Meant to Be (TARDIS Family Adventures: Part 1)

Chapter 17: Miracle in Chiswick

Chapter Summary: The TARDIS team have a reunion with Syvlia and Wilf-- and Sylvia leaves everyone speechless.

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...Previously...

It was late afternoon when Jack stepped out of the TARDIS, just in time to be almost tackled in a hug by his two teammates. "Well hello to you, too!" He grinned and placed a kiss on each of their foreheads. "First, tell me, how long has it been?"

"It's only been two hours since the TARDIS dragged us back into orbit." Ianto answered.

"Hah!" Jack cheered. "You hear that, Doc! We did it!" Jack yelled over his shoulder into the open door of the TARDIS."

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The Doctor stepped down out of the TARDIS and looked around with a grin. "Fantastic!" He then reached his hand back in the door in time for Scarlett to take it and step down out of the ship as well. "Scarlett, welcome to Earth, early 21st century."

Scarlett, Jacob, and Donna were each personally introduced to Ianto and Gwen by Jack. Then the Captain turned to the Doctor. "Alright, Doc. Where do we start?"

"We start with a ride to Chiswick. Donna needs to see her family. We have a lot of explaining to do, about several things," he said, his eyebrows raised as he rubbed the back of his neck in worry. The thought of explaining to Sylvia that his daughter was now an alien and was in love with his twin brother brought fear to both his hearts. But he owed it to both of them to be there when explanations were made.

The expression on Jacob's face was almost identical to the Doctor's. Jack chuckled as the Doctor's twin rubbed the back of his neck in a similar fashion the Doctor did when he was worrying over something. "Alright, Doc. I'll drive you all there. Gwen." He turned to her as he said, "Get in touch with Doctor Martha Jones at UNIT. Let her know the Doctor is back and we have a team ready to assist with any emergency clean-up efforts. We can start—" He glanced at the Doctor and Jacob, then to Donna, assessing the situation, before looking back to Gwen. "—first thing in the morning. This group is going to need some time in Chiswick before they get started."

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Almost three hours later a black SUV pulled up outside the Mott/Noble home. She smiled as she looked at the house. At the sound of car doors closing, she saw the curtains shift and Sylvia stick her head between to see who was outside. Her hand went to her mouth when she saw Donna. Donna waved excitedly and ran towards the door as she saw the curtains fall back in place. The Doctor stayed close behind her, having told Jacob to hang back a moment.

The door to the house swung open hurriedly and Sylvia stepped out, Wilf on her heels. "Donna! Love!" Donna ran towards her and met her at the door, embracing her in a hug.

"Mum!" She held her mother close for a moment before releasing her and turning towards the older man. "Gramps!"

"You were up there! You saved us, didn't you Doctor!" Wilf turned his attention to the Time Lord who had stepped up next to Donna. "The Earth moved! And then those tin can monsters—then we were back and they were gone! That was you and Donna, wasn't it, Doctor!"

The Doctor grinned at Wilf, the man who held a special place in his hearts. "Oh yes, Wilf. Your granddaughter saved us all. And we had some help getting the Earth back in its place—from a few friends." He held out his hand, moving their attention to the other three people who stepped up: Jacob, Scarlett, and Jack.

Two of them, however, were looked over. It was Jacob who took their attention. The eyes of both Sylvia and Wilf widened, their jaws dropping. Sylvia gasped in surprise, "Oh. My. God! There's two of you!"

"Mum, I think we should all go in and sit down. We'll explain everything." Donna linked arms with her mother and guided her back into the house, turning to glance at Jacob with a smile, opening her mind to him and sending him loving thoughts. It will be okay, love. Just give her time.

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An hour later, with the Doctor and Donna providing most of the explanation, Sylvia and Wilf had been brought up to speed on everything that had happened since their encounter with Rose and the Subwave Network transmission they had witnessed. Silence fell over the room for a long moment. Jacob gulped nervously, his hand fiddling with the napkin that sat in front of him on the table.

"And one last thing." Donna reached over and took Jacob's hand in hers, their fingers intertwining. The act made Sylvia's eyes widen again. "Mum, Gramps-- Jacob and I, we care very deeply about each other. We're still figuring out exactly what to call it, but we know we want to be together."

"But, you and the Doctor," Wilf questioned. "You said you were just friends."

"Yes, the Doctor and I are the best of friends." Donna smiled at the Doctor, then turned her gaze on Jacob, who was staring down at the napkin in front of him. "But Jacob isn't the Doctor, he is his own person, he is unique. And he loves me." Jacob turned his attention up to her at the sound of her words. They hadn't exactly expressed it so directly yet, but it was true. "And I love him."

Sylvia took a deep breath. This was the moment of her reckoning. With all that had happened that day, she had been doing a lot of thinking. About Donna: Her daughter. The girl—woman-- she had so desperately worried about her whole life. And she never seemed to express that concern, or her love, in the right way. It always seemed to come out as criticism, even though she genuinely did know her daughter was brilliant. She was her daughter! And she thought about the Doctor: the man who had taken her daughter away, who she now realized had saved the Earth numerous times just in the time her daughter had known him. He had changed her, he had helped make her realize what a brilliant woman she really was. And now there was this new man, this other Doctor. Jacob.

She looked to the Doctor, choosing her next words carefully. "So, to go over it again, you all saved the Earth, and all of reality, Donna became an alien and—Jacob—was formed out of your hand. You pulled the Earth back to its proper place four hours ago, but for you it's been six months, because you've been on another planet." She looked at Scarlett. "A planet that you were the queen of till today." Then she looked back at the Doctor. "And now you are back. With my alien daughter, and her alien boyfriend, who happens to look identical to you."

The Doctor gulped. He wasn't sure if Sylvia's calm demeanor was a good thing, or if it was the calm before the storm. His voice came out in a squeak, "I'd say that's a good summary, yes."

Sylvia took another deep breath and looked over at her father, who was anxiously waiting to see what her final reaction would be. She gave a barely perceptible shake of her head as a small smile formed on her face and she took a deep breath. "Well, I'd say we could all do with a fresh cuppa, don't you? Jack, why don't you come help me."

The four household visitors and Donna looked between each other in shock, before Jack turned to Sylvia with his widest smile. "Yes, ma'am!"

Jacob cleared his throat, glancing around before looking back to Wilf. "Why don't Donna and I help clean up the mess from the earthquake?"

"Oh, that'd be wonderful, lad! Doctor, could you come take a look at my telescope? It got knocked over during the quake and it's gotten all out of alignment."

The Doctor looked to Jack and Sylvia, whose backs were turned to them as they prepared tea. Jack was flirting shamelessly with Sylvia, who was—smiling. Blimey-- the Doctor thought to himself. He looked at Jacob and Donna, who were picking up books and placing them back on a bookshelf as Donna told a story about a framed photograph she had picked up. Then he looked to Wilf, who was waiting patiently for him with a smile. He grinned back and continued his thought, --Miracles really do happen.