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Chapter Text

Nash wakes up to the sound of his alarm, he snoozes it because it's Saturday, Thank God. He lays in for about an hour more before getting up to actually do something with his day. He was half way through eating breakfast at their kitchen table when his roommate and work colleague Jack left his room in nothing but underwear, introducing his overnight partner who was following behind him, fully clothed as he made an embarrassed dash for the door.

"Really, Jack? That's the fourth one this month, mate" he pointed out to his friends as he shrugged and poured a cup of coffee for himself, "what? can't I have any fun?" He playfully replied as he brought the mug to his lips.

Nash snorted before his equally playful comment was interrupted by his phone ringing. 

Caller ID: Mum.

Weird, he thought. His Mum hardly ever calls on weekends, and the kids use the the landline to call him, so what could this be about? He presses the green button as he stands up from his seat and puts the device to his ear.

"Hello, Mum. What's going on?" He asks, but is met with silence. A feeling of dread begins to build in his gut, which quickly turns into panic when he hears the small sniffling sobs of his little sister, "Nash? Can you come home?" She manages to get out despite her distress. 

Nash's heart sinks into his stomach, something is wrong, really wrong.

"Tabby? What's wrong? Why have you got Mum's phone?" He asks her, trying his best to put on a calm voice so he wouldn't frighten her. "She didn't wake up, Tate went to wake her this morning but she isn't waking up, he gave me her phone and told me to call you" she sobbed louder now, Nash was grabbing his jacket and wallet, Jack looked on in confusion.

"Okay, okay, that's fine. Now, where is everyone? What're they doing?" He probably shouldn't be asking the 11 year old so many questions, but he needs to know if the others are okay. "Tate and Emmett are on the landline to an ambulance, Basil and Felix are next to me on the couch" she replies with a shaky voice, she's trying really hard to be strong, he can tell. In the background he can hear his youngest brother also crying, which kills him inside

"Okay, good. That's good, Tabby. I'm on my way right now, stay in the house, tell Tate and Emmett to stay on the landline, tell Basil to meet the ambulance when it arrives. You and Felix stay on the couch, when the ambulance shows up you listen to what the medics tell you, okay?" He's out the door, he can hear Jack calling after him but he doesn't stop to explain, he's too focused on his siblings right now.

Tabby sniffs, "okay, Nash. Please hurry, we're scared" she tells her brother, as she starts to sob again. "I know, sissy, I know. I'll be there very soon."

It's about a 40 minute walk to the house from his apartment building. He books it down the streets of London, remaining on the phone the entire time, he was passed between his youngest siblings back and forth. Felix was scared like everyone else, but didn't know exactly what was going on, he only hang up when he saw the street the house was on, and he heard the sirens.

When he got to the house, his mother was being loaded into the ambulance, in a body bag. She's gone, he thought, she's actually gone. He was stopped by a paramedic asking who he was, "I'm her oldest son, where are the kids? They didn't see her, did they?" He asks, almost frantically.

The paramedic explained that they were put into another bedroom before their mother was moved, she was declared dead upon arrival. They don't know exactly why, but signs point towards a heart attack.

Nash nodded, trying to keep his composure before going inside to see his siblings. It was Tate's room they were put in, all of them huddled on his bed apart from Basil who was sat at Tate's desk with the chair turned to face them. When Nash entered the room Tabby was first to run for a hug, then Felix, then Tate and Emmett. Basil gave a small wave because they didn't like hugs.

"Okay, I spoke to the medics outside, they're gonna take Mum to the hospital so they can find out what happened to her" he explained, his siblings drew back from the group hug, the air was heavy with a dreadful question, a question which Basil dared to ask. 

"Is she dead?" The others looked at them in shock, apart from Tate, oh God, Tate. He found her, he already knew. Nash couldn't find it in himself to lie, so he took a deep, shaky breath, and nodded. "Yeah, she is. I'm so sorry, guys."

Chapter Text

The funeral was nice enough, given Nash could barely afford it, his mother's co-workers were kind enough to chip in and help, which he was astoundingly grateful for. It was a tough day for them all, filled with more crying and cuddles than ever.

It would only be a few days after that when social services would call, saying that the siblings we're all to be put back in the foster system.

Nash fought like hell to not let it happen, but he wasn't their legal guardian so as far as he was concerned, he had no legal right to them. They wouldn't tell them where they were going, what he did know was that Tabby and Felix were fostered together, and the other three were separate, they were all very young when their mother adopted them, too young to remember the foster system, they kept telling Nash before leaving that they we're scared, mostly of never seeing each other again, but he reassured them all, "I'm going to do whatever I can to get you all back, and when I do, I'll look after you all."

It had been about two weeks without them, he was miserable to say the least. Jack came over from time to time mainly to drop off food and provide whatever support he could. "Is there anything else I can do?" He would usually ask before he left, Nash would say the same thing each time, "yeah, you can get me my siblings back."

It's Thursday morning when his mother's will is delivered to him by her lawyer, he thanks the person before quickly sitting down to read through it, Jack was there to help read through it. "Okay so, in basic terms, she left you the house and her car, she said "let my children have what they want from my belongings, anything they don't want either donate or chuck out-" Nash was only half paying attention, as he found what was probably the most important piece of paper in the world.

"Jack, read this, aloud. So I know I'm not hallucinating" he hands it to his friend, who does what he's told. "With sound mind and body, I appoint my oldest son as the legal guardian of my children... Holy fucking shit, Nash."

He called social services, told them about the will, and that he was going to adopt his siblings. He still had to go through the typical programs for parenting like everyone else, wellness checks, etc, but at least now he could see them. He visited them at the park with their foster parents, went for ice cream and talked about school. And after six painful months, he finally adopted his siblings.

One by one his siblings we're dropped off at the house, running towards him with a big hug, their bags in tow. Basil even gave their oldest brother a fist bump, which was monumental for them. Thank God it was all over. They were his now, and no one would take them from him again.

Nash was always described by his peers as a protector, so he guessed it was time to fully embrace that role. While this wasn't the ideal life he wanted for himself, he was more than willing to do it.

They celebrated the night they all came home, with pizza and popcorn and a DreamWorks Movie in their pajamas, How to Train Your Dragon was the one they could all agree on, "Dragons are cool" Emmett said. Eventually the movie ended, Nash stored the leftover pizza in the fridge as the older three went to bed, leaving the younger two who fell asleep on the couch to be carried by their oldest brother into their shared bedroom.

Tabby is the type of kid where when she falls asleep, an asteroid hitting the earth couldn't wake her but the sound of the toaster going off would, so Nash picks up his sister easily without disturbing her, he places her in her bed, pulls the covers over her, whispers "goodnight, sissy. Sleep well" before exiting her room and closing the door.

Felix is a heavy sleeper too but can only be woken up by someones directly, before it was Mum's job, now it was Nash's. He carried him carefully, tucked him in, turned on his night light which projected stars all over the room, whispered "night night, little man" before exiting the same way as before.

He himself was really tired, so he went into his room, which was the same one he inhabited when he was growing up, it became a spare room when he moved out, but since the house was left to him he gradually moved into it.

He falls asleep slowly, happy that he finally had his family back.

Chapter Text

Nash is grateful for a lot of things, one of them being his siblings friends. People they could rely on that weren't him, people they could talk to and have things in common with, they all came to the funeral, and they kept contact with him and their siblings during the adoption process.

Tate had a whole group that he hung out with regularly, Rose Tyler, Donna Noble, Mickey Smith, Martha Jones, and Harry Saxon. From what Nash could tell about them, Donna was kind, courageous, and always having a laugh, she was hilarious and the group laughed like idiots at her jokes, Mickey was shy but nice and was very interested in engineering, Martha is tough, kind and wants more than anything to be a medical doctor, Harry doesn't really talk to Nash much, but is into politics, and Rose is sweet and odd (in the most amazing way) but still isn't sure about her future, but he can tell she's strong and will figure it out. 

Nash is near certain Tate likes Rose, but the 15 year old is not ready to admit it yet. When he asked Tate's response was "what? No. No no no no, it's not like that she's my... She's my best friend" Nash rolled his eyes "just 'cause I don't experience attraction doesn't mean I can't see it, and I definitely see it with you two" Tate would walk off in embarrassment without another word.

Emmett has Amy Pond and her boyfriend Rory Williams, Amy is his enabler (at least that's what Nash calls her), Rory is always chasing after them and their stupid choices, it was more often than preferred where Rory would practice bandaging small wounds on them, because he wants to be a nurse, him and Martha sometimes talk about what schools they'd go to whenever their paths cross. 

He also has his girlfriend River Song, at first Nash was rather weary of the girl, but she soon proved herself when she knocked a boy twice her size of his feet for calling Emmett an abelist slur even when he said he didn't care, "I know you're strong and you don't let those things get to you, but it's about the principal, hence why I punched him in the face" is what she said, showing him her bruised hand. 

Basil is more of an introvert, prefers to be alone whenever it's an option, but they also like to be alone with Clara and Bill. They both sort of came out of nowhere, all of a sudden these girls were being invited over to read books quietly, talk about philosophy together or watch Basil play their guitar, are Basil and Clara dating? Are they just friends? Nash (as well as everyone else) has not a single clue. But she's nice, makes souffles for The Family, Bill is a nice chat, and both are good company for his sibling, so he doesn't mind. 

Tabby is only and extrovert around certain people, especially Ryan and Yaz, who are both very cool kids, she would usually come back from Yaz's house with her hands painted with henna which she'd show everyone very excitedly. Ryan was a nice kid, who was also an enabler, Yaz being the chaser in this case and always reminding them to not do anything bad. They were both really excited and supportive when Tabby came out as trans and started growing out her hair, Yaz helped her pick out new clothes and everything. 

Felix has sweet and adorable Ruby Sunday, they draw and play pretend mostly, Ruby is really good at piano and tries to the best of her ability to teach her friend. Ruby is also adopted, her mother by major coincidence was who he and Tabby were fostered with, which Nash was so grateful for, Carla is the most amazing human being he's ever met. 

Nash of course has his own friends, Jack was almost like another older brother to the kids, and Lynda always came bearing baked goods for them to share. 

His siblings friends were great, certainly took some of the weight of his shoulders when it came to taking care of them. 

Chapter Text

Getting the kids to school in the morning is... Eventful to say the least.

Everyone else wakes up at around 7am, whereas Nash gets up at 6:50 so he can start breakfast for himself and the youngest two, the other three are perfectly capable of feeding themselves.... Mostly.

Tabby and Felix are usually first in the kitchen since their room is downstairs, Felix comes out in a surprisingly nice outfit for an 8 year old, an orange shirt with brown pants. Tabby is behind him in her favorite striped shirt and three quarter pants and yellow suspenders, they sit at their usual seats at the dining table as Nash sets their breakfast in front of them.

Emmett is the next one downstairs, in a sweater vest over a collared shirt and dress pants, you'd assume he'd get picked on for that but everyone at school knows better than to make fun of River Songs boyfriend, they're all utterly terrified of her. Besides she thinks he looks adorable and Emmett likes it, so who cares?

Tate comes downstairs soon after, still slightly groggy from sleep, black t-shirt tucked into ripped jeans, red flannel over top. His pair of black converse in one hand (it's a shoes off household).
"Morning everyone!" Tate greets as he starts to make toast for himself and Emmett, who was told he can't have fish fingers and custard for breakfast. "Morning, mate. Where's Basil at?" Nash asks in confusion, usually he's down by now.

"Uuhhh I think he- sorry- they pulled another all-nighter, I could hear noises from their room at like... three in the morning?" Tate shrugged and spread the peanut butter on his toast. Nash sighed and rubbed his temple, not again, he thought.

Speak of the devil, they walked downstairs, pale as a ghost, wearing sunglasses likely to hide how tired they looked, wearing a Metallica shirt (one of many band shirts they own) with black jeans and an open zip up hoodie, thier guitar case in hand. "Late night, Basil?" Nash teased as the 14 year old grabbed a protein bar and opened it, "I had homework" was all they had to say for themself.

After everyone ate, they packed they're bags for school. This part is where things usually got chaotic, "I can't find my chemistry textbook!" "Where's my tuner?" "Nash, have you seen my safety goggles? I have a science practical today!" "Nash, I can't fit all my library books in my bag!" "I swear if one of you hid my glasses again!"

Eventually everything would be sorted, the lost things would be found, and then it would be time to leave. The teenagers would be picked up by their friends who would wait outside and they'd all walk together, whereas the younger two went by Bus.

Yaz, Riley, and Ruby would be waiting by the bus stop, Carla, Najia, and Grace standing having a chat, which he had time to join in today as he didn't start work until 11am. "Hey, Nash. How's things?" Carla asked "ah the usual, running 'round after this lot, hardly made it out the door" he joked, making the older women chuckle, "God I can't imagine, I can hardly handle my one let alone your five" Grace joked back, making Nash laugh in turn.

The Bus eventually came, about five minutes late "that driver is never on time" says Najia with a head shake, the kids boarded the bus, waving goodbye as it drove off.

Nash bid farewell to his "bus stop buds" as they called eachother, and he went home, tidied up the house a bit, read some Charles Dickens before Jack pulled up outside, honked the horn, time for work, he thought, grabbing his jacket and keys before heading out the door.

Chapter Text

Catching a cold is a common thing, but that doesn't mean it doesn't suck.

When Felix got sick, he becomes very fatigued, almost a shell of his usual bubbly self. Nash calls off work to take care of him, help him eat and take medicine, which the 8 year old begs to not do. "But Nash, the medicine is yuck!" He would complain as his oldest brother carefully poured the syrup in a spoon, "I know, little man, I know. I said the same thing when I was your age, but it'll make you feel better, I promise!" He would try to reason with him, but he would still refuse.

Then Nash remembered a trick for when Emmett was younger, his Mum would use chocolate sauce as a chaser for the medicine, he quickly runs into the kitchen to grab it. When he comes back he explains that "if you have the chocolate after the medicine you won't taste it anymore!" Which Felix seemed way more keen on.

After they did the medicine and chocolate, Nash left his youngest brother to rest. He looks at the two bottles in his hands, "thanks, Mum" he'd whisper to himself. 

When Tabby got sick, she would try to get through it as quickly as possible, she'd say "this measley cold wasn't going to get in the way of my education, nor will it prevent me from seeing my friends." The 11 year old would try to take medicine is large doses, so Nash had to take drastic measures and hide it from her. This attitude would go on for the first few days, but then she would crash and accept that she had to slow down and rest.

Nash would arrange Ryan and Yaz to come and see her to cheer her up, though it would be through her bedroom window. 

When Basil got sick, they became a recluse, and shut themself in their room. Nash would deliver meals to their door, that's the only time they'd really interact. When they got better they'd just come downstairs like nothing had happened, giving a thumbs up to anyone who asked how they felt.

When Emmett got sick, his senses would go haywire, all the fidgets and other sensory items in the world couldn't help, so he'd just end up sleeping most of the time, at least in times like these Nash would treat him to all the fish fingers and custard he could ask for.

When Tate got sick, he would deny it. He would come downstairs, red nose, sniffling and coughing like crazy. "Tate, you okay?" Nash would ask, concerned. "I'm always okay" Tate responded, which was followed with a loud coughing fit. "You look like death, mate" Nash put his hand to his brothers forehead, he was really warm. 

"You've got a fever, you're not going to school" Tate shove his brothers hand away, "I'm fine! It'll pass!" He would persist but Nash was already dragging him back upstairs, getting the medicine and a cold cloth for the fever. It would take Nash having to call Rose to tell him to listen, and if Tate listened to anyone, it was her. 

When Nash got sick, everyone would freak out. Everyone would try do the things he would do for them, Felix would run into his room with the medicine and chocolate sauce, Tabby would ask if he'd like to see Jack and Lynda, Emmett would ask if there's anything he'd like to eat (a banana is what he chose) which Basil would deliver to his door, and Tate would get him a cold cloth for his fever. The two older boys would also try his best to look after everyone because Nash couldn't, which would mostly work out, apart from having to ask him a million questions on how things worked in the kitchen.

"Just order takeout if you can't work it out, get anything you like, just let me rest" Nash would tell them, "okay! Feel better, Nash!" Tate said from behind his closed bedroom door, before running downstairs to ask what everyone wanted.

"Thanks, guys" he would tell them when he was the sickness passed, "you made me better."

Chapter Text

One day, a Saturday to be more specific, Nash finds Felix at the dining room table drawing. "What'cha drawing, mate?" He would ask, lifting his coffee to his lips. "My imaginary friend" Felix would reply, rather vague, which meant he wanted Nash to ask more questions.

"So... What's your imaginary friends name?" Nine persisted, actually very curious to know. Fifteen smiled and showed him a piece of paper, on it was a man(?) With sticky-up hair, who wore a plaid suit with a tweed tie, cream Converse chucks and a long blue coat, "I call them Doc, but they go by "The Doctor" when they travel, They're an Timelord from the planet Gallifrey"

Felix would then go on to explain how Doc is a time traveller, they travels in a Police Box that is bigger on the inside, and that they help people. Soon he had told everyone about them, and they all thought Doc was really cool.

"they kinda looks like Tate" Tabby pointed at the drawing, her other hand under her chin "yeah I couldn't figure out what they would look like, so I based them off Tate because he's is one of the coolest people I know" Felix said with a happy smile at his brother, who hugged him and kissed his hair. 

They started talking about things that Doc would get up to, fighting Aliens and robots in outer space and on earth, things like Daleks (which Tate described as "salt shakers of death"), weird Alien species called Slitheen, Zygons, Absorbalovians, Weeping Angels (the universally agreed scariest), and so much more, Felix would draw them and put them on his wall.

In time, Doc was seen as this extra sibling, rather than just an imaginary friend. It was a coping mechanism for dealing with Mum's passing, obviously it was, Nash knew it. But it was honestly very fun making up stories with his siblings about their sibling "Doc in their Blue Box."

Though, people were a bit confused when Doc was brought up, Jack (while over for dinner) was listening to the siblings talking about some mysterious Doc person, so after dinner he asked Nine "is there another sibling that you've never told me about?" Nash just started laughing "no, no! The Doc is just imaginary, Felix drew them and it sort of just grew from there" he explained with a smile in his voice, Jack playfully put a hand to his chest "oh thank God, I thought you'd had a sibling that died or something!" 

"I wish Doc was actually real" Tabby said, as they all cuddled on the couch, Basil of course sitting on a beanbag watching. "Yeah, we could all go live in The Blue Box, that'd be so cool, wouldn't it?" Emmett shifted his head under Tate chin, who changed the subject "we really need a better name for The Blue Box, it'll get boring eventually."

Basil nodded, "well how 'bout this, it's a time machine, that has very odd dimensions, and it can travel around in space, so maybe we could call it Time And Relative Dimension In Space, TARDIS for short." Everyone unanimously agreed that "The TARDIS" was way better than "The Blue Box."

The Doctor and The TARDIS, how cool! Nash thought to himself as they continued to talk about the things they would do if Doc was real. 

Some would say it's silly, but there's worse ways to cope.

Chapter Text

26th of March, Nash's 21st Birthday!

Tate wakes up all his siblings so they can prepare something for breakfast, they decide to make pancakes, which should be easy enough. Felix put in ingredients, Tabby mixed, Tate poured the batter onto the pan and flipped them, Basil cut up fruit, Emmett set the table. After they were done, they went to wake up Nash.

They crept into his room, where their oldest brother was sound asleep, they blew party blowers to wake him, he bolted upright with a start, which made everyone else laugh before they shouted "Happy Birthday, Nash!" very out of unison. "Wow, guys! You didn't burn the house down making breakfast!" Nash exclaimed as he was dragged into the kitchen, "yeah! But, Basil almost cut off their finger" Tabby said before Basil gave their sister a small shove, "don't exaggerate, I barely nicked myself" they showed Nash their finger which had a simple band-aid on, proving it wasn't a big deal.

They ate breakfast at the table together, smiles all around. Later, after School and work, Jack and Lynda came over bearing cake and presents. Which Nash would open, they were usually gag gifts nowadays, as Nash had everything he could want right now, his siblings and his friends, in one place.

3rd of April, Emmets 16th Birthday!

His birthday was one of few days where he was allowed fish fingers and custard for breakfast, though everyone else had pancakes (they always do pancakes on special occasions). Emmett wore his special clothes to school, which included a bowtie and suspenders, when The Group were outside to pick him and his siblings up, River was wearing a nice dress that she'd usually wear on dates, they liked to make an effort in that way "God they're so cute, it's gross" Tate would complain as he walked out the door, Rose hid her smile from him, quietly wishing she had that with Tate

After school, they all gathered, friends and all, for presents and cake, which River baked from scratch herself, "that's amazing, Sweetie. I love it" he said after Happy Birthday, "thank you, Sweetie" she replied and gave him a birthday kiss, "ewwww" exclaimed Felix and Ruby in unison, which made everyone laugh. He received mainly science related stuff, and some more bowties from River, which resulted in another kiss.

"Now, Nash. Can we talk about driving lessons?"

11th of May, Felix's 9th Birthday!

Felix is the type of kid who gets up early on Christmas, so it only makes sense the same happens on his birthday, so everyone wakes up earlier so they can decorate the house and place the presents on the table, as well as get pancake batter ready.

Their youngest brother comes bounding into the room, everyone cheers for the birthday boy, who gets all the hugs (and a fist bump from Basil) that he could ask for. Nash thought 9 was a great age, though he couldn't tell you why.

Felix wanted everyone to be there, Ruby, all his siblings friends, all of them. Most bearing gifts for the birthday boy, which he accepted with immense gratitude. He got toys from Rose, art supplies from The Family, some Sci-Fi comics from River, and a whole stack of paper from Clara, which ended up being his favorite, surprisingly enough. He was told he was allowed to stay up, but he and Ruby (who was sleeping over as it wasn't a school night) only managed to stay awake until 8:30, the two kids fast asleep in their beds.

18th of June, Tate's 16th Birthday!

Tate bounds down the stairs, ready for school, and is shocked when the house is decorated with party supplies. He'd forgotten it's his birthday, no one else did, his friends had even shown up early to have breakfast with The Family, Rose was the first to hug him and she kissed his cheek and whispered "Happy Birthday" in his ear. Nash looked on and shook his head, when will they admit they like eachother? Then Donna tugs him off Rose and bear hugs him, "happy birthday, Skinny Boy."

After breakfast and school, they all go back to the house for dinner, presents and cake. There was also cupcakes with the "edible ball bearings" on them, that's what Tate called them anyway, but then everyone started calling them that. He got clothes that the friend group had all pitched in on, Rose got him another pair of Converse, which were a really nice blue, he hugged her again, for a longer time than is considered normal for friends.

After dinner, cake and laughing at Donnas jokes, everyone went home, and the siblings went to bed. Nash and Tate stayed because Roses Dad was running late to pick her up. When Pete did show up Rose left with yet another hug, "you better wear those Chucks every day" she joked before closing the door behind her.

"Oh God, Nash" Tate buried his face in his hands, "I think I'm in love with Rose." His oldest brother patted his shoulder, "congratulations, you've finally caught up with the rest of us" Nash laughed and Tate groaned, before wishing his brother goodnight and going upstairs to bed.

23rd of August, Basil's 15th Birthday!

Basil preferred more quiet birthdays, so that's what they got. A pancake breakfast with their family, inviting over Clara and Bill for dinner, a movie night where they picked the film (Pixar's Brave, they're Scottish like that), and Clara and Bill staying the night. Basil was given stickers for their guitar case, some new strings (they'd broken two of them), and a new tuner because they lost it. During the movie, Nash was shocked to see them with Clara tucked under their chin, almost asleep.

They placed a kiss on her forehead, making Nash even more shocked, Basil showing affection in that way was like seeing a unicorn, but decided it was a conversation for later, as the movie was over and it was time for bed.

7th of October, Tabby's 12th Birthday!

Tabby also liked things more low-key, they had the usual pancake breakfast, though this time Ryan, Grace, Graham, Yaz, and Najia were all in attendance, then they would all go to the bus stop together and plan dinner, which Tabby wanted to be fish and chips.

The fish and chips arrived, they ate happily and watched a movie (Mulan, one of Thirteens favorites) before Ryan and Yaz were taken home as it was a school night, Tabby got graphic novels, electricity play kits, and the coat she wanted for ages from Yaz, who she hugged so tightly after realizing what it was. "I'm gonna wear this every day, even in the summer." She said as she hung it up on the hook in the hallway, before being told by Nash it was past her bedtime.

The Family decided that Doc's birthday would be November 25th, no real reason, just felt right.

They would talk about what they would want for their birthday, and the things they would give them on theirs. "They would bring back really cool stuff from space! Like some sort of metal that can tell you the weather! It would be called... Bazoolium!" "Or pieces of a Dalek or a Cyberman!" After some thought, Doc was the type of person who just wanted to take them all somewhere cool rather than receive a present, they would all go to some singing mountain or something like that and hang out, that would be cool, Doc would take them anywhere they wanted, if only they were real.

Birthdays are a great time, but The Family loves them especially because it reminds them that despite all the hardship, they are together, and always will be from here on out.

Chapter Text

After her husband died in a car accident, Mum hated being alone in the big house. She tried to love again, but it never happened, so she decided the next best thing, would be to adopt a child.

She had a good job, which payed very well, a house which was mortgaged long ago, so no one should object. So she applies, gets all the qualifications and supplies, joins a support group, and waits.

She doesn't wait too long, for a few months later, she meets with a teenage girl who wants to give up her newborn baby for adoption, days later, 13 day old Nash comes home.

It was hard at first, the lack of sleep and time to do other things around the house, but she had friends and co workers who were more than happy to help her and her new baby out. Help such as making food for her, doing laundry, and picking up groceries. "It takes a village" as they always say.

Time goes on, Nash is now 5 years old. His Mum had continued to be a foster parent during that time, but then baby Tate comes along, and they both fall in love with him. Tate was left at a fire station with nothing but the basket and blanket he was in, no one claimed him, so he was put into the foster system. 

Mum soon adopted him, and Nash was ecstatic to have a little brother. He played with him and taught him how to walk and talk, "Mama" was his first word, naturally.

It was only a year later that one-year-old Emmett would enter the picture, he was placed with their mother after he was the sole survivor of a car crash, there was no family left to adopt him, so Mum took him in, and eventually, he was hers.

Now having two toddlers the same age was a struggle at first, Tate found it hard to share. But Nash and Mum did their best to teach them to play nice, people would sometimes ask if they were twins. Emmett was diagnosed with autism at age 4 when he still hadn't learned to talk, Mum spent hours and hours learning everything about autism she could get her hands on, and made sure to explain it to Nash and Tate as well, so they could help him if need be in the future.

Basil was 3 when they were placed with their mother, they had been found wandering the streets alone, crying their eyes out. It was on national news, but no family came to collect them, Mum held onto hope that someone would. 

But a year went by, no one came. So Mum asked Nash, Tate, and Emmett if they would like Basil to be thier new sibling. They all said yes, and that was all it took. When Basil was 11 they asked Mum if they could try out They/Them pronouns, she said of course, learnt everything there was to know about being nonbinary, because as previously stated, everyone is supported and loved in this house.

That was supposed to be the end of it, really, truly it was. But when baby Tabitha is placed with them, she was the first baby they'd had in the house since Tate, and they all fell head over heels for her. She was uplifted from a neglectful household, poor thing didn't even have a birth certificate, she was in a real bad way when she was found. 

Again Mum hoped some relative would come to collect the baby, but again no one did. So after much thought, Tabby was adopted. It was when she was 4 years old she started showing signs that she wasn't like her brothers, wanting to wear- not necessarily girly clothes- but definitely different to the ones her brothers wore, so Mum just said "you can wear whatever you want, Honeybun. So long as you're comfortable." 

It would be not long after turning 9 Tabby would ask for a pronoun change, Mum was so excited to have a daughter, and the other kids were so happy to have a sister. 

Felix was a surprise, after Mum was denied adoption of a previous foster child, she was supposed to stop fostering as the house was too crowded, but a baby was given to her as an emergency placement, as the mother had passed in childbirth and had no living family. 

He was the cutest, tiniest thing in the world. Tabby didn't know a lot about babies (she was only 3 of course), she was very curious about him and asked a lot of questions. It was only a matter of time before she asked "where do babies come from?" And Mum had to figure out a way to brush it off.

After Felix, that was it, that was her family complete. She was no longer lonely, and her kids were all so smart and talented, she knew they would be great adults one day. 

It was after Nash turned 18 she was diagnosed with heart problems, chances of a heart attack were quite high, she would try her best to be healthy, but just in case, she made a will, saying that Nash would get the house, all her money, and be appointed guardian of his siblings, this way they could be looked after if the worst case scenario became reality. 

Chapter Text

Since Tate and Emmett were both 16, they had been ganging up on Nash to teach them how to drive. At first he refused because he didn't want to risk the one car they had because it wasn't insured yet, but now that it was, he could teach them how to drive.

Tate was first, Emmett sat in the back so he could listen into the instructions. Nash started with basics, "okay so, make sure that your sitting comfortably, and that your able to reach the wheel without having to stretch all the way-" "that won't be difficult with his noodle arms" Emmett interrupted, "oh shut up!" Tate replied before turning back to his older brother.

When Tate was in a good position, Nash instructed him to start the car. "We'll only be driving around the neighborhood, so it shouldn't be too bad" he said before telling Nine to put his foot "very lightly" on the accelerator.

The car went slowly forward. Then Ten was told to stop at the driveway, use the indicator, and turn out onto the road.

It goes downhill very quickly, for Tate had turned a bit too tightly and ended up going straight into the neighbors mailbox. Nash tried his hardest not to yell, because "yelling doesn't help anyone" as Mum would say. Tate was freaked out so he calmed him down, told him to reverse the car a bit, then they both went to apologize to the neighbor.

After that, Tate was much more careful, especially on turns. When it was Emmett turn, he promised not to make Tate's mistake, Tate rolled his eyes and ran a hand through his hair.

Emmett hit three different rubbish bins, making a mess on the street, which he cleaned up himself. Tate tried really hard not to giggle in the back seat, "famous last words" he smirked, getting a nod from Nash in agreement.

Chapter Text

Tate bursts into the living room from downstairs, the rest of his siblings sat on the couch watching cartoons, "Rose asked me out, the dates tonight and I don't know what to do or how to act, please help me?"

Nash, and Emmett sprung into action, the others following behind simply to watch. He and Rose were going to a diner for dinner then to a film afterwards, it was called Fall Guy, Rose had a bit of a thing for Ryan Gosling, Tate did too if he was honest. They dressed him in some nicer clothes than usual, a clean, brown, pinstripe suit found in the depths of his closet and the blue Chuck Taylors Rose got him for his birthday. "I know I wear them every day but I wanna insinuate that I wear them for her" He said when Nash suggested some dress shoes instead.

Basil, Tabby and Felix sat on the bed watching their brothers fuss over Tate, Basil had more than enough to say about Tate's dress sense but he just said "you're one to talk, Mx. "I Wear Nothing But Band shirts!"

Emmet tried to give dating advice but it was useless because everyone knows River grabbed him by the scruff of his neck and chucked him over her shoulder and the rest was history. "Just remember to be yourself, which shouldn't be too much an issue because Rose knows you too well" Nash quips while spraying his brother with his own cologne, then everyone went quiet when they heard a knock on the door.

Tate knew that his siblings would open the door and talk to Rose, say something embarrassing and ruin everything, so he quickly dashes downstairs and opens the door, to see Rose in a lovely pink dress and matching headband, she smiles, the smile he adores so much) "Oi, you in there, Tatey?"

When Rose used the nickname only she was allowed to use he realized he'd been staring. "Oh- um... Sorry, I uh- you look uh- you look beautiful, Rose, well I mean you always do but right now you look especially-" "Tate, I get it, thanks. You look quite handsome too" she cut him off and gently adjusted his tie.

The moment was interrupted by Felix yelling from behind them "hi Rose!!!" Rose waved at him before beckening him over "can I have a hug?" She didn't need to be asked twice, he practically jumped into her arms. Rose really liked kids, she babysat for her neighbors at Powell Estate a lot.

After a quick chat with everyone they finally set out for their date, "be careful walking about, don't get home too late, Jackie will kill me and you if anything happens to her" Nash called after them as they made their way down the street.

It was 9:30 when they got back, the siblings peeked through the curtains and watched them as they stopped by the gate and talked, "what are they saying?" Tabby whispered to her siblings, "I think they're just saying that they had a great night" Basil replied, not whispering.

"I had fun tonight, it was great" Rose took Tate's hand in hers, his breath hitched in his throat. "I uh- I had fun too, I always have fun with you, and if you'd like, I certainly would be open to having fun with just you again sometime?" He was shaking like a leaf, Rose squeezed his hand tighter, "of course, Tatey. I'd love that."

She kissed his cheek, before turning to see her Dad pulling over to pick her up, she said goodbye and Tate watched as she got in and was driven off. He turned to see his siblings giving him thumbs up from the window, thank God Rose didn't see that, he thought.

Chapter Text

Nash had to fill in for someone at work, on a Saturday, which was fine because it meant he got paid extra, but it also meant he came home with zero energy to spare.

He drops his leather jacket on a dining chair, and flops on the couch. Tate watches his brother do this from the kitchen, after a minute he asks "you alright, Nash?" Which he gets a groan in response, he was clearly falling asleep.

Nash wakes up with a start, suddenly remembering he has five kids to look after. He checked the time, 9:30pm, shit shit shit he started to get up off the couch but was stopped by Tate "hey, hey Nash, it's fine. Me and Emmet made dinner, Tabby is putting Felix to sleep, and Basil did laundry to the best of their ability, there's leftovers for you in the fridge, I'm going to bed" Tate got up and dashed up the stairs to his room.

He ate the leftovers because good God he was hungry, then he checked on Tabby and Felix. They both must've fallen asleep while reading a book, because they were both snuggled up on Felix's bed, a picture book open on the floor next to the bed, Nash put it away and left them to sleep.

The laundry was dried, good job Basil, he makes a mental note to fold it in the morning.

Despite his nap, he was still tired, so he went upstairs to bed, incredibly grateful for his siblings and how much they care about him and eachother.

Chapter Text

Nash was working at his engineering job, same as everyday, when his supervisor tells him he has a call from his brother, handing him his ringing phone. Nash put down his equipment, and took the phone from his boss, seeing Tate's name at the top. "Hey, Tate. What's up?"

"Tabby is missing, the school called and said she didn't go back to class after lunch time, they have Felix sat waiting to be picked up." He said, worry in his voice, Nash told his brother to wait a second, "what's up?" Asked his boss, "my sister has gone missing from school, can I-"

"Nash, don't even ask. You told me when you got custody of your siblings that they came first in everything and I agreed with that since I have kids of my own, go find your sister." He pat Nash on the shoulder before he picked up his jacket and rushed out of the building.

He got to the school, and made a beeline to the office. The reception lady, Gladis, explained that Tabby didn't come back to class after lunch, and that the police were looking through the CCTV cameras to see if they could find her.

The principal, Mr. Pink, lead Felix out of his office, who was crying, he ran to his oldest brother when he saw him, "Nash! I lost Tabby, I'm sorry" he sobbed into his brothers shoulder when he lifted him up into a hug, "No no no, mate. You didn't lose her, it's not your fault she ran off, we'll find her. I promise."

The police found on the CCTV cameras that she had an encounter with a group of kids that ended with Tabby receiving a punch to the face and being shoved to the ground, the contents of her school bag being tipped on top of her.

The kids left, Tabby got up, put her stuff back in her bag, started crying before running off campus, leaving her bag behind. The officer handed Nash the bag, one of the zips was broken and it had a few rips and broken objects inside.

The police explain today they'll be taking what they've found back to the station, in the meanwhile they will release a CRA. While it's better than nothing, he'd prefer to find his sister right now.

So he asks his siblings to call in the troops, all their friends and their families, everyone. And they all came, torches in hand, some people came with megaphones, "alright, I can't say how much I appreciate you all coming out here to help find Tabby, we need to find her and let her know she's loved and supported, we'll start at the school and work our way out."

And they did exactly that, searching the streets until long after the sun went down, torches in hand yelling Tabby's name, no one had found her yet, but they will.

About three hours into the search Basil had been walking with Clara, Bill, and their newest friend Nardole who just transferred from another school. But they found themself in a back alley behind the small chip shop that kids would sneak off campus to get a bag of lollies (they should know, they were one of them, jelly babies were their usual order) and they heard crying.

They approach slowly, not wanting to scare Tabby. Basil sees their sister, back against the cold brick wall, hugging her knees, sobbing quietly. "Tabby" they whisper and she tilts her head up to look in their direction.

"Basil, What're you doing here?" She wiped the tears from her face, "looking for you, we've got everyone we know searching the whole neighborhood." They sat down next to their sister on the hard, cool, concrete floor, still keeping a bit of distance.

"Is everyone mad?" Tabby asked, a shakiness in her voice. Basil shook their head, "no, no one is mad, Tabby. We're all just incredibly worried, do you want to talk about what happened?" They asked, but Basil thinks they already know.

Tabby shifted a little, facing her sibling now. "those kids are in my class, they came up to me during lunch and called me by my old name and said I'm an ugly girl.... and that I'm weak and stupid for "wanting to be one" and when I tried to defend myself.... they punched me and tipped my bag." She explained, starting to sob louder.

Basil wasn't keen on touch, but since Clara they've been getting a better attitude towards it. So they wrap an arm around their sister and she sinks into their side, wrapping her own arms around them. "Nash is better at this whole "comfort" thing. But believe me, I know what it's like to face people who have limited understanding about these things. You must remember, Tabby, you know yourself better than anyone else, and it's not weak, in fact it's a very strong thing to be who you are. And we all love you anyway, that's what matters"

Tabby looked up at Basil, and gave a small smile, "Thanks, Basil."

They got out of the back alley and called Nash, who along with the rest of the search party came dashing to their location, Tabby is swept up in hugs from her siblings and her friends, they're all crying, glad she's safe.

Tabby completely forgets what she was upset about, because Basil was right, she knows herself, she knows she's loved.

Chapter Text

When Nash was 6 years old, he broke his left arm. He was playing outside on with the neighbors kids on a swing set across the road. Mum was inside feeding Tate in his high chair, he had just started eating solids at this point. Lunchtime was interrupted abruptly when the neighbor, brought Nash back with a blanket wrapped around him, tears of pain streaming down his face, and an arm that was definitely bent incorrectly.

Mum called and ambulance, and once at the hospital, Nash's arm was put back into place, and a blue cast was put on it. When home, Mum told Nash about how he should get kids at school to write or draw on it, and she demonstrated by drawing a heart on the palm of the cast, making her son smile.

When Tate was 9 years old, he broke his right leg while climbing a tree. He was trying to impress his friend Harold who said he couldn't do it, Mum was reading a book on the bench when she heard a snap, a thump, a different kind of snap, and then the screams of her son.

Mum, Nash, and Emmett all ran to him, Harold was by Tate's side looking really guilty. As he should, thought Mum, but she wasn't about to yell at someone else's child for being stupid. Because at when all is said and done, kids are meant to be stupid, how else would they learn?

They couldn't move Tate without hurting him, so an ambulance was called. Same as before, the bone was put back into place, and a green cast was put on Tate's leg, Mum drew a heart on the heel.

When Emmett was 13, he broke his left hand. He was playing Football with his family and River watching, he really wanted to impress her as they had just started dating. But in an attempt to get the ball off an opposing player, they clashed into eachother and hit the ground hard, the other player landing elbow first on Emmetts hand.

Emmett came home that day with a red cast on his hand, the siblings and River signed it, wouldn't be long after that Emmet would ask River to be his girlfriend, she happily said yes, Mum drew a heart on the top of Emmett's wrist.

When Basil was 13, they broke their right shoulder. They did this when they were in an argument with their history teacher about how George Washington did not in fact cut down a cherry tree, and that he was horrible person anyway, and in a moment of what can only be described as "righteousness mixed with stupidity" they tried to stand on their desk, and ended up falling off and landing right on their shoulder with and awful crunch noise.

Basil came home with a purple body cast, which meant way more room to sign on. Mum drew a heart on his shoulder, before having a talk about how there are better ways to talk to teachers when they're incorrect about something.

When Tabby was 9, she broke her leg in two places. She was helping Ryan learn how to ride a bike, and decided to show him by riding it herself. But keep in mind that they're on a hill, and the ten year old went a bit too far and ended up rolling down the hill really fast and in an attempt to stop tried to break. She ended up flipping herself and the bike, her leg hitting the ground in a incredibly wrong angle.

Her cast was yellow, Ryan blamed himself for what happened, but Tabby assured him "it's not your fault I went so fast, rather stupid of me, really. It's gravity's fault if anything." Ryan laughed, he felt better after that. Mum drew a heart below her knee, as much as she didn't like her kids getting injured, she hoped Felix would learn from his siblings and be more careful.

When Felix was 10, he broke his right arm, he and Ruby were playing on the swings while Carla watched, and Felix wanted to show Ruby a cool trick, so he swung as high as he could go, and then he flung himself off the swing, attempting to land on his feet, but he ended up going too far forward and landing on his arm at the wooden edge of the playground with a blood curdling scream.

Ruby quickly got off the swing and called for her Mum, who came over immediately, she got Felix into her car and called Nash once they got to the hospital. Nash came in and Felix was there waiting for him, getting his blue cast put on, Nash told his youngest brother about how he broke his arm when he was little, and that he can ask everyone else about their past broken bones.

When Felix got home, he asked all his siblings to sign the cast, only difference this time, Nash drew a heart on his brothers upper forearm, in honor of the tradition Mum started.

When The Family was older (or at least when they were all over 18) they got hearts tattooed where they had been on their respective casts, no matter how painful the placing was. They would then go to their mothers grave to show her, and say how even after all this time, they'll never stop missing her.

Chapter Text

It was another regular, rather quiet Saturday for The Family. Nash was on the laptop paying bills and responding to emails, Felix was on the floor drawing, Tabby was tinkering with her electronic kit, Emmett and Tate were playing a board game, and Basil was calmly strumming his guitar.

It likely would've stayed this way for hours, but then, they heard the all too familiar warping, whooshing noise from outside. Everyone stops what they're doing, "it's the TARDIS!" Felix squeals as they all rush outside towards the noise.

The Doctor hadn't been home to see The Family for a while now, figured it was time for a visit. They flipped the console leaver, and rushed out the door, just in time to see the five kids and their oldest brother exit the house.

"Doctor!" The five all yelled in unison at him as Nash smiled at their excitement. The Doctor reached out their arms towards the kids, Felix hopped into their arms first, then Tabby, then Basil, then Emmett and Tate, the Doctor exclaimed their names as they did so.

"Hello, everyone! Look at all of you, you need to stop growing, I could find a way to do that, make you stop growing, somehow" The Doctor said as they ruffled Tate's hair, making him laugh.

"No experiments on my siblings, Doctor. You know the rules" Nash smiled as he clapped them on the shoulder, unable to hug them since his siblings were all still clinging to the Time Lord.

They all tugged The Doctor inside, asking them where they've been, who they have met, and if they saved any planets from destruction. The Doctor tells them about how they paid a visit to the Ood sphere, ran into some old companions at UNIT and stopped someone called "The Toymaker" from taking over the earth. "How come we didn't see it on the news? " Felix asked with a tilted head, "UNIT keeps it secret, don't tell them that I'm telling you their secrets" The Doctor pulls the ten year old into their side for a hug, which the boy returns sweetly.

After some more catch-up, Emmett asked if they could go in the TARDIS for a ride. "Of course, but only if it's okay with your brother" said The Doctor, looking at Nash, "okay, okay, alright. But not for too long" he caved after incessant begging.

They loaded into The TARDIS, giggling in excitement, the machine whirring happily, she usually doesn't like kids, but these ones are the only exception. "Remember kiddos, no touching the console, we don't want a repeat of The Wormhole Incident" Doc started flipping switches and leavers, the whirring noise ramping up again, the kids cringing at the memory of The Wormhole Incident.

Doc took The Family to go sight seeing, which Nash thought was safe enough. They went to the rings of Saturn first, the doors were wife open so they could all sit and watch the cold ice rocks rotate around the planet. "Did you know Saturn isn't actually a planet? It's a gas giant made of hydrogen and helium" Felix stated, pointing to it. The Doctor turned to the youngest boy, "nice knowledge, Felix. Are you learning that in school?" They asked and he nodded, smiling at the compliment.

"Could we drive the TARDIS through Saturn, then?" Tabby tilted her curious head, to which everyone said "no!" In unison. "Okay, alright. Only askin' guys" the thirteen year old raised her hands in mock surrender, she still didn't really get why they couldn't, something about density of the gas in the center being basically liquid or something like that.

Next they went to see the pillars of creation, the Doctor gave them all astro glasses that they made themself so the kids could see it better, they marveled at how beautiful it was. Nash placed a hand on Doc's shoulder, "thanks for this, they love it when you're around" the 22 year old smiles at the Timelord, who looks at him with a sort of... Sadness? He couldn't really tell.

"No problem, I love having them around. If I could I'd have you all around always, but your lives are on earth, mines in here." They gestured to the TARDIS, the white lights turned down low so the view was better.

The others hear this, Tate turns to look at his twin from another world "don't you ever wish you could stay put, live in one place, have a quiet life?" The teenager asked, the others waiting for Doc's reply, "can't say I haven't, but there are just some things we can't have, you'll understand as you get older."

It wasn't the full answer, they could all tell, but no one dared to push it any further.

After a few more stops, Pluto, the International Space Station so they could wave at the astronauts, and the Big Bang, The Doctor took them home. They all trotted down the ramp towards the door, Nash went out first to take a headcount, Felix grabbed Doc's hand and tugged "can you stay for dinner?" The 10 year old asked, with the most adorable pleading face.

Of course they couldn't say no, it's Felix, The Doctor would do anything for him. They had pizza, ordering different toppings, mainly pepperoni and plain cheese, Nine ordering Hawaiian ironically because it makes all his siblings go "ewwww" and unironically because he does actually like it.

They ate and listened to Doc talk more about their adventures, about Cybermen, Daleks, Judoon, and they all listen with pure wonder and amazement.

Once it's time to leave, they all stand on the deck outside, and watch as their friend opened the door to their space ship, wave good-bye, and then the warping starts again, and then the TARDIS disappears.

There's always tears after The Doctor leaves, especially from Felix, he's the once who brought The Doctor in, and made them a part of the family.

The Doctor hadn't had a family in a long time, they knew it wouldn't last forever, but maybe that's why they keep going back.

Chapter Text

Tate and Emmett, being the same age, graduated high school together. In fact they walked the stage together to receive their certificates while their siblings cheered and clapped in the audience.

Not too long after that, they received letters of acceptance to Oxford, Tate studying engineering and mathematics, Emmett Astrophysics and chemistry, the boys were both so excited Basil joked they would blow up, though they were happy for their brothers, they all were.

When it was time to leave, there wasn't a dry eye amongst them at the train station, Tate and Emmett were staying in the residence halls since Oxford is almost 2 hours away. Tate bent down to Felix's eye level "don't worry, little man. We're not that far away, we'll both call on weekends, and we'll come back during the holidays, alright?" Felix nodded and wrapped his arms around Tate's neck, who lifted him up in a tight hug.

Tate then passed Felix to Emmett as Tabby wanted a turn, even though she was getting to big too be lifted, Tate would be damned if he wasn't going to try, and he mostly succeeds, managing to get her off the ground for about five seconds, Emmett got about 10 seconds of airtime with his sister, "that doesn't mean your stronger than me" Tate pointed at his brother, "it so does, matchstick man."

Basil was at a point where hugs were allowed (thanks Clara), so they did just that, it was slightly awkward since it hardly happens but Tate and Emmett were nevertheless grateful, "don't die out there" Basil said to their older brothers, which was about the nicest thing they could say.

Nash grabbed both of them and pulled them into a tree way hug, kissing their temples and squeezing them tightly, his brothers were adults now, and they were going to uni, he still didn't believe it. "You two look out for eachother, okay? And if you don't call or I hear anything about two brothers fighting on Oxford grounds I'll come over there and kill you both myself" they all laughed, then hugged tighter.

"We'll take care, Nash. We promise" Tate swore, muffled by his brothers leather jacket. "Thank you for looking after us" Emmett's shakey voice was also muffled. Nash broke the hug and placed a hand on his brothers shoulders, "I'm so proud of you both, and Mum would be too if she were here."

The train to Oxford was announced via the loudspeaker, Tate and Emmett picked up their bags, waving one last goodbye before boarding the train. Tabby and Felix chased after the train until the end of the platform, waving frantically at their brothers.

Nash watches the train fade into the distance, whispering "I love you, boys" under his breath.

Chapter Text

It was weird without Tate and Emmett around, at least for the first few weeks, Tabby and Felix kept on forgetting they weren't home, they would even knock on their bedroom doors only to remember they weren't there.

But the boys kept their promises, they called on the weekends, came home on holidays. River would also come home too as she was also studying at Oxford to be an archeologist, meanwhile Tate and Rose decided to be long distance as she was taking a gap year working at a clothes shop so she could figure out what she wanted to do.

And after what felt like so long yet no time at all, two years had gone by and it was Basil's turn to leave home. They were going to Music School to study guitar and classical music, because surprise surprise they liked Beethoven as well as Pink Floyd.

Same as when Tate and Emmett left, it took a little getting used to. Nash almost missed the sound of guitar at various points of the day, what he didn't miss was the accidental squeal of amplifier feedback at ungodly hours of the night, that was a perk if anything.

Clara went to study teaching, and Bill took a gap year, the trio kept in touch and got together on holidays whenever they could. Also, in a development that surprised absolutely no one, Clara and Basil made themselves official, "fuckin' took you two long enough, you guys were worse than bloody Tate and Rose" Nash lamented over the phone when Basil told him.

It was dinners that were the most weird, now that only three people occupied the big house. Tabby and Felix would tell Nash about their days, and sometimes Basil, Tate and Emmett would video call so it could feel like they're eating together.

Basil would play original songs for them on call and ask for feedback, which was always positive because they always sounded great. "You'll be releasing platinum albums before you know it, Bas" Tate would remark and they would furrow their attack eyebrows (Emmett came up with that). "Let's focus on finishing Uni first, guys."

After that the siblings would hang up, saying goodbye, and even "I love you" as they did so. Because they ought to be saying it more often, now that they're not all together anymore.

Chapter Text

Nash catches himself in the living room late at night, looking in the old Family albums that Mum had made. Several books of family trips to the Lake District, to Scotland and Wales, to all the Christmas family photos, to all their baby books from back when they were all first adopted, despite himself he shed a few tears as he turned the pages and the memories washed over him in waves.

"Nash? Are you alright?" He hears a voice from behind him, it's Felix, "hey, little man. You're supposed to be in bed" he reminds his little brother gently while wiping his tears. "I was thirsty, and you didn't answer my question" the 12 year old put his hands on his hips in that sassy way he does.

"I'm alright, Felix. Just reminiscing on old times" Nash explained as he put the book down, getting up to get Felix's water for him. Felix drank it rather quickly then went back to bed, giving his oldest brother a hug and saying "I miss them all too."

A few months went by, and with the three uni students home for summer, Nash decided they ought to go on a holiday to the Lake District. Nash rented an RV for a weekend, the six of them all packed up and got in the vehicle, happy to be doing something all together for the first time in a while.

They make it to the lake with little trouble apart from them all bantering like old times, they park their RV, unpack their outdoor furniture, and immediately all get changed and go swimming.

The water is cold, so it takes a while for them to get used to it, Felix was close to backing out but then Tabby dunked him under. "That's not funny, Tabs!!!" He splashes his sister while everyone else laughed at their two youngest siblings.

Emmett had Tate on his shoulders, Bas on Nash's as they do a chicken fight, Felix and Tabby watching for any foul play. "Come on, noodle arms, get them!!!" Emmett encouraged his brother, "don't distract me, Emmett!" He yelled back but it wasn't enough as Basil took the opportunity to shove Tate, causing them to tumble into the water.
They got out, dried off, had barbeque sausages for dinner, and star gazed for a while. Telling stories about their other sibling Doc like nothing had changed.

Then they go into the RV and go to sleep, Nash wakes them up early to watch the sun come up like Mum used to make them do, they hated it but it was always worth it, the sun glistening on the water as it brought in the new day.

And that's pretty much what it was like for three days, six siblings having fun all day and night, six siblings who have been through a lot in the past few years, six siblings who love each other more than words can say, six siblings that have a lot of life and time ahead of them, and intend to spend as much of it as they can together.