A/N:I know, don't hate me, it's been forever and I'm sorry. I spent 2 months just catching up to all 9 seasons of Supernatural and have been really distracted, so sorry guys :( BUT not to fear, school is almost over and I'll be updating waayyy more frequently now! Hopefully this long chapter will make up for the wait! The problems in the story are just beginning...

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Chapter 13: Red

"Woah Daddy! Look at all these lights!" Jenny marveled at the brightly lit up clothing store.

The Doctor held his daughters hand with River on her other side as they walked through the shopping plaza the cab driver had told them about. He said that there'd be a fantastic restaurant a block away and dropped them off. River handed him the cash (that she had 'stolen' earlier with a kiss) and they headed down through the shopping center, crowded with people, music, and other noises.

"Now Jenny, the one rule is you can't leave my hand or my sight, okay?" He confirmed.

She nodded her head and grinned as they continued walking down the plaza sidewalk in attempt to get all the way to the other side where the restaurant was.

"Ohhh Daddy! Can I please try that dress on?!" She stopped and stared at a display of a red, sleeveless dress with ruffles everywhere.

"Jenny we've really got to-"

"But PUH-LEEZ DADDY!" she begged, "All the other girls get to go shopping with their mummy's and daddy's! I've never been shopping eva'! Please just take me this one time!" She stuck out her bottom lip and clutched onto his Tweed sleeve.

River opened her mouth to protest but The Doctor couldn't help but give in, "Aww come on darling, let's go in!" He gripped her hand and the two hurried in together, River rolling her eyes and smirking, following close behind.

They scanned through racks and racks until they found the dress on display that the young seven year old so desperately wanted. They came in a variety of colours, and sizes. The Doctor, who had never been shopping for little girls before, picked out random dresses of and color and tried to find Jenny's size first,

"Ermm... uhh..." the Timelord grabbed a dress and tried to wrap it around her to see if it covered the front half (mathematically speaking if half covered the front than the other half should cover the back.)

"No Daddy! Look how big this is on me! It's too long and wide! It'll be draping around me like a wedding dress!"

The Doctor tensed, they were discussing weddings already?! After repetitively awkwardly trying to fit a dress around her, he wound up matching her body to about a 6-9 in girls.
Next, The Doctor picked out the red dress for her, exactly the one she had wanted.

"'Ere ya go Jenny!" He showed her the bright dress, "This the one you wanted right?"

Jenny thought for a moment and skipped around the rack, River smiled and stood next to her husband, eager to see what impulsive thing his daughter would do this time.

"Daddy I don't want red anymore!" She said as she came around the other side of the rack, "I want this one!"

The Doctor and River gaped, "why'd you pick this colour?" River asked curiously, she was testing her.

"Hmm... I dunno, I just love this colour, it's my new favourite. And I don't want any other shade; this one is the best one! It's the prettiest one in the entire galaxy! Can I get this one instead of red?!" She exclaimed.

Blue. The Doctor shook his head and couldn't wipe the wide grin off his face. And it wasn't just any blue; TARDIS Blue, the perfect blue. Jenny's favourite colour was TARDIS BLUE...

"We're definitely getting that one Jenny..." The Doctor placed the red one back on the clothing rack, taking the blue one from her hand and headed towards the checkout.

"Aw come on! Buy one for the 'ittle girl!" The man pleaded.

"Sorry chap but not today, thanks anyways!" The Doctor scurried on past, Jenny's fingers intertwined with his.
The busy shopping plaza was also filled with vendors at small little carts, selling light up toys or glowing bouncy balls, anything to attract a child's attention.

"This reminds me of the one time we went to Disney together," River murmured in The Doctors ear as they pushed their way through the crowds in front of the string of vendors, trying to get to the other side where the restaurant was.

"Oh my, don't even remind me!" The Doctor rolled his eyes, "I mean I still don't understand why the Ganstorama's would try to take over a theme park!" He squinted, clearly annoyed.

"I KNOW!" River agreed and smiled.

Jenny stared up at the adults conversing; she didn't like it one bit. They continued to walk and the two continued talking, The Doctor hardly even glancing down at her! Wasn't she the most important girl to her dad? She was, all those years ago, so who does this River woman think she is? Coming in, marrying and pulling her and her dad apart! They were making jokes and telling stories and laughing away with one another. Jenny was infuriated... River was stealing her dad away from her! Jenny could not let that happen... ((Read this part in a posh British accent to make it sound cool) Keep in mind that Jenny is in fact seven, mentally anyways, her childish desires and pouty faces are not meant to be in character)

"Ooohhh look Dad!" She pointed to a Spinney light toy at vendor nearby, "I want one!" She left his hand and raced towards the cart.

"Jenny!?" The Doctor panicked and shouted her name as she instantly disappeared into the sea of people.

The Doctor and his wife called for her repeatedly but couldn't see her anywhere…

"Oh yes! I do like that one!" She pointed to a green one that flashed pink and blue when a button was pressed.

"You do darling?" The man with whitish-blond hair said mischievously, narrowing his eyes at her, "Now tell me, where's your mummy and daddy?"

"My daddy's somewhere over there," she pointed about 10 feet away from her, but honestly she couldn't see them either and was starting to worry if her attention needy actions had been the smartest idea.

"How about you wait here until he comes..." he smiled wickedly, "now what's your name?"

"Jenny!" She smiled.

"And how 'bout your daddy's name?"

Jenny beamed, "My daddy's name is The Doctor!" She said proudly.

The vendors smile grew, "Well that sounds like a brilliant title, marvelous in fact. Ya know darling, you'll need soldiers, but what good are they if they die? You'll always need a doctor, we'll need them 'til the end of the world, or the end of time..." he pointed out.

The girl practically ignored his last comment and instead focused on finding her father.
Jenny's heart skipped a beat when she saw the two of them standing a few stores away.

Jenny spun around to place the light up toy back on the cart but the man smiled and said, "No no, its okay little girl, you can keep it, go ahead and take it free of charge!" He waved his hand dismissively.

Jenny smiled wide, "Thank you sir!" She raced off before her father could leave her sight again.

Before The Doctor could scold her, she turned herself in, "IM SO SO SORRY DADDY! I DIDN'T MEAN TO WANDER OFF I PROMISE THAT I WON'T DO IT AGAIN!" she gripped his hand and pleaded as guilty with tears in her eyes, "...please forgive me..." she whimpered.

"Jenny," The Doctor lifted her into his arms and spoke in a quiet voice, "I told you not to let go of my hand and this is exactly why. How do you think I would feel if I lost you again?" He questioned. She shook her head like she understood what he was trying to say.

"Gotcha, from now on, my hand is always in yours," Jenny confirmed.

"'Atta girl!" He chuckled and propped her back on her feet.
Her hand went directly to her dads and their fingers interlocked; he beamed at her, "say, how'd you get that toy?"

"One of the guys just gave it to me for free," she shrugged.

The Doctor nodded and smiled.
They continued moving through the crowd of shoppers until River finally pointed out the restaurant they were headed to.

They walked into the luxurious looking room, gold and red everywhere. The place looked like something out of a rich French movie, average height ceilings, circular tables with candles and flowers and such.
A man in a tux came up to them and escorted the three to their seats, a Booth near a window which gave a beautiful view of a small garden and a lit up fountain. Sadly the Booth was shaped in a half circle and their backs would be facing the window.

Jenny and River were seated on opposite sides of the table with The Doctor in the middle of the two.

"I like your... umm... friend..." Jenny smiled at the man in the tux.

The waiter raised an eyebrow, "Friend Madame?"

"Ya, the little guy on you face-"

"No Jenny, that's a mustache..." River whispered in attempts to be nice and look like a "Parent."

"Ohhhh sorry!" Jenny blushed and the waiter nodded in understanding, "I like your mustache," she corrected, pronouncing it more like "mo ."

The adults laughed and The Doctor ruffled Jenny's blond hair that was still tied back in a ponytail. She was still wearing her dark green pants and shirt with bruises and scars all over her arms and legs with some dirt and such smeared on her calves.

The Doctor and River looked properly dressed for the restaurant but Jenny on the other hand... well, no matter, she was fine the way she was but the question is: how did she become the way she is? Why did her clothes and body look so torn and tattered? Questions flooded The Doctors' mind, he hadn't noticed the polite waiter handing them their menu's asking him again what he wanted to drink.

"Sir...?" He asked again.

"I know what I want!" Jenny exclaimed, "I want the fruitiest, fizziest, sweetest, most sparkling drink you have!"

The waiter smiled and scribbled it down, "And I'll take the alcohol version of that..." River smirked.

"Just water for me thanks," The older Timelord said simply.

"Alright, I'll leave you to your menus then!" The formally dressed waiter beamed and walked off.
They ordered lavish food, Jenny constantly interrupting River and cutting short any attempt of conversation between her father and his so-called "wife," Jenny still wasn't convinced that River was the "mother" type.

The drinks had come shortly after and meanwhile The Doctor tried to fill Jenny up on what he had been doing for the past few years, where he'd been travelling after Donna and Martha… still hesitant on asking where she had been these last few years.

"Here you go darlin', your pasta…" The waiter handed her a medium sized plate full of spaghetti, "The Lobster ravioli for you Madame," he placed it in front of River, "And the small Cesar salad for you sir, I hope you all enjoy," He nodded politely and left.

The three began eating their meals but Jenny picked up her spoon and tried to scoop up the strings and sauce… but it just didn't seem to work…

The Doctor smiled to himself, "Jenny, I think it would be easier if you used this fork…" He handed one to her.

"But what good would a fork do? There's nothing to grab or stab…" She seemed truly confused.

"Look, let me show you…" He said calmly and twirled the fork around in a circle until there was a big clump of pasta, "See?"

Jenny's' eyes widened in amazement, "Wow! I never knew you could do that!" She gaped.

The Doctor and his daughter giggled, he stuck the fork in her mouth and let her indulge the taste of the exquisite dish. For a while, because he was a Timelord and was rarely hungry, he forgot about his food and went on feeding her, like a mother feeding a 2-year old its' food. He would gather the pasta and wave it around playfully, before it finally reached her mouth and she'd grin with a sense of accomplishment every time the fork would land in between her teeth.

Dinner went on happily, River not saying much but trying to. At first she'd try to talk to the Doctor, but seeing that he and Jenny were too involved in one another and not letting her speak anyways, she stayed mostly silent. River tried to speak to him through her eyes but he would not lift his head to meet hers; she needed to tell him something important…

"…And that's when She finally had to go…" The Doctor said with difficulty as he told Jenny yet another one of his many stories with Amy and Rory.

"So She was a human for a while? The T.A.R.D.I.S was actually in a human body!?" Jenny asked, astonished.

"Yes… she was…" he cleared his throat, trying to stifle his emotions of the bittersweet memory.

"Tell me daddy, what was she like? Was she beautiful?"

"Oh yes…"

"Was she sweet and funny?"

"Definitely…"

"Was she everything you wanted?"

"And more…" he smirked.

"Oh Daddy, how I wish to see the T.A.R.D.I.S! When can you show me? I didn't get to see it last time…" She mumbled that last part.

"All in good time darling," He laughed and ruffled her hair, "But that time'll be coming very soon, I promise," He winked.

There was a brief but comfortable silence as the same waiter came and took their empty dishes away. River took this chance to speak,

"Erm, Doctor? Could I have a word with you?" She eyed Jenny and gave a fake grin, "Alone…?"

"Uh sure, of course love… Jenny! How 'bout you go over to the washroom and freshen up a bit eh? Wash your hands, put on make-up, and all that other girly stuff?"

Jenny rolled her eyes and smiled, "Dad, even if I was like 18 last time, I'm barely 7 now, and make-up is gross anyways…" Jenny giggled and stood on her feet.

"Don't take too long in there; you've still got to stay in my sights…" The Doctor narrowed his eyes as a smile played across his lips. He placed a quick kiss on her forehead and she skipped off, heading towards the women's restroom.

Jenny swung open the heavy door and skidded to a halt when she came in, there wasn't anyone in the beige coloured room except a blonde woman who took Jenny by surprise.

"Ello," Jenny beamed and tried to walk past her to a stall but she stood in front and blocked the child, "Excuse me…" Jenny stepped to the right to walk around, but the blonde blocked her yet again and laughed a little, Jenny thought the woman odd…
"…Jenny? Isn't it?" The blonde asked.

Jenny's eyes widened and her eyes finally met the other blondes, her eyes sparkled a marvelous auburny-hazel and became clearer as she knelt down to Jenny.

"H…how do you know my name…?" The young girl was a little scared.

"Oh I know so much more than your name darling…"

The Doctor leaned in, "The only time I've heard of the body regenerating into a smaller form is when one of the vital organs has become too small to sustain itself..."

"Well why wouldn't it be able to?"

"Accidents and fighting and such..." The Doctor trailed off for a second thinking of the old Jenny in battle, "...when a person would get, I dunno, terribly wounded or something like that... like suppose you were fighting and you get stabbed in the heart, almost dead center through it… and the rest of your body was so badly injured, the body didn't have time to wait for a regeneration, it had to fix itself immediately. But you see, one of the key elements to Timelords and regeneration IS our hearts, so if only half of your heart could be saved, then it would form a body where that half heart is big enough to suffice as a whole… compromising the other organs to help the suffering body part, back to scenario where you were stabbed, your body would shrink some fit organs like your brain and muscle to fix your heart, not compromising memories, just storing them away and making your mind think like the age of the body…"

"So you're saying something like that might've happened to Jenny?"

"Well that's not exactly what I'm saying..."

"No Doctor… there's something that girls not telling us about..." River narrowed her eyes. She whipped out the notebook again, flipping through pages she had read earlier and trying to prove her point.

"See? And here they mention the 'small white being' behaving uncooperatively…" River shoved the notebook over to the Timelord.

"But none of this you're showing me hard proof! I mean why would you even think that that any of this could be possible!?" He threw his hands in the air.

"Doctor, you're only hearing what you want to hear… Amy and I have discussed this, you've got to consider the possibility that Jenny isn't as normal as you think she is…"

"She's my daughter and she's perfectly fine!" The Doctor almost raised his voice.

"Look Doctor, look!" She pointed straight down at a rough sketch of a human girl, "She's the only thing we know to have been down there and for heaven knows how long! If she's been down there for years, she could've been the test subject for dozens of experiments! You said it yourself, the homo-reptilia are fond of trial and error, they even wrote that on a page in here…" she flipped to another page to show him, "the scientist you talked about, the Silurian, Malohkeh, he and his entire family spent their whole life trying to understand the humans, and what if the ones down there assumed she was one? They don't know, they could've done countless things to her and damaged her in ways you can't heal—"

"Shut up River, just shut up—"

"No, I won't sweetie!" she scoffed, "We need answers! And the only one who can give them to us is Jenny! No matter how harsh or terrifying the memory, she has to find a way to recall it all…" River finally softened her tone and clasped her husbands' hand in hers to soothe him, "Can't you see I'm doing this for her own good? That I'm just trying to help her, stop the problem before it starts, if Jenny's in danger we need to know as soon as possible…"

"I know… I know…" He sighed and nodded his head like he understood, "It's just last time she died and I didn't get to spend as nearly as much time as I wanted with her, and now that she's back and safe with me… I just want her to be okay… I don't want there to be anything wrong, I just want her to be a happily perfect child…" his voice died down as Jenny drew nearer with a wide grin on her face; River slipped the book under the table.

"Daddy, I have a message for you!"

"Uhh… a message? For me?" He squinted in confusion and she nodded yes, "A message from whom?" He asked as she sat down next to him.

"It's like a fairy tale daddy!" Jenny clapped, "But it has a mystery to it!"

The Doctor and River exchanged bewildered glances so Jenny continued.

"Here's the exact message that she told me to deliver to you:

'Hello again Doctor… I can't say much and can't stay long but I need you to know this Doctor, it's starting… it's happening right now because he's risen and he's got a terrible plan, I know it. We sent help but don't know if it'll arrive in time, just be warned Doctor and be careful… The current project can't be stopped.'

…And that's all she said…" Jenny stared at the two awe-struck adults, "...are you guys alright?"

Rivers' expression was a frozen shock and The Doctors was a still, fearful one, questions bombarding their minds one after another.

After much thought and a several minute pause, The Doctor finally gained the strength to ask again, "A message from whom, Jenny?"

Jenny shrugged, "Well she didn't tell me her name but she said to remind you of Little Red Riding Hood… I don't know what she means but I love that story, don't you dad!?"

A/N: .:Tyler:.

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