Many thanks to Jackjenfan, for your review.

2003

Date: January 3

Jenny smiled when she felt her sister stir from sleep. Mara's mind was a buzz of excitement this morning, her eighth birthday. Jenny knew their dad had left her little sister something very special this year, but he hadn't told her what.

She flipped another banana pancake onto a plate, and turned when she heard running feet.

Mara ran towards her with a brown package in her hand. "Jenny, Jenny! They came, they came!" she squealed, and hopped up onto one of the stools next to the counter.

Jenny turned off the stovetop so she could give her little sister her full attention. "What does the card say?"

Mara tugged an envelope out from under the blue ribbon it was firmly tied to the package with and opened it carefully. Jenny walked around the counter with their breakfast in hand and sat down beside her sister.

Mara's wide smile warmed her hearts. "It says..."to Mara; our big girl. Happy Birthday little Cricket! Here's a little something we picked up for you on a tiny planet called Melos Crystallum. If you close your eyes and focus, the crystal will show you the song in your hearts. Remember, we love you, and we're coming for you. Love, Mum and Dad"."

Jenny swallowed down the reaction those words evoked in her as Mara tore away the brown paper on the package.

She gasped when Mara held up their mum's crystal necklace. She knew her dad had given it to their mum as his token—the Gallifreyan equivalent to an engagement ring. The sight of the necklace only brought Jenny's deep longing for her parents back to the surface.

She caught Mara staring at her then, and forced herself to return to composure. "Go on then," she said to her little sister. "Try it out."

She watched Mara take the crystal into her hands and close her eyes. Jenny knew that the crystal would enhance her sister's telepathic abilities. She smiled when, after Mara had quieted her mind, it began to hum out a mournful song.

Jenny felt her throat grow thick as she listened to Mara's song. She hadn't known her little sister was so lonely. When Mara turned her wide eyes back up to her, she reached out and squeezed her hand. "Happy Birthday, Mara."

Her little sister swallowed, and handed her the crystal. "Jenny, do you think we could call our parents with it?"

Jenny sighed heavily. "I don't think so, Sweetheart."

Mara's eyes fell to where her hands were in her lap. "Oh well."

"Hey," Jenny murmured, and looped the necklace around her neck. "They're always—"

She froze when her fingers grazed the crystal. She could hear her dad calling out for her. He was muted, as if there was something in between the two of them, but he was there. Help, he shouted in her mind. Help me.

"Jenny?"

Jenny blinked when Mara's voice snapped her back into the room. "Hm?"

"They're always what?" her sister prompted.

Jenny smiled, but if felt forced even to her. "They're always in our hearts."

Mara studied her for a moment. She could feel her little sister's mind as it probed along hers to find out why Jenny's mood had shifted so abruptly, and raised her mental defenses. Mara didn't need to know their father was in trouble.

"I need to go to work," Jenny said.

Her little sister's lip jutted out into a pout. "But you said you had my birthday off."

She sighed heavily. "I know love, but Jack called. I'll be back in time to make you your special dinner. Deal?"

Mara let out a slow breath, but nodded. "Deal."

Jenny kissed the top of her head and reached for her mobile to call her sitter. "Thank you."

Date: January 6

"Jen, maybe you should give it a rest."

Jenny let out a weary breath as Jack set a mug of tea down by her side. "No, I saw it. There was a disturbance in the rift. I just know that whatever or whoever came through must be who has my dad. I just need to find them."

Tosh, their newly hired agent, let out a tired sigh of her own. "You've been at this for three days straight. Maybe if you let it go for a while the answer will find you."

She raised her eyebrows at her teammate. "If I just let it go? Tell me, if you were in charge of your sister while your mum was who knows where and your father was captured, would you let it go?"

Tosh swallowed, and looked down at her own mug of tea. "No, I s'pose I wouldn't."

"Do you think it could be the Angels?" Jack asked.

Jenny bit down on her lip. "That's what I'm afraid of."

Jack stared at her for a moment, and then grabbed her hand. "Come with me."

"Why?" Jenny asked as he dragged her into his office. "Jack, what are you thinking?"

He shut his office door and closed the blinds. "Do you have your mum's crystal?"

"Of course," Jenny said, and pulled the necklace out of her pocket. "But I haven't gotten anything from it since I heard Dad calling for me."

"Sit," Jack ordered, and grabbed the crystal from her hands.

She complied with his request. "Jack, what is this about?"

Jack held up the crystal to her. "Telepathic signals are like satellites, right? The larger the satellite, the more it can hear."

Her eyes widened as it dawned on her. "You want to boost my satellite?"

He smirked. "I'm just going to let that one slide since we're pressed for time. Yes. Humans in my century have developed low-level telepathic skills. I can use those skills to help you find him." He pushed the crystal towards her. "What do you say?"

She pursed her lips, and joined hands with him around the gem. "Okay, but you keep your thoughts clean. And no poking around my mind where you don't belong. Got it?"

He chuckled. "Wouldn't dream of it."

The two of them closed their eyes.

Jenny reached out to where she could feel her dad in the back of her mind. Immediately, she was met with a brick wall, as she had been previously. This time, however, she used both her and Jack's mental strength to break down that wall.

Jenny?

I'm here, Dad.

She felt him shake his head. Stay away, I can take care of this.

She could see where he was. It was a large warehouse she easily recognized from many Torchwood missions. Inside, aliens she didn't recognize had handcuffed her father to a chair. They almost looked like the crocodiles of Earth, with orange eyes and lizard tongues that would flick along scaly skin.

Are those cuffs why it was so hard to reach you? she asked.

He grumbled with irritation. Yes. He paused. Is that Jack I sense?

Hey, Doc.

What the hell are you doing near my daughter, Harkness?

Dad!

Jenny felt when Jack mentally raised the white flag. Calm down there, Dad, she's been working with me.

But you work at Torchwood!

Still do, Jack said. How did you know?

Her dad rolled his eyes. Time traveler, Jack. Nothing is ever in the right order. Jenny—

Jenny huffed. Dad, we can argue about my employment later. Right now the two of us are going to come get you.

No, Jen—

She rolled her eyes. Oh, shut it.

Date: January 7

It was just past midnight when she, Jack, and Tosh pulled up by the warehouse where her dad was being kept. He'd told them that there was three of the aliens total. Their leader was the largest of the three. He called himself commander Chex of the Imperial guard.

"Tosh, can you hear me?" Jenny asked as she pressed her earpiece in.

"Loud and clear," Tosh answered.

"Same on this end," Jack said. "So what's the plan here, Jen? You're point on this one."

"Jack, you and I take the front. Tosh, I want you to round the back and keep them from running off."

Tosh nodded, and grabbed one of the guns out of the SUV before she ran towards the back of the warehouse.

"You ready for this?" Jack asked as he handed her a gun. The weapon felt unusually heavy in her hands. She hadn't held one of these since Messaline. At least, not one that fired anything other than darts full of anesthetic.

She nodded. "I was a soldier, once."

He studied her for a moment before he nodded back. "Okay."

"Let's go," she said, and the two of them took off for the warehouse. They paused at the front to listen. Jenny stood on her toes to peak into one of the large windows, and bit her lip. She could see her dad, still cuffed to his chair, with all three of the crocodile aliens circling around him.

She ducked her head when the largest of the three paused and turned towards her and Jack. "You can enter!" His voice boomed out against the sheet metal of the warehouse. "I can already smell you, Jenny Tyler."

Jenny froze and locked eyes with Jack. "Go," he mouthed.

She nodded, and entered the warehouse.

The large alien—Chex, she presumed—curled his lips up into what must have been his specie's version of a smile. "So glad you could join us, miss Tyler."

Jenny planted her feet once the warehouse door had shut. "How did you even know I was here?"

Chex chuckled darkly and tapped his nose. "Did you forget that we Vycl can smell Huon particles?"

She raised her eyebrows. "I take it I should know you?"

The lizard man hissed, as did his companions. "Know me? You and your family slaughtered my planet! My companions and I are the only ones left of our kind. You can't honestly tell me that you don't remember that?"

Jenny cocked her head to the side. "Slaughtered your planet ay? That doesn't sound like me. Or my parents. You must be mistaken."

Chex let out an angry roar and stomped towards her. "Do you take me for a fool, child? I know Tyler scum when I see it!" He raised one clawed paw to strike her, when—

"Time travel."

The lizard man paused, and glanced back at her dad. "Pardon?"

"Time travel," he repeated. "We're a family of time travelers, commander. If you hadn't so rudely cut me off earlier, I would have explained to you how my family and I never seem to meet people in the right order."

Chex hissed, and turned back to Jenny. "Is this true?"

She caught sight of a scanning device attached to one of his companion's belt. "Scan me," she said, "and him. I think you'll find that we're a bit younger than the Tylers you met."

The guard pulled out his scanner and glanced at Chex for approval. The commander nodded, and his companion proceeded to scan both Jenny and the Doctor.

"They speak the truth," the guard said in a gravelly voice. "They are younger than the Tylers we encountered. By nearly ten years."

"And now that we know about you," Jenny said, "we can be sure that we don't do whatever it is that you're accusing us of in the future."

Chex glared at her for a moment, and then the Doctor. "No," he said finally. "Better to kill you now than take that risk."

He raised a paw to strike her again, but before she could react, Jack emerged from his hiding place and shot Chex square in the chest.

"No!" both she and her dad cried.

The other two Vycl pulled out devices that looked like weapons, but two shots from the back of the warehouse rang out before they could use them. They fell facedown.

Jenny ran to commander Chex and pressed her hands down onto his wound. "Please, I don't know your biology. How can I save you?"

The commander's irises narrowed into slits as he glared up at her. "I would rather die as the last of my kind than accept any help from a creature so terrible as you."

Jenny flinched against his words, but shook her head. "No, c'mon. Don't let pride destroy your life."

She felt a hand on her shoulder, and knew it was her dad standing over her.

"What you say we did?" she said, and leaned closer to Chex. "I never would," she promised in a low voice. "There must be some mistake."

The commander chuckled, and wheezed. "Are you so afraid of the monster you will become that—" he coughed. "You cannot even admit to the possibility that she lives inside of you?"

Jenny swallowed, and remained silent as his eyes slowly slid shut.