A/N: OH MY GOD I LOVE YOU dm1, Cure Eclipse, Shadowdragon1317, Momo Spock, Anaika Skywalker, Fall Out Bones Girl, Angelic 915! Thanks for all your lovely reviews! :) Okay, let's just get on with the story!

Chapter 8

Father's Day

Some 18,000 light years away…

"General Saaxtel, sir! May you bring glory to your house!"

A voice thundered over the whirring noise of the Sontaran fleet engine. Saaxtel turned to look at the owner of the voice, his frown firm and stern, as always. His voice was a deep baritone.

"Commander Tak. May you honorably die in battle! What brings you here?"

Tak straightened up and saluted the General, taking off his helmet.

"Sir, the Signal Detector picked up traces of erratic Huon Energy spikes."

"Which indicates?"

"The Doctor and his TARDIS, sir."

General Saaxtel's eyes widened slightly, but he quickly regained composure. Immediately turning around, he paced over to the huge screen of the main computer, his metallic armor suit making heavy clanking sounds with every step.

"Show me the Doctor," he demanded in a booming voice. The screen flickered and turned on, displaying a blue hologram. It was a set of eleven different faces—that belonged to one man. The Doctor. After the failed ATMOS project, he had been classified as 'Enemy of the Sontarans, Code Red' in the database.

The sole surviving Time Lord. A fearsome warrior who put an end to the Time War by destroying his own people. An enemy, an Oncoming Storm, a Lonely God… the last of his own kind.

He would be the most honorable enemy to kill. The Final Victory of the Sontarans.

"Trace the signals. Locate the Doctor," he commanded, facing the Commander again. "Prepare, for the great war is coming in the name of the Empire's glory. Sonta-ha!"

Tak snapped a salute.

"Sonta-ha!"

DWDWDWDWDW

And meanwhile in the kitchen…

"Okay. So," Jack waved his fork, chewing a piece of toast. "The Doctor changes faces every time he dies. That's called regeneration. And the first time I met him, he was on his Ninth Incarnation; Donna, Martha, Wilfred—the Tenth. And the Ponds got along with the Eleventh. Right?"

"Pretty much, yeah, that sums it up." Martha nodded. Rory scowled and muttered under his breath.

"Can't everybody just stop calling us the Ponds? It's Williams, not Pond!"

"Nope, never," Amy smirked, helping herself to some eggs. Wilfred chuckled. Jack finished his sausage and leaned back on his chair in a comfortable fashion. He grinned and went on with his rambling.

"And the Ninth Doctor had big ears and a manic grin. The Tenth Doctor had big hair and a manic grin. The Eleventh Doctor—a big chin and a manic grin!"

"Oooh, sharp analysis. I think I see the light!" Mickey pretended to be surprised, and everyone burst into a merry laughter.

"Shut up, Mickey Mouse," Jack retorted playfully.

"And now comes the big question," Amy leaned forward, and Jack suddenly pursed his lips. A sudden tension took hold of the room as the two of them wordlessly glared at each other, the very picture of dead seriousness. Finally, it was Amy who spoke first.

"He can't."

"He can." Jack said through clenched teeth.

"He can't."

"HE CAN!" Jack hollered, jumping up from his seat. Amy, being a Scottish redhead, leaped up, too. She stomped her foot, infuriated.

"He is a terrible dancer!"

"He is great!" Jack argued back, unfazed. "He waltzed with Rose on the TARDIS, I saw it!"

"He danced like a bloody drunken giraffe at my wedding!" Mimicking the Doctor's signature dance, Amy stubbornly stood her ground. "Are you saying that he deteriorated or something?"

Yes, of course. The big question of the Universe wasn't 'Doctor Who'. This was much, much more important. When this question was asked, silence couldn't possibly fall. It was 'whether the Doctor could dance well or not'. Of course, it had to be that one. Huh. Very funny.

Martha couldn't suppress the giggles that was bubbling up inside her. Others couldn't too. Amy was still frozen in her infamous giraffe dance pose. Three—two—one.

And everyone burst out laughing their heads off. Oh, this was good. It was a peaceful, sunny morning. Donna stormed into the kitchen, scolding all of them in a loud voice.

"Now, why on earth are you arguing about the Doctor's dancing skills in my kitchen? Didn't I mention that such trivial stuff could be reset during the regeneration process? Oh, hi, River!"

"Hello, Donna," River laughed, trying to tame her wild curly hair as she entered the kitchen. "Told you I'd be right back! Where's Sarah?"

"Sarah Jane is phoning Luke, making sure he's alright and not making any more trouble. She also has some things to discuss with Mr. Smith, the computer," Martha replied. River hummed, nodding. She took a seat at the sofa. A few minutes passed in calm and peace.

Looking back up, she frowned at a strange nagging feeling in the pit of her stomach. It took her some time—a few seconds—to realize what was disturbing her mind.

Oh.

Her head snapped up as she asked—

"Where is the Doctor?"

"He said that he was sleepy. He promised that he would be nice and that he would take a nap!" Wilfred shrugged, unconcerned. River's eyes widened. Oh, no, no, no, no. Tell me that it's not real.

"And no one's watching him?" Her voice rose in alarm as she sprang up from the chair. If Theta was really and truly the Doctor at heart—her Doctor—there was no way that he would stay still. Lying? No problem, too. Remember Rule One? He always lied.

"He slept three days in a row and agreed to take a nap! What were you guys thinking?!" Ignoring others' stares and shouts, she rushed up the stairs to Theta's bedroom. Mickey and Martha, being a soldier, came right at her heels. Huffing and out of breath, she abruptly brought herself to a stop in front of the young Doctor's room. She turned the doorknob. Her heart sank.

The door was locked. Sonic locked.

"Oh no, Doctor, please, please tell me that you aren't doing something utterly reckless again." Martha murmured, eyeing the door wearily. River said nothing, just whipped out her own Sonic Screwdriver and scanned the door. Rule One, she repeated to herself.

The doorknob unlocked with a 'click'. She swung the door open.

The room was empty.

Of course.

DWDWDWDWDW

Jenny's eyes widened in surprise.

"It's you," she breathed. "It's really you! I mean, is that you? Oh, what am I saying?"

"Excuse me?" Theta stammered, shifting on his feet rather uneasily. Uh-oh. Did he say something wrong? Jack's warning rang in his ears a second too late. Or, maybe—

"I knew it. I KNEW IT!" The blond girl was jumping with excitement. Literally. She ruffled Theta's hair, whooped, grabbed his hands and danced round and round and round. Laughing.

"Ever since I woke up, I've been running and running and running. With my spaceship and a Vortex Manipulator. I was busy saving planets, battling enemies and jumping through time and space—but I never gave up looking for you. I was searching, always, I swear! And then—ah! So this was why I was sent here, then, huh? Oh, look how adorable you are! I never imagined that you could be smaller than me. This is really weird. But it's okay, Doctor, it will be okay!"

"Ummm…" Theta squirmed uncomfortably, being squashed in Jenny's smoldering hug. After much struggles and effort to break free, his head finally popped up, and he stared at her in genuine shock.

"You have two hearts?" He whispered in awe. Jenny laughed in delight and amusement.

"Of course I do!"

"Then you are… a Time Lady." Theta continued in a hushed, awed voice. Familiar. The girl's face was so familiar. And the overwhelming emotions… two hearts… he thought hard, trying to remember what he had forgotten. All of a sudden, a piece of memory flashed back to him; he was a tall man with a long brown coat and wild hair, and tears were flowing down his cheek. Jenny was in his arms. Shot. Hurt. Dying. Martha and Donna, watching him with great sorrow in his eyes.

Jenny, be strong now. You need to hold on, you hear me? We've got things to do, you and me. Hey! Hey! We can go anywhere, everywhere. You choose.

That sounds good.

You're my daughter, and we've only just got started. You're going to be great. You're going to be more than great. You're going to be amazing.

Dad…

Two hearts. Two hearts like me. If we wait, we just wait…

The heart stopped. Dead. Gone. Lost forever. Weeping. Crying. Angry. Again.

No. Too much. That's the truth of it. She was too much like me.

No. No, no, no, no. Theta's jaw quivered. He looked up.

"And I know you. You are, you are…"

"Of course you do, dad!" Jenny smiled. "Now you remember me? Huh? Alive and breathing?"

She hugged him tight, and this time, he didn't complain. Not a word. The sole piece of memory—him, holding her daughter, begging her to not die and crying, so full of sorrow—left him many questions unanswered, but he didn't waste any time on that. Instead, he just slowly let his head rest against her, feeling her warmth, hearing her heartbeat. Four beats, just like his.

His daughter. She's alive, he thought, a sudden rush of dizziness overcoming his mind. Alive, she is alive!

"Jenny! Oh, Jen!"

Theta laughed out loud and burst into tears, hugging his daughter that he knew not, in disbelief and joy. She laughed with him, hugging him back. A family reunited over time and space, against all odds. A fully-grown, eight-year-old progenated daughter, and a millennium old father who was younger than his daughter. The strangest father and daughter in the universe, and they were standing there, on Earth, laughing and crying to each other's warmth.

They stood like that for some time, letting the fresh autumn breeze and a shower of warm sunlight wash over them.

Finally, Jenny opened her eyes and slowly pulled back. Theta was sound asleep, probably tired from the sudden rush of emotions and memory. She smiled and laid him down on the grass, observing him up close. A lock of brown hair softly fell onto his cheek, and she brushed it back, smiling.

Oh, sure, he was so cute, but she could clearly see the resemblance between this little boy and the Doctor. I'm getting good blackmail today, dad, she grinned, and glanced up. Maybe she should move him. They couldn't stay here forever. She listened carefully, trying to find out the direction in which she should go. Oh, there. Yes, that would be good.

With a sigh, she heaved the boy up onto her back, and started walking.

DWDWDWDWDW

"Hurry! We have to find him before he gets himself into a dangerous situation!" Martha ordered. "The Huon Energy signal, Mickey? Are you done yet?"

"Still tracking!" Mickey shouted back. River was muttering something incessantly, staring intently into her Sonic Screwdriver. Sarah was trying to reboot her K-9; Amy and Rory were arguing loudly, making theories of the Doctor's whereabouts. Wilfred was phoning his friends, asking about a young, brown-haired boy—obviously, it wasn't as easy as it had been before to find the Doctor.

Jack was pacing about, swearing under his breath. Damn it, Doctor, he thought furiously. Why do you always have to run off on your own? Never changes, do you?

Oh, it was chaos. Utter and complete chaos. Donna angrily turned around and stared into the computer screen, where irregular energy signals were displayed. Mickey was still analyzing it, but her half-Time Lord brain worked faster than a machine could.

But… She frowned. Those patterns, it looked like its source was getting closer—

The door swung open. Everybody turned and gaped.

A tired-looking blond girl was standing there, carrying a sound asleep Theta on her back. Martha stopped abruptly, shock and confusion evident on her face. Donna's eyes widened.

"Donna! Look, that's—"

"Oh my," Donna breathed. "Yes. Yes, it is!"

"Who's that girl?" Rory asked, exhaling heavily. "Is she… safe?"

At that moment, Jenny took the chance to take a good look around the utterly silent room. Her face cracked into a cheerful grin when she found Martha and Donna—another two familiar faces she was fond of, and knew well.

"Oh my god. Donna! Martha! I can't believe it. This is the best day of my life!"

"JENNY! That's you?! You were ALIVE?" Donna exclaimed, running forth and embracing Jenny in full force. Martha joined them, but took a brief examination of the Doctor first.

"Regular heartbeat, breathing normal, no fever, no problem at all." She announced after a few tense seconds. People sighed in relief. "Just another flashback, that's all. And I don't think that it was a bad one—he looks content enough. Can't stay still for once, can you, Doctor?"

Donna let out a brief laughter and shrugged.

"I think familiar faces are doing some good in restoring his timeline. Anyway, Jenny! How on earth did you pop out of thin air, Sunshine? You aren't a Slitheen in disguise, are you?"

"Nope!" Jenny flashed a merry grin at her, and Donna gave a playful little slap on her back, laughing along. However, other former companions were still hopelessly confused, and being one of them, Jack stepped forward. He flirtatiously kissed the blond girl's hand before anyone could stop him.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, miss. If you would introduce yourself—"

"Stop it, Jack," Theta mumbled in his sleep. "She's off limits."

Jenny giggled, and Jack stepped back reluctantly, groaning.

"Of all the charming memories he has about me, that's the first to come back? Off limits? It's not fair. Why is he all so protective about you?" He muttered. Martha rolled her eyes, amused.

"I think it's fair. After all, you just kissed the Doc's daughter."

Silence for a split second. And then—

Explosion.

"I— WHAT?!" Jack yelled, jumping three feet into the air. "I never knew he had it in him!"

"Oh, shut up, Captain!" Donna scolded him, giving another slap in the back, ginger-style. Wilfred's mouth dropped open, and Amy's eyes were open wide. Really wide. Sarah Jane was frowning, K-9 was carefully registering the girl, and Rory was rendered speechless. Jenny watched, amused, then spoke up.

"Eight years ago, on planet Messaline, a group of soldiers took a tissue from the Doctor's hand and put it in a progenation machine. That's me!" She announced proudly. "Generated anomaly—in short, 'Jenny', the Doctor's sort-of daughter. Aww, I never knew dad could be so cute. I'm going to absolutely love this."

"You don't look that shocked," Donna commented, promptly ignoring others, who were openly gaping at them. "It took us ages to get over it!"

Jenny shrugged nonchalantly. "I was a bit surprised, too, at first; I was all like, 'that's dad?!'—but I had been told that he had an accident in the Time Vortex and he would need my help beforehand, so I wasn't too shocked. I was kind of… expecting something similar. Actually, that was why I was sent here, I see. Got picked up right from the Akhaten marketplace and dropped off on Earth! Mind you, that was shocking."

The room fell deadly silent. Jenny, upon noticing the eerie atmosphere, looked around, frowning in confusion.

"What? Did I say something wrong?"

"…Who sent you here, Jenny?" Martha finally managed to open her mouth and ask, feeling apprehensive. Who else knew the Doctor's current situation? Who would want to help them? Who knew Jenny was alive, not to mention where to find her? Who had the technology to travel between planets like it was nothing? Was it a scheming enemy? Or an unexpected friend?

And when Jenny finally answered—frowning—it was something wholly unexpected. Something their ears couldn't believe.

"The Doctor."

A/N: Now, things will get more exciting than ever. Sontaran invasion, something from Gallifrey, and everyone coming together! Did you know that the Doctor has a brother called Irving Braxietel? Look him up… Bah, whatever. Spoilers! But I love him!

Never mind. Oh, I can't wait to write the Wilf/Theta father-and-son bonding part, or the Ponds, or Jenny, or River, or Jack—I love them all so much! Thank you for reading, and please… Review! Bye!