A/N: so, I have a few chapters' worth ready, but I don't want to upload them all at once...

Ah, and Dridda... Kalishayamandrid of House Blyledge: she's a Time Lord and a friend of the Doctor's from Gallifrey. I'm writing her backstory too, but I'm sort of stuck on it, so it might not be up for another while yet... So yeah. Sorry bout that.

"Jax!" the Doctor called into the TARDIS. It had been three years since he had discovered the child on the ashy moon. She had spent that entire time in the depths of the TARDIS, rarely venturing past his companions' bedrooms and never leaving the safety of the TARDIS. She had recovered quickly, but the Doctor had discovered a disease- one so advanced and unique that he doubted he would be able to find a cure for it in her lifetime- buried in her DNA. He had been able to determine that the atmosphere in the TARDIS would keep the sickness at bay, but only while she was inside of it. She would only be able to leave a TARDIS-like atmosphere for short amounts of time- four or five weeks at most- for the rest of her life.

Jax—she had begun to talk on a regular basis after a year in the TARDIS, and had become louder and more boisterous ever since—burst into the control room, her shoulder-length red-brown curls forming a wild mane around her head. She wore olive green capris and a too-big cream-colored shirt. Her feet were characteristically bare. "Did you find it?" she demanded, rushing to the console and standing next to the Doctor.

He smiled down at her. "Yes, I found it," he nodded. "This is the planet we met on before I regenerated. You shouldn't be here for too long before you find me again. Do you remember what I told you I looked like?"

"Longish curly brown hair, big red coat, massively long scarf," Jax replied, bouncing on her toes and looking up at the Doctor, her big brown eyes sparkling. "You're with a boy named Adric, who has short black hair and wears a star badge."

"Very good," the Doctor nodded. "And who are you looking for on the planet to wait with until I arrive?"

"Kalishayamandrid of House Blyledge," Jax grinned. "I remembered her whole name this time."

"Very good," the Doctor smiled. He crouched down in front of the girl and rested his hands on her shoulders. "Dridda will take care of you until you find me once you show her the ring I gave you."

From under her baggy shirt, Jax pulled out a long silver chain, at the end of which hung a delicate silver ring with a blue stone. "It's Gallifreyan." She stated.

"Yes," the Doctor nodded. "Dridda will know it's mine." He stood and looked down at Jax. "Now, are you ready?"

"Yes," she nodded, the excitement in her face fading. "I have a backpack with some extra clothes in my room."

"Go get it," the Doctor ordered. Jax nodded and walked towards the door. "And get some shoes!" he shouted after her.

When Jax returned, she was carrying a sturdy-looking brown knapsack and wearing plain brown sandals. Her eyes were red-rimmed. "Doctor, I don't want to go," she sniffled.

The Doctor knelt down and pulled her into a tight embrace. "I don't want you to go either, but it won't be for long." He released her and allowed her to step back, but his hands remained on her shoulders. "Everything will be alright."

"But," Jax started. Her eyes were now overflowing with tears, and she hiccupped. "But when I find you, it won't really be you, will it?"

The Doctor sighed. "No, it won't. Not yet. But I have a feeling you'll meet this face again, and I know you'll meet others. It's going to be okay." He gave her another tight hug before releasing her and standing. "I'm sorry that I have to leave you here, but I don't have a choice. I can't help you find Dridda or myself. But I know you're going to be alright."

Jax hiccupped again and rubbed her eyes, wiping her tears on the sleeve of her shirt. "I'll miss you, Doctor."

"I will miss you too, Jaxlynn," the Doctor smiled down at her. "Now, chin up. It's time to get going."

With one last, hiccupping sob, Jax sniffed hugely and scrubbed her face with her sleeve. "Goodbye, Doctor," she said. "I'll miss you."

"I'll miss you too, Jax," the Doctor replied, feeling his throat tighten. He watched her straighten up and cinch her backpack straps, take one last look around the control room, and stride towards the door. When she reached it, she glanced over her shoulder at the Doctor, waved, and stepped outside. "I'll miss you more than you'll ever know," he sighed. Resisting the urge to turn on the viewer, he pushed the lever to close the doors, keyed in the coordinates for his next destination, and pressed the button to dematerialize the TARDIS.

"Hello there," the Doctor said, peering at the child perched on a stack of wooden crates in the back alley of Pompeii.

"Hi," the girl replied.

Trying not to smile, the Doctor asked: "What's your name?"

"Jaxlynn," the girl replied, staring back at him. "And you?"

"Oh, who I am isn't important," he shrugged. He tucked his hands into the pockets of his brown, pinstripe trousers, under his brown trench coat. "You seem a little lost. Are you looking for someone?"

"Yeah," Jax replied slowly. "Why do you care?"

"Oh, no reason," the Doctor shrugged again. He kicked his foot, clad in a bright red converse high top, against the ground. "I'm just bored. I don't really have anything to do, and thought that if you were looking for someone, maybe I could help you find them."

"How would you know who I'm looking for?" Jax retorted.

"Hm, that's a good point," the Doctor agreed. "I don't. But it seems to me that if you were looking for someone, the marketplace would be a better place to look than a back alley."

"I'm meeting someone here," Jax replied grudgingly. "She's supposed to come here, and I'll find her then."

"Oh, well then," the Doctor nodded. "I suppose I'll just leave you to it."

"Yes, goodbye," Jax said, looking pointedly at the wall next to her.

"Goodbye," the Doctor smiled. He nodded politely at the child and strode out into the street, nearly running into a short young woman with golden-red hair. "Ah, hello, Dridda," he smiled.

"Doctor?" she gaped. "It can't be!"

"Why not?" he asked indignantly. "You hardly look like you did last time you saw me, anyways."

"What?" she asked.

"Never mind," he laughed. "For now, I need you to do something for me. There's a child in this alley here, waiting for you. She'll have a sign that you can trust her. I need you to do me a favor and take care of her until the two of you find me again. Well, a different me, but it will be me. Also, once you get her, the two of you must leave this city immediately."

"Doctor, what's going on?" Dridda demanded.

"No time to explain," the Doctor replied. "Now, go on. You'll be alright once you get out of here. You'll find me again soon."

Dridda stared at him, dumbfounded. "Shoo!" the Doctor scolded. "No time to waste. Goodbye, see you soon. It was nice to see you, Dridda."

With a groan, Dridda rolled her eyes and stalked into the alleyway to find Jax. The Doctor smiled after her and set off in the opposite direction to find Donna.

A/N: Yayyy part two! Sorry if the doctors are hard to figure out which is which... I didn't really want to come straight out and say it, so I tried to just describe them through their clothes.

Hope you enjoyed! Thanks for reading!