Many thanks to Dragon-Twilight1992, for your review.


2009

Date: January 3

Jenny rolled her eyes to the ceiling when she heard something crash in the living room. Mara?

She felt her sister's flare of irritation. Nothing broke. I'm taking care of it.

"Oh, sounds like the party is in full swing," Gwen said.

Jenny let out a huff and refocused her attention on her laptop. She was currently in a video conference with the rest of the Torchwood team. "I don't even know most of these kids. I didn't even know Mara knew most of these kids."

Jack chuckled. "She's a full blown teenager now, Jen. That means she's got a whole secret life."

"Do all teens keep secrets from their guardians?" she asked. She honestly had no idea. One advantage—or disadvantage, as it was proving itself to be—to being a fast-grown progenation was that she got to skip over her teen years.

"I know I had a few things I didn't want my parents to know about," Ianto supplied, but cleared his throat when he saw the other members of the team giving him pointed looks. "But I'm sure Mara isn't getting herself into any serious trouble."

"She's a lovely girl, Jen," Tosh offered. "You're just going to have to trust that she'll come to you if she does get herself into trouble."

Jenny sighed. "Maybe—" Her eyes shot up when she heard another crash. "Give me just a moment." She ran out to the front of the house, and crossed her arms at the sight she was met with. "Whose brilliant idea was this?"

The kids all froze, and turned to her with similar sheepish expressions. Mara bit her lip. "Mine?"

Jenny raised an eyebrow. "It was your idea to start a pillow fight with the couch cushions?"

Her sister glanced back at where one of her friends was cleaning up the broken lamp that had fallen from one of the end tables. "Yes?"

Jenny sucked in her cheeks, but sighed. "Just take the rough housing outside, yeah? I'll take care of the lamp."

Mara's eyes widened with surprise, and her friends all let out a breath of relief. "Seriously?"

She nodded. "Now go on, before I change my mind."

Her sister shot her a bright smile before she led her friends outside. "Let's go!"

Jenny shook her head, and bent down to finish cleaning up the broken lamp before she returned to her conference. "Now, where were we?"

"Anomalous rift readings," Tosh said.

She nodded. "Right."


Date: July 11

Jenny was on edge. She was in the one place she was most terrified of—the hospital. The smell of antiseptic and the sounds of monitors, quiet voices, and fingers tapping on keyboards made her hearts pound against her ribs. She was half convinced that at any minute someone was going to realize that she and Mara were aliens.

She reached up and lightly brushed her fingers over her TARDIS key. She swallowed, and sent out a silent plea to the universe that the perception filter she'd placed on her necklace and her mum's crystal—which was currently around Mara's neck—would hold.

"Now, I want you to be prepared," Jenny said as she led Mara through the hallways of the building. "Uncle Ianto was severely injured before Tosh and I could pull him out of the building. He's got burns along his arms and legs, and his face is badly bruised."

Mara looked up at her with huge eyes. "But he's going to be okay, right?"

Jenny pulled her sister into her side as they paused outside of Ianto's room. "Yeah, he's going to be fine."

Her sister sucked in a breath, and nodded. "Then let's go. Allons-y."

Jenny froze as Mara walked into Ianto's room. She couldn't know the significance of that word, could she? Did some small part of her remember her encounters with their dad? Was she starting to remember everything? Would Jenny have to erase her memory fully, leaving her a vegetable in the process?

She shook her head. She was getting ahead of herself. Likely, Mara had heard Jack use the phrase.

She stepped into the hospital room with a large smile plastered over her face. "Well look who's sitting on his arse now when there's work to be done."

Ianto gave her a weak smile back, and a chuckle that quickly turned into a cough. "I have a doctor's note."

Jenny moved to stand in between Jack and Gwen. The whole team was crowded into the tiny sterile room. "Then I s'pose we can let it slide this time," she said.

Ianto's gaze moved around the room at all of the faces there. Most of the team was nursing injuries of their own. Except for Jack, of course. Tosh was in a sling, Owen was on crutches—even Gwen's husband Rhys was sporting a scrape or two.

"So what does happen now?" Gwen asked, and looked to both Jenny and Jack. "Won't UNIT be coming after us?"

Jenny and Jack shared a glance. Neither of them had been sure any of the team would want to come back after the ordeal they'd just been through. An ordeal that had revealed some of the darker sides of their team members. More specifically, the darker sides of her and Jack. Neither of them had been sure that the team would trust them again.

She looked over to Mara. She couldn't imagine being faced with the choice Jack had been forced to make to save the Earth from the malicious alien species 456. She shuddered when Jack's grandson's face filled her mind. Actually, she supposed she could imagine it. If not for some quick thinking on both her part and Mara's, the boy would have likely been killed. Just like Mara could have been killed. The only difference between her sister and Jack's grandson was a couple of chromosomes. The only reason she was still alive was because she had higher levels of telepathic capability, and Jenny to support her mind. But still, there was a risk. And Jenny knew she was facing several long nights of analyzing what within her thought that putting her little sister into any sort of jeopardy for any reason was a good decision.

She nodded to Jack, and he turned to the others. "We carry on," he said. "We get back to work."


Date: September 20

Jenny glanced over her cereal at Mara. Her sister was staring out into space with a dreamy look on her face. She hadn't even touched her eggs yet.

"Earth to Mara," Jenny cooed.

Mara blinked, and shifted as her eyes settled on Jenny. "Hm?"

Jenny grinned. "I know that look. Who is he?"

Mara raised her eyebrows. "I don't know what you're talking about."

Jenny rolled her eyes. "C'mon Mara, you can't lie to me." She tapped her temple. "Who is he?" She cocked her head to the side. "Or is it a she?"

"Jenny—"

"Because that would be fine too, you know."

Mara huffed, and sat back to cross her arms. "No, there is no she."

"Ah-ha!" Jenny clapped. "You admit there is a someone!"

Her sister rolled her eyes. "You're ridiculous."

"And you're blushing!" Jenny cried, and leaned in closer. "Who is it?"

"No one!" Mara protested. "There's nothing going on!"

She narrowed her eyes, and Mara looked away. "Is it that kid Nathan?"

She felt a flutter of nervous energy come from her sister. "No."

"You just lied to me," Jenny said, but she smiled. "I always liked that kid."

Mara slowly brought her eyes back up to her older sister's. "You did?"

She nodded. "So, if anything ever does happen and you need someone to talk to, I'm here."

A slow, beaming smile spread across Mara's face. "Thanks, Sis."

Jenny grinned back at her, and turned back to her cereal. The two were quiet for a moment, but she could feel the unasked question in Mara's mind. "What is it?"

Mara swallowed down a bite of her eggs. "How come you don't date anymore, Jen? I thought you were trying to get back out there."

Jenny sighed. She had known this question would come up again. "I was, but I decided to take a break instead."

Her sister cocked her head to the side. "That's not true." She narrowed her eyes. "What happened?"

Jenny sucked in her cheeks, but shrugged. "Everything just got busy here. You started growing up; I started picking up more work at Torchwood…life just went on." She wasn't going to tell her about her run-in with Shayne, over five years ago now. She couldn't very well tell Mara that her reasoning behind turning him down. Her sister would sense that she was holding back that their biology had been a factor in her decision. She hadn't explained regeneration to Mara yet, and she'd hoped that she wouldn't have to for a while yet.

"Jenny?"

She glanced up. "Yes?"

Mara chewed on her bottom lip for a moment. "Have you ever been in love?"

Jenny swallowed hard, but nodded. "Yes."


Date: December 31

"Getting some air?"

She glanced up at Owen, and smiled before she held up her empty glass. "Refill."

He wrinkled his nose as she refilled her cup. "I don't know how you stand that stuff."

She rolled her eyes. "I'll have you know that G'lucc is a delicacy on many worlds." She grinned. "And potent enough that it's technically illegal on Earth."

Owen watched her take a sip with disgust. "Right, well, you enjoy your sludge." He held up a different bottle. "I'll stick with this."

Jenny chuckled. "You're just jealous that I can drink you under the table."

He raised his eyebrows. "Oh yeah? You want to put a little money on that?"

She rolled her eyes. "Time Lord Biology, Owen. I'll barely feel a buzz when you're well past sloshed."

He held up a couple of bills. "Then you don't have anything to worry about, do you?"

She snorted, and took another sip of her drink. "I'm not going to be an enabler to your alcoholism."

"Oi! I—"

"Get in here you two; we're two minutes to midnight!" Jack shouted.

Jenny smiled, and followed Owen out from the conference room to the main hub. They had only just finished repairing the damages done to the Torchwood three base during the 456 attack. To celebrate, they were throwing a New Years party with the whole team - Mara and Rhys included.

Jenny glanced around the hub as she entered. If she hadn't gone with Jack to the hospital, UNIT would have succeeded in their plan to blow the base that had come to feel like another home to her sky high. She swallowed. She had gotten a lucky break when she saw those UNIT soldiers coming down the hallways.

"Gather around everyone!" Jack crowed as the team came together to toast the New Year. He held up his glass. "I'd like to make a toast." He waited until everyone had their glasses up. "To family." He glanced around at all of them. "I think we can all agree that, if not for family, none of us would be standing here right now."

Jenny's chest tightened as they all drank. He was right, of course. This team had, in many ways, become a family. Even to her. If not for them, she wasn't sure she could have lasted this long raising Mara on her own. That being said, they could never replace her parents, and Jenny still wished for all the world that her mum and dad could have enjoyed the time when Mara was little.

Jenny watched as they started the countdown to the New Year. Gwen and Rhys were wrapped around each other, Jack and Ianto were leaning against each other on the couch, and even Owen had an arm wrapped around Tosh. She swallowed, and felt a hand on her shoulder.

She glanced behind her, and smiled at Mara. "C'mere, you," she said, and pulled her sister into her side.

"Five, four, three, two—happy New Year!"

Jenny wasn't sure they were listening, but she closed her eyes. Mum, Dad, wherever you are—happy New Year.

Her mind was quiet for a moment, but then, she felt that familiar spark.

Happy New Year, Jen, her dad answered.

She smiled, and glanced down at her sister. "Happy New Year, Mara."

Mara smiled up at her brightly. "You too, Jen."