A/N: Okay, yeah, I know, I really shouldn't be writing another one, but my mind is being overrun by plot bunnies. Whatever chapter I finish for whatever story will be the chapter I publish, I don't know how long they'll all take in between.

Disclaimer: I OWN IT ALL! *gets weird looks from everyone in the room* Fine, okay, I don't. A girl can dream.

The Doctor ran down the empty street, his feet pounding the ground as he pushed himself faster and faster, but he didn't know how long he could keep this up.

The alien beast chasing him skidded around the corner with a snarl, hot on his heels. Its lower jaw was level with the top of the Doctor's head, and it had long muscular legs accustomed to running. Its teeth were small and sharp excluding the lower canines, which ended above the upper lip. Its eyes were bright green slits in an otherwise mud-colored scaly body, and its nostrils were hardly visible even when flared outwards. Its front legs had four long, lethal claws coming out of the foot that gouged the pavement with every long stride. It was gaining on the Doctor with incredible speed, and it was then that the Doctor tripped on one of his untied laces.

The Doctor fell with a grunt, scraping the palms of his hands on the pavement. He scrambled to get to his feet and tried to keep running but was thrown back to the ground. The monster had caught up.

It stood over him, panting slightly while he gasped for breath, letting out a growl when he tried to make a move. It snapped its teeth by the Doctor's face, making him flinch visibly.

"I can come up with a good reason as to why you shouldn't eat me," he said quickly, but it didn't seem to notice; it probably hadn't even understood. It lowered its head, probably to make a killing bite, when there was a shout from outside one of the houses on the street.

"OI, YOU THERE!" it shouted. The monster looked towards the source of the noise, a tall teenage girl standing on her porch with a gun drawn. "Yeah, I'm talking to you, ugly!"

The monster gave an aggressive snort and knocked the Doctor to the side, sending him skidding across the road. "That's right, just come over this way," she coaxed, aiming the gun. "I'm just a silly little human with a toy, what could I possibly do?"

The Doctor pushed himself to his feet just in time to see her raise the gun to aim. "Don't shoot!" he tried to yell, but it came out as barely more than a whisper. He cleared his throat and tried again. "DON'T-"

There was a bang that echoed around the street, interrupting his cry. The beast fell to the ground, its eyes rolling back in its head. The girl waited for a moment, seeing if it was going to move, but when it didn't she dropped the weapon and ran over to him.

"Are you alright?" she asked worriedly, dusting him down. She looked up at his face and froze.

"Is there something wrong?" the Doctor asked, concerned for her. She'd just shot an alien, maybe she was in shock. She was just a teenager, it's not like kids do that stuff everyday.

"Oh, sorry, yeah," she said after a short pause. "Just surprised for a moment there. It's not everyday I have to save someone from a giant alien, guess it just hit me for a second there. My name's Kendall, what's yours?" she held out a hand for him to shake and he took it.

"I'm the Doctor," he replied. A grin slowly spread across her face, a grin he'd only ever seen on one other person before. "Just the doctor?" Kendall asked, still grinning. He nodded. "Is that alright?"

"Oh yes, it is most definitely alright. Come with me, Doctor." She took his hand, still grinning madly, and pulled him towards her house.

"I should actually be going," he protested, and her grip on his hand tightened dramatically.

"You can't leave!" Kendall squeaked, and then quickly added more when she saw his look. "You're all scratched up and you must be shocked after that! It practically had you pinned to the ground back there, that's not something you can just walk away from!" She pushed him through the front door and sat him down on the couch. "I'll go make us some tea and get a cloth to wash you off, and don't even think about leaving before you're all cleaned up."

"I won't," he promised, and she left the room. The Doctor looked around the sitting room for a minute, and his hearts almost stopped when he saw what was on the mantel above the fireplace. He jumped to his feet and rushed over to get a better, not believing his eyes.

To anyone else, it wouldn't be that big a deal. There were a couple of ornaments, a few kids' drawings in frames, and family photos. In the biggest photo was a picture of a woman holding a baby, probably Kendall, but that wasn't what caught his eye; it was the woman in the hospital gown holding her. It was Rose.

The Doctor blinked and rubbed his eyes, but when he looked back it was still her. There were other photos, showing Rose and Kendall at different times and places, at the park, getting ice cream, at the museum, reading a story, all of those precious little moments captured forever. The Doctor continued to look at each and every one of the photos, wanting to remember them forever, and he didn't even notice the tears dripping down his face.

"Mum, I really really really think you should come home. Like, right now." Kendall put extra emphasis on the last sentence.

"Kendall, I can't, I have to finish this paperwork." Kendall hit her head against the wall, letting her forehead rest there and closing her eyes.

"Bring the paperwork home! You have to come now." Kendall said desperately.

"Call Jack, sweetheart, he's never doing anything." Kendall almost screamed in frustration.

"Mum, come home. It can't be Jack this time, okay? Trust me, you want to come."

"Of course I want to come home, but I really can't unless it's an emergency."

"It is! Now get in the car and hurry!" Kendall racked her brain for a good reason, besides the truth of course, and it came to her when she looked out the window. "I just shot an alien and it's in the middle of the street! Please come!" she held her breath and waited for the answer.

"Okay, fine, I'm coming home. For now, grab a perception filter out of the drawer by the phone and throw it around its neck if it has one, I'm on my way."

"Thank God," Kendall sighed, hanging up the phone. She grabbed a perception filter and ran outside throwing it around the neck of the whatever-it-was, then ran back inside and went to the kitchen.

The kettle was whistling merrily, so she turned off the stove and got out two mugs, filling them with water and dropping the teabags in. While it was brewing, she got a cloth out of a drawer by the sink and filled bowl with water, then walked as fast as she could while carrying a bowl of water to the sitting room again.

"Sorry I took awhile," she started, and then she saw what he was looking at. Jackie paused in her steps and gulped, then continued talking as fast as she could, spinning her lie as she went. "You like the pictures? She's a friend of my mum's, great fun, used to watch over me when I was little. She was always spoiling me, getting me candy, ice cream, and a bunch of silly little toys. I always called her-"

"She's beautiful," the Doctor interrupted, and even though it was quiet Kendall heard him. She swallowed nervously again. He turned to face her, and she could see the tear tracks on his face. She cleared her throat before speaking. "Let's get you cleaned up, eh?"

He sat down without a word, and she began gently cleaning his face. "I called my mum," Kendall said, "she'll be home soon. And how many sugars do you want in your tea? I didn't know."

"Four," the Doctor said quietly. Kendall let out a nervous laugh. "That's how many I have, too. Mum thinks I'm crazy." He didn't reply, just kept staring at the pictures on the mantel. Kendall finished washing his face and went back into the kitchen. She tossed the bowl and cloth into the sink, finished making the tea, and brought it in to the Doctor. He took it without a word, but made no move to drink it.

"I've got to make a call," Kendall said, standing. "I'll be back in a minute." He didn't acknowledge her statement at all as she left the room.

Kendall leaned against the kitchen counter, finding the name she was looking for in her contacts and calling him. For a moment all she heard was ringing, and then he picked up.

"Jack Harkness, who is it?" Kendall smiled.

"Just your favorite teenager."

"Kendall! What's up darling?" Kendall poked her head around the kitchen doorway, making sure the Doctor wasn't paying attention.

"I think I'm going to need you to come over, is that a problem?"

"Of course not sweetheart, anything for you. Why, what's going on?" Kendall took a deep breath before speaking, but her voice was still shaky.

"It's him, he's here, he's sitting on the couch looking at the photos on the mantel and I don't know what to do. I told him a lie, I said it was a friend of mum's, but she's on her way and I just shot an alien and it's out side in the road and-"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, slow it down! Take some deep breaths; I'm on my way, okay?" Kendall did as she was told; nodding even though he couldn't tell.

"Okay. Please, hurry."

"I will, just hold on." He hung up, and kendall closed up her mobile. She heard the sound of a car coming down the road and she set her tea on the counter, shoving her mobile into her pocket and walking to the door. "Here come the fireworks," she muttered to herself, and then she walked outside.

Rose Tyler pulled the car into the drive, turning it off and rushing out to Kendall. "Oh my God, are you alright? Look at the size of that thing!" She pulled her into a tight hug, kissing the top of her head. "Why the hell is that even here?"

"Mum," Kendall said, pulling out of her mother's embrace, "it was chasing a man, he's inside, and I cleaned him up as best as I could, but I think you should go see him." She paused, and then added in a much quieter tone, "Please don't be mad at me." Rose looked at her in confusion.

"Why would I be mad at you?" Rose asked with a laugh. Kendall nodded to the house. "Hurt man inside the house, I did my best but I'm just a teenager, remember? You should go help him."

"If you insist," Rose said warily, "but why would I be mad?"

"Please mum, I'll tell you later. Go take care of him, please." Rose kissed her forehead, and then finally walked into the house. Kendall leaned against the outside wall of the house, letting herself fall so that she was sitting, and waited for Jack to arrive.