THE SWAN SONG

Children begin by loving their parents. After a time they judge them. Rarely, if ever, do they forgive them

Oscar Wilde


Forgive and Remember

Following Mickey down the stairs and into the living room, seated opposite Sarah Jane and Mickey in her whole slag-like glory (Carly's opinion) with short spiky blonde hair and heavily made up eyes sat Shirley Carter.

"Mum...what are you doing here?"

"I'm here to tell you the truth" Shirley replied looking terrified, hurt and incredibly sad. "About whom you really are"

Carly was overwhelmed.

While she held little affection and love for her mother, the idea of seeing someone from her past, someone who was family after all this time. Someone who was staring at her with such sadness yet buried beneath it was such love...

"M-Mum" she choked out, tears starting to fall once again as she ran to Shirley's side and began to cry into the woman's lap. Shirley, a little startled relaxed and began to stroke the younger girl's hair. "Oh Mum, it's been so horrible, nothing makes sense anymore. Dean...he...he..."

"I know sweetheart, I know" Shirley moaned. "I tried to tell them what's happening, tried to contact him so he could save you. But I couldn't get through, they thought it was a prank...because...well time isn't linear is it?"

Carly frowned as she lifted her head up. "Time?" she repeated. "TIME? WHO CARES ABOUT TIME? YOU'RE BEGINNING TO SOUND LIKE THEM WITH THEIR ALIENS AND IMPOSTERS AND...And...And..." Carly slumped back as her instant anger vanished at the pained look on Shirley's face.

"This is why I agreed to come here" Shirley muttered. "Because you need to know. I don't know what I was thinking, I actually thought Kevin could protect you forever but obviously I forgot people die...there was no way Denise could not since she doesn't know and Deano was brainwashed by Bloody Torchwood. Then you had the good guys, the good Torchwood and UNIT and him...but no one believed me"

"You're not making sense" Carly said quietly. "What is UNIT? What is Torchwood? Who is this bloke you're on about?"

"UNIT is a military based paranormal sector. We protect Earth from invasions; investigate the abnormal, that ATMOS incident? UNIT was investigating it" Shirley pulled out her cigarettes and placed one between her red painted lips, she then pulled out a lighter and was about to lit it when Sarah Jane coughed and shook her head at her. Shirley sighed and spat out her cigarette. "I worked for UNIT when I was younger, in my late teens before I met your father"

"What?" Carly said disbelieved. Her mother worked in some sort of military defending Earth? The woman that couldn't even look after her own children?

"I retired young. PTS you know?" Shirley muttered looking at her hands. "I lost my daughter right in front of me. Death by gun, not the alien, not me but one of my co-workers. Got too much...so I just...quit...and I spent years just wandering around while Kevin was stuck looking after two boys"

"And me" Carly injected quietly.

"Not, no you. you weren't there yet...my daughter was called Carly Ann Wicks and yes she was a result of a one night stand but it didn't stop Kevin from loving her...but she died when she was five and I couldn't cope..."

"So that's why you left?"

"Yes"

"So if I'm not your daughter then who the bloody hell am I?" Carly asked furiously, her hands curling into fists.

"UNIT practically worships the Doctor. It is considered an honour to even speak to him once let alone work with him" Shirley said quietly. "He is a Time Lord. Alien. He can travel in time and has often been seen all over the place and he's the reason Earth is still standing"

"But what has he got to do with me?"

"He's your father"

Carly laughed bitterly. "So I'm the result of a one night stand with an alien and was named after your dead daughter before being dumped on poor Kevin?" she snarled.

Shirley cupped the back of Carly's head. "No sweetheart...I'm not your mother. Rose Tyler is"

Carly's eyes widened in shock. "Who?"

"My best friend" Mickey spoke up the first time. "The one I made the promise to. She...she was nineteen when she met the Doctor, started to travel with him, fell in love and had two children by him you and your twin"

"I don't have a twin"

"You forgot"

"How could I forget? I couldn't have forgotten something so important like my other half!"

"But you did" Ianto whispered. "The Earth was stolen and you went up with your family to the daleks. You did something to make yourself regenerate and you lost your memory"

Carly shook her head refusing to believe it.

"The Doctor landed roughly ten years ago and got me pulled in" Shirley said. "He asked me to take you in and take care of you. Let you have a normal life. I was a failure mother and refused...he begged...so in the end I agreed but on the condition you lived with Kevin"

"But I remember a whole life of Kevin, Jimbo and Dean!" Carly argued. "I can't be alien!"

"The Doctor is telepathic; he fiddled with their minds so you were in their lives. UNIT paid people off to pretend you were always there and then the Doctor created a whole life story in your mind before whisking you off to Kevin's. I was there, watched him tuck you in bed all ready to start your whole new life...he was crying...kissed you goodnight and went off without looking back"

"No" Carly whispered shaking her head. "No"

"Your name is Alexandra Rose Jacqueline Tyler" Shirley said hurriedly. "You got to believe this because Torchwood One will do anything to destroy you this time round"

"I said no!" Carly shouted. "No more! I don't want to know any more! Just go away and never come back!

Shirley looked heartbroken, tears sparkling in her eyes but she nodded. She bent down and kissed Carly's forehead. "Goodbye sweetheart...i hope you can forgive me"

She then left, not even looking back.

"I shall...i shall never forgive you" Carly whispered fiercely. "Not for leaving Dad, Jimbo and Dean"

There was a long bitter silence until Sarah Jane clapped her hands loudly and stood up.

"Well we can sit here all night" she said. "We need to get you three into Cardiff before Torchwood One comes knocking on my door"

"We can't go public transport" Mickey said instantly. "They'll be looking for us there and we can't take your car either you'll need that in case of..."

"We can't rent one either" Ianto said quickly. "They'll be watching the rentals as well"

"So what do we do?" Sarah Jane asked worriedly.

Carly stood up. "I'm going back to Albert Square. I don't give a damn if Mu-Shirley's there but I need to see Denise and Pat"

"No you don't" Mickey said coldly. "I sent your postcard. Let them have their believes of you being happy and safe. You're not Carly Wicks anymore"

"To hell I am!" Carly shouted. "Look you can't change me just because I'm apparently some alien girl. I don't want anything to do with you, I want to go home and be with what remaining family I have!"

"Your twin is waiting anxiously for you in Cardiff" Ianto said quietly. Carly's shoulders slumped as she processed the mere idea of having a twin. "Your godfather is there and so are your dearest friends. With a phone call your mother, father, sister and godmother will come running to protect you. Let us get to Cardiff and sort it out. Then you can do what the hell you like"

Carly raised her eyebrows at the bitterness in Ianto's tone. Overall he seemed like a lovely person and now...now he was distraught over something...something she said maybe? Was he...was he family as well? Did he adore this Alexandra person?

Mickey pulled out a flat disc with a large yellow button in the middle. "I found this amongst your things, how did you get it?" Carly shrugged, she had that thing for years and still didn't know what it did. "It's a Dimension Cannon; I thought your father might have them destroyed. I helped invent it, I'm sure I can get it to work as a transport and get us to Cardiff"

"You just need the right code" Carly said automatically snatching the disc. "Got a screwdriver?" Mickey looked amused as he pulled out his handset tool kit and passed it to her. Carly unscrewed it and began to play with the wires. "You see Rickey, I unlike you find this as child's play and with a couple tweaks I can get this working in no time" immediately she was screwing it back together. "Because I'm brilliant, nah more than brilliant I'm me" She winked at them and then froze. A look of horror came over her face. "Is that...is that how she speaks?"

"Good part of the time" Ianto said smiling fondly. "She used a lot of sarcasm as well though, a lot like Owen like that"

"Well what do you know? We're invaded by a giant skunk" the weasel faced man drawled from his position of leaning against someone's desk.

"What? Jack still hasn't had the sense to fire Dr Twat?" she shot back with a grin.

He snorted before he pushed off of the desk and gave her a gruff hug. "What are you doing here kid? I thought you went to Poland" he said rather fondly.

Her mind was burning when she accidently pushed down on the yellow button; Mickey leaped forward hand out to grab her. "NO!" he shouted as she vanished in a blue white flash, leaving him to grab for thin air.

Mickey whirled round and punched the wall, ignoring Sarah Jane's shout. "Damnit!" he yelled.

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