Doctor Who: Infection

Chapter 44 - Resurrection

Disclaimer - I don't own nothing or nobody you know/recognize. Doctor Who is intellectual property of the BBC, afaik.

Characters: Gleeson!Doctor, Markham, River, Jack, OCs


Sam Bush entered the control room, expecting the Doctor, River Song, Akasha, and his second, Frederick Blake. He was not expecting the other person waiting for him. A girl of about fifteen stood by Blake, her hair a dirty blonde, clothing looking worn and rugged as well. Her pale face a contrast to her ragged appearance, brightening even more on seeing him enter the room.

"Sam? Is that you?" she yelped, then ran to hug him. "SAM!"

"DeeJ!" He scooped her up in his arms, hugging her tight. "I missed you, too," he said, holding the young girl at arm's length.

"You got old," she accused, tugging his chin hair. "How long was I under, little bro?"

"Little?" The Doctor raised an eyebrow at this, glancing to River, who only looked to the siblings with a smile.

Sam stammered. "Sorry, stopped counting. Life meant nothing without you bossing me around."

She scoffed, "Loser."

"I know you are, Dorothy Jane," he chided back, finally setting her down.

"Where's mum and dad?" she asked. Sam looked to River.

"We didn't say anything. Best come from you," she said.

"Sam? What's she on about?"

Sam knelt before his sister. He fidgeted with her blonde hair, now past her shoulders. "I'm sorry, DeeJ." Tears welled in his eyes. "The last consignment we took on, it turned into a trap. They mutinied, tried to take our ship-"

"What are you saying? Mum and dad-?"

"They held the bridge as long as they could, but-"

"They went down fighting," Blake interjected.

"No," she whimpered and hugged her little brother tight. This was the first chance Sam had to acknowledge what had happened to his parents, and was glad to share the moment with his only living relative.

"Let's give them a moment," River suggested, motioning the others toward the door to the kitchen off to the side.

The Doctor lingered a moment. "My condolences." Sam nodded at him as they were left to grieve in peace.

He saw River had escorted the others back toward the storage room they had placed the other woken passengers. He wandered toward the pool room that Sam had placed their fallen comrade, euJos. The smell hit him first, he choked back a gag at the odor. He didn't say anything to Sam, above, but here the stench could not not be ignored. He spied the control pad and glanced at it. Sam's settings looked familiar, but he could not place it. The readings gave a faint life sign of the body in the pool, but had not changed in hours since Sam brought his friend down here.

The door hissed open. "Doctor?" came a gravelly voice he did not recognize. "Oh! That smell?"

He turned to find an unfamiliar woman. She was petite, like Sarah Jane, but did not shirk away from the pool room's odors, marching cautiously into the room (mostly from not wanting to track the muck on her shoes). She wore a soft, simple blue dress and matching boots. It reached straight down, almost to her ankles, the neckline a deep triple V that was not sensual on her in the least, but still elegant. The collar fanned behind her head like a peacock's tail. Her hair was longer than Sarah Jane's but braided into some fancy style so it appeared shorter than her neck was.

Beside her, a small barrel with two legs, a mix of red and white panels and various lights. The droid reminded him a bit of one in that movie with the little green alien Sarah and Harry had talked him into, long ago. ET? No, but maybe, yes-?

"Sorry to intrude," she continued, her husky voice choking with the heavy atmosphere Sam had created in here. "I was looking for Mr. Bush?"

"Sam's busy," he grunted, placing the control pad back where he found it. "Anything I can help you with? This is my ship you're on now, after all."

"Ah, so you are our rescuer?" she nodded and extended a hand. "Ambassador Reysher. I'm in charge of the people who hired Glitz to take us to our new colony. I was told I could find Mr. Bush in here? I wanted to extend my condolences on the loss of his parents before asking if we were still going to be dropped off at our colony site?"

"Yes, well, I knew his parents before they met," he informed her. "Probably responsible for them getting together," he muttered under his breath. "Do you have your coordinates? Perhaps the old girl can help you get there?"

"My friend here has them in his navcom," she motioned to the squat droid. In response, a small panel retracted on the droid's top and a gold antenna rose up. It replied with a "bloo-weep!"

The Doctor raised an eyebrow at this, as a small holo-display erupted from it, showing a path through various star systems. "I don't recognize it? Where did you come from, where are you going?"

"We left Ceti Alpha VI," she informed him. "I don't have a name for the colony we were going to, yet. We were going to decide when we got there. New world, new life, new name. All that jazz." She waved a dismissive hand.

The Doctor chuckled. "Follow me to the control room, maybe the old girl can talk to your friend and we can figure it out from there, eh?"

"Old girl?" she asked, following him down the corridor. He nearly walked into two of her aides: a graying bearded human male in desert-style robes; and a near eight foot tall sloth-faced being covered in long white fur, wearing a comm-tablet strapped to a harness on his chest and holding a handkerchief covering a rebreather over his mouth. "Pardon me, my aides, Hamish and Tariqq. Boys, the, ah, what did you say your name was again, Doctor? Song?"

He grunted. "I didn't. It's simply the Doctor."

"He doesn't have one," the bearded man informed her. "At least, not one he would want us to know."

"Ham, don't pry," she scolded. "Apologies, Hamish often speaks without thinking around new people."

Hamish bowed acquiescence to her and took a step back.

The Doctor eyed him. "Precog or telepath?"

"A little of both, a little of neither, Ancient One," he replied. "Or are you?" He seemed to see through the Doctor.

The Doctor stepped up to him, looking him in the eye. "Manners, boy," he warned, then strode off toward the control room.

The others followed in silence, Reysher elbowed her assistant Hamish for his outburst. He only smiled. She took his arm, hugging the bicep to her as they walked. Her finger trailed down until she felt that ridge where his forearm ended and the cybernetics began. He knew she didn't care for his prosthesis, but it had been a part of him now for most of his life.

As they entered the control room, Reysher saw the absent Sam Bush sitting on a bench, a young girl's head in his lap. She appeared to have cried herself to sleep. "Ambassador," he nodded, trying not to wake his sister.

"Captain Bush," she greeted. "My condolences on your loss."

"Thank you, ma'am," he reached out to her proffered hand. "Sorry I can't get up at the moment."

"It's alright. Is she your daughter?"

"Big sister," Hamish answered for him. "She's been in cryo-sleep for-"

"Hamish," she cut him off. "What did we just discuss?" She shook her head, eyes closed, but obviously rolling them in aggravation.

"Right. Apologies," he said and turned to examine the control panels across from the Doctor. "Do you need help with Red-E?"

The Doctor pulled a cord out from the panel he was looking over. "Do I need to hook him up to get the maps, or-?"

"I was talking to the lovely woman at your side," Hamish informed him.

"Woman? Lovely?" the Doctor looked around, expecting River.

"The one you were just talking to," he explained, taking the cable. "If you don't mind, madam?"

The droid "buh-wEEp"ed and projected his map again. "I thought not. Yes, that will do."

"Who are you talking to?" the Doctor demanded.

"The young woman acting as your pilot interface," Hamish replied calmly.

The Doctor glared at him, then looked at his control panel, confused. "really?" he whispered under his breath.

"Yes, we can try," he replied. "If you are ready, Time Lord?"

Ambassador Reysher turned her attention to the large, redheaded man at the console. "Time Lord?"

"You didn't tell her?" Sam asked.

The Doctor glared across to Hamish once more. "No, I did not."

"I didn't think my mother's stories were true," Sam informed the ambassador. "Until today."

"Is there going to be a problem?"

Reysha shook her head. "No, it's just- I heard you all perished in the Time War?"

"Is that why you were seeking a new colony world? Something to do with the war?"

Reysha was now looking around. "That explains it, then."

"Explains what?" he huffed.

"Red tried to map this ship earlier, but couldn't beyond the immediate area," she informed him. "I wondered why. The only thing that causes our droids to react like that are tesseracts and other recursive anomalies."

The Doctor harrumphed. "Believe me, I know my way around my own ship!"

Hamish smirked, stifling a laugh. "Sorry. That's not entirely true, she tells me."

The Doctor started to reply, pointing at the man, but held his tongue. Instead he turned back to the ambassador. "And where shall I drop you lot off, your highness?"

"Red?" she nodded to the droid. It beeped a few times.

"What do you mean your navcom is scrambled?" Hamish asked. "Madam, can you sort out his telemetry? Please, thank you."

"Stop talking to my ship as if I'm not here!" the Doctor bellowed as a set of coordinates appeared on his screen. "See? There we go!" he harrumphed, and punched them into the console and flipped a large crank, bringing the center column to life.

Hamish smirked again, earning him another glare from the Time Lord.


"I told you these were the wrong coordinates!" Sam shouted at the Time Lord over the barrage of laser fire.

"I told you I didn't like guns!" the Time Lord snapped back. His sonic stunned them, but it was losing power and effect as they compensated for his attacks.

There first destination had landed them on a metallic planet with cybernetic inhabitants at war with each other over some code error. Hamish tried to explain their presence, but they demanded to know why the fleshlings had enslaved their fellow automatons upon seeing Red-E and sensing the sentience within the TARDIS. Seeing Hamish's own cybernetic hand did not help matters.

Their second attempt seemed peaceful enough, until their scout party came across what seemed a mass shallow grave. Their presence awoke the revenants into pursuit.

"Now who's sorry they don't have a gun?" Sam laughed as he held off the shambling horde. He seemed excited for the action, but the Doctor refused to let him back on until he calmed down and dropped the weapon. Sam fired into the undead masses until his rifle went dry and tossed it aside. The Doctor made him apologize before letting him reenter.

Their next two attempts, they did not leave the TARDIS because of the inhospitable atmospheres outside.

"Are you sure he knows where you're supposed to be going?"

"As I said, the interior telemetry is throwing off his calculations from where we left," Hamish explained.

"From where you left?" the Doctor repeated, aghast. "Why didn't you say so?" He began flipping more switches, calling up the TARDIS' travelogue for reference points. "Great, whatever caused us to collide with your old ship, Sam, has wiped those coordinates from her memory."

"What if we were to hook up one of our armors to get a geospatial coordinate?" River asked.

"Or we could wind up on another wrong planet," Sam replied. There was an undertone of warning.

"It's a chance we'll have to take, then, sweetie," she told him, already heading out to her quarters to retrieve her armor.

"Something you don't want us to see in those armors?" The Doctor inquired.

"Let's just say, that we could draw more unwanted attention," he replied, staring after her. After a long moment, he left the control room, himself.

River was already patching her purple helmet into the console when Sam returned, lugging two sets of armor, green and orange. His sister followed, attempting to help him haul the two armors. "He won't tell me what I missed," she complained.

"Do you really think those are necessary?" River asked.

"Yes," he replied curtly, looking over his armor before proceeding to euJos'. He spared her a hard glance, which she pointedly ignored.

Hamish knelt down by Sam, then picked up euJos' gauntlet. "I know this."

Sam slapped it back down to the floor. "Pretend you don't. You're better off that way."

"Captain?" Reysher cautioned.

"Don't call me ca-" he began, then caught himself, glancing to Dorothy Jane. "Don't call me that."

"Are these not your friends?" Hamish asked, stroking his graying beard.

"You don't want to find out."

"She's got a lock!" River announced. She flipped several switches and the column rose to indicate they were moving again. Sam slumped down against the wall, Dorothy trying on his helmet. He knocked on it, getting her attention, then shook his head. She took it off.

Moments later, they landed. The Doctor checked the outside atmospherics before looking across to River. "Breathable. I've got a small settlement nearby?"

"Lifeforms?"

He tapped the screen. "Six? Seven? One for each building."

"Those aren't buildings," Sam said.

The Doctor glanced from him back to the screen. "Shuttles?"

"Shuttles." He rose, looking at River. "Might as well get this over with. Open the doors."

She flipped a switch and joined him. "What are you two up to?" the Doctor asked.

"Shush, sweetie."

Sam opened the door and strode out. He looked around the hillside. "We know you know we're here. Come on out."

A large man in aged golden armor materialized, he closed the panel on his gauntlet controlling his stealth mode. The Doctor noted the similarity to the other three armors: black bodysuit overlaid with various pieces of armor protecting most of the body. His helmet face was a single visor, not multiple eyes like River's purple armor.

The soldier removed his helmet, revealing a golden mane of hair and beard. "Sam. Long time no see."

"LeAuric." Sam held his ground, hands on hips.

LeAuric strode forward until he was near nose to nose with Sam. "Been looking for you three."

"Two," River corrected, stepping out. The Doctor followed her, but stayed in the doorway, blocking their view of the interior.

"Professor," he greeted her. "Where's the other?"

Sam didn't say anything.

LeAuric was silent a long moment. "I'm sorry." He put a hand on Sam's shoulder.

Sam was on him in an instant. The Doctor started to move, but River held her hand up, cautioning him to stop. His jaw dropped in surprise. Sam wasn't attacking the other man, he was...making out?

"Oh will you two stop it, already?" came another voice. Three more people in armors stepped into view. Blue, Red, Silver.

Blue raised his arm. Sam and LeAuric were suddenly drenched. They broke apart, sputtering water and laughing. "Jealous, Caesar?" Sam asked, stepping away and removing his shirt. He twisted it, wringing the water out.

The Doctor harrumphed as River gave an interested grunt of approval at his exposed body. "Don't be jealous, sweetie," she teased.

Meanwhile, Sam whipped his shirt at Caesar's visor, blinding him. When he went to claw it away, Sam tackled him to the ground.

Red assumed an attack stance, the air suddenly going dry and hot. LeAuric simply laughed as Sam tore Caesar's helmet off, tossing it aside. "You'll never get the best of me, Blueballs," he accused before standing up and offering his hand to his opponent. All but LeAuric missed Sam tapping the other man's armored codpiece between the legs. Caesar grunted in annoyance.

"Professor, where is our property?" the Silver asked her. Her voice almost shimmered.

"Manners, LaLuna," she chided. "How did you know we'd be here, anyway?"

LaLuna tapped her earpiece. The mirrored visor that covered nearly a third of her helmet cleared, revealing a woman with silver eyes and silver hair. "The same way we found you before, Professor." Her shimmery voice was like bird song.

The Doctor hadn't realized at first that her faceplate had not just cleared, it had dissolved. The two woman approached each other, kissing each cheek.

"Is Sakura here? We may have need of her," River inquired.

"euJos?" River nodded. LaLuna touched her earpiece again, head bowed. "She will come."

"Excellent. We have the armors just inside here," she said, taking the other woman's arm. "Move aside, sweetie."

"Not until you tell me who these people are and why they claim you took their armors?"

"Time Lord?" LaLuna seemed to finally notice him.

"Yes, and no one enters my ship without my permission."

LaLuna eyed him, cocking her head askew. "Reflection of what is, was, will be, and never was."

"That's not an answer."

"I was referring to you, Lord of Time."

The conversation was interrupted by two more armored individuals, one in yellow, the other in pink. The Doctor noticed their movements as they descended via jetpack were lithe, feminine.

"Who are you people?" the Doctor demanded again.

Sam approached this time, tugging his drenched shirt back on. "The ones who defend the galaxy while you're cooped up on Earth," he informed the Doctor.

"What?"

"We are the Pride, Time Lord," LaLuna informed him. "Outcasts from out own societies, we have been tasked with guarding reality from troublemakers like your kind."

"Troublemakers?"

"Sweetie, calm down," River cautioned.

"Many of our tribe were erased in the Time War, never having existed, save in memory," LaLuna continued. "For my race, memory is everything. We knew those who were lost. Those who never existed. Those who never will be. Save your sorrow, you who should never have existed, either."

The Doctor pulled the TARDIS door closed behind him. "I did not start the Time War, but I ended it."

"Did you? Or did your forgotten memory?" she inquired. "Are you the forgotten memory?"

"I am what I always am," he countered. His hands tightened in rage.

"ENOUGH!" Another red armor dropped from the sky, shaking the ground with it's landing. This one stood and began barking orders, their voice angry. "LaLuna, leave the Time Lord be. River Song, Sabalom Bush, retrieve our stolen armors. Xandelphine Sakura, remove your armor and allow Sam to let you tend his fallen paramour. The rest of you, stand down."

"No one enters my ship," the Doctor warned. "None of you, and least of all you, two." He directed this last at his two companions. "Who are you people? What is this Pride you belong to? And how did these idiots come to scam you out of your armors?"

"Idiots?"

"Sweetie, relax and let me explain," River tried in a soothing voice. "Not long after I ran into Glitz and Mel, they encountered a couple members of the Pride."

"We are a peacekeeping force in this galaxy," LeAuric explained. "Sam, his parents, and euJos happened to be in the right place at the right time when we lost a battle with-"

"Daleks," Sam finished. "It was Daleks."

LeAuric regarded him for a moment before continuing. "We each have our own armor and shuttle, biogenetically locked to us until the moment of our deaths. Sam, euJos, and River were willing to help defend us from these Daleks. We did not expect them to abandon us at the next outpost and abscond with our armors."

"That was my father's deal. He had no idea that outpost had been absorbed into the Maldovarium."

"Maldo-? Dorium Maldovar?"

"Yes, sweetie. I ran interference for Glitz so he and Mel could escape. It wasn't exactly a planned grift, LeAuric."

"I'm sure," the Doctor and LeAuric said in unison.

"I don't recall you seeming to mind us patching you up, Le," Sam chided him. There was no doubt of the subtext between the two.

"Not you, no," LeAuric smirked, patting Sam on the butt.

"So this armor, your shuttles-?"

"You mistook the shuttles for buildings on your monitor, sweetie," River explained.

"So what do they do? Turn into some sort of robot beasts? Combine into a giant robot? What?"

Sam began laughing, falling into LeAuric, who stared at the Doctor, dumbfounded. "No, they're just regular shuttles. We can link them up, but we don't have any alternate modes for them, by themselves, much less in any combination?"

"Not even lions?" he asked, somewhat disappointed.

"They are just over the ridge, if you want to see them," Caesar offered. "only, well..."

"You show me yours, I'll let you in mine? Is that it?"

"Where have I heard that before?" LeAuric elbowed Sam, forgetting his armor and nearly knocking him over.

"Continuing to intercoursing, or do I have patient inside?" Sakura inquired, having shed her pink armor.

"Sweetie?" River nudged him.

The Doctor looked from the two women to Sam, who seemed to finally be composing himself after flirting with LeAuric. He sighed. "Can you really heal him?"

"I need to see condition first," she replied.

"Alright, first we give you your armors back. Sam and River already brought them up to the control room." He looked to his wife. "Would you mind getting them yourself?"

"What do I look like? A pack mule? Sam, get the armors out here."

"First one to call me Sam the Mule gets it!" he warned them, throwing a hard look at Caesar. The Doctor bristled, but relented and stood in the doorway as Sam made four trips hauling the armors outside to this mystery squad. Once he was done, he looked at Sakura. "You're with me, then?"

She nodded and stepped forward, waiting for the Doctor's approval. "Got enough freeloaders in there at the moment, don't need another one!" he grumbled as he scanned her with his sonic. "Fine, you're clean. Where's your medical equipment?"

"No equipment," she said. "I am healer."

"Martha would love you," he grumbled and reluctantly allowed her and Sam entry.

"Ah, tesseract!" she beamed, glancing about the control room. "Oh, hello!" she greeted Reysher and Hamish, Akasha and Blake, nodding at them in turn before noticing the walking carpet, Tariqq. She reached for his rebreather. "I help with that?"

He shook his head hard and brushed her hand away.

"Tariqq is fine as he is," Reysher advised her. "He's just really sensitive to smells, including human. I don't know how he puts up with us."

"Ah, I understand. Apologies, my offence," she said, before turning back to Sam and allowing him to lead her down the halls.

As they entered the pool room, she breathed deep of the heady air. "You made him comfortable?" she noted. "euJos in brine?"

"yep. What's left of him, anyway."

"Oh?" she asked, slipping into the pool, feeling around for the decapitated body of euJos. "Ah! Here is euJos!" She slipped under the water.

Sam waited a few minutes and was about to shed his clothes and join her when she emerged. "You have his head?" she asked.

"I, uh, no." The words came slow and choked with emotion, but he pressed on. "There was a battle. His head was cut off, I didn't realize it at first, but we had to- we had to evacuate. It wasn't until later that I saw."

"Ah. No matter! I can heal!" she said before slipping back under the brine again.

"Wait! How can you heal a decapitation?" he asked, knowing she would not hear him.

After a few minutes, she emerged again. "You are Paternity, yes?"

"I'm what?" he stumbled, unsure what she meant.

She turned and reached under the brine, pulling something forward to the surface. The body of euJos. "You are Paternity."

"Pater-?" he began as she reached into the neck wound with one hand and reached out to Sam with the other. He took her hand, unsure what she was doing.

She pulled him into the brine. It took him by surprise, but felt no panic at the sudden submergence, only an odd comfort as the liquid enveloped him. He finally came up for air.

"Here," she said, pulling his hand into the torso alongside hers. She waited a moment, then realized what she was doing wrong. "Apologies. Unclothe."

"You want me to what?"

"Unclothe. Need naked."

He stared at her in disbelief, but decided to go along with it. He did not expect what she did next. She turned the body of euJos around, then grabbed a very different appendage of his.

"What the Flood?" He now understood her question Paternity.

Outside, the other Pride sat around, patiently passing the time with River and the Doctor. She and LeAuric seemed deep in whispered conversation, cackling about things they would not share. The Doctor discussed what the Pride was all about with Caesar, who explained they were founded centuries previous, the armors and shuttles bio-bonded to their wearers until death, and other questions he had.

The Doctor started at a knock from within his craft. He went to check the door, surprised to find Hamish on the other side, not Sam with news. "What is it? Is euJos-?"

Hamish seemed surprised at this questioning. "Oh, I have no idea at all. I just wanted to know if this was our colony destination or not? Can we at least have a look around, if everything's okay out here?"

The Doctor glanced over to his new associates. "They don't seem to mean any harm? Why not come out for some fresh air?"

Hamish glanced inside, motioning the others out. Reysher followed him, along with Tariqq, Blake, and Dorothy Jane.

LaLuna approached them first. "Greetings, Ambassador!" she bowed. "I had not expected to see you so far from your home?"

Reysha was taken aback. "I'm sorry, have we met?"

"You are Ambassador Reysher."

"Yes? I'm sorry, I have no idea who you all are?"

The other Pride all knelt in reverence to her.

"Would somebody mind telling me what is going on here?"

"Do you not recognize us, Maitrex?" LeAuric asked. "We have known of you for-" He caught himself, glancing to the TARDIS. "Oh. Time Lord! What have you done?"

"Excuse me?"

"What's going on?" River interjected.

Caesar made the connection first, surprising even LaLuna. "If you are Ambassador Reysher, then-?" He looked at Hamish. "Your Eminence!"

All the Pride but LaLuna bowed to him, as well. She merely knelt with tears in her eyes, looking at him. "It can't be!"

"Calm yourself, child. Who do you think I am?"

"Great Grandsire!" she replied in awe.

"Interesting," he replied. "I have no children, let alone grandchildren?"

"What? What?" the Doctor stammered.

"Is this breaking some sort of temporal loop thing?" LeAuric asked River.

"Could be, I wouldn't put it past her," she replied, glancing at the TARDIS. "LaLuna, stop fawning and get your head together. I need whatever information you can tell me, where you think these two should be and more importantly, when!"

"River," the Doctor cautioned, but she shushed him away. She pulled the Silver guardian away from the others, while pulling out her battered blue notebook. This was the sign between the Doctor and her it was not time to pry.

"Hey guys? What's going on?"

The group turned to face the TARDIS. Sam stood there, a wet, dripping bundle in his arms. A tentacle reached out and attached itself to his face. He pulled his head away and it retracted.

"Sam?" came several voices at once.

"I, uh, I think I'm a dad?"

He suddenly found himself surrounded by most of the crowd, leaning in to get a look at what he was holding. Tariqq stood off to the side, his handkerchief back out covering his rebreather.

"What did you do?" Dorothy Jane accused him, mockingly, as he leant down a bit to show her.

"Oh, isn't that darling?" Reysher beamed. "I guess congratulations are in order?"

Sam forced a smile. "Thanks?"

LeAuric was the first to ask. "What of euJos?"

Sam's smile faded. "Wait, what? Who?" Dorothy asked.

Sam glanced to LeAuric, then back to her. "euJos and I, we, uh, were lovers. I had no idea this was going to happen, tho?"

"I know you studied basic biology, bro," she teased. "Don't you know what happens when-"

"Some more than others," LeAuric said under his breath.

"Enough from both of you," he snapped. "It's a long story, but- ah, it seems that euJos' race have some sort of delayed pregnancy, and can deliver upon death? I'm still not sure myself, but this looks to be our child?"

"The red hair is a sure giveaway, Sam," his sister noted.

Sam glanced to the Doctor. "Oh, don't look at me! I never met him before, well- before!"

Sam shook his head. "I was hoping you could look at his genetic profile and shed some light on what's going on?" he asked. "Even euJos didn't know what race he was."

The Doctor leaned closer, tucking the blanket away to get a better look. "First impression? Zygon, but not any Zygon I've ever seen?" He looked up at Sam. "You sure your parents didn't say anything about Zygons to you?"

"I thought they went extinct?" Hamish offered.

"Didn't we already have this conversation?" Blake asked.

"Only heard of them in passing, never seen one in the flesh before," LeAuric said. "And I've seen euJos in the flesh plenty of times."

Sam, the Doctor, Blake, and Dorothy all looked at him.

"What? It was consensual, right Sam?"

The Doctor pulled out his sonic again, scanning the infant. He examined the readout and frowned. "Nope, not Zygon, but it's not anything else on file in the TARDIS systems, either!"

"So we have a second generation mystery in my hands?" Sam asked.

"Looks like?" the Doctor replied, scratching his chin. He didn't like this, not one bit. "Where is the, ah, mother-? euJos?"

"He's still down in the pool. Sakura was still with the body when I left."

"Inside. Now," he ordered. Then stopped and looked at his new charges. "You lot, too. I don't want any temporal hijinks happening while I'm busy downstairs!"

"Upstairs?"

"Inside! Now!" he ordered. "River! Inside, make it snappy!"

"Are we leaving?"

"Not just yet!" he told her, then turned to the Pride. "So don't you lot be thinking about leaving, either!" he pointed a finger at them in turn.

"Who tracked all this muck in my TARDIS?"

All eyes were on Sam. "Seriously? Like I was going to worry about that?" He held up the redhaired child of euJos for an excuse.

"Where's K9?" he asked.

As if on cue, the robot dog appeared around the corner, riding a spinning floor buffer. "Yes Master!"

"At least someone knows what I pay them for around here!" the Doctor griped. "Now then! You two, medical bay! Follow me! K9!"

"Affirmative, Master!"

Sam sighed and followed the bellicose Time Lord. Halfway there, they came across Sakura, lost in the halls. "Healer? Come along then!"

As the group entered the medical bay, the Doctor directed Sam to place his offspring on the table, as he went to a monitor. A few taps and a circular scanner emerged from the wall, surrounding the table, passing down it and back up again. The Doctor began muttering to himself as the results filtered in.

"This doesn't make any sense?" he said.

"What is it?" Sam enquired, now getting nervous.

"According to these results, he's entirely human? Part Terran, your mother's side; part Andromedan, your father's side?"

"Wouldn't those be my results? And DeeJ's?"

"Exactly?" he frowned. "As far as I can tell, this child is your clone?"

"Then what was euJos a clone of?"

"Where's his body?"

"In the pool, right, Sakura?" They all turned to look at her.

"Apologies. Once child borne, body dissolved."

"Wh-what?" Sam gasped. He ran out of the room, leaving everyone else behind.

"Bloody ingrate!" the Doctor grumbled, grabbing a hand scanner and giving pursuit.

Sakura looked at the baby in surprise. "Hello?"

"Samkura?" the child replied.

Sakura gave a small yelp.

Sam and the Doctor entered the pool where euJos had lain floating. Sam dove in, not caring what he was or was not wearing. The Doctor took a more logical route and began scanning the murky waters.

Sam finally came up for air. "There-there's nothing left in there!" he gasped. "Where's Sakura? What did she do with the body?"

The Doctor was fiddling with the instrument he brought as well as the one he had checked earlier, comparing the readouts on each. "Curious?"

"What? What's curious?" Sam demanded, pulling himself from the brine.

"Aside from you, these readouts are nearly the same," he informed his companion. "Only a slight loss of mass that seems about the right amount lacking, say, a small child?"

"What?"

"Aside from your increase in body mass, only a few pounds difference between this earlier reading and now," he explained. "Maybe ten pounds?"

"That-that feels about how heavy the baby is?" Sam gasped, trying to wipe the muck from his body.

The Doctor finally took notice. "Go take a shower and rejoin me in the med bay," he ordered before walking out. "I'm locking the door behind me until you do!" he pulled out his sonic and closed the door with it before Sam could follow.

Sam cursed under his breath and turned back to the pool. He would not allow himself to cry, lest he lose all control. He had no choice but to head to the shower room. When he came out, he found K9 with a fresh robe for him. He grumbled and returned to the med bay.

He found the Doctor holding conversation with his offspring. Sakura was seated beside the bed table they had left the child on. It was licking the brine off it's arm as if it were a feline.

"Ah Sam! It seems your child has named itself Samkura?"

"What?" Sam stopped and stared at the infant. It was sitting up, having grown several inches in the time he had been gone. It looked almost like a human toddler, save for his body covered in suckers, as euJos had been. A shock of bright red hair adorned it's head. He could swear it was growing in front of his eyes, curling into tight coppery ringlets.

"Hello Pater," it said.

Sam fainted.

In the control room, River punched in coordinates she had obtained from LaLuna. "Do these look familiar to you?" she asked Blake.

He shook his head. "I have no clue. Sam was the only one who know for sure?"

"I was talking to the other Red," she scoffed, then bent down to Reysher's droid. "How about it? Anything look familiar?"

The droid beeped and whirred in response. "Close enough?" she sighed. "Alright then! Everybody ready, all those left in and everyone else left out, right?"

Akasha spoke up. "The healer lady is still with the Doctor."

"Thanks, sweetie, just checking!" She pressed a button on the console. "K9, would you please advise our guest Sakura that we are leaving? Thanks, sweetie!"

A minute later, the phone rang. "Hello, sweetie. Yes, LaLuna gave me the coordinates for the proper colony site. Yes, there's always been a call button on the console. Read the manual once in a millennium, why don't you? Uh-huh, thanks, sweetie!" She hung up and turned to Akasha. "Such hard work!"

A few minutes later, K9 appeared, escorting the still stunned Sakura. "Is everything okay?" River asked.

"Child shows considerable knowledge. Paternity needs work," she replied.

River and Akasha shared confused glances. "Okay then, we're ready to leave. Do you have everything you came in with?"

"Affirmative," she replied and followed K9 toward the door. River saw her out, calling to the others. "Sorry, everyone! We must be off!"

LeAuric ran up to her. "Is Sam ok? The baby? euJos?"

"I think Sakura can answer those question better than I can. Take care, sweetie," she blew him a kiss as well as to his yellow compatriot, Lisbette. "And warn, er, tell Esme I'll see her soon!"

She slammed the door of the TARDIS, nearly smashing his nose. He stood there stunned, awkwardly waving goodbye at his once lover and his friends. And child?

The remaining Pride pack surrounded Sakura with questions. As he stood there alone. The second red armored compatriot walked up to him, staring at the Hawking Base memorial marker noting the founding site of the colony world the TARDIS had parked in front of.

"Want to take out your frustrations on someone who can give as good as they get?" She mashed one red glove into another.

He glanced up at her ruby armor, seeing his face reflected in it, his golden armor looking like Sam's borrowed orange.

"Flood off, Rue. I-I think I need some time to myself." LeAuric put his helmet back on and activated his jetpack, returning to his shuttle. One of the few mementos he kept was one holo of himself, Sam, and euJos in better times. "Ship? Hyper vodka martini, extra strong. Make it a double. I want to get drunk tonight." He glanced to his shelf. Another holo of the ones who introduced him to that drink. He gave a slight toast to the two Time Agents before downing the first one in one gulp.

The Doctor returned to the control room, more than slightly miffed at River. "Where are we headed? How do you know those coordinates are even close to exact?"

"Because sweetie, LaLuna sees the time flow around people and places. She didn't realize when we were in the proper timeline until she saw Hamish, there."

"Hi, standing right here?"

"So she gave you the proper time and space coordinates?"

"Yes and no. According to her, we were in the right place, just the wrong time. A couple centuries too early."

"Centuries?" he repeated, throwing a glance at the Ambassador and her aide. "For a great-grandfather?"

"Well, she wasn't being entirely accurate. She combined several greats down to one," she explained. "She recognized Hamish as her ancestor, just a bit further back than a few generations."

"She didn't mention who her grandmother was, did she?"

"Spoilers," River chided him. "I will say that it's a location we've been to before. Several times, in fact."

"And this location would be?" he pressed. She swung the monitor toward him. He read the coordinates, then did a doubletake. They were familiar. Too familiar.

"No wonder the old girl refused to take us there! Again!"

"Mind sharing with the rest of us where you think we'll be living out the rest of our lives?" Reysher inquired.

The Doctor stared at River. "Didn't you say you wanted to name your new colony yourselves?" she asked.

"Any helpful hints you'd like to share?" Reysher pressed. "Shopping, local hotel rates, that sort of thing?"

"I'm afraid you'll be roughing it at first, but the next few centuries will be quite lively," she smirked.

"Sure, as long as you're not trapped in a c-" River covered his mouth before he could say any more.

"At least tell us the colony supplies are already there?" Blake inquired. "I'd hate to start over with sticks and stones."

River forced a smile, the Doctor knew all to well she had a plan. He didn't like it. "Don't worry, I'll make sure you'll have everything you need to set up your new colony!"

"How long until we're there?" Blake enquired.

River smiled more naturally now. "About thirty seconds after we left. Give or take."

"They've been distracting us. They know where we're going and why," Hamish accused. "Well played, Time Lord."

"I don't like the way he says that. It sounds like an accusation," the Doctor complained. "Much like the way you talk to me."

"Hush, sweetie," River said and hit the door lever, opening onto their new home planet. "You know you like it," she teased, then turned to the others. "Everybody out! Last stop! Your new home awaits!"

The next few hours were spent mapping out where the base camp was going to be with River, while she deposited the still sleeping colonists out with the ones who had already woken and their equipment. As promised, River (would soon order) had extra supplies ready for them.

The Doctor went to check on Sam and his new charge. He found the Bush siblings talking to a child well past toddler stage in the pool it was born in. Samkura seemed to have inherited Sam's lack of inhibition as it swam laps in it's other parent's miasma, casually slurping some of it down. Samkura seemed to age several years in the time it took to discuss the fact they had arrived at their new home and what their plans were.

"Will keep pool, yes?" he asked.

"We can give you sample tubs to take with you, recreate this, er, pool wherever you like out there," the Doctor explained.

"euJos never did tell me how he found the right mix for him?" Sam said. "He only took a few cups along with us when we left the planet I met him on, then brewed up his own mix in the spare hot tub from there?"

"We had a hot tub?" Dorothy asked.

"We had to do something with your old room," he teased.

"Any chance you know what you're going to do out there, young lady?" the Doctor asked.

"I'm still older than him, even if I was sleeping through most of it," she replied.

The Doctor glanced to Sam. "Do I want to know why?"

"Why what?"

"Was it a health issue, or-?" He tried to recall the planet River's parents spent their honeymoon crashing into on Christmas, and the miser he helped find love again with a similarly afflicted woman.

Dorothy Jane simply shrugged. "Dunno. Mom said a friend told her to, and she didn't have many of those."

He looked at Sam. He shook his head. "I was too young to be told why. Cried myself to sleep, thinking she died."

She leaned into her brother. "Aww, Sobby Sammy stwikes again!" she teased. He groaned in response at the memory of her childhood nickname for him.

"Maybe I threw you in there on purpose, Dweeb?" he shot back.

The Doctor laughed along with the chronally mismatched siblings as they watched the child swimming back and forth. He could swear the water line had gone down several inches, but that would be impossible, wouldn't it? No, there was definitely a loss of liquid, as the brine left a water mark several inches above where it currently was, and that was not from the small waves Samkura was making.

"You lot are staying here, right?" he asked.

A shared shrug. "At least for now, help them get set up and established, et cetera. Why?" he asked. "Are you asking us to stay on, like mother?"

The Doctor pulled a phone out of his coat pocket. "Just in case," he said, handing it to Sam. "Emergencies only. The TARDIS will let me know, no matter when I am."

Sam took the palm-sized flip-phone, unsure what to make of it at first. He opened it up and saw two numbers pre-programmed into it: 07700 900461 and 0118 999 881 999 119 725 3. "Two numbers?"

"Emergencies only."

Sam nodded and handed the phone to his sister. He knew his current robe would have to be discarded before they left.

A splash caught their attention. Samkura was hefting himself out of the pool. Completely naked. And now entering puberty, judging by the growing copper hair now adorning several parts of his body, not to mention the curls now running down the length of his back that definitely needed to be trimmed. Dorothy squealed "Ew! Put some clothes on!" as Sam laughed at her discomfort, slightly impressed as to how his son(?) was filling out just from swimming. And more than a little weirded out the child was born mere hours before. He glanced to the Doctor, who had politely turned away from the child to watch Sam's reaction. He nodded understanding about the phone now.

The Doctor stood to leave. "I'll let you boys clean up, you can meet us down in the control room when you get dressed. K9 will show you to the wardrobe. Come on, Dorothy Jane," he urged.

Sam nodded and rose to direct his growing charge to the showers. Yeah, this wasn't gonna be weird at all, he thought as the dog rolled in, two fresh robes on a tray on his back.

He really had to ask the Doctor how many K9's he actually had roaming this place, he mused. One? Twelve? 37? Soon enough, they were clean, in fresh clothes, and on their way out of the TARDIS. He met the Doctor just outside, waiting with Dorothy, River, and Akasha.

"Hey, DeeJ, take Samkura here and go set up our campsite, okay?" he asked. She nodded, took her 'nephew's hand and led him off to the other colonists. He turned back to the Doctor. "Sir. It's been an honor meeting you. My parents- well, my mother, mostly, -told me stories about you, growing up. Dad and Uncle Dibber, too."

"All good, I hope?" he puffed.

"Let's just say, they were interesting enough," he chuckled, offering his hand as the Time Lord looked like he had been punched in the gut. "I guess you'll know where to find me, if you carrot all?"

"I hope I won't, as long as you behave yourself, Sabalom Bush?"

"River?" he held out his hand again.

"Sam." She pulled him into an embrace and whispered in his ear. He gave her a quizzical look and nodded.

He turned to the last one. "Akasha. Sorry I didn't get to know you better," he said, offering his hand.

She blushed and glanced to River and the Doctor. "Actually, I was thinking I might stay here a while?"

"What do you mean, Akasha?" the Doctor asked.

"Life with you has been- interesting, as Sam said," she noted. "I prefer a quieter life. Besides, I was talking to the knight Hamish, earlier, and- well-"

"He gave you the recruitment speech, did he?"

She cast a bashful eye at Sam. "No, not quite."

"Well then, I can't force you to stay, Akasha." He held out his hand to her. "May you find what you've been looking for."

"You as well, sensei." She bowed, then took Sam's arm and led him off.

"Akasha and Sam? When did that happen? I saw her talking to Blake?"

"She's had her eye on him since he came on board," River cooed. "Probably digging him for dirt on Sam?"

"Is that everyone, then? All their baggage out of our storage holds?"

"Free and clear, my dear."

"Then where to next? The Singing Towers?"

"Been there, done that, had a wonderful dinner."

He beamed as they reentered the TARDIS. "Wait, dinner? I thought we had a picnic?"

"Same difference, sweetie," she said, pausing to close the doors behind them, pausing only to take a last look at the Bush family joining the rest of the colonists.

Dorothy Jane spied her and waved farewell as the TARDIS disappeared from sight.

"So any ideas about naming this place, Ham?" Reysher asked, watching the first settlement buildings take shape.

"Names come and go," he mused. "Future generations will rename it as they evolve past this outpost. All kinds of naming trends galore."

"Sorry, I was looking at them raising the barn. Did you say 'Trenzalore'?"

"No, I said-"

"Trenzalore." she rolled it around in her head. "I like it."

"Oh For Flood's Sake…!"

"I hope it doesn't flood here!" she started. Hamish walked off, catching sight of a group of his fellow guardian knights, Race Toth'end and Bam Fellow, among others. "You know, if there's a flood, where will we go? Where's the high ground? Do you have it? Dad certainly didn't, remember…? Ham? Hamish? Hey! I was talking to you!"

When she caught up to him, she saw the group was talking to someone she didn't recognize at first. He had aged at least two decades in hours. His ginger hair was starting to grey, his handlebar mustache now a full, thick goatee. The hair above was longer and brushed back, revealing age lines she had herself been noticing in her own mirror. He was now wearing a blue suit, military cut.

"Captain Bush?" she greeted him. "What-? How-?"

He chuckled at that. "I think you're the only one who ever called me that, ambassador?"

"What's going on?"

"Your arrival is late. You should have been here months ago."

"Yeah, long story. You should know, you were there," she told him. "You and your friends in rainbow armor."

"The Pride?" She nodded. "Funny, I don't remember meeting them until well after you?"

"Well, that one gold guy certainly seems to have known you," she replied. "In more than one sense of the word." She clasped her hands together and glanced among Hamish and his knights. "Anyway boys, Ham and I were just discussing what to call this place. What do you think of Trenzalore?"

"what?"

"What what?"

"You said Trenzalore?"

"Yes? Is there a problem with that?"

Sam looked around. "That flooding fool! He never told us!"

"Told you what?"

Hamish answered her. "Trenzalore is a name yet to come, generations, centuries even, from now."

"So what are we going to call this place, Sam?"

"Not me. Everyone else in the future, the immediate future, at least, calls this place something different."

"Barcelona," Hamish informed her.

"Barcelona? Meh. I like Tranzalvania better."

"Trenzalore."

"Right, that's what I said, kiddo," she nodded.

"Right, that's what I was afraid of," Sam said, then rolled up his sleeve revealing a wristband. He flipped up the cover and tapped it a few times.

"That looks familiar?" Hamish noted. "Time Agent?"

"You've seen vortex manipulators before?"

"Does the name Jack Harkness mean anything to you?"

Sam smiled. "I'll tell Uncle Jack you said hi. River actually lent me hers. I'll see you later, Ham." He nodded and tapped the device once more, vanishing.

"Ambassador?" the group turned to see the younger man they had been dealing with, along with his sister, child, and Akasha.

"Captain Bush?" Reysher asked in disbelief. She pointed over her shoulder, sputtering, doing a doubletake where his elder self had just been.

"What?" Sam looked at her in confusion. "Did I miss something?"

"Only your future, Sam," Hamish replied. "Only your future."

Sam looked back to where the TARDIS had been. "That's the problem with time travel, mother always said. You never know when you're going. Or coming."


TBC…

AN: ok, the child thing was weird, but it happened. I didn't want to go total starfish on euJos, and have a sensory muck float make him all better. I tried to avoid the squick moments. It was honestly better part of a year between the opening scene and everything else written here in a couple-5 hours. Damn insomnia. Time to hit the No-Doz…wait. Crap. Ugh.

Reyshe and Hamish? Yeah. Not so cleverly disguised nods to Our Princess and her little bro. :'(

(note the other names, too. ;)

Dorothy Jane named after previous companions Mel would have heard about one, met the other with her spouse.

Pride? Well, obviously riffing on the various Sentai teams and other obvious sources out of Japan, esp after I learned one incarnation had over a dozen members(!). Add in the obvious color schemes and…yeah. I have a full list of everyone, including those not seen here, like Esme, their colors, and where they fall on Kinsey scale (if applicable. What? You didn't think I chose that name without a reason, did you?). Will they show up again? Hmmm….

And any relation between Sakura's and euJos' speech patterns? Not all of Pride are human/Terran, and he was not(?) Zygon….

RIP Professor Hawking