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watch_is_meAnd, lo, another 'verse was born. Or at least the potential for one, as Watch!Ten and Jenny (![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
jen_anomaly) bond over at ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-community.gif)
sixwordstories. And fight. Which is how Time Lords bond, apparently.
One of my favorite parts about this thread is the juggling around of the "Dad" title. It goes like this in my head:
Jenny: Dad!
W!Ten: NO, you don't happen in my universe >:| Weird pseudo-Gallifreyan clone freak. :P
Jenny: Dad, you're a bastard.
W!Ten: I'm not your Dad!
Jenny: I'm dating the Master.
W!Ten: HOSHIT. DON'T.
Jenny: You sound just like my Dad.
W!Ten: B|
*fighting sonic screwdriver punching Jenny 1 Doctor 0*
Jenny: You really aren't my Dad, are you?
W!Ten: I TOLD you.
Jenny: *sniffle*
W!Ten: D: Um, um. *hugs*
Jenny: Well, if you're aren't my Dad, I'll tell you all the things that pissed my Dad(s) off.
W!Ten: And since you aren't my daughter, I'll tell you all the things your Dad(s) didn't tell you because we have massive Issues.
*pause*
W!Ten: So, TARDIS, y/y/mfy?
Jenny: Aw, Dad.
W!Ten: \o/
Uncommon sources of psychic noise, anyone?
How can you tell, Dad?
*scratches at a sideburn, caught out* Dunno, really. Unusual. Not normal telepathic communication, not any of the psychic effluvia that just...sort of floats about. Not of the common.
Look, I'm not your "Dad." Maybe one of me is, but it's not me.
...what?
Missed that part of the training? Proper Time Lord communication, didn't come with the download?
*one of his others filled him in on who Jenny is, but he's still back in the whole 'not nice at all about it' phase his other was in at the beginning of "Doctor's Daughter"*
I'm from a different universe. You haven't happened for me. You'll *never* happen for me. *have that same half-angry half-distant denial you've probably run into before, Jenny*
*Yeah, that definitely hurts. Someone's gotten far too used to being loved by her father. So let's go for some classic teenage rebellion.*
There wasn't anything Time Lord about my inheritance and you know that!
I only learned about you at second hand. Jenny. *leans back against a wall, looking at her with that flat, removed expression, his body language stiff, rejecting. One of his hands, if she notices, begins to tap out a quick rhythm against the wall--1-2-3-4.* Jenny, that's not even a proper Gallifreyan name.
Donna named me. Do you know Donna?
*her eyes do flicker down to his hand, thoughtfully*
Why are you doing that?
No. Not personally. *and that's a bit of a sore point, since he knows his others have had Rose and Martha and Donna, and he's had no one*
*he stops abruptly, as soon as she points out the tapping* Doing what? *smooth!Doctor is smooth*
*shakes her head, frowning*
They don't belong to you.
*he pushes off the wall, because he has to *move,* to *react,* somehow, and strides towards her, eyes (and hair) wild*
They are not *his!*
*in a moment, it may occur to him to wonder how Jenny knows who else hears the drums. But not yet*
*stares up at him, unyielding. If she's going to be a goddess, she shouldn't show fear.*
Oh yes they are! They drive him. They're beautiful and they don't belong to you!
*certainly not anyone who won't bother having her exist in their universe*
*and he really wants to grab her by shoulders and shake her, but she's not *his,* he just finished telling her she's a poor copy of something that's gone out of the universe forever, gone almost entirely, and he should/shouldn't/should he? care*
*instead, he runs both hands back through his hair, grabs the back of his neck, frustrated*
They're a symptom! They're just a symptom. They don't belong to anyone.
*takes a step closer, scowling*
They're a part of him! How'd you get them, then?
I spent a very long time alone.
*and that stabilizes him a little bit, remembering, though not much. The rhythm's still there, in his fingers, in the angular tension of his movements, not quite as fluid as those of other Doctors.*
How do you know him? You shouldn't know him.
I shouldn't?
*giggles a little*
You sound just like him, you know. Dad from my universe. I've heard it all. He claims I've died.
No, you shouldn't—in both senses of the word—he's--
*he rubs at his eyes, trying to work out the timelines, none of which belong to him, some overheard and some borrowed out of one of his other's minds*
--dead. And you're dead. He held you both. While you died. But, multiverse, death's not stopping anyone here, infinite possibilities, everyone lives, everyone dies. Right. Worse than the drums, for headaches.
*and now he will try to take her arms, to lean in close and catch her eyes*
Listen to me.
I died and I lived. And no matter what he may claim, I'm still Jenny. I am, Dad.
*grins a little when he takes her arms and looks up at him without hesitation*
Are you going to tell me that I'm making a mistake, too? I love him. This isn't a mistake at all.
I'm *not* your-- *he stops himself, pinching the bridge of his nose, one hand still on her arm* Regeneration? You regenerated?
Yes. I am. You are. Listen. Whatever he's telling you, it's what he knows you want to hear.
*wait, stop the presses*
Love him? You *love* him?
Yeah!
I really, really love him, Dad.
*and it's rather obvious by the way her eyes shine as she admits to it; Jenny's fallen head over heels for the Master*
He's brilliant. He's going to teach me to be a Time Lady and a goddess and everything!
*oh, he's got your number, now, Master >:|*
A goddess. No one can be a goddess, Jenny. Time Lords, Time Ladies, we're still mortal. We make *mistakes.*
*he's got that intent oh-God-please-listen-to-me look*
He's lying to you. You need to get away from him.
*it's a look that makes her laugh; talk about a sudden change in personality! He actually sounds like her dad now*
Why would you care?
*that brings him up short for a moment. The briefest moment, a half-second while he realizes how quickly this conversation has changed. But only a moment, and that hesitation's gone*
"Because I'm the Doctor. Because I save people, and because you're not mine, but you're *his,* one of them, and he needs you. Jenny, he needs you, and the Master doesn't. He'll never need you."
*she shakes her head and her smile brightens*
I'm the last Time Lady. Of course my Master needs me!
*but her smile falters as she some of his words do get through to her; a flash of sadness crosses Jenny's eyes*
Dad doesn't though. If he did, he never would have left.
*he lets go of her arms, stepping back from her*
*Your* Master. *hands through the hair and pacing time again, because, augh, that is wrong on so many levels in his opinion*
*he stops pacing abruptly and spins back towards her*
He thought you were *dead.* We can't stay for everyone who dies. Jenny. Think. If we stopped to grieve, we'd never...we'd never stop.
I'm not everyone, though! I'm your daughter!
More reason we--he--oh-- *more mad hair rufflage, as pronouns fail him*
Everything we are, everything you're this--this echo of, Jenny, this one tiny amnesiac fragment of--it's gone. We did that. I did that, he did that, whichever one he is, and when he looks at you, he sees that. He *has* to see that.
If he wept for you, Jenny, he'd weep for all of them. All of them that are lost, and we've never stopped for that, because there's not enough *time* in the universe, do you understand?
He *had* to leave.
*the drums are back, in his fingers, in his eyes*
*stares up at him, unafraid and furious*
No.
No, that's just an excuse.
*oh, snap, someone is calling the Doctor out ;P*
It's *truth.*
No it isn't. Not when you were going to take me with you!
*watch it, Doctor; she's about ready to slap you*
*he needs slapping, sometimes*
You. Were. *Dead.* We don't stand vigil.
*then he gets it! hard enough to draw blood, too*
You knew better!
*oi, the power of the Gallifreyan slap! Ouch. He puts a hand to his face, his expression startled, incredulous, as though he hadn't seen that coming--and he didn't, despite all the signals, he never does*
*his first impulse is to grab her and hit her back, match the slap with one of his own, and he almost does, drawing back his hand to strike her. Then he catches himself, hears the drums urging him to that action, agreeing with it, and he stops, backs away from her a few steps, his face white*
It wasn't me. Jenny.
*she laughs, smiling manically as he catches himself. This is getting to be quite fun now that initial confusions are aside.*
Hit me back! Oh, I know you want to! I can see it in your eyes!
*the laugh and the smile hurt him. She shouldn't be enjoying this, she shouldn't be encouraging him*
No. I wouldn't...I never would. I never would. *he's lying, and he knows it, and it scares the hell out of him*
Come on. Come with me, let's get you back to your Dad.
*she's about to laugh again or respond with something equally as snarky when his last words hit home*
Dad won't take me back.
*it's said quietly, with a a clear frown on her face*
I've made my choice. I thought... you're not my father, right? You have my Master's drums. Don't you understand? At all?
No, I'm not him. But he'll take you back, if he sees you're in trouble, he'll help you. It's how he thinks. Please.
Understand what? *will evade this question, yus*
*a frustrated look*
My choice!
What? To stay with him because he's got a--a--tic in his brain?
*seeing that this conversation isn't getting either of them anywhere, the Doctor's going to slide a hand into his jacket pocket and get out his sonic screwdriver. Which has a few settings his others' don't have*
That's not it at all! He can teach me everything I need to know about being a Time Lady. Don't you understand how important that is to me?
And... and there's that other part of it, too! He's the only Time Lord I can fuck!
Yes, well, *he*— *i.e., the Doctor, the proper ones* —could teach you everything, too. Or I could try, if you won't have him. *as he adjusts a few settings on the screwdriver*
Except that last bit.
*screwdriver's all set now*
Right. Now, open your mouth and say, "ah."
*takes a step away, warily*
I love him!
Uh-huh.
*he does that tongue to the top of the mouth bit that he assumes when he's taking stock of a technical situation--hmmmm...--, looking down at the readings on his screwdriver, which he's now pointing at Jenny*
Good. *directed at the readings, apparently, not for Jenny and the Master >:|*
*he activates the screwdriver, the light on its end glowing green instead of blue. This Doctor has a few extra settings added into his screwdriver, one of them being something along the lines of "stun"—a brief blast of atomic energy which can disrupt most species' systems enough to incapacitate them briefly without killing or permanently harming them. Gallifreyans' radiation resistance gives the Hulk a run for his money, though, so chances are very high it won't work on Jenny, even though the Doctor's got it jammed right up to 11. She can feel free to react poorly—as in, punch him in the jaw, knock him out, anything. He's a wimp .-. *
*Her eyes go wide at the blast and she punches him hard in the jaw before attempting to steal the screwdriver from him*
What?
*The Doctor pretty much...crumples. Because the man gets by on *not getting hit,* and when he does get hit...he's out like a skinny alien light. If River Song could knock him out, then soldier Gallifreyans get perfect KOs right out of Street Fighter II.*
*so, hey, Jenny, have an unconscious Doctor and a screwdriver :D It's just like the other Doctor's, except with stun and kill atomic settings, isomorphically locked. Which means Jenny *might just* be able to use them, since she's very similar to the Doctor genetically. Oh, and those settings drain the power all to hell*
*She tilts her head curiously as she picks it up and begins to fiddle with it. Jenny never got a chance to use her father's. But if there's a setting that stuns, there should be a setting that wakes him up. So she keeps playing with it until she finds a setting that'll give him enough of a jolt to wake him back up*
*There are questions she wants answered*
*the setting that makes a noise like an eggbeater crossed with an irate duck would be it. Setting 39.5, if she's taking notes*
*he sits upright fast, and immediately winces, because, ouch, Time Lord, but that punch is going to leave a mark, thanks, Jenny. He rubs his jaw and tries to look like this is going According to Plan*
Give that back.
*He's quite welcome! Jenny's learned not to hold back; her Master's teaching her well. Her grip tightens on the screwdriver.*
Why did you do that to me?
I think *you* did something to me. Blimey, you're fast. *more contemplative jaw rubbing and than he holds out one hand for the screwdriver*
Come on, let's have that back.
No.
*takes a step back, hoping he doesn't see the tears in her eyes*
You tried to hurt me, Dad! And... and not like he does!
Why?
*gets to his feet, carefully, watching her—despite the punch, he's still arrogant enough that he's not worried about his own safety, just about spooking her*
Jenny. *he still has a hand out to her, waiting for her to hand the device over*
*oh, he didn't need to hear that, the bit about hurting, God*
*if it gets a reaction out of him, she's not above continuing. Not until she gets some sort of answer.*
I like it when he does that. It feels good then - really good. But this didn't feel good, Dad. I didn't like this.
*shakes her head, still refusing to give him back the sonic screwdriver*
Why did you want to hurt me?
Jenny. Stop talking.
*he doesn't want to hear it, between the blow to the head and the drums, he doesn't need his judgment going further off*
Then answer me!
I was trying to *help.* Listen, you think you love the Master, and I— *he rubs at the back of his neck* —I can't change that, not unless I can get you *away* from him. You're too close. He does that. He's *hurting* you, and you can't even see—
*okay, that's not where he wants to go. He nods to the screwdriver* It's non-lethal. Stun setting. Thought I could get past your biology, but, nope.
No luck. You're Gallifreyan, full-strength, congratulations.
I don't think it. I know it. I really, really love him, Dad.
*shakes her head, tears in her eyes*
Why can't you understand that? Why can't you accept it?
*here he came into this conversation convinced he was absolutely no relation to her except alternate-universe-genetically, and that's gone so far away now*
*hands in the air, the traditional 'I'm-not-a-threat' gesture, he's going to try to move closer to her, because he wants to comfort her. She's crying, and he made that happen, and can't he get anything right?*
I believe that you love him. Jenny, look at me. I believe that you love him, but I don't believe that he loves you.
*He can hug her but she's not letting go of the sonic screwdriver. In fact, she might just even collapse against him herself*
He will. He has to. He's so proud of me and I'm his little protege and... and he has to love me someday.
*he does hug her, realizing that he's setting himself up for hurt again. The longer this confrontation/conversation goes on, the more he cares and the more he wants her to be *his* to have been part of his universe. She really *is* Gallifreyan, and she *wants* that heritage. He could show it to her, be the father that didn't leave her behind. He's been alone so long. Family might be good. Tricky, difficult, but good.*
It doesn't work that way, Jenny. *he should know—throughout time, people have loved him, and he's left them*
But he promised he'd never leave me.
*unlike you goes unspoken*
*he closes his eyes and sighs into her hair. It's funny, but she *smells* right. Like she belongs to him. That brings back memories—the sweet new smell of infants, of watching children grow up, his, his children's children. Strong, clear sense memories*
What if you wanted to leave him? Oh, not now. Someday. When you're older and you're a goddess. Would he let you?
*a small nod against his chest; she clearly doesn't want to let go, not after all the arguments she's had with one of his look alikes*
I think so, yes. He might not love me, Dad, but I think he does care for me.
*he doesn't want to let go, either. Alternate envy is not a good place to be, but he keeps ending up there. He leans his face against the top of her head. Blonde. Huh. Well, he's been blonde before*
Is he having you hurt anyone?
*He has, interestingly enough! If he looks close enough, he might find she shares a lot in common with his fifth self*
I've hurt him. And... and there were those guards on Traken. But I did it to save him!
*Please, please don't let go, Dad*
*as long as she doesn't drag celery back in as a fashion accessory*
*that's the wrong answer. The one he was expecting, but not the one he wanted to hear. He pulls back from the hug, but not far, just enough that he can look down into her eyes*
You don't hurt the people you love. Not for pleasure.
Why did he need to be saved? *he tries to keep his tone neutral, but the edge is there--he suspects the Master and Jenny weren't exactly innocent parties*
But it's okay when he wants it, isn't it? Because... because it feels really good, Dad. It really...
They were attacking him.
*glances at him briefly before hiding her chest against him. Hadn't she gotten over all this when crying to the Master? But she really has missed her father*
At least, one of the guards was. He was going to hurt him. I saved his life. I don't regret it.
*If he asks these questions, he's not going to like the answers...but he has to ask. He always asks questions.*
Why were they attacking him?
Revenge, I think. Everyone has enemies, don't they, Dad? We just accidentally ran into some of his.
*yup, that's one of those answers. He takes his arms from around her, takes her hands in his*
Knowing him, he did something to deserve it. He has enemies across all of time and space, Jenny. If you kill *he gets the definite impression things went beyond *hurt* in this instance* everyone who wants him dead, you'll have to kill whole planets. Genocide, someday. Everything dead at your hands. Stealing away the heritage of an entire people, the way yours was stolen.
*by me, it's his turn not to add*
You killed billions though!
*see? not so different!*
*of course, the Master would fill her in on that, wouldn't he?*
Oh, yes. But never because I wanted to. I let them die, billions of them, Jenny, to save trillions. Not to save one man. Not even to save myself. I died, Jenny, both times.
You still did.
*And never really bothered to tell her. At least, his other self never did.*
I did. *he kneels down, enough so he can look up at her, instead of down, still holding her hands* And I'll never be the same because of it. You're not a part of me, Jenny, you're a part of a better man than me, and I don't want to see you become what I am. Or the Master. You can do better.
*despite her pride, she disagrees with that. Jenny's a soldier, something her father despises, and that part of her won't ever go away*
I don't think I can.
*a little more of the soldier's stayed in this Doctor, more of the man who fought on the frontlines in the Time War—but, yes, it's a part he struggles with, a part encouraged by the drums, a part that shames him. He's not proud of the man his Ninth was, and the man he remains*
You're so young. Of course you can. Eleven regenerations left, Jenny. Think how many centuries. *he stands again, and puts a hand to one side of her face, pushes the hair back from it*
*the gesture makes her smile, just a bit*
Can't you travel with us, Dad? You seem to understand. You even seem to love me!
Please, Dad?
With *him?*
*she's surprised him into incredulousness, his thoughts on the ridiculousness of that idea clear, unguarded, in his voice*
No, no—that, that'd never work out.
*she looks clearly disappointed at that*
Oh.
*he's misstepped, he can tell, and he responds by making light of it*
Well, you know, him, you, I'd just be a—a third wheel. Kicking about the TARDIS, getting in the way.
*raised eyebrows and inquiry, the last hope that he can recover this situation*
You could come with me?
*her eyes go wide as she stares at him. Jenny's clearly conflicted*
I couldn't leave him... could I?
You said you could. Just, you know, a break. Different stars, different universe, different TARDIS. Different Doctor.
*he bounces on his heels, eyebrows way up on the top of his forehead, bit of a smile, watching her—come on, it'll be fun*
...just for a while, right?
Yep. Definitely. You can leave when*ever* you want.
*and, sure, he won't, you know, try to lock you into one of the TARDIS' back rooms if he thinks you're going back to the Master, Jenny. Certainly not. Picture of innocence here!*
Really?
*it's innocence she totally buys*
Cross my hearts, and hope to regenerate.
*possibly because he buys it, too, right at the moment! Time Lord ADHD is wonderful that way. He's off a few steps, tugging at her hand, ready to go*
Come on. Ever been to the planet Starbucks? No coffee, forests that go on far as the eye can see. Purple conifers. Beautiful. The windskiing's a treat.
*She still has his sonic screwdriver, but she lets him tug her along*
Never. It sounds nice! Is it nice, Dad?
Oi, nice! It's more than nice, it's brilliant!
Right, the stars our destination! Allons-y!
*if she goes along with it, he'll pull her into a full-fledged run, because his TARDIS is *right over there* and this is going to be fantastic, he's completely convinced*
Oh, can I have my screwdriver back?
jen_anomaly) bond over at sixwordstories. And fight. Which is how Time Lords bond, apparently.One of my favorite parts about this thread is the juggling around of the "Dad" title. It goes like this in my head:
Jenny: Dad!
W!Ten: NO, you don't happen in my universe >:| Weird pseudo-Gallifreyan clone freak. :P
Jenny: Dad, you're a bastard.
W!Ten: I'm not your Dad!
Jenny: I'm dating the Master.
W!Ten: HOSHIT. DON'T.
Jenny: You sound just like my Dad.
W!Ten: B|
*fighting sonic screwdriver punching Jenny 1 Doctor 0*
Jenny: You really aren't my Dad, are you?
W!Ten: I TOLD you.
Jenny: *sniffle*
W!Ten: D: Um, um. *hugs*
Jenny: Well, if you're aren't my Dad, I'll tell you all the things that pissed my Dad(s) off.
W!Ten: And since you aren't my daughter, I'll tell you all the things your Dad(s) didn't tell you because we have massive Issues.
*pause*
W!Ten: So, TARDIS, y/y/mfy?
Jenny: Aw, Dad.
W!Ten: \o/
Uncommon sources of psychic noise, anyone?
How can you tell, Dad?
*scratches at a sideburn, caught out* Dunno, really. Unusual. Not normal telepathic communication, not any of the psychic effluvia that just...sort of floats about. Not of the common.
Look, I'm not your "Dad." Maybe one of me is, but it's not me.
...what?
Missed that part of the training? Proper Time Lord communication, didn't come with the download?
*one of his others filled him in on who Jenny is, but he's still back in the whole 'not nice at all about it' phase his other was in at the beginning of "Doctor's Daughter"*
I'm from a different universe. You haven't happened for me. You'll *never* happen for me. *have that same half-angry half-distant denial you've probably run into before, Jenny*
*Yeah, that definitely hurts. Someone's gotten far too used to being loved by her father. So let's go for some classic teenage rebellion.*
There wasn't anything Time Lord about my inheritance and you know that!
I only learned about you at second hand. Jenny. *leans back against a wall, looking at her with that flat, removed expression, his body language stiff, rejecting. One of his hands, if she notices, begins to tap out a quick rhythm against the wall--1-2-3-4.* Jenny, that's not even a proper Gallifreyan name.
Donna named me. Do you know Donna?
*her eyes do flicker down to his hand, thoughtfully*
Why are you doing that?
No. Not personally. *and that's a bit of a sore point, since he knows his others have had Rose and Martha and Donna, and he's had no one*
*he stops abruptly, as soon as she points out the tapping* Doing what? *smooth!Doctor is smooth*
*shakes her head, frowning*
They don't belong to you.
*he pushes off the wall, because he has to *move,* to *react,* somehow, and strides towards her, eyes (and hair) wild*
They are not *his!*
*in a moment, it may occur to him to wonder how Jenny knows who else hears the drums. But not yet*
*stares up at him, unyielding. If she's going to be a goddess, she shouldn't show fear.*
Oh yes they are! They drive him. They're beautiful and they don't belong to you!
*certainly not anyone who won't bother having her exist in their universe*
*and he really wants to grab her by shoulders and shake her, but she's not *his,* he just finished telling her she's a poor copy of something that's gone out of the universe forever, gone almost entirely, and he should/shouldn't/should he? care*
*instead, he runs both hands back through his hair, grabs the back of his neck, frustrated*
They're a symptom! They're just a symptom. They don't belong to anyone.
*takes a step closer, scowling*
They're a part of him! How'd you get them, then?
I spent a very long time alone.
*and that stabilizes him a little bit, remembering, though not much. The rhythm's still there, in his fingers, in the angular tension of his movements, not quite as fluid as those of other Doctors.*
How do you know him? You shouldn't know him.
I shouldn't?
*giggles a little*
You sound just like him, you know. Dad from my universe. I've heard it all. He claims I've died.
No, you shouldn't—in both senses of the word—he's--
*he rubs at his eyes, trying to work out the timelines, none of which belong to him, some overheard and some borrowed out of one of his other's minds*
--dead. And you're dead. He held you both. While you died. But, multiverse, death's not stopping anyone here, infinite possibilities, everyone lives, everyone dies. Right. Worse than the drums, for headaches.
*and now he will try to take her arms, to lean in close and catch her eyes*
Listen to me.
I died and I lived. And no matter what he may claim, I'm still Jenny. I am, Dad.
*grins a little when he takes her arms and looks up at him without hesitation*
Are you going to tell me that I'm making a mistake, too? I love him. This isn't a mistake at all.
I'm *not* your-- *he stops himself, pinching the bridge of his nose, one hand still on her arm* Regeneration? You regenerated?
Yes. I am. You are. Listen. Whatever he's telling you, it's what he knows you want to hear.
*wait, stop the presses*
Love him? You *love* him?
Yeah!
I really, really love him, Dad.
*and it's rather obvious by the way her eyes shine as she admits to it; Jenny's fallen head over heels for the Master*
He's brilliant. He's going to teach me to be a Time Lady and a goddess and everything!
*oh, he's got your number, now, Master >:|*
A goddess. No one can be a goddess, Jenny. Time Lords, Time Ladies, we're still mortal. We make *mistakes.*
*he's got that intent oh-God-please-listen-to-me look*
He's lying to you. You need to get away from him.
*it's a look that makes her laugh; talk about a sudden change in personality! He actually sounds like her dad now*
Why would you care?
*that brings him up short for a moment. The briefest moment, a half-second while he realizes how quickly this conversation has changed. But only a moment, and that hesitation's gone*
"Because I'm the Doctor. Because I save people, and because you're not mine, but you're *his,* one of them, and he needs you. Jenny, he needs you, and the Master doesn't. He'll never need you."
*she shakes her head and her smile brightens*
I'm the last Time Lady. Of course my Master needs me!
*but her smile falters as she some of his words do get through to her; a flash of sadness crosses Jenny's eyes*
Dad doesn't though. If he did, he never would have left.
*he lets go of her arms, stepping back from her*
*Your* Master. *hands through the hair and pacing time again, because, augh, that is wrong on so many levels in his opinion*
*he stops pacing abruptly and spins back towards her*
He thought you were *dead.* We can't stay for everyone who dies. Jenny. Think. If we stopped to grieve, we'd never...we'd never stop.
I'm not everyone, though! I'm your daughter!
More reason we--he--oh-- *more mad hair rufflage, as pronouns fail him*
Everything we are, everything you're this--this echo of, Jenny, this one tiny amnesiac fragment of--it's gone. We did that. I did that, he did that, whichever one he is, and when he looks at you, he sees that. He *has* to see that.
If he wept for you, Jenny, he'd weep for all of them. All of them that are lost, and we've never stopped for that, because there's not enough *time* in the universe, do you understand?
He *had* to leave.
*the drums are back, in his fingers, in his eyes*
*stares up at him, unafraid and furious*
No.
No, that's just an excuse.
*oh, snap, someone is calling the Doctor out ;P*
It's *truth.*
No it isn't. Not when you were going to take me with you!
*watch it, Doctor; she's about ready to slap you*
*he needs slapping, sometimes*
You. Were. *Dead.* We don't stand vigil.
*then he gets it! hard enough to draw blood, too*
You knew better!
*oi, the power of the Gallifreyan slap! Ouch. He puts a hand to his face, his expression startled, incredulous, as though he hadn't seen that coming--and he didn't, despite all the signals, he never does*
*his first impulse is to grab her and hit her back, match the slap with one of his own, and he almost does, drawing back his hand to strike her. Then he catches himself, hears the drums urging him to that action, agreeing with it, and he stops, backs away from her a few steps, his face white*
It wasn't me. Jenny.
*she laughs, smiling manically as he catches himself. This is getting to be quite fun now that initial confusions are aside.*
Hit me back! Oh, I know you want to! I can see it in your eyes!
*the laugh and the smile hurt him. She shouldn't be enjoying this, she shouldn't be encouraging him*
No. I wouldn't...I never would. I never would. *he's lying, and he knows it, and it scares the hell out of him*
Come on. Come with me, let's get you back to your Dad.
*she's about to laugh again or respond with something equally as snarky when his last words hit home*
Dad won't take me back.
*it's said quietly, with a a clear frown on her face*
I've made my choice. I thought... you're not my father, right? You have my Master's drums. Don't you understand? At all?
No, I'm not him. But he'll take you back, if he sees you're in trouble, he'll help you. It's how he thinks. Please.
Understand what? *will evade this question, yus*
*a frustrated look*
My choice!
What? To stay with him because he's got a--a--tic in his brain?
*seeing that this conversation isn't getting either of them anywhere, the Doctor's going to slide a hand into his jacket pocket and get out his sonic screwdriver. Which has a few settings his others' don't have*
That's not it at all! He can teach me everything I need to know about being a Time Lady. Don't you understand how important that is to me?
And... and there's that other part of it, too! He's the only Time Lord I can fuck!
Yes, well, *he*— *i.e., the Doctor, the proper ones* —could teach you everything, too. Or I could try, if you won't have him. *as he adjusts a few settings on the screwdriver*
Except that last bit.
*screwdriver's all set now*
Right. Now, open your mouth and say, "ah."
*takes a step away, warily*
I love him!
Uh-huh.
*he does that tongue to the top of the mouth bit that he assumes when he's taking stock of a technical situation--hmmmm...--, looking down at the readings on his screwdriver, which he's now pointing at Jenny*
Good. *directed at the readings, apparently, not for Jenny and the Master >:|*
*he activates the screwdriver, the light on its end glowing green instead of blue. This Doctor has a few extra settings added into his screwdriver, one of them being something along the lines of "stun"—a brief blast of atomic energy which can disrupt most species' systems enough to incapacitate them briefly without killing or permanently harming them. Gallifreyans' radiation resistance gives the Hulk a run for his money, though, so chances are very high it won't work on Jenny, even though the Doctor's got it jammed right up to 11. She can feel free to react poorly—as in, punch him in the jaw, knock him out, anything. He's a wimp .-. *
*Her eyes go wide at the blast and she punches him hard in the jaw before attempting to steal the screwdriver from him*
What?
*The Doctor pretty much...crumples. Because the man gets by on *not getting hit,* and when he does get hit...he's out like a skinny alien light. If River Song could knock him out, then soldier Gallifreyans get perfect KOs right out of Street Fighter II.*
*so, hey, Jenny, have an unconscious Doctor and a screwdriver :D It's just like the other Doctor's, except with stun and kill atomic settings, isomorphically locked. Which means Jenny *might just* be able to use them, since she's very similar to the Doctor genetically. Oh, and those settings drain the power all to hell*
*She tilts her head curiously as she picks it up and begins to fiddle with it. Jenny never got a chance to use her father's. But if there's a setting that stuns, there should be a setting that wakes him up. So she keeps playing with it until she finds a setting that'll give him enough of a jolt to wake him back up*
*There are questions she wants answered*
*the setting that makes a noise like an eggbeater crossed with an irate duck would be it. Setting 39.5, if she's taking notes*
*he sits upright fast, and immediately winces, because, ouch, Time Lord, but that punch is going to leave a mark, thanks, Jenny. He rubs his jaw and tries to look like this is going According to Plan*
Give that back.
*He's quite welcome! Jenny's learned not to hold back; her Master's teaching her well. Her grip tightens on the screwdriver.*
Why did you do that to me?
I think *you* did something to me. Blimey, you're fast. *more contemplative jaw rubbing and than he holds out one hand for the screwdriver*
Come on, let's have that back.
No.
*takes a step back, hoping he doesn't see the tears in her eyes*
You tried to hurt me, Dad! And... and not like he does!
Why?
*gets to his feet, carefully, watching her—despite the punch, he's still arrogant enough that he's not worried about his own safety, just about spooking her*
Jenny. *he still has a hand out to her, waiting for her to hand the device over*
*oh, he didn't need to hear that, the bit about hurting, God*
*if it gets a reaction out of him, she's not above continuing. Not until she gets some sort of answer.*
I like it when he does that. It feels good then - really good. But this didn't feel good, Dad. I didn't like this.
*shakes her head, still refusing to give him back the sonic screwdriver*
Why did you want to hurt me?
Jenny. Stop talking.
*he doesn't want to hear it, between the blow to the head and the drums, he doesn't need his judgment going further off*
Then answer me!
I was trying to *help.* Listen, you think you love the Master, and I— *he rubs at the back of his neck* —I can't change that, not unless I can get you *away* from him. You're too close. He does that. He's *hurting* you, and you can't even see—
*okay, that's not where he wants to go. He nods to the screwdriver* It's non-lethal. Stun setting. Thought I could get past your biology, but, nope.
No luck. You're Gallifreyan, full-strength, congratulations.
I don't think it. I know it. I really, really love him, Dad.
*shakes her head, tears in her eyes*
Why can't you understand that? Why can't you accept it?
*here he came into this conversation convinced he was absolutely no relation to her except alternate-universe-genetically, and that's gone so far away now*
*hands in the air, the traditional 'I'm-not-a-threat' gesture, he's going to try to move closer to her, because he wants to comfort her. She's crying, and he made that happen, and can't he get anything right?*
I believe that you love him. Jenny, look at me. I believe that you love him, but I don't believe that he loves you.
*He can hug her but she's not letting go of the sonic screwdriver. In fact, she might just even collapse against him herself*
He will. He has to. He's so proud of me and I'm his little protege and... and he has to love me someday.
*he does hug her, realizing that he's setting himself up for hurt again. The longer this confrontation/conversation goes on, the more he cares and the more he wants her to be *his* to have been part of his universe. She really *is* Gallifreyan, and she *wants* that heritage. He could show it to her, be the father that didn't leave her behind. He's been alone so long. Family might be good. Tricky, difficult, but good.*
It doesn't work that way, Jenny. *he should know—throughout time, people have loved him, and he's left them*
But he promised he'd never leave me.
*unlike you goes unspoken*
*he closes his eyes and sighs into her hair. It's funny, but she *smells* right. Like she belongs to him. That brings back memories—the sweet new smell of infants, of watching children grow up, his, his children's children. Strong, clear sense memories*
What if you wanted to leave him? Oh, not now. Someday. When you're older and you're a goddess. Would he let you?
*a small nod against his chest; she clearly doesn't want to let go, not after all the arguments she's had with one of his look alikes*
I think so, yes. He might not love me, Dad, but I think he does care for me.
*he doesn't want to let go, either. Alternate envy is not a good place to be, but he keeps ending up there. He leans his face against the top of her head. Blonde. Huh. Well, he's been blonde before*
Is he having you hurt anyone?
*He has, interestingly enough! If he looks close enough, he might find she shares a lot in common with his fifth self*
I've hurt him. And... and there were those guards on Traken. But I did it to save him!
*Please, please don't let go, Dad*
*as long as she doesn't drag celery back in as a fashion accessory*
*that's the wrong answer. The one he was expecting, but not the one he wanted to hear. He pulls back from the hug, but not far, just enough that he can look down into her eyes*
You don't hurt the people you love. Not for pleasure.
Why did he need to be saved? *he tries to keep his tone neutral, but the edge is there--he suspects the Master and Jenny weren't exactly innocent parties*
But it's okay when he wants it, isn't it? Because... because it feels really good, Dad. It really...
They were attacking him.
*glances at him briefly before hiding her chest against him. Hadn't she gotten over all this when crying to the Master? But she really has missed her father*
At least, one of the guards was. He was going to hurt him. I saved his life. I don't regret it.
*If he asks these questions, he's not going to like the answers...but he has to ask. He always asks questions.*
Why were they attacking him?
Revenge, I think. Everyone has enemies, don't they, Dad? We just accidentally ran into some of his.
*yup, that's one of those answers. He takes his arms from around her, takes her hands in his*
Knowing him, he did something to deserve it. He has enemies across all of time and space, Jenny. If you kill *he gets the definite impression things went beyond *hurt* in this instance* everyone who wants him dead, you'll have to kill whole planets. Genocide, someday. Everything dead at your hands. Stealing away the heritage of an entire people, the way yours was stolen.
*by me, it's his turn not to add*
You killed billions though!
*see? not so different!*
*of course, the Master would fill her in on that, wouldn't he?*
Oh, yes. But never because I wanted to. I let them die, billions of them, Jenny, to save trillions. Not to save one man. Not even to save myself. I died, Jenny, both times.
You still did.
*And never really bothered to tell her. At least, his other self never did.*
I did. *he kneels down, enough so he can look up at her, instead of down, still holding her hands* And I'll never be the same because of it. You're not a part of me, Jenny, you're a part of a better man than me, and I don't want to see you become what I am. Or the Master. You can do better.
*despite her pride, she disagrees with that. Jenny's a soldier, something her father despises, and that part of her won't ever go away*
I don't think I can.
*a little more of the soldier's stayed in this Doctor, more of the man who fought on the frontlines in the Time War—but, yes, it's a part he struggles with, a part encouraged by the drums, a part that shames him. He's not proud of the man his Ninth was, and the man he remains*
You're so young. Of course you can. Eleven regenerations left, Jenny. Think how many centuries. *he stands again, and puts a hand to one side of her face, pushes the hair back from it*
*the gesture makes her smile, just a bit*
Can't you travel with us, Dad? You seem to understand. You even seem to love me!
Please, Dad?
With *him?*
*she's surprised him into incredulousness, his thoughts on the ridiculousness of that idea clear, unguarded, in his voice*
No, no—that, that'd never work out.
*she looks clearly disappointed at that*
Oh.
*he's misstepped, he can tell, and he responds by making light of it*
Well, you know, him, you, I'd just be a—a third wheel. Kicking about the TARDIS, getting in the way.
*raised eyebrows and inquiry, the last hope that he can recover this situation*
You could come with me?
*her eyes go wide as she stares at him. Jenny's clearly conflicted*
I couldn't leave him... could I?
You said you could. Just, you know, a break. Different stars, different universe, different TARDIS. Different Doctor.
*he bounces on his heels, eyebrows way up on the top of his forehead, bit of a smile, watching her—come on, it'll be fun*
...just for a while, right?
Yep. Definitely. You can leave when*ever* you want.
*and, sure, he won't, you know, try to lock you into one of the TARDIS' back rooms if he thinks you're going back to the Master, Jenny. Certainly not. Picture of innocence here!*
Really?
*it's innocence she totally buys*
Cross my hearts, and hope to regenerate.
*possibly because he buys it, too, right at the moment! Time Lord ADHD is wonderful that way. He's off a few steps, tugging at her hand, ready to go*
Come on. Ever been to the planet Starbucks? No coffee, forests that go on far as the eye can see. Purple conifers. Beautiful. The windskiing's a treat.
*She still has his sonic screwdriver, but she lets him tug her along*
Never. It sounds nice! Is it nice, Dad?
Oi, nice! It's more than nice, it's brilliant!
Right, the stars our destination! Allons-y!
*if she goes along with it, he'll pull her into a full-fledged run, because his TARDIS is *right over there* and this is going to be fantastic, he's completely convinced*
Oh, can I have my screwdriver back?
