Cardiff again. The Doctor's hands paused as the TARDIS landed harshly, jolting. She had to be refueled after all she'd been through lately. Mainly helping to restore the universe right once again. He had nearly forgotten to stop for her until she sent rather sharp and painful reminders. They had been floating in the vortex for nearly three Earth years without stop. He hadn't wanted to stop again, at least until he felt strong enough to face Earth once again.
Rose.
He sighed and fell into the jump seat and closed his eyes. He had done the right thing, sending her away with his duplicate. His hearts disagreed.
A knock at the wooden doors snapped him out. The Doctor slowly walked down the ramp, rage gathering with each step as he prepared to tell whoever was on the other side to shove off.
"What do you want! Can't a man have a bit of time alone!" he yelled out as the door to the TARDIS swung in. No one was there. The Doctor scratched at his head then looked down at the sound of a drawn in painful breathe.
Below on the concrete ground sat a small sobbing girl leaning against the side of the TARDIS. Rose's voice sounded in his head 'Help her' she said. Rassilion know that she would have
"Oh little one, what's wrong?" he asked and bent down.
Tear stained brown eyes turned to him and slowly blinked away the tears. Her pale skin was turned red raw and her dirty blonde hair had come loose from the tail. She was small, no older than seven and sat holding her right arm which seemed to have been cut up and bleeding.
"Where am I?"
"Wellll little one, I think I can help with that. Where should you be?"
She snuffled. "Home."
The Doctor smiled kindly. "And where would home be?"
"London."
Impossible. "But we're in Cardiff."
Tears streamed down her cheeks again.
"Oh, oh please don't cry."
More sniffles and a disgusting snort followed by her wiping an arm across her nose. "Sorry Mr."
"Don't be sorry little one. Let's just try and get you home and patch up that cut. Right?" she nodded slowly. "Ok how about you come with me and we shall find your parents." The Doctor rose and paused before he opened the doors to the TARDIS. The girl slowly stood and stared up at him.
"Mr." she said slowly. Her tears stopping and the remains rubbed away. "That's just a box."
"Well I came out of it in the first place didn't I?"
She paused then stepped forward. The Doctor stepped inside and felt the TARDIS light up at the feel of young feet treading across her ramp. The small girl gasped and stared all around the console room. Her eyes widened and slowly spun around taking everything in.
The Doctor smiled wide and jumped to the computer quickly setting up a search for a person of this era.
"So little one I just need your name and I can get started on this search."
"Cassandra. Cassandra Tyler."
Hands stilled over the keys and levers. It was nothing, he had to remind himself. Just another name. A popular name at that.
"Hello Cassandra. I am the Doctor." He paused to collect the right words before continuing. He looked down at the little girl standing next to him. Her fear and confusion seemed to have faded and a sense of calm had settled in. This little girl, she was too calm though, walking in here with no questions, too trusting. "So tell me Cassandra, did your mother tell you to not talk to strangers?"
"Of course. But Mr. Doctor you look like someone from mum's photos."
Impossible kept flashing across his mind. His fingers found the keys again but the search turned up nothing.
"You said you lived in London? Do you have any siblings?"
"Yep," her p popped. "I have four brothers."
"What are their names?"
She walked up next to him and attempted to look up at the screen, her little hands grasping onto the edge of the control panel. "Jack and Michael and Ian and John. But mum calls John J.J. because she said that was what da's name was."
"Oh." The Doctor trailed off then looked down at the deep brown eyes that focused on him. "Was?"
A nod. "Yep," another pop.
"And what was your mother's name?"
"Mum."
He cocked his head and smirked. "Now, now little one. What was your mother's name?"
"Mum," she insisted. The stubborn look on her face quickly cemented in place.
The Doctor leaned down and looked her straight in the eyes then glanced down at her arm. She didn't seem to want to budge on one aspect so on to the other. The large scrape looked to be healing but it would still benefit from a trip to the infirmary.
"How about we clean that up?"
Cassandra looked down at her arm and shrugged. "It's fine."
"I insist. Let me take a look at it. Follow me to the infirmary and we can get it patched up."
She pouted but followed him through the halls of the TARDIS. The Doctor watched from the corners of his eyes at the girl. Cassandra's eyes wondered and took everything in without a sound. No gasps or awes or questions that usually followed a trip through the TARDIS. She followed behind the Doctor through all the twists and turns in silence. The infirmary door was open when they reached it, fully stocked as usual.
"How about you jump onto that chair and I'll patch you up and run through some basic tests." The Doctor pointed to a medical chair sitting in the center. Cassandra nodded and jumped up onto the chair, kicking her legs back and forth.
"First the patch," he muttered. He took some Gardian salve known for its speedy healing then bent down to spread it over her skin.
A hard jolt shocked his system at the first touch of her skin. Lights changed all around him as in an instant he could hear and feel her thoughts. Her fear and pain masked like she was told. Her need for secrets and to keep this feeling contained, the pressure she felt holding in her mind. His own telepathic links frayed and damaged over the years without another telepath to connect with lit up and rapidly latched to the young fresh mind.
Cassandra cried out and held her head in her hands, her eyes firmly shut. The pair sat there for a moment before her little whispers forced the Doctor to stamp down the euphoric feeling of some connection. He withdrew as slowly as he could without ripping the connections apart.
"It hurts Mr."
He drew in a deep breath and thought impossible.
"Nothing is ever impossible," a woman's voice floated through his mind, through Cassandra's mind.
Rose.
Impossible.
"Cassandra. Where are you from, really? How did you get here?"
She sighed then looked up with her brown eyes. "London. I was in mummy's office and…" she trailed off then began to blubber. The Doctor rubbed at his temples and pulled her hands into his. The connection attempted to re-establish once again but he used all his might to push it down, only maintaining a clinical and surface level. Her recent memories quickly flashed before his mind and he stopped at her last clear memory.
An office setting became clear. Papers, desks and formulas on the walls surrounded the small child.
"Cassandra where are you."
"In mummy's office."
"How did you get here?"
A large red button flashed quickly then disappeared just as fast.
"She told me not to but I did."
The Doctor dropped her hands and ran a hand through his hair. She had pushed the big red button and ended up here. In another dimension.
"Oh Cassandra, Cassandra, Cassandra," he muttered out slowly and shook his head. His hands dropped hers and he reached around for his stethoscope then held it in his hands. This had to be impossible. He had tried for years to reach a small connection to the other side before Rose and the others crossed over, later leaving Rose and his duplicate in the other dimension. After they left his research has been left to gather dust. Nothing had ever come up before. This had to be impossible and yet there sat a small little girl with unmistakable telepathic powers which he hadn't seen since the day he destroyed Gallifrey.
"May I?" he asked finally, showing her the object. At her nod he confirmed his suspicions. Left side held a stable heartbeat. Right side too.
"Cassandra," he paused to find the right words and his hand through his hair again. She looked up at him with a confused and terrified look. "You aren't human are you?"
Her eyes widened. "Mum said no one can know."
The Doctor sighed in relief. "Do you know what you are?"
She nodded. "Mum said I'm a Gallifreyan, right?"
He smiled wide and nodded. "Oh yes, yes you are little one. Brilliant, just brilliant aren't you?"
"Mr. Doctor? Can you get me home now?"
He drew back. Could she go home? "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry little one but I can't get you home."
"Can't go home?" She started to tear up again but snuffled them away.
Her mind was tired and worn from the journey, being alone in a strange world and then being bombarded with everything. Slowly he re-established the link and focused on calming her, soothing the reddened strands surrounding her. Her eyes closed and sighed as she felt the healing. The Doctor took that moment to lift the small girl into his arms than sit back down on the chair with her tucked in his arms. It had been centuries upon centuries since he had held a child like this. Only once had he had the opportunity to hold one of his children like this. Cassandra rubbed at her eyes then turned her head into his chest. A small hand grasped firmly onto his shirt. He gently placed ran a hand through her loosened hair then rested on her back holding her close.
"No Cassandra," he finally said. "I can't get you home. But you can stay here is that alright?" He could never let her from his sight. She really was the impossible. Cassandra Tyler had crossed over and had landed at his door.
"Mr. Doctor?"
"Yes?"
"Can I see Mummy? I miss her. Mummy needs me too."
His hearts broke. She could never be returned home. Never see her mother, father or brothers again. She would never see the rest of her family. Damn them for not destroying the cross-universe technology. Damn her curiosity. Damn himself.
"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry. I can never get you home."
Her head shuffled against his chest as she nodded. Silence spread through the room and neither could speak but he could tell she was grieving. Slowly her tears returned again then built up to chest deep sobs. Throughout the sobs, it was all he could to hold her tight and attempt to sooth her mind which had begun racing with memories of her family. Flashes of days and nights, of people didn't know and a few he did. An hour or so passed before her breathing evened out. Her grip loosened on his shirt and yet the tear stains dried up before he could stand. He had sat there and just laid his head over hers, stroking her loose hair and back just feeling the warmth of the little girl.
The TARDIS eventually nudged in his mind and insisted on letting her sleep elsewhere. She twisted the halls before he walked from the infirmary settling on his private wing of the ship. A room appeared next to his and the door swung open in invitation. Inside the TARDIS had made quick work to accommodate their new guest. She had approved, he figured. A small child's bed was placed in the middle of the room which was delicately decorated in the colours of his home. A soft red splashed across the ceiling and faint painted mountains surrounded the walls, the bed was small and encased in golden and red blankets.
He muttered under his breath about pushy ships before laying her out gently on the tiny sized bed. Tucking her in the Doctor smoothed her blonde hair for a final time. Cassandra sighed and grasped the blankets surrounding her. She would be alright. She was Rose's daughter, the Valiant child's child. She was the impossible child and yet here she was. The Doctor rose and slowly padded out of the room. Impossible had met its match.