Welcome to the much anticipated sequel to "Across the Dark!" :)

I had such fun writing the first one, and so many seemed to enjoy it that I decided to go ahead and write a continuation. If you haven't read AtD, I suggest you do so or you are going to be very confused. Seriously. There are a lot of twists and turns and complicated plot developments and it's only going to get worse as this story continues.

This first chapter will give a bit of a recap to refresh your memory for certain things that will be important later, and will also add on some things. So I will stop rambling and let you get to it. :D Please R&R. And most definitely Enjoy!

"What was it like? In the void?" Rose Tyler asks the girl sitting next to her in the back seat if the car. Her brown eyes, so much like the Doctor's glaze over. "You don't have to answer...I was just curious."

"No it's fine." She squeezes her eyes shut and faces forward away from the window before continuing.

"It's dark, like you'd expect. And quiet. So quiet that your ears start to ring, it sounds like someone's screaming. Until you get use to it. It cold. And thick. Hard to breathe, hard to move. You don't get hungry, or thirsty. You do get tired, but it doesn't matter. Cause you can't fall asleep. You're too lonely to sleep. It's too quiet to sleep."

The thing about Jane Ryder was that she was stronger than most. But her strength came in the form of other people's weaknesses. She was a Whovian, who had the misfortune of surviving a plane crash. A plane crash that didn't just land her on a deserted island. It landed her in the void, and when she finally drifted out of it, she was in a whole different world. Pete's world.

She helped Rose Tyler make it to Journey's end. She picked the name Jane Ryder in honor of a friend who gave up. His name was the constant reminder that she could not end her life as he did. She fully intended to keep the timeline on track. But circumstances changed when Rose regenerated, and ended up with two hearts. This caused her to change everything.

She fixed a great deal. Rose was with the Doctor, Donna retained her memories and ended up with Lee from the library. Even Meta found a place. He found his place with her. The only person in the universe who could truly understand him.

But life wasn't all perfect. Meta died...for her. And eventually, so did she. But because of his life, she survived, with an extra heart beating in her chest. But that wasn't the end of her trials. After Junior, the son of the Doctor and Rose grew up, she had to go to war. The Time War. It was there that she learned the part she had played in helping the Doctor with the moment.

With Juniors parents dead, he took his father's place in the TARDIS, and became eleven. Jane gave her life for him. And that's how she ended up in Paradise, where Meta was waiting.

The thing about Jane Ryder is that she was stronger than most. But she died young. I died young. That was once a name I went by, but in the Time War that changed. I have many names now, but only one do I choose to acknowledge.

I am the Lady Drifter in the Dark. And my story isn't over yet. I may have made it out of the dark, but this new found light is now nearly blinding me. It's time I relearned how to see, with new eyes.

DWDWDW DWDWDW DWDWDW DWDW

Earth 2009. Noble-McAvoy Household. "Family reunion."

"Auntie Jane!"

"Ughf." I huff as the nine year old time lord barrels into me. "Careful there Raggedy." I laugh as I return his embrace.

He looks up at me with his mother's wide eyes. "I missed you."

"I missed you too Junior." I ruffle his hair and then he's off.

"Nathan!"

"Junior!"

I smile fondly as the two boys embrace. As Nathan begins to talk adamantly I can clearly see that he's Donna's son. He may have his father's hair and features, but his facial expressions clearly reflect hers.

The two boys whisper to each other and giggle. Donna notices and frowns. She shifts the small two year old boy on her hip. "What you two think you're talking about?"

"Nothing mum."

"Oh no you don't. I know that look mister. And yours too Junior. Just like your dad you are. Whatever you're planning you can forget it right now. Now go wash up. Dinner's almost ready."

I laugh head back into the kitchen to refill my glass. Rose and Martha are talking cheerfully as they finish up the meal. "Oh no. Jane. Out."

"Relax Rose. I'm just getting another drink. I'm not going to set the kitchen on fire." I clear my throat and mumble under my breath, "Again."

I dance out of the kitchen as they laugh at me. You start one grease fire and get banned from cooking for the rest of your regeneration. I head back to the living room. Jack and the Doctor are having a friendly looking argument over who knows what, and Mickey and Lee having a conversation while trying to keep their kids in line at the same time.

And then the front door opens and all hell breaks lose. "Hey kids!"

"Grandpa!" They all rush to Wilf as he smiles widely. Junior and Nathan try to act cool but it's easy to say that they're just as excited. Jessica, Martha and Mickey's right year old daughter just rolls her eyes at their antics.

Wilf hugs them each as turn. The Smith children starting with Jessica and then moving on to five year old Timothy. Junior of course, and then the the McAvoy children. All four of them. All four boys. Nathan at nine, Jason at seven, Samuel at four, and two year old Jonathan. And to think, they're in the process of adopting a baby girl named April.

Seeing them greet the man they call grandfather brings a bittersweet feeling to me. I hadn't always liked kids. There was a time as a young teen that I couldn't stand them. But even then, I knew that wanted to have one at least. But I've resolved not to at this point. The only man I loved is dead, yet still he haunts me. He haunts me in memories and dreams, and "when I need him most." He haunts me once a year at this dinner party. The Memorial Day of dear Uncle Meta.

And now, being a time lord or lady, I can't bring myself to do that. I can't allow myself to fall in love with someone else and I refuse to have a child grow up without their father. Children need both of their parents. I should know. My parents together were my best memories. After the divorce...it hurt me more than it hurt them. I hadn't even fully forgiven them for it by the time the plane crashed. But by then it was too late. In their minds, I will be long dead.

But it doesn't matter. I have this family. This new family that's all mine. Donna and Lee are together because of me. They're kids exist because of that and I love each of them. Rose and the Doctor are happy as well and their son is always smiling. Jack still feels guilty at times for my first death, the one that led to Meta's sacrifice. But he told me that I've long since forgiven him, and he's managed to simply be grateful for his grandson still being alive.

Martha and Mickey are also a sight that I'm grateful for. Mickey and I had a rough start all those years ago. It was a different world, and I was a different person, but we grew closer. Battle seems to do that to people. Wilf feels guilty like Jack does. I died for him and no one could save me. Except Meta did. I brush my fingertips over my pulse point and feel the double beat. It's because of him that I'm taller, faster, leaner. It's because of him that I have long black hair and bright blue eyes that can see through anything. But it was a long time ago now and I refuse to feel regret. It was his choice. He wouldn't want me to live in pity.

So I don't. I live and breath and laugh with these people. My family. It's strange now. I've spent just as long in this world as I did in my original universe. And the people who were once nothing more than fiction, are now more real to me then my own flesh and blood.

DW DW DW DW DW DW DW DW DW DW

Awareness slowly creeps into my system as I begin to wake up from my dream. No. More than a dream. A memory. One that is almost forgotten. I was so young then. Much has changed since. I have died again. I gave my life for Junior as he guarded the crack on Trenzalore. He'll be who I'd once thought was Twelve now.

I curl closer into the warmth next to me and breath in deep. A smile spreads across my face as I feel Meta's arms wrap around me in response. "Morning."

"Morning," I reply. It's been a few weeks since I first found him here in Paradise. We spend our days exploring our surroundings and our nights are spent quietly together. Too long were we denied this closeness. I was around twenty years old when I met him. I was nearly twenty two when he died. But I'm now well into my second century. Two hundred and seventy nine years of life. Except now, I'm mostly dead.

Refreshed and dressed, we make our way down more long corridors in the strange city. As each day passes I tell him more and more of the time I spent without him. I tell him about the family dinners, and Juniors antics. I share with him as many memories as I can in a single hour or so. I even share the memory of the Doctor and Rose's death and how their son took up the family business with the TARDIS.

It's both sad and happy as we walk hand in hand. Both laughter and tears echo through us. But we don't have a lot of time. Not if things begin to happen the way I believe they will. There are no secrets between us anymore. There's no need for it. We are as close as any two people can be.

But even with that, it still surprised me at times when he asks me questions about it. "You are certain that the Master is here?"

"Yes. Well, let's say Missy. It's easier to keep them straight."

He shakes his head trying to wrap his mind around the idea. "I can't believe he regenerated into a girl. Usually the potential for that shows up early in the regenerative process. It's strange that it manifested so late."

I find myself curious. "Did you have the potential?"

"I'd say no. Like I said. It would have shown up early. Then again, the Master is now a Missy. If the timeline has reverted back to the original plot of the show as you suspect."

"I'm sure it has. The way things unfolded with Junior...he showed me his memories. I saw some of what happened. I changed the outcome of season four, but it seems the universe was insistent that the rest would still remain the same."

His lips brush my forehead in a comforting gesture. "The universe is bigger than you. You can't blame yourself for not being able to change it."

I sigh. "I know."

And so we continue to search. Because I won't stay in this place. Neither Meta nor I wish to leave Junior... the Doctor, alone. So we'll get out. And he won't be alone. I smile. I always did enjoy family reunions.