alan asked.

"We'll get back to them a minute after we left," Jack said. "I'm just curious since this wasn't here when I was here last."

"Same here," the Doctor said. "This is new for me as well."

They followed the signs and finally found the turnstiles leading into it.

"Fifty cents?" Alan said. "That's all? Well, that beats the dollar fifty the bus charges."

They got some tokens from a nearby machine and went through the turnstiles. They went up two flights of stairs to an open air platform. The track was in front of them with a metal guardrail and beyond that they could see the city. Thirty seconds after they reached the platform a train rolled up. It was blue and had a Pepsi logo on the side. The Doctor glanced at both ends of the two car train as it slowed down.

"Is it me or does anyone else suspect no one's driving this," he said to them.

The doors slid open and they went inside. The interior was white with hard plastic seats on either side. Above them were several advertisements. There was a ding and the doors slid shut as they sat down. The Doctor, Rain and Tara sat down on one side while Alan, Jack and Ianto sat down on the other side. With a whirr, the train pulled out of the station.

"Next stop…Financial District," an automated male voice said.

Tara noticed some brochures in a plastic holder by the door. She carefully stood up and grabbed one before sitting back down.

"These are all the restaurants and fun things to do at each of the stops," she said as she looked through it.

She found a map of the route the people mover would take and studied it.

"Uncle Alan, I don't think this goes out to the airport. It just goes around the city," Tara said.

"Baby, look," Rain said, tapping her on the shoulder.

She looked up and saw her mother pointing out the window. She turned in her seat and noticed they were going past the Detroit River. Jack, Ianto and Alan stood up and looked out while the Doctor and Rain turned in their seats.

"Cool!" Tara said as they went past the river and a huge freighter that was sailing up it. All of them gritted their teeth when the train turned a corner and made a loud grinding noise.

"Um…is it supposed to do that?" Ianto said, glancing at them.

"I don't know but I got a headache now thanks to our sensitive hearing," Jack said.

The train slowed into another station.

"This is the…Joe Lewis Arena Station."

Tara frowned and glanced at her father.

"Who's that?"

"Famous boxer," he said to her. "Originally from Detroit."

Tara nodded and watched as the train stopped. The door opened and an Indian family got on. Tara smiled when she saw the oldest woman was wearing a blue and gold sari. There was also a younger woman, a teenage girl, a young man and a little five year old boy. They nodded at the Doctor and his family and they nodded back. Tara listened while they sat down near them and began to converse in a foreign language. She nudged the Doctor who smiled.

They're speaking Hindi, he thought to her.

Wish I could, she thought back as the train started back up again.

The Doctor listened to their conversation for a moment.

They're going to Comerica Park to watch a ballgame, he thought to Tara. And they're commenting on the weather.

Man, I wish I had my Time Lady mind. This sucks! Tara thought.

The Doctor chuckled and put his arm around her. Tara looked at him when he chuckled again.

What ? Tara thought.

The Doctor glanced over at the Indian family and smiled at her as Rain stroked her hair.

The mother or grandmother just told the others she thought you were beautiful, he thought to her with a wink.

Tara glanced at the older woman who smiled warmly at her. Tara nodded and grinned when all of them waved back.

"This is the…Grand Circus Park Station," the voiceover announced.

They waved again when the family got up and got off. The doors closed and the train started off again.

"So you said this doesn't go to the airport," Alan said.

"I don't think so," Tara said, handing him the brochure.

Alan studied the map and cursed under his breath.

"Ah well, it's a nice little tour of the city before we get on the bus," Alan said, sighing.

"Should we accompany them onto the bus?" Jack asked the Doctor.

"Nah, let them get on with their outing. I'm sure Rose and Maddie are through by now and waiting for us," he said.

"Bring me something from the restaurant," Tara said.

"Like what?" the Doctor said.

"Where ya goin'?" she asked.

The Doctor looked at Jack and gave him a questioning look.

"I thought we could go to Wong's, they have a nice Chinese buffet," Jack said.

The Doctor looked at Tara and gave her the same questioning glance.

"Um…I want a couple of egg rolls and some egg drop soup and that pancake thing that's good."

"Egg foo young?"

"Yeah, I want that," she said.

"And bring me some moo goo gai pan and some egg rolls and a won ton soup," Alan said.

"Oi, I'm not your waiter," he said while they laughed.

He let out a mock sigh.

"Alright, if I must feed you both, I will," he said.

"Thanks, Daddy."

"Yeah, thanks Daddy," Alan parroted.

The Doctor raised his eyebrow.

"Well, in a way you are," he said, raising his right hand.

"Well in that case, Son, behave yourself today," the Doctor said while everyone snickered.

"Yes, Dad," Alan said.

"This is the…Times Square Station."

The Doctor's eyes bulged out in mock horror as everyone laughed.

"What? When did we get to New York?" he said as everyone laughed harder.

"We're taking an enormous detour before we get back to Detroit," Rain said.

"Evidently so," the Doctor said.

The Doctor rolled his eyes when several teens came on carrying a boom box that was playing loud rap music.

Ugh, he thought to the others as the door closed.

I think we're almost back around to the beginning, Jack thought as the teens became rowdy at the other end of the car. Just ignore them.

"This is the…Greektown Station."

"Greektown," Jack said, waggling his eyebrows. "We need to go check that out!"

They giggled when Ianto nudged his arm and gave him a dirty look. Suddenly Rain gasped when a thin black teenager slammed down into the seat beside her.

"Hey baby, you lookin' fine! What's your name?"

"My name is Taken," Rain said, showing him her wedding ring.

The teen looked at the Doctor who was giving him a warning look. He held up his hands.

"S'alright, Dog, we cool, we cool. Didn't know she was your lady, sorry," he said, getting up and backing away.

The Doctor looked at Tara who was giggling softly.

"Your mum gets a lot of this," he whispered to her. "I have to beat them off with a stick. Constant watchdog, me."

"She's pretty," Tara whispered back.

"I know, that's the problem," he whispered with a wink.

"This is the….Renaissance Station."

"That's us," Alan said as they all stood up and exited the train.

"Well, thanks for letting us take a ride with you," the Doctor said as they stood by the bus stop near Hart Plaza. "We better get back before Rose and Maddie wonder if we've been kidnapped."

"Yeah, you don't wanna make my wife angry," Alan said.

The Doctor snorted and nodded in agreement. He and Rain gave Tara kisses.

"We'll see you later tonight and bring you the food you requested," the Doctor said. "Don't get into too much trouble. You know how your uncle is."

"Oi, I'm innocent and sweet…and you belt up, Rainy!" Alan said, pointing at Rain when she started to say something.

She smiled and gave Alan a hug.

"Have a good time," she said.

They looked over when the bus started to pull up.

"Come along, Tara, it's off to the car rental place."

Tara squeezed her parent's hands and they both waved as they got on the bus. The others waved back and watched as the bus pulled away while Alan was fiddling with the fare. Jack slapped his hands together.

"So, find a secluded spot to activate the manipulator and back to the house then," he said.

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