Emergency Programme One! For roxyk630

[mtemplar_fic]

Title: Perfect Disaster
Author: mtemplar
Rating: PG-13 (So far....)
Characters: The Doctor (Duplicate Tenth), Rose Tyler, Tony Tyler.
Disclaimer: I do not own 'Doctor Who' and am making no profit from this fanfiction.
Genre: Angst, Romance
Spoilers: For Journey's End.
Author's Notes: Not to be considered part of the THANTH universe! This is another short, little vignette that is part of the 'Moments' universe of Ten II/Rose. For roxyk630, who is having a bad day at work. Hopefully today is a bit better. *hugs*
Beta: None! I triumphantly claim all mistakes as my very own. Feel free to point and laugh!

Summary: Of peas and rubber ducks. Inspired by this meme.




"C'mon, Tony, just one more bite," a familiar voice pleads from the general direction of the kitchen. Rose smirks, knowing that he won't have any more luck than she's had getting her baby brother to eat his dinner. Tony isn't that picky, but he seems to possess the 'aversion to vegetables' gene that runs in the family. Rose strongly suspects that her mum put peas on tonight's menu as a test for her hapless babysitter.

She picks up the remote and starts flicking aimlessly through the channels, trying to ignore the ongoing chatter from the kitchen. Her mum and Pete are out tonight, at whatever glitzy charity event required both of them to be there, and Rose begrudgingly agreed to stay in, 'just to keep an eye on things', as her mum had put it. She'd much prefer to stay as far away from her home as she can right now, as he's still there - a painful reminder of him, of everything that she's lost.

"Oooh, look Tony," the familiar voice cajoles. "Nice and green. Absolutely bursting with vitamins. Just give it a try - you'll love it."

Rose rolls her eyes. He'd have better luck trying to charm water out of a rock than trying to get Tony to eat something green.

"Oh, thank you very much, Tony-the-Tyler. That was my last clean t-shirt."

Rose sniggers, the remote dangling from her fingertips, forgotten. A happy, high-pitched squeal rings through the room.

"And, of course, my face needs to match my shirt. Should've thought of that myself. Lovely! Here, watch - I'll try them. Look... mmmm... muurgh... Gah!"

Rose's ears perk up as she hears a spoon clatter to the floor. She switches off the telly to listen, feeling a bit like a voyeur.

"That... that has to be the most... disgusting thing I've ever tasted!" she hears him exclaim. "And I don't say that often," he adds, a bit more softly, as if he and Tony were sharing a private joke. Rose's heart turns in her chest... he sounds so much like him sometimes, acts just like him. If she closes her eyes, she can almost imagine that it is him in her mum's kitchen, not....

"I don't know what Jackie's thinking, trying to feed you that... that... gah! Now I'm gonna have that taste in my mouth all night. What on Earth, well, I should say 'Pete's Earth', is that woman thinking! Here, here's something much better. Can't ever go wrong with a banana."

Rose smiles again, listening to the clink of silverware on melamine as her little brother resumes his meal, punctuated by happy gurgles and the occasional 'thwup' of mashed banana meeting the wall. Chatter again fills the air, and her mind begins to wander. She imagines a family of her own, a dark-haired baby girl, perhaps... with dark eyes and rosebud lips. Perfect toes on a chubby foot, tiny fingers curled tightly about hers....

Rose is shaken from her reverie by the sounds of washing up in the kitchen, accompanied by high-pitched squealing and the banging of spoon against the plastic tray of a high chair. She glances at her watch - almost bedtime for Tony. She almost gets up to offer him a hand, but stops herself, remembering again that she promised her mum that she'd just 'keep an eye on things'. No need to make herself all maudlin over something that she'd never let herself have, no matter how much he might have wanted her to. Sighing, she replaces the remote on the side table and picks up a book.

***************

It's almost an hour later, and Rose's concentration is waning. She's been reading the same page over and over distractedly while listening to the sounds of Tony's usual bedtime rituals. The happy peals of high-pitched laughter, running water and splashing have died away, and he's come down the stairs again with her freshly bathed brother, to quickly warm his bedtime bottle. They head back up the staircase, Tony's head drooping already. Her little brother isn't going to last long tonight, she thinks.

After allowing what she hopes is enough time for an extra-long bedtime story, Rose creeps up the stairs to take a quick peek at her brother, 'just to make sure everything's ok', she tells herself. The soft glow of the nightlight illuminates Tony, asleep in his crib, his thumb in his mouth and fingers curled over his nose. He smells of warm milk and powder, and she smiles softly, drawing his blanket up over his shoulders and rubbing his fuzzy head before exiting.

She wonders what state the bathroom's been left in after all the splashing she heard. She decides she'd better try to mop up a bit before her mum and Pete arrive home, as the maid won't be arriving until morning. She opens the door slowly, somewhat surprised to see a lack of standing water on the tile floor, given Tony's love of splashing. A soft, golden glow illuminates the darkness, and Rose sees the blue infant tub, sitting off to the side. A crumpled, used towel is on the floor nearby, and Rose goes to retrieve it, nearly jumping out of her skin at the sound of sloshing water.

"Hello."

"What!" she sputters, dropping the damp towel in surprise. "What are you doing in here? This... this is Tony's bathroom!"

"I know, I just couldn't see wasting all this lovely warm water," he says, punctuating his words with another slosh. Her eyes slowly adjust to the near darkness, and she realizes several Very Important Things at the same time. First, the light is coming from the small piece of coral that normally inhabits his rooms on the other side of the house. Second, his clothing is piled carefully on top of the hamper, and he's very, very naked in the large, clawfoot tub. Third, she's suddenly very glad for the dark of the room, the better to hide the rising blush that's undoubtedly staining her cheeks. Fourth, he appears to have a strategically placed fleet of rubber ducks in the tub with him, hiding his submerged lower half from her view... not that she was looking, of course.

"W-what's the story with the ducks?" she manages to squeak out.

"Oh, I dunno," he responds, dropping a hand from the side of the tub to swirl the water within. "Thought they looked a bit... lonely." He raises dark eyes to her, his expression unreadable, and Rose swallows. Hard.



TBC

Comments

[roxyk630.livejournal.com]

*HIGH PITCHED SQUEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEELS OF GLEE*
OH I needed this. I'm about to cry with happy. <3 I REALLY REALLY needed this. I LOVE YOU. *CLINGS* DOCTOR AND TONY! AND FLEETS OF RUBBER DUCKS AND NASTY PEAS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
*bites lip* SERIOUSLY close to tears (happy tears) ABSOLUTELY LOVE IT!
LOVE YOU FOR IT! AND GAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH *MASSIVE NUTGIRL GLEE*

You have officially made my millennium.

[mtemplar-fic.livejournal.com]

Oh yay - you like it! *hugs* I hope you're having a better day today.

And look - it's only the first part! *grins*

[roxyk630.livejournal.com]

I am. specially after talking to Pat. Worst case? The ball's in his court. If he does nothing... then I have reason to move on... very LOGICAL reason. I've decided the worst case is just that I have to quit sooner than ... my hopeful "own terms."

YES! I saw that and went *gasp* THERE's MORE! AND EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

*VERY filled with nerdy glee right now*
*HUGHUG* THANK YOU!!! I LOVE IT!!! *HUGHUG*

[roxyk630.livejournal.com]

*DRIVEBY REREAD SQUEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEL*

FLEET OF DUCKS! <3333333333333333333333333333333333333333333 SO MUCH LOVE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[mtemplar-fic.livejournal.com]

God, now you have me thinking about 'Test Drive' again. *headdesk*

Let me know if you feel like sharing this... it's a bit short yet, but... *shrugs*

[garpu.livejournal.com]

Awww! I bet the Doctor was a pretty awesome parent in his day. Of course probably embarrassed the hell out of his kids, I'm sure. ;)

And you can't lose with a fleet of strategically placed rubber duckies.

[mtemplar-fic.livejournal.com]

I figured he'd have some experience. Obviously not with manufactured baby food, but with taking care of small creatures in general. As long as a baby is warm, dry and has a full tummy, they're usually pretty agreeable.

And yes... Strategically Placed. 'Cause Ten II would be shy.

[garpu.livejournal.com]

Hell, the Doctor's pretty shy about such things. Did you listen to "Seasons of Fear?" It's got some great lines in it, and the Doctor gets embarrassed by an Edwardian girl.

Charley: "So what sort of things did they get up to in here?"
Eight: "Oh... You know... rude things."
Charley: "Like...?"
Eight: "They... probably... drank far too much and look! They weren't too careful where they threw their chicken drumsticks."
Charley: "Did they have orgies?"
Eight: "Charlotte Pollard!"
Charley: I went to and orgy once."
Eight: "..."
Charley: "I didn't stay."

[melnay13.livejournal.com]

Aw! With the cute! And there's more?

[mtemplar-fic.livejournal.com]

At some point. This bit was written in a day and is darned short.

[elrina753.livejournal.com]

I have a very hard time reading 10.2 fic, (not all that surprising considering how many times I've watched JE yes?) But I do read yours simply because it's not all hunkydory in Pete's Earth between the two of them. Which for me... the fact that I'm reading is a pretty big seal of approval. *g*

Although I am missing the Thanth sequel. *woe*

[mtemplar-fic.livejournal.com]

Which THANTH sequel are you speaking of? THANTH2 or Seuls?

And where are we today? *grins*

[elrina753.livejournal.com]

Seuls. I could not think of the name and was being lazy *g*

I am in Texas and am staying in Texas for another week and a half. THANK GOD.

[ladyprydian.livejournal.com]

Oh yaye!

This was just fun.

HA!
strategically placed fleet of rubber ducks in the tub

So the ducks WERE strategically placed!!

[mtemplar-fic.livejournal.com]

YES THEY WERE! Ten II has to protect his delicate modesty, after all.

[catyuy.livejournal.com]

DUCKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
And TenII naked in a bathtub!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[mtemplar-fic.livejournal.com]

Yep. Ten II is nekkid. In the bathtub. With a strategically placed fleet of ducks. 'Nuff said. :P

[drtyler.livejournal.com]

This was great- is Jackie matchmaking? Oh, to be a lucky little rubber ducky. I have that happy little song in my head now

[mtemplar-fic.livejournal.com]

Thanks! Hrm... that's a thought. Is Ten II just a convenient babysitter, or does Jackie have ulterior motives? That might be something you'll have to decide for yourself. *grins*

And hee! That song was put forth in the meme that inspired this little sordid tale. *hums along* You make bathtime so much fun....

[editrx.livejournal.com]

Oo. A FLEET OF RUBBER DUCKIES! And ... strategically placed. Oh my. Heee!

I needed this today -- what a wonderful Ten II to take care of Tony so well, and to give Rose such a lovely picture in a tub. Heh.

BTW, saw the urologist today -- he apparently is assuming he'd do the surgery, which sort of surprised me. E is ... well, he's clearly trying to do the "if I ignore this, it will go away," and I'm getting pushy, which I hate doing (because I do it so well), but he keeps going all vague and I just know he'll try to ignore it. Which won't work. Sigh. Anyway, I'm going to email when I'm more awake. I didn't sleep at all last night and ended up with a migraine all day today. I think I've finally licked it and am reading before passing out for a few hours tonight.

Is there going to be more about the, ahem, ducks?

[mtemplar-fic.livejournal.com]

Yup, strategically placed rubber duckies. *grins* Sounds like a lot of you needed something fluffy today! And yeah, I'm a sucker for men taking care of small children - esp. when they think you aren't looking. They have a very different parenting style, for the most part!

Hrm. *is not surprised* Still, though - if he's going to be away for that long? I take it he doesn't have a partner/associate that would be able to schedule surgery sooner? And poor E. It's really best to get these things taken care of when you still have OPTIONS. Mandatory life-saving/salvage surgery at a later date is not the best of routes to go. Go pass out now and feel better! *nudges*

Yeah, there'll be more about the ducks at some point. I can't leave poor Ten II in the tub for long. He'll get all wrinkly. *grins*

[principia-coh.livejournal.com]

Tony-the-Tyler! Mashed bananas! Rose's spontaneous ovulations at the sound of Ten II's mad parenting skills! You want rubber ducks? They'll give you rubber ducks!

"Oh, I dunno," he responds, dropping a hand from the side of the tub to swirl the water within. "Thought they looked a bit... lonely." He raises dark eyes to her, his expression unreadable, and Rose swallows. Hard.

In case you were wondering, Rose, your parents leaving you and Ten II all alone in the mansion with an early-retiring wee sibling? IT WASN'T A HINT OR ANYTHING.

If I didn't know better, I'd think Jackie's next attempt would involve locking them into a small cupboard together.

[mtemplar-fic.livejournal.com]

In case you were wondering, Rose, your parents leaving you and Ten II all alone in the mansion with an early-retiring wee sibling? IT WASN'T A HINT OR ANYTHING.

Heh. I'll leave Jackie's intentions (or lack thereof) for you to decide for yourself. *grins* She does feel for Ten II, though. And who says Tony-the-Tyler is a good sleeper? I think you've just finished this ficlet for me.... *grins some more*

If I didn't know better, I'd think Jackie's next attempt would involve locking them into a small cupboard together.

Jackie: *pondering* Well, leaving them with Tony didn't work, what shall I try next....
Pete: Jacks, you and I need to have a talk.

[lucyd3.livejournal.com]

hahahah!! Come on, you can't stop there though!!

[mtemplar-fic.livejournal.com]

Take note - this was 'Part the first'. There will be more, I just haven't decided on how much of an eyeful Rose will get. Or not.