Chapter 3

Rose shook her head slightly as she watched Jack and the Doctor leave the TARDIS. After prying every possible detail from Jack, the Doctor had decided that he needed to see and question the Xevengow himself to be certain that Torchwood had not missed anything.

Once she heard their footsteps fade away, she boiled the kettle again and took down a tea tray. It was one they had purchased at the market on Faaryn. It was made out of exotic blue, alien wood that had been bent and twisted into a swirled pattern of intricate shapes.

The kettle began to whistle, so Rose quickly removed it from the stove and poured water over the teabags that she'd set out in a unique, elephant shaped teapot. She placed it gingerly on the tray, quickly adding a small pitcher of cream and a sugar bowl along with a plate of finger food, and a cup and saucer, before lifting the tray and carrying it down the hall to Jenny's room.

Jenny was already sitting up. "Hi," she said cheerfully as Rose entered the room.

"Hiya Jenny." Rose set the tea tray over the girl's lap and settled herself into the arm chair that had been placed next to the bed. "I brought you something to eat."

"Thank you." Jenny smiled and immediately began to nibble on a grape.

After Jenny had eaten a few more things and was sipping her tea, Rose said softly. "We saw Jack."

Jenny's hand shook slightly and her face widened in shock for a moment before she regained her composure. "What did he tell you?"

"Mostly that you crashed here a little over three months ago and that you were attacked by a Xevengow."

Jenny shivered at the name. "Yes, that's right," she whispered, "Only--"

"Only what?" Rose prompted gently.

Jenny considered her carefully for a moment, her eyes darting back and forth as she examined Rose's face closely. Finally she nodded as though deciding something and took a deep breath. "There are a lot of things they don't know."

"You didn't trust them." Rose fought an amused smile that threatened to tug at the corners of her mouth.

"Not entirely."

"Your father will be very proud of you."

"He will?"

Rose laughed at the startled expression on the young girl's face. "Yeah. He doesn't trust Torchwood either."

Jenny gaped at her for a moment, and then threw her head back and within moments her tinkling laughter mixed with Rose's. "It's not that I didn't trust them to keep me safe – well I mean, I didn't, not really, but I didn't feel unsafe either – it's more that what happened to me it --" Jenny shuddered again, and Rose could see fear reflected in her eyes.

Rose reached out to grasp her hand and instantly Jenny relaxed. She squeezed Rose's hand gratefully and continued, "What happened to me, it was horrible and awful and very personal and I didn't feel comfortable sharing it with any of them." Jenny's voice dropped considerably as she spoke and Rose had to strain to hear her.

"That's perfectly understandable," Rose acknowledged reassuringly. "Some things are difficult to talk about, even with people you're close to."

Jenny nodded in agreement, turning away to stare at the abandoned tea tray. "Rose?" she whispered, still looking away.

"What is it, Jenny?"

Jenny swallowed. "I know that technically we just met and we barely know each other, but -" she looked at Rose again, her eyes shining with unshed tears. "- I feel closer to you than I've felt to anyone since, since the Doctor. It's like we're connected."

Deeply touched, Rose's own eyes glistened and she held Jenny's hand more tightly. "I feel that connection too. The Doctor said earlier that he was thinking about me when you were created. Maybe that's why?"

"So you're kind of like…" Jenny hesitated, biting her lip nervously as though debating whether she should continue or not. "…my mother?"

"I guess I am."

Jenny smiled shyly. "I'd like it if you were. I've never had a mother before."

Rose grinned. "I'd like that, too."

They stared at each other happily for a moment before Jenny spoke again. "Girls can tell their mothers everything, right?"

"Some do. My mum was always there when I needed her." Rose had to swallow the lump in her throat. She was used to missing Jackie, but she still felt a pang every time she thought of her Mum, living without her in the other universe. She hoped that she and Pete and Tony were okay.

"I want to tell you." Jenny spoke so quietly that Rose almost missed it.

"Tell me what?"

"Everything."

The Doctor returned to the TARDIS, pleased with himself at the way he'd managed to pry information out of the Xevengow. It hadn't been easy, of course, but what he'd learned had been useful – which was more than he could say about what Jack had discovered.

Grinning, he unlocked the familiar blue door and strode in, stroking the console tenderly as he passed it and went off in search of Rose. He found her leaning against the door to Jenny's room, tearstains visible on her face.

Alarmed, he instantly pulled her into his arms and kissed the top of her head. "Rose, what's wrong?"

Rose squeezed him tightly then stepped back nodded to the door. "Not here."

He frowned slightly, but nodded and followed her into the library.

"Jenny told me what happened to her," Rose explained, once they were seated on the plush sofa.

"You mean --?"

Rose nodded. "All of it, the babies, their father, the crash – everything." Fresh tears began to trickle down her cheeks and before he knew it Rose was throwing her arms around him. "Oh, Doctor. It's so horrible."

He pulled her into a warm and comforting embrace, rubbing her back calmly, even as pain for Jenny stabbed at his own hearts. "Can you tell me?"

Rose turned her head so that she was leaning one cheek against his chest. "Yes. Jenny asked me to. It was hard for her to talk about. She didn't think she could relive it again." Rose shivered.

What could have happened to Jenny that would make Rose this upset? He wanted to know, but he didn't want to rush her. He knew that Rose would tell him everything in her own time.

Rose snuggled more comfortably into his arms and took a deep breath. "Jenny was married - "

The Doctor frowned. "Was?"

"Shh, I'll get there."

"Sorry. Go on."

"As I was saying, Jenny was married to the prince of a planet called Valr. She was madly in love with him and they were delighted to be having children. She said they were really happy – until the night the sky turned red and war broke out."

"Hundreds of those creatures, the Xevengow, invaded the city, killing anyone and anything in their path, storming their way to the castle. The castle's army tried to protect it, but they were outnumbered and before long they had overwhelmed the small brigade and were entering the castle. Jenny's husband urged her to run, to hide herself but she wouldn't leave him so they both grabbed weapons and raced downstairs to defend the kingdom."

"They fought hard. Jenny said that her husband killed several of the Xevengow, but there were too many of them. Doctor, Jenny watched as the creatures killed her husband and his parents." Tears flowed from Rose's eyes, and the Doctor felt moisture dampening his own.

"My god."

"I know. She could barely speak when she told me about this Doctor, she kept closing her eyes as though trying not to remember."

The Doctor felt a pang. The thought of his daughter going through that alone, scared and pregnant broke his heart. "How did she get away?"

"She ran." Rose smiled slightly through the tears. "She ran as fast as she could to her rocket ship and took off without looking back."

"And the crash?"

"She didn't have time to refuel before she took off so she ran out. It happened so fast that she only had time to steer herself over a clear area of land before she crashed to the earth. The rest of the story is pretty much what Jack told us."

They sat in silence, wrapped in each other's arms.

"It fits," the Doctor murmured incredulously. "The damn thing was actually telling the truth."

"What are you talking about?"

"The Xevengow at Torchwood. I questioned him with Jack and managed to get him to speak to me. He wouldn't say much, but he did say that his planet Bedangowlen is dying and that Jenny was a threat to his species' existence."

"Jenny? How could she be a threat?"

"That's what I was wondering, but now it's all making sense." The Doctor stood up, pulling Rose with him. He took her hand in his and dragged her to the control room. Quickly, he punched into something the computer, then peered at the map that appeared on the monitor. "Ah ha! Rose, look at this."

He pointed to two little dots on the screen. "Are those planets?"

"Valr and Bedangowlen to be exact."

"They're neighbours?" Rose looked more closely. "So if Bedangowlen is dying then the Xevengow need a new home, and they want Valr."

"Exactly."

"And Jenny's a threat because --"

"Her children are the heirs to the Valrian throne."

"Wow." Rose's eyes were wide. "Maybe you could convince them that Jenny's not a threat."

"I tried that already. It didn't work." The Doctor stared at the two small dots again and suddenly he had an idea. A brilliant idea. "I can stop this!" he shouted excitedly, dancing around the console, calibrating it for flight.

"How?"

"Wait and see, Rose. Wait and --- What?" The TARDIS suddenly made a loud screeching sound as the time rotor moved twice and slowed to an abrupt stop. "No! No, no, no, no, no!" The Doctor banged on the console.

"What happened?"

"She must have been damaged in the rough landing," the Doctor guessed as he pulled up the floor grating and slid below, examining the machinery. "We're stuck here."

"Can you fix it?"

"Of course, but it will take ---."

A sudden, ear piercing scream caused them both to freeze.

"Jenny!" they cried in unison.

Then they both started running, and all the Doctor could do was hope that they'd get there in time.

TBC