Rose ran her hands along the skirt of her dress, smoothing out the unruly fabric.
"You look lovely," Jackie smiled warmly as she adjusted the veil. "There!" She took a step back and admired Rose's reflection.
"I can't believe this is really happening." Rose turned to her mother and gestured towards her stomach. "I mean… me getting married, you… Well, look at you!"
Jackie laughed and placed a hand on her growing midsection, "Could barely find a dress to fit over this."
"Five minutes," the wedding planner warned them, poking her head in the door.
"I can't breathe," Rose gasped. "This is real… I'm really marrying…"
Crash
The two women screamed as the glass window shattered behind them. Something landed with a heavy thud as Rose pulled Jackie away from the broken shards and behind her back, shielding her.
"Oww, that really did not go as planned," the something that had broken the window got to its feet slowly, brushing glass from its shoulders.
"Who are you?" Rose demanded. All she needed to do was to buy enough time until the people outside the room figured out what was happening. If this creature was dangerous, he would know.
The figure rubbed its shoulder, moaning softly in pain. She appeared to be human but Rose knew all too well that a lot of things looked human. The girl turned towards them and smiled widely, showing off perfectly straight teeth that gleamed in the sunlight pouring through the hole where there was once a window. "Hello, Rose," she laughed lightly.
"How do you know my name?"
"I've heard quite a bit about you, Rose Tyler," the girl took a step forward and grabbed her hand firmly. "Now then… Rose… Jackie, run!" She pulled the two of them along behind her as she ran from the room and down the hallways of the church. Stopping just as suddenly, she pushed them into a room and pulled the door shut behind them.
"What… is… going on?" Jackie demanded between gasps for breath.
"It seems something has followed me here." The girl pulled something from her back pocket and pointed it at the door. It was slightly larger than a pen and emitted a harsh pulsing sound.
"Sonic screwdriver…" Rose whispered.
"Now where did you get one of those?" a man's voice asked behind them.
"Aww," the girl pouted. "You weren't supposed to see her dress until the wedding starts. They will be answering to me for ruining my fun… whoever they are."
"And what about you?" the Doctor asked. "You come bursting in here where you shouldn't be, dragging Rose along behind you and wielding a sonic screwdriver. If I didn't know better I would say you were…"
"You?" the girl grinned mischievously.
"Exactly"
"But you are not exactly you either… are you?"
"You seem to know a lot about me," the Doctor tilted his head to the side. "So why don't I know anything about you?"
"You know more than most I am sure, my dear Mr. Smith."
"Doctor," Rose took his hand and stared at the girl curiously. "Who do you think she is?"
"Well, I'm the Doctor of course." The girl winked and twirled her sonic screwdriver between her fingers. "You know saving the universe, traveling in a TARDIS, being a Time Lord, all of that timey wimey stuff."
"She is… you?" Jackie smirked. "The other you? You're a girl now, huh?"
"No, not me," the Doctor shook his head.
"But, if she is the Doctor then… I don't understand." Rose glanced between the two Doctors, "Is she lying?"
The Doctor pulled out his own sonic and pointed it at the little girl, scanning her quickly. "No, she is definitely the Doctor… and definitely not me."
"Then… that means that she…"
"I am the Doctor in this world. You can call me Sarah." She grinned as another crash echoed down the hallway. "Looks like our friends have arrived."
"It isn't those Daleks again… is it?" Jackie asked nervously. "Or some Cybermen?"
"Don't be silly," Sarah laughed waving a hand dismissively. "I took care of the Daleks ages ago."
Rose giggled and the two Doctors shared a quick glance. "Are you up for an adventure before you tie the knot?" Sarah asked.
"Always," he answered with a grin.
"Rose, I am going to have to ask you to stay here with Jackie. She is very pregnant and does not waddle fast enough." Sarah spared Jackie a glance and continued, "The two of you will stay here, Mr. Smith with me."
"I will be back soon, I promise." The Doctor kissed Rose gently on the forehead and grinned, "I fully intend on marrying you before the day is over Rose Tyler."
"I'll hold you to that," she warned.
The two Doctors made their way down the hallway where crashing sounds could be heard emanating from Rose's dressing room. Rose's Doctor studied the girl before him as they ran. She was still quite young, she looked no older than fourteen, with wavy brown hair that hung past her shoulders and swished as she ran. He had noticed her large brown eyes that betrayed knowledge far greater than any human her age could possess. If he had to admit it, she was rather cute with her dusting of freckles running across her nose and a general appearance of innocence. Though she was definitely not one of his regenerations, they would easily pass for father and daughter.
Pausing before the doorway, she turned and shot him a grin that he knew matched his own. The anticipation of facing the unknown was a trait they certainly shared. Without hesitation, she edged into the doorway, ready to face whatever lay on the other side.
In the middle of the room, amid the remains of the shattered glass of the window, a small cat sat licking her paw. "Don't trust her," Sarah warned the Doctor softly.
"While I must agree," he conceded gently, "I am not so sure she is what we are looking for." Holding out his sonic screwdriver, he scanned the cat quickly. "See? Ordinary earth cat."
"Don't be so sure," Sarah shook her head solemnly. "Perception filters are tricky things…"
The Doctor raised an eyebrow and said nothing, leading her back into the hallway. "Did you happen to see who was chasing you?" he asked softly.
Sarah shook her head slowly. "But I know they are not of this planet," she assured him.
The longer he spent with this girl, the less sure he was. "Sarah," he placed a hand on her shoulder, "Are you sure you don't know who is chasing you?"
"Of course not!" she huffed indignantly. "If I knew I wouldn't have come to ask you for help. It is embarrassing for me to have to sink to this level…"
"I understand," the Doctor offered kindly. "I will do my best help you."
"Thank you," Sarah nodded her head, somewhat reluctantly.
They had been searching the church and the grounds surrounding it for twenty minutes when the Doctor began suggesting that the creatures may have gone elsewhere.
"No," Sarah shook her head confidently. "They are around here, I know it!"
The Doctor finally sighed and grabbed her shoulders, spinning her around to face him. "Sarah, please… I know what is going on…"
She paled slightly and crossed her arms, unable to look him in the face. "I have no idea what you are talking about."
"The ones who are looking for you… they are the Time Lords… aren't they."
"Wha… I… no!" she protested. "I came here to meet you and Rose before your wedding and these creatures started following me!"
"Sarah, please, don't lie to me…" the Doctor sighed.
"I'm not lying!" she insisted, tears streaming down her face. "They are here, it's the perception filter, I swear!"
The Doctor smiled kindly and patted her head gently. "You can tell me," he tried to calm her, "I know what you are going through, I understand. You have to listen to me though; you cannot travel to Earth whenever you are upset… if you meddle with the wrong time…"
"You don't believe me…" she whispered softly. "You're me… I thought you out of everyone…"
"Sarah, please…" the Doctor insisted. He tried to stop her as she pulled away from him and ran into the church. Staring after her worriedly, he headed for the church as well.
Sarah ran through the halls of the church, tears streaming down her face. He didn't believe me! She felt as though a black hole was devouring her hearts. She ran towards the only place she could think of to find comfort and nearly knocked Rose to the ground as she leapt into her arms.
"What happened?" Rose asked, her tone betraying her slight fear. "Where is the Doctor?"
"Outside," Sarah sobbed, "He doesn't believe me that there is something here!" Rose stroked the girl's hair comfortingly and smiled gently. "You believe me… don't you Rose?" she begged. "You believe that there is something here, don't you?"
Rose stared into the girl's eyes, into the eyes of the Doctor. She knew that it did not matter what universe she was in, there was always one thing that she could put her faith in: the Doctor. "Of course," Rose nodded. Her smile was kind as she embraced the young girl.
Sarah smiled through her tears and hugged Rose tighter as a growl rang out behind them. She turned to see the cat from before staring at them.
The Doctor was making his way back to where he had left Rose and Jackie when he heard a loud growl followed by a scream. He ran to the room as fast as his legs would carry him. As he entered the room, his face paled. Jackie sat on the floor in the far corner of the room, her arms wrapped protectively around her stomach, seemingly unharmed. A large creature separated her from Rose, crushed under the weight of a fallen chandelier. Rose sat before the creature cradling something in her arms, her beautiful wedding dress splattered with blood. The Doctor crossed the room in three strides and dropped to his knees beside her.
"Doctor," she choked out, tears streaming down her face as she gently stroked the young girl's hair.
Sarah lay in Rose's arms, her face as white as new fallen snow. His eyes traveled down to where the green t-shirt she wore was slowly darkening as blood flowed from the hole in her stomach. Rose shook slightly as she tried to explain.
"None of us noticed it… the cat. It suddenly grew into this… this thing!" She gestured towards the fallen creature and continued, "Sarah realized it was there before any of us. It was coming after me, she jumped in front of it and used her sonic to loosen the chandelier. She was too late to stop him before he reached her… his claws…" The Doctor pulled her to his shoulder as she sobbed.
The Doctor turned his attention to the girl as she stirred, her wide brown eyes seeking his. "I'm so sorry," he told her softly, "I should have believed you. You were right all along and I refused to listen. You knew he was here… and you knew he was after Rose…" The corner of her mouth turned up slightly and he continued, "Thank you, thank you for saving her."
"I had to…" Sarah smiled, "Your wedding is a fixed point." She lifted her hand and placed it on Rose's stomach, "You both had to survive this…" Her speech was cut off by a coughing fit that made the Doctor wince sympathetically.
"I am so sorry," the Doctor told her sincerely. "It looks like you are going to regenerate."
"N… no," she tried to shake her head, "I will be alright…"
Blood trickled out of her mouth and the Doctor realized her intention. "Sarah, you cannot hold back the regeneration… you will not survive this injury." His voice took on a fatherly tone, "You have to regenerate now."
"I can't," she whispered softly, "I don't want to…"
"Please," Rose begged. "This is all my fault… if you weren't trying to save me…"
"Rose," her Doctor interrupted her. Addressing Sarah, he softly asked, "This is your first regeneration, isn't it?"
Sarah nodded slowly and tears ran down her face. "I'm scared… what if I am no longer me?"
"Sarah," Rose smiled sadly. "If there is one thing I learned about regeneration by traveling with the Doctor, it is that though his face may change, he will always be the same man I fell in love with."
"Do you promise?" Sarah asked, her voice growing weaker.
"Yeah, I promise," Rose whispered.
"Alright then," Sarah smiled, her eyes falling closed and her breathing fading.
"Sarah!" Rose cried, patting her face urgently, "Sarah, please! You have to regenerate, you have to! The Earth needs its Doctor!"
The Doctor hugged Rose tighter as she sobbed, grasping the young girl's cold hand. Suddenly, as if responding to her pleading, huron energy burst forth and consumed the three of them. Rose cried out as some of the glowing energy flowed towards her, absorbing into her skin. "What is happening?" she asked nervously.
"I have no idea," the Doctor answered honestly, watching in awe as Sarah's form began to shift. Before he could speculate further, a familiar blue box materialized next to the creature Sarah had slain. The two of them watched silently as a tall man emerged, his eyes filled with anger.
"I apologize for any disturbance this foolish child has caused you," he addressed the Doctor gruffly. "I assure you that something like this little adventure will never happen again." He crossed the room and lifted Sarah, carrying her back to the waiting TARDIS.
"Wait!" Rose called to him, "Will we ever see her again?"
The man's gaze darkened and he growled, "After her actions today, this child will never again leave Gallifrey." Without another word, he turned and disappeared, dematerializing with the TARDIS.
"She was so afraid and he just took her," Rose wiped her tears away with her ruined dress and stared after them. "Who was that man?"
"Her father," the Doctor answered softly, "And if he has his way, I am afraid this universe will never know its Doctor."