Thank you for the reviews and the follows and just for reading this story, I really appreciate it. Just to let you know this will be six chapters, I think. :)

Finally, just visible beyond the amounting sands he could see the stark colour of bright blue wink at them from the horizon. He grinned at the sight of her, his beautiful box with its panels and it's lights.

He almost jogged to where it stood, more than happy to stand under it's shelter. Clara raced inside, her skin glowing with sweat. He softly smiled at her and watched as Rey swept her eyes over the box. She oddly enough remained outside. Although to her it would probably seem cold inside.

'Good, huh?' Clara encouraged. She didn't gaze in wonder but confusion, which the Doctor personally took as an insult. She can't have seen many TARDISes in Jakku.

'This isn't a ship.' She said pointedly.

So she did know what a ship was. Good for her.

'Well, it's sort of a...um...spaceship.'

'Oh.'

'Oh?' The Doctor spat.

'Well, I didn't expect it to be smaller on the outside, but we've got loads of old spaceships.'

He turned to Clara with his mouth agape, mostly just because she had mirrored Clara's words exactly. 'Smaller on the outside' indeed.

'Spaceships?'

'Yeah. Well, this one will certainly do. If it can fly.'

'Of course it can fly!' He said, personally offended.

'Why is it a box?'

For his daughter she wasn't very broad minded. Maybe because she'd spent her whole life amongst a desert. For which they were guilty for, admittedly.

'Damn chameleon circuit. Look, are you coming or not?'

It would be very awkward if she did, just because it would be uncomfortable to know she was their daughter without consulting Clara about it. And he knew if Clara ever found out he'd be dead in a ditch in a second, with his limbs also conveniently detached. In fact, he was almost hoping she would turn around and run.

'No, I came for the ship.'

'What?!' Clara exclaimed.

'I'm a scavenger,' she emphasised, 'I need ship parts if I'm ever going to get food at the end of the day.'

'No, no, no, you are not taking my ship apart for spare parts!'

'We can get you food. We can drop you off at Earth, where you belong, help you.'

She laughed incredulously. 'You think I actually want to leave Jakku?'

'Why wouldn't you? You're part of a slave trade, you scavenge for old ship parts just in exchange of food.' The Doctor reasoned.

'Because I'm waiting!' She replied indignantly, 'my parents will come for me one day. I know it.'

Dammit. He looked down at his feet shamefully, raking a hand through his untidy hair with guilty conscience.

'Rey, there's no easy way to say this, but they might never come back. If they abandoned you as a child there is a chance they'll never return.' Clara said.

'No, they will. I know they will.'

This was going too far. When he looked into Rey's determined and reassured eyes his hearts sank with pity and deep remorse. He had to make sure.

'Is that the only reason for your attachment to Jakku?' His tone a lot lighter and understanding. If she confirmed he feared his hearts might break.

'Yes.' She nodded.

He kept his devastation at bay, but was suddenly overcome with a sudden surge of protection and certainly a duty of care. He understood how they had left her, when they had left her, but not why they had left her. That part still remained a mystery. And whatever it was, it was still shameful they had even considered leaving her. Although having a daughter would have been dangerous, gotten in the way, forced them to settle down, look after her, no adventures, it was something he would have risked, and Clara too. There must have been a bigger picture to all of it, to make them leave her alone on a planet she didn't belong in.

'Please, Rey, let us stay with you.' He said unexpectedly. Clara turned to him with surprise.

'What do you mean?'

'Let us come back with you. We don't have to go straight away.'

'No way. I don't know you, I don't trust you, and I'm about to steal your ship.'

She stepped in, proceeding toward the console, 'this looks amazing. It would get me enough portions to last me the rest of the month!' She said excitedly.

'If my console is worth only that then they must be kidding you.'

'Rey, we know you need these parts but you really can't take them from us. This is our home.'

The Doctor stared at Clara, a small smile tugging at his lips as she glances up at him. It always made his stomach warm slightly whenever she would call the TARDIS home.

'Rey, I know you're reasonable. This is the most valuable ship in all of time and space, and if you break any of this apart we'll all be stuck here forever. And anyway, I wouldn't let you even take a button from that console. And I know you're lonely. You want, you need company.'

She looked down to the floor a moment, considering his words.

'Come on,' Clara encouraged, taking a step toward her with an easy smile, 'let us help you. We can probably find some old metal or objects that could be of use so you can get your food.'

'Now, hang on a minute-' he began, but Clara gave him such a freezing glare he quietened down.

'I'm not leaving Jakku,' she insisted, 'but if you want to stay I'd guess you could. And I'd appreciate some food.'

'No problem.' She said kindly.

'You'd have to stay here, though. My place is small enough only for me.'

'We'll park the TARDIS outside.'

'If anyone sees your ship, they'll take it. It would be a prized possession and worth portions to last a lifetime. The only option is to stay in the far regions.'

Clara was about to give her assurance but he stopped her. Despite everything he wanted to be nearer Rey than far apart, which was sickeningly ironic considering.

'No, we'll leave the TARDIS here. Me and Clara can sleep outside. Under the stars.' he grinned to Clara.

'Fine. I'll grab blankets.' She said, staring at the Doctor as she exited the console room. He didn't know if it had been amusement or shock or both at his suggestion but one minute to the next he was standing alone with Rey. He could see so many similarities, qualities, faults, flares in her that he hadn't seen before that all pointed to her rather obvious parentage. At least he thought so, now. You wouldn't have been able to miss it if they were out in a crowd of people together. Maybe Clara had already made a connection, although he very much doubted. She wouldn't believe she could do anything as despicable as leave her own child, and that's where the startle would really come into play with her. He still mused over confessing but couldn't make himself do it. For a moment he deliberated telling Rey but that could bring about all kinds of unpredictable things. The girl was unexpectedly underrated but powerful in her own ways. He could only imagine how tough and intelligent she'd become living with a wide range of creatures.

'Does this ship really stand for totally and radically driving in space?' She asked, and he gave a chuckle.

'No, it's time and relative dimension in space.'

'That makes sense.'

'How old are you?'

'19.'

He counted the years back in his head, trying to think of a place, a picture, a memory, anything. He was only left blank but blushing just a little at his thoughts. For someone extremely clever as himself, he had trouble even remembering a time Clara had been seductive enough to pull him into bed. For all he knew it could have been his own notion. What he did know however, was that it hadn't been in this regeneration. He probably would have remembered that then.

'What about you?' She disrupted the silence.

'Oh, I'm very old. Nearing on 2500 I reckon. Give or take a few centuries.'

She raised her eyebrows. 'And is Clara as old as you?'

'Nope, she's a round-faced, short human like the rest of them. But she does look my age, so I can see why you're confused.'

'Uh, not really.'

'Doctor, we've discussed this, I don't look your age!' Clara interjected, walking into the room with a bundle of blankets and necessities.

'Yes, you do!'

'Right, well, I've found these,' she said proudly, holding up a few pieces of scrap metal had objects. At least they weren't of any particular value to him, 'will they do?'

'Yeah,' she said incredulously, inspecting each one, 'these might be worth a lot more than what I usually find.'

'Good.'

'Another long trek back then.' He sighed.

'I'm afraid so.' She started toward the doors, Rey following behind.

'I wish I didn't have to leave you here,' he said, his hand rubbing the console panel in sorrow.

'Come on, Doctor stop stroking your bloody TARDIS and help me.'

He turned round, smirking as he closed the doors behind him.

'Yes, boss.' He replied, mockingly formally.

Hiking across the desert, the conversation grew between the three and all the Doctor could notice was how similar she was, in physicality, and personality. She was only a few feet taller than Clara herself but her tone was a lot like his. A combination of the both of them.

'This is the Niima Outpost.' She introduced, gesturing to the pavilion they'd been in before. They exchanged nervous looks, but followed Rey up to what she told them was the concession stand. The creature behind it looked like a huge blobfish and looked disdainfully to the the Doctor and Clara, as a few others had done. Rey spilled the contents of junk on the counter, and after sifting through it excitedly he handed her six portions. She looked incredibly happy at the outcome and the Doctor smiled. They trekked back to Rey's home, which was a rounded, grey dome and was definitely too cosy for the three of them. There were other dome shaped buildings around hers and the distant town was just visible.

There was also huge vehicle by the side of it, floating in midair. He realised his eyebrows at Rey. Another thing she had in common with her mother; they both could ride dangerous vehicles.

'How did you catch onto the language?' Clara asked.

'I learned it. A computer display from an old Y-wing fighter. It also helped me to become a pilot.'

'What's your vehicle out there?' He asked, still fascinated by it.

'My speeder. I made it out of scavenged parts.'

His eyebrows lifted further, impressed with her technicality. There was no way she couldn't be his daughter. A linguist, pilot, builder.

'So you can do all of this, fly, drive, communicate with other species. You could escape easily! Why still stay?'

'My parents.' She repeated simply.

She had way too much passion for them. For some reason he felt flattered by her loyalty but still irrefutably guilty. He didn't have the hearts to tell her anything otherwise.

Clara looked at him, again with that empathetic look and he gritted his teeth. If only she'd stop looking at him like that, it would make it just a little more bearable.

Rey opened the portions, stirring each of them with her finger until to their amazement, something solid emerged from the liquid, resembling something of a muffin. Clara was intrigued by it as Rey handed one to her.

The Doctor took one himself, inspecting it before cautiously biting into it. It looked strange but tasted okay. He was sure that food on Jakku would be low standard but this was pretty satisfying.

Once Rey had settled down to sleep the two of them made it out raise where the sky was an inky black dotted with millions of stars. The Doctor laid out blankets on the heated sand and plonked down on it, his hands behind his head. After a moment she eyed him and cautiously lie down too, something bizarrely strange in nature. While her bed aboard the TARDIS was like no other the sand was surprisingly warm and comfortable.

'All those stars...' She said in wonder, craning her neck left, right, up and down.

'Not all of them are. There's a distant planet,' he pointed, to which Clara followed his gaze. 'Numerous galaxies you can see, too.'

He watched them swirl above their heads and spotted the two moons lighting up the planet. The sand glittered and everything around them was cast in a dark moonlight stronger than he had ever seen before. It really was beautiful, he thought. Perhaps if he were Rey, he'd never want to leave this either. But he knew she could and would if only she wasn't tied down about her parents, parents that would never return once they were gone. He considered one particular galaxy, a plethora of colours spiralling round his own eyes. Maybe he could tell her. Maybe he could tell her without Clara knowing. Would she beg them to stay? Would she throw a tantrum with her pointy staff? Or would she let them go? Perhaps she'd even agree to come with them so they could take her back to Earth, having most likely been the place she was born.

But if he had been taught one valuable lesson throughout all his years of travelling it was that women always found out. Whether it had been done already or just a plan formulating in the mind, women always knew. And that especially applied to Clara.

His head was like a burst of fireworks as bright as the sky above him but when he turned his head to see Clara resting peacefully his mind became still. A half smirk half smile crept onto his lips and his whole body turned on his side, facing her. Clara's body was still facing forward and her hands were by her side, eyelids closed and he could just visibly see the rise and fall of her chest and feel her heart beating at a distance. Gingerly, he pulled the blanket over her and stared for a few seconds or minutes or hours until he closed his eyes and fell asleep.