1995
Date: January 3
Once she'd collected herself enough to think in clear lines, Jenny started to look around at their surroundings. She immediately recognized the building that her mum used to have a flat in.
"Excuse me," she called after a blonde woman as she walked by. "Are these the Estates?" Although she was absolutely certain that's where she and Mara had landed, it never hurt to check. Her family was never very good with accurate landings.
The woman turned around and nodded. "Yeah that's right."
Mara squirmed in Jenny's arms, and she rocked her. "Thanks."
The blonde woman cocked her head. "You lost, love?"
Jenny bit her lip. "I s'pose you could say that."
"Are you waiting on someone?"
She swallowed hard, and looked down at her baby sister's face. Tears pooled in her eyes when the silence in her mind reaffirmed how alone she truly was.
"Oh, don't worry sweetheart," the woman said in a soft voice as she stepped closer to wrap an arm around Jenny's shoulders. "Why don't you come up with me and you can tell me what happened over a nice cuppa?"
Jenny blinked her tears away and smiled at the woman tentatively. "Thank you, but we should probably go."
The kind woman clicked her tongue. "Oh nonsense, I'm not gonna hurt ya. Listen, my name is Jackie Tyler; I've got a little girl named Rose. If—"
"Jackie Tyler?"
Could it be? Had the older Mara known just where to send her? Jenny wanted to laugh with relief—she must have told Mara about their Gran in the future.
"That's right," Jackie said. "Why, should I know you?"
Jenny bit down on the inside of her lip as she tried to think up a plausible lie to explain why she would know her Gran. She thought back on the few stories her mum had told her about their family, and remembered an aunt that would be long dead in 1995. "I'm your Aunt Elma's granddaughter."
Jackie's eyes widened. "I didn't know Cousin Suzanne had any children."
Jenny frantically searched her memory for anything her mum had mentioned about an Aunt Suzanne. "Mara was taken from her when she nearly overdosed and I ended up with custody. I remembered her mentioning you."
She hoped that sounded believable enough.
Jackie sighed heavily. "I'm sorry you had to deal with that, love." She squeezed Jenny's shoulders. "I remember Suzanne when we were kids…" She shook herself from a memory. "Well why don't you bring little Mara upstairs and we'll get you two all squared away. What do you say?"
Jenny nodded and allowed her Gran to lead her up to the apartment her and her mum shared.
"Home sweet home," Jackie crowed. "It isn't much, but it's better than most."
Jenny glanced around the apartment curiously. It didn't look all that much different from when she'd last been here in 2006.
She caught sight of a picture of her mum on the mantle. "How old is your daughter?"
"Nine. She should be home soon, actually," Jackie's voice drifted in from the kitchen.
Mara let out a loud cry.
"Shh," Jenny tried to soothe her as she rocked her. "I know, little one, I know. It's okay."
"Think she needs changing."
She glanced up from her crying sister's face to find Jackie at the door between the kitchen and the lounge. "How can you tell?"
Jackie smiled. "You just can when you're a mum. Here, follow me." She waved for Jenny to follow her towards her bedroom. She stood in front of the closet for a moment before reaching for a box. "I might just have a few of Rose's old cloth nappies. You can use them until you get a chance to go buy some."
Jenny laid Mara out on the bed while her Gran changed her into the new nappy. "Thank you," she said. "I never would have known."
"Sure you would have," Jackie said as she lifted Mara up into her arms. "Is that better sweet one?" She bounced Mara, and the little girl quieted. Jackie handed her back to Jenny. "I think someone's ready to go down. You can let her sleep in here."
Ten minutes later, Jenny and her Gran were sitting in the kitchen with a cup of tea each.
"So, do you have any sort of savings? Anything you can fall back on until you find work?" Jackie asked as she took a sip of her tea.
It was then that Jenny remembered the account that her mum had insisted be opened in Jenny's name on Earth for emergencies such as this. She sent out another silent thank-you to her mum, and nodded. "Aunt Elma set up a trust for Mara and I. There should be enough for us to rent a modest flat while I look for a job."
Jackie smiled. "Well then, let's make a list of things we should do tomorrow." She reached out and grabbed a notepad and a pen. "First, I think we should buy baby supplies for Mara. That sweet little girl is going to need more than what I saved for Rose. After that we can start house hunting. As for the job…I have a friend—Sherry, she's a crazy old bat but she means well—she may be able to get you a receptionist position at the company her husband works for. What's your work experience like?"
Jenny shifted uncomfortably. The only skills she'd ever picked up in her short life were either only applicable to war or time travel. "Well, I worked in a bar once." That wasn't a total lie. While she'd been waiting for her parents on that small asteroid bazaar, she'd provided some security for Rally in exchange for a couple free meals.
"As a bartender?"
"As a security expert," she clarified.
Jackie raised her eyebrows. "A little thing like you?"
"A friend of my mother's gave me a lot of self-defense lessons when I was young."
Jackie tore the paper off of the pad and handed it to her. "Well, if you write up your CV tonight, I can try to convince Sherry to get you an interview by tomorrow."
For the first time since she and Mara had arrived in 1995, Jenny felt a genuine smile spread across her face. "Thank you!" She lunged forward without thinking to give Jackie a tight hug.
Her Gran laughed and hugged her back. "You're welcome sweetheart. Now, what's say we make you something to eat? Some soup? A sandwich? Take your pick."
Date: March 15
Jenny sighed with relief as she opened the front door to her flat. She was just coming off of a ten hour shift at the office, and she still needed to make dinner.
The babysitter, Samantha, smiled at her sympathetically as she shut the door. "I just put her down."
"Oh no, is it past eight already?" Jenny glanced down at her watch. "I'm so sorry—there was an issue with the bus."
Samantha shook her head. "Don't worry about it, we were fine." She stood and gathered her things. "I made you some spaghetti with the extra time. It's sitting in the microwave."
Jenny smiled at her gratefully. "You're too good to me. Here," she said, and handed her an extra ten pound note with her normal salary. "For going above and beyond."
"Thank you, Miss Tyler," Samantha said, "I'll see you on Thursday?"
Jenny nodded. "Goodnight."
Almost as soon as she closed the front door, she heard him. That spot in her mind that had been empty for a long two months suddenly sparked to life.
She jumped nearly a foot high when he knocked on the door.
Slowly, she took the two steps over to the door and turned the handle. She pulled in a deep breath and pulled it open.
And there he was.
She was in his arms before he could greet her. She wrapped her arms around his neck and buried her face into the space between the inside of her elbow and the top of his shoulder. She could hear rather than feel herself sob her relief as she drank in his comforting scent of tea leaves and that indescribable smell of the TARDIS.
He wrapped one arm around her waist and used the other to bring his hand to the back of her head. He curled his fingers into her hair and pulled in a sharp breath. "I know," he murmured. "I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry, Jen."
When she was finally calmed down enough to speak, she pulled away. "Come in," she said, and pulled him inside by his hand.
She could feel herself shaking as she closed the front door and pulled him over to her small couch in the corner of the room. Besides a dining table, a couple of chairs, and a lamp it was the only piece of furniture in the room.
"Where's Mara?" he asked quietly.
"In the bedroom asleep," she answered.
His eyes wandered towards the bedroom door and he nodded before returning his gaze to her. "You're working at HC Clements." It wasn't a question.
She nodded. "Yeah, it's been lovely. Thought I was going in for a receptionist job and ended up as a security consultant instead." She snorted. "I s'pose Messaline did something good for me after all."
"Jen, you need to find a different job." His face was deadly serious and his voice was a monotone. She could feel the tightly controlled anger roiling off of him.
Her brow crinkled at his reaction. "Why? That job is the only thing keeping Mara and I off of the streets right now."
"They're run by the same organization that sent your mum to Pete's World."
Now she understood. "Torchwood?"
He nodded. "You can't run the risk of them finding out you're not human."
"I have a perception filter." She held up the TARDIS key that was strung around her neck. "A trick I learned from you."
"It might not be enough."
"But—"
"Jenny, for once in your life just do as you're told." His expression was meant to be intimidating, but Jenny could feel how terrified he was underneath the façade.
She chewed on her lower lip before she nodded. "But," she said, and held up a finger. "I have to find other work before I quit. Agreed?"
Her dad stared her down for a moment before he relented with a nod. "Agreed." His eyes flicked away from her to the rest of the small flat. "It looks as though you've done alright on your own."
"I had some help," she admitted. "Mara—the older Mara—sent me to Gran."
His lips twitched into a small smile. "And how is Jackie Tyler?"
She chuckled. "As nosy as ever." She looked down at her hands. "I don't think Mara and I would have lasted this long without her help."
The Doctor reached out to pull her against his chest again. He kissed the top of her head. "I'm so sorry I couldn't be there."
She sniffed. "It's alright." She pushed herself away from him to look him in the eyes. "Where are Mum and Mara? The older Mara, I mean."
He swallowed. "After Mara sent you and your sister here, she was captured by the Angels. Your Mum used her powers to go save her."
Jenny felt her fear mix with his. "So what happens now?"
He pulled in a deep breath. "We wait until it's time for Mara - this Mara - to go to Demon's Run."
"But that's sixteen years from now!"
"Shh," he shushed me with a finger to his lips. We both watched the bedroom door for a moment, and then relaxed when Mara remained asleep. "For us, yes, but for Mara and your Mum?"
Jenny pulled in a shaky breath and ran her fingers through her hair. "Okay, but until then? Will you stay with us?"
She could feel his sadness, and it was all the answer she needed.
"I can't," he whispered. "It would be too dangerous. I'm like a beacon for the Angels."
Jenny let her eyes slide back down to her hands. "I would feel safer with you here."
The Doctor sighed and reached out to kiss the top of her head again. "I know, love. I won't be far, I promise. I'll watch over the two of you."
"Will you at least stay the night?" she whispered.
She felt him let out a slow breath. "Alright."
