A/N: Sorry about the wait. This one gave me quite a bit of trouble, for some reason. Finals don't really help, either.

Disclaimer: Don't own Doctor Who. If I did, it probably would have turned out something like this.

Serafina followed the Doctor through the halls of the Naismith Estate in relative silence, her impending regeneration on her mind. The old man, Wilfred, had gone home. From the way the Doctor had put it, he had a family that missed him. The golden glow that had clung to her skin had died down, though she could still feel its forces at work. What would she look like? Who would she be? She had selflessly sacrificed herself for the man in front of her, and she didn't even know if she would be alright afterward. Quite a shock, she thought, sarcasm bleeding into her mental voice. Of course she'd done it! For all her years building up walls against anything and everything, she still couldn't handle watching someone die in front of her. She just couldn't.

The Doctor weaved this way and that way, sometimes having to retrace his steps and backtrack a bit before finding the right hallway, but they eventually got to the TARDIS. Serafina was broken out of her thoughts when she almost bumped into him, as he'd stopped to unlock the door. Looking up at the TARDIS, she almost broke out into laughter.

"A police box." she remarked, a smile on her face as she looked sideways at him. "They've been gone for years; what's it still looking like that for?"

"The chameleon circuit's faulty." he explained, grinning. "It's been this way for years, and I'm rather fond of it." He opened the door and stepped inside, shutting it behind her as she marveled at its appearance.

"It's beautiful!" she cried, flitting around the console room like a child in a candy shop. He watched her for a little bit, an amused smile on his face before digressing into his thoughts. She was a Time Lady and she had survived the Time War. How? Why was she here? And how had she escaped his notice? She'd made mention of opening the watch earlier; could she have used a Chameleon Arch?

Lost in his thoughts, the Doctor didn't notice that Serafina had stopped running around and leaned upon the hexagonal console in the center of the room, seemingly upset. She made occasional glances in his direction, but other than that, she kept staring at the floor. Eventually, he noticed her sudden change in mood. He raised an eyebrow in question, and she shrugged in response. He could tell by her face that she was definitely upset over something, though "upset" wouldn't be the word that he'd choose. At war with herself would be a more apt term.

"What is it, Serafina?" he asked her, curious as to what could cause such indecision and stress in the young Time Lady. She didn't answer immediately, but she looked like she wanted to say something. He shifted his weight onto one foot, then the other as he watched the emotions churn in her head. When she managed to piece her thoughts together, she didn't look all too happy, but she did look determined.

"I need your help."

The TARDIS materialized just down Blackhorse Road, out of the way of any prying eyes. Not that it would be noticed anyway, but it's better to be safe than sorry. Serafina opened the door, checking to see if anyone was there who would notice her, then ran off towards one of the houses. The Doctor followed her at a more leisurely pace, his hands thrust into his pockets, as per usual. She'd asked him to play along, but with what, he didn't exactly know. He wasn't worried, though, as he'd always had a certain knack for improvisation.

Serafina knocked at the door of a particularly old house, looking a bit uncomfortable. The Doctor couldn't even guess as to why. From what she'd told him, they were going to go see her family. Her human family. Odd. What was a Time Lady doing with a human family? And, if they were her family, why would she be upset at coming to meet them?

The old oak door opened, and a little girl of about four stood there, staring up at Serafina with wide eyes. "Fina!" the girl shrieked, throwing herself at Serafina and completely ignoring the Doctor. "Mummy, Fina's home!"

Serafina smiled to herself, though it wasn't exactly what the Doctor would call happy. "Yes, Kaela. Fina's home." It looked more like she was only playing the part of the older sister. Acting. And, from the Doctor's perspective, she didn't seem to be all that good at it.

"Kaela?" a woman's voice called from inside the house, and the Doctor perked up a little.

"Mummy! Fina's home, Fina's home!" Kaela shouted over her shoulder, and she ran off into the depths of the old house. Serafina stood and looked back at the Doctor, gesturing for him to follow her as she went inside.

The interior design of the house seemed almost as old as the outside. It all seemed very out of place in the hustle and bustle of London town. There were archways and high ceilings and an entire entrance hall sort of thing. It was almost like the interior of the TARDIS, with all of its rooms and corridors, though the TARDIS was a whole lot bigger. It was quite large, he knew that from looking at the outside, but he hadn't realized just how large it was until he'd almost gotten lost inside its maze. Serafina navigated the different areas expertly, and it didn't take long to get to the room where a woman stood, Kaela at her side, looking out the window at the sky. The Doctor could only assume that this woman was Serafina's "mother." The woman turned around and smiled, then hugged her daughter. Serafina looked a bit uncomfortable with the physical contact, but she made herself relax and embrace her mother back.

"You didn't tell me that you were coming home." her mother gently chided her, and she cringed a little. "You could have called me and told me that you were coming home." Her mother let go of her to look her in the eyes, and Serafina just couldn't bring herself to meet them. Her mother seemed to understand, and she looked at the Doctor, as if inspecting him.

Serafina watched her mother and preempted her inevitable question. "He's with Witness Protection, mum." she stated. "He's come to pick me up."

As Serafina and her mother started to discuss it, the Doctor pieced together her plan. Use the Chameleon Arch and become a human, then get transplanted into a family by pretending to be under Witness Protection. When she discovered the watch and opened it, she could just as easily say that she needed to be relocated, and she would be free to leave and go wherever she wanted. Quite clever, really. Brilliant. The only question was why would she need to do that in the first place?

"Mum, I have to go." Serafina was saying, and her mother was refusing. "Don't make this any harder for me, please." She broke away from her mother and Kaela, who was still too young to understand what was going on. As she left the room, the Doctor excused himself and followed her, not wanting to get caught in the family drama. After a couple of turns and hallways, they came to what looked like her bedroom, and she immediately started fishing around in the closet.

"So." the Doctor mused. "Quite a clever plan you've got going here." She didn't really respond, other than a look in his direction before producing a small bag from the depths of the closet. "The only thing that's missing is the motive, and I can't quite figure it out."

"I'll explain, just not right now." she replied, not looking at him. "Don't want to stay here longer than I have to." She started to throw some things around the room into it, some clothes, random bits of metalwork and a couple of sculptures made out of hardened clay. There was a particularly ornate wristwatch that she picked up that caught the Doctor's attention. It was almost a bracelet, with another layer of stained metal on top of it in a rather interesting design. Amber gems had been attached to the stained metal, and there were small, silver wings on either side of the rather small watch face. A pearl hung freely from the face itself, and it swung gently from side to side as she slid the bracelet watch onto her wrist. The metal caught the light and shone gold for a split second, then the glow faded and it reverted to the dull brass of which it was made.

She lingered in front of the dresser for a while, just staring at the picture frames standing there. There were quite a few of them depicting Serafina and her mother, and more of them had Kaela in them, but there was one specifically that she was looking at. It was a black and white photograph of a man leaning against a light gray tree on a gray hill, surrounded by deep gray grass. It was a candid shot, the man looking up at the pale gray sky high above him, seemingly waiting for something to happen. Some fleeting emotion crossed Serafina's face before she pushed it away, grabbing the picture and putting it in her bag.

With that, she was off, shouldering her bag as she easily navigated the hallways back to the entrance hall, trying to leave without notice. Her mother was there, looking generally upset at her daughter's leaving, and the two of them started talking, getting more and more heated as the conversation went on.

"Why do you have to go?" her mother asked.

"I'm sorry, mum, I just have to." Serafina replied, getting increasingly uncomfortable.

"I can't just let him take you away from me like this!" her mother shouted, then she turned to the Doctor. "Do you hear me? I'm not going to stand for this!"

The Doctor merely raised an eyebrow. If Serafina wanted to leave, she would. There was no way that this woman would be able to keep her here. She wasn't the human child that her mother had known anymore. She was a Time Lady. One of the last. It had been the same with Joan back in 1913. He had offered to take her with him, yes, but he knew that he would keep wandering until he was comfortable with settling. He didn't need to worry, though, as he knew that it wouldn't happen anytime soon. He decided that he wouldn't try to respond, knowing that it would probably just make everything worse. Serafina held her mother back from trying to get in his face, attempting to soothe her with soft assurances and promises that he knew that she wouldn't want to keep.

"Everything will be fine, mum." she said, trying to smother the fire before her mother went into hysterics. So far, it wasn't working, and her mother was getting more and more worked up.

"No it won't!" she shouted.

"Yes it will, give it time." Serafina replied, looking a bit sad. "In a few years, you won't even remember me." As her mother started to protest, she put her finger over the older woman's mouth. "Just stop it, please. I don't want this to be harder than it already is." She moved her hand from her mother's mouth to hold her close, her eyes hard. A few seconds later, her mother suddenly went limp, dead unconscious. The Doctor gave a small sigh as Serafina gently set her down on the floor.

"Mummy?" Kaela asked, poking her mother's shoulder. "Mummy, are you sleeping?"

"Yes, Kaela." Serafina replied, smiling reassuringly. "Mummy's sleeping." She held her little sister tightly, and Kaela hugged her back.

"Fina? What's wrong?" Kaela questioned.

Serafina didn't answer immediately. Kaela was just about to ask again when she finally whispered, "I don't want you to forget me."

The four year old just smiled. "You're silly, Fina. I'm not going to forget you."

Serafina didn't respond, petting Kaela's hair absently. Eventually, Kaela succumbed to unconsciousness, just like her mother, and Serafina laid them side by side.

"But you will." she mumbled under her breath. "I made you forget. I had to. It'll be like I never existed, and everything will go back to the way it was." She slowly stood up, shouldering her bag again as she started to turn away. "I'm sorry." She calmly walked out the door, waiting until the Doctor had followed her out before hanging her key on the inside doorknob. Her hand shook as she turned the lock, a minor enough thing, but it didn't escape the Doctor's attentions. Shutting the door, she stood there for a few moments before starting off towards the TARDIS. The Doctor walked alongside her, trying to figure out if she was alright.

Her face was blank, devoid of all emotion. Her bangs swayed in front of her eyes, but she didn't seem to give any notice of them. She'd shoved her hands into her pockets and was walking slowly, her shoulders stiff and low. He would normally classify her general mood as stressed, but it went beyond that. Having to voluntarily leave the family that she'd known for so long, yet was completely alien to her had to have been hard. She had erased their memories of her. Even if she came back to them, they wouldn't remember. They would say she was mad.

She wasn't just stressed. She was sad. Lonely. He took his hand out of his pocket and draped it across her shoulders, pulling her a bit closer as a bit of emotional support. A bit of a smile played on her lips, and she placed her hand lightly on top of his as they walked.

Back in the TARDIS, The Doctor stood in front of the console, fiddling with the controls with a bright grin on his face. Serafina merely watched him from her position against the doors. He looked over at her, and she looked away.

"Oh, come on." he chirped, trying to cheer her up. "You have the whole of time and space before you. Where do you want to go?" She finally met his gaze, but she most definitely wasn't happy. It was making him a little uneasy, as he didn't know exactly what was wrong. Had he done something? Was she still upset over what she'd done to her family? He rather hoped that she wasn't angry with him. If she was, hating and hitting would most likely ensue. When she perked up and pushed off the doors, a spring in her step as she made her way around the console, he was a bit relieved.

"How long do you think I have?" she asked, looking up at him. "Until I regenerate, I mean. How long do I have?"

He shrugged. "I don't really know." he replied truthfully. "It's a bit hard to tell with radiation, but I would imagine that you have enough time to take a romp around the universe. It's rather slow." He didn't look too pleased with her impending regeneration as he pulled the lever that started the TARDIS in flight.

She sighed and watched him. "Can I ask you a question?"

He looked her way and playfully raised an eyebrow. "You just did. But shoot."

"Are you angry?" she asked. He blinked, stopped again, and looked back at her.

"Angry? Why would I be angry with you?" He responded to her question with a question of his own in an attempt to avoid answering.

"You look at me like you're angry." She crossed her arms and stared him down.

He averted his eyes for a couple of seconds, then met her gaze. "No. I'm not angry." She gave a bit of a relieved sigh. "But I am upset." Her relief turned to astonishment.

"You're upset with me?" she nearly shouted at him. "For what? I just saved your life!"

"At what cost, Serafina?" he retorted at an almost equal volume, and she looked taken aback. "You're dying because of me."

"I am dying, Doctor, because I want to keep you alive." she replied, her voice low. "I am here, with you, because I want to make sure you survive." She made her way towards him, one slow step at a time. "Not a future regeneration, not an older one. You." She was almost in his face now. "Do you have a problem with that?"

He stared right back at her, showing no signs of backing down. "As a matter of fact, I do. I was supposed to die back there; it was part of the prophecy!"

"Maybe you didn't notice, but everything back there was in flux." Her voice was starting to rise in volume as her frustration mounted. "To hell with your prophecy! I made a promise and I'm going to keep it!" She turned away from him, took a couple of steps, then looked back. Taking a calming breath, she steadied her voice. "You're upset with me, not because I saved your life, but because I'm going to regenerate." She steeled herself, both mentally and physically. She didn't want him to end up hitting her for what she was about to say. "I saved your life, and you hate me for it! I thought you'd be happy! I thought you'd be grateful! But no, you're angry! You're bloody impossible!" She ended her sentence shouting, and even she was surprised by the starkness of her outburst. She couldn't understand his point of view, and it made her angry that he couldn't, or wouldn't, understand hers.

As for the Doctor, he was reeling. He'd pretty much come to terms with his death. He'd had enough time to think about it, to make his own share of mistakes. Adelaide and his "Time Lord Victorious" rant were testament enough to that. On Mars, things had been fixed. Had they been in flux at the Naismith Estate? To be honest, he hadn't really noticed. He had had too much to deal with at that point, with the Master and Rassilon and Gallifrey and the entirety of the Time War hanging over Earth. He had saved the universe for the millionth time, and then he was supposed to die. But she had come from out of nowhere, pushed him out of the way and had died in his place. He was, to put it quite simply, in a state of shock. Putting it off and pretending he was fine, like he had been, wasn't going to help much.

Serafina's gaze softened at the expression on his face. It was a bit of surprise, regret, pain... and something else she couldn't quite place. The closest thing she could imagine that could produce such an expression would be to smack him across the face. "Oh, Doctor." she mumbled. She took a couple of hesitant steps in his direction, then closed the distance between them and wrapped her arms around him. He stiffened a bit at the sudden contact. "The Lord of Time. The Oncoming Storm. The Lonely God." She paused, wanting to make sure he heard every single word. "Staving off the darkness for almost a thousand years. Standing up when the rest of the universe runs and hides under the blankets. Full of fire and rage, and yet unbelievably compassionate and kind." She pulled away from him a little, smiling at his almost awestruck face. "Yes, I'm describing you." she laughed. "The most impossible man I've ever met. The most impossible, heroic, brilliant man." She let him go and walked slowly around the room.

The words slowly sunk into the Doctor's mind. She was speaking the truth, and it was just what he needed to hear. He was a bit too hard on himself a lot of the time, especially for things that were beyond his control. Which were quite many, despite being a Time Lord. And traveling around with her would definitely be quite interesting. And if her general personality was like this, then he was a bit interested in what her future regenerations would be like. As she kept talking, she seemed less and less like a proper Time Lady and more and more human. For someone who looked down on the human race, spending time as one on Earth must have changed her quite a bit.

"And you do all of it without any sort of reward. You don't even ask. The epitome of selflessness, putting your life on the line in so many ways to save the ones cowering behind you." she was saying, a little smile on her face. "You care more about a withered old man and a stupid little girl than about yourself. A stupid little girl you've never met." She looked down, as if realizing something, then back up at him. "You'd better remember this!" she chided, and the look on her face made the Doctor crack a smile. She looked flustered and almost angry with herself, as if she'd said too much. "I'm not just going to sit idly by and watch you wallow in your depression. And I don't care if you want to just sit there and be miserable, it's not going to happen while I'm here." She crossed her arms and stopped, on the other side of the console from him.

The TARDIS suddenly stopped moving, the vworp, vworp of landing echoing throughout the room. Serafina and the Doctor both grinned, and she ran for the doors. He followed her at a slower pace, his hands thrust into his pockets. She looked like a child in a candy shop. A new world to explore, a new companion to explore with, and the knowledge that he wasn't alone in the universe. This was definitely going to be fun, as he watched Serafina throw open the door and run out into the open air.

A/N: Oh wow. That took a lot longer than I thought it would.

Review, please, just tell me if you liked it or not. Flames, etc, will be generally ignored.