"I'm your daughter."
Jenny looked from Terry to the Doctor, who remained somewhat stunned.
Terry was much more satisfied as she turned to the Doctor and said, "See? She's like us. A Time Lord."
"What's a Time Lord?" Jenny asked, frowning.
But the Doctor surprised her by being the one to reply although he backed away from her slowly as he spoke.
"It's who I am. It's where I'm from."
The Doctor leant heavily against the wall and Terry took his hand while Jenny pointed out, "And I'm from you."
"You're an echo, that's all."
The Doctor's voice was sharp as he looked at Jenny darkly, and Donna was shocked to see what looked like tears starting to form in the Time Lord's eyes.
"A Time Lord is so much more. A sum of knowledge, a code, a shared history, a shared suffering."
"Doctor." Terry murmured, and the Doctor broke off, turning his head away from Jenny.
Terry tightened her hand around his and the Doctor gazed at her with such pain in his brown eyes that she briefly wished she hadn't told him the truth; but Terry banished that thought quickly. Saving the Doctor from heartache wasn't going to save him in the long-run. And Jenny would ultimately do his broken hearts more good than he yet knew.
Jenny looked uncertainly between the two Time Lords, who seemed to be communicating silently just by their eyes.
"What happened?" Jenny asked tentatively after a moment.
"There was a war." The Doctor replied curtly, and Jenny tried again, "Like this one?"
The Doctor laughed without humour before he replied. "Bigger. Much bigger."
"And you fought, and killed?" Jenny asked, looking from Terry to the Doctor.
Terry shook her head in response while the Doctor replied shortly, "Yes."
Jenny stared at the man who had rejected her the hardest since her creation, the one who was turning out to be more alike to Jenny than the woman who had embraced her almost instantly.
"Then how are we different?" Jenny asked the Doctor.
He didn't reply. Terry placed a hand around his neck and pulled him gently down to her level. He went willingly enough and Terry pressed her forehead to his, meeting his troubled brown eyes with her own steady ones.
"I know what this looks like to you." She said for the Doctor, and the Doctor alone. "I know what she reminds you of. But Theta, none of that is her fault. She is your daughter, not an echo of your past."
The Doctor's brows furrowed unhappily but Terry gently tilted his chin up so they were nose to nose.
"Don't be afraid." Terry said softly, maintaining eye contact with the Doctor. "I'm right here with you if you need me."
She kissed his forehead before releasing him. The Doctor sighed but he nodded slightly. Sensing some kind of acceptance, however limited or reluctant on the Doctor's part, Donna and Jenny started to plan aloud once more.
"We still need a plan to get out of here."
Donna gestured around the cell, and Jenny piped up, "I have an idea."
"We're not killing-" The Doctor began, but Jenny shook her head.
"It's not." She promised, before she told them her plan.
The Doctor was shaking his head before Jenny had even finished talking.
"No." He said firmly.
"Why not?" Jenny protested
"No, we're not doing it. That's final." The Doctor turned away.
Donna threw up her hands while Terry frowned.
"Doctor-" Terry began but he said sternly, "No means no."
"Guess he is a dad after all." Donna muttered, causing the Doctor to glower at her while Jenny frowned in an oddly mirror image of Terry.
"Okay, enough. We do need to get out of here and quickly. So either Jenny gives it a shot, or I will." Terry stated crossly, folding her arms as she gave the Doctor her ultimatum. "So, what's it going to be?"
Moments later
The Doctor scowled while Donna and Terry smirked as Jenny pulled Cline's pistol from his holster while she kissed him to distract his attention. The soldier quickly felt the loss of the gun's weight and he started to pull back; but it was already too late as Jenny pressed the gun into Cline's side.
"Keep quiet and open the door." Jenny ordered in a low voice, a triumphant smirk replacing the flirtatious smile that had graced her features moments earlier.
As Cline reluctantly did as he was told, Donna whispered to the Doctor smugly, "I'd like to see you try that."
He shot her a look while Terry's smile widened.
'Oh, Donna,' Terry thought to herself. 'If only you knew what he's going to be like when he regenerates. If he weren't so adorable, I'd be quite jealous.'
Several minutes later
After barely making their way carefully (and with a few close calls) through the camp, the foursome finally made their way into the tunnels where the Doctor managed to find the secret entrance with the help of his sonic screwdriver and a good kick from Terry's boot-clad foot.
The group were just exchanging triumphant grins as the door to the passageway slid open, when they heard Cobb's voice echoing down the tunnel toward them.
"Squad five, with me."
"Now, what were you saying about running?" The Doctor asked, giving Donna a cheeky look.
"But your shoes-" Jenny began, looking at Terry's heels, and the Time Lady snorted.
"Come on, slowpokes."
Grabbing the Doctor's hand, Terry dashed into the secret passageway. Jenny gaped.
"How does she run in those?"
"I've learnt not to question it." Donna answered. "Now come on!"
The two women ran after the Doctor and Terry and together they sprinted down the passageway. They turned the corner at the end; only to screech to a halt as they found their way blocked by a whole array of laser beams that criss-crossed their way across the entire passage.
"That's not mood lighting, is it?" Donna asked, and the Doctor tossed a clockwork mouse he'd used to distract some soldiers earlier into the lasers.
The mouse disintegrated in a shower of sparks, and Terry gasped.
"What did the poor clockwork mouse ever do to you?"
"Really? Now?" The Doctor demanded and Terry shrugged.
"Just trying to create the mood." She replied before she moved to the blue box built into the wall on the side. "Hand me the sonic."
The Doctor did as Terry requested, while Donna spotted another plaque on the opposite wall.
"There's more of these." Donna frowned. "Always eight numbers, counting down the closer we get."
She scribbled the numbers down on some paper she'd obtained from the Doctor earlier, when voices echoed down the passageway.
"Angel, you'd better be quick." The Doctor murmured.
Cobb's voice was getting closer, when Jenny started back down the way they'd come.
"Where are you going?" The Doctor demanded, grabbing her arm and pulling Jenny to a stop.
"I can hold them up." Jenny pointed out, indicating the rifle she had stolen from Cline, and the Doctor shook his head.
"No, we don't need any more dead." He warned
"But it's them or us." Jenny argued.
"It doesn't mean you have to kill them."
The Doctor's gaze and tone was stern as he searched Jenny's eyes. She stared back, confusion evident in her blue eyes.
"I'm trying to save your life." The blonde pointed out. "Yours and Mum's and Donna's."
Terry glanced over but she continued to work on the control box while the Doctor insisted with a hint of desperation, "Listen to me. The killing. After a while, it infects you. And once it does, you're never rid of it."
"We don't have a choice." Jenny argued. But the Doctor placed his hands on Jenny's shoulders, looking her right in the eye.
"We always have a choice." He answered quietly.
Jenny stared back at him, her expression conflicted, but then Cobb's voice echoed down toward them once more.
"I'm sorry." Jenny whispered before she pushed the Doctor away and she ran.
"Jenny!" The Doctor called after her.
But Jenny didn't reply, instead running faster away from them before she disappeared around the corner at the end of the hallway they had come from. Not a minute later, the sounds of gunfire being exchanged rang out, echoing down the corridor the trio stood in.
The Doctor turned away bitterly, and he said to the remaining women angrily, "I told you. Nothing but a soldier."
"She's trying to help." Donna argued.
The Doctor turned away as he moved to take the sonic from Terry, needing the distraction. Terry let him take back his screwdriver but she pulled him back and forced him to meet her eyes before he could start on the laser control box.
"Even if she looks like an adult, Jenny was born today." Terry reminded him in a low voice. "Children make mistakes; hell we continue to make them. A parent's job isn't to control their child or turn away from them when they do wrong - it's to help them find the right path and help them up when they fall."
The Doctor's lips curved down unhappily, but he murmured with a sigh, "I suppose you're right. You're much better at this than I am."
Terry smiled a little sadly. "I don't carry the burden you do."
The Doctor's expression softened, the pain receding slightly as the understanding in her words soothed him. He kissed Terry's temple before he worked on the control box again. Terry had already done most of the work and with a few quick adjustments the Doctor shut down the lasers.
"Go!" The Doctor said to Donna, who ran quickly down the passageway.
"Jenny, come on!" The Doctor yelled around the corner.
"I'm coming!" Jenny's voice floated back, and the Doctor hesitated.
Terry waited beside him, and she saw his face as he turned back to her.
"We can't wait." He informed her gravel and Terry nodded.
The pair ran, Terry still waiting in her heart. They'd just reached the other side, coming to a stop beside Donna, when a gunshot sounded before Jenny appeared back around the corner.
"Jenny!" The Doctor called and Donna shouted, "Hurry up!"
Terry however saw the beginnings of the lasers flickering, and she called, "Watch out!"
Jenny skidded to a halt before she could be incinerated as the lasers switched back on, and the Doctor sucked in a sharp breath through his teeth.
"No, no, no, no, no, no. The circuit's looped back."
"Zap it back again!" Donna cried.
"The controls are back there!" The Doctor pointed out.
Voices floated from behind Jenny and Terry called to the blonde in warning, "They're coming!"
"Jenny," the Doctor said frantically, but there was nothing he could do. "I can't-"
"I'll have to manage on my own." Jenny cut off the Doctor's dismay as she gave him a cheeky grin that was so similar to Terry it stunned him. "Watch and learn, Father."
Jenny threw aside her rifle before she leapt right into the lasers. Or rather, around them. Donna's jaw dropped while the Doctor stared as Jenny somersaulted her way through the small gaps in the lasers, twisting her body in all possible manners to avoid being killed.
"No way." Donna gaped as they watched Jenny come steadily closer. "But that was impossible."
"Not impossible." The Doctor said slowly, glancing at Terry. "Just a bit unlikely."
Terry just grinned in reply, and the Doctor's answering smile was brighter than it had been in a long time as he turned to face Jenny as she landed with a wide grin right in front of them.
"A bit more unlikely!" The Doctor crowed as he hugged his daughter. "Brilliant! You were brilliant. Brilliant."
Terry smiled, her eyes softening as the Doctor let Jenny down and the blonde said to him excitedly, "I didn't kill him."
The Doctor blinked in confusion and Jenny blabbered ecstatically, "General Cobb, I could have killed him but I didn't. You were right. I had a choice."
The Doctor stared at the blonde before he looked at Terry. Her smug smile just screamed 'I told you so', but the Doctor didn't mind. A wide smile appeared on his face once more as he looked back at Jenny, but the moment was broken by angry shouts.
They all looked over to see Cobb and his men appearing on the other side of the lasers, and Terry said, "Time to run again."
She took Jenny by the hand as she dashed off, Donna right behind them. But the Doctor lingered to give Cobb one more parting warning.
"I warned you, Cobb. If the Source is a weapon, I'm going to make sure you never use it."
Cobb's face contorted with anger. The Doctor just turned and ran while the general shouted after the physically younger-looking male.
"One of us is going to die today and it won't be me, Doctor!"
As the four made their way down the corridor, the Doctor leading the way with his map, Jenny glanced at Terry.
"So, you kept believing in me." Jenny began and Terry glanced over at the younger woman. "Why? You even fought with him over it."
She nodded at the Doctor and Terry chuckled.
"Well, that was because he was wrong and I was right." Terry answered. "I knew you, Jenny. And I trusted you were more than just a soldier."
"How?" Jenny asked, and Terry smiled.
"When this is all over, we'll sit down and talk." Terry promised. "You, me, the Doctor, and Donna."
Donna grinned, nodding in agreement while Jenny looked at the two women.
"So, Dad seems like he's pretty stubborn-" Jenny began and Donna snorted.
"You have no idea." The redhead sighed
"-But he didn't really put up much of a fight with you." Jenny looked at Terry again.
"That's because he knew he was wrong." Terry answered. Jenny raised a brow.
"Are you always right then, in the relationship you have with Dad?" The blonde asked and Terry laughed.
"No, not even close." Terry chuckled. "But there are times when the Doctor is, despite what he might think at the time, wrong. They're few and far between, but I'm always there to right him when he is. Just as he's there to right me when I'm wrong."
Terry remembered the flash of fire and bright gold light that consumed the Doctor's determined face, but the faint memory disappeared quickly and she shook her head.
"But, you and Dad aren't married yet?" Jenny asked as she glanced down at Terry's empty hand. Terry smiled; oh, if only Jenny had any idea how complicated their relationship really was.
"No." Terry answered.
"I think they could be," Donna inserted slyly. "If he'd just buck up and Terry stayed still long enough."
"Hey, that is not my fault." Terry protested and Donna countered archly, "So you're not constantly running off to save someone who needs help?"
Terry made a face while Jenny looked between the two women curiously again.
"Is that normal on your travels?" She asked. "Saving people?"
"It happens." Terry answered as she sent the Doctor's back a fond smile. "The Doctor isn't just called 'doctor' for kicks - he saves people and planets whenever he can. Like now."
She gestured about them.
"Cobb might think he's doing what's best for everyone, but he's just leading his men into an unnecessary bloodbath and turning them into unnecessary killers. He's forcing you all to stain your souls; murder is a burden that only grows heavier the longer you carry it and it can't ever be undone."
"And are all planets like this one?" Jenny asked uncertainly.
"No, definitely not." Terry smiled. "There are others that might be like this one but there is no perfect place. Everywhere has it's faults but it also as it's wonders, hopes and excitement. Planets that are covered in lush green plants, others that have swirling oceans all over their surface; some orbit mighty stars and suns while others are luminated from within. Some have buildings that rise high up into the atmosphere, others have life that has buried deep into the ground and look to glittering gems for light."
Jenny had been listening with wide eyes while hanging onto Terry's every word. She glanced at the Doctor's back again as she asked eagerly, "And what's it like, the travelling?"
It was Donna who smiled and answered, "Oh, never a dull moment. It can be terrifying, brilliant and funny, sometimes all at the same time. I've seen some amazing things though. Whole new worlds like Terry described and more."
"I'd love to see new worlds." Jenny sighed.
"You will." Donna promised. "Won't she?"
The redhead glanced at Terry, who grinned.
"Doctor?" Terry called, knowing he was listening to them even if he was pretending otherwise.
"Hmm?"
The Doctor continued to feign his ignorance so Terry asked patiently, "Jenny will see new worlds, won't she?"
Jenny looked between her parents with wide eyes, eyes that lit up as the Doctor said with feigned carelessness, "I suppose so."
Terry winked at Jenny, whose face broke into a wide smile.
"You mean..." She looked from the Doctor to Terry to Donna and back. "You mean you'll take me with you?"
"Well, we can't leave you here, can we?" The Doctor replied with the same feigned nonchalance and Jenny squealed.
"Oh, thank you, thank you, thank you!"
Jenny hugged the Doctor tightly, and his face finally broke out into a smile of his own as he returned the hug. Jenny let him go to hug Terry tightly next, and the Time Lady laughed.
"Welcome to the family, Jenny." Terry smiled and Jenny let go to jump up and down excitedly.
"Come on, let's get a move on!" Jenny beamed, unable to remain still.
She turned excitedly, ready to dash off, and Terry chuckled.
"Watch out for traps."
"Oh, don't be like that! Come on, Mum!" Jenny exclaimed, grabbing Terry's hand and pulling her with her as she ran down the hallway.
"Careful, there really might be traps!" The Doctor called after them, making the two women laugh as Jenny dragged Terry off.
"Kids." Donna chuckled from beside the Doctor. "They never listen."
The Doctor didn't answer, his expression growing serious as he watched Jenny jabber excitedly to Terry, who just listened to the younger blonde with an indulgent smile. Donna caught the look on the Doctor's face and she whistled.
"Oh, I know that look. I see it a lot round our way."
The Doctor glanced at her, puzzled, so Donna elaborated.
"Blokes with pushchairs and frowns. You've got dad-shock."
"Dad-shock?" The Doctor repeated, confused.
"Sudden unexpected fatherhood." Donna explained "Takes a bit of getting used to."
Understanding dawned and the Doctor shook his head.
"No, it's not that." He denied, his tone glum, and Donna frowned.
"Well, what is it then?" She asked before she had another idea.
"Having Jenny in the Tardis, is that it?" Donna asked, gesturing after the blonde who was running about like a child on Christmas morning. "What's she going to do, cramp your style? Get in the way of you and Terry?"
"Donna," the Doctor interrupted grimly. "I've been a father before."
"What?" Donna gasped, turning her head to stare at the Doctor. Another thought occurred to her, and Donna began with dread, "Did Terry…?"
"No, it was before her." The Doctor reassured, his tone heavy. Donna relaxed slightly as her fears that the Doctor and Terry had shared the tragedy were put to rest but her concern for the Doctor remained as she surveyed the Time Lord.
"It was a long time before I met Terry." The Doctor explained as Donna listened quietly. "When I lost everything… until she came along and gave me something again."
The Doctor lapsed into silence and Donna murmured softly, "I'm sorry. I didn't know."
The Doctor nodded in acknowledgement. He didn't blame her, after all; he was the one who hadn't told his companions.
Donna eyed her friend and she asked, "Why didn't you tell me? You talk all the time, but you don't say anything. "
"I know." The Doctor admitted quietly, his gaze dropping momentarily. "I'm just…"
His gaze lifted once more and he stared at Jenny laughing with Terry, his brown eyes filled with a deep pain Donna had only glimpsed occasionally before.
"When I look at her now, I can see them. The hole they left, all the pain that filled it." The Doctor revealed to Donna heavily. "I just don't know if I can face that every day."
Donna shook her head and she said firmly, "It won't stay like that."
The Doctor's gaze lowered once more, and Donna's heart tugged for the Time Lord.
"She'll help you. I'll help you. And you know our angel will always help you."
The Doctor just sighed, and Donna hesitated.
"Doctor," she began carefully. "It may not be my place but… I mean, wouldn't you and Terry have, you know, eventually-?"
"I don't know."
The Doctor's quiet admission caused Donna to fall silent once more, and the redhead watched the Doctor as he sighed again before looking up to stare at Terry.
"It's different with her. Terry's always known about me. She knows how that day haunts me and she knows what I sacrificed." The Doctor said softly. "The subject of kids has never come up between us, it's always been too soon, at least for me, to be thinking about something like that. But now seeing her with Jenny…"
He lowered his gaze again.
"I know Terry's known that I wouldn't have been ready for this again. Even if we one day became something more, take the next step from dating - and sometimes, I think we could," the Doctor admitted and Donna's eyes softened in response to his raw honesty.
"Even if we do, I think she knows that when they died, that part of me died with them. And I don't think it'll ever come back."
There was a brief moment's silence as Donna digested what the Doctor had said, before the redhead stopped walking. The Doctor paused with her, and he looked at her as Donna turned to face him straight on.
"I'll tell you something, Doctor." The companion said seriously, but her eyes were kind as she stared at the Doctor. "Something I've never told you before. I think you're wrong."
The Doctor stared back at Donna silently, but they were interrupted as gunfire echoed down the hallway from behind.
The Doctor and Donna turned to look while Terry and Jenny came rushing back to join them.
"They've blasted through the beams." Jenny gasped, looking at her parents and Donna. "Time to run again. Love the running. Yeah?"
She beamed up at her father, whose face softened into an answering smile.
"Love the running." He agreed.
Jenny grinned before she dashed off, taking Donna with her this time. Terry looked at the Doctor, smiling as she saw the fondness in his eyes as he watched Jenny go.
"Ready?" Terry asked, holding out her hand.
The Doctor took the offered hand, but he held her before she could start running after Jenny.
"Thank you, angel. As always, you were right." The Doctor said to her silently and Terry smiled back with soft brown eyes.
"You chose right - as you always do in the end." Terry replied.
The couple smiled at each other for another second before the Doctor's hand tightened on Terry's and together, they ran down the corridor.