Chapter 9: A Father's Farewell
The Doctor was full of curiosity about Odessa's life on the other side of the rift. He asked about Rose and the other Doctor's life together; he asked about Jackie and Pete; he asked if she had any siblings. She giggled softly, then smiled weakly. "I don't think that would be such a good idea," she shook her head sadly. "What would be?" he asked clarifying. "Talking about this… or things like that. I just…" she trailed off, seeing both joy and sadness in the man's eyes. He nodded dejectedly, realizing that some things needed to be left usaid.
"Okay," Odessa sighed, finally building up the courage to ask the question that had been on her mind. "I have to ask. How exactly did I…" Odessa posed. "Fix the TARDIS?" the Doctor finished. She nodded. The Doctor shrugged once. "You must have a special connection to the vortex," he stopped again, looking at her. Odessa fidgeted slightly. "What?"
"I'm guessing you were… well… you were… uh… conceived in the…?"
Odessa blushed bright red. The Doctor blushed as well fumbling with his bow-tie, already guessing the answer; he felt a twinge of heartache at the thought. Odessa nodded slightly. "Yeah… I was… I was born on the TARDIS, too," she added.
"That's how I am the way I am. I mean, the reason I have 2… well, you know. At least, that's what my father thinks, "Odessa stammered out. "Exactly right," he agreed.
They sat in awkward silence for several minutes.
Odessa sat back, a laugh escaping her lips. "What?" The Doctor looked at her quizzically. "I – uh - I was a bit afraid to meet you when you first arrived," Odessa admitted, smiling. "Why?" the Doctor asked, somewhat taken aback. "I don't know…I guess I was nervous about meeting the Doctor; you know, the real Doctor," she admitted.
The Doctor smiled, both taken aback and embarrassed by her confession. He opened his mouth to say something, but was interrupted by a loud banging on the TARDIS door; the loud noise made Odessa jump. He stood and went to the door; he opened it slowly. The door was half-way open, when River pushed hard, throwing him backward. "Miss us, sweetie?" she smiled sweetly, walking past him, waving nonchalantly as she passed.
Amy, Rory, and Jack swept in after River's entrance. "Oh, you should have seen it, Doctor," Amy gushed. "Their Hub is amazing!" Rory gushed, in awe of what he had just seen "But, you know, not as amazing as the TARDIS, but still impressive non-the-less," he blushed trying to sound unimpressed.
"Did the two of you have fun while we were gone?" River shot, glaring at Odessa. Odessa smiled brightly. "We made do." She winked at the Doctor; his checks flushed pink. "Well, I see that the TARDIS is up and running again," Jack smiled, patting the ramp railing with his hand. "And you've updated the décor since the last time. Looks good," he nodded, looking around. "Yes, well, I like to change it up every now and then," the Doctor stated. "How'd you manage it? Fixing the TARDIS so quickly?" River scowled.
"We worked together; four hands are better than two, you know," Odessa replied smugly, a tight smile on her lips. River tried to take a step toward her and opened her mouth in retort, but Amy held her back and shook her head.
No one spoke for several heartbeats. River squirmed in her mother's tight grip, shooting angry stares in Odessa's direction. The song Geronimo, sung by Sheppard, broke the quiet. The group looked around, wondering what was ringing. "Mine!" the Doctor jumped and ran for the console. Amy, Rory, and River looked quizzically at him. "What? So I changed the ring tone. I happen to like this song," he smiled and picked up the phone with a flourish of his wrist. "Hello, the Doctor speaking," he spoke into the receiver. "Well, hello, Prime Minister, how are you?" he announced loudly, piquing every ones interest. "Oh, really… Well, that sounds interesting, but I really…" He looked to Odessa. "Oh, really… A giant jellyfish? … And a parrot that speaks Greek? Yes, well that does sound interesting. I'm on my way," he hung up the phone. "We are needed elsewhere," he shrugged, delight in his face.
"Well, I guess this means good-bye, for now at least," Jack said, a hint of sadness in his voice. "Unless, you need a hand?" he looked hopefully at the Doctor. "Good-bye, Jack," the Doctor held out a hand. Jack gripped his hand tightly. "Until next time; soon, I hope," he smiled. "Yes…" the Doctor nodded. "But not too soon," he smiled. Jack laughed and pulled the Doctor into a giant bear hug.
Jack let go of the Doctor then turned to Amy and Rory. "Amy; Rory," he lifted her hand and kissed it gently; he then did the same to Rory. "It's been a treat; a real treat." They both smiled warmly. "And you," Jack looked at River. "I know," she smirked. She winked at him; he winked back. The Doctor frowned and straightened his bow-tie.
The Doctor stepped up beside Odessa. "What's next for you?" he asked her, bouncing on the balls of his feet, hands in his pockets."I mean, you could always…" he trailed off, catching the glare from River in the corner of his eye. She smiled at him, sadness in her blue eyes. "I can't, you know that." He nodded. "Well, if you are ever in the neighborhood…"
"I'll stick out my thumb," she laughed, blinking away a tear. He joined her musical laugher. He reached for her hand and squeezed it once; she reciprocated. Jack walked to the door. He turned back and looked to Odessa. "Coming?" She nodded once, squaring her shoulders. They both stepped out of the TARDIS doors.
The Doctor popped his head out of the door and smiled a crocked smile. "Good-bye, Odessa," he waved his fingers, a tear forming in his eye. She smiled and waved back.
The doors slammed closed in a blink of an eye; the TARDIS engines roared and a grinding sound filled the air. In a span of a few quick heartbeats, the TARDIS was gone; disappearing into the vortex of time and space. Jack sighed and started the long walk back to the Information Station. Odessa stood where she was; where only seconds earlier, the TARDIS had been. She blinked away the tears that were threatening to stain her checks. "Good-bye… dad," she whispered to the wind. She inhaled deeply, then turned to catch up with Jack.
