For those who hope to unravel family history...

The sun was setting. There were streaks of orange and yellow across the sky, and it was quite possibly one of the most beautiful things you've ever seen. The Doctor, however, had other things in mind.

"Oh look! Buses! I love a good bus!"

She tore off after the double decker bus, and you followed closely behind, yelling for the Doctor to stop. She did, eventually, when she got on the bus.

Catching your breath as you sat down beside her, you asked, "I thought we were going home?"

The smile on the Doctor's face was wiped off as realisation dawned upon her, "Sorry, I got excited about the bus. Can we go upstairs? I've never sat on the upper deck before."

You rolled your eyes playfully, "Alright, but we're going home after this."

"This is your home," The Doctor stated matter-of-factly as she led you up the stairs when the bus stopped at a traffic light, "Don't you recognise it?"

Raising a brow, you looked out of the window. It was a suburban area, with identical houses lining up the streets uniformly. Each house had a mini satellite dish on its roof, two windows next to the main door, and a patio. Although each patio was built the same, they were different. Some had displays of ceramic statues, others had pots of flowers and bushes, but one, just one of them, had a couch. A brown, patched couch that looked slightly newer than the one you had seen before.

"That's my gran's couch," you said as you squinted your eyes to make sure it was the right one, then pointing it out to the Doctor.

"Is it?" The Doctor asked, "Well, I would like a purple couch. When you get a house, get a purple couch, will you?"

"No, Doctor, we don't have that couch anymore. We threw it out. My gran did," you said, suddenly realising the condition of the bus, "What year are we in?"

The Doctor didn't reply. She waited for the bus to stop and got off, with you trailing behind her.

She licked her finger to test the wind, then scrunched up her nose. Finally, she crouched down and put her ear to the ground.

The Doctor stood up and put her hands on her hips, "1978!"

She stuck out her tongue, "Might be 1980. Still getting used to this new body."

You smacked the Doctor's shoulder lightly, but her pained reaction was exaggerated.

"What did I do? I got you home, didn't I?"

"Friendly reminder," you said, "That I don't live in 1978."

"You don't?"

You shook your head and pulled out your phone from your pocket.

"Ohhh right. 21st century kid," The Doctor nodded and turned away, looking into the distance, "The TARDIS got you mixed up with someone else."

Suspicious, you asked, "Are you seeing someone else?"

"Not that I know of," she turned back with a huge grin pasted on her face, "On the bright side, you get to see your hometown 30 years ago! Come on!"

She ran off again, totally ignoring your question much to your annoyance. Exhaling, you tore off after her, but something caught your attention, and you shouted for her to stop.

"Doctor! That water tower!" You pointed it out for her.

The Doctor took out her sonic and scanned it, "It's not a spaceship, if that's what you're wondering."

"No, not that," you said, straying off the sidewalk and walking towards it, "My grandad used to work here. He always talked about how this was his favourite water tower, but he never said why."

Suddenly, the Doctor pulled you behind a tree. You lost your footing, tripped and fell, but she caught you, holding you tight by the sides.

"Wha-"

The Doctor brought her index finger to her lips, then turned to fix her gaze on a cloaked figure.

You watched intently as the figure climbed up the water tower, seeming to hold something bulgy in its hands. The sky was getting darker, so you couldn't make out what was the thing it was carrying, or the face hidden beneath the cloak. Once the figure made it to the platform, it bent down, placing the object on the ground carefully, as though it was very fragile. It stayed in that position for a while, until a whistle was heard.

There was another person coming from the opposite direction. The figure quickly descended the tower and came running towards you and the Doctor. The Doctor grabbed your hand and led you to another hiding spot behind a bush as the cloaked figure took yours behind the tree. As you moved, you caught sight of the man's face, the one who was whistling.

"That's my grandad," you whispered, "He's still wearing that hat. He looks so-"

"Pretty," The Doctor suddenly said, and you gave her a weird look.

"Did I say something wrong?"

You took another good look at the young man's face and smiled, "No, he does look pretty."

The man that you would know 30 years later ascended the water tower. You watched as he reached the platform and looked down at the object that was placed there. You couldn't make out his expression, but you could guess, because you heard it.

"The most precious sound in the universe."

"Sorry?"

"It's the sound that can make the coldest heart melt," you explained, different puzzle pieces in your head frantically trying to fit in with each other to form a big picture, "That's what my grandad said."

"The cries of a newborn?" The Doctor asked, and you nodded.

"What's the date exactly?" You asked with a hint of desperation in your tone.

She clicked a button on her sonic and read it, "July the second, 1978."

Your eyes widened, "That's the date my mum was born. But that's not right, my grandad shouldn't be here on such an important day. He should be at home with gran."

You stood up and took one step out of the bush, but the Doctor grabbed your arm firmly.

"You can't go out there."

"Why not? I need to know what's happening!"

"You'll change your own timeline," The Doctor said seriously, "If you make one wrong move, one wrong step, you'll be wiped from existence," she snapped her fingers, "Just like that. Like the Infinity War movie. No more you!"

"But you can't expect me to sit around and do nothing!"

"We will do something," The Doctor reassured you, "But not right now. Right now, we wait."

You stared into the Doctor's eyes and did as you were told. The Doctor hated waiting, so for her to actually tell you to wait, it meant this was important.

Back at the water tower, your grandad had climbed down with the infant in his hand. He cooed at the baby, trying to calm it down from its hysterical cries. Maybe it wasn't your mum. But that wouldn't make any sense. Your grandad just wouldn't be out at work while his wife was at home giving birth!

But it was your mum, because your grandad started singing her favourite lullaby as they walked away, and the baby stopped crying. She laughed instead.

"That really is my mum," you said quietly as your vision started to blur, "She was..."

"Adopted," The Doctor finished after a moment of silence from you.

You couldn't believe it. After all this while, your cheerful grandad and sweet gran were not your blood. Your mum wasn't theirs. Did she know? If she didn't, why didn't your grandparents tell her? If she did, why didn't she tell you?

You stood up again and spoke firmly, "We're going home. I need answers."

"Not yet."

"What? That's that. You SAID we can't interfere."

The Doctor stood up too, and put her hands on your shoulders, "I know there's a lot of questions racing through your mind, faster than a comet around the Earth. I know you're upset. This is your history after all. But trust me when I say we're not done."

You took a deep breath, "Okay, what are we not done with?"

"Look."

She pointed to the cloaked figure walking away with a limp. Coughing violently, the figure doubled over and stopped. That was your chance.

You ran towards her, this time the Doctor didn't restrain you.

"Hey!"

The figure turned back and started to run, but it couldn't. It tripped and fell, but the Doctor managed to run up and catch her.

"Second catch of the day!" She said as she helped the figure up. Its hood came off, and you could finally see its face.

The dark circles around her eyes screamed for more sleep. Her cheeks were so shallow you could see her cheekbones. In the moonlight (the sun had finally set), you saw how pale she was. Her hands were trembling. And she was your real gran.

"Are...are you alright?" You asked, a slight quiver in your voice.

The Doctor scanned her with her sonic. The frown on her face explained most of it.

"We'll help her home," she said as she took the woman's arm, "Could you tell us where your home is?"

With not much energy, the woman nodded slowly, and pointed the way.

The rest of the journey was silent, save for the wind rustling the leaves in the trees. As the three of you came across a wooden shed near the water tower, you gasped. That was where she lived.

It was cramp. Small, dark, damp. Definitely in no condition to raise a child.

"Take my sonic and light up that lamp," the Doctor said and you did as you were told.

The Doctor put her to bed, whispering something that you couldn't hear in her ear. She then came over to you, speaking in a volume softer than usual.

"She's dying," the Doctor explained, "That's why she left her."

Your heart grew heavier by the second. The Doctor suddenly became interested in the melted wax on the window still, giving you time to dry your eyes.

"I think I'll drop you off back home first," The Doctor said after thoroughly examining the wax, "Do you..."

She gestured to your gran.

You crouched so that her eyes met yours. Even though she was tired, she gave you a smile. Your mum's smile.

Not knowing what to say, you muttered these two words, "Thank you."

She lifted her arm and stroked your cheek. When she was done, you looked back at the Doctor.

"Alright, let's go home."

And home you went. The Doctor watched as you ran up to your mother and gave her a hug. She also watched as you ran into the house, most likely bombarding your grandad with loads of questions. You were done travelling for the day, but she wasn't. The Doctor still had one more thing to do.

She entered the TARDIS once more and travelled back to the wooden shed. The wheezing of the box startled your real gran, causing her to wake from her sleep.

"Don't worry!" The Doctor said as she scrambled into the house, putting her hands up in a surrender position, "Just me! I'm back as I promised."

Your real gran opened her mouth to speak, but the Doctor stopped her, "Save your strength, don't talk. I'm bringing you somewhere, but you'll be back. Come on, let me help you up."

The Doctor helped her into the TARDIS, setting the course for ten years later. As if she knew, the TARDIS didn't jerk violently this time. She made an effort to glide through the time vortex smoothly so as to not knock your gran off. The Doctor smacked her forehead.

"So that's who you mixed her up with!"

When they landed, the Doctor opened the door, helping your gran to it. They didn't exit, but only stood there, a distance away from a house. The house where your mum grew up.

"See that?" The Doctor said as she pointed out your mum to her, "That's her. That's your kid. She's a healthy little girl, she grew up fine. Happy. Oh! Also, ginger!"

Your gran let out a soft laugh as she watched the little girl chase after her dad, with her mum watching over the both of them on the brown couch. The sound of the girl's laughing filled the air with joy.

After a while, your gran gestured to the Doctor to leave, which she agreed to. Instead of going back home, however, she brought her back to you.

"That's your kid again, twenty years from now," the Doctor explained as your gran peeked out of the TARDIS. She watched as your mum tended to the flowers, and you, 12 years younger, bursting out from the house, complaining to your mum about the burnt cookies.

"She started a family of her own. She's safe, she grew up, she's all good. No need to worry!" The Doctor patted your gran on the back gently.

Your gran looked up at the Doctor, her eyes filled with tears. She nodded slowly, then muttered, "Home?"

"Home it is," The Doctor agreed, and sent the TARDIS travelling back to 1978.

She helped her back to bed, and your gran went into the most peaceful sleep she's had in a long time.