Three years earlier

10:45 a.m.

Uffington, England

My dearest Doctor:

I write this letter to you with my last breath. I was diagnosed with cancer about two years ago and after a brave fight, my time is coming to end. It is with this time left that I am writing to you about our daughter, Emily. She will need your help in dealing with what's to come.

Over the last twenty-six years, I have been monitoring alien sightings on earth, in part, to protect Emily. After you left, I went to Torchwood and told them about my child. Since then, Emily has been under the protection of Torchwood and Captain Jack Harkness. She is human, but has so much of your talent. When she was a child, she dazzled her professors with her abilities and frightened me with her precognition. Luckily, I was able to teach her to channel her abilities in science and she has become an amazing success. Still, I fear what will happen to her while I am gone.

Emily does not know her father's identity and is angry at being abandoned by him. Since the loss of her husband and child, that anger has intensified as well as her desire to find you. I have encouraged her to stay at Oxford with the hopes that some day you would return. Captain Jack has promised me that he would do what it takes to find you. I trust that he will keep good on that promise. She will now need your protection.

There has not been a day that has gone by where I have not thought of you. I knew on the day you left that you were never going to return. I wanted to tell you about your child, but I did not want you to feel obligated to stay. Know that I have always kept you in my heart and your daughter was safe within my care.

Before I began this letter, I went to look in on Emily. She was asleep and for a moment, she so resembled you that I thought, for a moment, that you had returned to me. She stirred for a moment and murmured some calculation and it reminded me of you. Emily has much strength, but her weakness has always been her compassion for others. She has always willing gone into danger and with the invasion to come, I fear that she will do something reckless.

As you know, the danger to earth is ever-increasing. Attacks by aliens are becoming the norm and Torchwood has evidence that proves that the Daleks are preparing to mount an attack on this time period on earth within the next four years. Emily will throw herself into danger to defend her family, friends and country. You will need to guide her through this.

That is all, my love. I hope this letter finds you and finds you well.

Love,

Asha

The White Horse Pub

Broad Street

11:30 a.m.

The Doctor ordered another pint of ale. Normally, he avoided human alcohol since it made him ill, but after reading Asha's letter, he decided that another pint would be necessary. He knew that his daughter would be returning shortly and he needed to be ready to face her. Looking around the quiet of the pub, the Doctor realized that he was alone there except for the bar keep. In that moment, the Doctor let his tears fall. He was a man quick to anger and rarely cried, but this time he felt the need to. The Doctor spent his life trying to help others, specifically humans, stop from making the same mistakes he made and while he had saved millions of lives, he could not stop thinking about the lives he destroyed and the people he hurt. Asha deserved better from him. Lost in his own thoughts, the Doctor did not hear a patron enter the bar.

"Doctor?" asked a voice. " Is that you?"

Looking up, the Doctor inadvertently let out a groan. It was Captain Jack. While he did not dislike Jack, he did not consider Jack to be one of his favorite people either. Still, he needed to talk to Jack about his daughter and with a grand gesture, he indicated the seat across from him. Jack slid in the seat and indicated to the barkeep that he did not want anything. Jack looked across at the Doctor, who was staring at him with folded arms, and gave his friend a loop-sided grin.

"I've been looking everywhere for you." he said studying the Doctor's face "Have you been crying?"

The Doctor quickly wiped his eyes with his sleeve coat and glared at Jack who, in turn, looked amused.

"How did you find me?" asked the Doctor.

"Martha" said Jack. "She told me about your daughter." Jack grinned. "I was wondering what the daughter of the famous Doctor would look like."

The Doctor leaned forward on the table. "You flirt with my daughter and there is no telling what I will do to you." The Doctor let out a sigh. "Besides, you have already met her."

Jack looked surprised. "Who is she?"

With that, the Doctor pushed Asha's letter across to Jack who picked up gingerly and began reading. By the time he finished, Jack looked ill. He handed the letter back to the Doctor and looked around.

"Is she here?" he asked.

The Doctor looked at Jack somewhat perplexed by his friend's behavior. Jack was always so smooth even in the face of danger. Now he looked somewhat afraid.

"Yeah" said the Doctor. "She went for a walk." "She should be back soon."

"I'd better go." said Jack standing up. He paused for a moment as though he were uncertain of what to do next. Then he stopped and leaned in toward the Doctor. "Don't tell her that you ever saw me."

The Doctor felt confused. What was going on here? Why didn't Jack want to meet Emily?

"Jack?" came a small female voice from the doorway. "Is it really you?"

Both the Doctor and Jack turned to see Emily standing in the doorway. She looked shocked at seeing Jack. Then she promptly ran over and hugged him. At that moment, the truth dawned on the Doctor. Jack was his daughter's husband. Looking at Jack's face, the Doctor saw that Jack was crying. Letting go of Emily, Jack looked at her and kissed her passionately. Gently, he let her go and pushed her into the hands of her father.

"I have to go Emily" said Jack. He looked at the Doctor. "I'm sorry." Then, as Emily began calling out for him, Jack turned and ran out of the door. Emily tried to go after him, but was held back by her father. Then Emily turned and fell into her father's arms. The Doctor stood in the pub holding his daughter. At that moment, the Doctor's cell phone buzzed. Tenderly, the Doctor placed his weeping daughter in a chair and signaled for the barkeep to bring her some tea. Grabbing his phone, the Doctor opened it.

"Hullo" asked the Doctor.

"Doctor!" shouted a female voice. "Is that you?"

"Donna?" asked the Doctor. "Why are you shouting?"

"It's the Daleks!" shouted a female voice from the background. "They are back."

"Martha!" shouted the Doctor. "Tell me what's going on!"

"Doctor!" yelled Donna into the phone. "We need you."

Before the Doctor could respond, the line went dead. Looking down, he saw that Emily was staring up at him with a determination that he did not recognize. She still had tears rolling down her face, but she stood up and wiped them away. When she began speaking, her voice cracked but remained steady.

"What's happening?" she asked.

"An invasion in London." said the Doctor. "The invasion that your mother warned me about."

Emily nodded. "What do we do?"

The Doctor grabbed her arm and walked with her out the door. "Listen," he began. "I don't . . ."

"There is no don't" snapped Emily. "An invasion is happening in MY country and I want to be a part of the solution."

The Doctor appeared to be formulating a response, but Emily cut him off. "I'm sure that Mum told you about me, but this is still my decision." She pulled her father's hand off of her arm and stared at him defiantly. "I'll go to London with or without you."

The Doctor smiled and chuckled to himself. "You remind me so much of your mother."

"Come on" he said grabbing Emily's hand. "We are heading to my ship"

Emily ran with her father. "You have a ship?"