Recall

By Lumendea

Chapter One: Recalled by the Third I

Disclaimer: I do not own Doctor Who or any of the spinoff material, and I gain no income off of this story, just the satisfaction of playing with the characters.

AN: Welcome to a new story idea that took over my brain. I hope you enjoy it, and if you have thoughts or suggestions, I'm happy to consider them. I have no big plot plans for this; it is being written as a shot of fluff straight into the veins.

….

Jo hummed as she walked through the halls of UNIT HQ. It was a fairly nice day outside, and that always lifted her mood. Plus, there hadn't been an invasion or odd incident in over a week. She and the boys were enjoying the quiet though Jo had the sense that the Doctor was getting restless. In her arms were some reports and recent scientific journals that either he'd find interesting or enjoy pointing out the errors in.

She entered the Doctor's lab and noted the experiment still running on the main chemistry table. It didn't look dangerous, but Jo gave it plenty of space as she headed to the small desk the Doctor used from time to time and put the papers down on it. The TARDIS stood nearby, in the same spot as always, and Jo assumed that the Doctor was inside or speaking with the Brigadier. Then the door of the TARDIS opened.

"Hello, Doctor," Jo greeted as she turned.

But it wasn't the Doctor who had stepped out. Instead, there was a little girl who looked vaguely alarmed at the sight of her. The little girl had long, light ginger hair that was braided into pigtails and piercing blue eyes. Her lips were pressed tightly together, and she'd raised her chin. Trying to look brave, Jo decided with a twist in her heart. She could see the worry and fear in the girl's face. She was wearing clothing that was a little odd to Jo but very recognizable as trousers of some sort under a skirt and a shirt under a hoodie. On her feet were rather sturdy little black boots. Jo knew she didn't belong there, but she couldn't help but think that the girl was utterly adorable.

"Hello, sweetheart," Jo greeted softly. "Are you alright?"

It was best to start with the bare basics. Finding out who the child was and how she'd gotten here could wait. Maybe a visitor had brought their daughter, and she'd managed to slip away. But the little girl didn't respond. She stepped back, putting her hand on the TARDIS. Now Jo could see a thick bracelet of some kind around her wrist. It was a bronze colour with odd little indentations.

"I'm not going to hurt you," Jo promised. For good measure, she took a couple of steps back. There were so many questions that she wanted to ask. The girl's body language was so guarded, and Jo could see now that she was scared. This might be more than being lost. "Are you hurt anywhere?"

Thankfully the girl shook her head, but she still didn't speak. Jo knew what to do in the event of intruders, but it was a child. And the door of the TARDIS was still slightly ajar, leaving Jo to worry that the girl might bolt into the ship. How had she gotten into it in the first place?

"Can you tell me your name?" Jo asked. She knelt down to let the girl get a better look at her. "I'm not going to hurt you. I just want to make sure you're alright."

Jo had just enough time to worry that the girl was going to bolt into the TARDIS. Having spent only a little time in the ship, Jo knew that wasn't a good idea, and there was no telling what experiments the Doctor might have going in the TARDIS. She hated the idea, but she might just have to grab the child or trick her into a safer position. And the child might be a trick by spies or aliens, Jo told herself firmly. Then the door behind Jo opened, and the Doctor swept in, humming to himself.

"Daddy!" the little girl gasped as her face lit up.

She dashed past Jo and threw herself at the Doctor, grabbing his leg and pressing her face into his trousers. The Doctor immediately stopped with confusion in his eyes before looking down. Jo expected him to ask her what was going on, but a wide grin overtook his features, and he tossed the folders he was carrying onto the closest table.

"Gaia! My word!"

Jo blinked in surprise as her brain tried to process what had just happened. The Doctor dropped to his knees, forcing the little girl to let go and then pulled her tightly into a hug. Shaking, Gaia grabbed onto the front of the Doctor's coat, and the Doctor stood up, lifting her effortlessly. His wide grin softened, and Jo watched him tenderly run one hand over the little girl's head.

"Doctor?" Jo asked in confusion. But he wasn't paying attention to her. All of his focus was the child in his arms.

…

The Doctor, for his part, cursed his dulled senses. His exile was more complex than much of UNIT recognized. Not only was the TARDIS grounded, but his own temporal awareness was limited thanks to him being stuck in one place and time. Being part of events always muddied things, and he was condemned to be in the thick of it. Had he not been, he would have sensed Gaia's arrival at once and immediately rushed back to the TARDIS.

"I'm sorry, my little darling," he whispered. He kissed the top of her head and marvelled at how small she was. "I didn't realize you were here."

"I just arrived," the girl replied. She had a soft and sweet voice. Very young, though, Jo decided. "The recall worked." Her small hands tightened on his jacket. "Are Mummy and Daddy, okay?"

"I'm sure they're alright," the Doctor said gently.

"Uh, Doctor?" Jo called softly. She took a tentative step forward, and the Doctor forced himself to turn at least some of his attention to his assistant. "Is she alright?"

"She's alright, Jo," he assured her. He smiled at Jo's concern for the child and watched her relax. "I imagine that she is a little frightened. She knows the TARDIS, of course, but my ship looks different than she is used to. And, of course, something happened that was bad enough her recall was activated."

"Her recall?"

"Yes." The Doctor shifted the precious bundle in his arms, and she raised her head to look at him. "Do you mind showing my friend Jo your bracelet, Gaia?"

She nodded and held out her right arm, finally releasing her death grip on his coat, not that he minded. He saw his future daughter, so rarely and Gaia was so open with her affection. Even now, their mental link was warm with her love for him and comfort in his arms. There was none of the detachment that he'd had with his prior children. And his telepathic skills in his first body had been so weak in comparison to where he was now.

Jo only glanced at the recall bracelet. That wasn't surprising, she was clever, but it would be alien technology to her. Gaia's reaction worried him a little until a thought occurred to him.

"My sweet Gaia, is this the first time your recall bracelet has activated?" he asked, rocking her a little. The action wasn't familiar, but he'd noticed other humanoid species do similar actions with their young. There had to be something to it.

"Yes, Daddy," came her innocent reply.

That explained the fear he could still feel over their link. "I see. Well, you needn't worry. This is my third face, and I'll meet you in my prior two faces in time," he explained.

Perhaps he shouldn't be telling her about her own future, but she was just a child and even the Time Lords at their worst would recognize that a child had to be protected. And he doubted that they were aware of the situation. If they were, that was one more thing they'd have accused him of at the trial that got him forced to regenerate into his current body and exiled. Best not to think about that right now, not with the little one connected to his mind, even shallowly. Goodness, this was already getting complicated.

"And we may meet more in my future," he told his daughter. He had to focus on reassuring the child. When things were difficult with companions, that came first and at least, that was familiar. "I promise that you will always be safe when the recall bracelet takes you to the TARDIS."

"Okay," she agreed. The fear faded, and the Doctor marvelled at the ability of children to adapt and adjust.

"Doctor?" Jo called. Her tone was careful, and she was eying Gaia with a hint of concern. "What is going on?"

"Ah, yes, I suppose I didn't explain that," the Doctor said a bit sheepishly. Normally he was more aware than that, but under the circumstances, he felt it was justified. "As you know, Jo, I am a time traveller."

"Yes, Doctor, I know all about that."

"That means that sometimes things don't occur for me in what you would perceive to be the proper order," he continued. "This little girl is, in fact, my daughter." Gaia beamed up at him, and he wondered how old she was. Younger than he'd ever seen her before, but she'd known him at once, so her telepathy was already well developed. "How old are you, Gaia?"

"I'm three years, six months, two days, six hours, and …" she trailed off while Jo's eyes widened. "I'm not sure of the minutes," Gaia said, pouting at her failure.

"You did very well, Gaia," the Doctor assured her. "You'll rarely need to know the minutes or seconds of how old you are."

"Is that why Mommy says you don't know how old you are?" Gaia asked, tilting her head so that she reminded him of a little owl.

The Doctor paused at the mention of her mother and swallowed. "Perhaps," he allowed carefully. Turning his attention back to Jo, he noted the surprised but happy expression on her face. "For me, Gaia hasn't been born yet, but she is equipped with a recall device. When she is in danger, she is pulled through time and space to the nearest safe version of my TARDIS."

"She's your future daughter?" Jo repeated, sounding shocked, but she was clearly processing it. "You have a daughter."

"Obviously." The Doctor didn't see any need to discuss his other children on Gallifrey. It had been apparent to him the first time he met Gaia that he had a very different relationship with his future womb-born child than he'd had with his loom-born children. "I'm sure it's nothing too serious. A reasonable precaution to take when travelling with a young child."

"Yes," Jo agreed. "I should think so." She paused and watched as Gaia yawned and snuggled into his coat once again. "Your name is very pretty, Gaia." That made Gaia smile, and the Doctor was grateful that Jo was taking this so well. Despite his initial reservations, she had proven to be a capable assistant on what mattered most.

"Thank you," Gaia replied. "I'm sorry if I was rude earlier," she apologized.

"Oh, no trouble, sweetheart," Jo said quickly. "I can understand! I was a stranger!" Jo paused and looked between him and Gaia for a moment. "Since the TARDIS isn't working, your future self will need to come and get her, right? Any idea of how long she'll be here?" Jo asked.

"When this has happened before, her father has come to retrieve her," the Doctor explained. "As for how long she'll be my guest, that's difficult to say, I'm afraid," the Doctor admitted. "It all depends on what trouble I've gotten myself into in the future. Could be only a few hours or a few days." He took one hand off of Gaia and rubbed the back of his neck. "I can't imagine more than that, but anything is possible."

"Then I should alert the Brigadier," Jo said carefully. She looked a bit overwhelmed, and the Doctor did have to admit that it was a great deal to absorb all at once. "Are there any supplies that I should go get for her?"

"Oh, I think we'll manage," the Doctor said. "At least for a day or two. If she's here beyond that, then we'll revisit that question."

The Doctor wasn't sure what he preferred. On the one hand, it was already wonderful to have Gaia here with him. He leaned forward and gently pressed his forehead against his future daughter's. She giggled, and he nuzzled her, enjoying the contact. Her blue eyes were locked on him. Thanks to crossing his own timeline, his future appearance was a bit fuzzy, but he was certain that she had his future eyes.

As nice a thought as that thought was, it didn't stop the worry rising in the Doctor. He was so young himself, by the standards of his people at least, and here he was entrusted with a tiny child. At least in their prior meetings, Gaia had been a bit older and more independent, even if she'd still be very young.

Now she was three. She was three, and he was beginning to worry. Perhaps it would be best if Jo went out for supplies, but what supplies? Children on Gallifrey were loomed at the physical maturity of roughly six, educated within their House structure and then sent to the Academy two years later. There was very little of the work of raising that humans were so familiar with involved in the process.

Gaia was so tiny. So very small and clinging to him as if he was her only comfort. Then again, he probably was. Swallowing, he looked around for Jo only to note that she was already gone. And that meant that the Brigadier was sure to be sweeping in at any moment.

"Oh, Rassilon," the Doctor muttered.

"Daddy," Gaia scolded. She frowned at him, and he was suddenly aware that she knew he'd been using the Founder's name as a curse. But he could tell that she was trying not to smile.

"Ah, let's have that be our little secret," the Doctor whispered.

Gaia laughed, the sound sweet and heartwarming. The Doctor tried to remember if he'd been so enthralled by Gaia in his past two lives. Well, his second body certainly. The cosmic hobo had been an overgrown child himself. But his first body had been a bit firmer. At least until Susan took a shine to her future aunt and the pair together had been too much for him to be stern in the face of. He smiled again and shook his head.

"What's wrong?" Gaia asked, tilting her head again. It was such an adorable little quirk.

"I'm just glad to see you again," he said. His emotional state was a bit too much to explain for a three-year-old. Goodness, most of her development milestones would have been mostly guesses. "Are you sure that you're alright?"

"Yes, Daddy. I'm fine."

"Are you hungry?" the Doctor asked. Children needed food. He didn't need to eat as often as the humans of UNIT did, but Gaia was small and developing. She'd need food. "Thirsty? Tired?"

Gaia giggled at him, a wide smile taking over her features and revealing small dimples. Goodness, the Doctor wondered what the expression on his face was like. He could feel himself smiling, but was the panic showing? Where was Jo? Maybe she'd have some ideas for entertaining Gaia. With the TARDIS not working properly, he couldn't rely on the Old Girl for help as he had before.

He had just enough time to start working himself into a proper state when the Brigadier came stomping into the room with a disbelieving expression on his face and Jo, Benton, and Yates hurrying in after him. The Doctor allowed himself a great sigh. Whatever she was picking up from him made Gaia giggle, and the Doctor realized that while he was thrilled to have Gaia with him, this was certainly going to be more complicated than he'd originally thought. He was, after all, stuck in one place with humans who would certainly not leave well enough alone.