Foster Child of the Earth

by NextCompanion

After the Time War, Susan Foreman still waits on Earth, searching for the Doctor. Please R&R, both good and bad. Absolutely no slash. Set after the events of Series Six. I do not own any of the Doctor Who characters or worlds or devices or anything.

1. Chapter 1

The year was 2239, and it had been over ten years since she had called anyplace home. It wasn't that she didn't like her apartment. She found it was suitable to her needs. It just wasn't home.

She trudged up the steps to her apartment, fumbling with the keys to unlock the door.

"I'm back," she announced to the empty apartment, conscious of how her voice reverberated on the walls. She waited a moment before sighing and shrugging off her coat. No one had answered her in nine years; why should today be that day?

Thinking a cup of tea might serve as a nice meal, she walked into to the kitchen. An older photo frame flickered on the kitchen table, repeating the same few seconds over and over. An elderly woman giggled while an old man leaned over to kiss her cheek. She glanced touched the photo fondly for a moment, and then turned away. On her way to the fridge, the young woman pressed the play button on her answering machine.

"Susan? This is Lieutenant Maryanne Holt from UNIT. Listen, we know you don't like to come in but we would love to debrief you about that last inci-" The woman strode over and deleted the message without another thought.

"Grandmum, this is Lacey. I was hoping I could pop down for a bit-" Again, the delete button beeped. She wasn't old enough to be anybody's grandmother.

Holding the hot mug in both hands, the woman walked to a room in the back of her apartment. Nudging the door open with her foot, she entered a room filled with wires and an odd assortment of electrical appliances. A curling iron was stuck into a half dissembled toaster and a child's mobile hung with computer chips drifted lazily on the ceiling. After gently pushing the mobile to keep it spinning, the woman carefully picked her way through the mess on the floor to sit in front of a single computer screen. The screen was blue, showing white circular designs dancing around.

"No ping today," the woman said, looking at the screen and sipping her tea. "Still, it has to come sometime." It had been six years since she had assembled the machine, and she wasn't even sure if it was working right. She only knew that it had to be, because it was her only hope of ever finding the TARDIS.