I don't know about you, but I'm feeling twenty twoooo ... well, Luke is six, but this is chapter 22 XD

I have my giant sprawling mind map back, so that will hopefully result in more frequent chapters :3

Chapter Twenty-Two

"Good morning," said Jenny with a smile, proudly showing off her single crutch as she hobbled into the kitchen. Gwen stood by the counter, making herself a cup of tea. She smiled. "You're healing."

"Yeah. How are you feeling today?"

"Better," she nodded, cradling the mug in her hands, leaning against the counter. She did have a better look – more colour in her cheeks, a better way of carrying herself. "Whatever it was, it seems to be gone now."

Jenny set to making tea and toast for herself. The kitchen wouldn't be this quiet for much longer – Sky, Rhys and Anwen would be up soon – and she needed to make the most of it.

"Jenny, will you walk me to school?" asked Sky, in lieu of a "hello" or "good morning", tying her hair into a ponytail as she walked, and stealing a piece of Jenny's toast. Her protest was quashed before it could escape by a wide, innocent smile.

"Why?" she asked instead, pulling her plate closer to her chest protectively.

"Can I not just spend some quality time with my very good friend?"

Jenny arched an eyebrow. "No."

Sky huffed, finishing off her stolen slice of toast. "I want to talk to you about something."

"Talk to me later."

"I can't," Sky whined, pulling her best 'pity me' face. "It has to be this morning. C'mon, please? I'm sure Jack won't mind. Just, wear your hair down. And smile in that way you have."

"What?" she spluttered, glad that she hadn't chosen that moment to take a drink of tea. "What are you talking about?"

Sky looked confused. "You're pretty."

"I'm aware, thank you. And? Have you been watching rom-coms again? Jack's not like that?"

"Actually—" Gwen cut in helpfully, but trailed off at Jenny's 'don't take her side!' look.

Sky switched tactics, pulling out the puppy-dog eyes in full force. "You love me, right?"

"Yes, Sky, I love you."

"Then why won't you walk me to school?"

She sighed long-sufferingly. "Fine, I'll walk you to school."

Sky beamed, and Jenny was positive that the kitchen light hadn't been as bright a second ago. "Thanks, Jenny!"

"Yeah, yeah. You owe me a slice of toast."

"It's Luke's birthday next week," Sky finally divulged, once they'd left the house and were on the way to the school. "Well, I say birthday. He was never actually born ... she trailed off. "Anyway, it's Luke's birthday next week, and I want to do something special for him. It's the first one he's had with me around, and, well."

"Without Sarah Jane?" Jenny supplied, smiling sadly when Sky nodded. "Do you have any ideas?"

"That was why I asked you."

Jenny laughed. "None whatsoever?"

Sky smiled sheepishly. "Cake?"

"Oh, yes. Cake is extremely important. What day is his birthday?"

"Wednesday."

"So you have school?"

"Yes."

"And he has lectures?"

"Probably."

"This isn't looking great, kid."

"I suppose we could just Skype him ..." Sky hung her head.

"Nah, we can't do that!" She nudged Sky's shoulder with her own, smiling when the younger girl looked up, a shy smile of her own appearing. "I'm sure I can persuade Gwen to write you a note so you can get off school early, and we'll catch the train, all right?"

Sky nodded, some of her enthusiasm returning. "We can surprise him!"

"Now you're talking, kiddo."

"Okay," Sky nodded, kissing Jenny on the cheek before rushing toward the school. She turned back momentarily to call, "I'll see you later! Thanks!"

Jenny smiled, shaking her head fondly as she continued on her way to the hub, pleased that she was barely leaning on the crutch.

"It was Sky's fault!" she called immediately, stepping off the lift.

Gwen snorted into her mug from where she leaned against a computer desk. "You didn't take that much persuading."

"She took my toast," Jenny grumbled. "Where's Jack?"

Gwen shrugged. "He left a note. Apparently there's something weird going on in Penarth, that he couldn't wait to tell us before he left."

"Sounds fishy. You're sure it's his handwriting?"

"Yes, as sure as I can be."

Jenny nodded, picking up the note from the desk on which it had been laid. She knew little of Jack's handwriting, and could only go on the tone. It read like something he would write; she relaxed slightly.

"What did Sky want to talk to you about?" asked Gwen, leaning over the computer to type something in.

"Luke's birthday," Jenny responded. "Which reminds me, can you write a note to her school for Wednesday? Say that she has an appointment or something? She wants to go and surprise him."

"I can do that," said Gwen with a smile. "Not that I condone skipping school or anything."

Jenny laughed. "I wouldn't know. I've never been to a school."

"You're not missing much," she assured.

"I'll definitely take your word for it."

Sky was waiting outside the school on Wednesday when Jenny approached. She beamed, looking to the man standing beside her – a member of staff, Jenny guessed, waiting to assure that Sky wasn't just bunking off – for confirmation before rushing toward her.

"Hey kiddo," she smiled down at the Flesh Kind. "You ready to go?"

Sky nodded vehemently, and they set off toward the train station. The younger girl was practically skipping beside her. Jenny smiled fondly.

"Does this mean that I can expect a surprise on my next birthday?"

"When is it, again?" Sky tilted her head to the side, birdlike in her curiosity. "We missed it this year, right?"

"Not necessarily," Jenny responded. "I wasn't on earth when it happened, and time is different in space and on other planets. I kept track of days as I understood them. I was one thousand, one hundred and twenty seven days old before I came to Earth, a little older than I am in Earth terms. My birthday was the twenty fourth of July in the year 6012, but that was a different calendar. It doesn't matter, as such. Not when I'll end up losing track eventually."

Sky listened to the explanation with wide eyes. All she said, in the end, was, "Luke is six today."

They lapsed into silence until they had boarded the train. Seemingly only then noticing that Jenny was carrying a plastic bag along with her handbag, asked, "Did you get cake?"

"I got cake," Jenny assured. "Red velvet."

"Good," the younger girl nodded. "Luke likes cake. And Charlie eats everything."

Jenny laughed at that.

They chatted as the train rattled out of the country, moving toward Oxford. Sky's training was a subject Jenny was reluctant on, given that she hadn't officially asked Jack yet. She had decided, however, that she would probably be the best for the job, apart from Gwen. She was close to Sky in build, and knew enough in order to pass on survival skills. Though she was amused when she imagined Jack trying to train her.

Sky was happy enough to drop the subject once she'd extracted the promise that Jenny was not changing her mind. She turned to gaze out of the window, then, not displaying any interest when Jenny's phone chimed.

It was a text from Clyde, which read En route. He, Rani and Maria had been more than willing to join in on the 'surprise Luke for his birthday' plan, though he had perhaps had taken the 'surprise' element a little too far. Rani had drawn the line at code names.

When they had almost reached the train station, Jenny retrieved her mobile again in order to call Luke. He answered, sounding a little harried and confused.

"Jenny, is something wrong? I can't really talk right now, I have a lecture …"

"Can you skip the rest of school today?" she asked, instead of answering his question. "Would you be able to get notes from your course mates?"

"Something is wrong?" Dread had crept into his voice now. "Is it Sky? She's not sick again, is she?"

"No," Jenny assured. She heard him blow out a sigh of relief. "But there is something we need to talk to you about, face to face. It's important."

"All right," said Luke eventually. "I'll ask Caroline if I can copy her notes later …" There was a slight commotion. "It's Jenny. No, nothing's wrong. I've gotta go and meet her, though …" he sighed again, this one exasperated. "Can Charlie tag along?"

Jenny stifled the laugh that threatened to escape. "I was counting on it, in fact."

"Right, where should we meet?"

"Outside the college. We'll be there in ten minutes."

There was another crackle of commotion, and Charlie's voice sounded in her ear. "See you then."

Sky raised an amused eyebrow when Jenny hung up. "You could be an actress."

"Nah, I'd be rubbish," she replied, leaning her elbows on the table that separated her from the Flesh Kind. "Luke would be great; he'd just look at the script once and have his lines memorised."

"That's not the only thing you need to act."

"You want to be my agent?"

Sky laughed. "Sure, if the pay is good."

"Oh, she's a businesswoman," said Jenny, drawing back as if in shock. "Maybe it'd be a waste to train you to fight when we could launch you on the world as a manager."

"You promised," said Sky, holding up a finger.

"I did," she replied, voice soft. "C'mon, kiddo. Let's surprise this brother of yours."

They ended up splitting at the train station, as Clyde, Rani and Maria were waiting for them. They took Sky and the cake in order to set up in Luke's dormitory. Jenny was tasked with being the distraction, a job that worked a little too well, in the end.

Charlie was not there when Jenny reached the wall that Luke was sitting on, but she was assured that he was on his way. She sat next to him.

"So, how are you?"

"Good," Luke nodded. "Things are gearing up now, you know. Only four months until exams." He waved his hands in what Jenny surmised was supposed to represent the scariness that exams presented. Sky had complained that she had only been on Earth a short time, and yet she would have to sit state examinations in two years. "How are things at Torchwood?"

"Same old. We had a run in with a Zygon the other week. It fancied itself as a harmless puppy. Sky got a hit, but she was fine."

"She told me, actually," Luke informed her. "We talked on the phone. She said that Gwen was sick, too?"

Jenny nodded. "She's feeling better now, I think. She's back in the hub at least."

She fell silent as a young man – most likely a fellow student at the university – passed them. He paused, opening his mouth as if to say something, but he remained silent, shaking his head as he continued on his way. Luke, who has been smiling at Jenny while they shared their news, was now pale and clearly upset.

"Who was that?" Jenny asked softly.

"My …" Luke swallowed, his grip tightening on the wall, turning his knuckles white. "His name is Sanjay. We used to date, in first year. Um, it was great. He's really cool, and smart, and funny. But … it didn't end well."

"I'm sorry, Luke," she reached out to take his hand. He accepted, a faint smile blooming on his face.

"No, it's okay. That's part of the whole experience of living, right? The good, the bad …"

He trailed off, paling once more as a weevil appeared in front of them.

"The ugly?" she suggested, sliding from the wall and glancing over at him to verify that he had moved into a defensive position.

"Where did it come from?" Luke demanded, looking wildly around as they worked to direct the creature away from the university.

"Where's the nearest sewer?" Jenny called. "It probably came up from there! Why didn't we hear any commotion?"

Luke shook his head, fumbling in his pocket. Jenny, understanding, landed a kick to the weevil's midriff while he made the call.

"My name is Luke Smith," he said to whoever was on the other side of the phone. "I'm a part time Torchwood operative. I know Kate Stewart, Martha Jones and Mickey Smith. You can trust me." A pause. "Good idea, you won't regret it. We've got a weevil outside Oxford University. Help would be appreciated. Thank you."

"Are they sending someone?" Jenny called over her shoulder, directing the weevil towards a manhole cover she'd picked out.

"Yeah!" he jogged over, adding, "good idea!" when he realised what she was doing, and running ahead in order to move the cover. The civilians around had, thankfully, moved away, hopefully thinking that what they had seen was an elaborate prank or a figment of their imagination. Even so, UNIT would probably add retcon to the local water supply when they arrived on the scene.

If they were even required. With the manhole uncovered, Jenny landed a blow to the weevil's head, hoping it was enough to knock it out, and it fell down. Luke slid the cover back into place.

"Right," he said, exhaling heavily. "That was fun."

Jenny grinned. "Happy birthday."

Luke shook his head. "Of course. It was because of my birthday. Who else is here?"

"Sky, Clyde, Rani and Maria," she divulged. "Speaking of …"

Luke's expression became suddenly wary. "Speaking of what?"

She steeled herself. She had never seen Luke angry, but it was doubtful a pretty experience. "Is it because of what happened with Sanjay? That you won't take a chance with Maria?"

"I don't—"

"We've been over this, remember?" she shot him down with a quelling look. "Are you scared of having your heart broken? Because you shouldn't. Like you said, it's all part of life."

Luke was silent for a long moment. Eventually, he asked, "Have you ever been in love?"

"No," Jenny replied. "Not that way. I do love you, though, and Sky, and Gwen –"

He nodded, signifying that he understood and cutting her off. "Think of how you'd feel if you couldn't see one of us anymore; couldn't be around one of us. And then multiply it. It's hard to get over. I'm not even over it now. And I've already lost Maria once. So I'm sorry that I'm not ready to launch myself into that again."

"What the hell just happened?"

Jenny glanced behind her to see Charlie. She frowned at him. "What took you so long?"

"I was hiding from the monster!" he replied, sounding a little crazed. His glasses were askew, and he reached up to fix them.

"Alien," Luke corrected, gaze fixed on the manhole cover that separated them from it. "It's called a weevil."

"I don't care what it's called," said Charlie, eyes wide. "I care that it's not coming back. It's not, right?"

"I think I knocked it out," said Jenny, too glancing to the cover. "Someone from UNIT is on the way, probably to contain it."

"Containment is good."

Jenny smiled almost fondly at Charlie. He continued to take the extra-terrestrial in his stride, even if he was fearful. Fear was good. Fear would keep him alive.

A nondescript van with the UNIT logo emblazoned on the side pulled up, and two familiar faces emerged: Martha and Mickey.

Martha grinned. "Miss us?"

"Very much," said Jenny, bending to help Luke remove the manhole cover once more. Martha removed a Taser from her belt and began the descent.

"It's unconscious!" she called up.

"That was me," Jenny added, as Mickey knelt over the edge of the hole in order to help hoist the weevil up. It was bundled into the van (very securely, Martha assured them).

"Looks like you didn't need us at all, huh?" Mickey smiled at her.

"Well, it would've woken up again. I didn't want to kill it, even if it is …"

"Evil?" Charlie suggested.

Jenny nodded. "Let's go with that. Are you guys heading off again? You could stay for cake."

Luke brightened. "You got me cake?"

"Of course," she smiled at him. "It's your birthday."

"I was never actually born," he pointed out.

Jenny merely shrugged. "Neither was I."

"No thanks," said Martha. "We've got to head back. It was nice seeing you, though. Happy birthday, Luke."

He nodded his thanks. Mickey tipped a salute before leaving.

"So …" said Jenny eventually, glancing between the two boys. "Cake?"

I think, that with Sanjay, things went south when Luke told him what he was. Some people just can't handle everything they knew being a lie, y'know.