AN: This chapter was done a bit hastily. I've been really busy with a bunch of other projects, plus school, so it's been hard to update, but don't worry, this story will continue.

Disclaimer: I own nothing

Sophie padded softly through the hall, periodically checking behind her to see if anyone was behind her, but all she saw was thick, hungry darkness. She had no idea where her "parents" were, and she didn't care to find out. She hoped that they were fast asleep, and far away, so that they wouldn't hear the sounds of her muffled footsteps. She really had no idea what she was doing; she had no idea if this was an attempt to escape, or an exploration of the strange ship, or if she just needed to get up and walk around. Whatever the case, she just didn't want to get caught.

A hazy blue light glowed at the end of the hall, and she crept toward it, then found herself in the console room. That is what it's called, isn't it? she wondered, then shook the thought away like a piece of dust and continued into the room. The grated floor was cold against her bare feet, and rattled with each footstep. She glanced back more frequently now.

Now that she was in the console room, she realized that yes, it was an escape attempt. Not a very well-formed one, considering she had no idea where she would end up, nor did she have any money, or even a change of clothes. Still, her curiosity pushed her to open those doors and step outside.

So she did just that.

She crept up to them, placed a hand on one, and gently started to pull it open, cringing when it squeaked incongruously. She could see what looked like the night sky through the minute slit, and she pulled it further open, revealing a vast expanse of not land and sky at all, but space.

A cold wind whipped against her as she stared out into the star-speckled abyss, her hair flying back and her soft pajamas sticking to her skin as it pressed against her. It was terrifying, but at the same time it was exhilarating, and there was something that felt almost natural about it. She almost wanted to step out and let it swallow her up, but self-preservation got the better of her, and she pulled herself back inside and snapped the door shut.

She felt ice melting within the veins of her cheeks, heat slowly returning to her skin, and she pressed her lips together as her trembling subsided. Sighing, she turned around, and found none other than the Doctor standing in front of her, his arms crossed and his eyebrow raised.

"God, you scared me," she said, feigning innocence, but she could tell by the look on his face that she had been caught, and it made her cheeks burn up. "What are you doing?"

"Oh, nothing really, just out for a little midnight stroll in the TARDIS, not that it's midnight, per say, since we're in space and all, but you know what I mean," he said, clasping his hands behind his back and walking to the console. "I think that the real question is, what are you doing here?"

She shrugged nonsensically as she grasped for an answer. "Nothing. Just the same as you."

The Doctor nodded and was quiet for a little while, shuffling his feet with his lips pressed together. "Did you know that because of our shared Gallifreyan genetics, that you and I have a sort of telepathic bond? Not something extravagant or anything like that, just a simple bond between our minds. And one of the things that this bond allows me to do is read your emotions. When you were a baby, I could feel what you were thinking. I could feel when you were scared, and alone, and crying for your mother. More than anything else you wanted to be in her arms. I don't think she realizes that. Anyway, the point is, I know that you're lying."

Her cheeks became even ruddier, and though she wasn't sure, she could've sworn she felt in intruding feeling in her mind, a shimmering sense of pride. "Well, yes, maybe I was trying to escape. But maybe that's because I have no idea who you people are. How am I supposed to know if you're really my parents? You could be murderers. You might try to sell me on some sort of slave market. There are tons of thi-"

"But we're not, are we?" he said gently. "You said that when you walked into the TARDIS, you felt like someone was cuddling your mind. I told you that was the TARDIS, but I also left out that it wasn't just the TARDIS, it was Rose and I. We share that bond. Rose, of course, can't really control it like you or I can, but she feels it nonetheless. She's scared for you. She's terrified more than anything else that she's not a good mother. Can you imagine what it must feel like to have your newborn daughter taken from you against your will only an hour after she's born?"

Sophie jutted her chin defiantly, and licked her lips, but said nothing.

"I can't completely prove to you that we're your parents," he said, stepping toward her. "But I can promise you that we do love you. Very much."

Sophie found herself at a loss for words, and for once, it was an uncomfortable feeling. Usually she enjoyed silence. It gave her time to think, time to ponder over whatever had caught her attention. This time she just felt extremely small and awkward, like a child who'd just been proved wrong. Then she realized that that was exactly what she was. Despite her taciturn nature, she was nothing short of arrogant.

She slowly stepped toward him, and for a moment he looked a bit shocked, then she wrapped her arms around him and pressed her head into his chest. She felt the double beats of his hearts, and sighed.

At first, the Doctor was awkward and mechanical, unsure what to do, but then he slowly reciprocated the hug.

For the first time since she had stepped onto the TARDIS, Sophie truly took into consideration the fact that this man could be her father. And she was happy about it.

Rose stared down at her daughter in her arms, all pink and soft, her features squished together with frustration and her tiny hands clenched. She rocked her gently, and Sophie yawned, smacking her rosebud lips together and blinking. She couldn't help but smile as Sophie stared at her wide eyes, looking shocked at this strange woman who was holding her. She squirmed against her breast, her mouth agape and a whine escaping from her throat.

Realizing she was hungry, Rose pulled down her shirt and Sophie immediately latched on, suckling voraciously. She looked up, and saw the Doctor approaching her. They shared a smile, and he reached over to stroke the wispy down of Sophie's hair, which already had the same roguish, untameable quality as his.

Suddenly, everything became dark and cold, a kind of cold that clawed at her skin until it was raw and red, and the Doctor was gone. Then she saw Madame Kovarian, strolling to her with her lips twisted in that awful smirk of hers.

"Give her to me," the woman hissed, her arms outstretched in preparation to receive Sophie.

Sophie began to cry loudly, her sobs high-pitched and razor sharp, chilling Rose to the core. She tried to run, cradling her daughter to her, but her legs couldn't seem to move fast enough. Her heart pounded violently within her chest, sporadically pounding against her ribs in uncontrolled fits. She tripped, and suddenly she was on the ground and Madame Kovarian was standing over her.

She was reaching for Sophie-

Rose's eyes flew open. At first, all she saw was darkness, then the lines of the shapes around her began to fill out, and she realized that she was in the Doctor's room. Limbs slick with sweat, she reached for the Doctor with a trembling hand, only to find that he wasn't there. Her heart, already trembling from the nightmare, now felt like it was choking on its own beats.

"D-Doctor?" she called out in a small voice. "Are you there? Doctor?"

The murky darkness gave no reply.

Somehow the lack of an answer galvanized her into action. She tossed the blanket off of herself and climbed out of the bed, pushing her feet along the floor so as to avoid stepping on one of the Doctor's many contraptions. She felt around until she found a door and pushed it open, revealing yet another dark room. She pressed her hand to the wall, and flipped a switch.

She was in a bathroom. It was much grander than she had expected.

Polished tiles, swirled marble counters, a bathtub that probably functioned better as a jacuzzi, fluffy pink robes and towels... Then it hit her that this wasn't the Doctor's bathroom at all, but rather one that the TARDIS had fixed up for her.

She smiled. "Thanks, old girl. But I don't need all this stuff."

The TARDIS replied with an affectionate but slightly stern hum within her head.

Rose splashed some cold water on her face, the dried off with one of the fuzzy pink towels. Looking at herself in the mirror, she realized how sickly she looked. She was skinnier than before, her eyes were dull, her hair was flat. She didn't like herself. No wonder Sophie doesn't like me, she thought. Look at me, I'm pathetic. She felt a scolding sensation inside her head, and realized that it was the TARDIS, being motherly and caring as usual.

Rose decided she was going to find the Doctor. She felt a need to be near him, like he would keep her safe. His presence acted like a balm, soothing her worries. And she wanted to find Sophie, too. She wanted to see her daughter.