LIFE WITH THE FAMILY
Chapter Three Hundred and Fifty One The Doctor lounged lazily in one of the metal chairs by the metal table near the pool. Around him sat Julie, Mingxia and Grace. Dorothy was nearby playing with the dogs and Rain, Amelia, Opal and Madison were swimming along with Alan who was teaching the four year olds, Angel and Bala to swim. The Doctor and his sisters were sipping mimosas while he listened to them describe going out on the town the night before. "So after we went to the movie, we stopped at this bar a few blocks away," Julie was saying to him. "Me, Grace, Mingxia and Amber. We ordered a few drinks and talked to one another when this hunky guy comes up to our table and starts flirting with Mingxia." The Doctor grinned at that and nudged Mingxia when she blushed. "So, was the bloke nice?" he asked Mingxia. "Oh yeah, he was a nice guy. There was just one problem though." The Doctor glanced at Julie and Grace when they sniggered. "Really? What sort of problem?" he asked Mingxia. Mingxia rolled her eyes while she took a sip of her drink. "I asked him what his occupation was and he said he was a circus performer. Guess what he does in the circus?" The Doctor paused a moment in thought and then begin to giggle along with his sisters. "Ah, Te'lesu, I need to fix this clown phobia of yours. Let me go into your mind and find the underlying cause and take it out so you can date men without worrying if they're gonna be dressing up as a clown the moment you take him to bed." "I wasn't that interested in him, Doctor. He was a nice guy, but he didn't seem like my type." "They're never her type," Grace said, rolling her eyes. "We've been to several bars and nightclubs and cute guys always gravitate towards her but she isn't interested in any of them." "Not to be rude but you're not a lesbian, are you?" the Doctor asked. "Because if you are, that's fine. But if you've met a lot of men and don't fancy them…" "No, I'm straight. It's just that…" "Just that what, Te'lesu?" "It's just that I'm hesitant to get in a serious relationship since I'm gonna outlive anyone who comes along." "Not necessarily. I have the crystals, you know." "I know but what if he doesn't want that?" "Mingxia, you can't do this to yourself. I did that for centuries and I ended up miserable in the end. If you fancy someone, go out on a date with him and see if you're compatible. Don't be afraid to be in love with someone if they don't want to become a Time Lord. Enjoy them for however long you have. Besides at least let these men have a chance to get to know you and you them before you decide they're not worth being with." He patted her hand when she nodded. "But other than finding the clown, you four had a good time?" "Oh yeah, we had a blast. It's always nice to go out and have a bit of fun in the city," Julie said. "And it's nice to take a break from work and go join them," Grace added. "How is work?" The Doctor asked. "They aren't running you ragged, I hope?" "Oh no, they're nothing like the hospital in San Fransico. Everyone gets an even workload and most of the things I do are non-invasive so I don't spend hours and hours in the operating room." "Good," the Doctor said. "Meet any cute doctors there?" "I love how you're just so interested in our love lives," Mingxia said. "Why shouldn't I be? You're my sisters and I want you to be happy. Do I have to have a pair of breasts and a vagina in order to sit in on some girl talk? I just wish you all the best and hope you find some loving, non-clown, spouses someday." They laughed when Mingxia gave him a playful punch on the arm. "Goo, goo, goo, goo, goo, goo, goo, goo…" The Doctor raised his eyebrow and turned his head to see Dorothy was near the pool. She was flexing her knees, bouncing in place while she said, "Goo, goo, goo, goo, goo, goo…" "What in the name of all that's sacred are you doing, you weird thing?" the Doctor said to her while his sisters laughed hysterically. "Goo, goo, goo, goo, goo, goo…" "Maddie, I think our daughter's brain is stuck," the Doctor said to her as she swam in the pool. "And I think her knees have turned to rubber because she can't stand up properly anymore." "What are you doing, you silly girl?" Maddie said, swimming to the side with Rose and Rain. Dorothy stopped bouncing and walked over to her. "I'm havin' fun, Mommy!" "Oh okay, Honey. I was just wondering since you're apparently creeping your daddy out with your behavior," Madison said. "I'm havin' fun, Mommy!" "Well, go and have fun, Dear," Madison said. Dorothy walked over to the Doctor while the three women resumed swimming. Dorothy stopped at his side and stared up at him intently. "Hi!" she said. "Don't you mean goo, goo, goo?" the Doctor said while his sisters giggled. He shook his head when Dorothy immediately went back to bouncing and gooing. "What's wrong, Doctor, you never bounced in place and made strange sounds when you were her age?" Grace asked. "No, because I would have been seen as a looney and taken to an institution," the Doctor replied. "I told ya, our minds didn't work that way. We played in the nursery, but not by bouncing and gooing like a weirdo." He leaned his head down and gave his daughter a pointed look as she giggled at him. She stopped bouncing and gave him a kiss on the lips. "Love you, Daddy!" "Aw, I love you too, Bouncy-goo-goo," he said while his sisters giggled. "I think I'll call you that instead of Ladybird. Bouncy-goo-goo the Giggly Girl." "You're silly." "Me? I'm not the one bouncing around going goo, goo, goo, goo. I think you're sillier by far." Dorothy spied the last of his mimosa and reached for it. "No, you can't have this. It's got alcohol in it!" the Doctor said sternly. "I'm thirsty, Daddy." "I'll get her something to drink," Julie said. "Come on, Dot. Let's go get you some milk!" "Okay!" Dorothy said happily. Julie got up from her seat, took her hand and led her back into the house. The Doctor continued to chat with the others for a few more minutes before his mobile phone began to ring. The Doctor kept on chatting. "You gonna answer that?" Mingxia said. "Only if someone pays me," the Doctor said, reaching into his pocket for it. He flipped it open and pushed the talk button. "Hello?" he said. "Doctor," Sarah Jane replied. "Sarah, hi. Nice to hear from you, how are things in twenty first century Ealing?" "They're fine, Doctor. But you won't believe who popped round for a visit today." "Gordon Brown." "No." "Prince Charles." "No." "King Sarluky of the Mong Dynasty on Thratmos." "No." "Blast, who else is there?" the Doctor said while Mingxia and Grace giggled. "Valotte is here." The Doctor's eyes widened. "She…is?" he said. "Yes, she apparently looked up my address thinking I'd know where you were. She wants to see you." "Why? I haven't spoken to her in ages." "She says she misses you and wants to see what you look like now. She's wondering if you still wore the long scarf and I said no. Anyway, she was hoping you'd come down here or she'd go up there. If you want to see her and don't want to come down here, I'll use my manipulator and…" "No, I'll come down there," the Doctor said hurriedly. "Just give me the current date and I'll be down shortly." "Okay." Sarah Jane gave him the date and time she was calling and he quickly memorized it. He told her goodbye, hung up and stared off into space as he put the mobile back in his pocket. "What is it?" Grace said. "Who's Valotte?" "Former girlfriend. I dated her centuries ago just after I left Gallifrey to go traveling for good," he said. "So she can time travel too?" Mingxia said. He shook his head. "She's immortal?" Grace asked. "Not immortal but her race lives for centuries. She's a Mantua. One of the oldest races in the universe. Their kind used to be friends with the Time Lords which is how she met me. She first met me on Gallifrey and after Sharina and I divorced, I had a brief fling with her. However, we were both strong willed, independent people and it didn't work out. I haven't seen her since my forth life when Sarah and I ran into her in a pub on Andromeda. That's how she knows Sarah and I s'pose she guessed she might know where I am so she looked her up." "So you're going down to say hello?" Mingxia said. "Yes and tell her I'm married. She never really got over the break-up. She tried to rekindle our relationship when she saw me and Sarah and I told her I wasn't interested in a relationship which was the truth. I have a feeling this is another attempt to be my girlfriend. I won't be gone long, just long enough to say hello, tell her I'm married and then back up here to relax." He stood up and walked over to the pool. He called Rain over and knelt down while he explained the situation to her. "Would you mind if I came with you? I'm not jealous, I'm just curious," she said. "I don't see why not. Maybe having you there will help convince her that I'm off-limits now." "Good, cause I also wanna say hi to Sarah while we're there," she said, walking over to the pool ladder. Alan walked over to him, Angel riding on his shoulders while he kept her secure by holding on to her legs. "Again?" he said to him. "She just doesn't know when to quit, does she?" The Doctor shrugged as Rain got out of the pool and Rose and Madison swum over. "Precisely why I'm making sure this is the last time she does this," he said to them. "I have no interest in her. I haven't for a long time and I don't want her to continue on with this, thinking I'll tire of Rain or she'll die and she'll have me free and clear." "So, how many lovers have you had in the past?" Rose asked as Alan went back towards the children. "That…is none of your business, Rose." "Aw, come on, you can tell us. We're you the Casanova of Gallifrey?" "Hardly," the Doctor said while they giggled. "Bet you were, bet you made all the ladies heads turn," Rose teased. "You had to run everywhere you went because women ran after you like you were the Beatles." "I don't think so. Most of them refused to go out with me, except for Lorelei." "Who's Lorelei then?" Rose said. "Someone who shall remain just a name to you," the Doctor replied. "Come on, Doctor. That can't be true," Rose said. "I fell in love with ya, Rain did and Sarah did too. You must have had quite a few companions wanting to be your lover, eh?" "That's as may be, but the point is for several centuries I kept them at a distance and part of it was because I had a disastrous marriage and then things went wrong with Valotte. But I wasn't some Casanova running around giving everyone venereal diseases." "Oh, you have venereal diseases? Which ones?" Rose howled with laughter as the Doctor tired to grab at Madison when she went down under the water. He watched while she swam underwater to the middle of the pool and then flipped her off when she surfaced. "Goo, goo, goo, goo, goo…" They laughed harder when the Doctor turned and saw Dorothy behind him bouncing and gooing while she held a glass of milk in her hands. "You're fixated on that today, aren't you?" he said. "Maybe I'll take you as well and you can be a warning to Valotte about what happens if you marry me. You get to suffer through your shenanigans." While he was telling her this, Grace and Mingxia informed Julie what was going on. "Oh really, old flame troubles, eh?" Julie said amused. "Yes and they'll be remedied shortly," the Doctor said, standing up. "Where's Rain, did she go get a rolling pin to bash over your head?" Julie said. "No, she's going with me." "Oh, I see, so she's going to use the rolling pin on Valotte before she and her mud wrestle and catfight," Julie said while the women giggled. "Not a bad idea, Brother. You need to encourage that scenario for your own amusement." "That'll be all from you," the Doctor said to Alan while the women laughed harder. Rain came back outside, fully dressed. "Right, let's go so I can hit the little home wrecker into next week." Everyone howled with laughter at the shocked look on the Doctor's face. Rain chuckled and lightly patted his cheek. "Just kidding, Dear. I'll behave if she does," she said. "Somehow I don't quite believe that," he said, eyeing her. Rain kissed his cheek, took his hand and with a wave walked off with her husband while everyone else wolf whistled, howled at him and laughed hysterically when he blushed.
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