I trust that everyone had a fantastic holiday :) I had this rattling about in my head. Just a quick story. I apologize in advance to those who don't watch Doctor Who, but you really really should. Hopefully, it's a story that everyone can follow.

Enjoy!

It was Friday and Penny had a date. Again. It was the fifth one she had been on in a month. It had been almost two months since her and Leonard had broken up. She let out a heavy sigh and pressed her glossed lips together. It wasn't like she could make up some lame excuse and sit on her couch instead. This blind date had been set up by her good friend and neighbor, Amy Farrah Fowler.

Amy had described Penny's date as tall, dark and handsome, but Penny knew that likely meant that he was a few inches taller than her, ginger, and average looking. Penny resisted the urge to feel bad for herself as she finished the glass of wine that waited for her on the coffee table and grabbed her leather coat from the back of the couch. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad.

She stepped out of her apartment and quickly jammed her key into the lock to secure the deadbolt behind her. She quickly stuffed her keys into her pocket and turned around to take the stairs, but her path was blocked by a huge blue box. Penny took a step back and examined the oddly placed wooden "police box". She frowned as she read what she assumed to be the front of the wooden box.

At the top it read: "Police Public Call Box". Her eyes ran along the grain of the wood and the brightly lit windows. Another sign decorated one of the doors. This one was a little bit worn and looked quite old. It read: "Police Telephone. Free For Use Of Public. Advice & Assistance Obtainable Immediately. Officer & Cars Respond To All Calls. Pull To Open." Penny slowly reached out to touch the wood. Her heart raced under her ribcage and her breathing quickened. Her fingertips gingerly rested on the cool blue wood, she gently traced them along what used to be a knot in a tree.

Suddenly, the door swung open and a man popped his head out of the box. Penny gasped and stumbled back, she felt like she had a miniature heart attack. The man looked about the hallway and as he fixed his bright blue eyes on her, he grinned. Penny clutched at her chest, silently urging it to return to a normal rhythm.

"Hello." The man said. He stepped out of the box and stood before her. Penny looked him over before responding. He was tall, at least six feet, his dark brown hair was cropped short, and his features reminded her of a curious bird or the shiny robot in Star Wars. Penny couldn't help but grin at her clever analogy. He wore a red t-shirt that had the word "Kablaam" on it, underneath a dark grey sport coat.

"Hi." Penny replied with a slight nod. The man placed his hands behind his back and took a few casual steps toward her. Penny watched him as he looked about the hallway.

"I hate to be a bother, but I seemed to have gotten a little bit lost. Can you tell me where I am?" The man nonchalantly asked.

"You don't know where you are?" Penny questioned with a slight raise of her eyebrows. The man softly smiled at her.

"Humor me." He replied. Penny couldn't help but let out a small chuckle as she took a step toward him.

"Ok. You're in Pasadena, California." Penny sardonically responded.

"And the year?" He continued. Penny outright laughed. She couldn't help but think that this guy had to be on something, but she decided to play along.

"2013." She quickly obliged his request.

"Thank you." He said. The man glanced at his wrist watch and took two long strides towards his blue box.

"Wait!" Penny called out after him. He spun around with a hand firmly planted on the door, and looked at her expectantly.

"Who are you?" Penny asked. The man smiled and pushed the door open, despite the sign saying "Pull To Open".

"I'm the Doctor." He replied and walked into the box. Penny watched him disappear and felt her heart sink. Deciding that she had a few moments to spare, she walked up to the box and lightly knocked on the door. The man was quick to open it.

"Yes?" He asked. Penny studied his face for a moment as she thought about what she was going to say.

"Do you need help taking your box downstairs? I'm not even really sure how you got it up here in the first place." Penny said, trying to stall on leaving for her date. The man thought about her proposal for a moment before offering her a quick smile.

"Sure." He simply said as he walked back into the box. He left the door open and Penny cautiously followed. He quickly ran into a gigantic room, which left Penny speechless. She looked around in wonder and awe.

"It's bigger on the inside." She softly whispered to herself. Her brain went into overdrive trying to conceive how this was even at all possible. As her eyes fluttered about the room, she caught him smiling at her. He snapped his fingers together and the door closed behind her.

Penny slowly walked up the ramp to the console that sat in the middle of the huge room. Her fingers lightly ran along the dashboard, she watched as small lights blinked random colors at her. She firmly held onto a lever and the Doctor grasped her hand to stop her from exploring further. He gently leaned against the console and crossed his arms over his broad chest.

"What kind of Doctor did you say you were again?" Penny asked with a smirk. The Doctor returned her smile and shrugged his shoulders.

"I suppose I'm kind of a Doctor of everything." He playfully replied. Penny followed him as he began flipping levers and pushing buttons. Penny let out a small laugh as she watched the tubes in the center of the console begin to move up and down.

"Alright, well, my name is Penny. And you're Doctor... Who?" She asked, trying to gain clarification on his name.

"Well Penny, it's wonderful to meet you, but it's just The Doctor." He replied. Penny narrowed her eyes at him as he glanced at his computer.

"Fine, Just The Doctor of Everything, what the hell is a Police Box?" She asked, her voice dripping with sarcasm. He looked up from his computer and furrowed his eyebrows at her.

"The Police Box is a disguise. This is my TARDIS and believe it or not, it has the ability to travel through space and time." He told her. Penny looked at him with disbelief.

"TARDIS?" Penny said.

"Yes." The Doctor replied.

"And it travels through time and space?" Penny teased.

"Yes." He factually replied.

"Prove it." She challenged. The Doctor grinned at her and ran over to a dial on the console.

"Where and when do you want to go?" He cheekily asked. Penny grinned.

"Surprise me." She said. Her heart began to race with excitement. This was more thrilling than any date she had been on in a very long time. The doctor turned some knobs and the box came to life. It began making some kind of whirring noise like someone had left the parking brake on or something. She held on tightly as the TARDIS jerked them both about the room. It reminded her of being in junior rodeo, she was sure she could hold on for dear life.

The TARDIS came to an abrupt halt and Penny brushed a stray piece of hair out of her face. The Doctor moved toward the doors and Penny was sure that when they left his blue box they would still be standing in front of her apartment and she could get on with the blind date that she didn't really want to go on. Penny joined him at the doors and took in a deep breath as he offered her the crook of his elbow. The pair pulled the doors open and Penny's jaw dropped. They were most definitely not in front of her apartment and she was totally not going on that date.