Now, it's time for the Doctor to chill out…for a while

In Which There Is Far Too Much Surprise

Captain Jack Harkness, a man who had experienced many romantic (and not so romantic) relationships, realised one thing on the day that Martha Jones had became Martha Milligan – why he'd never let himself truly fall in love.

The reason? The parents.

Or, more particularly, her parent. The man Jack considered his best friend who was now seemingly intent on murdering Jack in as many painful, horrible, twisted ways his usually peaceful Timelord mind could think of.

First the live wires, then the classic running him over with a white limousine –"I couldn't have had anything to do with it! I'm all the way over here!" the Doctor protested to Donna, hiding the sonic screwdriver back in his pocket.

"Jack? Are you feeling alright today?" a voice asked, brining him out of his thoughts. Jack turned to see Jenny.

"Nothing being immortal couldn't handle." Jack replied.

"But, you keep…well…dying today. Are you sick?"

Jack stared at her. She was so innocent to the world in general. Sure, she was tough, she knew how to fight – something which Jack didn't understand, not with the (usually) pacifistic Doctor as her father – but that was about the extent of it. "Why didn't you tell me the Doctor was your father?"

"You never asked."

Jack realised this was true. He had been with Jenny for six months, ever since she'd turned up, dazed and more than a little lost in a shuttle and told them she was looking for her Dad. Not once, in this entire time, had he even thought to ask her about her family, or her history, or anything important.

Sure, he'd set her to work for Torchwood straight away, impressed a lot by her skill (and her looks), and he'd given her the once over to make sure she was safe. You can probably imagine his surprise when he found the girl was almost human, apart from the extra heart and the respiratory bypass system.

Something which Jack had only seen once before. In the man he respected more than anyone else. The Doctor.

And Jenny just hadto be his daughter.

--

"Good luck, Thomas, my friend!" the Doctor said cheerfully. "You'll need it with this one!"

Tom grinned and shook the Doctor's hand. "Good luck yourself, Doctor."

The rest of the goodbyes were said.

"And if I ever need a babysitter…" Martha said.

"…check the Yellow Pages." The Doctor finished. "Come on Donna!"

"I'm coming!" Donna called back irritably. "But what're you going to do about him?"

"Who?"

"Jack."

"What about him? He has his team and I have mine. Me and you and Jenny."

"Jenny." Donna repeated simply.

The Doctor froze for a moment, seemingly thinking hard. Then his expression cleared. "She'll get over him." He decided.

Donna just stared at him.

"Where is Jenny?" The Doctor added. "Let's go find her."

--

They found her at the exact point as we left her and Jack above. Jack never noticed either of them. "So, if the Doctor's your dad, Jenny, then who's…" Jack looked his girlfriend over, taking in her appearance, her blonde hair. "Oh God. Your mother isn't Rose, is she?"

"Who's…?"

"Don't be ridiculous, Captain." The Doctor sighed, as he and Donna came out into the open. "Rose…Rose is gone. And besides, she was only nineteen when you met her at first. How on Earth, Gallifrey, and wherever else you care to mention could she be Jenny's mother?"

"You said Jenny was only a year old."

"And where was Rose a year ago?"

"Right. Sorry."

"Who's Rose?" Jenny asked again, looking between her father and Jack.

"Your dad's…old friend."

"It doesn't matter." The Doctor replied at the same time. "Jenny, come on, we're leaving."

"Oh, but…what about Jack? And the rest, too, I want to say goodbye to them."

"The rest?"

"Well, there's Ianto, and Gwen…"

"Wait, wait…the ones he was talking about earlier?" The Doctor demanded, pointing at Jack.

"Yes. Torchwood. I've been working there, you know."

"You've been what?"

"It's great, Dad, really. We save the planet, defeat monsters…and we do an awful lot of running."

From the expression on the Doctor's face, Donna gathered that this was not exactly an ideal arrangement, although from Jenny's description she didn't see why not. It was almost exactly the same as what she and the Doctor did every day that ended in a 'y'.

But, having seen the things that the Doctor had really honestly had nothing to do with earlier, she decided to change the subject. "We can come and visit them sometime, right, Doctor?" Donna asked.

The Doctor caught on. "Yup, anytime. Except now. Now we need to go."

"But…"

"Come on, Jenny! New people to meet, new worlds to visit!" The Doctor prompted.

The Doctor had hit the right note. Jenny's blue eyes sparkled. "Alright Dad. New worlds. But Jack can come too, right?"

"I'm sure Jack wants to get back to his own team." The Doctor said hastily.

"Do you?" Jenny asked.

"I…"

--

And so, The Doctor, Jenny and Donna all stood in the TARDIS, ready to leave. Jack was saying to Jenny that he'd see her soon, and the Doctor called him over for a 'talk'. Oh great.

Meanwhile, Donna took Jenny away to the wardrobe so they could change into something more appropriate for 'an awful lot of running'.

"Jack…" The Doctor started

"Listen, Doctor, I had no idea she was your daughter." Jack said quickly.

The Doctor paused. "Six months?" he asked.

Jack nodded.

"So, you really like her, then."

Jack nodded again. "Doctor…I think…I think I love her."

Now it would be impossible for me to say that the Doctor was not surprised by this. Captain Jack Harkness, of all people, confessing love? And not in the way he normally would either, i.e., Random girl (or boy, or thing) says "Do you love me, Jack?" Jack replies "Of course I do". Both are quite possibly inebriated (or smashed, drunk, blitzed out of their respective brains, whatever you want to call it, it still means they drank too much alcohol), and after some more banter Jack gets what he wants and we all forget it ever happened.

Not this time. No, this time the Doctor could see how different it was. And he was stunned. Astonished. Astounded. Amazed. Taken aback. However you label it, he couldn't believe what he was hearing.

"Well then…I'm sorry for earlier." The Doctor replied, and it was Jack's turn to be surprised. The Doctor just admitted to being wrong.

"It doesn't matter. You had nothing to do with it, remember?"

"Of course. You can come with us if you want to, you know.I really don't mind."

Jack paused, seemingly wondering what to do now he wasn't likely to die again soon. Well, not at the Doctor's hands anyway.

But the TARDIS decided for him. The doors shut, and she started to move.

The TARDIS just told me that if you don't review she'll fly the whole lot of them straight into the nearest sun. So for their sake, please do!