You kind of need to have seen Torchwood for this chapter, but it's not much of a spoiler, so I'll explain it at the end. And I've had several people tell me how much they like Adele. You'll see a lot more of her in this chapter.
The Doctor ended up visiting seven different bars during his search. Each time he was denied entrance because of his appearance. He couldn't understand why they wouldn't believe him when he said he was 909 years old. Eventually, he managed to convince them that he was indeed at least 18 years of age and old enough to be in the bar in the first place. He attributed it to his young, attractive looking face.
Finally, in the back of the seventh bar, surprisingly alone at a table, sat the man that the Doctor had been searching for. Normally, he would have had slightly more tact, but searching and being almost denied entrance to seven different bars had made him a bit cranky. He walked straight over to the table, pulled out the only other chair, and sat down. He quickly crossed his legs and folded his hands in an expectant manner.
"Hello, Captain."
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Jack Harkness raised an eyebrow at the strange man that had just invaded his personal space. Tweed and braces...? "There are plenty of other tables, mate. Get your own."
The Doctor raised an eyebrow. Jack was obviously in a bad mood and so he would have to deal with him accordingly. The last time he had this sort of uncomfortable confrontational feeling was when the Silurians kidnapped Amy and he spoke with Alaya in the basement of the church. He squared his jaw, watching Jack carefully for a moment before speaking. "The Face of Boe they called you."
Jack froze mid sip. The whiskey in his glass stilled and he glanced up. The other man's eyes were just as full of life as they always had been, though they were now green instead of blue or brown. "...Doctor?"
The Doctor grinned at the human's surprise. "At your service!" He gave Jack a rather silly salute.
"You're... in a bow tie," Jack said, voice obviously strained to keep the absurdity from seeping into it. None of the people in the bar seemed to pay them any mind, but every once in a while someone snuck a glance at the strange young man who had the fashion sense of someone four times his apparent age.
The Doctor scoffed. "Bow ties are cool!"
Jack set down his glass carefully. It had been many, many years since he had seen the Doctor. He was amazed that the Time Lord was even sitting in front of him. Even so, he knew that the alien wanted something. He'd never seek Jack out otherwise; the immortal knew that he messed with the Doctor's head, as it were, and though they were friends, it was an ever present fact.
Currently, Jack was in the middle of a slow moving Torchwood crisis, but the Doctor didn't need to know that. "You regenerated again."
"Just once more. No regrets," he added.
Jack nodded. "Regardless, it's good to see you."
The Doctor smiled, genuinely Jack noticed. "You too, old friend."
Jack smirked. "Old would be the right word for it." He quickly drained the rest of whiskey from the glass. "What do you need?"
The Doctor tapped a finger against his leg. That was one of the reasons he liked Jack; the human never beat around the bush. "There's a woman from Germany. I rescued her from the Nazis, but she has no money or place to live."
Jack raised an eyebrow. "You want me to get her an apartment and money?"
"Not necessarily a lot of money," the Doctor amended. "She would be more than happy to work for it. She just needs a way to get started. She doesn't have anything but the clothes on her back."
Jack sighed, playing with the empty glass in front of him. "Why do I do these things for you?"
The Doctor grinned. "You already know the answer to that," he said, jumping out of his chair in excitement. He couldn't bring himself to say what he should have. Because you're one of the few people I trust. "The TARDIS is only a few blocks away," he said teasingly. "And I can introduce you to Adele."
Jack stood with a grin and followed him out of the bar. The prospect of seeing the TARDIS again made him happy, a welcome distraction from the monotony of his every day life. It had been so many years since he had last seen the blue box. He followed the Doctor down several streets, almost sighing in frustration when the Time Lord managed to get lost twice.
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The trip back to the TARDIS took almost an hour, but it was worth it. Jack approached the box critically, laying a hand on the blue wood. "She's brighter now."
"Wait until you see the inside," the Doctor said, snapping his fingers in an attempt to impress. The instant the doors opened, a wail reached their ears. "Uh oh." The Doctor quickly ran inside to find Adele desperately trying to quiet Melody, who was screaming at the top of her lungs. He barrelled up the steps to the woman's side.
"There's a baby?" Jack asked incredulously.
"Long story!" The Doctor yelled, taking Melody from Adele. The baby quieted immediately, dark eyes fixed on the Time Lord. She gurgled and squealed and the Doctor sighed. "I left her to take care of you, Melody." The baby whined and the Doctor scoffed. "She did a good job before!"
"You're talking to the baby." Jack stared at him in a way that said 'you do realise what you're doing, don't you?'
"Yes Jack, I'm talking to the baby. Why does no one believe that I can speak baby?"
Jack, finally removing his eyes from the ridiculous scene of the Doctor holding and talking to a baby, looked around the console room. "You changed it. It's... brighter." The TARDIS seemed to be humming excitedly, having spent a lot of time away from the Charming One. She had missed him quite a bit.
"What's wrong with that?" The Doctor demanded, apparently having a deep conversation with the baby, who Jack eventually got around to asking about. "She belongs to my companions. The Ponds, Amy and Rory. But she got kidnapped."
"I see. And this must be the lovely young lady you were telling me so much about." He approached Adele with the most charming smile he could manage, which was quite charming if you knew the Captain. "Nice to meet you, I'm Captain Jack Harkness."
"Oh stop it," the Doctor mumbled, listening to Melody's demands for food. He would have to get her home very soon indeed; he had no clue what to feed a human baby. Surely Amy and Rory would know. Then again, he realised, Adele would know.
Jack simply rolled his eyes. He took Adele's hand and kissed it, causing the Doctor to roll his own eyes. "Don't roll your eyes at me, Doctor. I'm only being polite."
"Just because you have another pair on the back of your head..." he grumbled, patting Melody gently on the back.
Adele smiled weakly. "It's nice to meet you. I'm Adele Fleischer."
"Adele," the Doctor sneakily interrupted. "Melody is hungry. What do I feed her?"
The German woman walked around Jack to tentatively approach the Time Lord and the baby. "I can feed her if... If she'll let me." That felt strange to say; being able to communicate with a baby was ridiculous, but it was possible here.
The Doctor communicated the information to Melody and she agreed. Adele took the baby Pond and retreated to a corner, out of sight of the two men. It took a bit of explanation from Jack as to why she wished to feed the child away from the two of them, but he understood in the end.
Jack and the Doctor spent several minutes talking awkwardly about their adventures since they last parted. The Doctor, whose suspicions about Jack's current timeline were finally confirmed, spent most of that time telling the immortal about the day that the TARDIS had become a woman. Jack spent most of that time teasing him about it.
When Adele finally returned with Melody, the baby was gurgling happily in her arms. The Doctor knew enough about human anatomy to have a question to pose to the woman, but Jack beat him to it. "Adele... There's only one way you could feed her yourself."
Adele's face darkened and she handed the baby to the Doctor. "My son. He was born three months before Madame Kovarian approached me as a wet nurse. My husband and my son were killed in a raid on our town, but she saved me from that same fate."
The Doctor's face fell. "You've lost too much. I'm so sorry." He put an arm around the woman's shoulders comfortingly and kissed her on the forehead, sudden and unexpected comfort that made tears well up in her eyes.
Adele wiped her face carefully. This man was so strange, and yet his words were full of... felt sympathy radiating from him. Has he lost a child as well? "Melody was my child for a short time. Knowing that she has a family to return to fills me with happiness."
Jack watched her carefully, then spoke. "We should get going, Adele. I have arrangements to make for you before the sun goes down."
She nodded nervously and extricated herself from the Doctor's grasp. The Doctor noted her skiddish behavior and gently laid a hand on her shoulder. "Don't worry. I know you're putting a lot of trust in two people you don't know. I promise that Jack is a man of honor. He will take care of you to the best of his ability."
Jack nodded, half in thanks to the Doctor and half to Adele. "I have served in more than one war and seen too many die. I have no intention of causing anyone harm, much less someone that a trusted friend has left in my care."
The Doctor almost smiled at Jack's flowery, flirty language, but it seemed to work. Adele's tense muscles relaxed and she nodded. "I will work hard to earn your kindness."
Melody suddenly made a loud squeal and the Doctor raised an eyebrow at her. "Adele, Melody says thank you for taking care of her and... loving her." He watched Adele's expression soften and she smiled. The Doctor noted how it transformed her face completely.
"You are welcome, Melody," Adele replied. She kissed the baby on the cheek, then turned to Jack. "I'm ready."
Jack nodded, but the Doctor caught the look in his eyes. He doesn't want to leave the TARDIS behind again, even though... The Time Lord knew that what he was about to say was cheating, but it would give Jack a bump in the right direction. "By the way Jack, how is Torchwood?"
Jack's face darkened, but he quickly hid it behind a smile. "Chugging right along. Come on, Adele."
The two of them started toward the blue doors, but the Doctor clapped Jack on the shoulder as he passed. "Thank you."
Jack nodded. "I'll take good care of her."
"Will you come back?" Adele suddenly asked. She stood in front of the TARDIS's open doors, looking for all of her timid nature like someone with new-found determination.
The Doctor suddenly felt put on the spot. Jack gave him a sidelong glance that seemed to say 'don't lie to her, not after all of this'. He coughed. "I don't know, Adele. But I'll try my best to visit you again."
That seemed to satisfy her. She turned to go, then quickly ran back to give the Doctor a hug. He was pleasantly surprised, but returned the gesture. He watched as Jack and Adele exited the TARDIS. He called loudly, "Jack!"
The immortal stepped back into sight of the console room, surrounded by the fading light of day. "Yes Doctor?"
"You'll see me again."
Jack raised an eyebrow, but the statement brought a spark back into his eyes. "I look forward to it." The Doctor saluted him again and he left.
The blue double doors shut and the Doctor felt himself deflate somewhat. He knew Adele would be cared for, even though he completely uprooted her from her native country. He made a verbal query to the TARDIS and the timbre of her hum seemed to change in acknowledgement. The Doctor wanted to make sure the both of them could at least communicate with each other; he was fairly certain Jack didn't know German.
The baby in his arms made a sudden noise of impatience and the Doctor almost laughed. "Alright, alright. Let's go."
It was time to take Melody home.
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"Amy..." Rory's ears caught a sound that he hadn't hoped to hear ever again. Amy had gone to take a nap shortly before three and he was left to his own devices. Instead of watching television or doing any number of other mundane activities like grocery shopping or cleaning, he decided to begin preparing dinner early. He would take any excuse to keep his mind off of the empty nursery in their house.
As soon as River had left them with an assurance that everything would be okay, Amy had cried herself to sleep, Rory holding her until he was sure she was dreaming. The next day, they had converted their guest bedroom into a nursery, spending every cent of their savings on a crib, purple paint for the walls, and enough onesies to insulate a house. They bought her name in wooden letters and hung them on the wall next to the new curtains and toy box. They bought a baby swing and several blankets, bottles, diapers, and over a dozen cans of baby formula.
It took two days to get the paint on the walls properly and a third day to construct the crib from the tiny print on the instructions. Amy insisted on returning to the shops for a wooden rocking chair and they searched dozens before she was satisfied with the perfect one. It took twenty minutes to fit it into the car properly, but it was worth it.
It had been a month since then and they had waited.
Rory was mincing a red pepper when the whirr came, of all places, from outside the front door. He froze, listening for it, just in case he had been imagining it. Again. But it was there.
"Amy!" He ran through the house as fast as his feet would take him, almost crashing into the sidetable at the end of the hall. He threw open the bedroom door to find Amy stirring awake, face red and tear-streaked. "Amy, wake up! He's here!"
He had never seen his wife wake up so quickly before. She shot out of bed and ran past him, coming to a halt in the kitchen, listening intently for the TARDIS. And there she was.
"Melody!" she yelled, throwing open the front door to see the most beautiful shade of blue they had ever laid their eyes upon. Rory quickly followed his wife as she ran up to the box and began to pound furiously on the doors. "Doctor! Doctor!"
The door opened and the Time Lord's face poked out, huffing a breath that ruffled his trademark hair. "Does this TARDIS belong to anyone else?" he asked, irritated.
"Where's Melody?" Both Ponds were glaring at him impatiently. He just smiled.
He stepped from the TARDIS and the bundle in his arms became visible to the both of them. Amy immediately broke down in tears. She scooped up her daughter and cradled her as close as she dared. Melody made a gurgling noise and the Doctor smiled. "She says she missed you both."
"We missed her too," Rory said, his own eyes misty. He turned his gaze to the Doctor. "Thank you. For bringing her back safely."
"She was very brave." He paused. "She also managed to destroy Madame Kovarian's vortex manipulator by drooling on it."
Amy laughed despite the tears. "Already in trouble, aren't you?" She kissed Melody on her head. "She hasn't aged much."
"No, she hasn't. She's about two months old, give or take." The Doctor leaned against the open TARDIS door, looking quite pleased with himself.
"Almost exactly where she should be..." Rory leaned over to kiss his daughter, then his wife.
"This is where she should be," Amy responded. Both Ponds marvelled at the amazing gift that they'd been given. She was an accident, completely unplanned, but completely wanted.
"She had better like purple," Rory said suddenly. Amy laughed.
"Purple?" The Doctor asked, confused.
"Her bedroom. It's very... purple." The Doctor raised an eyebrow at him, so he explained further. "Seeing as... Well, seeing who she... grows up to be, pink didn't seem the right color for her."
"Ah, right." The Doctor clapped his hands together. "Well then, lovely family reunion, but I have to get going-"
"Already?" Amy frowned.
"I have to," he said quietly. They had to understand. "They took... someone else. The companion that I had before you both. They kidnapped her and I have to get her back. She's in danger and a lot of it."
Rory frowned, but nodded. The thought of the Doctor on his own again was troubling, considering all that had happened with seeing his death, but they couldn't leave Melody, nor could they take her on the TARDIS. "Be safe."
Amy wrapped her free arm around the Doctor's neck and kissed him on the cheek. "Thank you."
The Doctor returned the hug enthusiastically, then made sure to give one to the resident Roman before running off into the TARDIS.
The doors shut behind him and he sighed. He trudged up the stairs to the console and began setting the coordinates for Chiswick, 2011.
His conscience weighed him down like an albatross, but he pushed those thoughts away. The little girl in the spacesuit was most certainly Melody. And if she was... That meant the Silence were coming for her. He didn't know when, but they would take her and there was nothing he could do to stop them; it had to happen.
He ran a hand down his face in frustration, then returned to the console. Donna was his main priority now. He couldn't let them take her, or hurt her, or...
No. He had to save her, no matter what.
*SLIGHT SPOILERS* The deal with Jack: There is a point in Torchwood, sometime in season 2, where he gets sent back in time again and has to live several decades again that he has already lived. Remember how he accidentally went back to the 1800s after "Parting of the Ways" and waited over 100 years for the Doctor? It's just like that, only it happened more than once. I imagine that this exchange took place the second time, after the downfall of the Master.
