Everything was wrong. He didn't even need to hear Serena's innocent questions - "Jack? What are you doing here? And when did you start wearing tight leather pants? Mom?" - or the Nothern-accented voice's rather loud exclamation of, "Who the hell are you and how did you get in?", followed by the unmistakeable sound of Jack pulling out his sonic blaster to confirm it.

He had to laugh at the expression on his sister's face when she groaned, "You've got to be kidding! What did we do to deserve this?"

"Blame the genes!" he answered before pulling her into a hug and turning to face the blue eyed man in the leather jacket. What did we do to deserve this?

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What did we do to deserve this?

Alex turned to face his would-be father with Serena still wrapped into his arms. When he looked at the ninth Doctor, he couldn't imagine why did all the races in the universe called the man the 'Oncoming Storm'. The younger Time Lord's always assumed there was something utterly terrifying about his father's previous incarnation, something like Ten's angry calmness.

He was wrong. The ninth Doctor couldn't have been able to pull off a threatening expression, ever, he was sure. Okay, maybe the eyes were a little scary, but the ears and nose ruined everything.

As he was looking at the older alien, he remembered her mother's words. About him being much like her first Doctor. He agreed with her, there was no other explanation for a couple of things. While most of his features were a mix of his parents', there was something about him that didn't match either of them. Her mother was short and thin, and his father was a tall, lanky and even skinnier. So he had no idea who he's got his frame from. Not to mention his attitude. And his eye colour. But now, looking at Nine, he could imagine.

Suddenly a thought entered his mind, and it seriously unnerved him. His mother was always saying that he was acting like Nine. Did that mean that he was looking...kinda ...cute when he was glaring at people? That'd surely explain Serena's laughing fits and not-guilty expression whenever he was scolding her.

Alex was snapped out of his musings by the object of his thoughts clicking his fingers in front of his face.

"Oi, are you listening to me? I asked you a question," asked the Doctor forcefully.

Alex immediately propelled Serena behind his back before he slapped the Doctor's hand away. "No need to poke out my eyes," he retorted. He crossed his arms over his chest while glaring back, unconsciously mirroring the Doctor's stance.

That was too much for Serena, she burst out laughing. But in wasn't a simple chukle, it was a full-blown laughing fit, the kind that makes people –and in Serena's case Time Ladies- double over. The scene also made the Tardis Team's attention shift from Alex to her.

Alex cursed. He really didn't want them to notice her, he was hell bent on keeping their attention on him, which wasn't really hard. Whenever he entered a room, with or without a companion, people tended to notice him first. With his 6'1" frame –which he apparently inherited from Nine,- he was hard to ignore. That also meant that he was the perfect distraction when her family was in danger.

The same thing happened in Cardiff when Serena was four. The Torchwood agents were so occupied with him, that they didn't even notice the little blond girl holding his hand.

He hoped that something like that would happen in this case too. But he forgot that Serena wasn't a slightly hyperactive four years old anymore. She was a gallifreyan teenager who couldn't control her amusement to save her own life.

"And who the hell are you? His partner in crime?" demanded the Doctor, while Jack was greeting her with a saucy "Hello there, little girl," though neither of them could see her clearly because Alex was still standing in the way.

"Stop it Jack," snapped three voices. The Doctor, Rose and Jack turned their attention back to Alex.

"How do you know my name? Did anyone send you? The Time Agency?" asked Jack, pointing his blaster at Alex again. He didn't really mind it. It shifted their attention back to him.

"Leave him alone, and give him some time to answer," spoke up the young Rose. Alex couldn't help but send an affectionate smile towards her, despite Nine's death glare. She was always the compassionate one. It didn't matter if it was a Dalek or a maid, she was always defending the innocents. Rose Tyler, defender of the Earth, his father called her.

"What did you call her?" spoke up the Doctor, rather loudly. Alex stiffened. He didn't meant to say the last part aloud.

"What?" he tried to play innocent, but as always, Serena had to say something and blow his efforts.

In this case it was a groaned „Alexander Jake Sigma Tyler, you're an idiot." Alex stiffened again, she sounded like their Mum. Whenever they were in trouble, Rose was calling them by their full names. He honestly couldn't count all the times he heard her shouting Alexander Jake, Samuel Michael or Serena Jacquelin.

"Back at you, Squirt," muttered Alex, ignoring two cries of 'Tyler?' and one of 'Sigma?'.

"Don't call me Squirt! Call Sam Squirt!" she retorted, giving away yet another name. But she didn't care. Her brother was humiliating her in front of his parents-to-be. She had to defend herself.

"No. He's not one, but you are," he said, hoping that it would stop the banter. He was wrong as always when it came to Rena.

"Why?" she asked back, pouting.

"Honestly. Can you imagine Sam as a Squirt? Compared to us he is the statue of sanity."

"Well, you're right. But stop calling me that. You old man," she said than promptly hugged him, not caring about their audience. Despite his lack of social skills, she loved her brother, and that was more important than a couple of erasable memories.

"Are you done? Or do you need more time?" interrupted them Nine. When he got their attention, he went on, "So I guess you're siblings," they nodded, "and you're related to Rose here. Her kids, maybe?" He got another nod in return.

His hearts clenched at the thought of his Rose having children with another man, but he didn't let it show. "So, what are you doing here?"

Alex squeezed his sister's hand, silently asking her to let him handle this. She squeezed back. "Well, you kinda lost us."

"Sorry?" For a moment he couldn't help but hope. They knew him. The boy's middle name was his old nickname. He didn't go back to visit companions and their families, and was careful to not take family members as companions, so maybe... Maybe Rose didn't have children with another man. Maybe she had them with hi... No, it's impossible, he reminded himself. The siblings weren't his. The name must've been a coincidence, or it must've been her way of thanking him.

"I said you lost us. Well, the Tardis lost all of us. She lurched one, and Serena accidentally grabbed the orange lever," he explained. Serena had to smile, he didn't blame the incident on her. No matter what happened, he was always the big brother, her personal defender and hero.

"That orange lever? But that means.."

"Yup. Emergency program three. We need to get to Cardiff and call back the Tardis, using the Rift," explained Alex. Nine nodded and turned to Jack. The Captain lowered his gun and went to the control panel and started to enter the coordinates.

"Okay. So Cardiff, present time, here we come. Again. We left three days ago," said the Doctor to Alex, but the younger man wasn't listening. It looked like he was engaged in a strange 'conversation' with his sister. It was the kind that only siblings were capable of; the talking without words one.

For the numerous time, Alex was glad that he was the eldest sibling. That meant that while he was the adult, he was also the big brother in their relationship. He was sure that the latter was the only reason he knew about and understood the Sigma-stare, the language Sam and Serena made up when they were little. The outsiders always assumed that it had to do something with the way they were looking, staring and glaring at each other. Their parents too, were so focused on their eyes that they totally missed the little hand-signs, the true language. Alex didn't. The knowledge saved him from their pranks many times, mostly because they didn't knew that he understood them.

When they realized that their secret was out, he was surprised that they didn't stop using the language. He was even more shocked –and a little touched- when they started to include him too. Being the eldest had it disadvantages too. He was over sixty-five when Sam was born, and was seventy when Serena came to the world.

That meant, that while a gallifreyan child was growing up a little slower than a human one, he was in his early twenties by human years when the others were just toddlers. He wasn't even there when Sam was born, he moved away years before. For years, he only saw the kids when he was babysitting on anniversaries, and their parents were out.

In a few words, it was a miracle that his siblings were so attached to him.

Alex was brought back into the present when he noticed Serena's death glare. He zoned out while she was explaining her plan, and she wasn't happy with him. His sister was never subtle.

"We should tell them. They will have to erase their memories either way. Please. He looks so heartbroken and hopeless," she signed. While she was never subtle, she was extremely emphatic.

"Serena..," he started.

"No. Listen to me. Look at him. He loves Mom, and now thinks that she ran off with one of her pretty boys," came the pleading reply.

"Well, she did. Dad definetly falls into that category."

"Alex! Be serious! He is suffering. We can give him some hope, even if it's just for a couple of hours!" she argued, then decided to change her tactics. "Mom looks unhappy too. She has always hoped that they will have their happily ever after, and now our arrival crashed it," she signed, and Alex sighed. She was playing dirty, using his close relationship with his mother to get him to agree. And she succeeded.

He nodded, but before Serena could tell anything to Nine, he added, "But we're playing with my rules. No shocking major facts. You can erase the memories, but not the heavy emotions."

"That's the point, doofus! He'll be happier."

"My rules or shutting up!"

She pouted a little, but agreed. Alex smiled then went to the control panel where Jack was still struggling with the coordinates.

"Maybe we shouldn't stay in this year. We can't be seen in Cardiff, not yet. Maybe after 2008," he said aloud, winking at Serena, referring to the 'getting captured and meeting past Dad' incident.

"Oh," she caught on. „Do you think we'll need the family's help?" she asked, meaning Torchwood Three. „Maybe we should call Uncle J..."

"Uncle Ianto? Yes, that was the original plan. He'll have the device we need," cut her off Alex, while signing 'No major shocks! Jack leading Torchwood is a pretty big one.'.

"It's a good plan," grinned back Rena, already imagining her uncle Ianto's face when he meets the younger, leather-loving Jack. She turned to the younger Rose, who was unnaturally silent during the whole exchange, "Hey, can I use your superphone?" she asked her.

Rose nodded and handed it to her, but right after Serena passed it over to Alex, she felt herself being dragged back. When she turned back, her mother was still staring at her while holding her hand.

Rose didn't know what to think. On one hand she was incredibly happy to know that one day she'd have a family, and that the Doctor was still a part of their lives. Normally he didn't do domestic, but he did it for her. There was no other explanation for her future children's appearance on the Tardis, and words. On the other hand, she was scared. While the kids admitted that they were her children, they didn't say he was their father, no matter how much she wanted him to be.

But she had to know whose kids were they. The colour of their skin ruled Mickey out, and with Serena calling Jack 'Jack' instead of 'Dad', the captain was out of the picture as well. So when her daughter was standing in front of her, she grabbed her turned the girl back to her, so she could search her face for familiar features. For a minute she could only see her own face, but soon she could see the differences too. Like the freckles Serena had on the bridge of her nose, or that her eyes were a different sort of brown, with light blue flecks.

Rose did a double take at that. The shade of the blue reminded her of somebody else in the room. When she looked at the person at the control panel, she found herself staring into a pair blue eyes. They were exactly like the ones she fell in love with, but they were on a different man. They were the eyes of her son. She rested her gaze on him for a couple of seconds, then looked at her Doctor before turning back to Serena, waiting for her to say it's true.

Rose couldn't help but smile and hope while looking at Serena questioningly. The girl suddenly turned to her brother, shooting a pleading look in his direction. Alex seemed to understand what she was asking, and after a short eye-roll he nodded. A moment later Serena was facing her again, with a very familiar gigawatt grin on her face. This was all Rose needed, she laughed. She pulled the girl into a tight hug while locking her gaze with her son, who was still standing at the panel with crossed arms and a smile.

The moment was broken by Jack. He obviously followed the exchange and realized the same thing Rose had. But unlike Rose, he had to voice it in a dramatic fashion.

"Oh. My. God," he gasped, not even trying to be subtle while looking at the four of them. "You...you're..he is..."

"Calm down Jack. It's not your time to kick the bucket yet, so please don't have a heart attack," smirked Alex, knowing what his uncle's response would be. No matter what time, it was still Jack.

"I don't know. Would you give me a mouth-to-mouth if I had one?" leered the ex-conman.

Buy me a drink first, pretty boy," shot back his father's usual comment Alex.

After the exchange Alex turned his attention back to the superphone Serena tossed him a moment earlier, ignoring the ninth Doctor's confused questions of 'What? What are you laughing and...hugging about?'. He was deep in thoughts when he heard Serena calling his name.

"What?" he asked his sister.

"I asked 'What are you thinking about?'"

"Oh. I was just thinking that it'd be easier if we went to the 21th of February in 2011 instead of '08. Sammy will be there, but Aunty J will be away on a trip," he explained, mentioning their brother who was replacing Tosh –she was on maternity leave-, and their Jack, who was in London for a rather boring conference.

"Good idea. He might have his own Tardis key with him. And the more keys we have, the easier it will be to call the old girl back to us," finished his plan Rena.

"Yup. Now I see you really are my sister and not just a stray Mum picked up on some planet," said Alex, finally agreeing to Serena's plan. She realized this too, and grinned smugly. During the whole conversation she was watching her brother, who kept sneaking glances at their future father. It didn't take long for him to see the devastation on Nine's face. He was putting on a brave face, but the siblings- who were trained in seeing through his mask,- weren't fooled. They saw how much it hurt the Doctor to imagine his Rose with another man. Alex accepted that Serena was right. The man deserved the hope of a happy future.

„Oi. Don't insult me. You were there for the last weeks when Mum was pregnant, you're always complaining about being there when I was born. Heck, you were the one coming up with the name Serena."

"Don't remind me," he said, then turned back to Rose, who was looking quite interested, "I was home because I had this nasty dallian flu. Dad didn't let me out of his sight for weeks, he was afraid something bad would happen. You can never know, with our anti-plan gene and jeopardy friendliness..." Rose didn't hear the last sentence, because she was occupied with not knowing what the dallian flu was. So she asked.

"In a few words, besides being a nasty flu, dallian flu heightens the sense of hearing and sight in a very painful way," explained Nine, getting quite confused with the story. Alex looked about four or five years older than Serena. How the hell did a human child get infected with dallian flu? The dallians've never set a foot on Earth, the temperature was lethal to them. So how did the virus make it to Earth? And anti-plan gene?

Alex nodded in agreement, while fiddling with the control panel. He's already texted Sam, so his brother was waiting for them with his Tardis key.

"Now imagine my torture. You went into labour, so Dad stayed by your side, which meant that I had to take care of Sammy for the time. Believe me, taking care of a screaming toddler while having supersensitive hearing is not a fun task. It was down right painful. Like someone was having a party in my skull with a sledgehammer. And then Serena was born, and she immediately joined Sammy in the wailing department. Boy, I hated both of them with a passion then."

"And why Serena?" asked Nine. On Gallifrey it was the name of the first sentinent Tardis. He wanted to know if it was another 'thank you' gift from Rose, or she had another reason.

"Well, Mum's first idea was Jackie. Dad disagreed. In his dictionary Jackie equals a slap. So with Sam being Sam, he wanted something that started with an 'S'. So Serena came up. It had a nice ring to it. Sam and Serena," he said, noting Nine's suspiciously narrowing eyes. He didn't mention that Jackie was Serena's middle name, or the fact that it was only the middle because their father's known Serena long before she was born.

"And it was the name of the old girl's mother. Dad thought it was a good idea too. He wanted to honor Tardis with naming his first daughter after her mother," he finished his tale with a smile. It was true, but he left out a tiny detail. After he presented his ideas, his parents laughed and his father made a comment about now knowing the origins of the name Serena. Obviously that was the moment when he realised the name didn't came up just because the paradox Alex caused.

Nine narrowed his eyes. Their father was a passanger too? And the boy kept mentioning Sam as his brother. Sam, who had a Tardis key and was working in Cardiff in 2011. When the hell were they born? Obviously not in the 21th century. A thought entered his mind. God, Jackie must've been mad. He left her daughter somewhere in the 90's. Yup, that must be the case, he decided. There was absolutely no way they were his time travelling children.

He noticed that Alex and Rena were staring at him with annoyance. He glared back at them, but it was a little difficult as they were standing on two sides of the control panel. He ignored his snickering companions. Serena was the first to speak up.

"You still don't get it, do you? I will so remind you of this the next time you call somebody a stupid ape," she groaned.

"You really don't understand. Hell, even Jack's realized it... Oh, come on. You're supposed to be the smartest being in the universe" continued to bait him Alex. "Oh, we've landed," he said and walked to the door.

"Hey, Doc, why can't we land this smoothly all the time?" asked Jack and Rose just laughed. She took Serena's hand and dragged her out of the Tardis. Noticing the Doctor's glare, Jack quickly followed them, leaving Alex and Nine alone.

"What the hell is this about? Who are you?" asked the frustrated Nine.

"You already know that. Quit the denial."

"I don't know what are you talking about," answered the Doctor. It really had to be a cruel joke. There was no way...

Alex didn't answer just looked out the door. He saw Sam emerging from the hub, followed by Ianto. Serena immediately jumped into her brother's arms, and was talking with incredible speed. No doubt, he was updating him on the recent events. A moment later Sam looked at him and nodded. He understood Serena's plan and agreed to it. When Rena turned back to him, he signed to them with his left hand.

...3...

"So, Doctor, do you want to know who we are?" Nine nodded

...2...

"Well, I could just explain it,"

..1...

"but showing you is easier."

At Alex's signal, the three Sigma-Tyler closed their eyes and concentrated on lowering their mental shields and showing Nine who they really were.

It was over in a minute. They re-erected their walls; Rena and Sam went back to chatting with Rose and Jack, and Alex was alone with Nine again.

"So? Do you believe it now?" he asked.

"It's impossible," whispered the Doctor, but in the same time he pulled Alex into a hug. "Impossibleimpossibleimpossible," he repeated, but didn't let go of his son. Son. There was a strange but good feeling in his hearts when he said it. Son. No, sons. And a daughter. He let go of the now fidgeting Alex –he really didn't seem comfortable with relatively strange men hugging him-, ran out of the Tardis and didn't stop 'til he reached Sam and Serena. Without a word he grabbed them too. Nobody said a word, even Jack sensed that it wasn't the time for a Captain Jack one-liner.

After a good minute or two he let go of them, but kept following them with his eyes. He was afraid they'd vanish if he turned away. Without looking he grasped Rose's hand, and she squeezed back. Jack was grinning at them.

Meanwhile Alex wandered over to Ianto, who was eyeing the young Jack's ass. He didn't bother to stop, not even when he heard his godson coming up behind him.

"So I take you like what you see," teased Alex.

"Yeah. I'm definetly getting a leather trouser for Jack and will get rid of that greatcoat. It's a sin to hide that arse. Oh the things I could do... " answered Ianto, looking wistful.

"Okay. Too much information," spoke up Alex before Ianto could elaborate. „Do you have a..."

"Yes, I have the vortex manipulator, I figured you might need it. And Sam gave me his Tardis key; he suspected he'd be distracted," replied his uncle while handing over the mentioned things. "It's bad my Jack can't be here. He always loved the ninth Doctor; he would've been happy to see this scene. His Doctor being happy."

"I know, but it's too risky. Right now it's not exactly a paradox; but it would be with two Jacks in the same time. He'll have to be happy with watching the CCTV."

"I know. I have Tosh taping it," seeing Alex's confused gaze he added, "She is back to work. Sam asked me to tell you that he is going home with you when you get back your Tardis."

"Okay. Is it a boy or a girl?"

"A boy. Gareth."

"Is he alive? I mean does he have a heartbeat?"

"Of course he has. Why wouldn't he?"

"Well, being our resident deadboy's son..."

"Oh, shut it. He's been alive for two years," scolded him Sam with a smile, also joining the conversation. „And he will live a normal human life. Not like our favorite uncle here."

"What do you mean?" spoke up Jack.

"Let's just say, impossible things are ordinary in out little family," smiled at him Ianto. The younger Jack grinned back, and was about to ask his opinion about spending some quality time together when he received a swift kick from Serena. He looked at her.

"Stop it, Jack. You don't want to piss off his significant other," she warned, but the glint in her eyes were teasing. „He is a big mean man in a RAF coat."

"Oh, ok," answered Jack, seemingly disappointed and a little bit scared. Ianto just kept smirking, Alex and Sam snorted.

A moment later Ianto clapped Alex in the back, and was about to suggest that he should start calling the Tardis, but Alex stopped him by jumping away from him like he was on fire.

"What the hell?" he demanded, „You...you're..." he trailed off. Nine and Rose immediately stepped closer, asking if everything was alright. Serena grinned, they were already acting like concerned parents. But Alex ignored them and went on, "Did you snog a vortex manipulator while I was gone? Or maybe the time vortex itself?"

Ianto and –susprisingly- Sam just laughed, then their uncle spoke up, "I was going to say that you should call the Tardis. And after entering the vortex, you should go and fix the An'csin'nitha'la glove."

"The thingamawhatsis?" asked back the confused Time Lord.

"Fix the Resurrection Gauntlet. It'll be useful on not only one, but two members of the team," answered Sam and Alex's eyes widened in understanding and surprise. He understood that somebody must've used it to lengthen Ianto's life span. The centuries were still near nothing compared to Jack's life as the Face of Boe, but at least they could spend more time together than the average human life.

And he was surprised because he didn't know that, "We have a Risen Mitten?"

"Yup. How the hell do you think we brought back Ow... deadboy?" asked Ianto.

"Um... Aunty J snogged him alive? Wouldn't be the first time he did that," answered Rena, shooting a meaningful glance in Ianto's way, who blushed. "But back to the original topic, we really should go."

Alex nodded then collected the Tardis keys. He connected them to the vortex manipulator, then cut his palm with his pocket knife and let his blood drop on the device. He noticed Rose's worrying expression so he explained,

"There are Huon particles in the heart of the Tardis and in my blood. The particles can age, so because I'm connected to the old girl, my particles' age is the same as hers'. So this way the vortex manipulator knows which one of the many Tardises in the vortex it should call for."

Rose nodded though looked a little confused, Alex understood why. She wasn't his more than a century old Mum who had decades to get used to her family's techno-babble. His would-be father simply looked impressed and more than a little proud. Smug would be a better word; he not only had a son, he had a smart son. Well, sons, Sam must be a genius if he was anything like his older brother. Not to mention Serena, who was clearly familiar with the laws of time; beside the name-incident, she was really careful about what she was saying. His musings were cut off by the familiar sound of a materializing Tardis.

"Well our ride's arrived. It was good to see you," said Alex, and was about to open the door when Serena and Sam dragged him back, to the amusement of the others.

"Please forgive him. He lacks some very important social skills, but don't worry he makes up for it in rudeness," grinned Sam while his brother glared.

"Sounds like somebody I know...," quipped Jack, and the Doctor immediately joined his son in the glaring department.

"Are you having fun? If not, I'm full of embarassing baby stories," spoke up Alex, and his siblings stopped laughing immediately. "Okay, we really should go. I don't want a paradox, and I'm sure you all agree," he continued, and everyone shuddered at the thought of a paradox.

The Doctor was the one to break the short silence, "We won't be allowed to remember you, will we?" he asked with a sad smile. He realized this in the minute they revealed their secret. If he was allowed to remember, they wouldn't have tried to keep their identity a secret when Serena wandered into his Tardis.

"No. I'm sorry," answered Serena, "but you'll meet us soon, don't worry."

Ianto snorted at that. "Don't listen to her. Feel free to worry. I've known them for three years, but believe me. They're the terrors of the Universe," he warned, ignoring the noises the siblings let out, then turned to them and said, "You really should go. And remember. It's a paradox, so you're free to help as long as it goes unnoticed. And don't forget to fix the holes."

Before either of them could ask what holes was he talking about, they all were grabbed and hugged by their uncle. He was followed by their mother, Jack and lastly their father.

After he was released, Alex turned to him. "You'll have to supress the memory. Don't cheat. Really. I liked the shocked expression on your face when you met Rena for the first time."

"Okay. I'll do the same for Rose and Jack."

"No need," interrupted Ianto and pulled a little box out of his pocket. "Retcon. It'll erase this afternoon from their life." The Doctor nodded with agreement. He really didn't want to mess with their memories himself.

After another set of goodbye-s Serena, Alex and Sam finally entered their Tardis. The boys immediately went to check the control panel while Serena threw herself on the pilot's couch.

"That was a long day," she said, "but I'm glad we met them."

"Same here."

"And here," added Sam, "but I'm sure I don't know half of the story."

"I'll tell you once. It involves Serena tearing down the walls of reality while attempting to land the old girl in Cardiff."

"God Rena. You never learn? Pulling random levers is bad..."

"And exciting," added Serena.

"Now, where did you leave Mum and Dad?" asked Sam from Alex.

"12th of November, 2008, in London. And be careful, I had to pull down the shields to call her to us," came the answer.

"Okay. London, here we come," said the second-eldest, then pushed the button that starts the dematerialization.

A moment later they all were on the ground. Again. Sam was the first to open his eyes and check the Tardis.

"Er, Alex? The Tardis shouldn't be like this, should she?" he asked, referring to the red control panel in the center of the room.

"Nonononono," muttered the eldest.

"I don't understand. The monitor says it's the right date," spoke up Serena, also confused. She couldn't shake the feeling that something was incredibly wrong.

"It's the right date. But in the wrong timeline," explained Alex quietly, motioning for Sam to open the door. He did as he was told.

When he stepped out he found himself in a basement-like room, but he barely noticed his surroundings. All he could see was the sign on the wall.

The Valiant.