Unexpected Girl by Lumendea Chapter Ten: Some Assembly Required

Disclaimer: I still don't own Doctor Who, Sarah Jane Adventures or Torchwood.

Donna leaned on her fist as she watched Hope calmly paint her toenails in one of the small sitting rooms of the TARDIS. The Doctor was in the control room, hooking everything up according to Hope's instructions. "Shouldn't you help him?" Donna asked, looking at the girl with a slight frown. Hope looked up and glanced at the door as they heard a small crash. Sighing, she looked down at her toenails,
"Just as soon as this coat dries." Donna leaned back on the sofa and looked back at her magazine. Glancing over, Hope snorted at one of the headlines o the cover, "That won't last a month, trust me, he's an alien"
"So is your dad," Donna said, putting down her magazine, "Your mum married an alien"
"True," Hope said with a tilt of her head, "But my mum knew that he was an alien. Trust me full disclosure is the only way it works, otherwise you run around trying to hide your odd . . . habits and such."

"Speaking from experience?" Donna asked in a teasing tone. Hope shrugged and sighed,
"I've been out of Mum and Dad's TARDIS for a few years now," she paused, "Let's just say I've been more open to the idea of romantic relations than my dad has ever been"
"Few boyfriends then?" Donna asked with a quirked eyebrow. Hope chuckled and nodded,
"Yeah in fact one of them in Cardiff in 2014. Made Jack so jealous that he made a move on me. I didn't know about the encounter when I was helping Dad then, so I was a bit surprised." Laughing, Donna shook her head,
"That must have been weird for your parents. To see you dating other guys, but knowing you'd wind up with Jack." Hope shrugged and leaned back,
"Dating, not married." Donna shook her head,
"I don't understand how you can stand that man and his flirting." Smirking, Hope gave Donna a brief look before slipping on a pair of shoes.
"We've come to an arrangement Donna." Shaking her head, Donna watched Hope leave the room and head for the control room. Sighing, she picked up her magazine and examined the picture,
"An alien huh?"

The Doctor looked up from the wires at the sound of soft footfalls, but was distracted by the sparking of a wire. "I used to be better at this," he muttered, "Had workman's hand in my last form"
"Thing change Dad," Hope said as she slid into the jump seat, "And I thought you liked this body"
"I do," the Doctor said simply to Hope, making her frown.
"You're mad"
"Certified on half a dozen planets," the Doctor said with a grin on his face that Hope couldn't see. Shaking her head, Hope slid from the seat and knelt down so she could look at her Dad.
"I've made you angry"
"No," the Doctor said quickly, "Distressed yes, concerned yes, worried most definitely, but not angry," he paused, "it's not good to know your own future and you're throwing that information around." Hope paused and blinked at her father, before sighing,
"You gave me a list Daddy. You gave a list of things to do and talk about before I left," she paused, "I only found out that I was supposed to do this a few months back. Jack and I even had a huge fight about it since he hadn't ever told me about it," she paused, "Course I understood why he couldn't tell me. I was just angry," Hope sighed, "Trust me, you taught me well and it does feel odd throwing information around. I keep worrying that something is going to go wrong or I'll miss something."

The Doctor was still for a moment as he tried to think of something to say. Finally he sighed, "This parent thing is tough," he sat up and slid forward to sit at level with Hope, "I know what I want to communicate to you, but I haven't the slightest idea of how to say it." The Doctor shook his head, "That's odd, billions of languages and a gob and I can't find the right words." He took Hope's hand and squeezed it, "I can't help but worry Hope," he paused, "You are everything that I've believed for so long was impossible and I don't want to risk that. I'm scared of something doing wrong too, doesn't mean I'm not proud of you for doing this, but proud or not, I'm your father and I'm going to worry."

Another spark in the TARDIS wiring broke the moment as they both leaned down to check the problem. Giggling, Hope reached out and reconnected a few loose wires before undoing the last few minutes of her father's work. Looking up at him, she sighed and asked, "Did you even look at the instructions I gave you?"

Up Next: Torchwood 2.0