A/N: Just moved house. Imma big girl, now :D
Chapter 30 – Uncle Jack's Life Skills Lesson 9
"Right Leah, let's go over this one more time," Jack began, standing in front of the little girl in the TARDIS living room. "Let's role play. I'll set the scene. You're alone in a forest, just you, your tent and campfire. Suddenly you hear a noise, and the cracking twigs of steps getting closer towards you... And then you see mean hairy creature popping his head out from behind the trees..." Jack mimed peeking out from behind a tree, looking around and sniffing slightly, before he looked at Leah.
"He's coming towards you, Leah!" Jack warned, creeping slowly towards the girl. "What d'you do? He's nearly got you!"
Leah planted her feet to stand her ground, hunched up her shoulders and screamed with everything she had.
Jack instantly grunted and put his hands over his ears. "Okay! Okay! Nicely done," he said as she stopped screaming and beamed at him. "But oh no, Leah! It hasn't worked! He's got you, Leah!" Jack grabbed the girl under the arms and lifted her up. "What d'you do, Leah? What do you do?" She laughed as she struggled in his grip. "Giggling won't help! He's gonna eat you, Leah!"
Leah instantly sagged in Jack's grip, closing her eyes and playing dead.
Jack grinned. "Nice one!" he said, making to set her down on the floor, but she was still limp. He saw a small smile tug at the edge of her lips and he rolled his eyes, lying her down on the floor.
"Leah? Oh no! Leah! What have I done? I've killed you!" Jack said dramatically as Leah visibly struggled not to giggle. "Your Mummy and Daddy are gonna be so cross with me. Or you know, they might not mind. You're such a nuisance. Maybe they won't notice."
Leah bolted upright instantly. "Uncle Jack!"
Jack pretended to jump. "Oh Leah, you're alive! Thank God! You had me really convinced, there."
She laughed as he hugged her tightly.
"Well done, Leah, you've passed Uncle Jack's Life Skills lesson number nine of surviving in the wild," Jack said. "Next time we'll do opening deadlocked doors. Once you can do that, you'll be way more useful than your Daddy."
She laughed again, just as the door opened and Rose and the Doctor appeared, eyes instantly resting on Jack.
"Jack," the Doctor breathed through pants for air. "The rift. What's the mefenisamation category at?"
Jack blinked. "What?"
"You know, the thing that goes bip-bop," the Doctor gestured vaguely.
There was a pause, as Jack looked at Rose behind the Doctor, who just shrugged.
"C'mon!" the Doctor urged.
"Mefe bip-bop what?" Jack repeated in a voice that clearly said he didn't have a clue what the Doctor was on about.
"Oooh, Harkness," the Doctor sighed in exasperation, quickly losing interest in him and turning to look at Rose. "Console room," he said, leaning heavily on the door frame. She nodded, helping to support him as he beckoned Jack and Leah to follow them.
They reached the console room of the TARDIS, and instantly the Doctor began to hammer buttons, staring at the monitor.
"Mefenisamation at 76%..." he thought aloud. "Just checking the feedback ratio... 15%. Okay, good. Good. Matter density 97%... tricky... but if the disperser is at full capacity..." He tapped some more keys, then suddenly beamed. "Yes!"
"What?" Rose asked.
"I can surf the anti-matter wave at full capacity to transcend the vortex shell and break through the polarisation limiters to mefenise at 97% density and create a feedback loop!" he announced happily. He waited for a reaction, but didn't get one.
"You're gonna what now?" Rose asked, breaking the silence.
He cleared his throat, trying again. "I err... Rose," he turned to her. "I think I can get to the parallel world to pick up your Mum and Tony."
Rose was stunned into absolute silence. Jack looked between the Doctor and Rose, then down at Leah, who was gazing at her father. A few more seconds passed.
"Reaction?" the Doctor wondered.
"That's..." Rose began, staring at him with wide eyes. "That's... You could do that?"
He nodded, then looked down at Leah standing there holding her new cuddly bunny, Floppy, and offered her a smile. "How would you like to meet your granny for real, Leah? And for her to stay with us for a while?"
Leah nodded enthusiastically, running to hug her Dad's leg.
But Rose didn't seem fully convinced. "Is it safe?" she asked suddenly.
He winced. "Umm... Not completely, no. But everything has a risk."
Rose stared at him. "Please don't do anythin' that might kill you just for the sake of my Mum. If it's not safe, don't do it, I'll understand."
He gazed at her, his deep brown eyes drilling into her's. "It's safe. I promise."
Rose offered a small smile. "Okay. Just don't be lying."
His face spread into a grin. "Take Leah and stay in Torchwood, send Mickey in here," he ordered.
"What? No, I'm comin'."
"No, you're not," the Doctor said gently. "There's no telling what diseases Jackie and Tony may be carrying around that this universe hasn't met yet. If you contract anything, it could harm our son, and Leah's immune system wouldn't be strong enough to handle it. If I manage to get them and bring them back, Jackie and Tony will have to spend a couple of days in quarantine until they're cleared of anything that might hurt anyone here."
Rose paused for a moment, staring at him. "Okay," she finally said, reaching up to kiss him before looking down at Leah, taking her hand not holding Floppy the bunny. "C'mon, let's get out of your Daddy's way."
Leah nodded. "Bye bye, Daddy," she said quietly, looking up at him.
He smiled and knelt down to hug her. "See you in a bit," he said gently, then looked up at Rose. "Get Mickey, I need him."
Rose nodded, then she and Leah left. Jack made to go after them, but the Doctor quickly stopped him.
"Need you, stay here."
Jack looked at him. "Just off the record, percentage chance that we'll die?"
The Doctor pulled a face. "Um... 37 percent? Ish?"
"Great," Jack breathed. "What d'you need me for?"
"To help me stand up," the Doctor grunted. Jack took the hint and quickly grabbed him to stop him collapsing, just as the TARDIS door opened and Mickey peeked his head in.
"You need me?"
"Yeah, come in, close the door," the Doctor said quickly, flicking a few switches on the console. "I'm going try and take advantage of this rip and cross to the parallel world, hopefully localising on the mansion. I need you to run out and find Jackie and Tony as quick as you can."
Mickey nodded, moving up to the console. "You're gonna bring Jackie and Tony back to this world?"
"Hopefully," the Doctor said, tapping some more buttons. He flicked a final switch with a flourish then looked at Jack and Mickey. "Word of advice, hold onto something."
Leah had soon become bored of the adult talk everyone else was engrossed in, and decided to wander off on her own, unnoticed. She really wanted to explore Torchwood some more... Though after the small explosion-related accident she was a little wary of the rift manipulator, so she steered clear of it and continued deeper into the area she hadn't been before.
There was a lot of junk. Dead computers, wires, pieces of metal. She made her way carefully over the worst of it, holding Floppy the bunny every step of the way. Suddenly something caught on her foot and she stumbled slightly, flinging out her hands for something to grab and instead making Floppy fly across the room and bounce down a nearby set of metal steps in front of her. She gritted her teeth, continuing over the junk until she reached the steps. Floppy was lying at the bottom. She slowly clambered down them until she reached the bunny, holding out her hand to take it...
A bigger hand suddenly grabbed Floppy before she could, picking her up. Leah slowly drew back her arm and panned up her eyes... To reveal it was the Master, towering above her.
"Hello, Leah," he said.
Leah stared at him, her eyes wide and fearful. She tried stretching up on tiptoes to take Floppy from him, but the Master held it out of Leah's reach, staring at the bunny with interest.
Leah backed away slightly, apprehensive. "... Please will you give Floppy back?"
The Master looked at her for a moment, then at the cuddly rabbit in his hand. "Is Floppy your new Bundy?" he wondered.
"Please, I want Floppy," Leah said quietly, tears in her eyes.
"You don't have to be scared of me, Leah," the Master assured her seriously. "I'm not going to do anything to you."
"Please give me Floppy back," she said quietly.
The Master could see her shaking. Pure fear, he knew. "I will, but I'd like to talk to you first."
Her wet eyes flickered between him and Floppy, as if trying to decide whether she should stay for Floppy, or run. It only took a few seconds to decide. She looked at the Master, and nodded slowly.
"Ah, good. Come here, then," the Master said.
Leah shook her head firmly, her feet rooted to the spot as she lifted her shoulders slightly to try and make herself look bigger than she actually was.
"Well okay, then," the Master said, and took a seat for himself on a nearby broken computer tower. "I feel we're a lot alike, you and I. I'm clever, you're clever; I'm adorable, you're adorable; I'm Gallifreyan... and so are you."
Leah didn't say a word, just staring at him and preparing herself for a scream if she had to.
"It's not your fault that you have an idiot for a father, I did too, but I prevailed. I think you can too."
"My Daddy's not an idiot," Leah suddenly said, a little angry.
"Yes, he is, he's an idiot that won't listen to what you have to say," the Master said gently. "Don't waste your time with a Daddy who clearly has no concern for you."
"He's busy," Leah said quietly.
"Too busy for you? His precious daughter whom he supposedly loves completely?" the Master asked, a little cynical. "I think he has plenty of time, he just chooses not to spend it with you."
"You're lying," she said quietly, sniffing. "Daddy loves me."
"Yet he won't listen. D'you know who will listen? Me. Talk to me, Leah. I will listen to everything you have to say."
There was a brief moment of silence as they stared at each other. The Master just waited.
"... Please give me Floppy back," Leah whispered.
The Master looked a little disappointed. "Fine," he said, and held out the rabbit. Leah went to take it but he didn't relinquish his grip, gazing straight into the girl's eyes. "Think about it, Leah," he said lowly. "If you ever need me, Uncle Harry is here for you. And you can tell that to your brother too."
He let go of Floppy, and Leah quickly cuddled her protectively. She stared at the Master some more. "Thank you," she suddenly said quickly, then turned and ran off up the steps as fast as she could. The Master just watched her go, a small smile creeping onto his face.
It was beginning to creep into the evening in the Hub, and the Doctor, Jack and Mickey still weren't back.
The remaining people in the Hub had had fish and chips for dinner, after which Leah had complained of a headache so Martha had found her some crayons and some paper, leaving her to do some drawing as the others busied themselves worrying about where the TARDIS was.
The clock struck 8 o'clock, way past Leah's bedtime, and still there was no sign. Rose was just considering putting her to bed in Torchwood when suddenly came the churning of the TARDIS from across the Hub. She practically ran to it as it faded into existence and Mickey stumbled out, quickly closing the door behind him before almost colliding with Rose.
"Sorry," he said. "I just had to get away from all the yellin'."
"What? What's happened?" Rose asked anxiously. "Are Mum and Tony in there?"
"Yeah."
A massive smile spread onto her face, her entire face lighting up. She hadn't seen them for four years...
She made forward, but Mickey quickly stopped her. "You can't go in, yet. The Doctor's just gonna put 'em into quarantine then come and get you."
"Oh." Rose very quickly realised what all the little details meant. "They're havin' a fight, aren't they?"
"Um, yeah," Mickey said, pulling a face.
"Four years, two grandchildren and they still can't get on," Rose breathed. "I'll get Leah."
Mickey nodded as Rose ran off back across the Hub to where Leah was sat, still colouring. She didn't seem to notice her Mum calling to her until she shook her shoulder, and the girl looked up.
"Daddy's back with Granny," Rose told her, glancing at all the artwork Leah had created. Red crayon was scribbled messily everywhere. If there was one thing Leah wasn't going to be when she was older, it was an artist.
Leah got up, taking Floppy under one arm and sticking her thumb in her mouth, looking a little sleepy. Rose smiled at her and took her hand, leading her back to the TARDIS.
The Doctor already had his head stuck out when they got there.
"Sorry for the delay," he said. "I had to get her to go into quarantine. C'mon."
It felt very weird when they reached the infirmary, and even more weird when they reached the sealed door to the quarantine section. Rose wasn't quite sure what to make of it when the Doctor pressed his palm against the lock and the door slowly slid back.
"I won't come in with you," he said, a little apologetically. "She's a teensy tiny bit annoyed at me."
Rose couldn't help but smile, but it was something that quickly faded.
He noticed, and hugged her reassuringly. "You're nervous," he said, puzzled.
"It's just been a while. I feel a bit weird," Rose admitted, holding Leah's hand a little tighter, who looked up at her still with her thumb in her mouth.
"It'll be fine," the Doctor said gently, kissing her for support before looking down at Leah. "Ready to meet Granny?" he asked.
Leah nodded, seemingly completely casual about it all. He smiled and stepped back, gesturing for them to enter. "Hand on the lock when you want to leave."
Rose nodded at him and took a breath, and together she and Leah stepped into an adjoining room to the quarantine section, another metal door barring their way. The door leading back to the Doctor slid closed behind them, and moments later a voice started up out of seemingly nowhere.
"Doctor!" Jackie's voice suddenly shrieked. "I know you're there! I ain't standin' for this! You better bloody let me out right now or I swear to God I'll shove your alien head right up your..."
A loud buzz conveniently censored any other word Jackie might have said, and the door in front of Rose and Leah slid open to let them through.
They emerged into a small space for visitors, a large clear screen in front of them. Behind the screen was seemingly some kind of apartment, well decorated and furnished with a fully-equipped kitchen and food dispenser, a living area with high-tech entertainment systems and a dining area complete with a full fruit bowl. There were a few rooms at the back with doors for privacy – a couple of bedrooms and a toilet.
But the nice interior design wasn't what caught Rose's attention, because standing in the middle of the room behind the glass was a small ginger boy and a very familiar woman... Who was currently staring at Rose with her jaw agape.
"Rose?" she croaked.
"Mum," Rose said quietly, pulling Leah up to the glass.
Jackie stared at her, as if unable to process what she was seeing. "Are... Are you pregnant? Is this Leah? Oh look how she's grown!"
Rose laughed, having to hold back tears. "It's been so long, Mum. There's so much I need to tell you."
"I've missed you so much, sweetheart," Jackie said gently.
"I've missed you too."
The Doctor sat outside the quarantine area for ten minutes before Rose reappeared with Leah. He got up instantly, looking at her. "Okay?" he asked.
Rose beamed, reaching to him for a big hug. "Thank you."
"Pleasure," the Doctor replied, smiling.
"Can you put Leah to bed? Mum wants to talk to me and you."
"Really?" the Doctor asked, pulling a face.
Rose suppressed a giggle. "I think she wants to thank you."
"Really?" the Doctor repeated, pulling another face as he took sleepy Leah's hand. "Dreading this. C'mon, Leah."
He put her straight to bed with a kiss and a tight hug, tucking her in.
She gazed up at him sleepily. "Daddy, I want to talk to you."
"Not right now, Leah," he said gently. "You need to sleep and I've gotta go talk to your Granny."
She gazed at him for a moment. "Okay. Night night, Daddy."
"G'night, Leah," the Doctor said gently, kissing her forehead before moving to the door, flicking off the lights.
For a moment Leah just stared at the closed door in the dark, before turning over to hug Floppy a little closer. She was too scared to sleep.