Running Beside the Veteran, a Doctor Who fanfic
Disclaimer: I own NOTHING! Except some of the alien races, Cosmina, and some of the plot that involves Cosmina direction and wasn't in the TV show. I think I covered it all.
Author's Note: I don't care if you hate the OC. Just don't flame me please. I'll report you. Oh, and give a big, huge, giant, and warm round of applause to my wonderful and amazing beta, TV-A-Holic!
Without my beta, you would not have this fanfic. If you don't like it, realize that it came from my mind, so don't go yelling at my beta either. Just yell at me. If you cuss me out, I'll just report you, simple as that.
Thank you.
Chapter One: Meeting in Order? How Did That Happen?
The TARDIS slowly came into view within a wood clearing. The front door opened and the Ninth Doctor (he preferred just the Doctor) was dressed in all black, from his black jacket to the jumper, trousers, and shoes. Even his strap watch was black, dressed in mourning for what he had done. His hair was buzzed practically off, accenting his big ears, and he gently rubbed the side of the blue box. "Why did you bring me here?"
The box offered no answer, though he was knocked out his pensive mood by a shriek above his head. He immediately looked up before moving to catch the tiny girl who had fallen out of the tree above him. They both toppled to the ground and the girl scuttled off quickly, almost getting caught in her brown skirt, while the man stood up. "What were you doing up there? You know, if I hadn't been there, you would have been severely hurt, right?" the Doctor demanded, glaring at the young girl.
He paused when he saw her shaking and carefully knelt down. "You all right?"
The girl, in her tough brown dress and auburn curls stared up at him. Her grey eyes were almost impossibly wide while staring up at him, as if trying to dissect him. The Doctor leaned back slightly under the gaze, though took in her sickly sheen over otherwise tanned skin. The girl shrugged and he resisted the urge to sigh, before he clapped his hands on his knees. "Okay then! Well, I have to look after my ship. You…go away now," he stated as he stood and began to wander around the TARDIS.
He stopped when he heard someone following him and turned to stare at the girl. She was copying his movements, even trying to walk around like him. She looked up at him and grinned sheepishly before looking back at the last TARDIS. Her head twitched to the side. "Go. Home," the Doctor ordered.
"No one home," she explained simply.
"Oh, you do talk. And what do you mean, no one home? Surely your parents are worried for you! Get!"
The girl shook her head, auburn curls hitting her cheeks. Looking down at her again, the Doctor really didn't think she looked all that well. She was shaking more and kept reaching up to touch her head, as if it was paining her. The girl didn't even seem to realize that she was doing it. He pulled out his sonic screwdriver and scanned her before reading what it said. He scanned her again and reread it, before sighing. He put the sonic screwdriver away and pressed his hand to her forehead. "When did you start to feel sick?"
"Right before I fell out of the tree. That hurt. It kind of hurts right now. Can you fix it?"
"Why do you think I can fix it?"
The girl shrugged. "How old are you and what's your name?" the Doctor asked, gently pressing his fingers to the pulse point on her neck.
"I'm five and my name is Cosmina," she answered.
"I'm called the Doctor and I'm older than you can count."
"I can count pretty high."
"Oh? Well, if you can count so high, can you tell me where I am? Planet, near-by settlements, anything?"
"You're near the Avalonian settlement of Nyvar on Drakis, the planet. Not Drakis, the moon, because that is where the Dawnings and Duskings live."
The Doctor smiled a bit and nodded before pulling out a banana. "Here. Entertain yourself while I check out my ship. And then, I'm taking you home. Just…sit and don't move!" he ordered, having her sit next to the TARDIS.
"I can't eat Earth produce. It upsets my stomach," she stated, holding it back up to him.
"Well, hold onto it," he muttered, distracted as he tried to see if it was an outward thing of the TARDIS that pulled her off-course, not taking into account what she just said.
A few seconds later, he peered back around the TARDIS to stare at her. "How did you know that?"
The girl paused in twirling the banana around her fingers and looked up. "Know what?"
"Where it was from."
Cosmina shrugged and went back to twirling it around her fingers. He ducked back around, pondering what it was before sighing. The TARDIS went off course and landed here, but why? He scrubbed his hand across his clipped scalp in annoyance and turned back around the TARDIS, to the front doors. He opened them up and entered in, searching through the computers. He was half-expecting to have the girl follow, but she seemed to be listening. "Of course. First person I ever meet who listens and it's a five year old girl on Drakis," he muttered, shaking his head.
He left the ship and looked around, before remembering she was on the other side of the TARDIS. He called her name, only to have no answer and walked quickly around, almost worried, only to find that Cosmina hadn't moved, but asleep. The banana was lying in the grass, just out of her fingers' reach.
He picked it up and pocketed it before he carefully scanned Cosmina again. He sighed sadly when he read it again. "The only Dawning/Avalyn hybrid in existence and your genetic code is trying to kill you," he murmured.
He put the sonic screwdriver away and carefully lifted Cosmina up into his arms. "Okay, now…where is this settlement? The sooner I get you back, the sooner I can leave," he muttered.
The five year old only stirred and did not help. The Doctor rolled his eyes and muttered something about stupid humanoids and 'couldn't you have picked a better species to look like?' before he walked in the direction he hoped was the settlement. He wasn't going to go back and search for it through the TARDIS. Couldn't risk the girl waking up inside. Just what he didn't need; someone to slow him down.
\\\
What he meant was 'someone to care about.' And it was exactly what he did need. But, when you lose everything to a war, and you were the one who did it, sometimes you don't want to care anymore. To love, to feel for.
However, when you are the last, that is exactly what you do need. Luckily, the Doctor was going to be getting someone to care about him. Two someones. One was just going to be a little late.