The Doctor's Daughter
Prologue – The Long Way

The funny thing about going into the past is that you start realize just how much of a hand you actually had in the future as you knew it. All the things my loved ones left unsaid and the few they did say started to make sense to me and it was really mind-blowing to finally comprehend it in such a way. Donna was just the tip of the iceberg it would seem as my next mission would put me in charge of one of the two most uncontrollable, impulsive, trouble-prone people in the universe. The first is obviously the Doctor and the second…his daughter Jenny. All of his DNA wrapped up in a youthful, energetic body that simply did not know the terms 'boundaries' or 'caution'. Not that I'm in any position to point fingers but god she was exhausting especially when our time travel brought us a few months too early and she wouldn't let me take her forwards, preferring to wait it out by exploring the current galaxy and getting into more mayhem than anyone could possibly conceive. Perhaps I would have tried harder to reign her in if hadn't been for an unexpected appearance of someone when I went to get her.

Graestrom III, 6048

Guided by the diary, I was able to track down Jenny as she was exploring the planet. Unlike the last time, I really had to convince her of my identity and in doing so revealed a lot more than I had with the others. Jenny swore not to tell a soul and immediately began gathering all the things she'd acquired in her travels to come with me back to Earth to find the Doctor. We were collecting some food and other supplies in a local market when a tap on my shoulder caused me to jump and spin around. There before me stood Captain Jack Harkness in the flesh and he flashed me his trademark smile.

"Hey there Angel."

The name immediately told me he was from my time. "Uncle Jack!" I flung my arms around and he swung me circle just like when I was young. "Hang on a second, what are you doing here?" I gave him a stern look and he put me down to scratch his head.

"Yeah, couldn't resist coming. We're not tangling any timelines," he pointed out.

"Is the Doctor here too?"

"No, no, I came alone," he reassured me.

I laughed, "Does he know you've been messing with cheap time travel again?" I glanced at his face and he was smiling only a lot more sadly.

"I came the long way Angel," he admitted.

"But its 6048…" then I really looked at him. He was much older than I remembered. His hair was graying and there seemed to be more lines on his face. He held up his wrists to prove there were no manipulators and I could feel myself battling the urge to cry. "That means…Auntie…and everyone…even me…"

"Gone." Jack confirmed. He sniffed a bit but then added more brightly, "But we had a great run. All of us, it was worth it."

"Was it?" My voice cracked and I definitely knew I'd have to hide from Jenny for a bit. Uncle Jack just nodded and I threw my arms around him. He held me close and a few tears did manage to escape making me cling to him harder.

"Hey none of that," he whispered. "Come on," he pulled away and wiped my face. "It's not so bad, it's life. People come and go."

"I just never thought about you…being alone…I'm so sorry Uncle Jack," I sniffed. I wasn't too sure why this was upsetting me so much but just the thought of our weird family-type situation being over really stung.

"I'm okay, I wanted a chance to see you again," Jack tilted my face to examine me. "You've got a couple of good ones coming but I really liked this face the best. So many wonderful times…all of them ahead of you. Enjoy it okay, have some fun, make the most of it." He nodded to Jenny a few stalls down from us. "We've got all this time on our hands, don't waste it."

"I won't," I promised.

"I should go Angel," he started backing away. "You'll see me soon I expect."

"What about you?" I called back.

"I'm sure I'll find someone to occupy my time," Jack winked and I had to laugh a bit, then just like that he was gone. I thought maybe this was a sign I'd succeeded, if he'd been able to find me or who knew, maybe he got the diary somehow and followed it like I did. I wasn't sure but I did start to appreciate all that was happening. So even now, going on all these side adventures as we slowly make our way to Earth, I can't bring myself to rush it. I think in the end, regardless if we time travel or not, we should make the most of every second since we're all really going the long way.