Daughter of Torchwood

The Truth

Climbing into the SUV, Jack and Starla settled in for the long drive from Cardiff to Ealing. Jack pulled out of the parking bay in the Hub's lower levels and waited, the engine idling as the heavy security shutters began to groan open.

Before Jack could pull out into the alleyway, both back doors of the SUV clicked open. Owen and Tosh climbed in and shut the doors without saying a word.

Starla looked back at them and laughed. Jack sighed, "What are you two doing?"

Owen shrugged, leaning back, "Starla won't bring the Torchwood recruits to us, so we're going to them. Gwen and Ianto can hold the fort. Besides, we couldn't resist the chance to see a supercomputer and a robot dog. Why should you have all the fun, Jack?"

Jack rolled his eyes, unimpressed but a little amused, "This isn't a road trip."

"Oh, we won't get in the way," Tosh assured him, adjusting her bag. "But as Owen said, why should you get all the fun?"

Knowing they weren't going to budge, Jack turned onto the road and began the journey out of Cardiff.

The drive was quiet for a while until they reached the Prince of Wales Bridge. As they crossed the water, Starla finally broke the silence, "You know Mum is going to fly off the handle, right?" she warned her dad.

"She has every right to, Star," Jack replied. Her being immortal put a different light on things, but it didn't erase the guilt. "I let you into the world of Torchwood knowing you could get hurt. It nearly killed you. Just because you're like me doesn't mean you're expendable. I'm not going to put your life at risk for no reason. I don't ever want to run the risk of finding out you're not immortal."

"You're not going to stop me from seeing you, Dad. I won't have it," she said firmly. "I know I'm still a child, but I could never go back to a life without Torchwood even if you wanted me to. Before all this, I was just one of the 'popular' girls, but I hated it. Having to be up to date with every fashion trend, makeup brand, and the coolest tech. My grades were average, and I had no real friends. Family-wise, I just had Mum, Gran, and an aunt I never see."

She gestured to Owen and Tosh, who both offered small, silent smiles at her next words. "Now my life has meaning. I have good, honest friends and a big family I can make memories and laugh with, but turn to if I need them. My grades are up, and I'm happy, even if I've seen things that no one else has."

"What if I did stop you from seeing me?" he asked quietly. He didn't want to, but the instinct to protect her was overwhelming.

"It would be your choice, but I'd hate it, and I'd fight it. I'd still have Sarah Jane and the gang, of course, but I'd never be able to visit Gran without wanting to come see you. And if I am immortal like you, then as time goes on, it'll be you and me together. I know that means losing loved ones, those both younger and older than me, but I feel better knowing that you're not going through all that alone anymore."

Jack couldn't argue with that. He had lost so many people over his long life; knowing she would be by his side for the foreseeable future was a profound comfort he hadn't dared to hope for.

After the four stopped for some lunch, they pulled up outside Starla's home. "Mum isn't home until 5:00 PM," she noted, seeing the empty space on the roadside where her car usually sat. She let them into the house and ran her bags up to her bedroom.

Glancing out her bedroom window, she saw Sarah Jane's car in the driveway across the road. She quickly shot a text to Maria and Clyde telling them to meet her at Sarah Jane's.

Starla skipped back down the stairs and found Jack staring out the living room window. "Shall we go visit the neighbours?"

Tosh and Owen grinned, "You read our minds."