Author's Notes: This marks the last chapter of the family drama before all hell breaks loose. This time around, we have the three youngest Tregarth adults reeling from the recent revelations, Esther and Jack settling some old business, and Sophia meeting Ailsa, followed by the beginnings of a relationship being forged between Sophia and Natalie.
Chapter Four
Be my Companion
"So, let me recap. These are all revelations we've discovered within the last three hours, and stop me if I leave anything out. Natalie is our aunt, not our sister or our cousin. Our grandmother was pulled out of suspended animation long enough to give birth to her, and then she went back in. The aforementioned grandmother is in her early eighties, but looks and talks and behaves like she's still thirty-six. Have I missed anything so far?" Adriane Tregarth asked. She sat with her back pressed against a wall, arms wrapped around her legs and chin resting on her knees. Her cousins exchanged a look, and both boys shook their heads. Adriane sighed and continued, "Okay, Jason, so you were saying that you knew that we had an aunt, the daughter whom Grandmother gave birth to, who was raised by someone else. You just didn't know it was Natalie, because Aunt Tavie never told you what her name was or who took care of her. And she didn't know, either, at least not until Captain Harkness told her. Have I covered everything?"
"Ye-up. I can understand why we weren't told, sort of. And I can understand why things were kept from Nat at first. But why wasn't she told when she hit twenty-one? Mom did that with us, when we were having nightmares about being kidnapped. When we turned twenty-one, she sat down and told us everything, including why that creep hated Dad so much," Jason observed. The trio was gathered in the bunkhouse, thoroughly uncomfortable with the atmosphere in the main house. Their respective mothers were caught between taking care of their mother and trying to conduct business, while God only knew what Captain Harkness was up to. Then again, maybe none of them wanted to know. Adriane and her cousins weren't entirely sure what to make of the (extremely) handsome captain who was far older than he looked.
They knew that he saved their grandfather's life when Grandfather was only five. They also knew that their respective mothers absolutely adored him when they were little kids themselves. Jason and Lucas quickly realized that neither of them had a chance with Esther because of him. Even if they weren't sleeping together, it was pretty obvious that Esther had eyes for him and only him. And his nearly unconscious habit of flirting with them also did a number on their brains. Their mother just laughed and said, 'well, that's just how he is. He won't do anything more if you're not interested.' That was fine. But none of them ever encountered anyone like Captain Jack Harkness, a man who both terrified them and enthralled them.
"This session closed or can anyone join in?" a familiar voice asked and Adriane looked up to see Agent Matheson leaning against the door. The three looked at each other, and then Jason (as the eldest in the group) beckoned him in. Agent Matheson nodded his thanks, settling down between Adriane and Lucas on the floor. Jason passed him over a bottle of Coke, and the agent said, "Just in case you're wondering what's going inside the house, your respective moms are terrifying, Natalie is resting and so is your grandmother. World War II and I just got back from checking the Rift." Adriane snorted. Yeah, everyone knew that their mothers were utterly terrifying when they were together.
"You're just now realizing that our moms are scary? Took you long enough," Lucas observed. Agent Matheson shot him a dirty look, but Lucas continued blithely, "Yeah, Captain Harkness poked his head inside on the way into the house, wanted to make sure we were okay. Of course, he didn't put it in those terms, but that was what he was doing. I don't know about Adriane or Jason, but it took me maybe a week to realize that the captain has his own ways of taking care of people. He said after he checked in with our mothers, he'd check on Ailsa, make sure she's okay." That, Adriane hadn't heard. Lucas explained, "That was before you came back with the cooler. It's kinda funny. He still isn't entirely comfortable with Ailsa, but that doesn't stop him from taking care of her as best as he can."
"I don't imagine Ailsa lets him avoid her too much. Esther got a lot of teasing material on him after Ailsa crawled up into his lap and practically fell asleep," Agent Matheson observed dryly. The three junior agents (if they could, indeed, be called agents) all laughed at that. Of course, by now, they all knew just why Captain Harkness was so uncomfortable with Ailsa in the beginning. Adriane was still trying to work out how she felt about that, and made sure that she did it where her grandfather couldn't hear her. Her grandfather tended to be overly-protective of Captain Harkness, much to the latter's amusement and consternation. And Captain Harkness seemed to understand that Adriane was coming to terms with what he did; he offered her a gentle, sad smile, and kept his distance.
"Ailsa is still young enough that she can't imagine anyone who wouldn't love her, and she's also young enough to get away with it," Jason observed. He was sitting to Adriane's left, legs folded in front of him. He added, smirking a little, "Of course, if she still thinks that way when she's eighteen or nineteen, then we've got a problem. Or rather, Natalie does. Huh. Now that's something I just thought of. Has anyone decided if we should still just call her 'Nat' or 'Natalie,' or do we start calling her 'Aunt Natalie,' y'all? 'Cause I don't know if I can call her anything other than 'Nat' after all these years."
"I am not calling her 'Aunt Natalie.' I don't care if she is my mother's sister, I grew up believing she was my sister, and that's how it's going to stay," Adriane said flatly. Yes, in terms of blood relation, Natalie was her aunt. But as far back as she could remember, Natalie was her big sister. She paused, a memory of nineteen year old Natalie, quiet and shy, fiercely standing up to someone, a threat of some kind, on seven year old Adriane's behalf. She remembered peeking around her older sister's legs, and the way Natalie's chin lifted proudly. It was something she hadn't thought of in years, and it made Adriane swallow hard. Before she realized what she was doing, she was telling her cousins (at least that family relationship was still the same) and Agent Matheson about what she remembered of that afternoon.
Agent Matheson smiled ruefully and said, "You know, that doesn't surprise me. I threatened to blow her brains out if she betrayed us. She responded by putting a bullet in the guard who would have alerted the Families. She may be quiet, but she's not a pushover. She might have been when she was younger, but she isn't now." No, Adriane didn't think she was a pushover even when she was a kid. Just quiet and reserved, but she had definite boundaries, as that prick Ethan learned the hard way.
But it was Lucas who said softly, "What do we do now? 'Cause I don't know about the rest of you zombies, but I have this sick feeling that the real storm has yet to break, that right now, we're in the eye of the storm." A quick glance at Jason told her that the oldest Martinelli boy felt the exact same way. And that? That terrified Adriane. The revelation that Natalie was the missing Tregarth daughter wasn't bad, but it was earth-shaking. However, if there was more, then what was to come? What didn't they know? And the answer was, a lot.
TWTWTWTWTW
"Welcome back, sleepyhead."
She'd been awake only a few minutes, giving herself time to get oriented once more when the greeting drew her attention. Esther smiled and rolled over to look at the owner of the voice. Jack was leaning against the wall, a small smile on his face. A quick glance back told her that Natalie was still sound asleep, so Esther carefully eased out of bed and joined Jack, asking softly, "So, just how did you know that I was awake?" She was rewarded with a slightly brighter smile and Jack's arm slipping around her shoulders. Esther slipped her arms around his waist, sighing contentedly. With all the chaos of getting Torchwood South started up, she hadn't the chance to spend much time with Jack lately, and she missed him. She missed him terribly.
"You're usually more perceptive than that, Esther, or maybe you were too tired to notice. While you were taking care of me, I was watching you and listening to the way your breathing changed when you woke up," Jack responded softly, his eyes dancing with laughter. Esther pretended to shiver, but she understood what he meant. While she was caring for him, he watched her. It wasn't just to distract him from the agony she knew he was experiencing, but to make sure she wasn't getting worn out. Even weak and in pain, he was still trying to take care of her. He never stopped trying to take care of her or anyone else. And speaking of which. . .
"Mr. Tregarth, Natalie is still asleep," Esther said as the head of Torchwood South came up the stairs, heading for his youngest daughter's room. She couldn't quite keep the coldness out of her voice. She knew she owed her life to this man. He told Jack that she was still alive and where he could find her. And under normal circumstances, she didn't involve herself in family affairs. But he made it her business, and Rex's, earlier in the afternoon. Natalie was far stronger than Esther's sister Sarah, but Esther still found herself feeling very protective of her new friend. For that matter, she was just as protective of Jack, who was immortal.
And the director of Torchwood South said softly, "I know. I have no intention of waking her, only to watch over her. I know I hurt my daughter, Miss Esther Drummond, and she is beyond fortunate to have you as her friend. I only want to make things right. My responsibility in today's fiasco is far greater than hers. I failed to prepare for my wife's awakening on more than one level, and Sophia could have paid the price." Esther stared at him a moment longer, and then looked up at Jack. Could she trust him? Jack nodded, ever so slightly, and Esther relaxed against her companion. Carlyon made a courtly bow, saying, "Thank you."
There wasn't a touch of irony in his voice, and Esther thought briefly about apologizing for interfering. But the man added, "I truly am grateful that my baby has you as a friend. Natalie has had many, many acquaintances over the course of her life. But you're the first friend she's had who is willing to stand up for her." He inclined his head to her, before slipping into his daughter's room. And for the first time, Esther actually thought about what that meant. Natalie was Carlyon's daughter, rather than his granddaughter. Things she found odd now made far more sense. Jack squeezed her shoulder, drawing her attention back to him.
"That's what you were warning me about," Esther said softly as they headed downstairs, her arms wrapped tightly around Jack's waist. He didn't respond at first, and she continued, "You knew, but you couldn't say anything because Natalie didn't know, and it wasn't fair to her to find out last." They reached the bottom of the staircase and Jack kissed the top of her head. Esther couldn't quite hide the awe in her voice as she added, "You were trying to protect her. Do you ever stop trying to protect people?"
"Do you ever stop trying to take care of the people around you?" Jack countered, turning her to face him. Esther blushed a little, and Jack continued, "Don't try to make me into some hero, Esther. I realized on the same day that I met her that Natalie was Carlyon and Sophia's daughter. I could have told her the truth weeks ago, but there was too much I didn't know and too many questions that I couldn't answer for her, questions I knew she would have. And telling you when she didn't know wouldn't have been fair to either of you, especially since she would have just resented you for knowing when she didn't."
"If you're trying to talk me out of admiring and respecting you, Jack, you are failing miserably," Esther told him. She released his waist and moved her hands to cup his face, saying softly, "I have seen you through nightmares and illness. I held you while you were burning up with fever, and I listened as you begged forgiveness from the dead. I know you've done things you're not proud of, I know you think there are times when you could have or should have done more. But I also know that despite the years you've lived, despite the horrible things that have happened to you, despite the horrible things you've seen and experienced and had to do to survive, you still care for people, you still are capable of love. You are a good man, Captain Jack Harkness, and when you chose not to tell Natalie about her parentage, you were acting in her best interests."
"And when I told her the truth a few hours ago?" Jack asked. He wasn't sad or depressed or despondent, merely curious. Esther feathered her thumbs across his cheekbones, staring up into those lovely eyes of his. He had such beautiful eyes. Jack smiled slightly, asking once more, "Do you believe I was acting in her best interests when I told her about her mother in those seconds just before she fainted, Esther Drummond?"
"What do you think would have happened, Jack, if you tried to fob her off? If you let those words fester in her mind, and left the explanations to her mother, who never knew that Natalie believed she was her grandmother, or her father, who let her believe for so many years that he was her grandfather? Natalie thought about that, I can tell you. She told me as much. Yes, Jack. You were acting in her best interests, and she knows it. She put the pieces together, Jack, but you confirmed it for her. And, you made sure that she didn't hit the ground and hurt herself," Esther answered quietly.
Jack offered her a bemused smile and he said, "You really believe that. You've seen me at my worst, and you still believe in me." Yes. She saw him at his worst, heard his darkest secrets, and she believed in him still. No, not still: even more. When she was a little girl, her daddy told her that the greatest heroes weren't the ones who knew no fear or no temptation, but the ones who pushed past the terror and picked themselves up after they fell down. She didn't think less of Jack because of his mistakes and misdeeds; how could she, after the mistakes she made?
"When I look at you, Jack, I see someone who will always be a hero, will always be my hero. It's not because I put him up on a pedestal, because he doesn't belong there, but because he's a man who is willing to sacrifice himself and do what needs to be done. That, Captain Jack Harkness, is what a hero is to me. You have made sacrifices that would have broken anyone else. Do I like that you had to do them? No. No, I hate that. I hate it with everything I am. Do I hate you for making those choices? Also no. If I hate anyone, it's the people who made those decisions necessary," Esther replied quietly. She allowed one hand to slide down his face to cup his chin, allowing her to caress his lower lip with her thumb.
"I'll do my best to be worthy of that faith," he whispered when her thumb moved back up to caress his cheek. Esther could only smile at him sadly. He still didn't understand, did he? How was it that as old as he was, he didn't understand? She released his face and took his hand, leading him over to the sofa. When they were both sitting down once more, Jack wearing a decidedly-bemused expression as she literally sat him down on the sofa, and took his hands once she was seated beside him.
"Jack, you already are. You proved yourself worthy of that faith so many times: when Vera was killed and you looked after me; when you reassured me that I wasn't worthless, that everyone was in over their heads; when you sacrificed your chance to have normal, mortal life. So many times, you proved worthy of that trust and that faith. I don't doubt that you were tempted to let the rest of us burn, but you didn't fall to that temptation. You were far stronger than I was, Jack, far stronger than any of us. I met you when you were mortal, and yes, you scared the hell out of me in our first meeting," Esther said, and shared a smile with Jack at that reminder, "but if you're afraid that I'll put you on a pedestal and expect you to be things you can't-I won't. I did that once, and it almost got you killed."
"Wait, how is that your fault? You didn't shoot me," Jack protested, careful to keep his voice low. Esther started to remind him of what led up to their flight from the compound and the CIA, but Jack continued, "Oh, no. No, no, no. If you're thinking that your discovery of that panel under Angelo's bed resulted in me getting shot, you are one hundred percent, no questions asked, wrong. Esther, have you been thinking all this time that you were to blame?"
Esther looked away, but Jack cupped her face and drew her attention back to him, forcing her to meet his eyes. She sighed quietly and said, "If I hadn't pushed about the floor, Director Shapiro wouldn't have found the panel, and you wouldn't have been shot. I should have listened to you, Jack." She didn't waste her breath on another apology. She knew how Jack felt about those. Instead, Esther continued, "I should have listened to you and I should have never tried to pressure you into telling Director Shapiro about it, much less using my sister and nieces."
"Hey," Jack told her, "Listen to me. You more than made up for all mistakes you made, Esther. Hell, when Shapiro showed up, he even told you that Rex told him that you did good in the field, even without any training. Why didn't you ever say something before? That was months ago!" Beyond the words, Esther saw hurt in his eyes. He thought he disguised it behind his concern for her and playful smile, but Esther knew him better than that and realized she hurt him.
"At first-at first it was because I wasn't thinking about anything other than getting away from the compound and taking care of you. You're a handful, you know," Esther replied. Jack mouthed, 'who, me?' and shook his head, eyes brightening with suppressed laughter. Esther laughed with him, saying, "Oh yes, you! And then the Miracle wrapped up, I was held captive and then you rescued me. I really hadn't thought about it until this whole thing with the Tregarths, and I remembered how something so simple could snowball. And then I got to thinking about how you were shot, and how scared I was, and how stupid I was, just standing there with my hands in the air, not even trying to catch you or break your fall. . ."
Esther couldn't say any more, because Jack pulled her into his lap, cradling her against his chest. Finally feeling safe with his arms wrapped around her, she buried her face against his shoulder, allowing herself the release of tears. Jack whispered, "You don't have anything to apologize for, but if you need it, then you have my forgiveness." Esther clung to him, allowing his voice and his scent to soothe her. She wasn't surprised, because if there was anything she learned about the man now holding her, it was that Jack's capacity for forgiveness was nearly infinite.
TWTWTWTWTW
For the first time since losing consciousness as she held her newborn daughter, Sophia Tregarth awoke without someone there. At least, that was her first thought. However, as she gingerly sat up, Sophia came to realize that she wasn't alone at all: there was a tiny child in her room, about four or five years of age, watching her curiously. She smiled cautiously at the little one, saying, "Hello, I'm Sophia. Who are you?" The child moved further into the room, and now Sophia saw that it was a little girl before her. And that meant. . .
"My name is Ailsa Kerren Tregarth. 'Ailsa' means 'elf-friend' in Scottish, did you know that?" the little girl asked as she approached the bed. Sophia's heart jumped into her throat. Ailsa. This was her granddaughter, this was Natalie's little girl! However, she nodded, and Ailsa continued very seriously, "And Mommy was gonna name me 'Kerensa,' 'cause Ganda is from a place way far away, Cornwall. But she thought 'Ailsa Kerensa' sounded funny, so she named me 'Ailsa Kerren,' and my first mommy didn't give me a name. She died when I was born, but first she gave me to Mommy."
"Hello, Ailsa Kerren Tregarth. My name is Sophia Imogen Wellington Tregarth. I know, that's a long name, isn't it?" Sophia asked softly. Her granddaughter nodded, her eyes almost comically wide. Ailsa wasn't born of Natalie's body, but in that moment, Sophia saw both of her aunts. Sophia continued after a moment, "Would you like to come up here and sit with me? It's been a very long time since I could hold my little girls, and they aren't little now." Ailsa needed only a moment to think that over, and then she was scrambling up onto the bed, before Sophia even had a chance to hold out her hand to her. Brave kid.
Once she was cuddled against Sophia on the bed, Ailsa confided, "Mommy says that I'm not s'posed to talk to strangers, but you can't be a stranger, 'cause you're in our house and have our last name." Sophia discovered that she couldn't argue with that logic, because her granddaughter was quite right on both counts. Ailsa went on blithely, "And 'sides, Miss Esther and Agent Rex and Mr. Jack aren't strangers, 'cause they live here, too, even though they don't have our last name. Mr. Jack's awful pretty, but I think he's scared of me." This was said with a bit of a pout. Sophia spent far too many years raising two young girls to dismiss her granddaughter's instincts.
However, she would worry about Jack's wariness toward Ailsa later. For now, she said softly, "I don't think he's exactly afraid of you, baby girl. More like he's afraid of hurting you. He's a big person, and you're a very little girl. What's your mama's name, sweetheart?" She knew, of course, but she needed a lead-in to tell this child how they were related. Maybe it would make the introduction easier with her older grandchildren, of which, she recalled Carlyon and her older girls saying, she had three: two grandsons, Jason and Lucas, and a granddaughter, Adriane.
"Her name is Natalie Sophia Tregarth! Hey! Her middle name is the same as your first name!" Ailsa blurted out excitedly. Sophia couldn't help but smile at the little girl. Apparently, she was as quick to make connections as her aunt Priscilla was. Ailsa all but squealed, her small body practically vibrating with excitement. Oh Lord, her baby girl had her hands full with this little one, but Sophia seriously doubted if Natalie wanted it any other way. Sophia knew that was how she felt about her own girls.
"Yes, it is. Would you like to know why we share a name?" Sophia asked and Ailsa bobbed her head so hard, she thought the poor child would give herself whiplash. Sophia leaned forward and whispered, "It's because I'm her mommy." Ailsa's large brown eyes widened and her lips parted, and Sophia continued, "I was asleep for a very, very long time, because I was very sick. But I woke up this morning, and your mommy took care of me. She's very good at that." Once more, Sophia's youngest granddaughter tried to give herself whiplash.
"Yes, she is! Mommy's been sick today. Mr. Jack came and told me. He said that she wasn't feeling really good, so she was sleeping and Miss Esther was taking care of her," Ailsa said and Sophia smiled faintly. That actually sounded like Jack. Whatever the reason for his caution around her granddaughter, he also didn't want her to think that her mother forgot about her. Ailsa was silent for a moment, and then she asked, "What do I call you? And how come Mommy thought that Mama Priscilla was her mommy?" Ooh. Sticky question. How was the best way to answer this question? And then, something occurred to her. 'Mama Priscilla' was what her granddaughter called 'Cilla, because she and Nat believed that Priscilla was Nat's mother. Oh. Oh, that might work.
"Well, why don't you call me 'Mama Sophia,' sweetheart? Will that be easy for you to remember?" Sophia asked. This time, she received a bob of the head, rather than the dizzying, whiplash-inducing head-rattlers. Well, that was one thing settled. Sophia continued, "I was sick, like I told you, even sicker than Mommy is now. And I couldn't take care of your mommy, so Mama Priscilla did it instead. She did a very good job, I think." Actually, she thought 'Cilla did an outstanding job. The loss of her beloved and their unborn child could have broken Priscilla; but instead, she pushed past her grief and focused on raising her motherless baby sister.
"Does that mean you're gonna help me and Mama Priscilla and Miss Esther take care of Mommy?" Ailsa asked, looking up at Sophia. Oh, she had forgotten about that: people often spoke of how protective parents were of their children, and they were. But children were very protective as well, of their parents, of their siblings-whether older or younger-and of their friends. A few months before she fell ill, someone at school upset Priscilla, and her little sister vowed to beat their bum. Sophia remembered Jack leaving the room, trying desperately not to laugh. Wanker, she thought.
"That's exactly what it means, Ailsa. I need to get a little stronger, and figure out how things will work between your mommy and me, but I will help take care of everyone. I promise," Sophia replied. Ailsa snuggled against her, and Sophia kissed the top of the little girl's head. She murmured, "And once Mommy is okay again, once she's back to being your mommy and my little girl, then we take care of Jack, and make sure he's okay." She hadn't missed the sadness in his eyes, a sadness that went far deeper than the man she remembered. A lot could change, could happen, in forty-five years. She only had to look at her husband and daughters.
"Taking care of Captain Harkness sounds like a family project to me," observed a voice from the doorway. Sophia looked up to see her husband and youngest daughter standing side by side. There wasn't the comfortable atmosphere that she noticed between her husband and their older daughters, but the worst of the tension was gone. Ailsa squealed with delight and vaulted off the bed, right into her mother's arms. Natalie laughed, the first time Sophia heard her youngest daughter's laughter, and scooped Ailsa up. Sophia drank in the sight of the pair together, smiling as Natalie pretended to gnaw on the side of her daughter's neck.
"You have no idea, Natalie. There are times when I'd swear that man has no sense of self-preservation. Yes, Sophia, I'm aware of how silly that sounds," Carlyon huffed, clearly avoiding the subject of Jack's inability to die. Sophia merely smirked at him, while Natalie rolled her eyes with exasperation. Carlyon went on, "However, Ailsa, your grandmother is quite right. She and your mother need to discuss some things. And since Miss Esther needed a cuddle from Jack, I think you and I should look through Mama Priscilla's belongings. I think she has the best photo albums from when your mum was a little girl."
"I get to see Mommy when she was little?" Ailsa said, her eyes growing comically wide once more. Natalie blushed to the very roots of her hair, but she kissed her daughter's forehead and placed her on the ground. Carlyon took their granddaughter's hand and led her from the room, Ailsa chattering all the way. Apparently, she didn't often get to see pictures of her mother when she was a little girl. Sophia and Ailsa could look at those photo albums together, and Sophia could recapture those times of her daughter's life that she missed. For now, she would get to know the young woman now standing in front of her.
Sophia reached out her hand and said softly, "Come. Sit with me." Natalie stepped forward hesitantly, slim fingers enfolding Sophia's. The mother and daughter looked at each other for several moments, and Sophia murmured, "My beautiful little girl, all grown up." Natalie ducked her head, but Sophia was having none of that. With her free hand, she gently lifted her daughter's chin, murmuring, "You are beautiful to me, my Natalie. But. . .oh. Let me guess. When Jack wants to tease you, he calls you 'Nat-Nat-Natalie' or something similar?" Her daughter bobbed her head, still blushing, and Sophia continued with a laugh, "That's so like him. Probably started as a way to make you smile, and when it did, he continued with it."
"Pretty much. I. . .uhm. . .I want to apologize to you. Gr-I mean, Father and I talked things out, but I still owe you an apology. I should have thought before I opened the unit. I reacted, instead of thought, and that could have led to a worsening in your condition," Natalie said. Sophia, against all instincts, kept silent. Her daughter needed to get this out of her system. So far as Sophia was concerned, there was no need for Natalie to apologize, but she evidently didn't see it that way. Natalie added softly, "I'm sorry. Once I woke up, and thought things through, I realized how badly things could have gone. I could have killed you before. . ."
Her voice cracked, and Sophia had enough. She covered her daughter's lips with her fingers and said firmly, "No. You couldn't have. If you need my forgiveness, you have it, but I don't think you did anything to be sorry for. Natalie, sweetheart, there were no good solutions in this case. You could have followed protocol, but I was already terrified and panicking, with no way to communicate with you. Things went a lot faster than your father was anticipating, but you did the best you could under the circumstances, and sometimes that's all anyone can ask for. Okay?"
"Okay. Okay. Uhm, so, what do we do now?" Natalie asked softly. Ahh, that was the question, wasn't it? For all these years, Natalie thought that her older sister was her mother. Priscilla, in Natalie's heart, would probably always be her mother. Much as Sophia wanted to be Natalie's mom, as well as her mother, that wasn't in the cards. She couldn't be Natalie's sister or her aunt, and that left a huge question. There were times when she understood Jack's discomfort with labels, and this was one of them. Oh, she knew that's not what he meant, but the point remained.
With that in mind, Sophia answered quietly, "I know that in your heart, Priscilla will always be your mother, and not only is that okay, that's how it should be. I gave birth to you, but she has been your mother for nearly thirty-five years. On the other hand, you will always be my daughter. So, we find ourselves at an impasse. I won't ask if we can be friends. I will ask if you will be my companion. I'll learn from you and you learn what you can from me. Jack. . .I don't know if you've had the opportunity to talk to Jack about his life before Torchwood, but he used to travel with someone called the Doctor. Torchwood considered him public enemy number one, but your father and I always loved hearing Jack's stories about being a Companion of the Doctor. In fact, I think that's why you were given that fob watch."
Natalie's eyebrows arched, and Sophia explained, "Since your father at least tried to stay on civil terms with UNIT, unlike his predecessors, they were more inclined to share information with us about the Doctor and his kind, the Time Lords. Time Lords could store their essence within a fob watch and hide from their enemies by passing as human. You were being hidden all this time as Priscilla's daughter, to shield you from your father's enemies."
"I. . .I never thought about why it was given to me. Gr-I mean, Father gave it to me when I graduated from college," Natalie replied, fingering the chain of her watch. She bowed her head, frowning thoughtfully. Sophia bit her lip, recognizing the expression with almost painful clarity. She should. She saw it often enough on the face of her younger sister Corinne. God, Corinne. Was she or Sophia's other siblings even still alive? She would have to find out about that later. If she knew Carlyon at all (and she did), he probably shut her siblings and mother out of the lives of their nieces after Sophia fell ill because they were a few reminders too many of Sophia herself. She would get Jack to help her with that.
"Would you like to hear about my sisters? I'm sure Carlyon has told you a little about his family, so would you like to hear about mine?" Sophia asked. Natalie's smile was like the sun coming up and she nodded eagerly. There would be time later to talk about Sophia's desire to give Natalie a birthday party. Right now, she was getting to know her youngest child, and that was far more important than anything else. After all, if she wanted to give her daughter a wonderful birthday party, she would have to know her. Otherwise, it wouldn't be about Natalie, but about Sophia, and that simply wasn't acceptable to her.
TBC