Disclaimer: I do not own Doctor Who or Torchwood, both belong to the BBC and their respected writers. But I do own Gaia! :b
A/N: Okay I know in theory it's now Sunday, but I had lots of revision and homework to do, so sorry for the late update. Also we're back to Doctor Who and 11...woo.
Within the week all members of the Torchwood team were comfortable with one of their bosses being alien. Jack had known it would happen but was surprised that it had taken then so long to do so. For him the team had gotten use to his immortality rather quickly. It only took his sacrifice to the beast or whatever it was called. Unfortunately for Gaia there were no worldwide disasters for her to prove herself, although, in hindsight she shouldn't really have too.
Tosh had cracked first from the cold shoulder regime the team had unconsciously signed themselves too when Gaia had come around. It had been hours after Gaia had woken after being knocked unconscious by Captain John Hart and Tosh had approached her about an artefact that had fallen through the rift. Gaia was surprised at first that Tosh had come over but happily helped her along. Tosh then explained very kindly, in her Tosh way, that she didn't really care if Gaia was human, alien or whatever. She was still her. What Tosh was interested about was the biological differences; hence the pair had spent the next hour talking about that. Tosh was happy to accept Gaia. Gaia had been the one to pull Tosh's abilities to Jack's notice, she had been the one to get her out of that god awful prison after stealing from the Ministry of Defence and she had been the one to get information on Tosh's family behind Jack's back. How could Tosh not accept her?
Ianto had caved not long after. Gaia had found a fresh cup of coffee in her office after talking to Tosh, a small note from Ianto underneath saying sorry. Gaia had smiled at the gesture and when she walked past Ianto in the corridor returning her empty mug to the kitchen she said thank you in person. Gaia had been the only person to say thank you to Ianto from day 1 and he had found out from Jack that it was her that convinced Jack to let Ianto have the job in the first place. Ianto couldn't help but accept her.
Gwen had been the next to come around. She had taken a few days to mull over the idea, but easily accepted it after that period. Gwen had to admit she was slightly freaked when she saw Gaia's predicted age, 2 billion plus years old; it was over 100 of Jack's lifetimes and yet Gaia sat their, not tired with age or death. She looked youthful and in many cases even younger than herself. Although she did envy the woman a little for looking so young at such an old age, Gwen did pity her a little. Gaia had lost her home planet, family and the rest of her species. How could she not accept her?
Owen had taken the longest to accept Gaia. He had taken almost the entire week to come around to the idea. He hadn't taken to being called a liar about Gaia's species a few months earlier too well, although he managed to find reasons why he should accept Gaia. After looking back on all the times Gaia had helped him it was surprising he hadn't noticed it before. The majority of the things she had done to help couldn't have been done by a human. She had stepped in front of a bullet for him too many times to count and each time the gun man had apparently missed... he was so naive sometimes. Then even in his signing to Torchwood, Gaia had popped up at the hospital after the consultation about his fiancées brain tumour, she had tried to convince them to get a different form of treatment. They had both brushed her off. If only he had listened to her his fiancée would still be alive. Gaia had also been the one to console him after her death, she never said told you so or anything like that. How could he not accept her?
Exactly a week after John graced the Earth with his presence, the team were gathered in the conference room eating pizza, laughing at one of Gaia's stories. "So we were there covered in this god awful slime and we end up getting arrested by the local police. They give us a shower to remove the slim and gut wrenching smell, obvious we were under observation the whole time and they take are clothes to wash them. They say they'll give them back to us in the morning so we have to make do with a blanket each. Mr impatient over there couldn't wait until the next morning to escape, so we broke out that night. Running away Jack's blanket catches on the door and he ends up running stark naked through the town. Let's just say we were banned from there." Gaia finished. The team were in hysterics and Jack pouted at the others laughing at his expense.
"And that was 300 years ago?" Gwen asked.
"Well 300 hundred for me, what 1000 for you Gaia and its 10000 years in your future." Jack explained; the others tried to get their heads around it. Gaia laughed at their confused faces.
"You two are impossible." Owen commented shoving a slice of pizza in his mouth. Gaia winked at him and Jack laughed.
"We try." They said in unison causing everyone to burst out laughing.
Conversation ensued for another few hours, undisturbed by any rift alarms or police reports. It was the first night Gaia could remember where the team could enjoy each others company. Yet the time eventually came when everyone called it a night and went home, leaving Gaia and Jack alone in the hub. This was when Gaia began hearing the voice. It was strange, it was the voice of child but it was distorted. Gaia could tell it originated from Earth, but not this Earth. Some how someone was calling for her help through time and to do that it had to be urgent.
Gaia told Jack the nature of the pleading and he said she should go and help. The only problem was she didn't know how to trace it; this was where Jack stepped in. His vortex manipulator had a built in psychic interface that allowed for thought controlled transport. The duo spent the next few hours upgrading Gaia's working Vortex Manipulator with the psychic interface from Jack's. At 2 in the morning it was done.
"Okay, here's the coordinates for here, be back as quick as possible." Jack asked, handing Gaia the small piece of paper. Gaia slipped it into her pocket.
"I will." She reassured. She then brought the pleading voice to the forefront of her mind and pressed the button on her Vortex Manipulator. She disappeared in a crack.
Gaia landed with a grunt on some wet grass. "Lovely." She muttered as she stood up and brushed herself down.
"Who's there?" A voice called. Gaia looked up to see a bright blue box and it owner right alongside.
"'Ello." Gaia said with a wave and the Doctor, Amy and her husband Rory, whom Gaia had never met, waved back. Gaia left the small play park she had landed in and walked over to the shocked trio. "What, have I got something on my face?" Gaia asked wiping her face self consciously. Everyone shook their head and Amy poked Gaia in the shoulder.
"Gaia?" Amy asked unsure if it were really her.
"Um, yeah. Who else would it be?" Gaia replied confused. Amy's eyes widened at Gaia's response and proceeded in smothering her with a hug.
"Oh my God it's really you." Amy said relieved. Gaia then turned to look at the Doctor wearily.
"Why are you acting like you haven't seen my in a while?" Gaia asked and the Doctor's happy expression faltered.
"Gaia, when was the last time you saw me?" He asked.
"Well you were still 10 when I last saw you. It was when I went back to Cardiff with Jack." Gaia explained and the Doctor's smile softened and his hand went into his pocket.
"Oh." The Doctor commented and pulled his hand out of his pocket, his ring finger now absent of its usual attire.
"I'm guessing we're not exactly linear at the moment for the fact that River's not with you." Gaia continued.
"No we're not." The Doctor agreed. "More than you know." He muttered so low that even Gaia didn't hear. "Where did you go by the way? During, well, then..." The Doctor asked. Gaia smiled.
"Spoilers." She chimed and grabbed the Doctor's hand. "Anyhoo, little boy to find. Come on." She finished and dragged the Doctor by the hand towards the council flats near by, not letting any of them have the chance to argue or question how she knew it was a little boy.
"Please save me from the monsters. Who sent that?" Rory asked, reading the psychic paper. The group were standing in the down stairs corridor of the flats waiting for the lift to reach them.
"That's what we're here to find out." The Doctor replied putting the paper back in his pocket.
"Sounds like something a kid would say." Amy noted and the others nodded.
"It's a little boy." Gaia replied, now frustratingly pressing the lift button wanting it to hurry up. Amy raised an eyebrow at her.
"How do you know that?" She asked.
"Because I can hear it." Gaia replied and the lift doors finally opened. "Hallelujah." She chimed and step into the lift the Doctor, Amy and Rory right behind her.
"How can you hear it?" Rory asked.
"The same way it got to the TARDIS. A scared kid's cry for help gets sent out to the 2 people in the universe who'd be happy to help it, well him. Us and Gaia." The Doctor explained and Rory and Amy nodded in understanding.
When the lift reached the 5th floor the group split up, Amy and Rory were checking one side of the building whilst Gaia and the Doctor searched the other. Gaia and the Doctor didn't find much success after being turned down at every door so far. They had come across several filthy and half dressed men, an old lady with an unhealthy obsession to knitting, a few fair normal families and a man with no less than 10 cats. 10! They contravened with Amy and Rory a little while later.
"Hey, any luck?" Amy asked. Gaia shook her head as did the Doctor.
"3 old ladies, a traffic warden from Croatia and a man with ten cats." The Doctor listed.
"4 bachelor men, 1 old lady and the 10 cat man." Gaia listed.
"How did you know they were bachelors?" Rory asked curious. Gaia shivered.
"You just knew." She replied and Amy laughed at her expression.
"No luck finding the scared little boy on your front either?" The Doctor asked and Amy shook her head.
"I found a scary little boy. Does that count?" She replied her sarcasm evident to everyone... bar the Doctor.
"Hmm... try the next floor down. Catch you later." The Doctor said and pulled Gaia along to some of the doors they had missed. Amy and Rory shrugged at the other couples departure and entered the arrived lift. The lift arrived at the next level... empty.
The Doctor pulled his psychic paper out of his pocket and proceeded to knock on the door in front of the pair. A man, whom Gaia knows to be, called Alex opened it. "Oh right that was quick." He said, reading the psychic paper the Doctor was holding up.
"Was it?" Gaia asked sceptically and snatched the psychic paper from the Doctor's hands.
"Claire said she'd phones someone. Social services." Alex continued. The Doctor looked over Gaia's shoulder at the paper.
"Yes." The Doctor responded now understanding what Alex was going on about.
"It's not, easy, y'know... admitting your kid's got a problem." Alex said scratching his chin. The Doctor nodded.
"You've got a problem. We've got a problem. I bet they're connected. I'm the Doctor and this is Gaia. What can I call you?" The Doctor said introducing himself.
"Alex."
"Hello, Alex." The Doctor said and shimmied on inside. Gaia rolled her eyes at his actions.
"I'm Gaia." She said, introducing herself and holding out her hand for Alex to shake. He returned the gesture and gestured for her to come in. She obliged, forever polite and understanding of human formalities, unlike the Doctor. Gaia stepped into the small flat and saw the Doctor admiring a child's sign on a door. The Doctor pivoted round to face Alex after inspecting it.
"So... tell me about George." He asks.
The Doctor and Alex sat on the sofa, Gaia on the arm rest and Alex handed the Doctor a photo album which he quickly flicks through, Gaia admiring it over his shoulder. "Ever since he was born he's been a funny kid." Alex explained.
"Funny's good! We like funny, don't we?" The Doctor asked looking between Alex and Gaia. Gaia shook her head.
"Funny how?" She asked Alex gently.
"He never cries. Bottles it all up, I suppose. Tell him off, he just looks at you." Alex continued much to Gaia's fascination. She was intrigued by this boy, whom she had strangely never heard of.
"How old is he?" The Doctor asked inspecting a baby picture of George.
"He was 8 in January. He should be growing out of stuff like this, shouldn't he?" Alex asked.
"Maybe." The Doctor pondered and he put down the album. "It's got worse though lately?" He continued.
"Yeah. We talked about getting help. You know, maybe sending him somewhere. He started getting these nervous tics, you know, funny little cough. Blinking all the time. But now it's got completely out of hand. I mean he's scared to death of everything." Alex said, getting himself worked up. He had stood up half way through speaking, trying to calm himself down.
"Pantaphobia." The Doctor stated.
"What?" Alex replied confused.
"Fear of everything." Gaia added and Alex nodded in understanding.
"He hates clowns." Alex began to list.
"Understandable. I mean whoever created them must be weird." The Doctor commented winking at Gaia. She rolled her eyes. Alex didn't notice this exchange and continued to list the things George was scared of.
"Old toys. He thinks the old lady across the way is a witch. He hates have a bath in case there's something under the water. The lift sounds like someone breathing!" Alex sat back down on the couch in defeat. "I don't know. I'm not an expert." He states and rubs his face. "Maybe you 2 can get through to him."
"We'll do are best." The Doctor assured.
A thud emanates from George's room and Alex is up like a shot going to see what happened, Gaia and the Doctor not far behind. "George? You ok? What's the matter?" Alex asked panicked as he entered George's room. He then spots the lamp on the floor and picks it up. "Never mind. Were you having a nightmare, son?" He asked. George shook his head.
"Wasn't a nightmare. I wasn't asleep." George stated. This was when the Doctor and Gaia walked in. Like a shot George was out of bed and hugging Gaia's leg.
"Er... Hello." Gaia said, slightly shocked at George's actions. Alex and the Doctor looked just as shocked.
"George, stop that!" Alex insisted, but George ignored him and continued to hug Gaia's leg, the only part of Gaia's body that George could reach.
"I don't mind." Gaia said softly and lifted the little boy up. He instantly put his legs around her waist and his head on her shoulder. As soon as George's head came into contact with Gaia's she knew everything. "Oh you poor little thing." She cooed and hugged him tight.
"What? What's wrong with him?" Alex asked scared.
"Nothing, nothing at all. He's just scared." Gaia said softly, sitting down on George's bed, the little boy still on her lap.
"Gaia, what's going on?" The Doctor asked just as confused as Alex.
"He's a Tenza, Doctor and he's terrified that they don't want him." Gaia explained kissing the now whimpering boy on the head. She couldn't help but feel maternal over the little boy. The Doctor's face softened in understanding. Alex looked between the pair confused.
"My son's a what? You 2 aren't obviously from social services but would one of you be kind enough to explain to me what in the world is going on!" Alex exclaimed. The Doctor nodded and walked into the other room, Alex quickly followed him.
Gaia knew that the Doctor was going to explain to Alex the nature of a Tenza child so she was content to sit with George. "Monsters eh?" Gaia asked George softly. George lifted his head from Gaia shoulder and sat himself on the bed next to her, leaning into her side.
"They're scary." George said in a quiet voice, blinking avidly at the wardrobe on the other side of the room. Gaia followed his eye line and looked at the wardrobe in scrutiny.
"I know George, but they're not going to hurt you." Gaia insisted softly. George shook his head and buried it in Gaia's side. "Hey, I'm probably the most scariest monster in your room right now and I'm not hurting you. Am I?" Gaia said. George shook his head.
Suddenly the raised voices of the Doctor and Alex could be heard from next door and George seized up. He instinctively brought his knees to his chest and began rocking back and forward. "Please save me from the monsters!" He whispers and repeats again and again.
"George they're not going to hurt you." Gaia tried to insist frantically; she was now kneeling by the side of George's bed so that she was at George's eye level. He didn't seem to hear her though and unfortunately when George does stop whispering, Gaia knows it's too late. The Doctor and Alex were no longer in the next room.
Gaia sighed and shut her eyes in despair for moment before refocusing on the little boy in front of her. He blinks 5 times at her and continues to blink in that pattern of five. "Do you get scared?" George asked from out of the blue. Gaia sighed and nodded softly.
"Sometimes." She admitted to the 8 year old.
"But you're a planet keeper. What scares you?" George asked curiously.
Gaia wasn't at all surprised that George knew what she was. The Tenza species and herself had made an agreement many centuries ago on the issue of their hatching children. Gaia of course had allowed them to come to Earth on the condition they went to those who needed them the most and didn't harm the humans in any way. She also knew that to honour their agreement the Tenza, who had genetic manipulation devices that the human race wouldn't create for another 2 millennia, had implanted the knowledge of her and Earth into every hatchling in the solar system. She had been touched when she was told.
"Lots of things. Especially when one of my best friends go missing." Gaia replied to George.
"Oh, I'm sorry. Are you angry at me?" George asked his voice so innocent and his apology sincere.
"I'm not angry." Gaia said reassuringly kissing George on the forehead. "But I do need to get my friends back. So where do you hide the monsters then?" Gaia asked.
George shimmied himself off of his bed and stood up beside Gaia, who had also now got to her feet. He grabbed a hold of Gaia's outstretched hand and led her to the wardrobe. With his tiny hand trembling he turned the key and opened the door. "In here." He said as the door swung open and in that instant they were no longer in George's room, they were in the doll's house.
When Gaia finally felt the ground beneath her feet, she also felt arm around her waist. Opening her eyes she saw the Doctor looking a back at her. "Whoa..." The Doctor said, clutching her close as she swayed a little. "Alright?" He asked. Gaia nodded in response, not breaking eye contact. They both seemed to get lost in each others eyes, both blinded by each other to notice the gaining peg dolls. It took George's terrified shout to break Gaia out of her trance.
"George!" She called and went to go and get him from the surrounding peg dolls, but the Doctor grabbed her around the waist and prevented her from getting there. "Doctor, let go." She yelled battering his arm.
"Wait." He whispered in her ear. Alex then shoved past the pair and battled his way through the peg dolls, using a giant pair of scissors to get to George. In front of the 8 year old Tenza Alex dropped to his knees and engulfed him in a hug.
"My son." Alex announced.
"Dad." George replied, snuggling his head into his Dad's shoulder. Like her arrival in the doll's house Gaia felt the ground move from underneath her feet. When she finally broke from her disorientated state she found herself back in George's room, George beside her.
A few hours later, Claire, Alex's wife, walked through the front door of her flat. "Hi." She called and looked up in amazement to see 2 strangers sitting on her counter tops, laughing with George and Alex. "Er...who?" She asked, gesturing at the strangers.
"The sent someone. About George. It's all sorted." Alex replied with an affectionate grin towards his son.
Gaia watched the interaction between the family with a smile. She loved happy endings, with Torchwood it rarely happened that everyone got their happy ending. "Yeah, we had a great time, didn't we?" The Doctor announced happily.
"Yeah!" George replied, taking another bite of his bread and butter.
"See he's fine." The Doctor stated as if it were obvious.
"What? Just like that?" Claire asked shocked.
"Yeah, we're good at what we do." Gaia said before the Doctor could reply. Claire smiled at the duo, overjoyed that they'd managed to help her son.
A little while later, Gaia and the Doctor left the flat, letting the family enjoy their own company. "Wait!" A voice called behind them. They both whirled around to see Alex running towards them.
"Sorry, yes. Bye." The Doctor said shaking Alex's hand.
"You can't just... I mean..." Alex stuttered, unsure what he wants to say.
"It's all sorted, Alex. George is fine. He just needed his Dad is all." Gaia assured with a smile.
"What, that's it?" Alex asked.
"Well apart from making sure he eats his greens and getting him into a good school, yes." The Doctor replied, now grabbing Gaia's hand and started to pull her away. He knew from previous experiences with older Gaia that she could talk for England and in fact the Earth.
"But is he going to... I don't know; sprout another head or three eyes or something?" Alex asked in all seriousness. Gaia chuckled at the poor human man.
"He'll be fine. He'll adapt perfectly now." Gaia assured and the Doctor pulled her around the corner.
Alex turned to George, who had stepped out just before the Doctor pulled Gaia around the corner. "Strange couple they are." He said and George nodded in response.
"Kippers are getting cold!" Claire called from inside and both boys went in to the flat, the old western movie `To the Last Man` being heard for the TV.
Walking outside and back to the Tardis, the Doctor and Gaia met Amy and Rory at the stone wall next to the park. "Come on, you two. Things to do, people to see, whole civilisations to save." The Doctor said, still having a hold of Gaia's hand, although neither parties seemed to mind. Amy and Rory followed the pair into the Tardis.
"Now did someone mention something about planets and history and stuff? Where do you want to go?" The Doctor asked. He was now running around the Tardis console flicking switches and pressing buttons.
"Er... Doctor I've actually got a favour to ask." Gaia said before either human could reply.
"Ask away." The Doctor announced now leaning on the console giving Gaia his full attention.
"Could you give me a lift back to Cardiff? I would take this thing..." Gaia held up the Vortex Manipulator. "... but it doesn't do the best of landings." The Doctors expression dropped a little, he had forgotten that this was a younger Gaia, a Gaia who still had to get back to Jack on Earth.
"Right, yes." He said, rather dejectedly and began inputting the coordinates for Cardiff. He then had a thought. "Firstly though, let's sort out where we are." He announced and turned back to face Gaia.
"Okay..." Gaia said, not quite sure what he was getting at.
"When was the last time, before today, that you saw Amy?" The Doctor asked. Amy and Rory looked confused at the Doctor.
"Er... the Byzantium with River." Gaia recalled. Amy couldn't help but gasp. That was almost a year ago for her. "I'm guessing that... wait I don't know what I'm getting from that. Why are you so shocked?" Gaia asked slightly worried.
"That was a year ago." Amy exclaimed.
"Oh, it was a while back for me too. I was well kinda... busy." Gaia said sheepishly trying to skirt around the 18 months she had been kept prisoner by the Master.
The Doctor sighed; this Gaia was much too young. Resigned he pulled the final lever on the console and initiated the Tardis flight sequence for Cardiff. The Tardis being the clever living being she was changed her flight for the right year, she always got her thief where he needed to be.
"Wait, that's means you've never met me." Rory realised, none of the 3 passengers had realised the Tardis was in flight yet.
"No. Hi, I'm Gaia." She said stretching out her hand. Rory shook it slightly dazed.
"Rory." He said and before any further conversation could ensue they were all thrown to the ground as the Tardis made its passengers know she was in flight.
The Tardis landed with a thump and the Doctor was at the monitor in an instant. "There we go, Cardiff early 2008." He said. Gaia stood up and brushed herself down.
"Guess this is my stop. Nice meeting Rory and nice seeing you again Amy." She said and turned to the Doctor.
"I'll walk you out." He said before she could say her goodbye. Taking Gaia's hand he walked out the Tardis door and onto the Plass where the Tardis had parked herself.
"I guess this is goodbye." Gaia said quietly. The Doctor didn't reply but captured her lips in a kiss. Gaia's eyes fluttered shut as she let the Doctor's kiss over take her. The kiss was by no means one sided and it was a battle for dominance at time, but when their lips finally parted both were equally swollen and both people were equally breathless. "Hmm, that's my second time of saying goodbye to you this way." Gaia commented with a smile. She stole another quick kiss from the Doctor before turning around and walking away. She also made the effort to point a rude hand gesture at the CCTV camera following her.
The Doctor's smile came crashing down as Gaia walked away. "My last." He whispered and turned to go into the Tardis. Inside he found it empty; Amy and Rory must have gone to bed. He set the Tardis into a deep undisturbed part of space and sat himself down on the leather seat. Pulling his ring out of his pocket, he admired it with affection. Rolling the gold band beneath his fingers he missed seeing its twin on the hand of his wife. A woman he doubted he'd be lucky to see again, well not without her trying to kill him. And that wasn't a figure of speech.