I sat in Sam's house once more and curled my fingers around the warm cup of tea Warren had given me. I couldn't concentrate on the conversation that was taking place around me; I was caught up in my own thoughts.

Thoughts about who I was. Who I thought I was and who I might really be.

Because if I was really an alien, would I still be the same. I mean, I ought to be, right? It's not really that I've changed at all- just that I know more than I ever had about my life.

And what had happened to my family? Had they travelled with me to Earth, or had they sent me off to live without them? Were they part of the mob of the Dead now?

It was hard to let myself imagine it. A man and a woman, my parents, as blank-faced and terrible as the rest of the pitiful creatures that were, even now, moaning and scratching at the door.

I shuddered.

Warren, who was standing behind me, put his hand on my back to comfort me, and I decided that joining the conversation was better than thinking for the moment.

"But how did you survive?" the Doctor was asking, fiddling around with his cup of tea and looking happy, if still a little upset about the TARDIS being shot, that his friend was alright.

Sam looked thoughtful. After a moment, he took in a breath and said simply, "I'm not sure. The second you left there was a sort of ripple, and then I was here, sitting right where you are now."

The Doctor looked intrigued. "A ripple?" he repeated.

Sam nodded. "And the funny bit is that even though I can remember that happening, I also remember a different version of what happened. I remember fighting my way out, climbing over piles of the Dead, barely getting through alive." He set his jaw in a hard line.

Warren looked a bit pale. He took his hand away and put it back to his side. "But how could both happen?"

The Doctor looked amused. It was the same look he almost always had, the one that let me know he knew something we didn't but he was going to let us have a turn at guessing it.

I was ahead of him this time, though. I smiled back.

Warren looked from him to me, still confused. "What?" he asked. "Tell me."

I stood up, set down my tea, and took his hand in mine. "The same thing happened to him that happened to me," I said. "I could remember things about earth, things that I'm still not sure if they happened or not, but now I can remember a little about life here."

He still looked puzzled. I nodded to the Doctor, giving him the chance to explain it in his big, wordy way of explaining things.

He smiled at me. "There are these things called trans-universal splits. It's sort of like parallel universes, only there are two specific ones built up around one particular person. Actually, I made that term up just now, but the idea is a real one- I'm fairly certain- and if not it's a pretty good one that should be real. Basically, two different time streams for the same person, and they can feel it. Though why it's happening to them I'm not exactly sure."

Warren nodded, though it was obvious that the idea wasn't fully registering with him.

I'll try to explain again later I told him, hoping I had gotten the hang of the telepathy thing enough to send him that message.

He smiled, telling me that I had been successful.

Did the Doctor already explain about me to your dad? I asked.

Yeah, and he seemed really happy about it. Actually, we all are. Well, except you.

I rolled my eyes. Then I spoke up.

"Sam? What happened to my family?"

He looked up at me and gave me a sympathetic smile.

"Sorry, Lilly," he said, "I'm not sure exactly who you are, so I don't know who they might have been."

"Oh," I said, "Well, that's ok." I shrugged. It wasn't really. But I couldn't blame Sam for not knowing.

Sorry. I could hear Warren's voice as a whisper in my head. I didn't answer.

We stood there for a while in silence. Finally, the Doctor cleared his throat.

"Sorry to have to break that, er, silence, but if anyone is interested I've been being completely brilliant again."

I laughed. "Go on," I said. Anything would be better than just standing here.

He beamed, looking as pleased with himself as usual. "I know a way to get us out of here, safely back to earth, and keep the Dead unharmed."

Sam and Warrens' faces brightened. I held on to Warren's hand a little tighter.

"To the TARDIS!" said the Doctor, dashing off through the door. Before we could move to follow him, he came back in. "Wait," he said. "I'm going to need some things. First, a waffle, or maybe a scone or something-I'm starving. Second, a new bow tie, this one is looking a little raggedy. Third, cans. A lot of them; any size will do as long as they're metal. I have to make a doodad. And finally, I need everyone to stand about and admire me being clever. Oh, and keep the Dead away from me."

We ignored his first two requests, though he did manage to get himself some food. We set off through the house, looking for cans and not bothering to waste time asking what they were for. We knew the Doctor too well to do that.

When we had piled up enough cans to satisfy the Doctor, he smiled at us. "Now, I will need to focus on this, so don't get too close while you're admiring me."

We each scooped up armfuls of cans and followed behind the Doctor toward the TARDIS.

There were only a few of the Walking Dead still wandering around now, and we kept our eyes on them. The Doctor wasted no time starting on his weird but somehow effective mechanism, whatever it would turn out to be. It seemed that we stood there for at least an hour, listening to the whirr of the Doctor's sonic and the clang of the metal. We were completely silent.

"Oh," I heard from behind me. I turned to face the Doctor. His 'Oh's were never a good thing.

He bolted through the doors of the TARDIS, and I could see him fidgeting with levers and peering at the screen. When he emerged again, his face looked solemn.

"I've made a mistake," he said quietly. "I'm sorry."

"What is it?" I asked, "Can you fix it?"

He shook his head and pushed his hair out of his face nervously. "It's the trans-universal splits," he said.

"What about them?" asked Warren.

"Well," said the Doctor. "They'll have to choose what they believe really happened, and then either leave or be stuck here. And either way, the Dead can't be spared…" he trailed off.

"What do you mean, choose?" I asked.

"Lilly. Look at me. Look me in the eye. Straight at me. Now tell me something. Do you believe what I told you? About not being from earth? About being saved from living here; and I mean really, truly believe it?"

My throat closed up. I didn't know what I believed. I trusted the Doctor, but did that mean he wouldn't lie to me? I still could remember growing up on earth. I had baby pictures and everything. How could I not be human?

At the same time, it wasn't all that hard to believe that I had a whole different past. I could picture myself as a very young child, cowering as a spaceship took off toward a new place that I had been told was for my safety.

But I had to decide, right now, which I would put my faith in.

Which was right?

Somewhere inside me, I already knew the answer.

"Yes," I said. And it became real to me. I was of this world, not of earth.

He nodded, smiling slightly. "Get in the TARDIS. Warren, you too, and take the cans with you." Then he turned to Sam.

I couldn't hear what they were saying over the jingle of the metal we carried. By the time we set it down, their conversation was over.

The Doctor hopped into the TARDIS and shut the door.

"My dad?" Warren said, looking sickly.

The Doctor hesitated for a moment before pressing a button.

"Doctor?" I asked. "We can't just leave him there again."

He pulled a lever.

"Stop," I heard Warren say quietly. Then louder, "Stop. Go back. We AREN'T leaving him. STOP. NOW." He was yelling at the Doctor, looking at the control panel and trying to figure out which one would stop us from leaving.

The Doctor looked grim. "Your father," he said, "Has made his choice."

"No. NO. We have to go BACK."

"I'm sorry, Warren, I really am, but there's nothing I can do. He's gone."

After all that?

It took me a moment to realize that Warren was speaking in my head and not out loud.

After ALL of the things we've done to stay alive, he's just going to choose to LEAVE me? No. He couldn't have. WHY?

I don't- I started to comfort him, but he wasn't listening. He kept on shouting in my head. It was like I could feel all of his emotions along with hearing his thoughts. He was in so much pain, felt alone and abandoned. I couldn't keep from tearing up.

He fell to his knees and I rushed over to him. He started banging his fists on the floor and all I heard in my head was a constant string of WHY?

I wanted to do something, anything, that would make him feel better. I looked up at the Doctor, who had his hand paused just above the button that would send us off to another time and place. His eyes were closed as if he were in pain too.

"I'm sorry," he said again. I had to strain to hear it, and I'm not sure that Warren even listened.

And for the first time, I did not think of the Doctor as the good guy. I thought of him as cruel.

And that thought scared me.