Disclaimer: I own neither Harry Potter nor Doctor Who.
This is the last chapter. I'm updating early because I'm leaving for San Diego and Comic Con tomorrow. Author's note at the bottom.
So it came to pass the spider was defeated, and Time regained his daughter. And though she was never the same, she regained her peace, and her curiosity, and her youth, and returned to traveling with her father as she had before. And they were closer than they had been, and perhaps more wary, but that is never a bad thing. Their lives continued many, many years, for they were ageless, and though she grew up and traveled on her own, he was always there for her, as any father is for his daughter.
Donna Noble had been traveling with the Doctor for long enough that she knew most of the important things about his life. She knew he was the last of his kind. She knew he was an alien. She knew he wasn't from Mars. She knew he liked to have someone to travel with, to help him keep control of himself. She knew he once traveled with a girl named Rose but had lost her.
Donna had no idea the Doctor was a father.
Yet there he was in his medical room or whatever the heck he called it, tending to her wounds and whispering to her as she clung to him. Donna stayed back and watched. Suddenly much of his recent behavior made sense – the brooding, the worry, the half-attentive way he interacted with everything and everyone, the times he would whisk her off to God-knows-where only to leave soon after with well-hidden anger or sorrow.
All this time, he had been looking for her. And he had found her. And as the girl drifted off safe in her father's arms, Donna found herself smiling at the scene.
Jack Harkness came back to life in an alley of London without any idea of where he was or why he was there. He couldn't remember getting there. In fact, he couldn't remember anything from the past six months. Panicked, he felt around, and his fingers closed on a piece of paper in his pocket. He pulled it out with shaking fingers.
It's okay, you were helping the Doctor, the note said in his own handwriting. Stay away from TW1 for a few years. Also, Will owes you a drink.
Jack leaned against the wall. The Doctor. He had found the Doctor, and made himself forget. He stared at the note for a moment, then swore at himself, then stood up. He hurt everywhere.
"Well, I hope it was worth it," he said to no one in particular. A guy named Will owed him a drink though. That couldn't have been too bad. So he sighed, stretched, and stepped out of the alley, trying to calculate the quickest way to get back to Cardiff. He did, after all, have a job to do.
Will Lupin sat at Order headquarters, newly moved to the Burrow. Molly Weasley had placed a cup of soup in front of him, but he ignored it. Scenes from the previous night danced through his head, Luna and Sirius and Remus and Harry, and he sighed and put his head in his hands.
"It will be alright, Will," his brother said softly across the table. He had a new scar across his arm but was otherwise unharmed. Physically, at least. Will knew he was mourning his friend, just as Will was mourning his sister.
"How can you say that? You saw her."
"Because Minerva sent an owl. Janice is dead and Luna is gone. She's certain it was the Doctor. So Luna will be okay. And Sirius… well, he's gone on to another adventure. That's what Dumbledore always says, isn't it?"
"I suppose." He was silent for a long minute. "At least Luna's free of that woman. If nothing else, that will help her."
"Yes, it will," Remus agreed. "Now eat your soup, and tell me if you're sticking with the Order or not."
"I…" He could go try to find the Doctor. Or he could stay with his brother and put his skills to use where they were needed. "I think I will. But first I have to go down to Cardiff. I owe someone a drink."
Remus nodded. "All right. I'll talk to Dumbledore then. I'm sure we can make use of your many talents."
"You know, I never expected to find myself back here. After everything…" He trailed off, uncertain.
"It's okay," Remus said. "I'm happy to have you back. I've missed you, Will."
"Yeah. You too, Remus." He smiled slightly. "After all, you're my big brother. How could I say no to an offer from you?"
Remus grinned back. "Well, as your big brother it is my God-given duty to order you to eat your soup, and take care of yourself. Go have your drink and hurry back. Things are about to change."
"War's on the doorstep," Will agreed. That was okay, though. He was a soldier. "We'll be ready."
The Doctor watched Luna sleep for a moment before closing the door. She hadn't wanted to sleep, but exhaustion had won out in the end and she wouldn't be waking any time soon. He wanted to stay with her while she rested, but he had other things to deal with. A promise to keep.
Donna was right outside when he turned to the hallway. She stared at him with a raised eyebrow.
"Bit of a secret you've been keeping, Spaceman."
"Look, Donna, I can explain-" She cut him off with a hand gesture. Her voice was unusually soft.
"It's okay. You go deal with the lady you've got locked up wherever. I'll keep an eye on the kid. She could use a motherly eye."
The Doctor smiled slightly, eyes tired. "Thank you." She smiled back and he slipped away.
Janice's world was red and brown, and it reminded him of Gallifrey as it orbited its star. And despite that, he did as he promised. For Luna. So she would never have to face that again.
When he was done there he piloted the TARDIS far away. He would never speak of it. Luna would never see it, because she had seen enough horrors for a lifetime already and he would not burden her with more. He wanted to let her be a child a little longer. There was so much he still wanted to show her, to teach her, to do with her. He would keep her close, keep her protected. He had failed to keep her safe that past year. He would not fail again.
Because he was the Doctor. And he was her father, and there was nothing in all of time and space as important as that.
When Luna awoke, the Doctor was still sitting with her, holding her hand, watching her with those dark, deep eyes of his. He looked more worn than he had been when she had stumbled across the TARDIS so many years ago. Older. But he was still there, still the Doctor, still strong and brilliant and protective and all of the best things she could imagine.
The Doctor, her father.
"Hi, Dad," she said softly when he noticed she was awake. "Where are we going today?"
Fin.
Well, that's it. I can't believe it's done. Nearly two years after I scribbled down half an idea of Luna traveling with the Doctor on the back of a name tag, it's finished.
The sequel (though I've already started it) will not be up for a while. I'm going to San Diego this week, then summer band starts and I'm back in school.
And, finally, the most important part of this: the thank yous. Thank you to Sean, my own Will, who has been here from the start. Thanks to kmcat, whose book is going to be fantastic. Thanks to proudtobeatheatrekid and Phygmalion, and everyone else who put up with my incessant rambling. Thanks to the dozens who have reviewed, and the hundreds who have kept reading. I couldn't have done it without you.
And reviews, as always, are welcome.