Miles to Go: Nineteen

[wishiknewwho]

Title: Miles to Go
Author: wishiknewwho
Rating: all ages
Warning: AF for Angst that Will be Fixed (Seriously, parts of this are gonna make Both look like fluff)
Characters: Ten / Rose, OC
Dislcaimer: I don't own Doctor Who and it's probably just as well that I don't because it'd be nothing but hugs and hair ruffling for the foreseeable future.
Spoilers: None really. This is set before Doomsday even.
Summary: And it's all here for you, as long as you choose to stay. It's all here for you, as long as you don't fly away.
Author Notes: This story is the result of many things, but primarily too many rotations of the Death Cab for Cutie album Narrow Stairs, an album about the claustrophobia of growing up and the comfort of giving in, at least to me anyway. All song lyrics are from there.

Thanks to my betas, salimali and electrictoes. You guys are amazing.
The lovely banner and icon were made by corusca.

 

And there I knew it would be alright

that everything would be alright

“Grapevine Fires”

 

After the click of her door closing, Kira Tyler lay very still in her bed, eyes firmly closed, and counted to one thousand. She forced herself to go slowly instead of racing over the numbers like she wanted to. After counting to one thousand, she thought about everything she had done that day, including playing with Ben at school, scoring perfect on her spelling test, and watching telly with Mum and Daddy before they insisted she go to bed. Once she was sure enough time had passed to convince them she was asleep, she eased herself out from under the covers and tiptoed out of her room.

 

Kira was smarter than most people thought she was, and that was saying something, considering her mum, daddy, gran, and teachers thought she was pretty much the smartest kid ever. But she knew something that her parents didn’t know she knew, and that made her cleverer than even they thought.

 

Ever since she met Daddy, she’d wanted nothing more than for her parents to get back together. It made sense for the three of them to live in the same house, where she could see either one of them whenever she wanted. And Mum and Daddy were both sad; they needed each other to be happy.

 

Once in the hallway, Kira glanced toward her mother’s bedroom. It was dark. They weren’t in there. She turned toward the kitchen and saw the faint glow coming from that direction. She quietly made her way toward the front of the flat, wincing when one of her footsteps was too loud. If they heard her coming, she’d ruin it.

 

She was bubbling with nerves and excitement by the time she reached the kitchen. She hoped that she had managed to catch them. She knew they were keeping a secret, and if she didn’t make them tell, they might keep it forever. Her daddy might never live with them, and they might never be a family.

 

Things had been worrying for a while, when things were bad between her mum and dad. They barely talked, would barely look at each other. Mum cried even more than usual. But then, a few weeks ago, everything had changed. Suddenly, they were best friends, just like her and Ben. Except Daddy still only came to visit and they only went for short trips on the TARDIS. Kira wanted more than that, though. She wanted to be able to see him every day.

 

She peered around the corner of the doorframe. Her mum and daddy were washing the dishes, standing side by side at the sink. Every now and then, they’d bump into each other and would then share a grin.

 

Kira waited impatiently. Surely something would happen. Finally it did. Daddy scooped up a handful of bubbles, cupped them in his hand, and blew them at her mum. Mum giggled and grabbed her own handful of bubbles, dumping them on Daddy’s head.

 

Kira held in a giggle. They could be so silly sometimes. She wanted so much to run into the kitchen and play in the bubbles with them, but she forced herself to wait. Once Daddy lived with them, they could play all the time.

 

Just when she thought it would never happen, Daddy was grabbing her mum about the waist. He wiped the bubbles from her nose, leaned down, and kissed her.

 

Kira grinned, happy she had finally caught them. She thought about what Ben had said, about how it was gross for boys and girls to kiss each other. From where she was standing, it didn’t look like such a bad thing. She liked to see them happy, and if kissing was what made them happy, then it wasn’t gross at all. She’d have to tell Ben and see what he thought on the matter.

 

After what seemed like forever, they stopped kissing. Kira was just about to surprise them, but something told her to wait a few moments longer.

 

Daddy pressed his forehead against Mum’s, still holding her close. “I love you, Rose Tyler,” he whispered, so quietly Kira could barely hear him.

 

Mum heard him though, and she gave him her best smile, the one she only used when she was really, really happy. She cupped his cheeks in her hands and kissed him quickly. “I love you,” she murmured back.

 

Kira stepped hesitantly into the doorway, ready for them to know she was there, but suddenly shy. She opened her mouth to say something, but couldn’t think of what to say. She had the proof she needed, but she wondered if they wanted her there right then. They looked so happy. She was just about to tiptoe back to her bedroom, when they finally noticed her.

 

Once they saw her, they sprang apart in shock. Mum’s eyes went wide and Daddy carefully adjusted his hair.

 

“Kira,” Daddy said, taking a step towards her.

 

Kira looked at both of them, her eyes flitting back and forth from one to the other. She thought she knew what she wanted, her mum and daddy back together. But what if they didn’t want her anymore? She and her mum had been on their own for so long. What if Mum didn’t need her now that she had Daddy back?

 

“Mummy?” Kira asked, her lower lip trembling. She fought back the tears. She didn’t want to cry.

 

She didn’t have to cry, though, because Mum did just the right thing. “Come here, love,” she said, holding out her arms.

 

Kira ran to her without a second thought, and her mum swept her up and held her tightly. Kira pressed her face into her neck and breathed in her familiar Mum-scent.

 

“I love you so much, Kira,” Mum said, kissing her forehead and both cheeks. “You know that right? You know that nothing can change that.”

 

Kira did know that. And she also knew that everything was about to change, for the better. She pulled back from her mum and grinned. “Do you really love Daddy?” she asked.

 

Mum looked over her shoulder, smiling at Daddy. “Yes, I do,” she replied.

 

Kira shifted in her mum’s arms, turning until she could see her daddy. “And do you love Mum?”

 

“I love her very much,” he said honestly. “And I love you too.”

 

“So we all love each other,” Kira said. “Can we please all be together now?”

 

Kira watched as a look passed between her mum and daddy. 

 

Finally, Mum smiled. “Yes, love. We can be together.”

 

Kira threw her arms around her neck and hugged her fiercely. Mum hugged her back, and seconds later, Daddy joined them, wrapping his arms around them both. He kissed Kira on the forehead, then pressed his lips to Mum’s. “Thank you,” he whispered, tears filling his eyes.

 

Kira didn’t know how long they stayed like that, the three of them, hugging each other, loving each other, being a family. She wasn’t sure how long it was, but it felt like forever.

 

 

The End