The Doctor waited till Sarah Jane, Luke and Rani were back up the hill and through the time fissure before he stepped out of the shadows and walked up to the pram.
He peeked inside at the baby, "Hello, Sarah Jane."
She blinked at him and moved a tiny fist in the blanket.
"Oh, aren't you a cutie!" he looked around before lifting her out of the pram and cuddling her. "So sweet aren't you?" he cooed not even realizing he'd gone into baby talk. "So nice, you're quieter than most babies. Very unlike you." He turned his head to watch her face, "I don't know what happened...I've never seen you this calm and quiet..."
Sarah Jane made some noises and made him laugh.
"Keep trying, Sarah, you'll get it eventually, and once you do you'll never be stoppable. You'll be quite good too; getting things out of people with the art of phrasing. Reminds me, I need to drop that book off at your house still, I don't think you'll like me stealing your newest novel before it's published."
She made snuffling noises, turning her head this way and that.
"Ah, you must be hungry. Sorry, Sarah," He shifted her a bit up to his shoulder, "I'm not your mum."
He felt an ache in his chest, "And I'm sorry, so, so sorry, but she won't be coming back. You'll go live with your aunt soon. You'll have a great life with her; a fantastic life with her."
Sarah Jane sniffled and clutched his jacket in her tiny hand.
He knew she didn't understand him, the human mind was not progressed enough at this point in development to know, but all the same the ache increased.
"Who is this?" Martha asked the Doctor sitting down on the bench next to him. She'd woken up and gone to the console room, but hadn't seen him. So she left to go find where he was. He wasn't hard to spot in any time period.
"This is my best friend." he said proudly tickling Sarah lightly gaining a burble of contentment.
"Your best friend is a baby?"
"She isn't always a baby." the Doctor replied, "But she's always my best friend. Can you say hello, Sarah? This is Martha. She's a companion like you'll be. Well, not like you, but like you."
"She can't answer you yet, Doctor, she's too little."
"Oh if she could answer she'd be snarky and telling me I don't need to question her about introductions."
She felt a bit silly but leaned over and touched the baby's hand gaining a strong hand grip in return, "Hello, Sarah. Why's she out here all alone? Where are her parents?"
"Dead. As of about 5 minutes from now." To the untrained ear he sounded unemotional.
"Aren't you going to stop it?"
"No. They have to die or else history takes a sharp left turn and everything will die."
"You saved her." Martha said.
"No, her parents did. They left her in the pram on the side of the road; they knew they had to die to set the world right, but wouldn't hurt her. That's why we're staying here with her until her aunt arrives for the fete, yes we are." He cooed again.
"I thought you didn't mess in everyday events in people's lives?"
"Oh, this isn't everyday though and I've always helped my Sarah! Every life you know." He told her seriously, "Though don't tell Sarah, she might be a bit peeved at me meddling."
"What do you mean 'every life'?"
"Well….."
-Sarah Jane Smith, age 3 -
"Why are we here, Doctor?" Leela asked looking around. It was a park. What alien would invade a park? Maybe something was growing in the lake?
"We are here to save a very important life." He replied looking around.
"We?"
"Well, you. I can't exactly be seen by her as a life changing influence or she'll remember me. Remembering me would be bad." the Doctor told her at her confused look, "Because she didn't know me as an adult when I regenerated."
"Oh." Leela frowned in thought, "Would this be the woman before me; the one who left the things in the library?"
"Yes." the Doctor smiled brightly, "It is."
"How am I to save the day? You don't like me hurting people."
"You'll see."
"But—"
Leela was interrupted by a child's scream. Looking over she spotted a child yelling on the dock and water being splashed about in the lake.
She didn't even think about it, just acting on instinct Leela ran and dove into the lake off the dock. Not far in front of her in the water was a struggling toddler in a pink party dress. Obviously not old enough to be trusted near the water.
Leela wrapped an arm around her middle and hauled her to the surface.
They broke the water into the air and the girl coughed repeatedly, spitting out water and crying.
Leela swam back over to the dock and held her up to place her on the dry wood. The girl was taken from her hands by the Doctor though and sat down further back before he helped pull Leela out of the water as well.
"What parent would leave a young child alone near water?"
"She hasn't got any." The child who screamed said.
"Who watches her?"
"Her nanny."
"Then go get her!" Leela growled, greatly annoyed as the child took off running.
The little girl was still crying, but less terrified and more in the upset manner.
Leela looked at the Doctor, expression conveying her doubt, 'what do I do?'
The Doctor made a hugging motion, mouthing 'Comfort her!'
Leela made a face and patted her on the back awkwardly. She nearly jumped when the girl turned and hugged her.
"Sarah Jane!" a woman yelled, running down to the docks as fast as she could.
"Is this your child?" Leela asked, standing up and still trying to extract herself from the girl.
"Yes, well no, she's my charge." The woman said trying to catch her breath.
"Why were you not watching her?"
"I was but I thought she was with Richard and his nanny still." She said worriedly taking the toddler from Leela, "Oh thank Goodness you were here to save her."
Leela sent an annoyed glance the Doctors way as they left, leaving the nanny to care for the girl, "With women like that in charge how do children in this Earth make it to adults?"
"Lots of intervention."
-The Doctor and Martha-
"So you saved her life as a child, that's not interfering too badly." Martha said.
"Oh, if only it stopped there."
"What else did you do?"
-Sarah Jane Smith age 4-
"What are we doing on earth?" Nyssa asked the Doctor, "We were just here."
"Well, we're not out of milk so I'd say he's up to something." Tegan said.
"I'm not always up to something." the Doctor said in defence, looking around every corner and alleyway cautiously.
"Yes you are." Nyssa poked him, "What is it?"
"We're not going to be eaten, are we?"
"What? No, of course not." He said looking around. He finally spotted what he'd been looking for a grinned brightly.
The two women followed his line of sight and saw a little child playing on a tricycle.
"Who's she?"
"My best friend." the Doctor said happily rocking back and forth on his heels.
"She's a bit small."
"Maybe she's the only one who can tolerate his insanity?" Tegan laughed.
"She won't always be this small." the Doctor scoffed at them, "Well, she'll always be short, but heaven help you if you say she's short."
"So is there any specific reason we're stalking your best friend as a child?"
He watched as she hit a bump wrong and fell off of the tricycle smacking her arm just right on the pavement. She sat up slightly and burst into tears.
He walked slowly along to her, noting with a smile that both his companions had taken off at a run to see to her. When he got there she was sitting fully upright against Tegan as Nyssa examined her arm.
"Doctor, I think she needs to go to the A&E."
"I think so too." He said, "But no one is here to take her."
"What? Where are her parents?" Nyssa demanded.
"Where's your mummy, sweetheart?" Tegan asked her softly.
"I don't have one," she said around her tears.
"Just my aunt." the Doctor mouthed the words as she said them.
"Who was watching you?"
"Jody…She went 'way." The girl sniffled.
"Where'd she go?"
"Out…"
"Right then, we'll take her." Nyssa decided, "And give those two hell when they show up."
-The Doctor and Martha-
"So you saved her life and took care of her when no one was there?" Martha checked.
"Pretty much." the Doctor said as he fed Sarah Jane her bottle, having found it in the pram.
"Well, meddling twice isn't too bad." Martha told him, handing him a bit of cloth.
"Twice isn't, but…"
-Sarah Jane Smith age 10-
"Run," the Doctor told Peri seriously staring across the street.
"What? Why?"
"Just do it." He started to walk in the other direction.
"What'd you see?"
"An annoyingly present person who I can't seem to stop saving." He stated grouchily.
"What?"
He stiffened as he heard a girl laughing.
"What on earth are you wearing?"
"Sarah Jane, it's not polite to speak out of turn." A woman told the girl seriously.
"Polite doesn't always work, sometimes brash and loud is better." Sarah Jane told her minder, "And sometimes you just have to point out things."
"I like this coat." the Doctor stated defensively.
"It looks like something chosen by a colour blind circus clown."
"Oi!"
-The Doctor and Martha-
"So you saved her life, took care of her and got mocked by her." Martha laughed, "Anything else?"
"Back a few hundred years ago –"
- Sarah Jane Smith age 6 -
"Professor, not that I don't like Earth or anything, but is there a reason we're at an ice cream shop? An ice cream shop in England at that."
"Yes, there is a reason." He told her, "I like ice cream."
"You said there's better ice cream off planet."
"Yes, but I like Earth ice cream too." the Doctor said stubbornly, taking another bite of his ice cream dish that had at least 5 colours of ice cream and countless toppings on it. Frankly it made even Ace a bit sick at the thought of consuming it all.
"I know you do, but not enough to plan a special trip around it." Ace pointed out.
"Hmm." He smiled mysteriously and went a bit quiet.
Ace glanced over in annoyance; one child had been trying to get her parents attention politely for a good 10 minutes as the woman gossiped. "What is with her?"
"What do you mean?"
"She's…Soft." Ace wrinkled her nose in distaste, "She'll never get attention that way." Before the Doctor could stop her she had waved the girl over, "How come you're being so soft?"
"You shouldn't interrupt adults." The girl replied.
"Not even if you need attention?"
"Uh-huh."
Ace turned to look at her eye to eye, "Little advice kid: When soft and polite doesn't work go for loud and brash, that'll get you attention any time."
When the girl had gone back to who she came with the Doctor started laughing softly.
"What?"
"Do you realize what you've just done?"
"What? I told her to stop being so polite, what's funny about that?"
"That girl is Sarah Jane Smith."
"The reporter?"
The Doctor chuckled, "Yes."
"The one who did the expose after going undercover?"
"Yes."
Ace's eyes widened, "I just influenced the future, didn't I?"
The Doctor laughed a bit louder.
-The Doctor and Martha -
"Okay, so far you've saved her life, taken care of her, been mocked by her and helped to influence her." Martha ticked off the tales on her fingers, "Not counting her being a companion. I guess I see where you get meddling from. But still-"
"There's more to the story yet, Martha." the Doctor moved Sarah Jane to his shoulder, patting her back rhythmically, "We've still got 3 to go."
"Oh boy…"
- Sarah Jane Smith age 13 -
"Doctor, I don't see anything amiss." Grace said as they strolled along the boardwalk. He said he'd detected a huge amount of time energy, but nothing seemed out of place at all. It was oddly calm and quiet.
"Just because you don't see it doesn't mean that there's nothing here, Grace." the Doctor said looking around.
A few seconds later they heard a girl scream, prompting them both to take off running. Grace watched the Doctor hurdle a fence in his way and she wasn't far behind.
They saw a teenage girl kneeling by a bit of broken boardwalk, arms outstretched downwards, "Grab my hand!"
"Get her back," Grace said, "She'll fall as well."
The Doctor saw the other girl fall and hauled the teenager on the boardwalk backwards.
"Let me go!" she screamed, "Andrea!"
"Grace, go get help." the Doctor commanded sending Grace running.
"I've got to get her." The girl sobbed.
He hauled her back from the broken planks again and sat down on the boardwalk holding her close until she stopped fighting and broke down sobbing against his chest.
"Shhh, it's going to be alright." He said soothingly, holding her close and rubbing her back lightly, "It's all going to be alright."
-The Doctor and Martha -
"Wow." Martha felt her eyes misting a bit.
"Yeah, I didn't know who she was at the time, but it came back as we were leaving." the Doctor stared off a bit then shook his head, turning his attention back to Sarah Jane, "But that wasn't the last time, was it sweetie?"
-Sarah Jane Smith age 14-
The Doctor scowled down at his scuffed up boots. His first attempt at getting a companion had failed. He'd been clever, brilliant, saved her life and even made something explode. He offered to show her space and different planets but she'd gone back to the whiny human.
"What's wrong with you?" A teenage girl asked, sitting next to him on the bus bench.
"Someone I know said she wasn't going to go anywhere with me."
"Your girlfriend?"
"No. Someone I just met that I thought would be a good friend."
"But she wasn't?"
"No. Aren't you a little young to be out wander? Shouldn't you be in school?"
"I'm 14 and it's Sunday."
He groaned loudly, "A Sunday!"
He went quiet for a minute before saying anything else.
"She made fun of my accent." the Doctor sulked, "Said I sounded like I was from the North."
"Which North?"
"What?"
"Well, every continent has a North. Russia, Canada, Alaska, Greenland..." she motioned with her hand, "Everywhere has a North."
"I like you." he grinned brightly.
"Thanks. But the point is if you want someone to be your friend or for them to come with you, you have to tell them why." She gained a faraway look in her eyes, "Tell them something, but always make sure that you really want it to happen. Don't have regrets."
"You're pretty smart for a 14 year old."
"You're pretty thick for an adult." she countered, "Now go get your girl."
-The Doctor and Martha-
"She sent you to go get Rose as a companion?" Martha asked in disbelief.
"She's done more for me than just that, but yes."
"Wow. Okay, what else did you do? You said 3, there's still 1 left."
-Sarah Jane Smith age 2 -
"Why're we in 20th century Earth, Doc?" Jack complained, "It's boring here."
"Not always."
"No, he's right." Rose stated, "No mobiles, no underground, no telly or good shops; it's boring."
"They make their own fun." the Doctor said testily.
"Oooh, touch a nerve did we?" Jack grinned jogging to keep up with the Doctor's quick steps. "You got any particular reason you like the 20th?"
"Varying ones, yes." He replied.
Despite the pair bugging him he refused to say why they were there.
There was a scream across the street and the sound of tires sliding on pavement and the Doctor took off like a flash.
They looked as he ran and noticed a toddler walking in the path of a speeding vehicle trying desperately to stop.
Before Jack or Rose could even reach the curb he was halfway across the road, scooping the toddler up in his arms. When the car passed where the toddler had been they saw him lying on his side on the pavement, toddler in arms.
"Doc!" Jack and Rose ran across the street to him once it was clear.
"Don't," He said sitting up and checking the toddler over, "Call me Doc."
The Doctor had blushed when he'd gained a grateful hug from the child's aunt and a slobbery kiss from the baby girl.
"Cute kid," Jack said to tease the Doctor as they walked back to the TARDIS, "Gonna be quite a looker when she grows up."
"Yes, she will be." the Doctor paused in his tracks, turned and pointed a finger threateningly at Jack, "And you won't go within 500 feet of Sarah."
"Oooh, Protector Doc is in the house." Jack grinned.
Rose giggled, "She's two and he just saved her life, of course he's protective."
-The Doctor and Martha-
"You've saved her life at least twice, been mocked by her, taken care of her when no one else could, been taught life lessons by her, comforted her when she cried." Martha ticked events off again.
"Yes." He said simply humming softly to the sleepy baby.
"I'm honestly not sure right now if you sound more like her father or her husband." Martha told him.
The Doctor just smiled.
Martha stood up and looked around, "I see a car heading here, as I haven't seen a car all day I'm going to go out on a limb and say that's her aunt."
"You could go greet her, say we've found a baby and we're not sure who it belongs to."
"Right; I'll be right back." Martha said, and without thinking stroked the baby's hand in goodbye.
"Martha's going to go find your Aunt; don't worry though, I'll stay with you. You and me, we'll wait here till they come back. That's how it'll always be, Sarah, you and me: waiting."
He hummed and continued talking softly to her till she fell asleep. He knew she'd be safe on her own in the pram, but none the less; he was not going to leave his best friend on her own if he could help it.