AN: I kind of gave up on writing out vortex manipulator everytime I use it in a sentence, so I'm just gonna abbreviate it as VM from now on. Also, it's kind of my headcanon that Jenny picked Noble as her last name because she liked Donna so much. I overuse the word "dark" a lot... It's kind of pathetic, I need to get a thesaurus.

Thanks to my beautiful reviewers and PMB for letting me use her account and being awesome. DFTBA, all of you.

Chapter 3

Luke

January 21,2012

London

Luke collapsed on the couch, stolen cookie in one hand, wide awake. He didn't care that it was four in the morning; there was too much crap going on to risk going to sleep. He didn't want to miss a second of the action. He had tried to act surprised to see the Captain and Martha Smith- he knew who they were, having hacked into UNIT and Torchwood files ages ago. But the third girl was new. He had never seen her in the files, but she was clearly capable and very intelligent. She had to be in there somewhere,considering what she knew about alien tech.

"Hey, mum, what was the girl's name? The younger one?" he called across the house.

"She's older than you, Luke."

"Very funny, mum."

"It was Jenny. Jenny Noble."

"Thanks."

He surreptitiously pulled his phone out of his pocket and pulled up the Torchwood database. Given the whole alien technology thing, he'd probably get more there.

Alright then, Jennifer Noble. He guessed Jenny was probably a nickname.

Nothing. Not in the official databases anyway. He pulled up the Captain's personal one. There were a couple of hits there, but all were for a different Noble: a woman named Donna, who, judging by the photos, was no relation.

He switched over to UNIT files. Once again, nothing in the official, but in Martha's personal files there was one hit: a report titled "The Doctor's Daughter."

He skimmed it quickly. Travel through time and space...gender-swapping clone modules...oh, this was good.

She's like me. he thought. Not quite her species, and no childhood to speak of. Wonder how she ended up here?

"Luke, what are you doing?"

He quickly turned his phone off and stuck it in his pocket. "Nothing, mum." he replied.

"I see."

She walked out of the room, and Luke heard his mother gasp.

"What is it?" he called. "Is that lot back?"

"You could say that. Get off the couch."

He jumped up. "Okay..."

The Captain walked in, a faintly familiar blonde figure cradled in his arms.

"Who's that?" asked Luke. "I feel like I've seen her before..."

"You have, but it's been a while." replied his mother. "Jack, what-"

"Ask that one." growled the Captain. He looked annoyed, and a darker, more unsettling worry was seated in his eyes.

A tall blonde boy with unnatural gray eyes glared back at him.

"Captain, who is this?" asked Sarah Jane.

The boy cleared his throat. "My name's Jalen Tyler, ma'm. My mum and I came down on the Void Ship."

Sarah Jane looked a little shocked. "You're her son? But you're much too old. It's only been four years."

"Time works differently in the Void." cut in Jack. Luke noticed uneasily that his gaze was clear on Jalen, expression filled with something dark. Something about the boy obviously unsettled him.

"Why'd you come through in the first place? I thought Rose was happy there."

" She was. It was an accident. We were in the TARDIS once, and something went wrong. My dad died turning it into a Void ship. I was five."

"I'm sorry."

"Meh, I don't remember it."

Jalen pulled his hands out of his pockets and stared at Jack. "I'm sorry, I have to ask. Do I know you? I feel like I've seen you before."

Jack's gaze hardened. "Of course not."

"Jalen."

Everyone jumped a few inches, and Luke stared at the blonde woman. Her eyes had opened, but they glowed a pale gold, like an echo of something once owned. Jalen knelt by the couch. "What is it, mum?" he asked.

Ross tilted her head and whispered something into his ear. His once playful gaze sharpened, and he nodded solemnly. She fell back, slipping back into her coma.

"What's that?" asked Jenny, pointing to Jalen's closed hand. Luke hadn't realized he was holding something.

The boy opened his palm, revealing a small silver key on a yellow ribbon. "Mum's TARDIS key. We can use it to find the Doctor."

"Well, if it's that simple, why didn't you say something before? Jack and I both have one." said Martha.

"He'll have changed the locks by now, but Mum's always works." answered Jalen.

"Changed the locks? Figures. He goes to the ends of the Earth to get rid of us." muttered Jack.

"Jenny, can I borrow your vortex manipulator?" asked Jalen.

"No, but you can drag me wherever the hell you're going. There's a couple of things I'd like to say to my dad."

"Ok, that works too."

"And I want Luke to come."

"What?" he squeaked. "Why me? You hardly know me!"

"We need a nerd, and I know you hacked into Torchwood."

"What?" exclaimed Sarah Jane and Jack simultaneously.

"Kay, fine." sighed Luke.

"Luke, what does she mean-"

"Shut up, mum." he sighed. Jalen finished fiddling with his sonic. "Got it." he called. Jenny reached out and grabbed his hand, using the other to make the last couple of settings to her VM.

"Luke Smith, you stop-"

Jenny grabbed his shoulder and the world fizzled out of focus. The last thing he saw was his mother's annoyed face staring him down.

The world fizzled back, and Luke collapsed laughing against a wall. "You two cannot be human." he said.

Jenny looked at him weirdly. "Well, I'm not, but what makes you say that?"

"Because no human being can pull that escapade off and still look so serious."

Jalen sighed. "C'mon, we've got a universe to save."

They were in a metal hallway that looked like it had been taken out of some factory, the walls glinting copper in the artificial lighting. "What year are we in?" asked Luke.

Jenny checked her VM. "September 22,5346. Asteroid in the Galacros system. Never been here before."

A faint whirring metal sound sounded from the end of the long hall. "What was that?" asked Jalen.

"EX-TER-MIN-ATE!"

"Shit." hissed Jenny. Then, slightly louder. "Daleks, let's go!" She grabbed Luke and Jalen's hands, and they took off down the hallway.

"What the bloody hell is a Dalek?" yelled Jalen.

"Evil compressed into a glittery trash can. Damn it, the door's stuck!"

Jalen started digging in his coat, but he wasn't quick enough. The Dalek was close now, too close, aiming it's silver spindle at their heads. "EX-TER- MIN-ATE!"

"DUCK!"

The blue blaze flew over their heads and burst a hole in the door. Luke's face lit up. "SUCKERS!" he yelled, and the three catapulted though the hole.

"Crap, there's another door!" yelled Jenny. But Jalen was faster this time, finding his sonic and unlocking the door from ten feet away. They slammed through onto the tiniest of railings overlooking the warehouse floor. Jenny didn't hesitate, jumping over the side to ground fifteen feet below. Luke skidded to a halt, staring at the drop.

"No way am I-"

"Up and over, humany-wumany!" ordered Jalen, dragging him over the side with him.

Luke hit the ground hard, and Jalen pulled him back to his feet. They were surrounded on every side by boxes, and the Dalek was flying over the railway, firing wildly. Luke searched frantically for an exit, but nothing appeared. The Dalek landed soundly on the ground beside them-

And then it's head exploded.

A tall, tan woman with bouncy blonde curls lowered the lasergun and smiled. "And who might you be?" she asked.

Luke opened his mouth to respond, but a voice cut him off.

"Aw, River, who walked into our trap?"

A man with floppy hair and a bowtie leaned over the railing with all the energy of a eight-year-old, fez perched jauntily on his head.

"Dunno, some kids. Lose the hat or I'll shoot it off."

"Course, sweetie."

He leaped over the railway and landed just as gracefully as Jalen and Jenny had. Luke felt even more embarrassed about his fall now.

The man's eyes raked over them, and he flicked the fez onto the ground before he could get in range of River's gun. He slid over Luke, only a faint hint of recognition there, and stared at Jalen for a moment too long, as if he knew him from somewhere. But it was Jenny that he really stared at.

"You're dead." he said, still not dropping his half-smile.

"Nice to see you too."

"Should've known." The man Luke had come to realize was the Doctor pulled Jenny into a bone-crushing hug. "I should have known. What brings you here?"

Jenny's eyes were dark. "It's not me who needs to speak with you." she said.

"Okay, we'll get to that later. Luke, right?"

He nodded, face tight.

"Interesting choice of companions, Jenny. Me, I prefer the gingers-"

"-and me-" added River.

"Oh, and let's not forget Miss Hell in High Heels. Her nickname, not mine. I really do apologize for the disappointment, but we were hoping to catch some Daleks."

"Doctor-" cut in Jenny.

"It was my idea, actually." said River. "Technically, he's supposed to be looking for me- well, a younger version of me- but I didn't want to change my past, so I showed up on his doorstep and said what the hell, let's go kill some Daleks!"

"Doctor." Jalen's voice was calm and sharp. "I have a message for you."

"A message? Oh, this'll be fun. Who are you, exactly? I feel like we've met."

Jalen was digging in his pockets, ignoring him. "My mum asked me to find you. She gave me this to prove the message was from her; didn't think you'd believe me any other way. Funny sort of message,anyways- only two words. I assume it means something to you, cause it doesn't mean crap to me."

"What?"

"Jalen, you arse, you're enjoying this." hissed Jenny.

"Like hell I am." he hissed back.

He stood close to the Doctor, who was staring at him a little uneasily. "What is this message?" he asked.

Jalen pressed the key into the Doctor's hand. "Bad wolf."

Something slipped in the Doctor's eyes, the playful expression falling from his face. There was a darkness there, and his eyes were far too old,like those of a war veteran. Jalen sighed and leaned back. "My name is Jalen." he said, finally finishing the Doctor's question. "Rose is my mother. We came here to warn you,Doctor. Something is terribly wrong with the universe."

The Doctor finally spoke. "Where is she?"

His voice had shifted, too, dark and wounded, as if he was treading a minefield.

"Dying in Sarah Jane's living room. She's so sick, Doctor, and there's nothing I can do. " Jalen's desperation showed for the briefest of moments. It was a game of facades,then, a game between the boy with eyes of a man and the man with the smile of a boy. Neither was quite who he claimed, always hiding, and Luke was suddenly struck by their similarities.

"Doctor?" asked River. "What does it mean?"

"We are going on a trip, River. A trip to some places I thought I'd never go back to to see some friends that I thought I'd never see again. And you are going to fly the TARDIS, because I don't think I'm currently capable of flying her without killing us right now. Do you understand?"

River met the Doctor's eyes. "Completely."