This will be a different interpretation of Human Nature/Family of Blood. Not only is this a Doctor who did not meet Rose in 2005 (but will meet her here), it also has a non-immortal Jack who is still traveling with the Doctor. And the Family is hardly mentioned because the purpose of the fic is the relationship between the Doctor/John and Rose. Basically, loosely based on that arc. Also, can't find Farringham on any maps of England (only Farringdon), so I just assumed it was near London. Just wanted to give you all a heads up. Enjoy!

Chapter 1

The Doctor clutched at Jack's shoulders after they had raced into the TARDIS. "Did they see you?!"

Jack took a step back from the worried man and his own eyes widened when he saw the panic in the Doctor's expression. "I don't think so. What's going on, Doc?"

"The Family." The Doctor raced to the console and began frantically jumping around it as he pulled levers, pushed buttons and flipped switches. "They're hunters who want to inhabit a Time Lord's body and will use any means necessary to accomplish it."

Jack tried to help with the controls as much as possible, but mainly tried to stay out of the Doctor's way. "Isn't there a way to escape them? Through time or something?"

"Trying it now." The TARDIS shuddered and the Doctor barely managed to hang onto the console. He muttered an alien curse as he watched the monitor. "What?" He tried again and felt his stomach drop when they reappeared. "They can apparently travel through time as well. Hang on, Jack. Allons-y!"

The other man quickly grabbed the railing and did his best to hold on for the next few tension filled moments as the Doctor tried again and again to escape the Family, only to curse when they reappeared on the monitor every time. After a particularly violent shudder, Jack lost his grip and went tumbling down to the grating and sliding across the floor as the time ship lurched sideways.

The Doctor pulled at his hair and muttered to himself as he paced. Everything his clever mind conjured up either wouldn't work or didn't work as he tried various maneuvers with the TARDIS. His eyes caught on the watch chain hanging from Jack's pocket and then flickered to the chest he kept under the grating. He really didn't like the plan that was forming, but it may be the only thing that would work.

Jack was just hoisting himself up from the grating when the Doctor spun to face him, a grave expression on his face. "There might be a way."

Jack paused at the look the Doctor was giving him, but decided to carry on. The Doctor was his friend, they had travelled together for almost two years, and he completely trusted him. "Whatever it is, Doc, you know you can count on me."

"Good man, Jack." The Doctor shot him a smile, but it was too manic to be anything other than forced and didn't conceal the deep down concern the Doctor was carrying. His brown overcoat swished and swirled as he moved around the room, collecting various components and quickly hooking a machine with a helmet into the console. As he bent to retrieve the chest from under the grating he explained. "The Family may be able to follow us where ever and whenever we go, but they have a very short lifespan. We would only need to hide for three months and then we'll be rid of them. Well, I say three months, but that's as long as they don't find a different body to inhabit. That's a risky move for them, though. They could inhabit a body that gets run over by a train or falls off a cliff. At least in their natural form, they know how long they have." The Doctor clicked his jaw shut, realizing he had been rambling in his nervousness. "I just need to shake them long enough to get somewhere relatively safe."

Jack gaped at the Doctor. "Hide? That's not usually how you do things."

The Doctor quit rummaging through the chest and sat back on his heels to look at Jack with wide, worried eyes. "We don't really have much choice in the matter. I'm sorry, Jack, so sorry. But this is the best plan I have."

"What about just hiding in the TARDIS for the next three months?" If it was that dire, Jack was just fine hiding out in the ship where it was safe. After all, she had infinite rooms to entertain them.

The Doctor shook his head as he continued working on his contraption. "The TARDIS can't keep going that long without landing and resting at some point."

Jack blew out a breath to try to relax himself. "Okay. What is the plan, exactly?"

Brown eyes closed and the Doctor gritted his teeth. He really didn't want to do this, but he truthfully had no other ideas rolling around his genius mind at the moment. "I can turn myself human. My Time Lord conscience would be stored in this watch." He handed the object over to Jack. "If the Family can't smell me, they can't find me."

"Smell you? You smell just like any other guy, Doc."

"You're not a hunter. They're like alien Bloodhounds. They hunt by scent. Time Lords smell just the slightest bit different than humans. Different chemical compositions."

Jack nodded absently and turned his attention back to the watch. "It looks like a normal pocket watch," Jack observed before handing it back to the Doctor.

The Doctor nodded as he snapped the watch into place in the machine he had cobbled together. "It will allow me to have it around and not raise anyone's suspicions." The sonic screwdriver whirred as he ran it over the watch. "I've put a perception filter on it so that I don't notice it myself. It wouldn't do any good for me to open it too early." He turned to the captain with serious, dark eyes and took a deep breath. "Jack, I don't know who I'll be. I won't remember being the Doctor and I won't remember anything about my life now. The TARDIS will create a backstory for me and she will place you in there somehow so that you can keep close to me, but I don't know what she has in mind. I'm sorry, so sorry we have to do this, but I appreciate your help." He took another deep breath and picked up the helmet. "One last thing. Well, two last things. No! Three...four! Four last things."

Jack listened, feeling a nervous weight settle in the pit of his stomach. "One, don't let me hurt anyone. B, I'm sorry if who I become doesn't treat you very fairly. I just don't know who I'll be. D, do not call me out for any reason before the three months are over. Well, unless the Family is attacking people. Then you can call me out early. And four, don't stop the transformation once it starts. I expect it to be rather painful and no matter what I do or say, do NOT stop the process."

Jack took a deep breath and tried to slow the pounding of his heart. "Okay. You can count on me, Doc."

The Doctor nodded. "It's probably best if you head to the back while this is going on. Once it's over, I'll retain enough sense to make my way outside and then you can come and find me. The TARDIS can provide you our cover story while I change."

Jack turned to head to the back, but the Doctor's voice stopped him. "Jack!"

He turned back and saw the small but genuine smile on the Doctor's face. "Thank you."

Jack just nodded and returned the smile before heading to his room. He was almost there when the screams started. He placed his hands over his ears and ran the rest of the way so he wouldn't be tempted to go out there and interrupt the Doctor.

Despite the grave situation and the danger her Thief and her Jack were in, the TARDIS was desperately trying to tamp down her excitement. She had known they were headed this way, had always known, had pulled the timelines herself, and had been eagerly awaiting the right moment for her Thief to meet her Wolf. Well, she supposed her future Wolf. The young woman would prove herself deserving of that name in time.

Knowing what was coming, the TARDIS carefully and subtly so her Thief wouldn't notice, rewrote some of the programming on the Chameleon Arch. Most of his biology changed, but his reproductive system was left mostly Gallifreyan. Her Thief and her Wolf would have enough to work through later without worrying about potential children. And later, once they were ready, he would be able to tweak himself and her Wolf enough to allow for conception. Or if they waited long enough, it could happen naturally.

Her connection with the Time Lord dampened to almost non-existent as the change completed. It was still there since his essence was alive and well in the fob watch, but to have it shrink to such a small sliver, and so quickly, hurt more than she had anticipated. To distract herself, she focused all her attention on landing at the precise moment necessary. Time for her Thief to bring their Wolf home.

Jack looked up at the TARDIS's low, pained hum which he took to mean the transformation was finished. He winced in sympathy and stroked a wall. "It hurts you to lose the telepathic connection with him, doesn't it?"

At the affirmative sound, he sighed and stood. "I'll come visit when I can and I promise to keep him safe so we can all continue our travels once this is over." He grabbed the luggage and manuscript that had been waiting for him when he entered his room. With a mischievous smile, he waved the papers at the ceiling. "How am I supposed to survive in 1913 with all the sexual repression happening here? You couldn't take us somewhere a little more…adventurous?" He waggled his eyebrows at the ceiling. "Or made the Doctor and I secret lovers?" He gave another waggle for good measure.

Jack got the distinct impression that the TARDIS would be rolling her eyes if she had any. "Alright. I promise to behave." He flicked a salute and went off to find the Time Lord turned human.

Rose hurried through the halls, trying to get the book clutched in her hand to Headmaster Rocastle quickly. While usually a nice man, he was a bit impatient and it had taken her a while to find the book in question. She took a moment to smooth any wrinkles in her skirt before knocking on his door.

"Enter!"

Rose entered with what she hoped was an apologetic smile and then noticed the man sitting across from her boss. "Oh! I do apologize, sir. I wasn't aware you had company. I was just delivering the book you requested."

Rocastle smiled warmly at her. He may have been a strict disciplinarian with the boys, but he always had a bit of a soft spot for her. "Nonsense. Come in, my dear. This is John Tyler, our new history teacher. Mr. Tyler, this is Rose Tyler, our librarian. Any relation?"

John stood quickly, looking a bit dazed by the appearance of the lovely young woman in front of him. He was suddenly so incredibly thankful that his friend Jack had just gotten a job as a maths teacher here and had put in a good word with the headmaster about him. "Oh, uh, no, no, definitely not. Hello! John Tyler, it's a pleasure to meet you."

Rose smiled prettily in return as she shook his hand. "Rose Tyler. It's lovely to make your acquaintance."

Rocastle broke the shy looks being exchanged between the two. "Thank you for bringing me the book, Miss Tyler."

Rose blinked quickly as she snapped out of her trance and then blushed as she stammered through her departure. "Oh, yes. Sorry, sir. I mean, you're welcome. I'll just return to my duties now. It was lovely to meet you, Mr. Tyler."

As the door closed gently behind her, Mr. Rocastle shot a knowing look to his new teacher but didn't say a word about the exchange. "You'll have the rest of the day to settle in, Mr. Tyler. Tomorrow, you will begin teaching classes. I hope you enjoy it here."

John Tyler couldn't get out the door of the headmaster's office fast enough. He caught sight of Rose entering the library at the end of the hall and took a second to calm himself before casually walking the rest of the way. He walked in and admired the large library, seeming impeccably clean and in top order. "This library seems to be in great care."

Rose jumped slightly and turned, not having seen or heard him enter. "Oh, Mr. Tyler! You startled me!" She took a moment to look around her workplace, smiling proudly. "Thank you for the compliment to my library. After being in charge of it for five years, I feel a bit protective of this area." She shot him a warm smile and he couldn't help but return it.

"You've been here for five years?"

Rose nodded and her gaze turned a bit distant. "Yes. My father passed away five years ago. He and Headmaster Rocastle were friends, so to help my mother and me, Mr. Rocastle was kind enough to offer me a position here."

"I'm sorry about your father. My condolences."

"That's very kind of you, Mr. Tyler. But, life hasn't been all bad. Many assume it would be without a man in the household. However, my mother is a force to be reckoned with and had part of our house converted into a bakery so we could still have a decent income." A twinkle of mischief entered her eyes and John was transfixed. "She can't cook a decent meal to save her life, but her baking skills are world class."

A startled laugh burst out of him at her cheeky statement and then he sobered quickly. "A young woman around a bunch of young men, though. They don't give you any trouble?"

Rose shook her head, amused at what he was trying to ask without actually asking it. "I haven't had any trouble with the boys. I'm afraid I'm a bit older than you realize if you think I'm in the same age group as the students."

John tried not to show how hopeful that sentence made him. He was also grateful that Rose was clever enough to catch his underlying question. "You look very young."

Rose giggled, a sound that charmed John to his very core. "I'm sure I'll appreciate that once I'm a bit older still." John seemed to be waiting for her to elaborate, so she did so with a shy smile. "I'm twenty-three years of age. Becoming a bit of an old maid, but I can't leave my mother on her own. And she tends to scare away any potential suitors. She can be quite frightening."

Rose and John shared another laugh and then Rose offered him another winning smile. "How rude of me. I've been rambling on about myself. What about you, Mr. Tyler? What brings you to Farringham?"

John smiled at her apologetically. "Actually, I should probably let you get back to your duties. And I have lessons to plan."

Rose's face fell and she straightened her spine in defense. "Right, sorry. I'll let you get on with your day, Mr. Tyler," she replied in a clipped tone.

Her feistiness enchanted him and her disappointment at his departure gave him the boost of confidence he needed. "I was hoping though, that I could answer all of your questions and ask some more of my own tomorrow, Miss Tyler. I was wondering if maybe you'd like to accompany me on a stroll after classes have ended?"

Rose's smile returned and gained a new radiance. "I'd enjoy that very much. But -," she tried for stern and ended up with a blush and bashful smile at the end, "if we will be spending time outside the school, then I must insist you call me Rose, Mr. Tyler."

John smiled a charming, lop-sided smile at her. "Then, I must insist on John."

Rose nodded with a smile. "Shall we meet here after classes tomorrow?"

John nodded. "I look forward to it, Rose."

"I do as well. I'll see you tomorrow, John."

As she entered the small home she shared with her mother that night, Rose sighed theatrically and leaned against the closed door. She shot a playful smile at her mother who was watching her with a raised eyebrow. "Well, what's got you so smitten?" Jackie went back to kneading her dough and then stopped less than a second later. "Is it the butcher's boy? Have you finally accepted his advances?"

Rose wrinkled her nose. "Ew, no!" It was perhaps a bit rude, but it was a gut reaction to the thought of courting with the smelly and oily young man down the road.

Jackie put her hands on her hips and frowned at her daughter. "There's nothing wrong with the butcher or his son! It's an honest living, Rose." She picked up a rolling pin and shook it at her daughter before rolling it over the dough. "Working at that school is giving you airs and graces."

Rose sighed before defending herself – again – against her mother's accusations about her being a librarian. "Working at the school is an honest living, too, Mum. Children need schools and schools need librarians."

Jackie waved her off and returned to her original query. "So, what had you sighing like that when you walked in here?"

Rose's grin lit up her face so brightly that Jackie couldn't help but smile in return. "A new history teacher started at the school today. And he's invited me for a stroll with him tomorrow."

Jackie put the loaf of bread she had been working on in the oven and started up the kettle for some tea. "Tell me all about him, then. And I'll want to meet this man."

Rose flinched slightly at the thought. "It's just a stroll, Mum."

Jackie turned her back to hide her knowing smirk. "Mmhmm. Still want to meet him."

Rose sighed again, this time in defeat. If her mother's mind was made up, there was nothing she could do to change it.