And A Child Shall Lead Them


A/N: My usual disclaimers; all copyrights go to those who rightfully own them.

I was inspired by yesimadramaqueen's fanfic 'Expecting', great job on it, I think it's really cute.

This story features my OC Nancy (from As Long as He Needs Me and Save the Last Dance). This story is AU and is set after The Angels Take Manhatten but before Clara (in the 2012 Christmas Special) joins the Doctor's party. Again, I tried to keep the characters of the show in character. Let me know nicely if things need fixing.

With that said, enjoy and destroy


Heartbeats

The Doctor lay in the TARDIS medical bay, deep in a coma. Frost was beginning to appear on his forehead. I rested my head on his chest, listening for the familiar quadruple heartbeat. Thump…thump…thump…thump…it was there, faint, but there. God…after all we've been through together…"Don't go, Doc. Don't leave me…" I whispered, kissing his cold cheek.

A warm hand touched my shoulder. It was Dr. Henderson. I had forgotten about her. She helped me get the weakened Doctor into the TARDIS when he collapsed from the poison of the Eye of Andromeda. At least the Eye wouldn't threaten anyone anymore. And luckily for us, Dr. Henderson had formulated an antidote. However, the poison and the antidote exhausted the Doctor enough for him to fall into a healing coma.

Dr. Henderson smiled. "You can't do anything more for him right now. Get some sleep, dearie."

"No thanks, I'd rather be up and with him."

"I can look after him. You need the rest."

"In any case, I can't sleep." I protested, even though I had been up for the equivalent of twenty hours, I was too worried to sleep.

"I've got a sedative. It's quick and you'll wake up feeling refreshed." Dr. Henderson held up a packet and a glass of water. I recognized the package the sedative was in, so I knew it was safe. "You're not going to do the Doctor any good if you're too exhausted to think."

She was right. "Thank you." I said, tearing open the packet and swallowing the pill and the glass of water.

"You're welcome." Dr. Henderson smiled. "Now I've even made up a little bed right here so you can be near him." She led me to a nearby cot, all made up with blankets and pillows. It was a good thing too, as the sedative was already taking its effect.

"Thank you, Dr. Henderson." I said. I kicked off my shoes and curled up into the cot. Dr. Henderson was tucking me in when I finally passed out.


I awoke hours later to the sounds of arguing. "What did you do to her?!" The Doctor was yelling. He's awake? Is he ok? I blinked drowsily before attempting to sit up.

"What must be done." Dr. Henderson said coldly.

"What…what was going on…?" I asked. My hand happened to rest on my abdomen. That's when I felt it. Thump-thump-thump-thump! What the…? I touched it again. Thump-thump-thump-thump! Was that a…a heartbeat? It felt just like the Doctor's. Uh oh… "Doc? What's going on?!"

The Doctor saw me and hurried over. He was ok…thank God… "Nance, are you ok?"

"I…I feel a heartbeat…right here." I took the Doctor's cool hand and placed it on my stomach. Thump-thump-thump-thump! "There, you feel that?!"

The Doctor's eyes widened. He had felt it too…we both looked at Dr. Henderson, desperate for answers.

"Now the Time Lords have a future." Dr. Henderson said, a maniacal gleam in her eye. I saw that look before…Rassilon…

Of course, she tricked me into taking that sedative…

"How did you escape the Time Lock?" The Doctor was furious.

"My Lord President foresaw this possibility millennia ago. So he sent me ahead, before the lock. For years, I've waited for my chance and now I'll take it. I was to take genetic material from you and implant it into an acceptable carrier."

"You mean…I'm carrying the Doctor's clone?" I felt sick to my stomach. I knew Rassilon was crazy evil but I never thought he'd stoop that low.

"If it were, your body would've rejected it. It has half of your genetic material. But that's more than enough. Now that my mission is successful, Gallifrey will rise out of the ashes to a higher plane of existence."

"What are you saying?" I asked, touching my abdomen where I felt the quadruple heartbeat.

"Lord Rassilon has a plan. This child is the last hope for the Time Lords." Dr. Henderson said as she collapsed. The Doctor and I ran to her.

"What is it?! Tell me!" I yelled, gripping her coat.

"There's nothing the Doctor can do to stop it." Dr. Henderson smiled as she shook her head. I felt her two hearts stop beating. She was dead…

The Doctor felt her lips, taking a sticky substance off of it. "What is it?" I asked.

He tasted it before spitting it out. "Ugh! Eye venom. She must've drunk it before she shocked me awake."

"She shocked you…Doc, I'm so sorry." My mind and heart were spinning. "This is all my fault. I was trying to get help…she helped me get you on board and…"

"One way or another, she would've gotten to us." The Doctor cupped my chin in his hand. "It's going to be ok. Trust me." He smiled, trying to reassure me. But I could tell from his blue eyes that he wanted to believe himself.

I was scared. The sound of the baby's heartbeat echoed in my memory. Now what…? What were we going to do…? I embraced the Doctor. He was hesitant to return my embrace but did after a couple of seconds. My head was resting against his chest, listening to the familiar heartbeat. Thump-thump-thump-thump!


A/N: Uh oh...what will happen now...?