Forged in Ice (Doctor Who AU Novel)

Chapter 32 The Gift

A hot, mid-August breeze blew through London, reminding everyone of the days of the drought the summer before. The planet still struggled with the effects of Davros' insanity and the Cybermen pressing themselves across the barriers to universe prime. The sticky heat made the longing for Scotland all the more desperate. They were going home, hopefully- finally- on Monday. Daniel had taken to calling it D-day for delivery day. He glanced over his shoulder at the crowd of people inside his flat, mostly women, and huffed. It wasn't that he minded the people coming to Jackie's party; he didn't -- much. 

A sense of unease, mixed with an increasing restlessness, made the  two and half weeks since the events on the island and the birth of the babies a challenge. If they stayed in London much longer, disaster would no doubt strike. All he wanted was to leave the smog, smells and noise of the city behind; breathe clean air and walk the glen. More than that, he wanted to take his sons out into the night, show them the stars, and then sit in front of the TARDIS, weaving tales of the coming days when she would take them to other worlds. What he didn't want was all that chattering and cooing coming from inside the flat from women who generally viewed him as dense.

Standing on the small balcony, looking out at the only view available, Daniel tried to ignore the fact that two of his enemies had commandeered his sons and pinched Robbie's cheeks until he begged Addie to let him take Finn for a romp in the park. All the while, he had to smile in their faces and play host. He blew a breath and turned his attention to studying the city, half expecting to see a spaceship come crashing through the atmosphere. From his vantage point, his imagination provided him with more of a distraction than the actual skyline. Even If he turned just right, the most interesting thing to see was the London Bridge. He'd stayed too long. 

"Hey," 

Daniel jumped slightly, startled by Jan Harkness' sudden appearance. "Hi, didn't expect anyone to come to hunt me down," he said with an arched eyebrow. Even though she was dating Gail, he'd not really expected her to show at this little soiree. 

"I've got the final report." She waved the manilla envelope at him. "Don't worry, it's the only copy and no one else has seen it."

"Thanks, it's been a bit hard to stand back on this one," he said, accepting the envelope. 

"Daniel, I know we butt heads on how we view --"

"Off-worlders," he supplied.

"Right, off-worlders, but you have to know I want the best for you and your sons."

"Can I tell you something, something I've never told anyone?"

Jan pulled a face in confusion. "Um, sure, I guess."

"You remind me of another Harkness. There's a couple of differences. For one, he's a he and you're not, and for another, he's immortal, and ... you're not, but both of you are a force to be reckoned with."

"He's immortal? Really? Daniel, that's a bit much -- even for you."

"It's a long story. The point is, when the Doctor first encountered him after the incident that made him it that way, it physically hurt to be next to Jack. That's his name -- Jack. It was -- a prejudice issue a bit too. Even Time Lords have them. When I met you, you flashed those blue eyes with that same fire he has. You marched in with the same urge to wield a scalpel the way he did a gun. And -- you do like to party like he does. I can well imagine the trouble you would create if you could travel through time. It's not that I don't like you, I do. You... are a good friend, and I know you have their best interests and mine at heart. It's just when I see you, I hear him and I remember ..."

"What you've lost."

"Yeah, I guess." He half grinned. "Anyway, I haven't looked beyond the basic labs, what's the final?"