Kathryn stepped inside the TARDIS, staring at her surroundings again. The place was beautiful and warm and dim in a mysterious way. She felt strange, like she just…fit. A miss-cut puzzle piece that suddenly found its niche.

Kathryn still wasn't entirely sure she trusted the Doctor. She sort of liked him; he was one of those people that grew on you. But the TARDIS…the TARDIS was different. It was…

Kathryn blinked, realizing something. The TARDIS wasn't an it; she couldn't be. She was…she was alive, and somehow…she liked Kathryn. TARDIS was…home. A strange, living home.

"What's her name mean?" Kathryn asked abruptly. The Doctor looked up from the center console.

"Who's name?"

"TARDIS. I assume it comes from…wherever it is that Time Lords come from."

"Time And Relative Dimensions In Space," the Doctor told her. "First letter of each word." He peered at her before looking back down to his console. "Head down that hall and find a room. You look like you could use some sleep."

"Oh, I'm not tired," Kathryn said, shrugging it off as she walked up the ramp. "Running on adrenaline at the moment."

The Doctor looked up at her. "Which is another reason you need to go to bed. Jahra have a different physiology than humans do, which includes a larger adrenal gland and a greater withdrawal afterwards. You need to be careful until you've figured out how your new body works. That includes the energy absorption."

Kathryn nodded. That part was particularly weird and new, forget the three hearts and whatever else had been added when she reverted back to her clone form.

"Alright." She walked towards the large hall on the other side of the console.

"Gallifrey."

Kathryn turned back towards the Doctor. "What'd you say?"

He didn't look up at her, fiddling with something. "The planet of the Time Lords. It's called Gallifrey."

Kathryn blinked, watching him. "It's a good name."

Kathryn wandered down the coral hallways, only half keeping track of where she was. She'd passed a lot of doors of all shapes, sizes, and materials, but they didn't quite seem right. She had this odd feeling that she'd know the right room when she saw it, as though TARDIS had somehow already analyzed her and started setting something up.

Kathryn rounded another corner and saw a hallway filled with doors. She walked slowly, examining each one until she stopped in front of one about halfway down.

It was a very plain wooden door, smooth and unpainted. The wood seemed a bit weather worn, as if it had been outside for a while. The door handle was round and a slightly dingy brass. There was absolutely nothing spectacular about the door, but Kathryn didn't care. She opened it.

The room was dusty and large. Junk lay everywhere and there was a large bed in the middle of the room, the covers musty with age. Kathryn drew in a deep breath.

"Yeah. This is mine." She rubbed the doorframe. "Thanks."

Kathryn set down her messenger bag and started working, rearranging things and shaking out what she could. Without water and rags there was only so much she could do, but one of the older blankets worked as a suitable duster.

In a few hours she was finished. An old dresser was up against a wall with a mirror behind it and a matching wardrobe next to it. The large bed was still in the center of the room, but at the moment was covered with a large purple blanket Kathryn had found in the corner of the room. Thick Persian rugs were spread on the floor, though they needed to be vacuumed. There was a tall glass case that she had cleaned out, but Kathryn wasn't entirely certain what she'd do with it yet or where she would find books for the large bookcase on the other wall. She had small tables with drawers next to the bed with oil lamps on them. There were candles and lamps all over the room, with absolutely no electric lights. There was even a large fireplace she had uncovered and planned to use at some point.

Kathryn sat down on the bed with a sigh. Her personal tastes hadn't changed at least. Even if they never had been hers.

She reached into her bag and rummaged around for a moment before pulling out two pictures. One had three people standing in front of Yosemite Falls. The other had four teenage girls, three Hispanics and a Caucasian, eating somewhere and laughing. Kathryn blinked several times and let out a shaky sigh.

Quietly she put the pictures into two frames she had found, setting them on the dresser. Then she returned to the bed and pulled the one blanket up over her head, falling asleep instantly.

Kathryn was jarred awake by a large crash. She dashed back to the console room wondering what had happened. The Doctor was putting his coat on when she came dashing in. He raised an eyebrow.

"You're covered in dust."

"What happened?" Kathryn demanded, ignoring his statement.

"Oh, the TARDIS just had a bumpy entry. Something's thrown her off. I think it was you, actually."

"Me?"

"Sure. The TARDIS runs on huon particles mostly, but she also draws in power from the rest of reality. I think you were interrupting the fuel lines. She should be able to sort herself out when we get back."

"Back from…"

"I haven't the slightest. I was aiming for 800th century Ireland, but now I'm not sure where or when we are." He looked her up and down. "You really need to get changed."

Kathryn rolled her eyes. "Fine. Don't want to scare the natives. I think I passed the closet door on the way from my room."

"So you found one then?"

"Yeah. Took some straightening, but it's fine."

Kathryn soon had a new t-shirt and pair of jeans on. After she grabbed her bag, the Doctor gestured towards the door. "Care to go first?"

She grinned. "Oh yes."

She flung the doors open grandly, giving them a clear view of where they were. Sort of.

"It's a tree."

"Yes it is."

Kathryn squeezed out around it. "All of time and space and you pick a…tree."

Her voice trailed off as she stared at her surroundings.

Kathryn was standing in a clearing in a pine forest. The grass was thick, and the kind of green that only comes naturally. It seemed to be around dusk; the stars were just beginning to come out, and there was a sliver of moon casting an oddly bright light. Kathryn had never seen so little moon glow so brightly. Mist wound its way through the trees, creating veils for them and playing with the moonbeams. Somewhere in the woods, she heard a stream dancing its way along rocks. Nothing stirred as Kathryn breathed in the scent of wet earth, drank in the cold air, and let herself drown in the sights. Everything was peaceful, perfect.

"Nice place," she said casually. "Wonder where we are."

"Only one way to find out," the Doctor said, standing next to her. They shared a grin before starting forward.

"What happens if this is an alien planet?" Kathryn asked suddenly. The Doctor gave her a look.

"We continue walking and see what there is to see. Why do you ask?"

"Life isn't like Star Trek," Kathryn said pointedly. "We don't exactly have Universal Translators, and I'm not quite that good with languages."

"Oh, that's what you're worried about," the Doctor said in understanding. "The TARDIS matrix—"

"TARDIS."

"Yes, the TARDIS matrix gets—"

"No, TARDIS."

The Doctor stopped and turned to her in confusion. "What are you doing?"

"Correcting you."

"On what?"

"What you're calling her."

"She's the TARDIS. What else would I call her?"

"TARDIS."

The Doctor blinked. "I don't follow."

Kathryn looked up at him, but the Doctor felt like a child being corrected by an adult. "You keep saying the TARDIS. She's not a thing; you don't own her. She's just TARDIS. It's her name."

"She's the TARDIS."

"No, she's TARDIS."

The Doctor pressed his tongue against his cheek, giving Kathryn the strangest look before walking again. "Right," he answered her slowly. "Anyway. TARDIS has a telepathic translation matrix. She gets in your head, makes it sound like you're hearing and seeing the English language and everyone else hears their own language. She's really very good at it."

"Does she still translate for you if you speak every language?"

"Sometimes. Depends on what language I feel like using that day."

"What are you using right now?"

The Doctor smiled and spat out a string of syllables that sounded like high pitched musical gibberish to Kathryn.

"Could you say that slower?"

"It changes the meaning if I do," the Doctor said, TARDIS translating again. Kathryn smiled.

"Living with you could prove very interesting."

The Doctor made a face. "It sounds wrong when you say it like that."

"Oh please." Kathryn rolled her eyes. Around them the trees started to thin. "You're a 900 year old man who just asked a 15 year old to travel with him in a small blue box, and you've admitted that you've picked up others. Of course it looks wrong." She glanced over at him for a moment. "Fortunately, there's enough physical age difference that people will think you're my uncle or something. Possibly cousin, depending on when we are."

"That's your story?"

"And I'm sticking with it. Ack!"

Kathryn's cry of distress came from the fact she had just stepped on a lose rock, causing her to trip over and begin rolling down a particularly steep hill. Fortunately for her, there were no trees to break her descent. Unfortunately for her, there were no trees to break her descent. The Doctor started after her, coming down in a much more controlled fashion.

*Constructive criticism welcome, praise happily accepted, flames not wanted*