The afternoon passed quickly without receiving any response from Gallifrey. The Doctor and Sarah had showered and dressed and were heading for the nursery. The baby was just waking from her nap. Sarah walked over to the dressing table to pick out something for the baby to wear and was surprised to find a dress already lying there. "Doctor look."
The Doctor joined Sarah and picked up the dress. It was a blue dress, Tardis blue. "It looks like the old girl has decided she should wear this." He examined it carefully. It had short puffy sleeves with a small pale blue band circling each sleeve. The bottom of the full skirt had the same delicate band encircling it. On the chest of the dress was a Gallifreyan word. To any human it would look like an intricate design but to the Doctor, the word was clear. It said, Hope.
"What is it Doctor?" Sarah asked as she watched her husband look at the dress. As far as she knew, he'd not given that much attention to any of the baby's clothes before. "Did the Tardis give her this?"
"Yes. Sarah do you know what this says?" he asked Sarah. She took the dress from the Doctor's hands. "You'll have to wait a minute for the Tardis translation circuit to kick in, it's written in Old High Gallifreyan."
Sarah watched the intricate design silently. Then suddenly it was clear. It wasn't a design at all. It was a word or was it a name? "Hope?" Sarah asked aloud. The baby giggled loudly from the crib. Sarah and the Doctor walked over and peered into the crib. "Hope?" Sarah said to the baby. The baby cooed in reply. She looked up at the Doctor who was now smiling. "Her name is Hope." Sarah stated. "How did the Tardis know?"
"This is no ordinary baby Sarah. She has crossed realities and the stars. She may not know her name but somehow the Tardis does."
"I'll get her dressed." Sarah said, slightly in a daze.
"I'll go get her a bottle to pack." Then looking down at the baby said, "We have a dinner to attend Hope." He smiled at Sarah before giving her a quick kiss on the cheek and leaving the nursery.
"All right Hope, let's get you ready to see Uncle Harry and Uncle Benton." Sarah said as she took the baby to the changing table. "What do you think of your new dress? I think it's beautiful. The Tardis does wonderful work. Don't you old girl?" Sarah looked up to the room in general and smiled. "Pretty soon you'll have your Daddy's Tardis to spoil you, if Gallifrey ever comes through for us that is." Sarah reached over and pulled the baby's coat off the chest of drawers nearby and put it on the baby, then did the same with the coat's matching hat. "There, you look fine enough to meet the Queen herself."
"We're not swinging by and picking her up are we?" the Doctor said, catching the last of Sarah's words.
"No not tonight. Did you get a bottle?" Sarah asked.
"Not just one but two in case she wanted a second." the Doctor said as he picked up the diaper bag he'd just put the bottles in.
"I'm not sure two are necessary but you never know. Ready?" she asked.
"Ready." he said as he waited on Sarah and the baby to pass ahead of him. "We're early; do you think Harry and Benton will be there yet?"
"I know they will. Harry's always early to everything." Sarah replied.
After checking the central console one last time for any word from Gallifrey they met Harry and Sergeant Benton in the garage. The pair were waiting next to Bessie. As they moved closer, the Doctor and Sarah both noticed a look of surprise on their faces. A look of surprise that appeared frozen there. "Harry? Benton?" the Doctor called as both he and Sarah stopped walking, now about ten feet away.
Three tall beings came forward, hidden by the shadows of the underground garage, their skin covered in rows of suckers. "You will come with us." it said, its voice making a whisper sound.
Much to their relief, the Doctor and Sarah could see a car coming up behind the three aliens, picking up speed as it approached.
The Doctor pulled Sarah and the baby to the side next to a parked car as the car which they could now see was actually a Jeep, plowed into the three aliens sending their bodies flying through the air. Jumping out of the Jeep was Mike Yates and Sam Shreeves. "Quick, get Harry and Benton back into Unit." the Doctor yelled as he pulled the baby from the pram and gave her to Sarah. He pushed the pram in between some of the cars. He looked back to see the pair putting Harry and Benton into the Jeep.
"Doctor, Sarah get in. We'll head for the main entrance, it's quicker and we won't be out in the open exposed." Mike yelled. He looked back at the three aliens lying unconscious just to reassure himself that this actually happened.
The Doctor wrapped his arm around Sarah and the baby and rushed them to the waiting Jeep. Once everyone was in the Jeep, Mike tore out of the parking garage at a breakneck speed. "Were they…?" Mike began.
"Yes, Zygons." the Doctor answered.
"What are they doing here and why?" Sam answered panicked. He was still new at Unit and while he now knew aliens existed, it didn't make it any easier when he encountered them.
"Not sure." the Doctor replied and then glanced over at Sarah and the baby. Sarah was not normally this quiet. She was looking from the baby in her arms to Harry and Benton. "Sarah?"
"We need to take care of them." Sarah said with a look of sadness on her face as she nodded toward the pair of her frozen friends. She looked down at the infant looking back at her for reassurance. The problem was at this very moment she didn't feel assured. "They're here because of her, aren't they?" Sarah asked quietly.
"There's a high probability." the Doctor replied sadly as he reached forward with his Sonic Screwdriver, scanning his frozen friends. He adjusted a setting on it and placed it first in front of Harry then Benton, activating it. Harry and Benton blinked then slightly slumped forward. The Doctor caught Harry who was beside him. Sam was turned around in the front seat to catch Benton who they had sat on the floor of the back seat.
"What…what happened?" Harry asked holding a hand to his head, rubbing it through his hair.
"In essence Harry, the two of you were zapped by a Zygon. Benton, are you all right?" the Doctor asked Benton who had his head between his knees.
"Yea, fine Doctor. Just have a bit of a buzz in my head." Benton said as he rubbed his temples.
"You'll feel better soon." the Doctor reassured him. "Everyone head for the Tardis."
The Jeep had pulled up into the circular driveway and stopped at Unit's main entrance. As the group ran through Unit, Benton pulled out his phone and put the base on alert. The next call he initiated was as the group ran through the Tardis doors, the call to the Brigadier. "Sir, I'm sorry to bother you but it's the Zygons Sir. Yes Sir, the base is on Red Alert." He listened and then replied, "Dr. Sullivan, Mr. Shreeves, Captain Yates, the Doctor, Miss. Smith, the baby and myself are in the Tardis Sir." He listened again. "Yes Sir. We'll await your arrival Sir." Benton hung up the phone. "The Brig's on his way."
"Well, where is the offspring?" General Ploket yelled at the three Sontarans that stood at attention before him.
"We were interrupted General." the middle Sontaran replied.
"There are three of you. How could two puny humans stop you?" Ploket yelled again as he paced back and forth in front of his men. "You knew of their plans. You arrived in time to plant the impression that the Zygons had replaced them and took their place, did you not?" he yelled even louder.
"Yes Sir we did. We arrived and used the psychomorph to change into Zygons. We had restrained the humans with our Kallaa Ray and were preparing to move their bodies when the Doctor arrived." the Sontaran in the middle explained.
"Then you were late!" he accused; now focusing his disgust at their failure on the Sontaran standing on the left.
"No Sir, we were not late. The Doctor was early." the Sontaran on the left replied nervously. He'd heard tales of General Ploket and the things he did to those that disappointed him.
"And you," he addressed the Sontaran on the far right, "how did the Doctor overcome the three of you?" Ploket yelled into his face, less than an inch from the Sontaran's face.
This Sontaran realized that these would more than likely be his last words. "He didn't General. There was a human vehicle that came behind us and struck us. It was unfortunate General. We will try again." he added hopefully.
"Try again!" General Ploket yelled as he paced again. "First that birther Traang disobeys me and now you." He suddenly turned and pointed his blaster at the trio. "One of Traang's birther friends felt guilty and confessed to me. I eliminated him first and then I eliminated Traang. You have cost me possibly my last chance to eliminate the Doctor's progeny. For that, you will pay with your lives." He fired his blaster in a wide beam and the trio was vaporized. The Sontaran High Command may not approve of his methods he realized, but he would make the Doctor pay. His mind was now of a singular thought, to make the Doctor pay. His mind cleared with a new thought. A simple thought. If he couldn't find the Doctor's progeny then he would find the Doctor's mate. He would find her. He would find Sarah Jane Smith.
Strax stopped in front of the large red brick building and looked up at the third floor. He was sure Vastra would put the Doctor and Sarah on the back side of the building. She rarely put 'guests' in the rooms on the front side of the building, that made it harder for the locals to spy on any of their movements. He sighed, it was cold this morning, so cold his breath was easily visible in the early morning air. He looked across the street at the watchmaker's shop. On the outside was an oversized pocket watch. The time was five in the morning. By his own estimate he'd been gone three days.
He thought of his old friend again and hung his head. He'd miss Traang. The only upside to all this was the fact that he knew the Doctor rarely lost. With so much to lose he knew one way or the other the Doctor would make General Ploket pay. The Doctor had let his actions pass once. But Ploket had made a fatal mistake by taking the Doctor's daughter. He should have gone to the Doctor and killed him directly, that had been the honorable thing to do. Doing that, his action would have been considered a banner of pride to the Sontaran High Command. This however had no purpose. He understood Traang's actions. Taking the child wasn't necessary, certainly not on the word of a soothsayer.
Strax understood the Doctor and the Doctor understood Strax. Had Strax not been dishonored and demoted by his own race to serve a lifetime among humans as a punishment, he may have fought against the Doctor himself today. The High Command had put him here, so here's where he'll make his stand and if necessary, by the Doctor's side. He noticed someone in the fog heading his way. Looking down at his Sontaran body armor he quickly approached the door.
Before he could reach the handle the door was jerked open. "Hurry up Strax, get inside before someone sees you dressed like that." Jenny said as she rushed him through the door.
"I am wearing Sontaran body armor 'boy'. This is perfectly acceptable." Strax exclaimed.
"You know perfectly well that I am not a boy Strax. You also know Madame Vastra doesn't want you seen in your 'body armor'." Jenny said with her hands on the hips of her dark blue long dress.
"Where are Madame Vastra and the Doctor?" Strax asked as he glanced towards the stairs.
"Madame Vastra is in the drawing room and the Doctor and Sarah are upstairs hopefully asleep. They've been terribly worried. I can hear Sarah pacing late into the night." Jenny said with her head down. She had come to know Sarah in the time she had spent here. She could see why the Doctor cared so deeply for her. Vastra had told her all that Sarah had been through. Sarah was a survivor as was the Doctor. They were a good match and from what Jenny could see, the Doctor would move Heaven and Earth to get his family together. Jenny turned and Strax and he followed her to the drawing room.
Sarah rolled over and opened her eyes. Another day…another day of waiting to see if Strax turns up with any information. So she did the only thing she knew, that only she could do. The same thing she'd been doing every day since she'd met the Doctor again. She lay perfectly still and prayed. She prayed for the safety of their daughter, she prayed that Strax had information to find her, she prayed the Doctor could unite her family and above all she prayed she'd have the strength to survive all of this if it went bad. She heard movement from behind her.
"You don't have to pretend to be asleep." the Doctor said as his arm snaked around her waist and pulled her back against his chest. He knew she was exhausted. Seeing her pace till three in the morning before she collapsed had become her new nightly ritual. He'd given up trying to get her to rest, instead waiting till her legs exhausted themselves and they forced her to be still. He rubbed her arm in what he hoped would be a comforting way. He was also nervous as he awaited Strax's return. He was never good at waiting. The gene that he imagined influence the level of patience an individual had must have skipped his chemical makeup. But Sarah didn't need to know how anxious he was, so he hid it from her. "It's still early, why don't you try and get some more sleep?"
"I can't. Do you think…?" Sarah began only to be interrupted by a knock on the door. Sarah rose from the bed and grabbed her long blue robe, quickly wrapping it around her and tying the sash. She looked back at the Doctor with a look of trepidation. Sarah opened the door to find Jenny waiting.
"Good morning Sarah. Can you and the Doctor come downstairs? Strax has returned and Vastra knew you'd want to know immediately. Get dressed and we'll be in the dining room waiting for you." Jenny smiled at Sarah and lightly squeezed her arm, hoping to calm the panicked look in her eyes.
"Thank you Jenny. We'll be there right away." Sarah said as she smiled at the girl. Sarah liked Jenny. She'd done all that she could to try and make her feel at ease. "Let's hurry." Sarah said to the Doctor as she quickly stepped past the Doctor as she reached into the wardrobe and removed her dress.
The Doctor quickly untangled himself from the bedclothes and reached for his own clothing. He couldn't read Jenny's face and that bothered him. He knew what Sarah was thinking. He was thinking it himself. What if Strax found nothing? Regardless, it wouldn't stop him searching for his daughter. He'd look till his dying day.
"Hope." Sarah said aloud. "I had planned on calling her Hope. I haven't said that name aloud since the morning that she…"
"Hope, that's a great name." the Doctor said as he came up behind her as she stood looking into the full length mirror while she fiddled with the buttons of her dress. He placed his hands on the outside of her arms and rubbed them up and down. "I like it." He picked up her boots and helped her fasten their many buttons and then stood. After a quick look in the mirror she turned around to face him. "It's a perfect name. Let's go see what Strax has to say." Sarah nodded her head and allowed the Doctor to usher her to the door.
The Doctor and Sarah entered the dining room to find Strax once again outfitted as a butler and serving Madame Vastra coffee. Jenny was also at the table and when she noticed the pair, indicated that they sit down.
"Strax has news." Madame Vastra said as the Sontaran rounded the table and poured the Doctor and Sarah coffee. "Strax please have a seat and update our guests."
Strax sat down. He bowed his head before beginning. The Doctor took this as a bad sign and said, "Listen Strax if it's bad news just spit it out." Looking over at Sarah he added, "Just tell us."
Strax met the Doctor's eyes and began, "The one I went to see, his name was Traang."
"Was?" the Doctor questioned.
"Immediately after giving me the information I needed he was killed." Strax said sadly.
"By who?" the Doctor asked.
"By General Ploket. He found out that Traang disobeyed his orders. When I left, Traang was drunk and unconscious on the ground." Strax shook his head back and forth. "He killed him without honor. No Sontaran should die that way!" Strax all but shouted.
"Strax," Jenny tried to send the Sontaran a calming look, "I'm sorry about your friend. Tell the Doctor everything he told you."
"Yes, my apologies." he began as he pushed his feelings for Traang to the wayside for the time being. He would process them later. "Traang told me that General Ploket had ordered the child transmatted into space in another reality."
Sarah let out a loud gasp, placing both hands over her face. She thought she might be sick as tears flowed freely from her eyes. This was her worst nightmare. The Doctor looked over at her unable to come up with anything at all to say that might comfort her. Not only had he ordered the baby's death but assured that her small body was forever lost and guaranteed that if she 'did' have the ability to regenerate, she would go through all her regenerations with no hope of a life.
"Traang went against Ploket's orders and took the child to another reality, but instead of beaming her into space he beamed her to Earth." Strax offered.
"Earth?" Sarah said with jubilation. "Where, where on Earth?"
"Traang said he beamed her to a Unit base."
"A Unit base!" the Doctor said, his voice elated. "Did you get any indication of a time period or coordinate?" She was alive, that much he knew. Now he just had to find her.
"The reality he beamed her to, you were there before. You were there recently." Strax explained. "Do you still have the coordinates?"
"Yes!" the Doctor shouted. He looked over at Sarah to see that she too was almost beyond words, the rollercoaster of emotions playing out on her face.
"We can go get her?" she questioned the Doctor. His face changed quickly to a look of deep thought. "What's wrong? You were there before. Why can't you go there again?" Sarah asked loudly with a bit of panic in her voice.
"When I left that other reality, the Doctor there was going to have the Time Lords close the rift in space that allowed my Tardis to go through. It's a miracle that it was still open when Traang sent the baby through."
"Can't we just bust through or something?" Sarah questioned him. She looked around the table and everyone had a look of sadness and pity on their face. She didn't want their pity. She wanted the impossible, she wanted her daughter. The Doctor had always been good with the impossible, so why should this situation be any different?
"The good news is the Doctor there is just like me, clever. When I left he and his Sarah were going to get married so I 'know' beyond a shadow of a doubt that she is safe and being well cared for." He took Sarah's shaking hands in his and added, "From the minute he had his hands on that baby he was trying to solve the puzzle of where she came from and where she belongs. Like I said, 'we're' clever. I'm sure he's already getting the Time Lords to open the rift in space so we can go through and get her." he finished quietly.
But Sarah could read something that was unspoken. She may not know this particular version of him yet, but she knew 'him'. Halfway through his explanation something occurred to him. Had she not known him she wouldn't have picked up on it. Looking across the table at Madame Vastra, she could tell that Vastra had heard it too. She looked deeply into the Doctor's eyes and began, "Let's try this again. What aren't you saying?"
He never could fool her. He looked around the table and saw Vastra give him an almost imperceptible nod. "The Time Lords aren't going to want to open the rift. He's more than likely going to have to trick them into opening it. But I know he won't give up till he does. He'll have to go through official channels and the Time Lords are sticklers for rules and regulations, they'll make him wait till they're good and ready." Once again it felt so odd to talk about the Time Lords in the present tense.
"Are you telling me that eventually we'll get her back?" Sarah asked with hope.
"Yes, we will. I know that you've waited a long time already." He took one of her hands in his and squeezed it. "But you've got to hang on a little while longer."
Vastra and Jenny watched the exchange and shared a small smile. "Let's have a morning meal together. I'm sure you want to be on your way but let's have this last meal." Vastra said as she nodded to Strax who rose from the table and disappeared into the kitchen.
"I think that's an excellent idea Vastra." He looked over at Sarah. "We may have quite a wait at those coordinates." He squeezed her hand again.
"We're so grateful to you Madame Vastra. You, Jenny and Strax have been wonderful to us. I'll never forget all that you have done for us. Thank you so much for your hospitality." Sarah gushed.
"We are honored to have you." Vastra said and then turned to the Doctor. "You have chosen well for yourself Doctor."
"I think Sarah has chosen well for herself too." Jenny said as she smiled at Sarah as she reached over and took Vastra's hand. She had enjoyed meeting Sarah, even though it had been under trying circumstances. She and Sarah had gotten to know one another and she was impressed. She'd met several of the Doctor's companions through several regenerations and this was by far his best and his last if she read the situation correctly.
The Doctor and Sarah smiled at one another. "Dinner is served." Strax said as he came back into the room carrying a large tray. Everyone at the table looked at each other and laughed aloud. The stress of the earlier conversation now relieved. Strax decided not to mention the bit of information about their daughter ending the Sontaran race. How could that even be possible?