Disclaimer:

Sarah: I don't own the Doctor.

Doctor: Nobody owns me, my dear.

River: *throws open doors of TARDIS and steps inside* Except for me, sweetie.

Sarah: River! I'm so glad you came! We're going to 1776 next to meet George Washington!

River: Ah, lively bloke. Hope he doesn't really have wooden teeth.

Episode I: The Space Coat Rack

Part I: First Encounters

"Watch it, you idiot!"

The demand was enough to make Sarah's mind jolt out of her book and look up in front of her just in time to see Warren, her boss, coming around the corner with trays piled high. Her mind had the quick notion of Oh, crap before she realized it was too late.

CRASH!

"I'm so sorry!" Sarah had been thrown to the ground—she broke the fall of two trays—and immediately went on all fours, struggling to pick up the broken bits of glass and pottery that made up the dishes at her workplace. Her book, Peter Pan, went skittering across the floor when a customer accidently knocked it away with a swift kick.

The shards of serving dishes forgotten, she went scrambling after it. Just like something out of a movie, another foot jerked the volume under the corner table. Jules blew her needed-to-be-trimmed bangs out of her eyes, her lips making a sound synonymous to that of an agitated horse, and crawled under the table top.

Finally, her fingers clasped the spine in all its familiar glory. She took a moment to revel in the small victory, glad a customer hadn't stepped on her in pursuit of the book.

"May I help you?"

Sarah gave a jolt that made her hit her head on the underside of the table. "Ow!" She cried, rubbing the spot that would surely turn into a knot within a matter of minutes. Before she could really let the pain set in, she turned toward the sound of the voice and was surprised to find a man lifting the table cloth and peering at her.

He wore a tweed jacket and bowtie, which, for some reason filled her with a strange sense of ease. Her grandfather had worn bowties. But her grandfather had also told stories about robot men and refused to visit cemeteries with angel statues, so she wondered why she felt so calm.

Another thing that stood out about the stranger was his very distinct accent. It wasn't often Jules heard anything different from the normal, slightly Southern twang that existed in her small Midwestern town.

"Are you alright?" He held out a hand, smiling kindly. "Some of those dishes fell on your head, after all."

Tentatively, she took his hand and let him help her to her feet. Sarah quickly looked him up and down before smoothing her ponytail back into place with the hand that wasn't still grasping her book. "Fine, thank you."

The stranger smiled again, and it nearly took her breath away. After all, he wasn't the type of guy that was considered drop dead gorgeous, but he definitely had something about him that made it hard to look away. "'You know the place between sleep and waking, the place where you can still remember dreaming?'"

"Excuse me?"

He pointed to her book. "Peter Pan. One of my favorites, actually. A boy who doesn't want to grow up so he runs away." For a moment, there was sadness in his eyes and he stared at nothing in particular.

"Sarah!" Warren came bounding over, clearly not amused. He wagged a greasy finger in her face. His booming voice made the other customers look over. "That was the last straw! I've warned you about this constant dreaming and—"

"Are you the owner of this fine establishment?"

Warren stared at the stranger, clearly taken aback by his proper English accent just like Jules had been. With beady eyes, Mr. Warren assessed the man, staring at the strange ensemble (especially the bow tie). "Yeah. Why?"

"Well, I am the…health inspector," he pulled a card holder out of his pocket, holding it in front of Warren's nose.

Sarah stared at the paper, knowing she should see the badge that declared him the health inspector. Instead, all she saw was a blank piece of paper. Before she could question him, the stranger gave her a quick wink, forcing her into silence.

"Of…of course." Warren nodded, almost like he was trying to assure himself of what he was saying.

"Please, you can call me The Doctor," He put the paper away, all the while Jules staring at him curiously. They sauntered back towards the kitchen, Warren grabbing Jules's wrist at the last minute to pull her along.

There was a feeling, low in her stomach, that something was not quite right about this man. She didn't dare acknowledge it, hoping it would just go away on it's on and she could go back to work and finish Peter Pan before classes started again.

The Doctor reached over to the plate sitting on the table in the kitchen. With the flick of a wrist, he gobbled up a fry, a grin spreading out across his face. "Ah, yes. Chips are most definitely cool."

Warren kept glancing at Jules, as if she had something to do with all of this, but she tried to look as innocent as possible. Truth be told, she was strangely fascinated by the man in the bowtie, despite his obvious strangeness.

Before The Doctor could down another fry, something in the corner caught his eye. He quickly ran toward the employee coat rack, pulling a giant pen-like thing from his pocket. He pressed a button and it lit up green on one end, making a strange buzzing noise.

"What is this?" He flicked the pen-laser-thing and stared at it, his eyebrows coming together in deep concentration.

"Um…a coat rack?" Sarah answered, exchanging a glance with Warren. Now she was certain there was something off about this man. "It's been here since the diner opened."

There was a loud crash in the dining area, to which Warren groaned loudly. "Sarah, let him finish and then show him out. And we will talk about the earlier incident."

She watched him leave, hoping with everything she had that this wouldn't be another job lost. She needed, more than anything, to keep this one. The pay may have been crummy, but customers tipped well and that meant bills would get paid.

"Your coat rack has feet," The Doctor was laying down on the tile floor now, scanning the armor shoes of the coat rack. His laser buzzed continuously, until he flicked it again and stared once more. "Oh, this is not a coat rack."

He jumped up so quickly she had to take a step back. Before she had the chance to get a breath away, The Doctor was staring her straight in the eyes and so close she could see the flecks of gold in his eyes.

"Tell me, Sarah, what do you know of the Cybermen?"

"I…I…" She backed away, stunned by his question. It was so sudden and he spoke rapidly, like he was excited all the time, expect for that last question. No, he had just sounded…threatening. "I don't even know what that means."

Sarah was backed against the prep counter. The Doctor stared at her for a moment longer, before turning back to the coat rack. His laser buzzed again, causing a spark from the breaker box next to it.

"Doctor, I don't think you should—"

But it was too late. Another scan and a shower of sparks emitted from the metal box and with a crackling SNAP the entire diner went dark. Sarah felt around in her pocket for her phone, hoping she could find the flashlight app before someone got hurt.

Cries could be heard from the dining area, and the familiar sound of boots clomping was headed toward them. She finally got the flashlight on, only to find Warren standing at the door, a look of pure rage on his face.

"What happened?" He shouted.

"It was the Doctor!" Sarah made an arc with the flashlight, shining it at the spot where The Doctor had been. Now, she just saw the shiny feet of the coat rack. "I swear. He had some sort of laser and when he scanned the box—"

"That's it!" Warren marched toward her, grabbing her purple jacket off the rack and throwing it at her. With a big hand, he took hold of her arm and ushered her toward the back door. "I've had enough of your daydreams and stories, Sarah. You're finished here."

She stumbled out the door, protesting as he slammed it in her face.

No! This couldn't be happening. Not now. She needed this job to help her mom make rent this month. And it was only three days before her classes started, when the money would really be needed.

"Sorry about that."

Sarah whipped around, only to find her mysterious Doctor leaning against, of all things, a blue box situated next to the diner. Funny, she'd never noticed it there before. What was it, some kind of art exhibit?

"I think your employer knows more then he's letting on." The Doctor walked toward her, this time staying far enough away that she was allowed her own personal bubble. He studied her as the snow fell around them. It gathered on his hair and the shoulders of his tweed jacket.

"What?" She was finally able to ask. Between being fired and having this strange man in the bowtie follow her, she wasn't quite sure what was going on anymore.

He stuck one hand in his jacket pocket as he seemed to calculate, in his mind, just how much to tell her. He opened his mouth to continue, but a rumble shook the earth underneath them. Jules cowered against the wall, ducking against the awning, as pieces of the building next to the diner began to tumble away.

"Come on," The Doctor called over the sounds of people shouting and bricks hitting the snow covered concrete. He had opened the door to the blue box and was almost inside, his hand outstretched for her. "We'll be safe in the TARDIS."

"But it's just a box!" She insisted, watching people run by the mouth of the alley, none of them even noticing the strange happenings within.

"Sarah," The Doctor said, his voice clam in the midst of a great storm, reaching his hand even farther. "Trust me."

Now, Sarah had no clue what a TARDIS was and she didn't know one thing about the man in the bowtie who called himself The Doctor. But, for some reason or another, she took him hand and let him pull her into the strange blue box.

It made a strange VWORP sound, slowly denigrating from view. But, as it pulled away, you could hear her call out, "It's bigger on the inside!

A/N:

Sarah: I would just like to explain my writing style, so there isn't any questions. You see, when the Doctor and I first met, I watched a lot of TV.

Doctor: Yes, it wasn't until you were my companion that I had to get a DVR.

Sarah: Oh, be quiet. You use it to record the BBC Documentaries about yourself. Anyway, that is why I write Episodes with Parts. Also, if you have any questions for me and the Doctor, feel free to PM me. He'll start answering the,m as soon as we get enough, in the form of a document!

PART II COMING SOON. ALSO, CHECK OUT MY PROFILE FOR MORE INFORMATION!