Disclaimer: Any characters you do not recognise are from my own mind. I would like to thank Aietra for her putting up with me as I bothered her on Skype with this story, followed by some amusing chatplays. I welcome constructive feedback as it has been several years since I have uploaded any fan fiction. Above all, I hope you like the story!
Prologue:
It was a beautiful summer's day and a twelve year old girl was picking some Forget-me-nots from her backyard. Her mother mentioned they would be having a special guest over today, all the way from London. "Your great aunt is coming to stay, Peri," Her mother smiled and pet her gently on the head. "She hasn't been well, so we've offered to take care of her."
The thought seemed to linger in young Peri's mind. She wasn't sure what her mother meant by 'not well,' so Peri was hoping to pick the most colourful flowers the Brown family had in their backyard.
"Peri!" Called her mother, and she looked up from her crouching position as she finished arranging the flowers in her hands. "Come inside and get ready, your father just called. They're on their way from the airport now!"
Peri smiled. She got up from the garden and smoothed down her dress when she had a strange feeling of someone watching her. She turned her head, but no one was there. Shrugging it off, she hurried back into the house. "Coming, mom!"
Peri peeked through her pale pink bedroom curtains as the family car rolled to a stop outside their house. She watched quietly as her father climbed out of the driver's side and opened the boot of the car, then opened the passengers' side. He escorted a tall lady with grey hair tied back in a bun wearing a string of black beads and dressed in a purple pant suit. She carried a cane, and seemed to be pointing at something on the corner of the street. Peri craned her head – wondering what her great aunt was pointing at, but couldn't see anything.
Her father made a quick gesture to the window when he noticed Peri watching them, indicating her to come and help with the luggage. Peri made no second to hurry down the stairs and she soon beat her mother to the sidewalk, nearly tackling her great aunt in an embrace.
"Oh, Peri!" She said, her voice croaked with age. "My dear, you have grown!"
"I picked you these." Peri said, as she presented a bunch of crumpled forget-me-nots from the back pocket of her golden coloured dress.
Annette Langley chuckled and took the flowers, prompting a sweep of a kiss on young Peri Brown's forehead. "Ah my dear, you will be a wonderful botanist one day. I have a new story to read you tonight."
Peri's father, Peter, shook his head. "Aunt Annette, really? Must you spoil Peri with these fantasy tales of yours? Honestly – traveling through time with a mysterious man in a blue box?"
Peri frowned. "Dad doesn't like them, but I do. I think they're wonderful."
"Stop being a spoil sport, Peter." Annette made a threatening movement with her cane. "Go and get my luggage, If my great niece appreciates my stories then so be it."
Peter sighed. "All right. Take Aunt Annette inside, Peri." He instructed, as young Peri nodded and took her elderly great Aunt by the arm.
"Do you really like my flowers? I'd like to study them one day." Peri asked, as her great aunt took a couple of steps and paused; clutching her chest. "Are you all right?"
"I'm fine, dear. It's just my heart. It's not as spectacular as it used to be! Oh, and study flowers you will my dear. In fact, the Doctor mentioned frequently of a girl he met. Hence why I suggested to your mother she name you Peri." Annette smiled. "He spoke so fondly of her."
Peri seemed a little confused at how her great aunt was talking. However, she shrugged it off. "Maybe we can go and pick some wildflowers tomorrow morning? Mom said there's a great farm nearby with a really lovely herb garden too, she could use some herbs for cooking."
Annette, looking down at young Peri with a tired look in her eyes smiled. "Yes my dear. Another adventure. How wonderful. But we'd best get inside, I can feel your father glaring at us again."
"He does that a lot," Peri replied with a chuckle. "I generally tell him to ignore it and be happy once in a while!"
Annette chuckled and coughed, causing Peri to look at her suddenly. "Yes, that's what I told your mother. She is my niece after all."
The pair wandered inside followed by Peter who lugged Annette's luggage into the house at the end of a rather quiet cul-de-sac.
Later that night, Annette wandered into Peri's room. Peri sat up in her bed and gave a bright smile to her frail aunt. "Can you tell me how you met the Doctor?"
Sadness filled Annette's eyes for a brief moment and soon disappeared as she sat at the corner of Peri's bed. "All right. But, some parts are quite scary."
Peri pulled a face. "That weird boy next door kissed me yesterday. I'm not scared of anything anymore!"
Annette stared at Peri and then laughed. "You didn't push him in the mud again, did you?"
Peri shook her head. "He pushed me, and he felt bad."
"Okay. I'll tell you how I met the Doctor. I was thirty-two..."
Insert the Sixth Doctor's theme here...