A.N. Repost. I was rereading the first chapter and realized I'd forgotten to change Gwen's name to Marie in the first chapter! How embarassing. So here's the corrected version. :)
Chapter 1: Freya
It had all begun as every other day.
Freya woke up early and left for work. She phoned her only friend and listened to her friend ramble on about her life for approximately twenty-two minutes. After work, instead of eating, she cleaned on her house.
A normal day.
She even had the same normal feelings. The feelings of depression. The loneliness that oppressed her, weighed her down, made her doubt her ability to carry on.
The feelings had been wearing on her for weeks now. Weeks of nothing but depression. Usually her friend would snap her out of it, but the last two days had provided nothing. No hope. Just emptiness.
It was those thoughts that led her to the bridge.
The bridge was a two mile walk from her small house, just outside of the area of town people used. It hung over a very rocky river, one no one was allowed to swim in. And the bridge itself was very old. She used to go there when she was a child, still lonely.
She walked there slowly as the sun began to set. Not sure why, just knowing it would give her peace. And as she approached the bridge, calmness enveloped her.
You're not important. No one will miss you. Everything will be better. All you have to do is jump.
The voice filled her head. She was used to it. It had been there, ever since the depression had settled in. It was her conscience, she was sure of it.
Freya slowly stepped onto the bridge. Would everything be better? Was jumping really the solution? She couldn't think of any solutions. Nothing to make her life feel worthwhile, to get rid of that absolute desolation that plagued her every waking moment.
Yes. Jumping would make everything better. She approached the side of the bridge and very carefully crawled over. Her arms locked around the edges of the bridge.
Do it! Jump! End your miserable existence!
The voice urged her onward. She glanced downward, swallowing. There was no one who cared. No one would miss her. She was all alone.
"Sorry to bother you, but you wouldn't happen to know where I am, would you?"
The voice came from behind her. She jumped, gripping the railing tighter. Someone else was there.
She didn't want to jump. No. She didn't want to die. She was only twenty. She had plenty of time, plenty of things to live for, even if she didn't see it now.
She glanced over her shoulder finally to see a man, just barely on the bridge, frozen. His blue eyes were wide and he looked as if he'd stopped walking the moment his words had left his lips. He was wearing a leather jacket, an odd thing to wear in the middle of summer. Her own white dress billowed around her.
"Can I come closer?" the man asked, eyes glued to hers. Freya opened her mouth but didn't trust herself to speak. She nodded instead, glancing back down at the river. The water seemed to be rushing faster underneath her, causing her grip to tighten. Her head whipped around back to the stranger, who was already almost within arm's distance of her.
"I changed my mind. I don't wanna do it," Freya whispered, gripping the railing so hard her fingertips turned bone-white.
Do it! You are no one! Nothing! Jump! End yourself! Save everyone the misery of knowing you!
The voice shouted in her head now, causing her eyes to squeeze shut. Two arms wrapped around her abdomen, causing her to jump slightly. The arms tightened at her movement. Freya's eyes shot open and she turned her head to see the man gripping her tightly.
"I'm going to keep a hold of you and help you back over the railing, okay?" he asked her gently. Freya nodded, feeling her throat nearly closing up as she held tears in. She was able to easily make her way over the railing, but the man didn't release her. He stared at her for a moment, eyes serious. As if he could read her thoughts. A few moments passed and his eyes left her, sliding someplace over her left shoulder.
"You can come out. I know you're here. And I know you've been inside this girl's brain," the man said loudly. Freya turned, noting that the man's arms were still securely around her, only to see what looked like a spaceship shimmer into sight right in front of her. Three blue, er, people were glaring deeply at him.
"You have no right to interfere," the first one spat.
"Yes. I did. You are an alien on Earth. I had every right to interfere. You've been trying to talk this girl into killing herself for months. What can you gain from her killing herself? Who are you?" the man asked. Freya's head spun. Aliens?
"We are the Nyonx. We need her potential energy," the second one said before being elbowed by the first.
"Nyonx? But why are you after her? You latch yourself onto whatever has the most potential nearest you, the longest life span with the most potential. She's a human. Humans are nothing compared to the other species out there. Why her?" the man behind Freya asked. Freya's head was spinning. Human? What did that make the people in front of her? Or the man behind her? Was he alien too?
"She has the greatest potential," the second said, ignoring the first.
"What about me? Shouldn't my potential outweigh hers right now since I'm here?" the man behind Freya asked. The first and second blue…aliens….turned to the third. The third shook its head.
"Her potential still outweighs yours," the third said firmly.
"But how? She's a human. I'm not," the man behind her said. Freya wanted to stiffen but resisted the urge. The man behind her was an alien too. He'd just admitted it. And what did they mean, potential energy?
"I have no potential energy," Freya said, interrupting them. The three aliens exchanged looks, something Freya noticed.
"Well, tell her what her potential energy comes from? I'm dying to know also," the man – alien – behind her said. Freya glanced down at his arms, still wrapped around her abdomen. She had no clue how she could get away from these…things, but she knew she needed to. But they were inside her head. How could she escape that?
"It's not from her. She would live 120 years if nothing interfered with her life. But her children are where her potential energy comes from. We'd be able to live longer than you, Time Lord," the alien in front of her said.
"That's impossible. I can live hundreds more years. You can't take anything farther than her children. That can't be more than two hundred years," the man said confidently.
"We don't have to say anything more," the aliens said monotonously.
"Well you need to find a new victim. Not her," the man behind her said.
"We need her. She will keep us free for ages," the first alien said. Freya eyed them for a moment before glancing back at the edge of the bridge.
"If I do this, you'll leave people alone? You won't bother anyone else again?" Freya asked them, making her voice as strong as she could.
"They need you to kill yourself. That's what they need. And as soon as your energy fades, they'll go after another. That's what the Nyonx do," the man behind her said, his grip tightening on her. She was pulled tightly against his body.
"But you said it'd hold you off. For hundreds of years," Freya argued. The grip tightened on her even more, as if no one was going to get her away from him.
"It would," the first alien said, grinning at her.
"I told you we should have gone for the sympathetic outlook," the third complained.
"What would you expect from the girl who can revive the Time Lords?" the second shot back quietly.
That was the wrong thing to say. The other two aliens glared at each other before glancing back at Freya.
"What do you mean?" the man behind her asked sharply, taking a step back. He dragged her back with him. One of his hands left her and held some metal thing out past her. It made some whizzing noise and moments later, the ship the aliens on exploded. Freya gasped and jumped at the sight, but she didn't have a chance to do much else before she was thrown over the man behind her's shoulders and he was running.
"Stop! Stop! What did you do? Where are you taking me?" Freya asked in alarm.
"My ship. I need to check you out," the man said.
"Wait! Please. Stop running. Please," Freya begged. The man slowed down for a moment, glancing at her. He stopped running and stood her back on the ground, his arms never leaving her. Freya took that moment to examine him up close. He had a large nose and large ears and his eyes were incredibly sharp, serious. He was taller than her, much taller. And much stronger.
If he wanted to take her somewhere, there was no way she'd be able to fight her way out of it.
"Before you take me wherever you plan on taking me, can I have my necklace? I left it at my house. I just…I just want my necklace," Freya said quietly. The man looked down at her, puzzled by her request.
"I just want to check you out. Make sure you're healthy and see why they wanted you, more specifically. I'll bring you back," he said, but Freya shook her head.
"No. I know how this works. I'll never see home again. I may not see anything else, ever again. I may end up on the side of the road somewhere, dead. At least let me have a proper piece of identification on me when that happens," she begged him. His eyes softened at her words and he nodded.
"Fine. Let's go get this necklace of yours," he said. Freya smiled slightly at his words and nodded towards the direction they were heading.
"My house is about two miles this way. It doesn't take long to get there," she told him. He let go of her with one hand but his other arm remained firmly around her upper waist.
"Do you live alone?" he asked as they started walking.
"Yes. I live alone," she said. He wanted to know something about her. He would keep her alive until he figured it out. Of that she was certain. But she had so much she wanted to know. About him. About those aliens.
"You implied you weren't human. And those….aliens….called you a Time Lord. What does that mean?" Freya asked him before he could ask her any more questions.
"I'm The Doctor. And yes, I'm an alien. A Time Lord. I'm more interested, however, in you," he said.
"Why did you kill them? The other aliens? They didn't do anything wrong," Freya interjected.
"They weren't going to leave you alone. They would have stayed in your head until you gave in. And they were lying," the man said. The Doctor. Freya wanted to ask if there was another name to go with his title, but didn't think he would answer her even if she asked.
"What were they lying about?" Freya asked. The man was walking much faster than she usually walked and her house approached rather quickly.
"You. They said you could revive the Time Lords. That is impossible. I'm the last of the Time Lords, and there is no way for them to come back," the Doctor said. He glanced over at her.
"Aren't you going to ask what my real name is?" he asked her.
"Would you tell me if I asked? You said you're the Doctor. I'm not in the position to be challenging you," Freya said.
"You'd be the first. That your house?" the Doctor asked her. Freya nodded, staring at the tiny house. Her grandmother had left it to her when she died. Otherwise, Freya had no idea where she would have ended up. It wasn't as if she could have asked to stay with her parents. She could only imagine the amount of laughter she'd get for that questions. She shook the thoughts from her head as they approached the house. She pulled her key from the one pocket in the dress and unlocked the door.
The Doctor's grip on her never loosened as she made her way to the bedroom. There, sitting on her dresser, was her necklace.
It was her most treasured belonging. It had been given to her when she was seven. She had broken her arm on the playground at school and no one had come to pick her up. Her teacher had had to drive her to the hospital and wait on her because her parents didn't have the time.
Soon after her teacher had had to go home to tend to her own children, a man stopped and started talking to her. He'd given her the necklace after their conversation and she wore it almost every day since.
Why hadn't she put it on today? She had left it there because, in the back of her mind, she knew she would die. And maybe she didn't want to be identified as a girl who killed herself. Because that would sully what it stood for, to her.
She unhooked the necklace and put in around her neck, feeling the familiar weight of the tiny heart locket just above the top of the dress. And turned to the Doctor.
He was watching her carefully. Curiously.
"Are you going to explain to me why you need to examine me, if you think what the…aliens…told you was false?" Freya asked him. It was bothering her, his words. And she wanted to figure out exactly why it bothered her.
"I need to make sure. And make sure they didn't do any lasting damage to your head," the Doctor said. And something about the way he said it made Freya rethink everything. She glanced out the window, noting that a car was pulling up. A car?
"So you don't plan on kidnapping and killing me?" Freya asked for clarification, looking away from the window. The Doctor looked mighty confused at her words and shook his head quickly.
"Of course not!" he exclaimed. Freya nodded, glancing back out the window. Her friend Marie was out of the car now and on her way up the steps. And they'd left the door open.
"Then you might want to hide," Freya suggested. Only it was too late. The door to the front of the house burst open and a moment later, the door to her bedroom burst open.
Knocking the Doctor forward onto Freya.
The two of them crashed to the ground, the Doctor all but pinning her to the ground. He tried getting up but slipped and came crashing down on her, her dress billowing all around them. A low whistle made him stop moving. Freya glanced up at her only friend, who had a grin on her face.
That moment, even though she knew she had to think up a lie quickly, she couldn't help but feel so amazing.
It was his touch. Another human being touching her. Er, another warm body touching hers, that is. That was it. She hadn't had any sort of physical contact in…oh goodness, it had been ages. She couldn't even remember. And hugs? Her friend Marie wasn't a hugger. So no one ever hugged her.
Yet now, even if it was by accident, this man, the Doctor, was lying on top of her, and she just felt so….so warm.
"If I'd known you were having…company…I'd have called first," Marie said with a wink. The Doctor struggled to his feet and Freya tentatively followed him. Marie eyed the Doctor appreciatively. The Doctor looked highly uncomfortable under her gaze.
"What are you doing here?" Freya asked her friend softly. Marie turned and looked at Freya, looking almost completely heartbroken.
"You sounded so off today on the phone. I was worried about you. I see now you were just entertaining," Marie said with another wink. Freya turned red and looked at the ground, realizing the Doctor was still standing very close to her.
"Marie, we aren't sleeping around. I don't do that," Freya said quietly. Marie laughed.
"Oh but you should start. It'd do wonders for you, I promise. Start with him. He'd do nicely. And he'd be able to keep you warm at night. I know how much you desire being warm at night," Marie said with another wink. Freya turned an even darker shade of red.
"Marie, I was thinking of taking a….a vacation of sorts. I don't know when I'll be back. But I need to pack," Freya said suddenly. The Doctor next to her glanced down, completely confused. Marie looked baffled as well.
"You don't do vacations…..oh. Oh. I see. Have fun! Make sure to pack some of that lingerie I bought you last April!" Marie said, making a beeline for the door.
"Why did you say you were going on a vacation?" the Doctor asked her quickly. Freya looked back up at him.
"Because I don't know how long it's going to take you to run tests on me. It always takes the doctors twice as long to run tests on me as it does everyone else. I wanted to make sure you didn't get in trouble," Freya explained. The Doctor stared at her, confused.
"You lied…so I wouldn't get in trouble?" he asked for clarification. Freya nodded.
"Do I need to pack anything? How long do you think it'll take you to run tests?" Freya asked. The Doctor continued staring at her for a moment before his lips twisted into a grin.
"Pack a bag. I'll take you on an adventure after I do some tests," the Doctor said. Freya stared at him, confused.
"An adventure? Why?" she asked, puzzled.
"Because you surprise me. Not much surprises me. And why are you questioning it? I just offered you an adventure in my spaceship. Pack a bag!" he ordered. Freya wasted no time in throwing a few clothes into her backpack. It took her very little time to pack. After all, she had little she cared about in her house.
She must've surprised the Doctor as well with how little she had packed.
"Is that all then?" he asked, staring at her meager backpack. She nodded, tucking a strand of her brown hair behind her ear. He stared for another moment before nodding.
"Okay. Fantastic. Let's go," he said, instantly heading for the door. Freya followed, much slower than the Doctor. He waited until she'd locked up the house before turning to her expectantly.
"Tell me something about yourself," he urged. Freya glanced at him, almost confused.
"Why would you want to know about me? You're the unique one," Freya pointed out. The Doctor's light expression faded at her words.
"I'm just a Time Lord. There used to be a whole planet of them. But you? You're one of a kind. A human that has the Nyonx more interested than even a Time Lord. That makes you special. And I never even got a name out of you," the Doctor said. Freya's entire expression dropped as she realized his words.
She hadn't even told him her name. How rude of her. Why didn't she even think to introduce herself?
Maybe her parents were right. Maybe she was just a hopeless loser.
"I'm Freya. Freya O'Leary," Freya said quietly. The Doctor's eyebrows shot up.
"An Irish name. Not originally from England then," he said.
"You're one to talk," Freya shot back quietly, almost tentatively. She felt a glimmer of excitement when the Doctor chuckled at her words.
"You have spunk. I like that. You just need to be unafraid of using it," the Doctor advised. Freya nodded, taking his words in.
"Continue!" the Doctor ordered.
"I'm twenty years old. You met my friend. Marie," Freya said. She didn't know what else to say about her. She didn't want to burden him with her life story. He was some sort of travelling alien. He had better things to do then talk about her life.
"What's your spaceship look like?" she asked, changing the topic. The Doctor grinned at her and pointed towards a hill.
On the top of the hill was a blue box that had the words police box scrawled across the top. It looked like an old-fashioned telephone box. Nothing like she'd imagined. It was better.
"It's so small. We'd have to be…really close," Freya said, staring at the box.
"I wouldn't bet on that," the Doctor told her, grinning. Freya grinned herself. She would love to be that close to someone. The thought of getting to travel in a box, that close to someone, made her beyond ecstatic. She'd get human contact. She'd be warm.
They approached the box and the Doctor pulled out a key, unlocking it. He held the door for Freya and she stepped inside.
Disappointment filled her the moment her eyes landed on the room. It was massive. And it looked like there was a hallway as well.
"What do you think?" the Doctor asked. Freya shook her head, glancing back at the door sadly.
"It's smaller on the outside," she said mournfully. The Doctor faltered, closing the door before turning to stare at the odd girl.
"Smaller on the outside? You just complained about the thought of us being really close," the Doctor pointed out. Freya shook her head once more, eyes staying lowered.
"I wasn't complaining," she said. There was a silence before the Doctor moved away from the door.
"Right. We need to go to the Med-Bay so I can check you out," he said, taking her hand. Freya jumped slightly at how he easily slid his fingers in between hers. It was such a wonderful feeling.
The Doctor, however, frowned. He got the feeling that the girl didn't like physical contact. At least, that's what he was assuming. She seemed to unused to it, as if it was foreign. He made a mental note to keep any contact to a minimum. He didn't want to scare the girl any more than what he must have already done.
"You were so keen on having your necklace. For identification, you said. Yet you were going to kill yourself. Why didn't you already have it on?" the Doctor asked her as he led her down a long hallway. He started loosening his grip on her hand, only to realize she was holding onto him even tighter than he was her.
"If they found my body in the river, it wouldn't have surprised them. And I…I wouldn't want to ruin what it meant by wearing it and ending my life. But I thought if you took me somewhere farther away, the necklace is the way most people identify me," Freya explained. Her words only ignited more questions from the Doctor.
"What does the necklace mean?" the Doctor persisted. Freya took that moment to examine the hallway they were walking down.
"This is all inside your spaceship? I really thought it was a wooden box," Freya said, keeping the sadness out of her voice at that. Something tickled her mind, making her jump.
"Be careful. My spaceship's a living creature. Don't insult her. And you didn't answer my question," the Doctor pointed out. Freya, however, ignored him.
Because she felt whatever the spaceship was. She felt in inside her. And it felt absolutely amazing, exhilarating, warm. It felt like a she.
Freya couldn't believe her thoughts. She was going crazy. That was the only explanation. Oh, but if this is what happened to her by going crazy, she never wanted to be sane again.
"Well? What does the necklace mean?" the Doctor asked as he pushed a room open, leading her into a hospital-like room. He led her over to a bed and helped her up onto it but didn't move, waiting for her to answer him.
"When I was younger, someone gave it to me. He didn't know me. I didn't know him. But he took time out of his life to listen to me talk about my life. He told me I was important. That was the first time I'd ever heard that. And the only," Freya finally admitted. The doctor stared at her for a moment, thinking.
"No one else has ever told you you were important?" the Doctor asked for clarification. Freya shook her head firmly. Which was part of the reason she doubted the man's words. Everyone else doubted the man was real, when she used to tell people the story. But the necklace was proof.
"Well, we just might have to change that," the Doctor murmured before fiddling with a few devices. He pulled one over to her, something she assumed was some sort of x ray machine.
"I've never met someone who wasn't important. So I will tell you this, Freya O'Leary, you are important," the Doctor said, looking straight into his eyes as he spoke his words. Freya was shocked by the amount of sincerity poured into the Doctor's words. It was almost enough to make her believe him.
He flitted over to another machine, where an x ray was coming up. She was right. He looked at it before turning back to her, eyes wide.
"I guess you find my birth defect," Freya said quietly. The man pulled a stethoscope out and quickly pressed it against the right side of her chest, where her heart was. It quickly moved to her left side, only for his eyebrows to lower.
"Your heart's on the wrong side. I need a second scan to make sure you don't have two hearts," the Doctor said.
"Or you could ask me," Freya pointed out. The Doctor froze midstep.
"I technically have two hearts. But one of them is dead. And one of them isn't mine in the first place," Freya explained. The Doctor loosened up slightly at her words but still brought the machine over. He moved it slowly over her chest this time, focusing on precision. When he checked the x ray, he noted the smaller, still heart.
"What happened?" he asked, staring at it. Freya sighed, ready for the onslaught of questions. Few people knew of her heart condition.
She'd learned early on that people didn't like things that were different. And that was about as different as they come.
"When I was little, my heart started giving out. The doctors couldn't find the problem. They still don't know why my heart gave out so early. I was able to get a heart transplant, but they discovered something odd when they opened me up. My system was slightly reversed. My body wanted my heart on the right side, but it had grown on the left. So they inserted it on the right. There was a second surgery set up to remove the first heart, but my parents didn't want to waste the money on it. They didn't figure I'd live long enough for it to matter," Freya explained quietly.
The Doctor stared intently at the x ray.
"Your body wasn't messed up in wanting your heart on the right side. Your body wanted two hearts to begin with," the Doctor said in awe.
"That's impossible," Freya said automatically. The Doctor shook his head, grabbing a small machine. He pulled another cart over as well.
"Your body has a binary vascular system, or a rudimentary form of it. It was meant to function with two hearts, but your body hasn't changed enough for it to. Human evolution, right in front of my eyes," the Doctor murmured. Freya struggled to sit up, staring at him.
"Human evolution?" she questioned. He shook his head, snapping out of whatever daze he was in and smiled at her.
"Yes. I'd assume most of the others who have had this happen have died. But you…you got lucky. This might be a little awkward. It's an ultrasound. I want to see if your other heart's still beating," the Doctor said. It was the only warning she got before his hand went down the top of her dress. She jumped but relaxed almost instantly as the Doctor's hand stopped right over where her dead heart was. He held it there, eyes glued to the machine. An image of her tiny first heart filled the screen.
"Fascinating. They didn't bother disconnecting it. They must have simply spliced the arteries and veins so they'd run through both hearts. That could kill you one day," the Doctor said. The heart was still, but the Doctor held the metal thing to her chest still. After a moment, his eyes lit up.
"I have an idea. Your other heart may be beating. Or may not. I don't know. But I can figure out if you'll trust me," he said. Freya stared at him for a moment. Trust him? Wasn't that what she was doing?
"I trust you," Freya told him. He stared at her, almost in wonder, before nodding.
"I need you to scoot a bit forward and sit up. I'm going to climb behind you. I want to monitor your first heart while feeling the second, and this way I'm less likely to miss it," the Doctor explained, looking quite chagrined as he crawled behind her on the table. He carefully pulled her body back against his and the metal thing was pressed against her chest just as before. His other hand slid down the top of her dress, pressing firmly against her second heart. Freya watched the screen as the Doctor stayed still.
After thirty seconds, the Doctor started to move. Only to freeze.
The heart on the screen moved.
The Doctor remained where he was, watching the screen once more. It took another thirty seconds before the heart moved once more.
"Fascinating. It's nowhere near as strong as a normal heart, but it's alive. You have two beating hearts!" the Doctor cheered. He pulled his hands from her shirt and leapt off the table, tripping in the process. He was back on his feet before Freya could even ask if he was alright.
"Is…is that the only test you have to run on me?" Freya asked, slightly confused. The Doctor turned, his confusion mirroring hers.
"No. I was going to scan your brain too…why?" he asked.
"Usually when doctors find that, they run all sorts of tests. It's why my parents stopped taking me to the doctor. It got too expensive," Freya explained. It was also why they didn't pick her up that day when she'd broke her arm. If they didn't come in, the hospital wasn't authorized to run tests on her.
"How long has it been since you've gone to a doctor?" the Doctor asked, his expression turning serious.
"The last time I went was when I was seven and broke my arm. I was six when I went in for an actual appointment," Freya said. The Doctor frowned once more.
"Right. In that case, I'm sorry. I'll have to run more tests. I think it'll be better for you, however, if you're asleep when I do them. I'm going to put you in a medicine-induced coma," he said, reaching for a syringe. Freya's eyes widened at his words. When he turned around, he softened once more.
"I'll be right here. You'll be safe. I'll even talk to you while you're out. I don't know how long it'll last on you. I've never used this formula on a human," he said with a slight frown. Freya felt even less sure now. She wanted to run. She wanted to get out of there.
But that wouldn't be a smart idea. He could find her. She knew he could. So she closed her eyes and leaned back.
Conversations floated through her subconscious. The Doctor, talking to her. He told her stories of where he was going now, why he hadn't been able to figure out a quick way to pull her out of the coma. He was after something called living plastic, or as he called it, the Nestene Consciousness. He had some sort of vial of anti-plastic, which would kill it.
He'd also met a girl.
Her name was Rose Tyler, he'd explained. And even in her coma, Freya could sense she wouldn't be able to compete with this Rose Tyler.
The Doctor wasn't the only one to talk to her. The Doctor's spaceship did as well. She told Freya that her name was the TARDIS. She told Freya all sorts of stories, of the Doctor who she affectionately called her Thief, of their home planet, of their adventures. It was all very random, very flitting, almost as if the TARDIS was wanting to keep her mind occupied. Freya had no idea how long she was in the coma.
But it felt like forever.
She was pulled from her unconsciousness by the TARDIS. The TARDIS was pulling her out of the coma, apologizing the entire time.
When she opened her eyes, the lights nearly blinded her. And she felt like her whole body had been hit by a car. What sort of tests did the Doctor run on her?
She tentatively stood, relieved that she wasn't dizzy. The TARDIS was urging her along.
She was still in her white dress, but her hair was in a braid. The Doctor had braided her hair. The TARDIS moved the floor panel she was standing on, hurrying her along.
Freya had no idea what was wrong, only that something was wrong. She walked quickly, allowing herself to acclimate before breaking out into a jog. In no time, she reached the control room. Outside, she could hear someone beating on the door frantically. A monitor flickered on to show a girl and boy, both terrified, trying to get in.
Rose.
The TARDIS's voice wafted through her head. That was Rose Tyler? Something was wrong. Freya quickly ran over to the door, pulling it open. The boy tumbled inside and the girl's eyes widened. But Freya didn't pay attention.
The Doctor was being held by two plastic mannequins. The one let him go just to come back with a vial of clear liquid.
"I wasn't going to use it! It was insurance!" the Doctor shouted. Freya's head spun. The antiplastic. That's what that was. And…she shuddered as she caught sight of a large…plastic…thing inside a vat below the Doctor.
She turned, looking around, only to spot a thick chain tethered to the wall. One that, judging from what she could see, would be able to help her swing down to where the Doctor was. And, from where the mannequin holding the antiplastic was standing, she'd be able to knock it in.
She wasted no time leaping over the boy who was trying to get inside the box. The girl, Rose, was staring at her in shock. Freya ignored them both, grabbing an axe that was lying near the rope. The axe felt heavy and Freya was starting to feel the effects of her sudden awakening. She quickly cut through the rope and wrapped her arm around the chain tightly, praying she'd be strong enough to keep hold.
She swung off the platform, eyes wide as her grip loosened. Freya clung for dear life as she collided with the plastic dummy, knocking it into the vat about the same time the Doctor flung his own guard off of him. Her fingers were sliding from the chain as she swung back towards the doctor.
He grabbed her tightly just before she lost her grip. He grinned at her before turning to look at the creature in the vat. The Nestene Consciousness? It had to be.
"Great job! We'd probably bettered get out of here," he recommended, his grin still on his face. His hand locked with hers as he started for the stairs. She started to run with him but her legs wobbled under her, causing her to stumble. The Doctor wasted no time in scooping her up, running with her in his arms instead.
Rose was still standing there in the doorway, eyes wide.
"Get it!" the Doctor shouted at her. She ran into the TARDIS right before the Doctor did. He slammed the doors shut, quickly depositing Freya into a chair before rushing around the TARDIS, powering her up.
"Who is she? Where did she come from?" Rose shouted, pointing at Freya. The loudness caused Freya to flinch. Her head was pounding now. The TARDIS enveloped her once more, allowing her to feel warm and content.
"Freya, Rose, Rose, Freya. I picked Freya up a few weeks ago. She's been in a medical-induced coma since. Speaking of, how'd you wake up? I couldn't figure out how to wake you up and got busy," the Doctor admitted sheepishly.
"The TARDIS woke me up. She sensed you were in trouble," Freya murmured, feeling exhausted despite having just found out she'd been unconscious for weeks.
"She's talking to you now? What're you doing that for, old girl?" the Doctor asked, patting the console of the TARDIS. The TARDIS started up and the Doctor grinned once more. He started racing around the console, pulling levers, pushing buttons, etc. After a few minutes, the sound stopped and he stopped.
"Here we are," he said with another grin. The boy ran straight out the doors, Rose following him slowly.
"Mind some company?" the Doctor asked Freya. Freya glanced up at his words, startled to see him standing right in front of her.
"Pardon?" she asked, the word leaving her lips like a gasp.
"I was thinking about asking Rose to join me. To join us. What do you think?" he asked her.
"It's your ship. I'm just a passenger. And you said you were only taking me on an adventure," Freya said quietly. The Doctor frowned at her.
"Yeah, but I did accidentally knock you out for a few weeks. I think I owe you more than one adventure," the Doctor mumbled guiltily.
"You can ask her if you want. I'm poor company," Freya told him. He looked up at her once more and looked like he was going to contradict her. But he didn't. Instead, he bound over to the door. He said something, but Freya was no longer paying attention. Instead, she fell back asleep.
The Doctor turned from Rose and headed for the console, quickly transporting them away. He hadn't had company in so long, and now he did. He'd have two companions, if Rose agreed when they returned, and he knew she would.
And then there was Freya. She was a mystery, one he planned on figuring out. He glanced over at her, only to be alarmed. She was asleep again! He abandoned the console, rushing over to her. He tried shaking her shoulders, instantly becoming relieved the moment her eyes fluttered open.
"Doctor?" she questioned as her eyes slid back shut.
"No, stay awake. You're fine," the Doctor ordered. She opened her eyes once more, but she was fighting to stay awake.
"I'm tired. She said I could sleep," Freya murmured sleepily. The Doctor shook his head.
"You've been sleeping for three weeks straight! You've had enough rest!" the Doctor ordered.
"Hadn't…slept…for days before," Freya admitted with a yawn.
"So you have problems sleeping?" the Doctor asked her with a frown. Freya yawned once more, shifting slightly in the chair.
"Never can sleep. Always cold," she murmured sleepily. She shifted again, only this time she shifted out of the chair. The Doctor only caught her head, allowing her to hit the ground. The impact woke her up fully, causing her wide eyes to meet his.
"I'm sorry," she whispered, but she made no move to get up.
"It's okay. Just stay awake. I don't want you slipping back into the coma. We still have to talk about what I found out about you," the Doctor said with a smile before gently letting her go. He moved over to the TARDIS console and pushed a few buttons, starting it up once more. He hurried over to the door, yanking it open.
"Did I mention that it also travels through space?" he asked cheekily. A few moments later, Rose Tyler had run into the TARDIS and the doors closed.