Daddy's Girl

Chapter five

He looks like a little doll, lying there on the table. His face all cleaned up. Or maybe he's gone to sleep. Well, he has really. He has for three days, not a stir or a sound. His wounds are all healing up now. All that's left is for him to wake.

And I wait for that. For a sign, for that flicker of eyelids as he turns to look at me. I sit, I hold his hand, and I wait for my daddy to wake up and smile.

But I'm thinking all the while.

Through Saffron's eyes

She hasn't eaten, or slept, for three days. She barely spoke a word, even. I can't get a reaction. She just sits there, and she holds his hand, as though nothing else matters. Well, it doesn't I suppose. She adores him, he's her daddy. He's everything that matters in her life.

But I hate being so useless. I can't bring him back, and it breaks my heart to see her sitting there next to him. So all I can do is wait with her. Sometime Jack comes, and sometimes Mickey, but I'm here the whole time. Just in case something happens, just in case he wakes up. Or he…

I don't want to think about that.

And suddenly, out of the blue, she turns to me.

"Saffron?"

I jump at the sound of her voice and it takes a second for me to get over the shock.

"Wh…what is it sweetie?"

"I have an idea…"

Flower girl

Saffron smiled up at him, his dark blue eyes twinkled back as they drew back from their kiss. All about them people were cheering, but that was all far away as they turned to make they're way back down the aisle. Jack grinned and waved, being the usual showman he was. She didn't mind.

That had been half an hour ago. Half an hour since she'd been Mrs. Jackson Andrew Harkness.

Didn't feel so different.

She wore a straight white dress with embroidery across the bottom; her hair was let loose and curling about her shoulders as she stood next to Jack at the long white table and held his hand.

"You look beautiful. For a human". Said a voice in her ear. She whisked around to find the Doctor standing there, grinning his grin.

"Why thank you, kind sir. I think." she smiled back, and resisted the urge to curtsy. She had seen the Doctor earlier of course, at the wedding. He had been the best man. Seemed he was everything in this family, best man, Godfather of her firstborn son, a now nine-year-old Mickey James Harkness.

Speaking of Mickey…

"Uh, Doctor?" Jack said, as the two men embraced. "I think my son and your daughter may be getting ready to clash".

Both the Doctor and Saffron turned to watch their two children over on a grassy verge not to far off. Mickey, in his Paige-boy suit appeared to have jumped on six-year-old Jenny's back, in her white flower girls dress which matched Saffron's own wedding one, and was now trying to wrestle her to the ground.

"Poor kid," the Doctor said, sticking his hands in his pockets, apparently unconcerned. He certainly wasn't talking about Jenny, who had twisted around and served up a well aimed kick to the back of his leg. He fell to the ground whilst Jenny picked herself up and reached for her sonic screwdriver.

"Ah, can't let it get too far-JENNY!" The Doctor shouted for her attention. Startled, she spun around to look at him and promptly fell over. Jack laughed.

"Cute," he remarked. Then "Uh oh," as they watched Mickey tackle her from behind and pin her down. There was a short struggle, before Jennifer eventually managed to climb on top again. She stood, brushed herself off, before running excitedly over to them.

"Jack!" she wrapped her arms around his waist a buried her face in his chest, doing an amazing impression of a limpet as she clung to him.

"Hey little Jenny!" he laughed, picking her up in his arms. She laughed.

"I turned Mickey over!" she told him.

"So I saw!" he replied. "Someone's becoming a strong little lady, ain't she? Feisty thing," he told Saffron. "Growing up just like her mom, huh?"

Jennifer looked at him quizzically. She then narrowed her eyes at the Doctor, before leaning in to whisper in Jack's ear.

"Aren't you now?" he asked. She shook her head. "Well that's a cryin' shame, honey. But you can talk all you like to Uncle Jack, 'k?" She nodded. "Good, now go get Mickey for me".

As she ran off, the Doctor raised a curious eyebrow at Jack. "What did she say?" he asked. Jack looked away

"That she's not meant to talk about her mother in front of you".

For a moment the Doctor appeared speechless. "Right. Uh…where'd she get that idea from?"

Jack shrugged. He had a few theories on that but….well, this wasn't the place. "Don't know 'bout that," he said, before turning to Saffron. "How about we go meet the guests?"

Saffron nodded, wanting to get out of this suddenly tense atmosphere as soon as possible. "See you in hell, Doctor," she smiled, as they left his to his own thoughts.

Most guests were gone now, only the a few stragglers still stood in the evening twilight. Even Jack and Saffron were getting ready to leave. The Doctor, quite bored now and feeling a domestic burn in the air, searched for his daughter. Eventually, he found her, curled up asleep on a chair.

"Jenny," he whispered. She blinked sleepily.

"Jack?"

"Nah, its daddy".

"Daddy…" she repeated sleepily. "Are we going home now?"

He nodded. "Yep, can't stay here forever you know".

"Wish we could".

He wasn't sure what to say to that, so he picked her up instead. For a six year old, she was very light as she wrapped her arms around his neck and wrested her head on his shoulder, sleepily.

"Jenny," he said. "Why do you think you can't talk about your mummy?"

For a second, she didn't say anything, but her arms tightened a tiny fraction about his neck and she buried her head a little deeper into his shoulder. "'Cause nana Jackie said not to. She said you were very sad 'bout it and I wasn't to say anything 'front of you"

Ah, so Jackie had said. Explained a bit. Or a lot. "Well that's not true". He said, as they got to the TARDIS door. "You can talk as much as you like about mummy, remember that, ok?"

She nodded, sleepily as they stepped inside. "I will," she promised him, yawning a bit. "Sleep now?"

He laughed as he carried her to her room. "If you like," he said.

He lay her down on her bed, tucked the covers over her and smiled. She did look a bit adorable in her little flower girl dress that Saffron had picked out, even if it was now all messed by Mickey.

"Daddy?" she called out as he turned to leave.

"What?"

"Can I be the Flower Girl the next time Saffron and Jack get married as well?"

He gave a small laugh. "'Course you can," he told her. "You can be flower girl as much as you want".

She gave a small smile and nodded, before closing her eyes, and going to sleep.