This story takes place just after "The Fire Planet" and before "The Caves Of Androzani"
"Welcome to the TARDIS, Peri," the Doctor said, his eyes wide with panic. He was sprawled across the TARDIS console, grabbing onto random knobs as he held on. The machine jostled them through all of time and space. Peri grinned and held on tighter. She felt like she was on a roller coaster ride. The inside of the Doctor's machine was so huge and stable that she felt no fear, only excitement.
"Now, let's see what's got into this thing." He stood cautiously and began pressing buttons and pulling knobs, his fingers flying across the keys. Peri stared, her mouth hanging slightly open. She was only stirred out of her dazed state when the Doctor gently pushed her to the side so he could reach the buttons she was leaning against.
"Where are we going?" she asked.
"No idea, yet," he replied, glancing up at the glowing tube stabilizing the entire TARDIS. Calculations ran through his mind at impossible speeds.
"So, this thing travels all over space then? To other planets and stuff?" Peri circled the console, dragging her hands along it, but not pressing anything. The cool metallic buttons reminded her of a brand new computer, with so much free data space for anything and everything.
"Through space," the Doctor said, "And time." He placed his hands on top of hers and gently moved them off of the console. It amused her. She could tell that he was hesitant to let her touch the controls. She knew it would take some time before he'd realize that she knew how to use electronics and could be trusted.
"So, you're a time traveler too? Anything else I should know?" She craned her neck and looked all around the interior, then back to the console. She noticed a drawer on the underside of the desktop and slid it open. At a glance it looked like a junk drawer. A few broken chunks of a metallic gold star, a furry little pouch that looked a little bit like a purse, a few hair ribbons, a crude knife and a few silver rings. There were countless little gadgets that she did not recognize.
"What's all this?" She asked, rummaging around inside. She held up a little cylinder. "Spare parts?"
"And other things," the Doctor replied. He felt his two hearts begin to ache. Each object had much more meaning than Peri could ever know. He wondered if she would ever leave something for him to put into that drawer.
"Did these belong to someone?" she asked, holding up the ribbons.
"They belonged to Romana," he said. Peri noticed the way his eyes got a distant look in them and there wasn't even the hint of a smile in the corners of his mouth. No playfulness in his eyebrows.
"I'm sorry," she said, instinctively reaching out to place a hand on his chest, to comfort him. He looked at her and smiled sadly.
Peri suddenly became aware of his heartbeat beneath the palm of her hand. It wasn't particularly loud or fast or anything, but she noticed it without knowing why. She frowned.
"Your heart. It's on the wrong side." She tilted her head to the side, trying to understand.
"No, it's not," he moved her hand to the other side of his chest. There was beating there too. "Two hearts."
"What?" Peri placed both hands on his chest and felt a four-beat rhythm pounding out. "That's very strange." She noticed his suspenders under her fingertips, white with little orange question marks running all along them.
"Nice fashion statement," she smiled and snapped them.
"Yes, I rather like them. They've proved to be very handy."
"Or they could be a weakness," she laughed and pulled on them, drawing him closer to her. He put his hands on the console on either side of her.
"Usually my enemies don't try to tie me up with them," he pointed out.
"Now there's an idea," she laughed again and leaned closer to him. The Doctor got an uncomfortable feeling that things were heading in a direction he was not ready to go. Like he had done before, he took her wrists and gently freed her hands from him.
Peri turned away and doodled idly on the TARDIS desk. "You know, Doctor," she said, feeling a little shy. "I keep a drawer of things at home too. I think it's really sweet of you to keep your friends things here where you can reach them."
It surprised the Doctor to hear her say that. Peri sounded like she understood him and understood why he kept things. It was impossible that she could feel the same things he did. She hadn't been there and hadn't seen everything that he had, but she knew exactly what to say to make him feel a little less sad. He looked up at her. She tilted her head to the side just a little and looked up at him, smiling like a young girl.
"You're sweet, Peri," the Doctor told her. "You know that?"
She laughed lightly. "No, Doctor, I think YOU'RE sweet."