The sun awoke me from my slumber of boredom I was experiencing as I drank that latte on my usual morning walk to work, I ambled through the park so that my life had at least some element of beauty of it. As usual, the coffee was bitter and disgusting but powerful enough to encourage me to walk quicker so that I could begin my shift at the restaurant. I was dreading it, as usual. I hated my job for so many reasons but it was mainly because it was a constant reminder that I had messed up my life so far and now I had to live with the consequences; I had to deal with the stupid mistakes I had made.
The park was quieter than usual, the deluded joggers that believed their life would benefit from early morning runs were nowhere to be found and the hung-over students that were desperately trying to remember where they lived weren't staggering slowly in front of me. I was completely alone that morning and yet I felt like someone was near, like someone was waiting for me. I was about to reach the turning towards work, when something appeared in the corner of my eye. A blue box. A blue police box to be precise and it seemed familiar. I couldn't explain it, but that box was drawing me towards it simply because it had an air of mystery and excitement; something unknown and I was curious. I crept towards it; making my way through the various looming trees whilst blinking harshly as if I was secretly hoping this was simply a dream and that I would wake up and this strange object would be a distant memory. It wasn't until a meter away that I could fully examine this phenomenon. I walked cautiously towards it, and reached out to touch it; letting my hand glide across the wood. It felt, tired. How a box can feel tired I don't know nonetheless this article had seen things that I had never experienced. I blinked violently again, I must be going mad. A box can't feel experienced! It's an inanimate object, and they certainly don't feel anything.
Suddenly, I heard a rustle behind me. I spun around, tense with anticipation and fear. A man, with a black leather coat and oddly fascinating ears. He observed me for a second, before speaking impatiently
"Look, you can either take a bloody picture and go or you can tell me where I can get a decent cup of tea around here", he rose an eyebrow quizzically.
In reply I mumbled "Oh gosh sorry yes um there's a place just down the road, turn…."
"Oh no, you aren't getting out of this easily. You can show me, you look like you need a nice cuppa anyway; you've got classic symptoms of shock."
He grabbed my arm briskly and began to march me through the empty park, the opposite way to work. I pulled away once we were in the open and away from the trees,
"How would you know what shock looked like?" I demanded, wondering whether that was really the best question I would've asked in this situation.
Gently, he took my shoulders and looked me straight in the eyes; making direct eye contact. His eyes were a pale grey; they had seen so much pain yet so much joy. Self-consciously, I wondered what he thought of me. He spoke, after a moment of silence, in a forgiving tone,
"Trust me, I'm a doctor."
I had so many questions to ask, and all of them demanded answers immediately. As I strode along this strangely enchanting man, I attempted to ask them but failed miserably. I couldn't decide how to ask him anything, I felt completely helpless to his charm. It was pathetic. I looked at him whilst he walked, he looked determined and knowledgeable; if you can tell that someone is knowledgeable by their face that is. It's hard to describe. I tried to speak, but all that came out was a small squeak which prompted him to stop walking and look at me blankly like I was some sort of strange chimp that was in his way.
"You're paying" he smirked and marched into the café, leaving me a little dumbstruck on the pavement. I followed, and did as he said. Pot of tea for two. As I waited for the tea, I turned to look at him, sitting at the table. He had something in his hand, a strange gadget thing. I collected our drinks, and shuffled towards the small table he had chosen, in the corner of the room.
"Tea for two, as you asked"
He looked up at me, and put away the weird device into his pocket. "Good, thanks very much. You're more useful that you look", and winked at me.
Gingerly, I asked "Why am I here?"
"Because you were curious"
"No I mean why me?"
"We can discuss this once we've poured the tea. I like it strong with two sugars"
"Sugar? Really?"
"There's nothing wrong with sugar in tea."
"But…" I wanted to start lecturing him about how tea should really be drunk but I sensed that he was growing impatient. "Oh it doesn't matter" I mumbled. He reached over and grabbed the teapot, pouring it slowly into each cup. He spoke, softly,
"Now, I need you to help me with something erm…."
"Sarah, my name is Sarah"
"Ah yes of course that suits you."
"Excuse me?"
"Sarah originally means lady or princess"
I blushed, was he calling me beautiful? Or spoilt? He could sense my confusion, and chuckled at it. He reached across the table and laid his hand on mine,
"You look like someone I used to know, she was a princess. Like you she was lost, and confused. But brilliant, although you've yet to prove yourself brilliant."
I'll admit that I was flattered; this man was so horribly charming and exciting. Oddly, I wasn't afraid of him. Despite his quirks, he seemed trustworthy. I know that seems strange but if you'd been in my shoes you would understand; he was irresistibly fascinating. To my dismay, he retracted his hand and spoke again in a hushed tone.
"I think you know that park quite well, and so I need your help"
"Right. Okay. What do you need help with?"
"I've lost a key. A very important key. It's somewhere in that park, but I can't remember where. And since you've obviously got nothing better to do…" I protested but he hushed me... "I thought you could help me!" He beamed at me; a way of winning me round that he knew would work. I paused for a moment, what was I doing? I had to get to work and make a living not look for missing keys with… this man. I was about to refuse but he leaned forward so that we were nose to nose, and met my eyes.
"Please?"
I wanted to, oh how I wanted to, but I couldn't. I had tried helping people before, but I had always failed. I always managed to mess something up for them and I didn't want that to happen. I simply couldn't bring myself to disappoint someone again.
"I'm sorry I can't do this I've got work, I need to make a living I'm sure anyone can help you…" I shot up from my chair, grabbing my grubby handbag, and stumbled out the door. Just as I crossed the road, I turned briefly, to see if he was still there. I didn't see the car, and that poor driver didn't expect me in the middle of the road. It was the slam of brakes that made me turn around but it was too late, that bloody car crashed into me and threw me to the ground. I felt my head thump into the bonnet of the car, and then fall onto the cold hard tarmac.
I was forced back to consciousness by a sharp slap to my cheek. My eyes opened wearily to see him staring straight into my eyes. Before I could even mutter a word, a shooting pain ran across my temple, and I clumsily pushed my palm to my forehead. Blood. There was blood on my hand. He grasped my face with his icy hands,
"Didn't you learn how to cross a road properly when you were younger?" He chuckled softly, his fingers glided across my face as he moved a stray hair from my eye.
"I… OW!" Another piercing pain came from my head; I felt blood trickle slowly down my temple to my eyelid. He brandished a handkerchief from his pocket, and held it on my wound to prevent any more bleeding. Weakly, I smiled at me and croaked a small thank-you. He nodded in return, and carried on applying light pressure to my cut. We stayed in content silence for a few moments, but I needed to ask him something.
"You never told me your name"
"Just call me the Doctor."
The ambulance sirens filled my ears unpleasantly, and he broke eye contact. The paramedics rushed over, and bombarded me with questions. Everything felt like a blur, a surreal haze. Soon I was being bundled into an ambulance, the Doctor still by my side. I was lowered onto the bed, and I heard the Doctor say that he'll stay in the back with me whilst they check the driver for shock. I moaned in pain again, the pain grabbing my attention unkindly when, out of the blue, he uncurled my hand from it's scrunched up position and entwined his fingers with mine. The hairs on my arm stood up, and goose bumps appeared, alive with electricity from simple hand holding. It was embarrassing; I was acting like a silly little girl with a crush. He noticed the goose bumps "Are you cold?" Before I could answer, he was removing his leather jacket, and laying it over my chest. He looked strange without it, in a good way. It was as if the jacket gave him an air of authority, and devoid of it he seemed gentle. He held my hand again and grinned
"Is that better?"
I grinned "Yes, thanks. Thanks for staying too, you don't have to though. I'll be fine"
"I can hardly leave you now. Plus it would look bad, I told the paramedics that I was your boyfriend otherwise I couldn't stay with you. I don't want to look like a bad boyfriend now do I?"
"I don't even know who you are; you won't even tell me your proper name."
"Proper names are overrated. The Doctor is snappy, and instills confidence in people."
"You aren't even a doctor."
"How would you know? We've only just met" He winked cheekily, forcing me to smile in return. Stupid irresistible charm.
The paramedics returned, and told me that I'll need some stitches. They clamored into the front seats, leaving us in the back, and began the drive to hospital. We didn't talk, we stayed oddly silent. He was deep in thought, not even looking at me. I wanted him too, I wanted to see his eyes again, read them and try to distinguish what he was feeling. Someone very close to me once said that eyes always give away true emotion.
We reached the hospital quicker than I liked, and wheeled me into A&E. It was noisy, and despite the obvious smell of disinfectant you could still smell the vomit and urine and blood lingering in the air. Although I had only a small injury, I was checked over quickly because I had been hit so there might have been damage to my head or something. I lay there as rather exhausted looking doctor examined my head, with my doctor watching him inquisitively. Once he had finished, he scribbled something on my chart, and said
"You don't seem to have any sign of concussion, but you'll need a few stitches for the gash of yours."
I winced, very obviously, and he laughed.
"Don't worry, I'm sure your partner can hold your hand!" He nodded towards the Doctor, who responded by interlocking his fingers with mine again. "You'll be fine" he said and strode out, leaving me and him alone.
As soon as the doctor had left, my Doctor spoke in a strangely panicked voice
"I'm actually terrified of needles."
"You've got to be kidding me"
"Please don't tell anyone. I've always hated them. I make a very special effort not to come into contact with them so the likelihood is that I'll be gripping your hand and not the other way round."
A nurse appeared then, armed with a trolley with a rather interesting looking needle and I saw the Doctor flinch and recoil away from it, with an obvious grimace on his face. The nurse laughed then spoke softly,
"Oh dear, someone is a bit frightened! Will you be okay there?"
He looked over at me and nodded slowly towards her, and slowly reached for my hand. The nursed smiled, and began to stitch my aching head. It was quick and simple but the Doctor wouldn't stop squeezing my hand.
"A doctor will just pop in to check on you in a second, then you're free to go!" the nurse called, quietly and she slipped out the room.
The doctor looked over to me and carefully lifted up my fringe, revealing my stitched up injury. As he fingers brushed against my head; I felt something, like electricity. I had only felt this once before, but it was a long time ago. And anyway, I barely knew him. Before I could ask him if he was feeling any better, a tall and nervous doctor shuffled into the room.
"I'm just here to double check your um…head" he murmured, whilst his eyes darted unnervingly around the room. I felt the Doctor tense up at the sight of him, and noticed his glare towards this man. He stepped towards me, observing me with his pale green eyes.
"Let me just see..." he hissed but I flinched away, I didn't trust him. I had more sense that to trust this man, he clearly had no idea what he was doing but I felt threatened. My reaction didn't please him and before I could register what was actually happening, he began to morph. His neck elongated like nothing I had seen before, and the veins pressed sharply against it. His pale green eyes grew larger, his skin transformed into dull grey scales and his hand morphed into large eagle-like claws. He darted forward but before he could reach me the Doctor sprang into action. Strange device in hand, he blasted the creature with what seemed like a beam of light; pushing him back into the next cubicle, tangled among dreary hospital curtains and heart monitor wires. The Doctor grabbed my hand, and pulled me out onto the corridor. We dodged the staff and patients alike together, ignoring the demands to stop or slow down. Each time my feet hit the tiled floor, my head pounded with eager pain. I tried to turn to see if that horrid creature was following us but my neck wouldn't bend far enough and I was trying too hard to concentrate on my running so that I wouldn't fall over and make a complete fool of myself. Eventually the corridors began to become devoid of people who made running a lot easier. Just as I was beginning to pick up speed behind the reckless sprinting of the Doctor, he stopped and we both skidded towards a small closet. He ushered me in and shut the door behind us, using the device he had to lock it.
We stood there for a moment completely silent, leaving only the sound of our chests heaving and our hearts pounding to fill the space.
"Explain everything." I demanded in a hushed tone.
"That thing was a Krillitane, an alien from space. The thing I stopped it with is a sonic screwdriver, which is a very fashionable space gadget." He spoke in a whisper, but gleefully. It was as if he was completely used to fighting off aliens. Speechless, I let my mouth hang open for a second mainly for comical effect. I gulped loudly, letting his information sink it.
"How do you know that it's from space, and what the hell is a sonic screwdriver?"
"It's a multi-functional tool, and I've met the Krillitane before."
"Are….are you an alien?" I stuttered my words because I didn't want them to be true. I wanted this man to be normal and work in some job and live in an average house. I wanted him to be normal so that we could be normal together. I felt such a strong connection despite only just meeting him; everything just felt right. If he was alien that couldn't come true.
He paused, "Yes. I am a Time Lord, from Gallifrey." He registered my face of utter confusion, but didn't seem too fazed by it. He seemed disappointed in himself, as if he'd told me a secret that he never wanted to share. I tried to respond but I could not muster any words to fathom how I felt. Two hours ago I didn't even know aliens existed and now I'm pressed up against one, and running away from another.
"Why was that thing trying to kill me?"
"I'm not sure but my sonic screwdriver needs a couple more minutes to master enough power to stun it again."
"We only stunned it?"
"Yes, I only stunned it."
"Bugger. Does that mean I need to run more?"
"Probably, there's always a certain amount of running when you're with me!" He chuckled half-heartedly. "Why does it matter?"
"I've just been hit by a car and consequently had four stitches in my head. I'm not really up to any running." I sighed.
"I'm not carrying you." He pointed out bluntly.
"I didn't ask... Oh it doesn't matter. What now then?
"We need to find out if there are any other Krillitane in the hospital and then we need to stop them. If we don't then they'll basically kill everyone on earth."
"Cheery mission then." I said, heavy with sarcasm.
I was about to speak again, when he rushed his finger to my lips and motioned for me to be completely silent. He had tensed up again; the Krillitane was near. The shadow of a man crept over the opaque window. It paused briefly, causing me to stiffen up in absolute fear. Luckily, it passed, and skulked down the hall. I let out a sigh of relief and looked at the Doctor, he grinned and spoke excitedly
"We're going to crawl through the air vents to escape!"
And without warning, he lifted me onto his shoulders and pushed my body into the grate installed into the ceiling.
"Ouch that's bloody painful you know."
"I'm sorry; do you want to face a horrible death to the hands of a mad alien? Because I can quite easily put you down and throw you out that door. Stop complaining and get into the vent."
I moaned grumpily but managed to squeeze into the dark and dank vent. I leant down towards the Doctor,
"How will you get up?"
"Easily, I can balance myself on these boxes. I have various gymnastic qualities that you've yet to discover" and he winked. My heart responded like a teenage girl and fluttered at this awful innuendo, I was developing a bad crush on him and it was humiliatingly great.
I watched him scramble ungracefully on various boxes of medical equipment until he was able to lift himself next to me.
"Well go on then!" he said, eagerly, whilst pointing forwards. The cold metal of the vent relaxed my clammy hands and allowed me to start to think straight.
"What even IS a time lord?" I asked.
"We're trying to save the world, is this really the time?"
"How do you expect me to trust you with my life when I don't even know what you are?" I snapped.
He paused hesitantly, "Should it matter?"
I regretted that immediately, I'd so obviously hurt his feelings and that wasn't what I wanted at all.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean that."
"No you did, but you're scared, you're human. It's normal. Keep crawling please"
A painful Silence hung between us; the only sound was our knees lightly bumping against the air vent and our palms patting along in front. I wanted to take back what I'd said but it was obviously too late. I didn't want him to think I was some stupid creature that didn't deserve to be graced with his intelligence, but I hated that he was mocking me. I didn't want to lose him; I wanted to stay with him.
I stopped crawling, and slid my knees around to face him. He tried to ask me what I was doing but I stopped him,
"Look I'm sorry for what I said. You're right, I am scared. I'm bloody terrified. Yesterday I was wondering about which bit of the kitchen I should clean first and today I'm fighting a creature from outer space with a Time Lord, and that's really new to me so I'm sorry I'm not perfect."
"Sarah, you are human. You'll never be perfect, but that doesn't mean you aren't amazing. But can we please keep going?"
I wasn't sure if I had actually made progress but I did keep crawling, because it was the only way I was going to get out of this air vent which was started to feel very claustrophobic. We eventually reached another porthole; similar to the one we had opened to escape the cupboard. I turned to the Doctor and he simply nodded. Without asking questions, I opened up the hole and plummeted through it. My body landed with an unsatisfying smash onto a tiled floor causing me to groan in agony; I was going to go purple with bruises tomorrow. Well, if I made it to tomorrow; anything could happen today. A strange smell started to invade my nostrils and I began to look around me, I had landed in the men's toilets. Brilliant. I vaguely heard the Doctor say something but I was so focused on avoiding a suspicious puddle near me, I didn't hear. With a clatter, the Doctor plunged out of the air vent and landed directly on me; pushing my body further into the cold tiled floor. The way he landed was rather compromising, his crotch was heavily pushing against mine and his hands were either side of my face. He gazed at me for a second, and I wondered desperately what was going through his mind but instead of telling me, He jumped up and brushed the dust off his leather jacket. Extending his hand, he pulled me up onto my feet and pulled me into a quick and tight embrace.
"Ready?"
"Yeah, just about ready. Off back to the blue box then?"
"Yes, but call her the TARDIS."
"Wha…"
But he grabbed my hand and dragged me out the men's, leading me out into another dreary hospital corridor. It was empty, luckily; otherwise I would've gotten some odd looks as I left the men's toilets. He carried on leading me, down two flights of stairs, without a single word. He knew where he needed to go and he knew that talking would slow both of us down; I am human after all, we like to talk too much. Instead, I thought about the blue box. When I first saw it I knew it was something different, something spectacular but now I was going to find out what it was. Childishly, I hoped it was a gateway to some magical world like Narnia or Oz. We reached the end of the stairs and he carried on to haul me out of the hospital into the blinding sunlight, it seemed like ages I'd seen outside even though it was only a couple of hours at most. The placement of the sun revealed that it was about 1pm, causing my mind to drift to the fact that the restaurant must be furious; I'd disappeared without a word. I had no idea where my phone was, I had a sinking feeling it was still sitting in the hospital cubicle where the Krillitane had tried to attack me. The Doctor turned to me and said, hurriedly,
"Stay here, I'm going to summon the TARDIS so we don't have to go back to the park okay? DON'T wander off."
I watched him dawdle off, round to the back of the building, and round the corner. I had a sudden and terrifying thought that I wasn't going to see him again. I had no idea who he was, he told me to call him 'The Doctor' and, since he wasn't human, it wasn't likely that I would just casually bump into him. Perhaps, I thought, I am still unconscious from the car hitting me and I will awake and he'll be normal, like me. I hoped desperately for this, yet knew deep down that this couldn't be true. I had an ache in my heart, an ache that yearned for my life to return to its simplicity with no aliens or getting attacked by shape shifter doctors. All my life I had wished for adventure that came true when I was 15, but huge mistakes were made and I retreated to a world of taking no risks. Now I had the chance to live that life again; live a life of excitement and not knowing what will happen next, but I don't want it. My decisions were clouded and muddled, overwhelmed by the day's events so far.
Much to my relief, the Doctor re-appeared and motioned for me to join him. I ran towards him, and when I reached him he swiftly moved me round to turn me to the back of the hospital. Stood there before me was the mysterious blue box; how fate had brought me to him. It still had that air of the unknown but also a promise of greatness. I turned to the Doctor and he beamed at me, like a proud parent, and ran towards it, pulling me after him. He stepped in before me, and popped his head out through the door,
"Come on in to my wonderful machine, Miss Sarah!"
Cautiously, I followed him, into the blue box; the great TARDIS.
I was immediately emerged into a great expanse of metal shaped to form a dome, and in the middle of this was the control system. It was colossal, and had a variety of levers and buttons wildly scattered across the panel. I thought my eyes had deceived me; it was bigger on the inside. Quickly, to check, I jumped out the door again, making sure it hadn't shifted to something larger. Slowly, I paced around the TARDIS, stroking the wooden panels and I made my way around it. When I once again reached the door, I stepped warily inside again for a second time. A sense of great confusion must have clouded my face as the Doctor started to laugh and jogged towards me, then lead me towards the control panel.
"Yes, it's bigger on the inside. She's marvellous isn't she?" He said, wistfully, whilst stroking one of the great metal beams that supported…. Her, it, the ship.
"Don't people think it's weird to see this just parked around?"
"Camouflage tool, used to work but got stuck as a police box when I visited 1963 once…"
"Wait, What?! YOU CAN TRAVEL IN TIME?!" I shouted, my voice cracking slightly at the end. This surely can't be real. I really must be dreaming, or I've hit my head.
He nodded as if it should have been obvious. "Time and Relative Dimension in Space- TARDIS. I'm a time lord; I travel in space and time. Didn't you get that?"
"Funnily enough, no!" I commented, sarcastically.
He patted my shoulder sympathetically, "You've got a lot to look forward too."
"What do you mean?"
"I travel many different places, so you'll encounter lots of…."
I interrupted him, "No I mean, you said I have lots to look forward. Does that mean I can stay?"
Gradually, he smiled, and nodded. "Yes, if you like."
I didn't respond with words, that wouldn't be enough. Instead I skipped towards him, and launched myself into a tight embrace, throwing my arms around his neck and snuggling my head into his shoulder. He hugged me back, letting his head rest on top of mine. Gently, he spoke,
"You're welcome"
We held each other for a few more second before I pulled away, and smiled shyly. A loud beep from the control panel interjected the silence, making me jump but the Doctor leap towards it.
"I asked the Tardis to detect alien life-forms in the surrounding area because…"
"Krillitane aren't usually alone!" I exclaimed.
The Doctor looked at me, a little amazed. "You learn fast don't you?"
"I guess so" I smiled. "What's been detected then?"
"Still only one alien life form, and that's the one that attacked you. So that means there really is only one Krillitane, but that's strange; and I mean REALLY strange. They usually invade places in family groups as they're stronger that way, but for some reason this one is on his own."
"Well, maybe he's been banished?"
"Yes! That's brilliant!" The doctor bounded over to me, grabbed my head with his hands and kissed my forehead enthusiastically. I blushed scarlet red and my heart fluttered, I couldn't help but beam with pride; I was helping him.
"Sarah, you are BRILLIANT!"
"Why thank you, but may I ask why?"
"I reckon you're right, I reckon this Krillitane was banished from his family for some reason or another and so he's had to survive here on earth. We need to find him again."
"Then what?"
"Ahh… Good question. I guess I'll have to help him get back to them, or send him to Krillia; the Krillitane's home planet."
"Great! Let's go." I said, eagerly. The doctor grinned at me and held out his hand. Together, we exited the TARDIS.
As we re-entered the hospital, the Doctor tensed up and he was soon in deep thought. He could sense something wasn't right, I could see it in his eyes. I looked around frantically, trying to spot what he could see, when something caught my eye. Two security guards were starting to walk towards us, accompanied by a very familiar looking nurse.
"Doctor, we need to go, now."
I needn't say anymore, as he knew what was happening.
"Sarah, RUN!" He screamed; his voice oddly had no panic but complete confidence. Together, we sprinted towards double doors that said in loud red letters 'RESTRICTED ACCESS'. I heard the shouts of the guards behind us, threatening us to stop or they'd have to take serious action. The Doctor forced the doors open with the sonic screwdriver, letting us gallop through it. Before the guards could follow, he wielded the screwdriver again and locked the doors. I heard the guards slam into them, and start to wildly force themselves through.
"How long will they last?" I said, breathlessly.
"Oh, long enough. Come on, we need to find him."
We marched down the corridor; he was fiddling with the sonic again; probably programming it to detect alien life forms. My mind sauntered back to what happened in the TARDIS, when the Doctor said I could travel with him. I still couldn't believe my luck, my life was turning into the adventure I'd always wanted before my eyes and yet I couldn't make up my mind on whether to agree or not. It would mean leaving everyone I love behind; family, friends, co-workers. And then there was David, David would be heart-broken. I owed it to him to stay, after everything he's been through, I couldn't leave him now. I didn't notice that the Doctor had stopped messing with the sonic and had focused all attention on me. He grabbed my arm and we both stood still. He looked at me with deep concern, his arm still tightly gripped around my forearm,
"What's wrong?"
"I was just thinking about what you said earlier, about me staying with you." I mumbled.
"Why do you look so troubled?" He asked.
"I….I don't think I can." I stammered, desperately regretting my words as the tumbled out of my mouth. I didn't want him to think I wasn't insanely grateful.
"Oh..." He seemed disappointed, upset even. "Okay, that's fine. I'll just drop you off home once we're done. May I ask why?"
"I can't just leave my family, my friends, my job at the drop of a hat. It sounds amazingly wonderful but I just don't think I can."
"That's not it, there's something else. You feel guilty for leaving someone."
I was astounded, "How can you tell?"
He paused, his face displayed regret. "I feel that way all the time. I've let so many people down, but it's always for the best; they can't depend on you forever."
I dismissed my immediate thoughts of what exactly he meant, and tried to explain "It's different for me, I owe this person everything. I can't just leave him."
"Do you love him?"
I couldn't answer, because I didn't know. I didn't want to have this conversation, not now, not with him. I wanted to forget, just for once, about real life. I wanted to enjoy my time with the Doctor. Luckily, I didn't have to answer because a light started to flash on the sonic; the Doctor immediately turned his attention to it and explained
"It's telling me that there's an alien life form nearby, just down the corridor. It must be him."
Swiftly, we tore down the corridor to the correct door and stopped abruptly.
"Maybe you should stay outside."
"No I'm coming with you"
"I don't want you to get hurt"
"It's a risk worth taking."
"Don't say that, why do you always say that. You people never seem to understand how precious life is, you just jump into without even bloody thinking and expect everything to go well." He proclaimed irritably.
"I don't mean a risk worth taking for you; I mean a risk worth taking to help. I want to help, and I know I can help otherwise you wouldn't have brought me this far" I snapped.
He sighed, slightly petulantly, but then pushed his finger to his lips; signalling to be silent. Guardedly, he opened the door inch by inch so to cause as little disturbance as possible. The room that faced us was dark and dank, a forgotten and neglected place for medical equipment to rest. A shadowed figure was standing a few metres before us, in the shape of a man. Shivers ran down my spine, and I looked at the Doctor for reassurance but he didn't respond. Instead, he spoke in a booming voice that demanded to be heard
"Why are you here?"
The creature turned to face us, you could just about make out the face in the dark; it was him. My heartbeat increased, I was scared he would attack me again.
"Why should I tell you" he hissed menacingly, my palms began to sweat.
"I can help" The Doctor said confidently.
"I don't want your help" the Krillitane spat and it began to morph again. It was faster this time, the ugly changes appearing with such speed that I couldn't react quickly enough. The Krillitane launched itself towards me, throwing me to the floor. The claws dug into my flesh on my arms, and his mouth lunged towards my neck; bloodthirstily snapping. I was struggling desperately, demanding to be released and screaming with all my might for the Doctor; but he was gone.
Frantically, I turned my head looking for the Doctor but I couldn't see him anywhere; all I could see were the ever closer snapping jaw of the Krillitane that were threatening to tear me to pieces if I didn't act quickly. Swiftly, I brought my knees up to as high as they could go, reaching the creature's stomach. With a sharp blow, I kneed it in the gut causing it to fall back momentarily, allowing me to grab a discarded torch from the shelf next to me. With my sweating and slightly bloody hands, I shot a beam of light from the torch into the Krillitane's eyes, in the hope that it would disable it again. Thankfully, it worked as I hoped and sent the Krillitane flying backwards a metre or two. As I turned to run, I saw him; on the floor, very much unconscious. It was apparent that the Krillitane had knocked out the Doctor as it attacked me. Hastily, I turned to flee through the door but as my hand grasped the handle, I found that it was very much locked.
I had no other options, I moved to flee towards the depths of the room, dragging his body behind me, desperately tried to remember anything that the Doctor might have mentioned about the Krillitane, or if I had seen anything. Suddenly, I recalled reading on the control panel screen in the TARDIS about Krillitane oil, and briefly remember catching a glimpse that it said it could destroy them. I only saw that fleetingly though, as I hugged the Doctor in the TARDIS, and it could be wrong. However I had no time to spare, if I didn't act now I would soon be being torn apart by the Krillitane creature that was beginning to stir; I could hear its claws scratching against the cement floor. I spotted the metal barrel before me, with a toxic label on. It must the Krillitane oil, otherwise why would he had been in here? He must've wanted to monitor it, make sure that nobody was trying to foil his plan; whatever plan he had.
Speedily, I dragged myself and the Doctor behind one of the barrels of the oil that resided in and began to work on unscrewing the top but it was horribly impossible. Suddenly I remembered the sonic screwdriver, and felt through the Doctor's leather jacket for it. After a wasted few seconds, I found it in his trousers pocket. I grabbed it a, as the Doctor would have, directed it at the lid. It unscrewed immediately. Fleetingly I began to push the heavy barrel away from us both, recognizing that it's probably toxic to me as well but I was beginning to run out of time. The Krillitane stood a few meters away from me, blood dripping off its claws.
My voice quivered with complete and utter fear, "Don't come near me, I'm warning you."
"Do you really think you can hurt me you stupid thing, you are not strong enough and you never will be." He sniped, taking another step towards me.
My hands were shaking so violently that shoving the barrel over was proving even more difficult but the safety of the Doctor and I lay completely in my hands. With all my strength, I spun the barrel towards the Krillitane. It collapsed into its legs, instantly letting the oil spill on its precious scales. Its screech stabbed my eardrums, causing my head to throb even more than it already was. But, after a few painful seconds, everything was deadly silent. Adamantly, I gingerly shuffled towards it; there was absolutely no sign of life. The oil had been absorbed by its body, leaving only an empty shell behind. I rushed back to the Doctor, using the sonic to fix the lights; allowing me to actually see the damage to his and my own body. With my hands still shaking, I checked his pulse which I thankfully found but it seemed ridiculously strong. Ignoring this, I cradled his head in my hands. I whispered in his ear
"Please wake up, I need you. I need a doctor."
He still didn't respond. I had run out of options, and through pure exasperation and pain, tears began to slide down my face. I leant down to rest my head on his chest, letting myself sob quietly into his chest. I couldn't do this anymore; I couldn't keep on taking risks like this. Adventure always appeals to me because I convince myself that my life will become more fulfilled but I always forget the consequences. I always managed to hurt someone, and I couldn't deal with that anymore; I had to leave the Doctor and go back to my old life where I was keeping myself and others out of harm's way. Tears were continuously slipping down my face and into the Doctor's t-shirt, soaking up my sadness. I turned my head to his face that looked so peaceful and content. Bit by bit, I moved towards it until my face was parallel with his. Hesitantly I leant down and kissed him, letting myself linger for a moment. It was my way of saying goodbye. He would wake up soon, and go back to the TARDIS without a second thought about me. I would go home, call my mum and ask her to come over. I'd call work and apologize and my life would continue as it did; just the way I wanted. Full of regret and sorrow, I picked myself up and dropped the sonic screwdriver onto the Doctor's body and turned to leave. I was moving away when I heard something stir behind me; it was him. I twisted around to see his eyes opening and turning to look at me. He smiled and said, in a strained voice,
"You called?"
I ran back to him, plummeting to the ground and grabbing him into a warm embrace. After a lovely few seconds, I pulled away, remembering what I was planning to do. Ignoring the worry on my face, he took my arms and inspected the claw marks that were deep in my skin.
"That's pretty nasty we'd better get that looked at."
"No I am sick to death of hospitals. Please can we just go back to the Tardis instead?"
"Of course my lady, anything you desire."
I smiled weakly and we helped one another up. His eye caught the body of the Krillitane and he stumbled towards it, and I followed meekly.
"I hate having to let creatures die, it's such a waste."
I couldn't answer that, I didn't understand why he didn't think it was a good thing that this thing that tried to kill me was dead. I kept on following him in silence until we reached the door which I had earlier failed to open. He turned to me, and asked with a puzzled expression
"Did you kiss me?"
I blushed crimson red; I had hoped he wouldn't remember that. I stammered embarrassingly "Y…yes"
He looked a little embarrassed himself, and grinned cheekily at me "Well thank you."
"It was a goodbye, I was going to leave you see." I explained.
"I don't like goodbyes" he said bluntly.
"Well then I guess I'll just leave" I said trying to push past him but he grasped my shoulder and pulled me round to face him, nose to nose. Carefully, he brushed a stray brown hair from my eyes and tucked it behind my ear. I smiled gratefully. I was about to thank him when, unexpectedly, he kissed me. It was different from before, I felt the spark that I had felt earlier on when we'd just me. Our lips were interlocking, and it was magical. I allowed myself to wrap my arms around his waist and pull myself closer, as we continued to kiss. Sooner or later, we both pulled away, both a little self-conscious.
"Fantastic. You are completely, utterly and stupendous fantastic Sarah."
I grinned, and said cheekily, "In what context, kissing or defeating aliens?"
"Both!" he cried happily and kissed my forehead. He pulled out the sonic and allowed the door to open. Taking my hand, we walked down the corridor together. Since we had defeated the Krillitane, I wanted some answers.
"What is a time lord?"
"I'm basically an alien, from a planet called Gallifrey. We are called time lords because of our non-linear perception of time, which allows them to see everything that was, is, or could be at the same time."
"Where the hell is Gallifrey?"
"In the Binary star system…" I looked at the Doctor, my face displaying utter confusion. He continued, "A long way away."
"Can we go there?" I asked.
He hesitated and added glumly, "I'm afraid not. I lost my planet and the rest of the Time Lords in the Time war a long time ago." Each word was strained and painful for him. I squeezed his hand,
"I'm sorry."
He smiled at me, "It's not your fault. Anyway, it's all in the past now. I just have to keep traveling on my own; saving worlds and creatures everywhere I go. It's tiresome but it's worth it because I can help."
I admired his courage, and I was jealous of it.
"I can't stay with you though."
"I understand."
We took a different route, this time leaving the hospital through a fire door which opened up next to the TARDIS. It still took my breath away whenever I saw it, I still felt that there was something about it that I didn't understand; something that was so powerful and amazing. We walked towards it hand in hand until I let go and took a step backwards.
"I. I'll miss you. I really will. I don't want to leave you, because you've changed my life. I can't imagine going back to it now, going back to a life where I do the same thing everyday day in day out but I can't stay with you and that kills me. I just hope you understand.
He nodded slowly, "But can I show you something amazing first? It won't take 5 minutes, and then I'll take you home."
I agreed and stepped inside the TARDIS once again. He messed with some controls, and everything began to move,
"Hold on Sarah!" And he pointed me to the handrail. I grabbed it firmly with both hands and allowed my body to swing with the motion of the Tardis. Soon it stopped, and everything went quiet. He looked at me, and motioned for me to open the door. Watchfully I stepped towards it, and opened it. Outside, right in front of me, was earth, planet earth. I could scarcely believe it, it was beautiful. More than beautiful, it was magnificent. My mouth gawked in a cartoon like fashion, and my eyes swiveled around to try and check every inch of my amazing view. The Doctor appeared behind me, and put a casual arm over my shoulder, pressing me against his body. I looked up at him, and he spoke smoothly,
"I wanted you to see how lucky you are to live on this planet, this wonderful planet. You and every other human's lives are amazing because you impact earth and that in itself is huge. I wanted to give you some hope, I want to make sure you won't waste your life because you don't think you're important but you are. You're so important. No matter what mistakes you've made, Sarah, you are and always will be absolutely fantastic. Never forget that okay?"
He closed the doors and re-set the TARDIS for earth, when I remembered something from earlier that day.
"Doctor, didn't you need to find a key?"
"Oh bugger I knew I'd forgotten something. I'll drop you off in the park instead then?"
"Don't you need help finding it?"
"No, not really, I have a pretty good idea of where it is."
"Why did you ask me to help then?"
"Because you noticed, you noticed the TARDIS. Not many people do that, so I thought I'd better meet you."
Without warning, the TARDIS landed and the Doctor departed through the doors. I followed behind him, preparing myself for the normal world again. It had gotten dark outside, it must've been about 7pm but I wasn't sure; all I knew was that I needed to get my phone. Funnily enough, the Doctor then passed me something,
"This fell out your pocket when you stepped in front of the car, so I kept it for you. Only just remembered I had it!
It was my phone; I took it from him and murmured thanks in his direction. I unlocked it, getting ready for a bombardment of texts from various people but I got nothing. I sighed, and began to walk away from the Doctor.
"Wait, Sarah!"
He ran after me, and stepped in front of me.
"Give me a chance to say goodbye at least"
"You don't like goodbyes" I retorted bitterly.
"Hey don't be like that; it's your choice to leave. I want you to stay." He pouted slightly like an unhappy child.
"No you're right I just don't want this to be horrible. I'm going to miss you."
He grinned, and leant in to kiss me. It was different this time; it was sweeter and felt more like something final. I pulled away and gave him a quick hug, and then turned on my heels to walk away. I turned briefly, and shouted
"Goodbye Doctor!" but he had vanished, leaving me only with the sound of the TARDIS engines distantly fading.
When I eventually got home, I was on the verge of tears. My arms were stinging; I had completely forgotten about the claw marks that were embedded in my skin, and my head stitches were giving me an awful headache. The flat felt horribly empty and it reminded me of how alone I truly was. Today had been wonderful, but it would soon be a distant memory and I probably couldn't even tell anyone about it; they would think I was mad. As I bandaged my arm and swallowed a couple of aspirin, I thought back to when I had first seen the box. It caught my eye by chance, simply because the park was so silent that morning. Looking back, it seemed staged. I tried to remove that thought from my head, everything was just a coincidence.
Feeling nostalgic, I walked over to the window and looked up at the night sky. Somewhere out there, anywhere in the entire universe, there was The Doctor, and his TARDIS; I smiled. Maybe someday we would meet again.