Emily Evermonde huddled into herself, cursing the frigid air for the umpteenth time as she waited. She bitterly watched her icy breath curl out from her lips, and shivered again.

Where is he? she wondered again. The words kept repeating themselves over and over in her head like a broken record, each time more hopeless than the last.

She felt herself begin to drift as her eyes started to flutter shut. NO! she mentally screamed. I can't fall asleep… I'll never wake up.. he's coming for me, he promised... But even as she thought those words, she knew they weren't true. At least, not anymore.

No one could be coming now; did they even notice? She had risked herself to save them, and now where was she left? Freezing to death in some foreign galaxy that she'd never heard of on some planet she never knew existed in a time zone she hadn't yet reached? As the time droned on, she grew more cynical towards her fate. Great, she thought. They don't even know I saved their butts. Just great.

She glanced up one last time and squinted into the enveloping whiteness in a desperate attempt to find hope. Disappointed, she started to rest her chattering head back into the rest of her body in a fetal position, when she noticed a shadow. Just out of the corner of her eye… was it him? Delirious and dehydrated, she dismissed the movement and collapsed into herself, just as the figure approached. She smiled weakly, and croaked, "Doctor? Izzat you?" When he didn't answer, she pulled her head up with great effort only to greet her visitor with wide eyes. New terror rushed over her, and adrenaline kicked in. "NOT YOU! NO! DOCTOR-!" Her scream was shortly cut off, and she vanished into the white sheets, her voice still echoing the plain.

...

"EMILY ELIZABETH EVERMONDE, GET YOUR LAZY DUFF UP THIS INSTANT!"

"AH!" Emily stumbled out of bed, crashing into her bedroom floor with a rather dramatic bang. "Oww!" she whimpered, pulling herself up. She was used to falling over everything; she had always been ditzy, and she was infamous for her clumsiness. Her sparkling grey eyes, slightly off, focused on her mother glaring at her from the doorway. "Emily, I told you to get up fifteen minutes ago. You have work today!"

"Mum, I told you to call me Ever..." she mumbled, sloppily dressing herself.

"You have a lovely name, Emily, I don't know why you insist so." her mother ranted, leaving the room.

"Ever." Ever corrected again, and started to pull out her messy brownish hair. She scrutinized her day's outfit, and after tousling her hair for the last time, rushed down the stairs grabbing her bag on her way out.

"Emily, do you want tea with your biscuits this morning?" her mum called from the kitchen. Distracted, Ever glanced at the grandfather clock in the hallway.

"7:30!" she yelped, tripping on the way to the door.

"No time for biscuits and tea! Why didn't you wake me up earlier!?" Her mum opened her mouth and gaped, then closed it again. "Take a biscuit on the way out, dear, at least. I've made too many for just me."

Groaning, Ever snatched a biscuit and kissed her mum's cheek. "Off to work, I'll call later. Bye!"

"Oh, good luck Emily! Make lots of happy costumers, and remember-"

"Serve with a smile, yeah, I know, Mum." Ever answered in perfect unison. "And call me Ever." With that, she climbed on her bike and started off. The path to her workplace, the post office, was largely in the woods outside their house, and even though Ever biked there every day for the past two years, she still managed to hit a tree or two at least three times daily.

Today, however, she seemed especially distracted, her mind wandering about last night's new dream. She casually passed the first checkpoint of three that she had determined, and without crashing.

Maybe today's the day, she thought, where I won't crash and the guys at work can't make fun. As soon as that thought crossed her mind, she noticed a peculiar blue box in the woods. She recognized it to be a 1950's police phone box, and, puzzled, stared at it.

BLAM! She found herself crashing again, and this time it was one of her more serious crashes, for her front wheel had rolled off and she landed under it. "Oof!" she groaned, and examined herself for injuries.

Her mind was clouded and jumbled when a voice interrupted, "Need a hand?" She pushed the hair out of her face and stared at the new thick hand someone had just offered her.

Hesitantly, she placed her hand in his and pulled herself up. She looked up to greet her savior, and locked eyes.

She sucked in a breath, and her eyes widened as she stared deeper into his kind chocolate eyes.

He looked to be in his early 30's, with a pin-striped brown suit and purple tie, not too-long sideburns and great wispy wind-blown hair. His otherwise formal suit was completed with a scruffy pair of white converse.

It must have been over the twentieth time she was found in this particular condition by him. He was never particularly mean about it though. "Pretty." she mumbled. The Doctor laughed. "Well yes, I do happen to think I'm rather pretty. Handsome works too, of course."

"No, I mean your bowtie."

The Doctor looked downward at his own neck. "It seems that I am not wearing a bowtie. Don't think I ever have."

She knew he would at one point, even if he didn't now, even if she had never seen him wear one before, and even if he had never mentioned having worn one ever. He would think bowties were so cool.

"Er, yes, hello" she stuttered, nervously adjusting her hair.

"I said, are you ok?" He seemed truly concerned, and she smiled assuringly.

"I'm just dandy, thanks to you, I get into these kinds of things all... all..." she struggled to find her voice, but an overwhelming sense of nausea filled her, and the ground flew towards her face as she reeled forward.

"Whoa!" she heard him cry out, and felt his strong thin arms support her, but she could only concentrate on the searing sensation that had just come over her. Then it was gone, just as suddenly as it had come on, and she helped herself up again.

"Are you sure you're gonna be okay?!" he asked again, concerned.

"Yes, I think that was all" she giggled. "Doctor," she stated, "Why are the wastebaskets upside down?"

"What?"

"The wastebaskets. Metal wastebaskets. They're moving. They scare me, even though I don't know why."

The Doctor stared at her. "I'm not quite sure what that means, but I do like that you constantly leave me guessing."

Ever, seemingly oblivious to what they just said, clumsily stood up and brushed the dirt off her white blouse. "Walk with me?"

And of course he did. It seemed to have become part of their morning routine. She'd smack into that one tree, he'd find her there, and they'd go for a walk and have a little chat.

"So, Emily," he started as he walked by her side, "you seem to be a bit more agitated than usual, feeling under the weather?"

"Huh?" asked a blank Ever. "Oh! I dunno, today's been strange. I had a weird dream, and then I think I spazzed out while getting my stuff for work. It happens to me sometimes, and today, I feel scared. I'm so scared, even though I don't know why. Oh, call me Ever!" she added hurriedly.

The Doctor was about to speak when he was quickly interrupted.

"It's almost ready, it's like, the wood isn't real but it's there now, for when you have to go. Jack misses you but he's going to be confused. Wait, he is and he was and will be? How's he all three at the same time? He'll get over it though. I have to go work Doctor, take care! Hello Doctor! It's nice meeting you here, I saw you here before, like three days ago I think. I hit that tree over there and you were very nice, but very strange. Oh well, I can't talk right now, I have to go to work, I'm gonna be late! Good bye, talk to you later!" She was about to leave when she suddenly stopped and stared at the very confounded Doctor.

He opened his mouth to talk but he was again interrupted.

"Oh hello Doctor! No time to talk I have to go to work! You're so weird!"

The Doctor gaped. "Now I'm the weird one? I don't think you were here for the conversation we just had."

Ever shrugged, and started off towards work. "See you tomorrow, Doctor! Hopefully not in the same way!" She left him him staring after her in the dust and smiled naively at the path before her as she took off to work.