No one seemed to be able to get through to Louve.
Both Doctors were speaking to her gently, soothing voices and reassuring words. Jack, too, though he looked as if her being so upset was the only thing keeping him from being in the same state over their child's disappearance.
Her father tried, and failed, to get her to calm down enough to either start breathing, or activate respiratory bypass, but her duel hearts were pumping the oxygen through her system at an extremely accelerated rate. He'd grown quite desperate himself, only looking away from her long enough to shout one word.
"Clara!"
Rose watched from the wall as the petite brunette immediately ran into the TARDIS, and reappeared seconds later with a small black box that looked to be about the size of a pen case. People had stopped and were looking on as the Doctor, Rose's Doctor, that is, took the box from Clara, taking out a needle and small medicine vial. He carefully drew some of it up into the syringe, and Jack gently rolled the sleeve of Louve's cardigan up on her left arm, which still had a death grip on the older Doctor. Rose's Doctor gently but quickly injected what Rose assumed was a sedative, because in a matter of seconds, she slumped forward onto her father, who then coordinated with Jack, and he eased Louve's limp body into his open arms.
"Move on, nothing to see here!" Her Doctor shouted. "Medical emergency, we're her family. All under control, off you lot pop." He clapped his hands at those who had stopped on the street. He gave a short glance over to check on Rose, and she simply wiped her tear streaked face and blinked back at him.
Clara had moved over and opened the TARDIS door, allowing Jack inside. She left the door propped open and walked past the Doctors, who were speaking close together, both looking deeply concerned. She came over to Rose and slid down next to her.
"Hey." She said softly. "I suppose you're having a bit of a hard time at the moment, too."
"Something like that." Rose gave a wet laugh, still trying to gain control of her tears.
"My Doctor says this isn't how this happened, not how he remembers it. Something about it happening in our timeline, and that's why he felt the shift and your Doctor didn't." Clara spoke softly, keeping her tone even. Rose recalled her mentioning she was a school teacher, and she briefly thought about what a good one she must be.
"So she was supposed to meet us?" Rose croaked.
"Oh yeah. Just... Meet. Lunch. Show. Compare TARDISes, go home. He didn't realize it had been her until she was born." Clara sighed. "Rosaline going missing is the shift. Said he feels it branching out. She wasn't just swept up in the crowd, he says someone took her."
Suddenly a whistle rang out and Clara turned her head back toward the TARDIS. The older Doctor jerked his head, and Clara stood and offered a hand to Rose. "C'mon, let's go see what we do next."
Inside the TARDIS, everyone had reconvened in the library.
Jack had Louve still in his arms, her hands balled into fists as she clung to his shirt. He'd managed to find a couch large enough for him to sit comfortably and stretch her legs out so she wasn't bunched up. She was coming in and out of a waking state, fighting the sedative. Jack kept making quiet shushing sounds, and would occasionally put a quick kiss on her forehead. His own eyes were practically flooded, but it seemed as if he was willing himself to be strong for the both of them. Rose took a seat on the open cushion of a loveseat her Doctor had settled on, sitting on the edge nervously. Clara sat on the floor in front of where Louve's feet and legs were on the couch, and the elder Doctor pulled a chair up and flopped down.
It was tense in the room, nobody willing to speak past Jack's attempts to keep Louve relaxed and asleep. The heaviness of the silence otherwise felt like weights on Rose's chest, and she physically jumped when her Doctor spoke, he startled her so.
"Alright. We've established we're well past paradox. Objective one is, obviously, get Lanie back. But before we can do that, I think we all need to be on the same page." He said, looking directly to his older self. "Details, please.
"Agreed." Jack spoke from the couch, trying not to speak to loud. "I get why Wolvie couldn't tell me who you are," He pointed at the elder Doctor, "Because I was supposed to me you first," He pointed to the younger, "in the capacity as 'The Doctor', but now I think we deserve to be filled in."
"Alright." He nodded. "Sure, yeah. First off, I'm the third regeneration after you." He started, taking a deep, shaky breath.
"Blimey!" Rose spoke before she realized what was happening. "How old is she, then?" She nodded toward the young woman she now knew was her daughter.
"Wolvie is 47." He explained. "Time's a weird thing. She got her own TARDIS and off she went. Didn't see her for a while. Roaming the stars. Spent an entire five years quilting and giving blankets to homeless in New New York. She popped back into my timeline about three weeks later, but she'd been gone 22 years."
"So then we either have a rough few years, or my math isn't adding up." The younger Doctor replied. Rose was confused as to how the girl looked barely a couple years past twenty, but she kept quiet, assuming it was a Gallifreyan trait.
"No, you're very much right. In terms of Wolvie here..." He looked over to Rose, and she could see a great sorrow behind his stormy blue eyes. "You'd be the fathering regeneration. I am just the one blessed enough to get to raise her."
"So what?" Rose felt the Doctor tense next to her. "Steal your own child from her mother's arms for a later date?"
"It's a bit more complicated than that." The elder Doctor sighed again, shaking his head before pinching the bridge of his nose.
"Like I said, we're past paradox." The younger reminded him. "Go on."
"Louve was incubated and born in the heart of the TARDIS. My TARDIS." He started swallowing thickly. "Rose either already is, or soon will be, pregnant."
A tiny squeak escaped Rose, and though he didn't look over, the Doctor's hand shot over and took hers in his for comfort.
"A insane series of events leads to Rose looking into and taking on the power of the heart of the TARDIS, which immediately began breaking down her body." He paused and a tear slid down his cheek, which he ignored as it fell onto his lap. "I imagine by now you're both trying to figure out why you keep running into 'Bad Wolf' everywhere. Its you, Rose. You put yourself into time and space with the power of the heart of the TARDIS. Its signs for yourself to follow. But the heart of the TARDIS is too much. To save you, I pull it out, and it'll cause a regeneration. It would've also caused Louve to be a miscarriage, that sort of radiation damage. The TARDIS took the fetus, and kept her until I was in a place safe enough to raise her. The Bad Wolf's pup. My little wolf cub. Louve. Wolvie. My wife and I, River was her name, we raised her together. Same place for 24 years, no running- imagine."
"Where was I?" Rose whimpered. "Why would I not be who raised my own child?!"
"Rose," The Doctor's voice broke as he spoke her name, and he closed his eyes for a few seconds to regain composure. "I'd lost you centuries before the TARDIS saw fit to let me have Louve. The TARDIS exists outside of time, so she simply looked down my path and found the best, safest place for Louve."
Her Doctor's hand instantly tightened on hers. Rose felt nauseated.
"I don't understand." Rose whispered, barely audible.
"The TARDIS doesn't just look into your heart when she does things like this. She sees every possible future and makes a decision. That decision for me, for her, was that the best possible outcome for me to be the face that was given Louve. The TARDIS opened her hatch and I heard crying. Found her, little newborn all swaddled up. River and I stayed on Darillium for 24 earth years to raise both Wolvie and her TARDIS from a coral of mine. When next she left, for her it would be the last time she saw me, and my first time meeting her."
The older Doctor took another ragged breath and covered his mouth for a moment, before continuing.
"The first time I ever laid eyes on River Song, the day I met her, which was the regeneration right after you, she died to save me. Told me to stop worrying, stop trying to save her, and let her thank me for her wonderful life by making sure that I made it to see our time together. She-" His voice broke again, but he continued, "She looked at me, and she was a stranger to me, but I wasn't to her. She said 'One day I will be someone you trust so completely that you'll lay your hearts in my hands.' I now know that meant when I handed her my newborn and ask her to be a mum."
"She was the best." Louve spoke up groggily. "I loved her so much."
"And she you." The older Doctor replied, his eyes never left poor Rose, who was silently sobbing.
Louve pushed herself up, Jack helping to steady her, and she staggered slowly across the room, flopping gracelessly to the floor at Rose's feet.
"Hey." She grinned up at Rose, laying her hand on Rose's free hand. It was obvious she was a bit intoxicated still from the sedative. "You've always been my mum. You'll always be my mum. Dad has pictures, and a few videos... he's let me see some of his memories. I've even got some of your dresses and a pair of gold hoop earrings of yours. You're in everything that I am. He and River both made sure I knew as much about you as I could. I've always loved you."
The words her child spoke, her child who was older than Rose herself at the moment, shattered her.
It was the most bittersweet thing she'd ever experienced. Louve gently placed Rose's hand over her hearts, pausing over each one for a few seconds, then pulling the hand to her cheek. "They're beating because of you. I have my own little girl because of you. I still have my dad because of you."
"You named her after Rose, didn't you?" The younger Doctor ask. He too was studying his future daughter's face.
"Yeah," She replied softly. "Yeah I did."
Rose lurched forward suddenly and wrapped both arms tightly around Louve, who returned the hug.
"I'm so sorry." Rose whispered through tears.
"Please don't be." Louve replied. "You're here now, when arguably I need my mother the most."
Slowly the two women parted, and Louve made her way back to Jack, curling into his side as he wrapped an arm back around her.
"Which brings us back full circle..." Jack finally spoke up again. "Where is our baby girl? Who would take her? And why would they have the balls to do it with not one Doctor, but two around?"
"Really," Clara agreed. "I mean, 'The Oncoming Storm' is bad enough, but two of you? Nobody wants a full Fujiwara effect."
"Would be helpful if I'd not made quite so many enemies for myself. I imagine by now there are loads more, yeah?" The younger Doctor pondered, and the elder nodded.
"Someone who knows what a weak spot my children and grandchildren are." He added, and his face grew pale. "Someone who has taken my children from me before..." At once, the elder Doctor was on his feet. He walked a few steps, then back, pacing for a moment. He nervously pushed his hands through his silver curls. "I think I know who has her." He revealed.
"And?" Jack pressed. "Please share with the rest of us."
"Missy." He sneered. "It has to be Missy."
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