The Doctor knew there was something strange about the girl the moment he saw her. But he didn't have time to really overthink it, given the severity of the situation.

It was literally, absolutely, undeniably impossible that the creature he saw was here. She couldn't be. At no point could she have been. However, regardless of her impossibility, she was nonetheless there and about to attack the girl. So he did what he was best at: he grabbed a young woman and ran.

They ran - and she was good at running, too - all the way back to the cemetary where the TARDIS had landed, and he hurriedly unlocked the door and brought the girl in. Slamming the door behind them, he took a moment to catch his breath.

"Oh," he said, startled. "That's new."

She was pulling him, this girl. Something in his core sparked at her presence, now that the distractions were gone, now that the running was done. She was electric. He turned around slowly, warily.

She was staring at him, flushed from her run in the cold, flushed from her brush with death. She knew what almost happened, he was sure of it. She looked frightened. Of him in part, no doubt, but not only of him. There was a part of her fear that was fading, now that she was inside.

"Who are you?" she asked, her voice trembling just a bit. She swallowed hard and crossed her arms so that her shaking hands wouldn't be so obvious. "Where are we?"

The Doctor didn't approach her, but stayed by the door. "I'm the Doctor," he replied, "and we are safe, and that's all that matters right now. But since I did just save your life, I think I get a free question, too. Who are you?"

"Dawn," the girl said. "My name is Dawn. Look, whoever you are...thank you. You did save me. But I really, really need to get home."

"No doubt," the Doctor replied. "And home you'll go. I just thought we should give the thing out there a little more time to put some distance between us."

Dawn shook her head. "You don't understand. She's not going to give up. It doesn't matter where I'll go - she'll follow me."

The Doctor smiled, but he found he could only manage it half-heartedly. "Whatever she wants with you, I can guarantee you...she won't follow me." Before Dawn could respond, he brushed past her to the center of the TARDIS. He pulled up a map of the surrounding area, and then looked to the girl. "Come tell me where your house is. I'll make sure we find a way around her."

Dawn followed him up to the console. As soon as she put a foot onto the platform, the TARDIS began to vibrate. Dawn cried out and gripped the railing.

"Shh, shh, old girl," the Doctor said, alarmed. "What's the matter with you?" He started fiddling with the controls, flipping levers and pushing buttons to try to see what had happened. The readings didn't make any sense. None at all. The energy levels the TARDIS was picking up were almost as impossible as the creature following Dawn. For something to be giving off that kind of energy, it would have cost countless suns. In fact, reality should barely have survived the burden of creating something like that. And it was originating -

"Oh," the Doctor whispered. "Ah."

"What happened? Was that an earthquake?" the girl behind him asked, her voice bright with fear. He didn't turn around for a moment. He needed to collect his thoughts once more.

Did she even know? Could she? She was really and truly human, after all. The TARDIS told him that much. She was a genuine human girl wrapped around all of that universe-ripping energy like gift paper. There was no way she could know. So what was he supposed to say? What was he supposed to do?

But she did understand, at least to an extent, what was following her. She knew enough to be frightened. Although being stalked by anything was enough to do that to a human. He pinched the bridge of his nose and inhaled deeply. This was bad. Oh, so bad.

He finally mustered up the courage to turn around and look at her. She was looking back at him, anxiously. When he was fully turned, her expression shifted. Some of the fear was replaced by defiance. "You know why Glory is after me," she said. Said, not asked.

He wasn't going to lie to her. "Yes," he replied.

"Let me go home," she whispered.

"I'm not going to hurt you," he said firmly. "Trust me. The last thing I want to do is hurt you. But I do know what you are, and we can't risk her getting her hands on you. So we're going to have to be smart about this." He rounded the console again, shoving his glasses onto his face and peering into screens as he tried to pinpoint Glory's location. He was going to deal with her - oh yes, he was going to deal with her eventually - but not with the girl nearby. He would not have all that he had done undone.

"Tell me who you are," Dawn insisted, following him. "And how you know who I am."

He hesitated, his hand hovering over a lever. She didn't know. Not everything. Not fully. He looked at her: so fragile. So close to breaking. Like everything else in this part of reality, because of her, and the creature that was after her. "I'm a friend," he settled. "I'm...an old friend. I am someone who wants you to be safe. I am here to help."

Dawn didn't move for a moment, considering. Her eyes bored into the Doctor, studying him, trying to know him. Finally, she conceded. "Okay." She sat down by the railing, knees up to her chest, watching the Doctor through still-cautious eyes. "My house is there," she added, pointing to the display.

The Doctor surveyed the display, pinpointing Dawn's house and calculating the best route - the route that was, statistically, likeliest to be Glory-free. It only took him a moment, and he turned around, offering a hand to Dawn. "Well then," he said, smiling, "if you're ready...allons-y."