Yes, I know, I am the spawn of Satan for being so late with this. My computer had to spend a week with the Geek Squad, and I had a conference, and I had to move. Anyway, enough excuses. I apologize for any grammar errors, I was editing this in the middle of the night.
Thanks to all of you who have read, followed, favorited or reviewed this story, I really appreciate it. Enjoy!
Chapter Two: Question Marks
Captain Jack Harkness walked into yet another bar and sat down in a corner, rubbing a hand over his face in frustration. He quickly entered an order into the electronic system on the table and sat back, fuming.
It had been nearly a year since Aleria's death, and he was no closer to finding the Doctor than he had been when he started. Everywhere he went, everywhere he looked, and in every database he'd managed to get into, there was absolutely no sign of the elusive Timelord. He had expected it to be difficult to find him, but he hadn't thought it would be this bad. Even during his years stranded on Earth, working for Torchwood and waiting, there had at least been signs of him, glimpses of past regenerations, reports of a blue Police Box in odd places, and rumors and files. Now, it was almost like the Doctor had been… deleted out of every record in the universe. Jack hadn't made it back to Earth to look there yet, as he'd been hoping he wouldn't have to, but now it was starting to look like he didn't have a choice. He might even have to look up Martha, and see if she still had a way of contacting the Doctor. He sighed. Much as he loved Martha, he really didn't want to dig up all of the emotional baggage that would inevitably come up if he spoke to her again.
He was shaken out of his introspection when a handsome, middle-aged woman with absurdly curly hair strode into the bar and stood in front his table. He glanced up at her, and was just opening his mouth to ask what the hell she wanted when she cut him off.
"So, I understand you've been looking for the Doctor," she said, her low voice tense with suspicion. "So, who are you, and what do you want with him?" Her right hand rested on a familiar sort of blaster (Villengard, maybe?) that was strapped to her right hip, and she looked rather like she'd enjoy nothing more than shooting him with it.
He met her eyes squarely. "I'm Captain Jack Harkness, and I'm an old friend of the Doctor's. I need his help with something. Now, who are you, and why is it that you're interrogating me?"
The strange woman blinked. "You're Jack Harkness?" she asked, sounding much less suspicious and more than a little bit surprised.
His eyes narrowed. "Yes."
"I see." She paused, apparently thinking something over. "Well, if you are Jack Harkness, then tell me where you met the Doctor," she demanded, as though she were testing him.
"On Earth, during the London Blitz," Jack replied shortly. "Now I'll ask you again. Who are you, and why are you interrogating me?"
The woman sighed, and some of the tension drained out of her. She sat down opposite him and leaned back in her chair in a deceptively relaxed posture. He wasn't fooled, if he showed even the slightest sign that he was going to try something, she'd shoot him through the heart in an instant.
"My name is River Song," she told him. "I'm… a friend of the Doctor's as well, and I heard that someone was trying to find him, so, I figured I'd better look into it. He's got more than a few enemies, as I'm sure you know."
"Yeah, that's him. So, why are you so worried about someone looking for him? People do that all the time."
"Not anymore. A little while ago, he decided he'd gotten too visible, that people were noticing him too much. So, he decided to fake his own death, and he's been going around deleting himself from every database he comes across ever since. It won't work for long, but for now he's become a bit more… anonymous."
Jack snorted. "The Doctor? Anonymous? I find that a bit hard to believe. Sure, he never stays in one place for long, but he always makes a big impression."
The mysterious "River" smirked. "And that's why it won't work for long." She paused, and gave him a measuring look. "So, why are you trying to find him?"
Jack sighed. He had no desire to tell this strange woman about Aleria and what she'd said to him, but he was getting the idea that she might be able to help him find the Doctor, if he could convince her, gain her trust. He supposed that flirting with her wouldn't hurt either, and it wasn't like that would really be a hardship. He could already tell that she was a remarkable woman. She'd have to be, to be as close to the Doctor as she seemed to be.
"I met someone from a race that can read the timelines, like he can, only… She seemed awfully precise, whereas he never was. She saw a lot of specifics that I'm really quite sure he couldn't have predicted with nearly that much accuracy." He stopped and took a breath, aware that he was rambling. "Anyway, she saw something, just before she died, and felt the urge to warn me, and trust me when I say that the Doctor needs to know about this. So, you wouldn't happen to know how to get in touch with him, would you, Miss Song?" he asked, flashing her his most charming grin.
She responded with what seemed to be her trademark smirk. "It's Doctor Song, actually," she said smoothly. "And there's no point in trying your tricks on me, Captain. Not only am I married, but I've been warned about you."
"Oh-ho," Jack said with a chuckle. "Warned about me? I think I'm flattered." He grinned at her again. "Who's the lucky guy, then?" he asked, still hoping to charm her into telling him how to contact the Doctor.
She chuckled, her voice low. "The best man I've ever known," she replied, and he carefully noted the soft, almost distant look in her eyes when she said that. Well, that meant that she wasn't lying about being married, though that hadn't been likely, and made it a point for her credibility.
"I'm sure he is," Jack replied. "Well, Doctor Song, you still haven't told me if you can help me. Do you know how to get ahold of him?"
"Yes," she said, her voice smooth and nearly devoid of expression again. She was watching him closely, and he still felt distinctly like he was being measured.
"That's good. Are you going to share that information, or am I wasting my time here?" he asked bluntly.
She leveled that measuring stare at him a little while longer. Just when he was starting to feel twitchy, she sighed and nodded. "If you really are Captain Jack Harkness, then it won't do any harm, he's always spoken highly of you. And if it turns out you aren't… well… let's just say I won't give you a chance to try anything." Her look became a bit more intimidating, and he found himself thinking that he really didn't want to get in a fight with this woman. Ever. He might be immortal, but he still didn't want to tangle with her.
"Thank you," he said sincerely, and then blinked as something she'd said finally sunk in. "Wait, he speaks highly of me? The Doctor?" he asked, more than a bit surprised.
River smiled, the first genuine smile he'd seen from her, rather than the smirks he'd been getting the entire conversation. "Yes, he does," she said, almost gently, as though she knew how much that meant to him. Maybe she did.
He allowed himself a very brief moment to savor that bit of praise, second-hand as is was, before dragging himself back to business. "So then, how do I get in touch with him?"
River's smirk was back in an instant. "Like this," she said, and pulled up the sleeve on her left arm, revealing a Vortex Manipulator not unlike his. Her smirk became a slightly superior chuckle as she took in his raised eyebrows, then she began typing away. A moment later, she smiled and pulled her sleeve back down, then stood up. "Come with me, Captain. I sent him a message asking him to meet me, and sent him coordinates. He should be there any minute, and we should be there before he arrives."
Jack's eyebrows nearly disappeared into his hair. She sent one little message, and she expected the Doctor to drop everything and come running? He had to admit he was impressed. Just who exactly was this woman, anyway?
She chuckled as she led him out of the bar and across the street, sitting down on a park bench, her posture perfectly relaxed, the very picture of confidence. A moment later, the reason for her confidence became apparent, as the tell-tale wheezing sound that heralded the TARDIS's approach reached Jack's ears.
The beautiful blue Police Box finished materializing before his eyes, and the door opened to reveal an unfamiliar man. He was fairly tall, though not as tall as either of the Doctors Jack knew, and lanky, with floppy dark hair and bright green eyes, wearing a tweed jacket and a bowtie. The man stepped out, locked eyes with River, and smirked cockily, spreading his arms wide.
"You rang?" he asked, and River's grin widened.
"Hello, Sweetie."
0-0-0-0-0
"Well, that was different. The Shakri, always thought they were a myth, but obviously not, given that they just tried to annihilate the human race. Now then. Where shall we be off to next, eh Ponds?" the Doctor asked, while flailing gracelessly around the TARDIS console. "Someplace new, I think. Have I ever taken you two to the diamond coral reefs of Kaata Flo Ko? Or how about the crystal waterfalls of Kelaria Prime? Or maybe you're in the mood for a tropical pleasure planet, been a while since we did that. We could go to Risa." He paused finally and looked to Amy and Rory. "Well, what do you think?"
"Wait, there's actually a planet called Risa? I thought that was a Star Trek thing," Rory asked incredulously.
"Well, Rory, it is. But in the twenty-fifth century, humans discover a lovely little planet, tropical paradise, and the explorers who found it decided to name it Risa, since they were all fans of the old franchise. After the planet was colonized, it mostly became a tourist destination, full of resorts and beaches and fun stuff like that, since it was rather lacking in mineral resources and things. So, how'd you like to take a look?" the Doctor asked, looking from one of them to the other with a smile on his face that made him look like the cat who'd just eaten the canary.
Amy gave him a look, one eyebrow raised. "Tropical paradise, Doctor? I seem to recall that you still owe us a trip to Rio. I think you should take us there, don't you?"
Since Amy could clearly see his face from where she stood, Rory resisted the urge to roll his eyes, and refrained from pointing out that the long-promised trip to Rio seemed to be cursed. Every time the Doctor tried to take them there, they ended up someplace else entirely, running for their lives. However, since he placed a rather high value on his life, he elected to agree with his wife.
"She's right, Doctor, we've never actually managed to get to Rio, and I would still like to see it," Rory said, placing a hand on Amy's shoulder.
The Doctor grumbled and pouted like a kid being told he had to do his homework before he could go play. "Oh, alright, if you insist. Rio it is, then," he announced, the enthusiasm returning to his voice. However, just as he went to enter the coordinates, the TARDIS monitor beeped insistently. The Doctor bounced over to have a look, then grinned like the Cheshire cat at the message on the screen.
"Sorry, Amy, but Rio's going to have to wait," he said, flying about to enter a different set of coordinates.
"Again?" Amy complained, holding to the TARDIS' railing with an ease born of long practice. "What is it this time?"
As the TARDIS landed, the Doctor took a second to adjust his bowtie and check his hair in the mirror. He turned back to the Ponds and flashed them his biggest grin. "I've got a date," he said smugly, and scampered to the TARDIS doors, pulling them open with a flourish.
Amy and Rory looked at each other, trying not to laugh. "River," they said together, and headed for the doors in the Doctor's wake.
0-0-0-0-0
Jack was more than a bit startled to see this lanky, bowtie-wearing man stepping out of the TARDIS. Judging by River's response to him, Jack guessed that he was the Doctor, and even though he'd known it was possible that the Doctor could have a new face, it was still a bit jarring. Jack kept watching him, and so he saw the exact moment that the Doctor noticed him.
"Captain Jack Harkness, good to see you again," the Doctor said, smiling slightly in his direction.
"Doctor," Jack acknowledged him with a salute, making the Doctor roll his eyes. "Good to see you, too. You're a difficult man to find."
"Oh, were you looking for me? Sorry, been a bit… busy, I suppose. But never mind that," the Doctor said, darting up to him suddenly and fluttering his hands about as though he didn't quite know what to do with them. "How have you been?"
Jack chuckled. "Not bad, and yourself?"
The Doctor smiled, and began to respond, but was interrupted by a gorgeous redheaded woman sauntering out of the TARDIS hand in hand with a rather handsome young man. They both smiled at River, but stopped short when they noticed Jack.
"So, River, who's your friend?" the woman asked, looking at Jack with interest.
Before River could even open her mouth, however, the Doctor cut in. "Oh, yes, right, you lot haven't actually met. Amy, Rory, meet Captain Jack Harkness. He's an old friend. Captain, Amy and Rory Pond."
Jack noticed Rory rolling his eyes, and saw him mutter something under his breath only to get the redhead's elbow in his ribs. Judging by the young man's wince, she didn't take it easy on him. Amy sauntered forward and held out a hand.
"Pleasure to meet you, Captain," she said with a smile and a thick Scottish accent. In return, he flashed his signature grin and took her hand to place a small kiss on her knuckles.
"Believe me, the pleasure is all mine," he replied, and mentally began counting down the seconds. 3…2…1…
"No, no, none of that," the Doctor interjected, somehow managing to sound irritated, amused and embarrassed all at the same time. Jack's grin widened. "Well, he hasn't changed that much," he thought. He reluctantly put Amy's hand down and turned to the Doctor.
"You haven't changed, apparently I still can't say hello to anyone," he commented with a smirk.
The Doctor scowled. "Shut up, Jack, she's married. To him," the Doctor said, gesturing wildly at the other man, who was giving Jack a look that was the same among males across the universe. It translated loosely to "Hands off, she's mine."
Jack raised his eyebrows. "You're traveling with a married couple? Isn't that a bit domestic for you?"
He heard a smothered choking noise from off to the side, and found both Amy and Rory trying not to laugh, while River was wearing that trademark smirk again. He glanced back to the Doctor, and saw something incredible. The Doctor was actually blushing. Bright red, as red as Amy's hair, and he was fluttering his hands about in what appeared to be a habitual nervous tic, and plainly refusing to meet anyone's eye. Jack's confusion deepened.
"Am I missing something, here?" he asked, looking from one of them to the other.
"Yeah, I think you are," Rory replied, his voice sounding choked, when it became apparent that no one else was going to respond to Jack.
"Alright, Doc, out with it. And while we're on the subject, why did River call you 'sweetie?'"
It didn't seem possible, but the Doctor's blush darkened a shade further, and River's smirk widened. As Jack looked between the two of them, suddenly something clicked.
"Wait, you've got to be kidding me," he began, his eyes widening in surprise, but the Doctor cut him off abruptly.
"Anyway, never mind all that… River! Your message sounded important. What sort of trouble have you got for me this time? Since Jack's here, I'm guessing that it had something to do with him, right Jack? And you said you'd been looking for me, so there must be something going on. Come along then, Ponds, River, Captain, into the TARDIS, things to do." The Doctor babbled on as he began trying to usher them all into the TARDIS, but Amy rolled her eyes dramatically and turned to Jack.
"What he's trying to avoid telling you is that River is his wife," she explained in a long-suffering voice.
Jack whistled. "Good for you, Doc, have to say I'm impressed. And you, Doctor Song, very impressive. And here I thought Rose was the only one who could crack that shell," he muttered quietly, though apparently not quietly enough, as they all heard him.
River stiffened slightly, and Amy and Rory stared at him blankly. "Who's Rose?" Rory asked after a beat.
"Rose, ah, well, former companion of mine, long time ago," the Doctor rambled. "Anyway, things to do, right? Come on, Jack, what's so important that you needed to come looking for me?"
Jack sighed. This new Doctor was just as good at deflection tactics as the other two he'd known. He decided to let it go for the moment, since he really did need to warn the Doctor about Aleria's last vision. "Why don't we go inside? This might take a while to explain," he suggested, gesturing at the TARDIS.
The Doctor turned and snapped his fingers with a flourish, and the doors popped open.
"That's new," Jack commented, blinking in surprise. Then he shook himself and followed the Doctor and his friends (and wife... now that was bizarre) into the ship.
He stopped short just inside the doors, staring at the console room, which looked absolutely nothing like he remembered. Gone were the winding coral struts and the almost organic feel that he remembered, replaced with bright copper metal and a flashy, raised platform with stairs leading up to it. Instead of the metal grating on the floors, the console platform was clear glass, and not even the Time Rotor looked the same. It was as though it was a completely different ship.
"So, I see you redecorated in more ways than one, Doc," he commented, trying to sound nonchalant. "I like it."
The Doctor beamed. "Yes, she decided it was time for a change, right about when I regenerated. So. Kitchen, then? Captain Jack can tell his story over a nice cup of tea, how's that sound?"
Without waiting for anyone to reply, the Doctor turned on his heel and scampered off down the hall into the bowels of the TARDIS, leaving the others to follow along behind him at a more sedate pace.
As they walked, Jack turned to River. "So, he's regenerated, the TARDIS looks completely different, he's traveling with a married couple, he's trying to delete himself from the universe, and oh yeah, he's married. Tell me. Is there anything else I should know?"
"Well, for starters, River isn't just his wife. She's also mine and Rory's daughter," Amy informed him with a smirk. "I'm the Doctor's mother-in-law," she added, sounding both proud and a bit disgusted. Rory seemed to be quite used to this reaction, and put a hand on his wife's shoulder without comment.
Jack, meanwhile, was staring, his eyes flicking from Amy and Rory to River, stunned. "Okay, so obviously time travel is involved, because there's no way you two are old enough to have an adult daughter, but why doesn't she look anything like you? Either of you?"
"That's… a really long story," Rory said, faltering a bit.
"Well, as I recall, it's a bit of a long walk to the kitchen," Jack said encouragingly.
The other three shared a look, then Amy sighed. "Well, it all started when Rory and I left with the Doctor right after our wedding…"
0-0-0-0-0
Meanwhile, the Doctor was hurrying along in front of them, trying to put a bit of distance between himself and his companions, especially Jack. Why had the Captain suddenly turned up out of nowhere? He wasn't sure he could deal with this. He'd very carefully buried his memories of his last regeneration deep in his psyche for his own self-preservation, using the regeneration to push them aside. He'd had to, as his agony over the loss of Rose and of Donna had driven him mad in the last months of his tenth life. He- and the universe- simply could not afford for him to be so damaged, so he had buried those memories as he became a new man. It had been something of a relief, to not feel that constant knife in his chest over the loss of Donna, his best friend and Rose, the woman he… anyway. It had allowed him to befriend the Ponds, to let River into his hearts, and to let the three of them become his family. Now, Jack's very presence was dragging up all of those old memories that he'd been avoiding since he regenerated.
As he reached the kitchen, well ahead of the others, he shook himself and adjusted his bowtie. Whatever the reason, he couldn't let himself focus on the painful memories of his past. Jack wouldn't have come looking for him like this if he didn't have a reason, which meant that something was likely going wrong somewhere. He needed to focus on that. Solve the problem, that was the key. He stopped, placed his fingers on his own temples, and ruthlessly shoved his memories of Rose and of Donna back into the locked boxes in his mind where they belonged, ignoring the tiny voice in his head (that sounded suspiciously like Donna) that said he was being a coward. Instead, he substituted a recent memory of a picnic with River, a day spent with his wife that had been very nearly perfect.
He straightened up as he heard voices in the corridor outside, and reinstated his usual smiling façade. He could manage this, really. It was just a bit of a shock, he'd adjust.
0-0-0-0-0
"So, you've actually regenerated?" Jack asked River, stunned.
"Yes," she confirmed. "Twice. Came in rather handy," she added with a smirk.
"I can imagine," Jack muttered, his head whirling as he tried to make sense of what he'd just been told about the Doctor's wife. As if it wasn't odd enough that the Doctor was married, he'd gone and married someone just as complicated as he was.
As they reached the kitchen, he put the entire concept of River Song aside to mull over later. Right now, he had other things to worry about.
When all five of them were seated around the kitchen table, supplied with tea and biscuits, the Doctor met Jack's eyes squarely, and Jack sighed.
"Well, here goes. I was in a bar on some seedy planet, back of beyond, when I met this woman named Aleria. I never got the name of her species, but she could read the timelines, very clearly. She didn't just get a vague idea about things, she could tell down to the minute when something was going to happen if it was fixed, and she could see all sorts of possibilities in the things that weren't." He paused, taking a deep breath and stealing himself for the difficult part of this story. "She'd seen her death, told me she was going to die that night, and I promised to protect her, but when we were walking back to my hotel that night, we were attacked by a couple of Tirraquan thugs. I didn't… I couldn't save her." He swallowed thickly, and felt Amy place a friendly hand on his shoulder. He covered it with his own and managed a weak smile, then continued.
"As she was dying, she had one last… vision, I guess you could say, it was really urgent. She was desperate to tell me, before she… Anyway, she wanted to warn me about someone, said…" Jack closed his eyes, and reached through his mind to call up Aleria's exact words. "She is coming, the child of Wolf and Storm, coming from so far… She will burn, burn from within and rise from the ashes like the Phoenix. She will rise from rage and despair to bring hope and light and joy, and she will bring the Firestorm."
Silence fell in the little kitchen as the little group pondered the strange words. Jack was only vaguely aware of Amy, Rory and River, his attention focused solely on the Doctor's reaction, which wasn't telling him much. The Doctor's face was closed off, absolutely no expression showing, and he sat perfectly still, like a full-color statue of himself. Jack put up with the silence for a few minutes, then his impatience and curiosity got the better of him.
"What's it mean, Doc, do you have any idea?"
The Doctor jerked out of his introspection at the sound of Jack's voice, and began asking questions. "When was this, when did it happen?"
"About a year ago, I started looking for you right away, but you're a hard man to find."
"And you're sure she wasn't just some sort of quack?" Rory asked.
Jack glared at the younger man. "Yeah, I'm sure."
"Jack, you said you didn't catch her species' name, but what did she look like? What did you know about her?" the Doctor pushed, his eyes gaining an unsettling degree of intensity.
"She said her planet and people were destroyed by the Daleks during the Time War, and the only survivors were a handful of children sent off in escape pods, evacuees, like her. She was gorgeous, bright red skin, hair and eyes, but mostly humanoid."
The Doctor sighed. "Sounds like your friend was an Alberion, and if she was, then this prophecy of hers is probably accurate. The Daleks slaughtered the Alberions because they could read the timelines, and there wasn't anything we could do to save them… At least some of them survived," he said, running a hand over his face. "The problem is that it doesn't make sense, it's too cryptic. All that stuff about burning and phoenixes and Firestorms-"
"Yeah, Doc, but that wasn't the part that really got my attention. The part that really interested me was the bit where this mystery person is supposedly the 'child of Wolf and Storm.' Now, what could that mean, hmm? Is there something you want to share with the class?" Jack asked pointedly.
The Doctor's brow furrowed. "I don't know what you mean, Jack."
"Oh, come on, isn't it obvious? What do they call you, Doc? The nickname the Daleks gave you?"
Amy gasped in shock. "They used to call him the Oncoming Storm," she said. "You don't think… but… it can't be talking about the Doctor's daughter, can it? He said he doesn't have children."
"Don't be ridiculous, Amy, of course it's not talking about my daughter. I don't have a daughter. It must be something else, probably a metaphor, like all good cryptic prophesies.," the Doctor rambled, his hands fluttering about wildly.
"Yeah, but Doc… the Wolf. Who do we know that used to sometimes use that? You told me that Bad Wolf was Rose, that when she absorbed the Time Vortex, she scattered those words through time and space to…"
"Yes, Jack, I'm well aware of that," the Doctor interrupted testily. "But that's completely impossible."
"How so? You were in love with her, don't deny it, I could see it from the minute I first saw you two together," Jack countered, crossing his arms over his chest and meeting the Timelord's glare, which melted into a splutter at his words.
"I didn't- I never- We- It wasn't like that, Jack!"
Jack raised an eyebrow. "Are you telling me that in the entire time Rose was traveling with you -what was that, two years? More?- you never once slept with her?"
"No!" the Doctor burst out, flushing red in his embarrassment. He fluttered his hands around nervously for another moment, then adjusted his bowtie and calmed down. "Not that it's any of your business, Jack Harkness, but no. So whoever this 'prophesy' of yours refers to, it is not some secret child of mine and Rose's. Wolf and Storm must mean something different." With that, the Doctor got to his feet, rather gracelessly, Jack noted, and strode out of the room.
Jack sighed, and bounced up to follow him, noticing Amy and Rory turning to River with a million questions on their faces as he did so. "What are you doing, Doc?"
"I'm going to set the TARDIS to scan for any anomalies in the timelines that might account for this, and see if I can figure out what it means," he replied shortly. "Given how vague this all is, I'm not sure how much good it will do, but it's a start. Where's Amy and Rory, and River?" the Doctor said, breaking off and staring around.
"I think Amy and Rory are trying to get River to explain to them what's going on. They seemed pretty confused, not knowing who Rose was, or anything else we were talking about."
"Well, she'll tell them what she thinks they need to know," the Doctor muttered to himself, and mentally asked the TARDIS to shorten the walk for them. A moment later, the two men emerged into the console room, and the Doctor went straight for the console itself to start inputting instructions. For a long moment, Jack simply let the Doctor work in silence, not knowing what to say.
He couldn't help wondering just what was going on here. Why didn't the Doctor's companions have any idea who Rose was? Why wouldn't he have told them? Although, River had seemed to know… And why in the name of all that was holy had the Doctor never done anything about his feelings for Rose? He wished again, bitterly, that there had been time for him to actually talk to Rosie after the twenty-seven planets, before the Doctor had taken her back to the parallel world with her family and his clone. And if the child of Wolf and Storm wasn't Rose and the Doctor's child, then who could it possibly be?
Jack was just opening his mouth to demand a few answers when voices in the corridor announced that Amy, Rory, and River had followed them back out to the console room. He shut his mouth, knowing better than to interrogate the Doctor in front of an audience.
"Anything useful, Sweetie?" River asked as she walked up to the console and stood next to the Doctor, looking over his shoulder at the screen.
"Ah, not yet, just got it started. Should probably take a while. Jack!"
"Yes?"
"I'm assuming that you'll want to stick around for a while, at least until we've figured this out?" the Doctor asked, without looking at him.
"If that's alright," Jack replied, hardly able to believe his luck. He'd thought he might have to beg the Timelord to let him stay and help.
"Thought so, but you'll probably have to find a new bedroom. The TARDIS most likely deleted your old one. We had an incident a while back, and she had to delete just about everything to save power."
"That's the least of my worries," Jack said with a smirk, and he might have said more, but something happened that drove the entire conversation clean out of his head, and he suspected the others felt the same.
A blinding flash of golden light filled the TARDIS, causing all of them to cry out and fling an arm over their eyes. Distantly, Jack heard a soft singing that seemed to be coming from the light itself. It looked and sounded somewhat familiar, but he couldn't place it.
As suddenly as the light had appeared, it vanished. A he blinked rapidly to clear his vision, he heard a distinctly undignified yelp of surprise from Rory's direction, and turned just in time to see the young man catching an unknown girl as she collapsed. Rory lowered the girl to the ground and looked up, stunned.
"Where the hell did she come from?" Amy burst out, staring.
The Doctor spluttered nonsensically for a long moment, apparently unable to put together a coherent sentence.
River walked around the console, staring at the girl like everyone else. "That- is a very good question, Mother."
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