Hello all!

First off, I'd like to thank all those that made my last DW fic a huge success! I had a lot of fun writing that fic, and I'm glad everyone enjoyed it!

Second, this is my newest creation. I am coauthoring this with my good buddy Veida (check out her stories!!). I emailed her asking if she wanted to coauthor it with me, and she said she did. :) So, I write one chappie, and then she writes one. It should work out quite nicely!

So enjoy, and please don't forget to review!

Disclaimer: We don't own Doctor Who. :( Do you really have to remind us?

Forbidden Tomorrow

By

doodlegirll and Veida

***

Prologue

Screaming.

There was screaming everywhere, cries of terror and pain, as flames licked the sky, lighting the dark night with hues of red and orange. Few people fled through the streets, avoiding the burning buildings and dodging the debris of broken cars and rubble. The horrible monsters roamed the streets, screeching above the destruction they had brought upon this world, killing all those that crossed their path. Car alarms were going off in all directions, mingling with the screaming, like an amusement park of death.

The entire city was ablaze, and the flames were spreading rapidly despite the rain that had started to fall steadily. Lightning flashed, and the thunder shook the cobbled streets like atomic bombs coming to earth.

In an alley beside a smoldered building, a man and woman crouched in the darkness, their eyes scanning the area in front of them. Their faces and hair were streaked with sweat and dirt, and the man had a nasty gash on his forehead near his hairline. Blood oozed from the wound, and dribbled down his temple. The woman's lip was split, and a large bruise was forming quickly on her left cheek. She held the man's hand tightly in her own, while in his other arm he held a small figure – obviously a child, about three or four years old. The man's dark eyes flitted through the destruction, fixating on a tall building a few blocks in the distance. One of the monsters passed in front of them, and he pulled the woman back into the shadows. The monster passed down the street and turned the corner, and the couple reemerged.

"Okay, come on!" The man whispered urgently. He and the woman dashed out into the street, never looking behind them. Hand in hand, they ran towards the building, exhaustion creeping up on them, the heat from the flames almost unbearable. The woman stumbled once, and she would have fallen had the man's grip on her hand not been so strong.

Another monster passed by, and they dove behind an overturned dumpster, huddling together closely, the child pressed between them. The monster did not see or detect them, and as soon as they were sure it was safe, the man scooped up the child and they began running again.

"Don't stop." He said to the woman. "We're almost there!"

"Are you sure you can get us inside?" The woman asked. "No doubt they've invaded the place!"

"I'm sure." He assured her. "Now just keep running!"

"I never stopped!"

They were almost there. Another explosion rocked the ground beneath their feet, and the child whimpered, burying her face into the man's shoulder, clutching at his shirt. He cooed in her ear, trying to calm her.

"Sh, you've got to stay quite, sweetie." He said. "We're almost there. We're almost safe."

The little girl nodded, her wet honey brown curls bobbing up and down. The man and woman, presumably her parents, continued to run, ducking behind cars and slipping into whatever shadows they could find as they did to avoid being seen. They would undoubtedly be killed if they were seen, that much could be certain. The monsters held no mercy for the inhabitants of this world, as was obvious from the fires around them, the stench of blood and death that hung in the air.

Finally the couple reached the building, and the man handed the child to her mother. He pulled a long, tube like device from his jacket pocket and pointed it at a door. The door clicked open and he ushered the woman and child inside. He shut the door behind him, and pointed the device back at it. Tumblers turned, and it was sealed shut. Dim lighting illuminated the space, and the couple could see they had entered on a flight of stairs, running both up and down. No noise could be heard anywhere in the building, other than the war going on outside, and they could only assume the worst for the employees of the building.

"We have to go up." He said, nodding towards the stairs. "We have to get you to the white floor, but first we have to swing by my office. That's about five stories up. Come on!"

He took the little girl back into his arms, and they started running again. About three stories up, the sound of the door being broken down could be heard, and they quickened their pace, not daring to look back even for a second. They heard the screeching of the monsters, and knew they had been seen.

Finally reaching another door, the man threw it open, and they ran out into a hall. The monsters had been here alright. The man urged the child not to look as they passed the bodies of dead comrades. They had not stood a chance against the awesome power the monsters possessed, and the woman blinked away tears as she ran. Light fixtures hung from the ceiling, some flickering, some out completely. They passed an office on fire, the flames consuming the curtains on the window and furniture inside.

They finally reached a door. The man pulled a key from his pocket and opened the door, shoving it open with his shoulder. He ran over to the desk and opened the top drawer. From it he pulled a brown paper bag, and a chain. Attached to the chain was a large red button, and he inserted a small key into the side and the button lit up, showing it was active and ready to be used. The woman stood outside the office, the child's face buried into her legs. The man slipped the chain over her neck, and handed her the paper bag. They could hear the monsters coming closer; they had found them.

"Go!" The man commanded. "Both of you have to go now! The white floor is down the hall. Once you get there, press the button. You know what to do from there."

"But what about you?" The woman was close to tears now. "They'll kill you!"

The man gathered her to him, the child shifting to hug her father around the legs, crying. "I know." He said. "But as long as the two of you are safe, nothing else matters." He drew her back and kissed her passionately. "I love you. Don't ever forget that. I love you. I know I still do."

The sound of glass breaking could be heard.

"You have to go." The man pried the little girl off of his legs and handed her to her mother, kissing her forehead. "Be a big girl." He whispered. "You keep your mummy safe for me, okay?"

"Okay, Daddy." She said. "I love you."

The man smiled, and turned back to his wife. "Go! Now! Get to the white floor!"

The woman nodded. She watched as her husband took off running down the hall, and he disappeared around the corner. She hugged her child to her in an iron grip as she began running. She screwed her eyes closed tightly at the sound of her husband's anguished cries behind her. The little girl stifled a sob and clenched her mother's dirty jacket into her fists.

Finally she reached a door labeled 'WHITE FLOOR: DO NOT ENTER.' Throwing open the door, she ran to the far wall.

"Okay, sweetie, look at mummy." She commanded her daughter, setting the little girl down on the floor and kneeling in front of her. "We're going to press this big button, yeah? It's going to take us somewhere safe, okay? Once we get there, we're going to go visit some of Mummy's friends, and they'll help us find your Daddy again, okay?"

The little girl nodded.

"That's my girl." The woman smiled, smoothing her daughter's hair down. She handed her the paper bag. "I need you to hold onto this for me, okay? Can you do that for me?"

The little girl nodded and hugged the bag to her chest, like it was her favorite toy she took to bed every night.

The woman could hear the monsters coming closer, the monsters that had stolen her family, her entire world, and now her husband from her. She lifted the child back into her arms. She took the button in her hand, and pressed it.

With a blinding flash of light, Rose Smith and her daughter disappeared into the din.

***

The Doctor sighed as he closed the dusty book he had been reading in his lap. Another human classic – Beowulf. He smiled to himself, remembering the time when he had met the epic hero for himself, and got up to return the book to its place on the shelf.

As he did so, the Doctor's eyes fell on a blue, leather bound book on the table. It was River Song's diary. The Doctor sighed and crossed to where the book lay, picking it up. He ran his fingers over the worn cover. Many times he had been tempted to peek inside, to flip through the pages and read his history yet to come. Many times he had pondered over his relationship with the young archeologist in the Library. He knew that it had to be…intimate, at most, for her to know his name…his name, the name he kept hidden in the shadows of his past. But each time he thought of River's smiling face, another face soon replaced it – the smiling face of Rose Tyler, the woman he had, quiet literally, fallen head over heels in love with.

But, she was gone now, just like the rest of his companions, trapped in the parallel universe with his clone, his human counterpart Donna had accidentally created all those months ago when the TARDIS had been thrown into the center of the Dalek Crucible to burn by touching his severed hand.

Ah, poor Donna. The Doctor sighed sadly. He missed the feisty redhead, his best friend, whom he would never be allowed to see again. Still, he took comfort in knowing she was alive and well back at home with her mum and grandad. At least she was alive. In the very least, she was alive, even if she couldn't – and never would – remember him.

The Doctor looked back at River's diary. He had mused many times of going to find her, but he had no idea where to start. Again he felt the temptation to turn the pages of the book in his hands, to find out all he needed to know, to begin again.

He sighed, and was just about to open the cover when a high pitched tune could be heard coming from down the hall.

His eyebrows furrowed in confusion as he sat River's diary back down on the table as he wandered out of the TARDIS library, a place he had found himself visiting quite a bit lately. He liked the quiet, almost serene atmosphere of it, and the smell of old print had always been one of his favorites.

Entering the main room of the TARDIS, the Doctor found the source of the tune. It was Martha's cell phone, ringing from somewhere on the console. Eyebrows knitting together and frowning even more, the Doctor crossed the room and located the little communication device. He flipped it open and pressed it to his ear.

"Hullo?" He asked.

"Doctor?" He heard Martha Jones' voice come from the other end. "Are you there?"

"Martha!" The Doctor said cheerily, smiling. "Blimey, haven't heard from you in a while! What's new?"

"Doctor, you need to get to Torchwood as fast as possible." Martha said.

The Doctor frowned again. "What, why?" He asked. "Martha, what's wrong?"

He could hear Martha shifting nervously on the other end.

"There's been a death." She said after a moment of silence. "Please, just get here as fast as possible. April 17th, 2009. Hurry."

"Alright, I'm on my way." The Doctor said, setting the coordinates. "But, what do you mean, 'there's been a death'? Martha, what's going on?"

"Just…get here. I'll explain everything once you do, 'kay?" Martha said. "I've got to go. See you soon."

"Alright." The Doctor said. He flipped the phone closed, a strong sense of foreboding weighing down on his hearts, and pulled a lever, sending the TARDIS hurtling into the vortex.

I'm not used to writing as dark as this, so if it's a bit...iffy, sorry! I'll get better, promise!