A/N: Author does not own Doctor Who. All rights belong to BBC.

Chapter 1: Bad Wolf

Once there was a man who had grown tired of his life. Born into a privileged life, he watched how people below him were treated and cast down like pieces of garbage due to their status. He quickly grew tired of this life when he saw that he was the only one who cared. No one else did. No one else saw the pain in his eyes as he watched people suffer and never once acted.

Coward. He was a coward. Always a coward. Even when he took a name for a Time Lord, a name that strikes fear into the hearts of others. A name that instilled hope in people when all hope seemed lost.

The Oncoming Storm. The Lord of Dreams. The Watcher of the Innocent. The Valeyard.

The Doctor.

A name that means so much to those who cross his path at one time meant so little to him. What is a name that held such place cursing meaning once meant nothing to the man who took it? For many years since he looked into the Schism and ran away never wanting to experience that pain again. From the moment when he was initiated as a Time Lord, he always ran away. But the reason why he took this name that meant so little to him was so he could finally help the people that he long time ago forgotten. But he still never acted. Always a coward. Always running away. It took forever for him to realize his calling. A hundred years to be exact. In those years, he had found love. He had made a family. He was finally happy. But then it was never enough. There was always that sense of dread when he saw the meek and helpless. No matter how hard he tried to forget and move on, The Doctor still had that speculation that he was needed somewhere in this vast universe to help those who need it.

That is when he made a vow to himself. A promise to himself that he would never be cruel nor cowardly to those who need him no matter the situation. He would help where he was needed no matter how far he traveled. That is when he realized his true meaning of the name he chose. A name that meant that he is to be a healer; a savior to the sick, the tired, and the needy. A man who would go beyond his own limits to save those needed him. The true definition of The Doctor.

That is when he first heard her sing. He was with his beloved granddaughter walking through the plaza of Arcadia when he finally heard her sing. Whoever she was singing a song of hope of peace. A song that no one seemed to hear but him and it resonated throughout the ruby red fields of Gallifrey. She called him and he wanted to go. He needed to go. She was singing a promise that he could travel the universe and be who he truly is meant to be.

"Susan, my dear….", The Doctor sat down on an old bench, his cane rested against his legs as he stared out into the busy crowd of the plaza. He could still hear the wonderful unknown voice singing to him. How could it appear that no one was phased by it? Did they not hear it as well? Had it finally reached the day where he had gone mad? The Doctor tried not to dwell on the questions that could lead to a mess of impossibilities. He motioned to his granddaughter to sit next to him on the bench as he tried to tune his ears to the song.

"Do you hear it?"

"Hear what, Grandfather?" Susan replied with a puzzled look as she sat down next to him and rested her head against his shoulder for rest. It had been a long day in the plaza for her. Her grandfather was walking around looking at things as if he was looking for something or something. She did not question it because he usually finds trouble in unexpected places.

Susan glanced up at her Grandfather seeing that he was now leaning against his cane, his eyes scanning the crowd once more. What had gotten his attention so dearly? Then she sat up when she heard him hum a tune that seemed unfamiliar to her and stared at him, "Grandfather?"

"Hmm?" The Doctor stops humming as a small smile grew on his lips as he glanced down at her. The song seemed to be soothing to him because that he realized that he was humming the tune, "Someone's singing. She has a beautiful voice."

"Who?" Susan grabbed onto his forearm gently nudging him, "Who's singing? I don't hear anything."

"That is a question I do not know the answer to, Susan." The Doctor slowly gets up from the bench releasing a soft sigh as he looked at his granddaughter with a smile, "But why don't we find out the answer to this question, my dear?"

"But what about -" Susan quickly got up from the bench protesting about the thought of the rest of their family. Wouldn't they be worried about them if they decide to spend the rest of the day exploring Arcadia for a silly song?

But the Doctor knew the questions and doubts that his granddaughter held from him. It was clear as day on her face and just to reassure her, he gently touched her shoulder, "They can wait a little while longer. We are always expected to be home for supper and live our normal lives like as if the universe is a daft and boring place. There are some questions that the answers must be searched for and not expected to be handed to you. Now Susan, why don't we figure out the answer to this one question for once?"

"Figure out what answer? I do not know what you are talking about at all. Who is singing? What song?" Susan buried her face into her Grandfather's chest hearing his heart beats, whispering "Grandfather… I think you must talk to the High Council…. I think you have gone ma-"

"Susan." The Doctor pulled her away from his chest and looked into her large doe eyes. His voice stern as he pointed up to the sky its blue hue slowly turning orange from the impending dusk, "Susan, my dear sweet granddaughter. You are being ignorant of your surroundings. The song is everywhere. She is singing to everyone. You just choose not to listen to her."

The Doctor turned away from his granddaughter and walked into the crowd leaving her to her thoughts. His eyes scanned for someone singing but alas no luck. All he could find was a small sign with a red arrow pointing to the wastelands reading "Bad Wolf is coming." He shrugged and went on his way ignoring its presence because it had become a part of him. Bad Wolf. He could recall when he had first seen these words. It was chiseled into a stone wall of the academy. He could remember reading those words on the wall. ' The Bad Wolf comes for those who need her' He never really understood it until he was greeted one evening by a single wolf cry that no one seemed to hear. He didn't know what it meant for a long time. For many long years, these words 'Bad Wolf' had still followed him. For many long years, he seek the answers for the meaning of Bad Wolf but soon abandoned it all for more noble causes.

There were more things to discover than a simple phrase.

But Susan stood there right where her Grandfather had left her. Her eyes lowered towards her feet as her Grandfather walked away merging with the crowd. Grandfather…. What am I going to do with you? She thought as she turned her back away from the crowd and started to make her way back home.

Though she kept finding herself glancing back hoping that he would stop following a silly thought and come back home to where they belong. Home is not home when he wasn't there. The world seemed too dark without the mischievous smile and the grandiose ideas of her grandfather. The crowd swallowed the shadow of her grandfather leaving her alone. Alone. Susan bit her lips as she fought the urge to run after him. Home. She was home when she was near him. But she understood his desire for adventure. He was lonely. Even though he had family that he truly loved there was always something that called him. He was The Doctor. A Doctor is a healer and that was he was supposed to do. Heal and help. Insure the survival of a being whose time had yet to run out. That was what he was supposed to do. That is who he was. No more standing around waiting for someone to care for the weak. Susan understood that finally and when she finally opened her mind to the possibility of her grandfather's mad antics that is when she heard the song.

The voice was like a soft whisper. Singing to her and filling her mind of imagines of adventures and hope. He was right. She was indeed ignorant of her surroundings. All she had to do was understand his point of view and his desires to a good person in a dark, dark world. She could travel the universe with him and learn new things. The song was calling her. The song wanted to help him find his way. A mad man in a mad world and she is supposed to help him. She is supposed to help him find the Bad Wolf.

Bad Wolf? What does it mean? Susan thought as she found herself turning towards the crowd and walking blindly into the unknown. She heard of her Grandfather mentioning it before but it was never more than a silly phrase to him. But now it was so much more and he didn't even know about it. Susan dwelled on the thought of it and its meaning with her grandfather. Would he ever realize that those two words meant so much more than a silly phrase? Probably not.

As she walked through the crowd, Susan noticed them slowly parting leaving a small opening large enough for her to walk through. But soon enough The Doctor stood at the end of the opening leaning against his cane with his classic mischievous smirk plastered on his face. A question burned in her young mind. Did he know that she would end up joining him?

All eyes were on her. For one reason or another, Susan knew that this was not or could not be a coincidence. Something was happening and she wanted to know what.

"There you are, child." The Doctor said as he turned back around to continue his walk around Arcadia, "Here I thought you have decided to go back home to your father."

"No… I-I had-" Susan glanced behind her with the urge that someone was still watching her. But when she finally had seen the busy plaza she found that the crowd had merged once more as if they had never parted "How odd…"

"Hhm? Susan, you're mumbling."

Susan turned back to her Grandfather seeing that she almost lost him again and rushed to his side. She looked behind herself only to grow more confused by the second. This was odd indeed. "Nothing, Grandfather. It was nothing…"

Far from Arcadia proper, deep in the hills of never-ending grey tubes, she still sang. Her song resonated throughout the air still clinging to hope that someone had heard her sing; her song calling out for someone who opened their mind to endless possibilities and to finally take her away from her never-ending prison sentence. It had been so long since she had traveled the universe. It had been so long since she had been able to kiss the stars and dance upon the stardust that was left behind for many years. She was useless until he had found her. She had stopped singing when she watched him walk into her field. He was so old then but she knew that he was young at heart. She knew that his mischievous and curious side of him wanted to hear her sing more. She released a hum with delight when his granddaughter came into view. She was so innocent. So pure…. She was just like him in some ways but could stand on her own.

"Shh…" A voice spoke petting her silver side "He will find me too early…"

The machine quieted down and listened to the pink and yellow creature so far from her time. She was sent to hide clues of the Bad Wolf…a creature of time and void. An impossible creature that seeks to haunt the Doctor's life. The pink and yellow creature hides in the shadows before whispering "Sing! Call him to you! Your key is -" she fell back tripping over a small stone hitting the side of her singing machine.

"Grandfather…" Susan stopped walking and looked at the rows of retired Type 40 ships "it stopped. The singing stopped."

"that means we're getting close. Come along then." The Doctor replied as his fingers grazed the sides of these once remarkable machines. He stopped and looked around when he heard whispers and a flash of… pink? He shook his head and walked closer

"What are these?" Susan asked as she followed the Doctor looking around curiously

"Retired Type 40 Mark Three-Time and Dimensional space ships. Special kind of beauties. I never learned how to drive one, unfortunately. My father had one long time ago. I heard they can have a bit of a kind soul and their navigation can be a bit off. But there are so many time periods I would love to explore. Perhaps find the Lost Moon of Poos-"

A loud metallic clang echoed through the fields. The Doctor turned back to Susan to see her clinging to his jacket but sure enough, the Doctor watched a pink and yellow humanoid stand up from the red dust and slowly back away. Her brown eyes focused on his. She was way beyond her time, the Doctor could tell. But how did she get here?

"Hold on… come here, child. May I have a word?" The Doctor asked causing the pink and yellow humanoid to freeze cursing herself.

"I.. …" She took a few steps towards them but remained in the shadows of the machines

"Who are you?"

"Nobody. Just a nobody… an uh… lone wolf per-say."

"A nobody? Posh… where did you come from, child? You seem far from home."

She cursed herself as she took a step back. She knew that he would ask her these type of questions. The Doctor doesn't change that much. She played with her long blonde hair "oh… somewhere." She tried her best to answer the questions without leading to more but damn her clumsy feet. "I was just following this uh… singing and uh.. " she hand to hint to him because without this then she would truly be a nobody "Bad Wolf stuff and-"

The Doctor raised an eyebrow as Susan walked towards her "You heard the singing too?"

"Oh yeah! Can't bloody miss it for the world, eh?" The took a step farther away from the Doctor hoping that no paradox would occur from this "And Bad Wolf… all that stuff. But I found this Tardis here unlocked. I was about to steal it for a joyride."

"Tardis?" The Doctor wondered as he looked at the unlocked machine

Susan grins jumping slightly in place "Brilliant! Oh, let me guess… Time and Relative Dimensions in Space?"

The Pink and Yellow creature nodded "Yep and take credit for that name, S-. She's a good machine. She will take you wherever you are needed. I-" she bit her tongue before turning around and sprinting as fast as she could. I will see you soon Doctor. Come find me…

"Grandfather...did you hear her? We can go traveling! We can-"

"Bad Wolf…" The Doctor looked at the Tardis and saw that the humanoid has disappeared. Bad Wolf… those damn words keep following him and now he had a chance to find out why. Bad Wolf… would this Tardis take him to it? He slammed down his cane when he heard the guards yelling about intruders. Always finding himself in trouble. "Hurry!" he lifts up his cane and opened the doors to the Tardis and rushed in.

Susan looked around her home one last time before rushing into the Tardis. Her eyes widen at the sight of the large interior. Roundels lined the bright white walls and the center console was a hexagon full of buttons and levers that she had no idea what they did as a blue tube-like structure reaching towards the ceiling. She blinked as tried to take it all in "Oh my…"

"Susan, my dear… do you.. oh dear.. do you happen to know how to drive this?"

"what?" Susan was astonished of the question from her grandfather and rushed to the console as he started pushing buttons and pulling levers. "I thought you were joking!"

A loud grinding whoosh sound echoed through the console room as the pillar started to move slowly. It reminded her of metal meeting a metal wire. She stared at the buttons and her frantic grandfather "where do you think we're going?"

The Doctor stops pushing buttons and looked up to his granddaughter with a proud smile "Why to the stars, Susan. We're going to the stars."