Thanks to everyone that's reviewed or alerted I am so thankful to all of you! I'm loving writing this story and have a feeling it's going to get pretty long so I hope you all decide to stick it out with me!

Rose arrived at the coffee shop a few minutes early and ordered a coffee. When she got it she chose a table in the corner of the shop, somewhere they wouldn't be overheard. Then she waited, taking impatient sips of her drink and feeling it scald the inside of her mouth.

She didn't have to wait long. Sara Jane arrived soon after and Rose waived her over. Something like nervous anticipation was twisting her stomach into knots. Sara Jane sat down across from her.

"Are you the one who called me?" She kept her voice low. Rose smiled.

"It's good to see you again." Sara Jane looked at her with something like confusion.

"I don't know you."

"But I know you. And in another version of reality, the proper version, you know me too." Sara Jane looked vaguely uncomfortable.

"I travelled with him. Well, I would have done. I'd be doing it right now-" She swallowed. "It's complicated."

"So you know him, but not in this version of time? It still doesn't explain how you remember him." Rose laughed.

"That's another very, very complicated story. Basically, in short, I looked into the time vortex at the heart of the TARDIS. The Doctor took the energy out of me and into himself but part of it remained, it always will. Simply rewriting time isn't nearly careful enough to change that. Then when I finally got into the TARDIS and the part of me that was still connected with it helped me remember."

"Is that what he did? Rewrote time?" Sara Jane's eyes widened. "You've got the TARDIS!" Rose nodded.

"It's been sitting in my backyard almost all my life, I just didn't know what it was." All the colour drained from Sara Jane's face.

"The Doctor would never just leave the TARDIS, not unless-" Rose cut her off.

"There is one other way. If the Doctor was being hunted, if he wanted to disappear, what would he do?"

"He'd hide." Sara Jane started. "But he's a time lord how's he supposed to do that?"

"Unless he wasn't a time lord any longer."

Sara Jane snapped her fingers. "When I travelled with him he had this thing-"

"A fob watch, yeah. He said it would turn him human." Rose frowned. "So human he'd forget everything, the perfect disguise."

"It would explain why the TARDIS has been in your backyard so long. He doesn't even know it exists." The light dimmed from Sara Jane's eyes. "Or maybe, maybe he's just dead. Maybe this time he just didn't run fast enough-"

"No! The Doctor always finds a way, always." Rose couldn't help the edge of panic in her voice. Sara Jane nodded, but didn't look convinced. There was a moment of silence where both of them were too wrapped up in their own thoughts to say anything.

"Can I see it, can I see TARDIS again?" Rose shrugged.

"It's the only lead we have. I might as well look it over again. Do you have time now?" Sara Jane smiled.

"For the Doctor, I make time. Always have always will."

XXX

Rose picked her way through the trees with Sara Jane not far behind her. Mum was working so they'd been spared any awkward explanations but it was all still bizarre. Rose knew Sara Jane but Sara Jane didn't know her and even with her new memories bouncing around in her head the woman somehow still felt like a stranger. She looked back to talk to Sara Jane as she stepped over a log.

"You've very trusting. Someone calls you claiming knowledge about the Doctor. They won't tell you who they are but you meet with them anyway. What if it was some kind of trap or something?" Sara Jane shrugged and pulled her jacket closer around her.

"Well it wasn't. When you travel with the Doctor you encounter much stranger things then mysterious phone messages. Besides, Ive been waiting for news of the Doctor for a very long time. You didn't honestly think I would pass this up, did you?" They both stopped and Sara Jane's face split into a smile. "There it is." Rose's eyes snapped from Sara Jane to the TARDIS. "After all this time."

Before Rose could say anything in return the door to the TARDIS slammed open and a woman stepped out. She had a mess of curly hair and an expression on her face that was all business. Rose noticed a vortex manipulator identical to Jack's on her wrist. That same arm was holding a gun aimed at Rose's head. The woman shook her head.

"Oh Rose Tyler. You with the time vortex stuck in your head I knew you'd be a problem I've been watching you. You've caused me such trouble." Rose raised her hands in a gesture of surrender her eyes never leaving the gun.

"Who are you? How do you know who I am?" The mystery woman smiled, her eyes glinting.

"Oh I didn't introduce 's bad form. I assumed you'd heard of me. I'm Melody Pond but you can call me River Song." She readied the gun. "And you, the remarkable Rose Tyler. I've heard all about you." The smile faded. "The Doctor still cared about you a great deal, that's only going to make this harder for me. I'm sorry Rose but now that you remember you're too dangerous. This had to end. It had to end now." She lowered the gun, just slightly, until it was aimed at Rose's chest.

She fired.

Sara Jane threw herself at Rose and they went rolling out of the way. They barely had time to get to their feet before River was on them again. Sara Jane forced Rose behind her, shielding her, and River growled in frustration.

"Get out of the way."

"No." Sara Jane sounded a little out of breath but determined. "I won't let you heart her she's just a kid."

"I don't want to shoot you but if I have to I will." Rose shook her head.

"Why are you doing this?"

"Because I don't have any choice. The Doctor can't exist any longer and if you remember that puts everything we've worked for in jeopardy." A white hot mix of anger and adrenaline shot through her veins.

"The world needs the Doctor."

River fired and Sara Jane crumpled to the ground.

"No!" Rose dropped to her side. "What have you done you've killed her!" River fired another shot and Rose felt pain explode in her chest. She slumped to the ground and everything started to spin. River crouched until they were eye to eye.

"The universe doesn't need the Doctor. It's got me now." Rose tried to hold on, to grasp anything that would keep her awake, but as hard as she fought the darkness just kept pulling her under.

Piece by piece, everything faded.

Sorry to leave it on such a cliffhanger! Let me know what you think I'll try and update as soon as possible.