In the Tardis, the Doctor was hacking into the Unit security monitors. The base was running normally with no Zygons in sight. The Doctor ran his hand through his curls. Something wasn't right. Zygons wouldn't have given up so easily. It just seemed too set up.
Sarah came back into the console room looking worried. "Find anything?" she asked as she came up behind him and stroked his left arm.
"Not sure yet, is the baby all right?" he asked as he searched her eyes. She'd been so quiet earlier. He knew she was worried about the baby but it seemed there was something else.
"She's fine. I gave her a bottle, put her in the crib and turned on her music. The Tardis has a moving star pattern running across the ceiling to entertain her. She was happy and cooing when I left her." Sarah said with a slight smile on her face.
"Moving star pattern? That's new." the Doctor commented.
"Apparently the Tardis decided she needed entertainment." Sarah commented.
The Doctor turned back to the screen and brought up the parking garage on the monitor. He rewound the feed to a few minutes before he and Sarah had entered the garage. He watched the three Zygons transmat into the garage near Harry and Benton. He saw their friends standing next to Bessie turn and put their hands up in a self-defensive pose. Then there was a flash of light. Harry and Benton were shot, frozen in stasis. Then another flash and two of the Zygons had now taken the form of Harry and Benton. The third Zygon joined the other two. They were talking but the feed didn't have audio. "When I get a moment to spare I'm going to have a very serious conversation with the Brigadier about this." He gestured to the screen in front of him. "I can't believe this feed has no sound!" he said as he hit the console with the palm of his hand.
"Doctor is there anything we can do?" Harry stepped forward. Looking back at Sam, Mike and Benton they all felt superfluous in this situation.
Instead of answering Harry the Doctor began making adjustments to the screen in front of him. "There, did you see that? Did you see that?" he asked jubilantly to the room.
Sarah realized this was one of those cases where unless someone asked, they weren't going to know and the Doctor would simply jump to the next subject at hand without them knowing what he was talking about. "What did you see?" she asked as the others formed a semi-circle around the monitor.
The Doctor made a few more adjustments enlarging the picture and cleaning up the feed a bit. Then it was clear. There was a bit of a glow that encircled the Zygons.
Leaning forward Benton put his finger on the screen and pointed to the glow. "What is that?"
All eyes looked to the Doctor for an explanation. His blue eyes sparkled as he explained, "First of all, those aren't Zygons."
"But they changed into Harry and Benton." Mike protested. He remembered the Zygons and how they'd copied Harry before.
"Yes they did. But think back Mike. When the Zygons copied anyone before, could you tell them apart from anyone else in the room? I'll answer that, no you could not!" He approached the screen again and sent the video back to the point where the 'Zygons' appeared behind the real Harry and Benton. As they lifted their arms and fired their blasters at Harry and Benton, the Doctor stopped the video. He pointed to their wrists. "See those blue bands that each are wearing?" The group leaned forward and peered at the screen.
"And what are those when they're at home?" Sarah asked as she watched her husband. This was the Doctor in his element, happily explaining what everyone was missing. As far as they had come in the mystery surrounding the baby she knew the Doctor wasn't satisfied, but this made him happy.
"They are psychomorph devices. They must have stolen them from the Rutans. They allow the wearer to appear as whatever he or she wants to be." He smiled.
"All right, I know I'm new at all this," Sam began, "but why aren't they Rootuns?" Since joining Unit he'd had the misfortune to see a good number of aliens, but it never failed to astonish him when he met yet another.
"Not Rootuns, Rutans. You see the Rutans are from the Mutter's Spiral. Their home planet is Ruta Three…" the Doctor began his lecture.
"Doctor," Harry interrupted, "is this integral to the problem at hand?" Harry having spent time with the Doctor and having accompanied him on a few adventures, knew that he could go on for an hour or better if someone didn't stop him.
"No, but I thought you'd want to be enlightened." Looking around at the group, he shook his head. "No? Fine, straight to the answer then. Right to the point. Do you know who else always like to get right to the point?"
"Doctor!" the group chimed together as one.
The Doctor looked disappointed but continued, "Third, they can't be Rutans because they're using a Sontaran blaster, a Kallaa Ray to be precise." He leaned back against one of the Tardis' roundel covered walls and crossed his legs. He had a huge smile on his face.
"So we're not under attack by the Zygons?" Benton asked. The Brig was not going to like his family holiday being interrupted, to say nothing of the base now being on red alert especially when there wasn't an alien incursion.
"No we're not under attack."
The room let out a collective sigh of relief. "So they're gone?" Mike asked.
The Doctor returned to the screen and forwarded the feed to see the three transmat out right after the group sped away in the Jeep. "Yes, they're gone."
"And we don't think they're coming back because…?" Harry asked. There were times when getting pertinent information out of the Doctor was a lot harder than it needed to be. Yet he could spew tons of nonsensical facts and figures that they would never need at the drop of a hat.
The Doctor had noticed a few minutes ago that there was a message from Gallifrey on the screen. They had approved his request to open the rift in space. "Because I don't believe they're Sontarans from our reality, but from hers." he said with a tilt of his head indicating the nursery. "I think they're the same Sontarans that left her here. And because they want the baby, they won't have a reason to come back to this Earth. I'm taking the baby home, to her Earth in her reality." he said, his voice getting quieter as he said the last bit. He realized this should be a joyous time and would be for the baby's real parents. But he knew it would be hard on both Sarah as well as him. He looked over at Sarah and said, "We need to take her home. We'll start at the duplicate of this Unit base there. Maybe they can contact her parents." He walked over and took Sarah's hands in his. "We need to get ready."
"I know." she replied quietly. She knew this day was coming but that didn't change the fact it was going to be hard. Realizing their friends were all still here and watching, she took a deep breath and crossed over to them. "Sam and Mike, I can't thank you enough for saving all of us." Sarah hugged each in turn. "And Harry and Sergeant, I'm afraid you're going to have to give us a raincheck on that dinner." She looked back at her husband and smiled. "I'm afraid we have an urgent delivery to make."
"Anytime Sarah, anytime." Harry reached forward and hugged Sarah. He knew they were about to do something incredibly hard and could see by the look on their faces that they did too.
"I have to bring the Brig up to date." Benton said as he headed to the Tardis door.
"And I better take the base off red alert." Mike added as he left the Tardis.
"I better see if I can help." Sam said as he followed the others.
Meeting the Doctor's eyes with understanding Harry said, "Be careful Doctor and good luck."
"Thank you Harry." the Doctor said to Harry's retreating back.
"Isn't going to another reality going to be bumpy? How will we secure the baby?" Sarah asked, worried about the toll a rough trip in the Tardis could take on an infant.
"I'll go get her car seat from Bessie. I'll build something to attach it to the floor." he said looking around the room. "We'll take out the hat stand." He pointed to the corner of the room. "We'll double check the restraints in the seat itself. She should be safe." Seeing the look on Sarah's face he added, "She 'will' be safe."
"I'll go get some of her things together." Sarah smiled up at her husband. "Meet you back here in a few minutes."
The Doctor kissed her deeply. "Her parents will be so glad to get her back. And I am so proud of you. You've been wonderful with her."
"I'm so proud of us." Sarah looked deeply into the Doctor's eyes as they held each other. "I…"
"What?" he asked, tilting his head concerned. She rarely hesitated when she had something to say.
"It's nothing. Really just nerves, that's all. I better get her things ready." She started to leave then turned back to say, "It really has been kind of fun taking care of her I mean, hasn't it?"
"Yes, it has. Are you sure everything's all right?" he asked. He knew it would be hard for her to give the baby up.
"I'm just going to miss her, that's all. Better get her car seat, her parents are waiting." Sarah left the console room. The Doctor shrugged his shoulders knowing there was nothing he could do to make this situation any better. He walked through Unit and headed for the underground parking garage to get the car seat.
Sarah retrieved a small suitcase from the Tardis' wardrobe room and took it to the nursery. As she entered she could hear the baby's lullaby music playing softly. The Tardis had turned off its moving star pattern, more than likely after she sensed the baby was asleep. Sarah looked into the crib to see the little cherub's sleeping face. She was so sweet, so beautiful. She loved her as if she were her own. She had fought getting attached to her, but it was inevitable. She'd been with them for several weeks now, how could she not fall for the baby? Hope, Hope was a good name for her. "Sleep my little angel, soon we'll be on our way. Your first trip in the Tardis, the start of many miraculous firsts for you my love."
Sarah opened the bag up on the changing table and began to load it with the baby's belongings. It was amazing how many things she had accumulated in the short time she had been with them. Sarah zipped up the bag and turned it over. She unzipped the outside pocket and filled it with diapers and wipes. She looked back at the crib and smiled and ran from the room for the bedroom. She came right back with a photo of the Doctor and herself taken on their wedding day. She opened up the bag again and placed it inside between some of the clothes. She was sure that the other Doctor and Sarah would tell her of her beginnings but she wanted the baby to have something from the two of them. She closed the bag and patted it, then took it to the console room.
The Doctor looked up as Sarah entered the room. "Everything ready?" he said as he was finishing up securing the bracket and the car seat to the floor.
"All we're missing is the baby." Sarah smiled sadly. She decided to make an effort to lighten the mood. "You're sure that's safe?" she said, pointing at the floor.
"Perfectly safe, are you ready?" he asked as he placed his hands on her shoulders.
"Ready as I'll ever be. Want me to go get Hope?" she asked.
"In a minute." The Doctor pulled her close. "I was just thinking."
"Oh, about what?" She smiled up at him.
"About that honeymoon we never went on." He kissed her hair.
"Are we going?" she asked, nuzzling into his chest.
"Definitely." he whispered in her ear.
"Where?" she whispered back.
"Nice try but I'm still not telling you."
"You're still set on it being a surprise?" she asked while pulling back from his embrace.
"Yes and we'll never get there if we don't drop off out passenger." he said quietly.
"Then let's go." Sarah turned and said, "You better secure her bag while I go get Hope."
The Doctor realized that not only did the bag need to stay in one place but so did he and Sarah. He left the room hurriedly to go find some straps to secure them to the console. He returned to find Sarah strapping the sleeping baby into the car seat.
"Where did you go?" Sarah asked in a hushed voice.
"To go get these." he replied in an equally hushed voice. The Doctor motioned for Sarah to come to him. He tightened a belt around Sarah's waist then one around his own. He then clipped a strap through the bag's handle and clipped it to the underside of the console. He pulled up a bar from under the central console and clicked it into place. "Ready?"
"Ready." She smiled at the Doctor.
He clipped the belt she was wearing to the underside of the console before doing the same to himself. "When we go through the rift, the Tardis is going to be tossed around quite a bit. Hold on to the bar in front of you and don't let go for any reason, understand?"
"I understand. Will it take long to get through it?" Sarah asked nervously. She was never good with carnival rides and didn't want to embarrass herself in front of the Doctor.
"It should be relatively quick. I'm entering in the coordinates that will take us to the rift now." He smiled at Sarah and then pulled down the handle. "Dematerializing now."
At first it was as the same as any other trip they'd taken as of late, then the Tardis began to shudder as they neared the rift. The Tardis started to spin lifting the pair's feet momentarily off the ground. Sarah could feel her stomach churning. Her immediate attention though was on the baby. She could see the baby strapped tightly into her seat, she was barely stirring. There was no doubt about it; she was definitely the Doctor's baby.
The Tardis turned over and now was spinning the other direction, all the while dropping at an alarming rate. The Doctor looked over to Sarah and could see she was fighting nausea and for the first time in a long time, so was he. He looked at the screen and mouthed to Sarah, "Almost through." Sarah shook her head in understanding in the midst of yet another spin.
Then it was quiet and still. The stillness so sudden, that neither the Doctor nor Sarah trusted that the trip was over. The Doctor looked down at the screen and smiled at Sarah. "We're here." He unclipped himself and then walked not quite a straight line to unclip Sarah. "You okay?"
"Will be." Sarah said as he removed her belt. She started toward the baby and fell to the floor.
The Doctor was at her side in an instant. "Sarah!"
"I'm fine, just trying to get my equilibrium back. Check the baby." she said as she sat still, mentally willing the room to stop spinning.
The Doctor touched the baby's cheek. Her color was good and she was cooing. To her it had been fun. 'She was going to take to Tardis travel fine', the Doctor thought. "She's fine, aren't you Hope?" The baby cooed loudly.
"Good." Sarah replied as she shakily climbed to her knees. The Doctor was at her side in an instant helping her to stand. "Where are we?"
The Doctor returned to the console and hit a few dials before looking at the display. "We're right above the Earth. Just setting the coordinates for the exact spot we just left, only in this reality."
Sarah watched as he hit a few more buttons and she felt the thud of the Tardis materializing. He was looking at the scanner and frowning. "What's wrong?" She moved to his side.
"The base is deserted." The Doctor stared at the screen in disbelief.
"Maybe they moved. We could look for them." Sarah tried. He looked so dejected. Then she noticed it, the time rotor was dimming. "Why is the time rotor dark?"
"Because its power was drained when we went through the rift. I knew there was a possibility the power would take a hit, but not completely drained." The lights in the Tardis were beginning to go out one by one and it was getting noticeably cooler. Sarah quickly unclipped the baby's bag and took out her coat and hat. She crossed to the baby unclipped her and quickly put her coat and hat on. The Doctor had run out into the hallway and grabbed Sarah's coat from where it had fallen from the hat stand he had put there when securing the room.
"We're going to have to risk it out there. Here put this on." He helped Sarah into her coat. "The Tardis will need time to recharge." He pulled a flashlight out of his pocket and said, "Let's see what's out there."
"Let me borrow your flashlight. There's no point in taking her full suitcase around an empty base. We can always come back and get it. But we may need some things for her, just to play it safe."
The Doctor handed Sarah the flashlight and held up his Sonic Screwdriver activating it. "I'll just use this and stay with the baby."
"Be right back." Sarah said and disappeared down the hall. A few minutes later she reappeared with a now fully stocked diaper bag slung across her shoulder.
"Ready?" the Doctor smiled at Sarah.
"Ready." Sarah picked up the baby and they walked outside the Tardis. It was just as they remembered their Unit albeit more bare. They left the lab and walked down the hallway. It was eerie. There was very little in the way of furniture left. They checked the Brigadier's office and like the rest of the rooms it was bare with the exception of a desk and a chair. "Wonder where he is?" Sarah asked.
"More than likely at the new Unit base, wherever that is. Let's see if they left any food behind. Maybe they left a meatloaf in the freezer." the Doctor said excitedly.
"You and that meatloaf." Sarah said, and then told the baby, "When you grow up please don't go on about meatloaf, especially Unit's meatloaf." She looked over at the Doctor who had his lip out. She sighed loudly. "Come one you two, let's go check for meatloaf."
The Doctor put his arm around Sarah's back and they walked down the long hallway, their footsteps echoing around them. They reached the Mess Hall. Most of the tables and chairs were still in place. They went into the kitchen itself. All the pots and pans were still there. The Doctor opened the freezer to find it empty. "They took the meatloaf!"
Sarah put her head down to suppress a laugh. "I saw that." the Doctor said. "No Brigadier and no meatloaf. Let's go check Sick Bay." The Doctor once again put his arm around Sarah as they headed down the hallway. A few minutes later they entered Sick Bay. All the beds were still there as well as a few supplies. Unfortunately for them, afternoon was passing quickly as was the light coming in through the windows. The Doctor went into the emergency supply closet he hoped existed in this world, to find that it did. He took out some lanterns and lit them.
"How long before the Tardis recharges?" Sarah asked as she looked down at the makeshift crib she'd made for Hope."
"About twenty four hours. Unless the Doctor from this reality finds me first."
"So what do we do just wait for…?"
Sarah stopped talking when she heard a creak echoing down the halls outside of Sick Bay. The Doctor and Sarah exchanged a quick look of panic. Sarah wondered if it was the other Doctor till she heard the blaster fire. She quickly picked up the baby and the diaper bag. The Doctor quietly crossed the floor to the window. It had long since rusted shut. They didn't have time to finesse opening it with the Sonic Screwdriver and breaking it would make too much noise. Apparently whoever it was, was searching room by room.
"Isn't there an old corridor that Harry told us about, one that led to an abandoned ambulance entrance?" Sarah whispered.
The Doctor smiled. "You're a genius!" he whispered and kissed her on the forehead. They found the doorway behind an old mobile cabinet. Once they passed through, the Doctor carefully pulled the cabinet back into its previous place to buy them some time. If they were lucky their attacker may never see the hidden doors.
Once through the second set of doors they found themselves outside. It was chilly on this Earth as well. Sarah was glad she'd had the forethought to grab one of Unit's grey blankets that was now wrapped securely around the baby. "Where are we headed?" Sarah asked.
"Here let me." the Doctor said as he took Hope from Sarah's arms. "There's a groundskeeper's cabin about half a mile from here, at least there is on 'our' Earth." the Doctor said and blew out a breath. "I believe it's this way."
They walked through the thick woods making a concerted effort to keep the thick groves of trees between them and anyone that might be looking for them. The Moon was full and lighting their way. The longer they walked the colder it seemed to be getting. As they reached the clearing they saw it, the caretaker's cabin. It was just like the one the Doctor remembered on their Earth. As they approached the cabin, it began to snow.
The Doctor handed the baby to Sarah and approached the door. He gestured for Sarah to get behind him. There was a padlock on the door which easily opened with a burst from the Sonic Screwdriver. He slowly opened the door. It creaked loudly as it opened. The cabin was barely furnished and covered thickly with dust. It had been a long time since anyone had been inside. "I think it's safe."
"Look there's an old electric heater." Sarah said gesturing to a space in front of the fireplace. She pictured a roaring fire in the fireplace but knew whoever was looking for them would find them in an instant once they spotted smoke coming from the chimney..
The Doctor walked over to the outlet next to the heater and adjusted a setting on his Sonic Screwdriver before aiming it at the outlet. "That should do it." He plugged in the electric heater and turned it up all the way. "It should start to warm up soon." He looked through the wooden slats covering the window and slowly turned around, his face a mask of concentration.
"Do we have any way of locking that door?" Sarah asked, as she hugged the baby tightly.
"There's a slide lock. But I don't think that will keep anyone out." He looked over at a large wooden wardrobe that had been left behind and with a good deal of effort, slid it in front of the door. "That will slow them down at any rate."
"That takes care of the front door, what about the back?" Sarah asked returning the Doctor's smile.
"No back door, not in our world anyway. There's only two rooms, this one and a small kitchen." He crossed the floor and rubbed Sarah's arms up and down. "You okay?"
"I'll be fine when we're all safe. Any idea who or what that was at the base?"
"The blaster sounded Sontaran." The Doctor rubbed his hands together. "I think the room's getting warmer." Why would the Sontarans be after them? How did they know that they would be at this precise location? Had they been watching that exact location in space? And if they had, why? Too many questions and not enough answers.
Sarah watched him pace. She doubted he was even aware that he was doing it. "You're going to wear a path in the floor." He stopped in his tracks and gave the appearance of an innocent man, but Sarah wasn't buying it. She'd learned to read him too well. "I can see the wheels turning in your head. So tell me what's going through your mind?" Sarah said as she shifted the baby in her arms.
The Doctor opened a drawer in the bottom of the wardrobe he'd just moved to find it empty. He looked back at Sarah and said, "Found her a crib." He removed the drawer and laid it on the floor at Sarah's feet.
"I don't know." Sarah shook her head. "It's not very clean."
The Doctor replied, "I'm working on that. Stay right here. On our Earth there used to be a closet with some emergency supplies in the back. It came in handy in case someone was stuck here during a snow storm. If we're lucky," he disappeared from sight momentarily then returned after a few seconds, "and we are, they left emergency supplies here." He pulled open a plastic bag releasing its vacuum seal. The bag grew larger as they watched. There were several blankets, sheets and pillows inside. The Doctor removed one of the sheets and draped it over the drawer and then took a clean pillowcase and put it on the pillow, giving the baby a clean surface around her as well as a clean mattress. "Not great but will do in a pinch." the Doctor said as he relieved Sarah of her burden.
'The Doctor was right' Sarah thought, the room was getting warm. She almost didn't need her coat. Her attention was drawn to the baby. She was starting to get a little fussy. Sarah recognized that sound, Hope was hungry. "Don't suppose you found a bottle warmer in there did you?" Sarah asked as she pulled a bottle from the diaper bag.
"Don't need one when we have this." He held up his Sonic Screwdriver with a smile.
Sarah handed the Doctor the bottle. "I've got to get myself one of those."
"That's a great idea. When we get back I'll get started on it right away." he said as he took the bottle and sat it on a nearby table before aiming the screwdriver at it. He handed it to Sarah who checked the temperature on her wrist before approaching the baby.
"I know you're hungry angel." Sarah said as she untied the baby's hat and unbuttoned her coat. Sarah sat on the floor in front of the makeshift crib and crossed her legs before lifting the baby to her lap. "There now, that should make you feel better." The baby began to suckle the bottle in earnest. "You were hungry, weren't you?" She looked up, meeting the Doctor's eyes and asked, "What's next?"
"Hopefully we'll be able to hide out here till daybreak and then reassess the situation." the Doctor trailed off.
"So we're making it up as we go along." Sarah smiled into the baby's face.
"Why change a winning formula?" the Doctor spread his hands and smiled. Secretly, he was worried but he didn't want Sarah to know. He still didn't have any answers to any of his questions and likely wouldn't have till daybreak when he could get a look around. He watched Sarah as she lifted the baby to her shoulder and burped her. She was so good with her. She was going to make a great mother when they were ready to have one of their own.
Sarah screwed up her nose. "Somebody needs a diaper changed."
"Well I hope you're not looking at me." the Doctor stared at Sarah in mock horror.
"Not tonight." Sarah laughed. They heard the sound of a snap outside and froze.
"Stay here." the Doctor silently mouthed to Sarah. He crept over to the window and peered out the crack between the wooden shutters. There were half a dozen deer outside, looking through the winter brush for food. Whoever was after them either didn't know this cabin existed or they too were waiting for daylight. The Doctor returned to Sarah's side. "It's just deer."
The baby let out a soft burp making them smile, the tension momentary relieved. Sarah laid the baby gently in the drawer and began to change her diaper. "You need to get some rest little angel." Sarah said finishing up the diaper change. She pulled a soft blanket from the diaper bag and laid it over her before rewrapping her in the warm Unit blanket. Within seconds the baby had shut her eyes and was sound asleep.
"We should get some rest as well." the Doctor said as he retrieved the bedding from the plastic bag. He placed one blanket and the two pillows on the floor next to the baby. Sarah looked at him hesitantly, then sighed and lay down next to the baby. The Doctor lay down behind her, wrapping his body around hers to help keep her warm. As one they each placed a hand on the baby's body, neither willing to let the baby feel alone. When she was in the Tardis they were sure she felt what they felt, the comfort and love of the Tardis all around them. While Sarah fell into a restless slumber, the Doctor remained vigilant, while questions without answers swirled through his mind.
Author's Note: Only three more chapters to go. As always reviews are greatly appreciated. It is my fervent hope that everyone has a blessed holiday season and a blessed year, no matter what time of the year you read this.