It was late and Rose had gone to bed. Piper sat in the control room, staring distantly at the walls. She didn't notice when the Doctor had entered the control room, momentarily surprised to see her still up and awake before it changed to concern and determination. She had been running and avoiding his questions all day but now he was going to get to the bottom of it. And this time she wouldn't be able to run away. He didn't like it when his companions were hurt or suffering and if he could do something to help her then he would. She jumped when she felt a hand on her shoulder and she looked up to see him. He sat down next to her and she had a sinking feeling that this time she wouldn't be able to avoid it. He wouldn't let her. "I know you don't want to tell me but I think I need to know what's bothering you."

She let out a shaky breath and looked away. She twisted her body around so she was facing him. "You met both mine and Rose's family before, didn't you?" She asked quietly.

He nodded. "Yeah. I got slapped. Wasn't one of my best moments."

Despite feeling the way she was, she couldn't help but let out a sad chuckle. "Yeah, well, you met my Grandmother. You haven't met my mum."

"Where's your mum?"

She shrugged. "Living somewhere else."

He frowned. "Why?"

"She...couldn't bear to be around me anymore."

His frown turned into a scowl. "Why? What sort of parent can't bear to be around their child?"

"Because of my sister."

His eyebrows raised. "You have a sister? How old is she?"

She hesitated for a moment. "Eight. She was eight."

"What do you mean 'was'?"

"She was a little older than me. My parents named her Lilith. She was a pretty little blonde who liked to wear cute dresses. Lilith and I were inseperable as kids. We liked to do everything together if we could. We always stuck together...until the last day. I remember that day. Lilith was being her usual curious self and wanted to go exploring. She um...wanted me to go with her but I said no, so she went alone." She looked up and made eye contact with the Doctor. "Only problem was, she didn't came back. My parents were terrified when Lilith went missing. So was I. I remember I used to sit by our bedroom window, hoping she would walk in. At night, I would sleep in her bed just to feel close to her again. We used to share a room. Months went by with no news but I still hoped she would come home."

"But she never did?" He guessed sadly.

"Oh, she did." Piper gave him a sad smile, her eyes brimming with tears.

He frowned, not understanding. If her sister had come home then why was she still upset? "I'm not following. If she came back then why are you-"

"Just not alive," she interrupted tearfully.

The Doctor's jaw dropped. "What?"

"Yeah, they uh - they found her in the woods. She was still wearing the same dress she had on the day she disappeared. Whoever had killed her had left her there to rot. After that, my mum changed. She became more protective than ever. She would freak if I walked in with a cut on my knee, she wouldn't let anyone else near me, especially not strangers. I could hardly leave the house cause she thought something might happen to me the way it happened to her. Eventually, her behaviour spiraled out of control. She began to think that if she couldn't protect Lilith, then how would she be able to keep me safe? As much as she tried, she knew she couldn't keep me inside forever. It got worse and worse until one day, she couldn't take it anymore. She drove me to my grandmother's and left me there, saying she had to go find herself."

"Did they ever catch the person who did it?"

She looked away. "No. Bastard got away with it. Never even found out who it was."

The Doctor's heart went out to her. Now he understood why she had been acting the way she had, why she didn't want to go into the past and the why she had been so distant. She just didn't want a reminder of her past. "How am I supposed to help you with this? What do you want? How can I help you through this?" That was a dangerous question, he knew but he asked anyway. After what Rose had done earlier that day, he could at least do something similar for her. It wouldn't be fair otherwise. "You know we can't save her though, don't you?" He asked gently, just wanting to make sure she understood.

"Yeah, I know."

"Good."

"Do you have a video camera?" She asked suddenly.

"I might do, why?"

"Cause I was thinking that we could catch them attacking her. If we could get proof of Lilith's murderer then we can get them locked up and finally have closure. We just need proof."

The Doctor had to admit that it was a good idea. And he liked the way she wasn't trying to save her, like Rose had done. Still...he would have to keep an eye on her just in case she changed her mind at the last second. Not that he thought she would. He drove through a trunk and pulled out a video camera. Satisfied that it worked, he gave it to her. He walked over to the console and prepared to type in the date and year. "What's the date and year?"

"June 16th, 1993." She told him. "The day she went missing."

He put the date in and waited as the Tardis began to materialize. It stopped with a jolt and Piper glanced nervously at the doors. She was terrified. Could she really do this? Her eyes hardened and her jaw clenched in determination. Yes, she could. She would - for Lilith and for her parents. They deserved it. She looked at the Doctor who stared back. "You gonna be there," she asked hopefully.

He smiled sadly. "Yes. I'll be there. Let's go." She nodded and they headed for the door. She peered out hesitantly, unsure of what to expect. She gasped as she saw a little blonde girl skip past her happily. She didn't notice when the Doctor moved to stand beside her, his gaze on her as she stared at the tiny girl. Her eyes never left the blonde. He tore his gaze away from her to see what she was looking at, his blue eyes landing on the child. His blue eyes flickered from the girl to Piper and back. "Is this her?" He asked quietly, so as to not draw her attention to them. Piper couldn't find any words to respond to his question so she just nodded in reply. They watched silently as Lilith hummed happily as she walked down the path. They followed behind her slowly until she finally stopped just outside of the woods. They hid themselves as a man approached Lilith, talking to her before finally dragging the poor child into the woods. Lilith tried to fight back, tried to scream but it didn't make much of a difference. She was tiny and weak compared to him and there was no one around to hear her. There was no way she could win.

Piper closed her eyes in pain and forced herself to remain where she was. No matter how much she wanted to intervene and save her sister, she knew she couldn't. What happened had already happened and there was nothing she could do about it...no matter how much it hurt her. She felt someone squeeze her hand in what felt like reassurance and she opened her eyes to see the Doctor's blue eyes trained on her. She smiled weakly and moved to get up and follow them. As they walked, her hands shook as she turned the camera on. They stopped when Lilith's kidnapper's footsteps stopped. They could hear Lilith's screams and she tried in vain to escape.

Tears slipped down Piper's cheeks and she turned away. "Hey, we don't need to do anything. If you can't do it then you don't have to."

Piper shook her head. She let out a shaky breath and turned to look in Lilith's direction. She looked down at the camera and back at the Doctor. If they were going to get Lilith's killer behind bars then they would need to act fast. But she just couldn't do it. To get what she would need would involve her having to get closer. That would mean seeing what was happening to Lilith, knowing there was nothing she could do. "Please, please." She whispered to him. "I can't. I can't watch that...but we need proof. Please, I wouldn't ask this normally but I'm begging you..." The Doctor stared at her in confusion. His eyes darkened as he realized what she was trying to ask him. Without another word, he took the camera from her hands and walked away.

She waited for what felt like forever of listening to Lilith's screams and cries before they finally stopped. She collapsed on the ground and sobbed. Tears poured down her cheeks and she only looked up when a hand touched her shoulder. It was the Doctor. He helped her up, his blue eyes glistening in sorrow and sadness and handed her the camera. She wiped the tears from her face and took it. "Did you...?" She asked, not really wanting to finish that sentence.

He nodded grimly. "It has what you need."

"Thank you," she whispered gratefully and pulled him into a hug. He didn't hesitate to wrap his arms around the girl, hoping that now she could finally get the closure she so desperately needed and deserved. He was the first to pull away. He grabbed her hand and guided her back towards the Tardis. Piper sat down on the chair in the console room and watched silently as the Doctor walked around the console pressing buttons and pulling levers. The familiar sound of the Tardis dematerializing filled the room and she looked at the doors when they stopped.

The Doctor himself leant against the console, his arms crossed as he watched her. "Now all you have to do is drop that in and wait for the police to do the rest," he explained as she stared at him. Understanding dawned on her and she stood up and headed to the doors. She stopped and looked back at him. Coming to a decision, she walked up to him and ignoring his questioning look, kissed him gently on the cheek, hoping that he would understand how grateful she was to him when words failed her. Looking back at him, she could tell he had gotten the message and understood. She took a deep breath and exited the Tardis once more.

She entered the police station and walked up to the woman at the reception. The woman looked up and gave a small smile. "Hello, how can I help you?"

Piper put the camera on the desk and pushed it towards the woman who looked at it in curiosity. "This camera has proof of a murder on it," she replied, choosing her words carefully. "It should have everything you need to catch the killer. But if you don't mind, I'd rather this be anonymous if it's all the same to you."

The woman nodded slowly, stunned at her revelation. "Of course, if that's what you want. Thank you for this." Piper watched as she took the camera. Piper nodded and turned to walk away for the last time. Stepping out of the station, she felt light. Lighter than she had felt in a very long time. She could feel herself letting go a little bit and she smiled. She looked up at the clear blue sky and whispered, "I did this for you, Lilith. Rest in peace sister. I will always love you and I miss you. Thank you for everything."

At that exact moment, a gust of wind wrapped around her. And with this, she turned and walked back to the Tardis. Back to her new life of adventures. Back to the Doctor. Back to where she belonged.