Disclaimer: I don't own Doctor Who

A/N: The next two chapters are a bonus 'fanfic-within-a-fanfic' as it were, involving Hope's reaction to her father's regeneration. Obviously it will be set after the Christmas episode in which Matt Smith regenerates. :(

Please leave a review, and possibly one for 'Vworp On' as well. My friend is helping me write that one and we could both do with some positive feedback!

I hope you enjoy, and without further ado:

Hope, Trust and Love – Part One

The world had been saved once again, and the twelfth Doctor finally had a moment to breathe. He'd been so busy these past few hours; on top of recovering from a rather violent regeneration, he'd had to save the Earth (again), with the help of Anna and Clara. As for Hope…this was the first time in her life that his daughter had experienced regeneration. He'd been sure to explain the process to her, to try and make her understand that he'd still be her dad no matter what. It killed him to think of the heartbreak in her eyes when he began to change.

He made his way to Hope's bedroom on the TARDIS, and knocked on the faux mahogany door. "Hope, sweetheart? It's me. Can I come in?" he asked. There was no reply. The Doctor tried the handle and, finding it unlocked, pushed open the door and peered inside.

Hope was sitting on the edge of her bed, staring at her lap. The Doctor came and sat down next to her, where he could see that she held a framed photograph of his eleventh self, Anna and herself together on the beaches of Barcelona. A tear tracked its way down Hope's cheek. The Doctor reached out to wipe it away, and sighed sadly when she flinched away. "Go away" she sniffed.

"Hope, please. Don't shut me out" he said quietly. She shook her head and scrambled further away from him. "Go away! I want my dad, not you" she insisted, and every syllable stabbed him in the hearts. "But I am your dad. I don't understand Hope; I thought you understood regeneration" said the Doctor. He nodded at the photo. "I remember that trip. You begged for ages for a beach, but we kept ending up in cold places instead. And we walked down the promenade, eating frozen yoghurt, remember? You rode on my shoulders" he reminisced.

"I rode on my dad's shoulders. Just because you have his memories doesn't mean you're him" Hope insisted sulkily. The Doctor was at a loss what to do. "But I am, I promise. You know, you never used to be this suspicious. What will it take for you to trust me?" he questioned.

Hope looked him right in the eye. "I've seen loads of scary stuff" she began, "and my dad was always there for me, but now he's gone. I'm never gonna see him again, the father I know…and you…you just want me to call you dad and hug you and love you like nothing's happened?" she asked, her voice breaking as she burst into tears.

The Doctor drew his daughter into a comforting embrace, and she stiffened. "I'm sorry, darling" he murmured, dropping a kiss onto her dark curls. "I won't ask you to pretend nothing's happened, I just want you to trust me. I want a chance to prove that even though I'm not the same man as before, I still love you with all my hearts".

Hope bit her lip thoughtfully. "Okay" she said at last, "I guess I can try. But I've got my eye on you" she warned, and he nodded. "Okay, and thank you. I'll leave you alone for a bit, give you some space. Your mother and I will be the console room if you need us, okay?" he asked. She sniffled again and nodded.

The Doctor returned to the console room, where Anna was checking that everything on the console was in good working order. When she saw the Doctor, she smiled fondly and walked over to kiss him tenderly on the cheek. Then she grew concerned. "How is Hope coping with all of this?" she asked her husband, who sighed heavily. "Not well. She just can't seem to reconcile the man she knew with me. She feels like her dad is gone for good and I'm just…an unwanted replacement. Still, she did agree to give me a chance, so that's something I suppose".

Anna gave him a sympathetic kiss on the cheek. "Don't worry, love. She's just not used to you yet, she'll come to see that you're still her father eventually" she assured him. The Doctor couldn't help having doubts. Would Hope ever see him as more than just a stranger trying to replace the dad she knew and loved? What if she never did?

"She will, just give her time" Anna said telepathically, interrupting his downward spiralling thoughts. He gave her a grateful smile. "I think I missed something these past three hundred years. Has our daughter always been this sceptical?" he asked Anna. "As far as I know, yes. Don't you remember when we went to Shan Shen, someone offered to read Hope's fortune, and she demanded to see their credentials?"

The Doctor chuckled. "Oh, yeah! And then she accused the poor woman of being part of the Trickster's Brigade" he recalled, grinning. Anna rolled her eyes. "You never should've told her that story. Maybe then she wouldn't have ended up banned from that marketplace for life" she grumbled. The Doctor just laughed and went to help her steer the time machine.