A/N: Hey guys! Thank you so much for your patience for me! I know I have been gone long, and I apologize for that. I was terribly sick (don't worry, it's not something too life-threatening) but also midterms and finals got in the way and it was hard to update. I finally managed to finish all of my work for this semester so I can catch on all of the updates I have been missing. Please leave reviews for me! I love you all for continuing to support me!
: Thank you so much for your love and support! I'm so sorry I got behind. I promise to be better about it for the summer!
. : Thank you for continuing to leave reviews! I'm back for a good amount of time so hopefully, I should be able to continue updating this story!
agbreads: Hahaha, I thought a nice twist would be interesting to add! Thank you for showing so much excitement for this story! Please continue to leave reviews!
Chapter 26: Confrontations and Something Borrowed
Iris waited for the stars in her vision to disappear until she slowly sat up this time, which allowed for the Doctor to give her some space. Looking up at the other companions, Iris smiled widely and said, "Oh good. We're all alright. So… does anyone have strawberries or pears? I'm really craving them right now."
Jenny stuttered in shock and looked at Marth and then at Donna, but she noticed that they mirrored her own surprise. Then the trio heard the Doctor ask in disbelief,
"Pears?!"
"Wait, sorry, did you just say pears?!" The Doctor exclaimed.
Iris blushed and shrugged in a sheepish manner and said, "I'm craving them."
As the Doctor was about to argue with how pears were horrible to eat and should never be eaten, Donna rolled her eyes and sighed in exasperation, getting over the shock of the whole incident. She said,
"Oi! I don't understand what this is, but Spaceman, you'd better explain what's going on!"
Iris finally looked up and then studied Donna and then smiled widely as she bolted up and hugged her and yelled out,
"Donna! My superwoman!"
Donna gasped for air as she said, "Er… Iris… air…"
Iris' eyes widened at that and she quipped, "Sorry…"
Donna looked at how she still had that same puffing of air into her cheeks as a way to pout and chuckled at that and said, "It's fine… I'm just… confused."
Iris looked at her and then at Martha, who just looked very confused and happy at the same time. Then Iris' eyes wandered over to Jenny, who was standing there not sure what to do. Iris smiled warmly and went over to Jenny, hugging her tightly.
"I'm glad that you're alright."
Jenny finally teared up and she said gently, "You're really mum… right?"
Iris nodded into the hug when she realized something. Iris stood away from Jenny a little and looked down at her daughter. Wait, looked down?
Iris stepped back with an intense look of concentration written over her face. Then she asked cautiously,
"Did I change?"
The Doctor stood up and stretched a little as he eyed her as if she was about to break down at any moment and said, "Iris, you might want to sit down. Let's get to the TARDIS."
Iris lifted a finger up to his lips and stopped him from talking further and hushed him with,
"Shhhh…. I'm thinking!"
The Doctor raised an eyebrow and felt a little uncomfortable with the finger on his lips. But Iris kept it on there as she said hesitantly,
"Bananas…. Oh… my voice changed."
Iris frowned with worry and looked up at the Doctor, feeling an overwhelming sense of panic come over her. How were Jack and Ianto going to react to her new appearance? What about the other Torchwood members. Was she even the same person?
And the one thing she dreaded the most: what if her feelings towards the two men had changed?
The Doctor noticed how overwhelmed she was starting to feel and it just continuing to escalate from there. He gently cupped her face with both hands and said,
"Iris, calm down. You need to slow down your breathing."
Iris' eyes widened before they rolled upwards and Iris fell limp into his arms. Donna and Martha both exclaimed,
"Iris!" While Jenny yelled out "Mum!"
The Doctor lifted her up into his arms and hurriedly took her to the TARDIS. Once they were inside, the Doctor took her to her room and gently set her down onto the bed. He tucked her in after taking her shoes off and looked down at her.
Several thoughts passed through his mind until later he sighed out heavily and realized something. How was he going to explain this? Explaining the advancement between their bond was one thing, but Iris becoming a Time Lady could cause some issues if she were to be back on Earth.
Jenny walked in and whispered out, "Is she going to be alright?"
The Doctor sighed out again and nodded as he said, "Yeah. Her body's just adjusting to the massive biological change it just went through. Also, whenever a Time Lord regenerates, it takes a while for the new body to get settled."
Jenny looked at her father and saw something and said, "I know I wanted to travel the universe with you two, but I think I might stay here."
The Doctor's eyebrows immediately crunched together as he looked up at her from his seat and asked,
"What? Why?"
Jenny shrugged and said, "Well, the people here need to get settled, and so far, leaving them with General Cobb is probably not the best idea. I think I might stay and help them build the new world here. Once everything is settled, I might go travel around."
The Doctor felt a pang of pride in her words and smiled a little and said, "That would be brilliant. With that, he reached inside his pocket and found a spare phone. He quickly sonicked it and handed it to Jenny and said,
"If you ever want to travel, call me with that. I should answer and come pick you up."
Jenny smiled widely and hugged him tightly as she said, "Oh, thank you so much! I'll make you and mum proud. I promise, this world will be founded on more humane terms."
The Doctor chuckled at that and patted her shoulder. With that, he said, "She might not wake for days… I know you wanted to say goodbye to her…"
Jenny shook her head and said, "Don't worry. If she can get better care somewhere other than here, do that. You can always bring her back one day! Maybe I'll give you lot a call once I get things all ready for everyone to see!"
The Doctor smiled at her and hugged her one last time as he walked her out and said, "Jenny, be safe. If you need any help…"
Jenny rolled her eyes and said, "Call you. Yeah, got it dad!"
With that, she walked out of the TARDIS and said, "See you later dad!"
The Doctor waved at that while Martha and Donna both gave Jenny a hug before walking into the ship. Once they dematerialized from the planet, Martha looked over at the Time Lord and said,
"Jack is going to shoot you for what happened to Iris."
The Doctor groaned and ran his hand through his hair as he said, "Yeah… kinda think that I might end up regenerating right after I introduce her to him… Now that wouldn't be ideal, but…"
Donna rolled her eyes and said, "From the looks of it, I don't think that Jack will be mad about the fact that she regenerated. More probably from her getting shot."
The Doctor sighed as he remembered while plugging in coordinates and then cheerily yelled out,
"Well, let's get a move on then! Back to Earth, allonsy!"
Martha and Donna looked at each other with a knowing look before smiling a little and then grasping onto the rails around the console. They eventually arrived in front of Martha's house and once the TARDIS made its regular 'thud' landing, the companions looked up at the Doctor, who had a tight smile on his features.
Martha sighed and smiled warmly while Donna asked,
"Are you sure about this?"
Martha chuckled and hugged Donna and responded with, "Yeah, positive. I can't do this anymore. You'll be the same one day."
Donna shook her head and said, "Not me. Never. How could I ever go back to normal life after seeing all this? I'm going to travel with that man and Iris forever."
Martha chuckled again while the Doctor's eyes saddened just a miniscule amount before returning to its cheery look. Martha shook hands with Donna and said,
"Good luck."
Donna smiled and said, "And you."
The Doctor walked over to the door with Martha and said, "We're making a habit of this."
Martha laughed freely at that and said, "Yeah. And you'd think it'd get easier. All those things you've been ready to die for. I thought for a moment there you'd finally found something worth living for."
The Doctor beamed proudly and said, "Oh, there's always something worth living for, Martha."
Martha smiled warmly at that and the two people hugged, each feeling a satisfaction from how their goodbye wasn't from something as traumatic as their last one. Martha finally separated from the Time Lord's hug and swallowed a lump in her throat as she said,
"Bye Doctor."
The Doctor nodded and said quietly, "Goodbye Doctor Jones."
Donna watched as Martha finally turned around and walked towards her home while the Doctor watched from his spot before turning around himself and approaching the TARDIS. Once he entered, Donna closed the door and she asked,
"So, what now?"
The Doctor looked up as he dematerialized the TARDIS from the street and plugged in coordinates for Cardiff. With that, he answered her question with,
"We wait for Iris to stabilize from her regeneration… and then take her to Cardiff. Afterwards, we can go on another adventure."
Donna felt elated that he was willing to take her on another adventure, but saw the look of hesitance come into the Doctor's eyes and asked,
"Are you alright?"
The Doctor let out a breath and said, "Not sure. I… I always thought that I was it. All alone in the universe and now… now I have a daughter and Iris is now a full Time Lady."
Donna remained silent for a moment as she studied the Time Lord in front of her and said, "You're not alone. You have Martha, me, Jack, Jenny and Iris. You have a family here on Earth and in the far future with Jenny."
The Doctor smiled at that and said, "Yeah, I do, don't I?"
Donna chuckled and patted him on the shoulder and said, "Well, I'm worn out from all that running and worrying. I'm going to go sleep."
With that, she headed down the corridors to head over to her room in the TARDIS. The Doctor watched after her disappearing form before leaning over the console and sighing heavily. Iris was still sleeping, he could tell from the bond. The TARDIS then let out a calm thud sound as it landed in Roald Dahl Pass. He wasn't sure how Jack would react towards Iris becoming a full Time Lady now.
When she had boarded the TARDIS after the incident with Sontarans, he noticed how her relationship with Jack was steadily becoming more and more serious, and he didn't want his bond with her to get in the way. As he was thinking this, he quietly walked over to Iris' room and opened the door to find her curled up in the blankets.
Sure, Iris was pretty in her last form, but in her Time Lady body, she looked less mature and slightly more child-like. Not age-wise, but just in her features. It was as if everything that had been haunting her had disappeared. She was definitely taller, and her hair was longer. He sat on the edge of her bed and gently moved a strand of hair that landed over her face.
As he looked down at her, he grabbed her hand, instantly feeling the bond between them identify each other. He swore to protect Iris with whatever he could at that moment. He squeezed her hand and then went to stand up when her hand quickly grabbed his wrist.
The Doctor turned around and found Iris' brown eyes look up at him. He felt a lump in his throat at how she looked at him and managed to say,
"How are you?"
Iris smiled before letting him go and went to sit up. He quickly helped her up as she said, "I feel fine…"
At that, her eyes widened, and she looked up at him in surprise, as she tried to process something and then carefully whispered out,
"My voice… it's different. Did-did I?"
The Doctor noticed a pained look in her eyes and managed to nod as he responded with, "You regenerated."
Iris let out a shaky breath and remained silent for a moment and asked, "I… Does that mean I'm a Time Lady now?"
The Doctor nodded and noticed how Iris gently put her hand on one side of her chest and then the other, eyes widening as she muttered out in shock, "Two hearts…"
Iris sat there dumbfounded as her thoughts ran wild and many things passed through. Eventually she calmed herself down and looked up at him and asked,
"Can I look at a mirror? I want to see if I look different."
The Doctor helped her up and led her to a full-body mirror. Iris gasped and stepped forward, touching her reflection. She had completely changed. She was slightly relieved that she still looked Korean, but it came to her that her appearance changed so much. She even felt different. Before, she would keep everything to herself and things would all seem so exhausting. Now, she felt as if that load had been taken off her chest and wonder and awe filled her entire being.
Even the world looked so different to her.
The Doctor saw several emotions pass through her features and when they finally settled to awe and something akin to curiosity, he asked, "What do you think?"
Iris managed to look up at him and say, "Everything feels so different. I'm so overwhelmed at the sensations. It's as if my mind is on overload too."
The Doctor chuckled at how wide her eyes had become, it was almost comical to see her with such an expression. He then said,
"You'll get used to it. It might be overwhelming now because you now have a body of a Time Lady, but it will get easier eventually."
Iris hummed as if she was agreeing to his statement, but he could see her pout her lower lip just slightly as something seemed to cross her features. Before he could ask her what was wrong, she then asked,
"Do you think Jack will take this well? I mean, he took to your regeneration well, but you're you… And I… Well, I feel like a completely different person now. The woman I was before… her memories are here, but…."
The Doctor understood that worry easily. Whenever he regenerated in front of a companion, that was always what he worried about. Whether they would accept his new self. Feeling completely different and a new person sauntering about the TARDIS and running about the universe. He grasped her shoulders and said comfortingly,
"If I know Jack, he wouldn't be taking this too badly."
Iris nodded and sighed out loud before mustering up her courage and flexed her body a little bit without leaning onto the Doctor. She felt her strength return to her and she felt refreshed. But that was when her body betrayed her, and her stomach growled. Iris winced as she hesitantly looked up to the Doctor, blushing bright red.
The Doctor looked at her in surprise at the noise and then laughed. Iris' face turned even redder as she turned away from him while she put her hands up to her check in a feeble attempt to cool herself down. Noticing this, the Doctor asked, "Hungry much?"
Iris turned back around and mumbled, "I still want strawberries…"
The Doctor chuckled and grabbed her hand and led her down to the kitchen sifting through the fridge as he managed to find strawberries. He washed them for her as she waited, looking around with curiosity getting to her. She then grabbed a strawberry with glee as the Doctor noticed how she just stuffed them into her mouth like a child. She looked up at him with a question in her eyes, mouth still full of strawberries as he said,
"At least you didn't ask for pears this time."
Iris glared at him a little as she swallowed the huge mouthful in one and said, "Don't do that! I was really disorientated."
The Doctor raised his two hands in a surrendering gesture and just chuckled. Iris pouted as she felt his thoughts through their bond and huffed while angrily ingesting the strawberries still on the plate. The Time Lord just watched the woman in front of him with a small hope filling his heart, he was not alone anymore.
Sensing his thoughts Iris calmed down and slowly slid the bowl towards the man. Surprised, the Doctor looked at her before smiling widely and taking a strawberry and plopping it into his mouth.
Once she was done, she washed the plate and then quietly shut the water off. The Doctor quickly noticed her resolve and asked,
"You want to head to the Hub?"
Iris nodded quietly, biting the side of her cheek in anxiety. The Doctor squeezed her hand in reassurance as they headed out. That was when Iris froze and then looked over to the Doctor and he sensed her thoughts. She had forgotten about asking for Donna. He quickly sputtered out,
"Donna is fine. She said she was going to sleep."
Iris sighed out a breath of relief and continued walking as she said, "I can't believe I forgot… hmmmmm… I'm hoping that I'm not forgetful in this form."
The Doctor chuckled again. This Iris was more playful and taking the whole regeneration better than he thought. When they reached the door of the TARDIS, Iris hesitated a little before making a look of determination and opening the doors with both of her hands.
She stepped out and immediately breathed in the air. The buzz of the area felt different. New. Iris looked around and cautiously stepped forward. After setting both of her feet outside the TARDIS, Iris let out a breath that she had been holding and looked back towards the Time Lord, suddenly feeling unsure of herself.
The Doctor saw the fear behind her eyes and walked up to her and said, "You're not alone. Never."
Iris looked at him and hugged him, needing reassurance. She nestled herself towards the crook of his neck. The Doctor hugged her back, rubbing a gentle circle on her back with his thumb. After a few moments, he saw the sun rise all the way to signal morning and whispered to her,
"You should go."
Iris pulled away and said, "Doctor… thank you."
The Doctor smiled tightly, understanding the fear she felt as she walked towards the Hub all by herself. He watched her disappear and then turned around, to enter the TARDIS. With that, the TARDIS dematerialized not too long after.
Iris walked inside the tourist center cautiously, seeing how her hand trembled in anticipation and fear. How would her teammates take her? Would they accept her the way she is?
That was when she saw Ianto walk out from inside and look back at her with a smile. Iris took in a sharp breath at that and instantly saw that he didn't recognize her. Her two hearts ached at that and she smiled tightly as Ianto said,
"Could I help you with anything ma'am?"
Iris opened her mouth to say something, but nothing came out at first. Ianto instantly frowned at that and asked, "Ma'am are you alright?"
Iris sighed out heavily and then tried again with, "Hi Ianto."
Ianto's eyes widened at that and he studied the woman in front of him a little more carefully and asked, "I'm sorry, I don't recognize you. Have we met?"
Iris smiled tightly and nodded as she pulled out her identification badge for Torchwood and handed it to him. Ianto took it and looked up at her and back at the card as he asked,
"How do you have this? Where's Iris?"
Iris went up to him a little and whispered out, "It's a little upsetting that you don't recognize me Ianto… but I guess that's a given since I look different now…"
Ianto's eyes widened a little as he froze and studied her a little and then back at her identification. Then slowly, he hesitated before asking warily, "Iris? Is that you?"
Iris smiled and nodded, not sure how to react to this. Ianto froze at that and then cleared his throat a little before saying,
"Uh… wait here. I'm going to grab Jack."
Iris' smile faded away the moment Ianto headed inside the Hub and she felt her hearts break a little even though she expected him to not recognize her immediately. She could hear muttered voices coming closer behind the wall and soon enough, Jack came out and he warily studied her as he then cautiously asked,
"Iris?"
Iris swallowed thickly as she smiled tightly and responded with, "Hey Jack… It's been a while."
Jack looked at her and then asked, "If you're really Iris, then tell us what only Iris, Doctor, Martha Jones and I would know."
A tear fell from Iris' eyes and she had to hold a cry in as best as she could as she racked her brain a bit before whispering something in Jack's ear and then leaning away. Jack froze at his spot and looked down incredulously at the woman in front of him, who looked completely different from Iris as he choked out,
"Iris? It's really you?"
Iris nodded hesitantly and said, "It's me… I, I know I look different, but I can explain."
Jack hugged her quickly and apologized fervently. Ianto looked on and asked, "How is this possible? Iris, you look like a completely different person."
Iris sighed out as she pulled away from Jack and said, "It's complicated, but I can explain."
Ianto nodded and helped her inside along with Jack. Once Iris reached her old table, they all sat down once Ianto had gotten them all a cup of coffee. Iris looked up at Jack and Ianto, who waited for her to answer them. Iris shifted slightly in her chair, not feeling comfortable as she began explaining her story.
"Well, the Doctor, Martha, Donna and I got transported to this planet somewhere, and then things happened, where the Doctor and I got some of our tissue samples removed to make a person from our DNA. But because the Doctor and I share a bond, it… it basically made it progress that much faster because it registered the person as our daughter."
Jack froze at that and looked up at Iris, who looked very uncomfortable with the entire scenario of Ianto and him staring her down with tension building at that information.
"Daughter?" Ianto choked out, causing Iris to look apologetic at that and say,
"Yeah, although she was created from our tissue samples, I would still consider her our daughter."
Ianto fell silent at that and Jack shook his head as he said, "But humans don't become Time Lords from what I know. They don't regenerate."
Iris shook her head sadly at that and said, "Having Jenny be created like that, it confused the bond and… well, the Doctor isn't entirely too sure either, but it somehow altered my biology and when I eventually got shot during the adventure to save Jenny, it caused the bond to freak out and cause my regeneration."
Jack looked at her silently for a long time while Ianto stood up and left the room, feeling overwhelmed. Eventually, Jack grabbed both of Iris' hands and whispered out,
"Did it hurt?"
Iris looked down and responded back with, "It… it did."
Jack fell quiet at that again and after a moment, Iris felt her hearts ache from the silence before saying,
"If this is too much, Jack, we- we can take a break."
"No." Was all she heard, causing her to look up.
Jack stared back at her intensely before responding with,
"If you think that you regenerating would cause me to no longer love you, then you're wrong. Iris, I'm not upset that you're a whole new person. I don't care. Because deep inside, I know that you're the same Iris that I came to fall in love with."
Iris shook her head at that and said, "Jack, I regenerated. The woman I was, she's gone… Yes, we have the same morals, but I won't be the same person you know. I will behave differently, respond differently, and just be… different."
Jack chuckled at that and said, "Well then, I guess I will have to accomodate myself with you all over again Ms. Kim."
Iris looked up at him as tears fell down her eyes despite her laughter that came out from his light joke. Jack swiped the tears away with his thumbs and Iris felt the fear dissipate a little bit. But a frown formed on her face as she muttered,
"What about Ianto and the rest of the team?"
Jack sighed and said, "It won't be easy for them to accept this. But remember this Iris. I'm always going to be by your side."
Iris laughed a little at that and said, "I guess we can age slowly together then."
Jack chuckled sadly at that before looking down at her intensely and saying to her, "I love you Iris. Always."
Iris smiled widely at that and leaned in as she said to him, "I love you too."
With that, Iris' eyes closed as their lips met. The kiss was gentle and slow. Understanding passing between the two individuals in that one kiss. Iris slowly pulled away and leaned her forehead on hers as she laughed a little once a thought popped up into her mind.
Jack raised an eyebrow at her and asked, "What's so funny?"
Iris sat up a little straighter as slight amount of mischief showed in her eyes before responding to him with,
"I just realized that I'm taller than before so that I don't have to tiptoe anymore to kiss you."
Jack laughed out loud at that, the tension lessening and he shook his head at that and Iris pouted a little, having been slightly serious when she had said it. He then noticed while she irritatedly said,
"What's so funny? I know it's not the funniest thing in the world."
Jack just continued laughing as he pinched her cheek and said, "You're just adorable when you pout. How can you get more adorable at that?"
Iris blushed bright red at that and turned her face away, pouting even more without realizing. This set off Jack even more and he laughed even louder and he eventually said,
"Oh boy, I'm not sure you're going to like hearing this then."
Iris looked up at him curiously from the corner of her eyes as he continued with, "Gwen's getting married today."
Iris' eyes widened at that as she gaped in shock before yelling out, "What?! How could you not call me about that?!"
Jack laughed while muttering a few "Ow"s as Iris pelted him on the shoulders with her fists in frustration of not being informed of Gwen's wedding. But she quickly froze upon spotting Ianto come back in with a slightly hesitant look on his face.
Jack calmed down quickly and slowly left the area with, "I'll let you two talk."
Iris slowly walked up to Ianto and quietly asked, "Ianto, it's ok if you're not used to me being, well… me."
Ianto shook his head at that and said, "No, no it's not… it's not that I'm not liking the you that you are now…. It's just… well,"
"Different? Shocking? Impossible?" Iris said as she quickly interrupted him.
Ianto looked at her knowing look but also spotted a slight sadness in them as he nodded. Iris smiled a little sadly at that and said,
"I understand it takes time to get used to me being me. But Ianto, I know I'm a completely different person now considering my personality, but also in a sense, I'm still me deep down. I still care about you and the team. I also… uh…"
Ianto frowned a little when he saw how a red blush started to appear on her face as she awkwardly shifted and started to scratch the back of her head before muttering, "I love you."
Ianto smiled at that, and sighed out loud as he whispered out, "Oh thank God."
Iris whipped her head up to look at him in shock as she sputtered out, "Wh… what?"
Ianto looked down at her and then saw the shock in her doe-like eyes and couldn't hold his laughter in despite his efforts. Seeing his reaction, Iris huffed out loudly and crossed her arms as she groaned out, "What is it with you and Jack laughing at me today? I'm completely serious!"
Ianto tried to reign his self-control back in as he said, "No, no, it's not a bad thing. I just- well, you looked so surprised that it was cute."
Iris blushed even a brighter red at that and looked away and shifted, as if trying to run away. Ianto quickly twisted her back so that she faced him before leaning towards her face and asked lowly,
"So what was it that you muttered earlier?"
Iris sputtered in surprise again, feeling her two hearts speed up from the teasing. Iris squirmed a little in his grasp as she said,
"Uh… uh… uh."
But nothing coherent came out as Ianto started to nip her ear and Iris felt her legs turn to jelly at that. But she couldn't get the words out from sheer embarrassment of her situation and pushed him away harshly. Ianto looked at her in surprise before he smiled smugly at how red her face had become as she looked wildly for a hiding spot before running away from him.
Ianto couldn't hold his laughter at that and just laughed out loud, causing Jack to walk in and raise an eyebrow at that and ask,
"What happened? Where's Iris?"
Ianto laughed even harder before managing to say, "I may have teased her a little too much."
Jack looked at the man in front of him before shaking his head and saying, "Oh Ianto, you learn too quickly."
Ianto rolled his eyes and said, "That's harassment, sir."
Jack scoffed but gave a gentle peck to Ianto's cheek before asking, "What, and you didn't do it to Iris?"
Ianto shook his head and just said, "Hmmm." Not quite answering Jack's question.
With that, Ianto left the area, leaving Jack to wonder about things when suddenly, the door to the Hub opened and Owen and Tosh came in with a worried look as Owen said,
"Uh, we might have a problem. Gwen just called screaming bloody murder about something regarding the bite she got yesterday."
Jack sighed in frustration, knowing what he might be talking about. He then said, "Ok, I'll go there with you, but first, you two might want to meet somebody."
Tosh and Owen looked at each other in confusion when they saw Jack disappear to somewhere and then a female voice that sounded as if she was protesting against him. Then they saw Jack just smirking and dragging along a woman they had not seen before as they heard her say,
"Uh, Jack, I'm not exactly ready to see them. I mean, what if-"
But she was quickly cut off when her eyes met Tosh's and she seemed to gulp in fear as Jack put an arm around her shoulder as a way to keep her from running away as he said,
"Owen, Tosh, meet Iris, our newly regenerated team member."
The two Torchwood members gaped at the woman in surprise as they tried to comprehend who this was in front of them when Owen muttered,
"Are you saying that this is Iris?"
Iris winced a little at that and grabbed the hand holding onto her shoulder and lifted it while turning to hide herself again, feeling a little fearful of the moment when Jack grasped her shoulder even tighter. Iris grimaced even more before turning back to face Owen and Tosh with an awkward smiling that almost seemed to scream "Help me!" as she just laughed a little.
Tosh and Owen were silent and trying to grasp the situation as Iris continued to laugh awkwardly while tugging herself a little bit away from Jack as she said,
"Hi guys."
Suddenly, Tosh walked up and stared at Iris and said, "I thought regeneration only happened with Time Lords when they die as a rebooting system."
Iris grimaced and said, "Yeah…"
Tosh noticed the guilty look in Iris' eyes and realized what that meant. Iris looked at Tosh a little fearfully when suddenly, she felt something hard collide with her cheek and her head turned the other way.
"Ow! What was that for?!" Iris yelled out, feeling a little offended that she got slapped.
But she stopped there when she saw the upset look in Tosh as the woman said to her,
"You idiot, you got yourself so hurt, that you ended up regenerating?!"
Iris' eyes widened at Tosh's words and she just kept her hand next to her cheek, rubbing it in pain as she guiltily said,
"I didn't want anyone to die…"
Tosh glared at her and then hugged the younger girl as she said,
"I'm worried about you. You're going to give me and Owen grey hair twenty years early."
Iris winced at that and looked over to Owen who still seemed to grasp the situation. Iris knew that she was not like the older Iris. She wasn't broody anymore nor silent nor quiet like her last self. She wasn't sure what this version of herself was like, but she could definitely tell the difference.
Everyone seemed to wait for Owen, who still stood there breathing heavily as if trying to keep himself from hyperventilating. Iris carefully called out to him, causing him to look up and say,
"You! You're not human?"
Iris felt her hearts aching again and everyone around saw her face fall at that and she nodded as she said,
"But I'm still the Iris you know. Well, maybe not exactly like the past version of me, but still caring, hopefully, and weird as ever? I don't know what I'm like in this version of me, but I can promise that I'm still talented with robots and technology and medicine, I think. I mean, everything is still pretty scrambled up in my mind but-"
"Shut up." Owen said, causing Iris to frown.
Owen saw her grow upset and quickly apologized and laughed a little as he said, "No, no, no I'm so sorry. It's just, well… Iris, you have a hell of a gob now. You really need to stop rambling."
Iris' mouth opened to form a big O and she blushed a little as she chuckled awkwardly while scratching the back of her head as she said, "Oops. Hehe, sorry."
The four people around her shook their heads at her before Iris frowned and asked Owen, "Now, what did you say about Gwen having a bite and today being her wedding?"
Owen's eyes widened at that and said, "Oh, uh.. about that, I think it might be better if we went to see it ourselves."
"I'll get ready for that then!" Iris yelled, a smiling coming onto her features at the thought of heading back out.
Jack held her back after having a silent agreement with everyone else as he said,
"Uh, Iris, I think it might be better if you stay behind with Ianto and Tosh."
Iris pouted and asked him, "Why?"
Jack looked down at her and saw her pull off a perfect puppy-eye look and sighed as inner conflict started to torture him. Breathing steadily, he slightly distanced himself from her as he said,
"Because Gwen might not be stable and exactly calm about recognizing you."
Iris pouted, but understood what he meant and nodded. With that, Jack and Owen headed over to Gwen's place while Iris remained behind with Ianto and Tosh, who decided to talk to her about herself, hoping to figure out what type of person Iris was now.
Once Jack and Owen arrived at Gwen's place, they were shocked at a very pregnant Gwen waiting for them. Owen examined her and he frowned as he told her, "Gwen, you're pregnant. Almost full term."
Gwen gaped at him and then glared at the medic as she said, "Pregnant? That's not possible."
Jack asked, "How are you doing, Gwen?"
Gwen glared at him too and said, "Jack, will you tell me what's going on? Owen says I'm pregnant."
Jack told her almost nonchalantly, "What, you think?"
Gwen looked seriously worried then as she said, "Jesus Christ. What with?"
Owen thought for a moment when they heard Iris say through their comms, "Exo-biological insemination."
Jack frowned and told Iris, "Iris… not now."
From the Hub, Iris pouted and huffed as she turned away from the computer altogether. Ianto and Tosh watched at her with amusement and slight child-like behavior.
But Gwen wasn't having it and looked even more upset at how Iris wasn't here. She would help calm her down at times like this, and the absence of the woman wasn't helping. But Jack noticed this change in Gwen and cautiously said,
"That alien last night, caused the pregnancy."
Gwen shook her head as if in denial as she said, "Oh, get off. It bit me, Jack, that's all."
With that, Gwen walked to her living room, feeling the panic settle back in as she thought of how she would possibly explain this to Rhys. Jack followed her and said,
"It passed the eggs on in the bite. Some species do that. A kind of sneaky way of keeping the bloodline going. Boy, would Darwin have a field day if he'd made it to space."
Gwen glared at him and sarcastically muttered, "Mmm. Yeah, great."
Owen sighed at this and said, "Listen, Gwen, you are going to be fine, I promise, okay? If there was any biological incompatibility, you would be dead. Now, according to this scan, you are carrying a non-sentient blastopheric mass."
Gwen looked confused and frustrated as she headed back to the kitchen and sifted through her cabinets and fridge looking for something to deal with the sudden craving she had as she asked,
"A what?"
Owen responded with, "It's a kind of alien egg. But don't worry, I'm going to look after you, and Iris. We've got procedures in place for this situation."
Gwen looked up incredulously as she started to eat the gherkins and asked, "You mean, this has happened before?"
Iris grimaced at that from the Hub as she remembered one of the incidents Jack had come back with from one of the aliens they had been chasing before. She shuddered at the sheer thought of having to deal with a temporarily pregnant Jack Harkness. After that incident, Owen and Iris had to set procedures.
Owen glanced over at Jack a little while Jack merely shrugged and responded with,
"You've heard of immaculate conception, haven't you? Well…"
Owen shook his head at that, which Gwen noticed but didn't question. With that, Owen said,
"Right, we take you back to the Hub. You like back, Iris and I can run a bio-xenic microton, a couple of days off your feet and you'll be right as rain."
Gwen's eyes widened in shock and she quickly pointed at him with anger as she said,
"Whoa, a couple of days? In five yours I'm walking down the aisle, Owen."
Jack got off of the wall he was leaning on and looked sternly at Gwen while saying, "No, you're not."
Owen looked apologetically at her and said, "Gwen, I hate to say this, but you're going to have to postpone the wedding."
Gwen shook her head adamantly and yelled out with, "No! No way. Have you any idea how much a wedding costs?!"
Jack then walked over to her and responded with, "Listen, Gwen, you are not carrying the baby Jesus in there."
Iris sighed and face-palmed at that jab that Jack just made to Gwen. Tosh and Ianto had to hold in their laughter at that, but managed to remain quiet to not anger Gwen.
Gwen glared and gave him an angry shove as she almost hysterically yelled out,
"I don't care, alright?! I can't put Rhys through this. He's had to put up with enough as it is, okay? So I'm not postponing the wedding."
Jack shook his head and said, "You are not thinking straight."
Iris hummed a little and commented to the 51st century man, "Jack, just have her go with the wedding. I can bring some of the tools over there and have her looked over. As long as she doesn't overexert herself, it should be fine."
Jack sighed out loud while Gwen angrily yelled out,
"Do not bring my bloody hormones into this, Mister Jack Harkness!"
Owen snickered a little on the side at the onslaught Jack was getting and Jack looked conflicted as he said,
"Okay, calm down."
Owen then said, "Well, I have to agree with Iris. Iris can bring some tools over and we can get Gwen looked at and see if it's safe for her to have this wedding today. Then we can get her to stay for a bit."
Gwen sighed out in relief and said,
"Okay, so if all's good, I am good until after the wedding. And then I'll do whatever I have to do. Once I'm Mrs. Williams. Not before."
Jack sighed, not liking the idea, but allowed her that as there didn't seem to be a way for him to change the Welsh woman's decision.
Once the two men returned to the Hub, Iris quickly stood up as Tosh asked,
"How is she?"
Owen sighed and said, "She's going ahead with the wedding. Iris, is she going to be alright? Is there anything about this you know?"
Iris nodded and said, "Yeah, she should mostly be fine as long as we're with her throughout this wedding."
Jack gave into that as the team looked back at him for the final decision and he said,
"Which is fine, as long as long as she doesn't go into labor at the altar. Rhys might forgive her going down the aisle pregnant, but not giving birth to a razor-toothed monster that eats half his family."
Ianto looked worried at that as he asked, "Could that happen?"
Owen responded with, "Well, look, the pregnancy's advanced and we're not familiar with the species."
Iris then asked, "So what happened to the alien that got her pregnant?"
Jack answered that with, "She escaped. But we have a different one, the guy."
Iris winced at that and said, "Well, if the one that escaped was the mother, then we're going to have be on the lookout for her since almost all females throughout the universe have maternal instincts. And mothers are not too far away from their children. And if the alien babies are in the last-term-"
Owen continued with, "She's going to make sure that she gets her babies her back herself."
Iris nodded, glad that she was able to let them know without destroying too much of the timelines. She just hoped not too much happened with Gwen by the end of this.
Jack looked at her with a smile before bringing his serious look back on and said,
"Which is why you and Owen need to open up the guy with the teeth and make sure there's no surprises."
Iris nodded enthusiastically and said, "Alright! We'll get that done right away."
With that, she went up to him and pecked a small kiss onto his cheek before she went to the locker room to change into scrubs.
Jack remained where he stood, surprised at her show of affections in public, which was so different from the private Iris, who didn't like public displays of their relationship. Ianto looked decently surprised while Owen and Tosh smirked knowingly.
Owen cleared his throat as he walked away and teased the two men with, "Well, looks like you three need to catch up more than we thought."
Ianto blushed at that while Tosh chuckled and said to Jack,
"I guess I have something to do Jack?"
Jack smirked with amusement and nodded as he said, "Yup. Tosh, you've got an early pass to the wedding. Keep an eye on Gwen. Ianto…"
Ianto turned around in surprise and faced the man with, "Jack?"
Jack then said, to him, "Once Iris and Owen are done, take Iris and help Gwen get a new wedding dress. Bigger."
Ianto nodded and headed over to a desk to find a good place to get a wedding dress nearby. Once Iris finished up what she needed to do with Owen, she saw Ianto, who was waiting for her. She smiled and skipped towards him, which was another new thing for her. She felt like skipping towards him all of a sudden.
But once she caught up to him, he smiled at that and said, "Let's go help Gwen get a new dress."
Iris looked up at him at that, appearing worried about something, which Ianto quickly realized what that look was for. He quickly hugged her in reassurance and said,
"Don't worry. She'll be fine with it. Or at least, she'll accept you for who you are."
Iris smiled, although not all of the fear disappeared from her eyes. Once they arrived at the bridal shop, they were bombarded with a male assistant, who politely asked,
"Can I help you two lovely couple?"
Ianto and Iris blushed a little, but Ianto managed to say, "Yeah, actually, we're looking for a wedding dress for a friend."
The man looked at Ianto incredulously and asked, "Friend?"
Iris smiled awkwardly at that and said, "Well, uh, you see, an accident happened to a friend I'm being a brides maid and him being the best man for, and there was a rip in her dress. It's kind of an emergency…"
The assistant then nodded with a look of understanding, "Of course you two are. Please, follow me."
Ianto sighed at that and gave Iris a grateful look. As they waited for the assistant and Iris was talking with the man on the specifics about the dress, Ianto couldn't help but imagine a wedding with him and Iris. Sure, there was Jack there too and the lifestyle they led might not lead to a conventional marriage, but he couldn't help it as he was surrounded by the wedding dresses.
Trying to imagine Iris in a wedding dress, he couldn't help but long for it. Iris managed to purchase the dress when she finally noticed Ianto have this faraway look in his eyes. Iris felt herself deflate a little, thinking about the future. But she quickly shook her head as the assistant returned with the dress for her. But before she could take it, Ianto's hand took it and carried it for her.
Iris just looked up at him and smiled a little before they headed over to Iris' place so she could get changed into more of a wedding attire. As she sifted through the closet of hers, she sighed and complained to Ianto, who was helping her with her decisions.
"I don't know what to wear Ianto! What do people around here wear to weddings? Something conservative? Or can I just wear some fancy enough dress and call it good?"
Ianto looked at her and then went up to grab a yellow dress that flowed comfortably and reached down to her knees. The one thing Iris was grateful for was that her height hadn't changed so drastically to the point of needing an entirely new wardrobe. And the dress that Ianto had picked for her beforehand was slightly big for her beforehand.
This was then paired with a small ribbon-like fascinator that was also yellow. Once she changed into these, she stepped out of the bathroom and asked Ianto a little embarrassedly,
"How do I look?"
Ianto looked at her and smiled as he said, "Gorgeous."
Iris blushed a little at that and said, "You flatter me too much."
Ianto laughed at that and went up to her as he hugged her around the waist, and pecked a kiss onto her lips and said, "As much as I want to prove you wrong on that, we have to get the dress to Gwen soon."
Iris blushed even more at that before pulling away and clearing her throat, looking around from her embarrassment taking over.
"Yeah, we should, uh, go…"
Ianto laughed even more at how easily she blushed in this body and how easy it was to fluster her. He grabbed her hand and helped her to the car.
Once the two arrived at the Hub, they went to Jack's office and showed him the dress.
Jack looked and said, "I like that one. Good choice."
Iris beamed and said, "Ianto did most of the decision-making since he already knew the sizes. I was just the person bargaining with the guy. It was hard to dissuade him from thinking that the dress was actually for me."
Jack chuckled a little, but had a flash of an image of Iris in a wedding dress and shuddered a little until Ianto's voice brought him back to the real world.
"I estimated Gwen's size from the Hub's security laser scans. As you know, my dad was a master tailor. He could size a man's inside leg measurement by his stride across the shop threshold."
Iris coughed when Jack said,
"Ah, the family eye. Remind me to test it sometime."
Ianto saw the teasing look Jack had in his eyes and smirked too as he responded with, "Well, if later on…"
Iris turned bright red when the two men turned to look over at her. She shifted in her chair, feeling uncomfortable from the teasing and knowing looks the men had on her. She didn't like where this was going when she felt an overwhelming amount of relief the moment Owen walked in and said,
"Jack…"
Iris got up and bolted from the room, causing Owen to look confused until he noticed the smirks on both men's' faces and groaned the moment Ianto said,
"Yeah, brilliant, like that one."
Owen rolled his eyes at that and said, "Look, you can flirt and tease Iris all you want, but we've got to go. We've got a problem."
Ianto and Jack became serious and followed the Torchwood medic out and headed to the Autopsy room, where Iris was already waiting and grimacing at the body.
Owen went up to them and said, "Look what our friend was hiding."
Ianto looked down at it and asked, "And that is?"
Iris responded with, "A proteus gland. The shape-shifting organ of a Nostrovite."
Ianto looked confused still and asked, "And what is that exactly?"
Jack sighed and said, "Trouble. Big trouble."
They all followed Jack back to his office as Iris started to explain about the Nostrovite,
"A Nostrovite is a shapeshifting carnivore with a taste for human flesh, unfortunately. It's intelligent and sneaky. And, I'm so sorry Jack, I completely forgot about the little detail of it being a nostrovite…"
Owen shook his head and said, "That's it with shapeshifters, innit? You never know what you're looking at. So don't apologize, you weren't even there when we were chasing them."
Iris sighed, as Ianto still didn't seem to understand the severity of the situation and asked,
"What's the big deal? It's dead."
Iris grimaced and responded with, "But Ianto, that's only one. Remember when I said there's the mother still missing from the autopsy room?"
Ianto seemed to realize what she meant and gulped as Owen added,
"A Nostrovite mates for life. You know, like swans and penguins."
Jack added, "Yeah, except you don't find Nostrovites on greeting cards."
Owen nodded and said, "Right, and then the male Nostrovite carries the fertilized eggs in a sac in its mouth and passes it onto a host with a bite."
Jack and everyone else grimaced as Jack muttered, "Gwen."
Ianto asked with trepidation, "And where does the mother come in?"
Iris looked up at him with a serious look and said, "Well, she tracks down the host, she rips it open."
Ianto looked horrified at that and Iris grabbed his hand to comfort him as Jack said,
"That's Nostrovite childbirth. And momma's out there right now, looking for Gwen. Come on."
Ianto was chosen to drive the Range Rover while Iris and Owen were deciding on what medical tool to use. Iris grabbed the scalpel that had been used on Martha during Reset and argued with Owen about it.
"Iris, I understand it worked that one time, but I'm not confident about it!"
Iris shook her head and argued heatedly, "I know it works! God dammit Owen! This is the only way to deliver the child safely from Gwen! Trust me, it works!"
Owen sighed and pinched his nose as he asked her, "Do you know how to use it?"
Iris nodded and said, "Duh, why would I say to use this if I didn't know?"
Owen shook his head and tried to grasp how Iris was more stubborn and hotheaded in this body. He answered her with,
"Fine! We'll use it, but I'm going to resort using that as a last resort."
Iris bit the side of her mouth, not liking where this was going, but decided to compromise with this.
"Alright. Fine."
With that, the two medics huffed at the argument they just shared. Jack was phoning Tosh during their debate and when Tosh didn't respond, he said to them,
"Tosh isn't responding."
Owen immediately looked worried over that and looked at Iris, who wracked her brain to remember the details and then grimaced but reassured Owen with,
"Don't worry, she's fine. It's just that her hands are kind of tied right now."
Owen nodded, still feeling a little fearful for the woman. Iris studied him, trying to figure out what that fearful look he head was for. What did she miss while she was gone and regenerating? But she shook her head and decided that she needed to make sure she paid attention to the situation at hand more than Owen and Tosh's relationship status.
Jack then looked back at the two medics and asked,
"You sure you're ready for this Owen and Iris? You two know what Nostrovites can do. You think you've got it covered a hundred feet away, and it's already chewing on your liver."
Iris sighed and said, "I'm fine. And if anything, Time Lady, remember?"
Jack glared at her and said, "Doesn't mean you can't get hurt Iris!"
Iris grimaced at the pure worry and anger he had when he told her that. Iris then said, "But I can still heal far better. And Time Lord biology, I'm still figuring that out, but I'm pretty sure that I can outrun the Nostrovite for a longer amount of time than Owen."
Owen sighed and said, "And even if Iris wasn't here, I don't need my liver. You need me, Jack."
Jack studied the two medics, who were determined to do their job and sighed, as he said,
"Oh, whoa, whoa, whoa. The singularity scalpel. Where are you two going with that?"
Iris looked determined and walked up to him as she said, "We need to get to Gwen before the Nostrovite does. We might not have a chance to get back to the Hub and the microtron weights about two tons. Even if we were to get Gwen safely, we still need a backup measure just in case."
Jack looked down at her and asked,
"Is everything going to be alright?"
Iris smiled a little and said, "There might be scratches here and some bruising, but most of it should be fine."
Ianto listened in and sighed but felt a bit better at that statement. Jack nodded and then looked up as he said,
"Still, the incident with Martha last time was a lucky shot…"
Owen rolled his eyes and said, "Listen, you and Ianto better start trusting me, okay? Iris already believes I can do it. Also, we've been working on it, and I've got it sussed. Besides, with the Nostrovite around, we really don't have too many options."
Ianto thought on this as he drove and said, "He's got a point."
Jack looked over at him in surprise and asked, "What is it with you? Ever since Iris almost died, all you ever do is agree with her and Owen."
Ianto shrugged as he said, "I was brought up never to speak ill of the dead. Even if they still do most of the talking for themselves. Plus, it's Iris we're talking about."
Jack looked over at Iris, who blushed slightly, but also tried to put on a proud, smug look on her face, which seemed to hilariously fail. Jack laughed in resignation at that and said,
"Okay, fine. But Owen, Iris, you two better be sure you guys know what you're doing."
Owen and Iris nodded at that, determined to do what it takes to save Gwen from the mother Nostrovite.
After a while, Iris asked with impatience, "How much further?"
Ianto answered with, "A few minutes."
Jack then told her and Owen, "What I don't understand is if people are going to make such a big deal about getting married, why come all the way out into the middle of nowhere, where no one can find you to do it? That, to me, suggests, inner conflict."
Iris rolled her eyes at that and said, "Well, some people like having nature around them or doing the whole romantic forest in the background thing, almost like a fairytale. Or you know, in a building that makes everything more romantic? Not all of those buildings exactly get placed in a city anymore Jack."
Jack rolled his eyes while Ianto nodded and said, "It's becaue the happy coupel want everything to be perfect."
Owen though added with sarcasm, "An alien egg in your belly and its mother coming to rip you open. Yeah, perfect."
Iris looked over at Owen with a glare and smacked him over the head and said, "Well, if I can have anything to do with it, then there's no ripping open Gwen on her wedding day."
Owen just glared back at her as rubbed the back of his head and said, "You didn't have to hit me."
Iris huffed and said, "Tough."
Owen gaped at her until rolling his eyes, muttering something about liking the old Iris better. It didn't go unnoticed by Iris, who said,
"Oi! I heard that!"
Owen looked over at her, and then said, something under his breath again about Time Lord hearing. Iris rolled her eyes at that as they continued to make their way to the wedding. Once they arrived, Iris grabbed Jack's hand and said,
"We've got to stop the wedding!"
Jack ran with her, keeping their hands together and the moment they bolted into the wedding room, Jack yelled out,
"Stop! Stop it! Stop the wedding! Hold on!"
Gwen looked up at Jack and the woman holding his hand in confusion and hurt as she asked, "Jack?"
The woman looked over at her apologetically and said, "Gwen, I'm really sorry. Yes, I'm Iris, and I know, I changed, but this comes with me suddenly being a Time Lady and I will explain that a bit later, but believe me, this wedding has to stop now, you're being hunted by the mother of that baby."
Gwen looked confused as Brenda said, "I just knew that baby wasn't Rhys's."
Iris rolled her eyes and stomped over to Brenda before smiling at the elderly woman. Brenda looked down at her and Iris said,
"Ma'am, if you have that low of a confidence or trust in Gwen, then shame on you. Gwen loves Rhys and would never betray him like that if she decided that she wanted him enough to marry him. Gwen's like that. She's loyal to almost a fault. But that's not a bad thing. It means that she would follow Rhys to the end of the universe if she has to. So please, shut up, you're not helping with the scenario."
Rhys gaped at the woman who claimed to be Iris, and asked,
"What the hell are you two doing here?"
Gwen grasped Rhys's arms tighter as tears threatened to spill and said, "Jack, I told you, I am marrying Rhys."
Iris saw the hurt in Gwen's eyes and immediately ran over to her and gave her a hug, before saying,
"And you will. It will happen today, but you all need to wait a bit. The mother of the child inside you is trying to get her baby, and it's not going to be pretty if she gets to you."
Gwen's eyes widened and then looked over to Jack for confirmation. When he nodded, she glared at him and then looked over to Iris as she angrily said, "I'm trusting you to be Iris and want a full explanation as to why you changed faces and body and attitude. Also, I'm trusting you that I will be Mrs. Williams by the end of the day."
Iris nodded and helped her along with Rhys following them and said, "I promise, cross my two hearts."
Gwen's eyes widened at that and wanted to keep asking, but knowing that the people here were all in danger, asked them,
"What's going on Iris?"
Gwen and Rhys were in the bridal suite after the people were evacuated to a different section of the building. The couple were sitting together as Rhys rubbed circles into Gwen's shoulder as she asked them incredulously,
"There were two of them?"
Jack nodded and said to her, "Ma and Pa Nostrovite. They hunt in paris, but childbirth is more of a three-way. He finds and impregnates a host. She then comes in like the midwife from hell, hanging around, watching, waiting, until the time is right. Then it gets messy."
Rhys looked distraught at that and asked, "So you think it's near?"
Iris nodded and said, "She's definitely here. Ianto and Owen should have found Tosh by now, who's tied up with your Banana Boat friend because of her."
Gwen's eyes widened at that and asked, "Is she alright?"
Iris nodded and said, "The only thing we have to worry about is that she's a shapeshifter. She could be out there making small talk with either of your parents or even become them."
The husband and wife-to-be looked each other worriedly at that news. But Gwen took a deep breath and said,
"I'm still holding you to us having been married by the end of the day Iris."
Iris nodded and said, "I know. I'm really sorry about this. If I arrived earlier, this could have been prevented. Especially to you Rhys, you had to deal with all the secrecy that Torchwood enforces and we had to make Gwen lie to you because of that. Please understand that's not Gwen's fault. It was for the best. And we would like to thank you for sticking with her despite all the mess there's been. You and Gwen are a good couple."
Rhys looked a little less angry at that and nodded, muttering a thanks to her. Gwen looked over to Iris gratefully, even if she was upset about postponing the wedding for a few hours. Gwen then asked Iris,
"So would you like to explain how you changed your looks completely? Although, I do like this you equally as before. It's just that, this is… not what I was expecting when I hoped to see you at my wedding."
Iris grimaced and said, "Well, the story's a bit complicated. Long story short, I ended up having a daughter with the Doctor through our tissue samples, and that caused our bond to advance a bit too much, changing my biology to make it fit based on the circumstances. And then when I got shot instead of my daughter, I was dying, but that released the regeneration energy inside my body that should have slowly changed me into a Time Lady. So then it caused me to regenerate, almost like a kickstart into changing my entire biology. And… well, here I am."
Gwen looked a little sad at that as she said, "So then, you died?"
Iris felt the sadness emanating from Gwen and said, "Well, in a way, yes. The old Iris you knew, that version of me… is no longer here."
Gwen felt a tear slip down and Iris immediately went over to her and said, "Oh, please don't cry. I'm still here. I'm still Iris. I may be really different from the one you knew, but it's still me deep down."
Gwen sniffled at that and said, "I'm sorry, it's just that, even though we did become friends, I still feel horrible about how I acted towards the past you. I didn't get to apologize properly for all of that. I'm so sorry."
Iris smiled warmly at that and said, "If that's the case, then how about we start from scratch?"
Gwen looked up at her and saw the hand Iris extended to her as the Time Lady said,
"Hi, I'm Iris, and it's really nice to meet you. Congratulations on your wedding."
Gwen smiled and sniffled as she shook Iris' hand and said, "Gwen Cooper, soon to be Gwen Williams. Thank you for coming. And you look dashing."
Iris beamed at that and hugged Gwen. But she quickly stood up and said to the group, "I'm going to stay behind with Gwen and Rhys. Jack, you should check up with the others."
Jack looked at her, and noticed the determination behind the woman's eyes and nodded. He walked out when they all heard a scream. Iris took her gun out of her holster that was strapped around her thigh, surprising Gwen and Rhys from that movement. Iris blushed a little and said,
"This dress doesn't have pockets."
Gwen looked at her with disbelief, but Jack immediately told Ianto via their comms, "Ianto, after the girl, I need this contained."
Rhys whispered out, "Jack. Oh, God. I want Gwen out of here now, Jack."
Iris flashed him a look of understanding while Tosh told them, "Jack, I've seen the shapeshifter. It's a woman. She's in the back."
But when the situation spun out of control Iris, ended up staying with Gwen and Rhys in the bridal suite when Owen barged in with the singularity scalpel in hand.
Gwen shook her head adamantly at the two medics and said, "That. The singularity scalpel. That's your idea?"
Iris grimaced but said, "Gwen, it's cool. Believe me, okay? Owen has done it before and so have I."
Rhys asked, "What is it?"
But before Gwen could respond, Iris said, "Alien medical apparatus, it can safely extract the baby in Gwen outside without harming either of them."
But then, Brenda called out from the other side of the door, "Rhys? Rhys, are you in there, Rhys?"
Iris immediately went over and opened the door for her and said, "Come in, quick."
Brenda rushed in and rushed out, "There's, there's a monster Rhys. That American an the Japanese girl, they went after it."
Owen looked over at Iris, who took the singularity scalpel from him as he rushed out. Iris sighed and said, "Gwen, we have to remove that baby now."
Gwen shook her head at that and said, "I need to explain to Brenda."
Iris looked over at Brenda, then Rhys and lastly at Gwen. She sighed frustratedly and said, "Two minutes Gwen."
Gwen nodded and said, "Brenda, this isn't Rhys's baby. It's an alien."
But before she could continue, Jack kicked the door open, causing Iris to point the gun at him before realizing the situation and lowered her gun as Jack yelled out,
"Get back, you ugly bitch!"
"Jack! Stop!" Iris yelled out, running in front of Brenda to stop him from doing anything stupid.
Jack didn't pay attention to her and pushed her out of the way, still aiming the gun while Rhys yelled out,
"What the hell do you think you're doing? That's my mother!"
Jack didn't flinch at that though, but before he could respond to Rhys, his body was turned around before a strong slap hit him, causing his face to go to the side instantaneously. He looked at Iris in shock as she angrily pointed at him and said,
"Jack bloody Harkness! You will stop if I tell you to stop! This is Brenda, the real Brenda. You've been fooled! The Nostrovite is at the ground! I got the situation here handled, so go get her!"
Jack sighed and then ran before turning around quickly and said, "Did you really have to hit me?"
Iris glared at him and yelled, "Jack!"
Jack realized that Iris wasn't exactly happy with him and decided to go and catch the Nostrovite first before discussing the whole slap.
Iris then closed the door and barricaded it. Once she was done, she sighed in frustration and muttered,
"Stupid, stupid Jack."
But when silence still echoed through the room, she looked up to find everyone gaping at her. Iris blushed a little, but then immediately put on a serious face as she said,
"We can't just sit here. Gwen, we need to get that baby out now."
Brenda squeeked at that and said, "She can't just deliver the baby now? Surely?"
Iris rolled her eyes and told Rhys, "Look, I can use the singularity scalpel now. But if you don't trust me enough, you have to do it now. We don't have time."
Rhys swallowed and said, "Do it. I trust you."
Iris looked at him steadily before nodding and said, "Support Gwen, this might not exactly feel comfortable."
Brenda stood near Rhys, who looked at her gratefully, but the woman looked worried. Gwen then felt a twinge in her and she grimaced. Iris prepared the scalpel and started to get it to work when there was a bang at the door.
Iris growled a little and then got the scalpel to work. The machine whirred as it was finished locking onto the baby Nostrovite and once Iris pressed the button, Gwen lurched up in shock as she gasped out loudly. Iris then quickly grabbed a sheet from behind Gwen and wrapped the baby Nostrovite around with it gently.
The banging at the door didn't stop but they all heard a voice similar to Jack's say,
"Gwen! It's me, let me in!"
Rhys held onto Gwen and his mother, both looking frightened as Iris walked up to the door, holding the baby.
Iris then said,
"I know you're not really Jack, Nostrovite, so please stop. If you want your child, she's here. She's safe and healthy. If I open the door, and hand her over to you, do you promise to stop attacking people?"
There was silence before a growl rumbled from the other side. Iris sighed and continued with,
"Look, we don't want to harm your baby. The child didn't do anything wrong. We're really sorry about the father, but we can help you relocate to a better place for Nostrovites to live.
You can raise your daughter there."
Silence followed again before a feminine voice said, "You have my daughter?"
Iris said, "Yes, and we'll give her to you if you promise to let me take you to the rift in Cardiff and send you to a better place."
Then they all heard a sigh and resignation in the voice that responded with, "I promise."
Iris then looked over to Gwen and Rhys and said, "Back up, just in case."
They all backed up and held their breaths as Iris opened the door carefully with one hand, still gently holding the baby in the other. The woman on the other side of the door gasped at the sight of her baby and Iris saw a tear fall down her face.
Iris handed her the baby gently and said, "She's beautiful by the way. I know this isn't the ideal circumstance since you lost your husband, and I'm really sorry. But we can send you home if you like."
The Nostrovite looked up at her and said, "I only came here to get my baby. I… I'm sorry about this. I know my ways hurt people. But I was so angry and thought you would prevent me from seeing my child. And after losing my husband, I couldn't imagine not having her near me."
Iris nodded and said, "I'm so sorry about your husband."
The Nostrovite nodded and said to Gwen, "I'm sorry."
Gwen looked at her in surprise and said, "No, I… I'm sorry about your husband too. It's my fault."
The woman shook her head and said, I ruined your wedding day. I think we can end our conflict here. I have done enough damage. And I don't want our daughter to remember me as a monster."
Iris nodded and then said, "I will help you home."
The Nsotrovite nodded and followed after Iris, who called after Jack and the rest of the team. When they all came up to her, Iris raised a hand carefully and said,
"She's safe. She has her daughter and she promised to not hurt anyone. She's gotten her child. It's done. We just need to get her to her home planet."
Jack looked at her incredulously and said, "But she's hurt people Iris."
Iris shook her head and argued with, "She promised. Also, she and her husband were stranded from their home. Yes, they harmed people, but she can't help it. She's a mother. This is how they have survived all this time. They fell through the rift and it's not their fault they tried to save their child given the circumstances. You possibly can't blame them for that, Jack."
Jack looked at Iris and sighed as he realized that she was right. "I'm sorry. It's just…"
The Nostrovite shook her head and said, "I'm so sorry. But you're friend managed to save my daughter and get her to me. That's all that matters. I want to go back home."
Jack looked over at her and asked, "Do you have a way to do that?"
Iris nodded and said, "Yeah, I just need to phone him."
Jack then understood. He nodded and said, "Iris, escort her safely back home."
Iris nodded and then phoned the Doctor. After a few minutes, the Doctor responded with,
"Ah! Iris! How are things? Are you alright? I know regeneration can be disorientating and I was thinking if you wanted me to drop by and pick you up for another adventure. Especially since I was thinking, you know, why not a nice mystery or relaxing trip, eh? How about-"
Iris chuckled at that and said, "Actually, I came for a request. I need your help taking a mother and her child back to their home planet."
There was silence on the other end before a chuckle came from the Doctor as he said, "Oh I see. Getting yourself in trouble already I see. But for you Iris, I will. But don't think I'm a delivery man, alright? I don't like domestic things!"
Iris laughed at that and said, "Don't worry. It's just this one time!"
The Nostrovite smiled at that and looked down back at her daughter, who was sleeping peacefully in her mother's arms.
Eventually, the Doctor arrived in his TARDIS and helped drop off the mother and daughter at their home planet. As he was preparing to drop Iris back off at Gwen's wedding, he asked,
"So, how did Jack take it? Your regeneration I mean."
Iris smiled a little and said, "He took it better than I thought. But I can tell it's going to be a while before everyone gets used to me being… well, me."
The Doctor gave an understanding nod as he pulled the lever, causing the TARDIS to dematerialize. Iris sat down at the chair quietly and whispered out,
"It's weird. All this that has happened. And… also, we need to discuss the things I promised to talk to you about."
The Doctor froze at that and asked with trepidation, "What was the thing you needed to tell me about?"
Iris looked down at her hands, feeling hesitation seep through before she closed her eyes and muttered out,
"Earlier, I mentioned that I've been hearing a voice in my head from time to time."
The Doctor whirled around and responded with, "Rassilon."
Iris nodded and breathed out deeply as she managed to choke out, "I… I only hear him when I seem to have died or close enough to death."
The Doctor froze and asked, "What does he say?"
Iris looked up at him fearfully and said, "He… he calls me a name. A name that I don't know how I am associated with."
The Doctor felt her fear through their bond. And she wasn't just scared, she was terrified. Truly terrified enough to reach out to him. He gently grabbed her shoulders and then lifted her chin as he made her look at him and asked quietly,
"What did he call you?"
Iris shuddered as tears fell down her eyes and she said, "He called me Zagreus."