I'm the next act waiting in the wings
Her eyes were wide as she stepped through the worn blue doors, her fingertips moving nimbly along the nearest wall in some feeble attempt to both steady herself and make sure she wasn't losing her mind. On the outside, it had been a police call box, one she had seen time and time again on the occasional visit the Doctor paid her. But as she wandered inside, Peyton found the scene that greeted her to be anything but what the normal phone box looked like on the inside. It was wide, with sweeping consoles of technology, and it seemed to go on for ages. Various doorways led to other rooms, and as she hesitantly moved forward more into the main area, she heard the soft click of the door behind her.
"What is this place?" the blonde breathed out in a mixture of all the emotions coursing through her—amazement, shock, confusion, slight horror, and an overwhelming urge to cry. One of her hand had made its way up to lie over her heart, as she felt like it would give out at any moment. This was inexplicable; it was all so surreal. It had to be a dream. It simply had to be. Yet if the Doctor had never been a dream…She shook her head there, unwilling to venture further in her train of thought, and looked up when feeling a familiar hand on the small of her back.
"This, Peyton, is home," the Doctor replied softly, fondly, as he reached up and smoothed some of her tangled curls back. "At least…it could be," he added after a moment, tilting her chin upward some. She was older now, a bleary twenty one, and the sadness was still as present as ever in her eyes. He had never been able to whisk her away from home before, because he knew her time in Tree Hill hadn't been done when any of their previous visits had occurred. But now, as an adult who was already getting ready to finally move off on her own, he knew it was time.
She reeled back a little bit, bare feet cold against the paneled flooring of the TARDIS, and took in a deep breath. "Really?" she asked cautiously, not trusting her voice at a full volume or confidence level just yet. Traveling with the Doctor had been something she'd been wanting from the first moment she'd met him seven years ago, and now…now she could have it.
"Peyton, you look like you've seen a ghost," he stated suddenly, noticing how all of the blood had drained from her normally rosy cheeks. He moved closer to her, his gentle hands cupping her delicate, round face as he gazed intently into her eyes. "Perhaps this is still too soon…" the Doctor murmured, his thumb brushing lightly beneath her left eye. He felt her tensing and relaxing under his touch, and he could hear the erratic beating of her heart getting worse and worse with every passing second. His forehead creased with concern and he dropped his hands to his sides, shaking his head as he turned away from her. "Maybe you're not—"
"Yes," Peyton interrupted, taking three quick steps forward once she'd regained her bearings enough. The effect the Doctor had on her was still as intoxicating as ever, as much as she hated to admit it.
"Yes what?" he prodded, his brows still tightly knit as he looked at her.
"Traveling with you. I want to. I've wanted to since the moment I met you," she managed to get out nervously, biting her lip as she smiled.
Grinning widely, the Doctor rubbed his hands together and headed further into the main console area. "Well then, Miss Sawyer. All of time and space follow me. Where are we off to first?"