The Daughter of Gallifrey

13: The Captain's Eyes

"Doctor, I'm not so sure about this," Rory said, fidgeting with the hat that the Doctor had jammed on his head moments ago. The Time Lord straightened his bow tie confidently and clapped Rory on the shoulder.

"Oh, it'll all be fine, you'll see. Two minds remember?" He tapped his head and gestured out to nowhere in particular, meaning Caroline's mind as well. The incredulous look on Rory's face did not change however and he gestured down at his outfit, black pants and a red collared shirt with a pizza logo on the right side of his chest.

"I'm dressed as a pizza delivery man, Doctor! A pizza delivery man!" He threw his hands up in the air in surrender to the absurdity of his situation. "This is ridiculous! How-"

"Oh, hush, Mr. Williams, it'll work just fine," Caroline assured him as she descended the steps to join them by the TARDIS console, holding two flat take away boxes, which were packed with the deliciously greasy Italian pies that would solidify Rory's disguise.

"How'd she do?" The Doctor inquired as Caroline handed off the warm boxes to the dubious Rory.

"Practically perfect, I'd say. She's rather good at pizzas, Doctor," Caroline replied, patting the edge of the TARDIS controls appreciatively. "Thanks again, girl," she added under her breath. The TARDIS hummed, maybe a bit more proudly than usual.

"I bet she enjoyed it, I rarely ever use the kitchen in here, I prefer the ready-made cuisine of Earth mostly, though occasionally Hyspero, sometimes Barcelona-the planet, not the city-though Spaniards do make this incredible sort of-"

"Doctor, getting sidetracked-" Caroline interrupted, raising her eyebrows and glancing in his direction.

"Sorry, right. The plan." Rory nodded, clearly eager to hear the Time Lords' idea again, as though maybe it would sound less crazy the second time."We're in Cardiff, right above the Rift. It's been a while, but the Captain's branch of Torchwood operated here last time I checked. All you do, Rory, is walk out the TARDIS, with the pizzas in hand, and there's a building straight ahead-can't miss it-so just go up and-"

An unexpected trio of firm thuds made the Doctor's next word catch in his throat.

"-knock."

The three of them turned their heads to peer at the TARDIS's front door, where the pounding had originated, each seeming to hold their breath.

"Who could-" Caroline began, but a voice from outside cut her off.

"DOCTOR." The thudding sounded again as the Doctor straighten up in recognition of the shout, "DOCTOR, ARE YOU IN THERE?" He leaped forward all the sudden, bolted toward the doors, and swung open them in a grand, sweeping gesture.

"CAPTAIN!" The Doctor exclaimed as a tall man in a long, dark trenchcoat wrapped his arms around the Time Lord's spindly frame. An unrestrained grin stretched across the other man's face as he pulled away from the Doctor, perhaps noticing that this man before him didn't even resemble the man he had once known by the same name.

Caroline recognized her father immediately, and her hearts skipped a beat or two in anxiety as she gawked at him.

"Got a new face again, don't you, Doctor?" He stepped back further to thoroughly look the Time Lord up and down. "And it's not all bad either," he added, winking. The Doctor cleared his throat at Jack's flirtatious comment.

"None of that, Captain," he scolded, wagging his finger at Jack, "I'm married now, see here!"

"I don't have a clue what you're talking about, Doc." The captain chuckled, patting the side of the Time Lord's face and walking past him, eyeing Rory in a manner that made the brown-haired man's cheeks reddened. "And who is this dashing young pizza boy?" Rory fidgeted with the boxes still in his arms and tried hard not to look this newcomer in his handsome face.

"Captain Jack Harkness." The captain extended his arm to shake Rory's free hand, while sporting an overly friendly grin.

"Um, yes, hello. Lovely to meet you. Rory. Rory Williams," he replied meekly, like a bashful schoolboy greeting the headmaster or some other prominent figure. "Not actually a pizza boy though..." Caroline didn't quite understand his nervousness and was still frozen in place as she basked in the happiness of seeing her father in person for the very first time.

"No, no, he's taken as well." The Doctor followed Jack up to where the others stood. "A very feisty one, he's got. Ginger, in fact. Name's Amelia."

"Oh, Doctor, what's happened to you? Married and traveling with married companions? Where's the fun in that?" As his gaze trailed away from Rory's awkward figure, he found Caroline's wide eyes staring back at him.

"So young, Doc! Whisking away school girls now, are we?" Jack gave the Doctor a look which was quickly dismissed by the Time Lord's disgruntled expression and hasty reply.

"Ah, this is my dear friend Caroline Thomas. She's here under, um, well, special circumstances, you might say.'

"Well then, kid, nice to meet you. Captain Jack Harkness." He reached out his hand the same as he did for Rory, but Caroline found that her body wasn't listening to her head. She wanted to return his greeting, shake his large hand, do something; alas she was struck mute and statue-like in his gaze. His smile wavered, but it didn't fade.

"A quiet one you've got here," Caroline heard him mutter to the Doctor.

"Well, her silence is rather justifiable, seeing as her circumstances, Captain. You see, her life's recently taken a quite sudden and very unforeseenly complex turn." The Doctor began to pace. "Actually, it slightly has to do with you-not really sure how to say this-I wonder if you-"

Caroline finally found her tongue and regained control, her excitement bursting from her chest in sudden words.

"I'm your daughter-"

And she lost her nerve as quickly as it had seized her. Caroline had gone extremely pale and looked dangerously on the verge of collapsing, her body trembling fiercely. Rory shuffled closer to her, not touching her, but comforting her nonetheless with his proximity.

Jack's eyebrows ascended high on his forehead, and the Doctor came up beside him, holding out a finger as if it was needed to get his attention.

"That's basically what I was getting at, Captain. Now there's some things that led us to believe this, she-" The Doctor's words faded away as he noticed Jack wasn't listening anyways. He had locked eyes with the quivering girl and gradually lowered himself to her level, until he knelt on the floor in front of her, his thick coat crumpled around him.

"My daughter, you say?" His hands moved excruciatingly slowly, spanning the distance between them, and found their place on both sides of her face, just on her jaw bone. They were gentle and strangely familiar, though Caroline had never been held by them before, she was sure. Rory looked from the Doctor to Caroline and Jack and then back.

"Yes," the Doctor answered tentatively, uncertain of what Jack's next reaction might be. Rory was even more lost, having never before met this odd man and not having the slightest idea what to expect.

Caroline was vaguely aware that she was holding her breath, and quickly exhaled before she fainted from asphyxiation. She saw her father's crystal blue eyes begin to glisten from the tears that swelled up.

Her eyes might not have mirrored his in color, but the pain and strength and overwhelming mirth in them was an exact reflection.

"Hi, dad."