SMACK
The force hit the Doctor square in the chest, making him wince. Psychic paper he thought, quickly reaching for it. Stupid thing, it's blank. Annoyed, he put it back in his jacket pocket and turned to the TARDIS console. It had been weeks since the last time he'd seen trouble and it made him uncomfortable.
SMACK
It hit him again and this time he yelled at the piece of paper, which turned out to be blank again. "WILL YOU STOP? WHAT DO YOU HAVE TO SHOW ME THAT'S SO IMPORTANT?" Frustrated and bored beyond belief, he turned to the screen and typed in some codes to stabilize the TARDIS as they entered deep space.
SMACK
This time he ignored it. Nothing was going to get in his way this time, and he was going to find something to save.
SMACK
Absolutely nothing.
SMACK
NOTHING.
SMACK
Finally, he pulled out the paper once more and examined it closely. Something had to be sending a signal. The paper was blank, so what could it possibly be? It suddenly hit him. It had to be a child. Not old enough to read or form words. So a toddler, perhaps younger. Smiling, he picked up where the signal was coming from and flew the TARDIS excitedly.
The TARDIS landed on a planet that seemed isolated. The Doctor didn't bother to check the location. He knew where he was. Yarrow, the third planet in the constellation of Allion. It had been a while since he'd been here, but the TARDIS wasn't wrong. The signal was coming from here. Three kilometers west of where he was, actually. Taking a deep breath, the Doctor started the trek of climbing the mountainous pass in order to get to what little civilization there was. All at once he started to wonder what kind of toddler could possibly send a message to the psychic paper like that. It had to be one of a mighty race, with brainpower that was impeccable compared to others.
The Doctor's thoughts raced and before he knew it, he had already reached the small village. The villagers caught sight of him and stared, as if they had never seen a Time Lord before. Some of the villagers here were older than he was! As confused as he was, the Doctor kept walking to the house that was in the middle of the village, where the source was strongest. A man he recognized stood at the door.
"Well, well. It if isn't my Lord Doctor." An elderly man named Kays stood, welcoming the Doctor with an embrace.
SMACK
The Doctor made effort not to wince in pain and smiled. "Kays, it's always nice to see you," he said. "I need your help with something." He couldn't afford to waste any time.
Nodding, Kays motioned for the Doctor to enter. "Is it about the child?" He closed the door behind them and offered the Doctor a seat. Surprised, the Doctor glanced around and nodded. "It's quite alright. We figured someone would come to get her eventually," Kays walked over to a crib and picked up a tiny being. "We found her all alone in a dying TARDIS. We believe that her parents were Time Lords, like you." Handing the child over to the Doctor, Kays sat.
The Doctor smiled down at the baby. "What happened to the TARDIS?" Surely a powerful machine like that wouldn't have been left out in the open. Kays nodded and motioned to the Doctor to follow. He went to put the child back in the crib but Kays stopped him. "Bring her." Having no other choice, the Doctor carried the child and followed after Kays.
They went through the house and down to a basement. "Its dead," Kays started. "We only have enough power sometimes to review the recorded message that the parents left." The Doctor looked at his surroundings. A type 300 TARDIS, the latest model before he left Gallifrey. Only the wealthiest Time Lords and the military could afford something like this. He handed the child to Kays and attempted to power up the TARDIS. There was some hissing and groaning, but the visual interface came on. There in front of him there was the Professor with his wife. He was about to regenerate and she had a terrified look on her face. The Professor spoke first.
"Please, if there are any Time Lords that have escaped the current events. Please, I beg of you, take our child to safety. Raise her for good, make her never come back to Gallifrey, but teach her of how our race was. The mighty power that we held in the universe. Make her see all of this. For our sake." He fell over in obvious pain. She continued for him. "We are unable to escape. Lord Rassilon would have shot our TARDIS down. Her life beacon didn't register in his ranks," There was a loud bang behind her and she let out a small yelp and began to cry. "Please, someone, anyone, tell her she was loved by all, and by none more than us." She blew a kiss and more shots were fired. The interface went blank as the Professor regenerated and his wife shielded her eyes.
The baby cooed and smiled at the Doctor. As he took her, she waved her arms around and made babbling noises. He'd noticed her brilliant eyes but hadn't noticed the patch of red hair on her head. "Oh so SHE gets to be ginger." She looked at him as if she'd understood and promptly stuck her tongue out at him. Out of all the beings ever, a mere baby was getting on his nerves. "Look Kays," He started. "I can't possibly take her. She may be a Gallifreyan child, but there is no way that I'm suitable for her raising. She deserves a life in a home with people that are seemingly normal," Somehow, she'd reached into his coat and found the sonic screwdriver, which was now being chewed on. "That's not me. I couldn't possibly offer her that."
Kays had a look of sadness in his face "That may be so, but she deserves to know she's not alone in the universe, and I couldn't possibly lie to her." The Doctor looked at her, then at Kays. He was right; the two species looked very distinct. While humanoid, Yarin had two rather large horns sticking out of their heads, and not to mention they were almost completely covered in fur, making anyone not like this stand out.
"Fine," The Doctor said promptly, "I'll take her in but promise me you'll destroy what's left of this TARDIS." The Type 300 didn't look that much different from his own, but the differences were obvious. Bigger screen in a different place, the center column was thinner and brighter, the dials were labeled and the functions stated. Certainly an attractive TARDIS, but it was on the verge of dying.
Kays nodded and sighed. "Yes, I plan to, no worries. The time was sure to come." Taking the sonic out of her mouth, he kissed her on the head. "Take care of her, Doctor." Without another word, he walked back the way he came and left the Doctor and the child alone.