Jenny

Back from his snit, the Doctor wandered into the kitchen in search of a late breakfast, and found Jenny leaning back against the counter, deep in thought. "Hey, there!" He gave her a broad, welcoming smile. "Haven't seen you since you got here – you've been holed up with Hannah. Are you enjoying your visit?"

She gave him a long, level look, then finally smiled back. "I've learned more than I ever thought possible about my people and my homeworld, that's for certain. Her paintings are so incredibly beautiful. But..." The smile slowly dribbled away. "Hannah is..."

He sighed, and leaned against the counter beside her. "Hannah is still struggling with the loss of Gallifrey, and all the rest of the Time Lords. She and I, and now you, are the last."

Her eyes were wide with shock – but perhaps not surprise. "It is gone, then? I thought it might be, from some of the things she said – and a lot of what she didn't. What happened?"

He sighed again, heavily. "There was a war, between the Time Lords and a race called the Daleks. It went on for centuries, on and off. Finally... the Daleks were inches, seconds away from winning, from completely annihilating the Time Lords, and Gallifrey. But they weren't going down easy. The Council President, a man named Rassilon, had formulated a plan to actually bring about the end of time itself, and the entire universe." She gasped, and he smiled grimly. "Presumably, the Time Lords – those who still remained to the end – were going to 'ascend' to 'beings of pure consciousness'." His voice made air quotes. "They would have been the only beings in existence – if you can call it that – and if it had worked."

"What happened?" she breathed incredulously into the gap.

"I did. I found out about it in time, and had the means at my disposal to stop it. I put the entire planet and its surroundings – which included the entire Dalek fleet, as well as every other Time Lord – into a Time Lock, sealing it up tight. I only beat Rassilon – or the Dalek's final surge, for that matter – by seconds." He shrugged, as if the memory was nothing, as if it didn't keep him running, burning across his mind and conscience every minute of his life and color every action he took – or didn't take. "I didn't think the chance for that handful to ascend was worth the end of the universe, and all the rest of the literally countless gazillions of lives in it."

"And Hannah?"

"She was one of only two Councillors who voted against it. All the others, who approved... well. I parted company with my people a very long time ago, both physically and philosophically. I can't speak for their state of mind or their goals. Anyway... a few years ago, the Time Lock was temporarily disabled by another Time Lord, the only other one I know of who had avoided it. I managed, with the help of the others here," he waved a hand vaguely around the house, "to send them back. Right at the end, though, Donna managed to pull Hannah out of harm's way. Saved her life."

"The other Time Lord..."

He took a deep breath. "I need to warn you about him. He calls himself the Master. He went into the Lock at the last moment, but... There have been many, many other times I've thought him dead, and he always managed to come back. I won't count him gone for good until... well, I never will. But please, Jenny, hear me. Be always wary of him. Some day you may run into him, and I may not be around. Be very, very careful. I won't call him evil, exactly, but he's the original self-centered god. He only cares about himself, quite literally. He'll send whole planets of people to their death to gain a little more life for himself, without a second thought. If you ever run into him, turn around and run the other direction. I mean that literally."

"OK, I will."

He glanced at her, a wry smile crossing his lips, and forbore mentioning how many times he'd heard that promise before.

Jenny backtracked. "Then Hannah... is suffering from a massive case of survivor's guilt."

He nodded. "As well as an equally massive case of culture shock." He shook his head. "I don't think she's ever lived anywhere but Gallifrey, surrounded by Time Lords. Oh, I know she traveled here and there, from time to time, but never for very long, and she never settled down and lived elsewhere, among other people, and had the chance to accept them as equals." He paused. "It takes a hell of a lot of getting used to."

She was thoughful. "That's why..." Catching his interested glance, she shrugged. "Just some of the things she's said."

"She doesn't think very highly of humans, is what you mean. I'm very well aware of it."

She gave him a serious look. "She's got a tough life ahead, then, if she can't adjust."

He sighed again. "I know that. And I'm trying to help her. I've tried all sorts of ways. I just can't seem to get through. She doesn't approve of my lifestyle, either, or my close association with humans – either in general or in particular."

A deep breath, as another piece fell into place. "That's why..." She repeated herself, then paused again. "I mentioned Mike a couple of times, and she just... shut down. As if she hadn't heard me at all."

"Right. He's a real thorn, for her. She accepted him at first, but then, as time went on..." The Doctor shook his head sadly. "It's been very, very hard for Mike, especially as she's living under his roof."

"Why is that? I would have thought she'd be living with you."

Another shrug. "Doesn't approve of my lifestyle, remember? All that running... butting in where I'm not wanted, she put it. She wanted me to stay put in one place and Remember Gallifrey, as if devoting my life to it would bring it back." He bit off the incipient rant, and gave her another small smile. "I appreciate your understanding, Jenny."

She smiled back. "Hey. She's my grandmother, after all."

"Yes, she is." His smile broadened to a grin, then they both turned and gazed away, deep in thought. After a moment, he asked in a small voice, "Do you resent me, Jenny? For leaving you behind? For not being there for you?"

Her look this time was puzzled. "You didn't know!"

"That's a rationalization, not how you feel," he accused.

She thought about it, and shook her head. "But it's also how I feel. No, I don't resent you, Dad. You didn't know. I've missed you, though."

"And I've missed you, terribly." He slipped an arm around her shoulders and squeezed. "I'm so glad you're here now."

"Me, too." They went back to silent contemplation; Jenny puzzling over what brought the last bit on. Without turning, she dared ask, "Do you resent her? Was she not there for you? Is that why you asked?"

Struck, he stood still, thinking it over. Finally, he admitted, "I hadn't thought about it for a very, very long time... but you're right. She wasn't there, when I was young, and needed her. And I guess I did resent her for it, a little. Her and my father both. Neither one was there." He shook his head, then. "But that was over a very, very long time ago."

"You're older than she is now, aren't you? With all the time traveling you've done?"

"Yes. More than twice as old, in fact. Which really warps my brain sometimes." They shared another grin, and he went on, musingly. "You, me, and Hannah. The last three Time Lords. What a trio we make."

"Wait a minute. What about Davey? Isn't he...?"

"No. He's human. He's..." A very long pause. "He's not my biological son, Jenny. Which fact he only found out the same day you arrived. And he's struggling with that, too. I'd appreciate it if..." He stopped, unsure of what he was asking.

She nodded anyway. "Sure thing. I'll be nice to my baby brother. Wasn't planning otherwise."

He gazed at her deeply for a moment, then commented, only half joking, "You know, for someone who was born to be a soldier, Jenny, you are one incredibly nice, thoughtful, considerate individual."

She looked at him sharply, then grinned again. "Good breeding. It always shows."