"Come on Clara, just a bit farther."
"I'm trying, Doctor, please just hold on." Clara panted, dragging the Doctor into the TARDIS. As they reached the center console he jerked over and started pulling levers and pushing buttons, gripping the console to keep himself upright. Clara grabbed the railing for support as the police box lurched again.
"Doctor, I thought you took care of them!" cried Cara, as she steadied herself.
"No, I said I will take care of them. It's on my to-do list, right after getting us out of here." the Doctor replied, not looking up from the console.
Clara whimpered a bit and hoped for it to be over, as the TARDIS continued to lurch, thrashing the pair of them back and forth. "Doctor!" she screamed. She vaguely heard the telltale whirring of the machine taking off, but louder was the pounding that surrounded them on every wall, as well as the sound of things breaking in the box's infinite hallways as it thrashed around.
Finally everything stopped. The TARDIS gave one last lurch that knocked Clara to the ground. She groaned and sat up, rubbing her head. She looked over to see the Doctor on the ground as well, pale, sweaty, and still clutching his side.
"Doctor?" Clara asked quietly. She stood up, staggering slightly with the recent thrashing and stumbled over to where he was sitting. "Doctor, what's wrong?"
"They got me." he managed, breathing heavily.
"What?"
"The shot me." he said, he lifted a hand off his side to show his injury. Clara clasped a hand over her mouth, horrified. "Yeah. It's pretty bad." he said, replacing his hand.
"Doctor what-"
"I have to regenerate." he moaned, cutting her off.
"But… Doctor-"
"No!" he pushed her back out of the way and stood. Soon light flooded from his hands, mouth, and eyes. Clara shielded her face as the room was lit up. She felt tears rolling down her cheeks, but wasn't sure if it was because of the light hurting her eyes or losing her Doctor again. Eventually the light died. Clara put her hands down, blinking away the dark spots blocking her vision.
"So… how do I look?" the Doctor asked.
Clara blinked, shocked into silence. She'd seen the Doctor regenerate before, but watching someone she knew change into someone completely different would never stop being mind blowing. And scary. "You look… different."
"Different how? Different good, different bad? Is my nose smaller, it feels smaller." said the Doctor, looking around for a mirror.
"Um… well…"
"Is my hair longer? I'm a girl! No, no, I thought that when I regenerated into my bowtie phase. You remember him, he was the first me that you met." the Doctor rambled, walking around the center console. "Though, the bowtie was cool, maybe I should go back to-"
"Doctor you're a girl." Clara blurted.
The Doctor froze. "Wh-what?"
"You're a girl." Clara said again.
"Am I a ginger?"
"Yes, actually."
"Yes! Finally!" said the Doctor, pumping her fist into the air. She reached around and grabbed her orange hair, which was in a bob cut. "I've been waiting for this forever! The ginger part, not the girl thing." she said, looking at Clara, who was still frozen in shock. The Doctor walked closer. She was fairly short, with straight red hair down to her chin, a sharp nose, and large brown eyes. She appeared to be about 25 or so in age. "Am I shorter than you now? This is new. Well, I suppose all of this is new." she said vaguely, looking around. "I figured this might happen some day."
"Doctor, you're a girl." said Clara, staring at the small girl walking around in her Doctor's clothes. "Those don't really fit you any more." she muttered.
The Doctor looked down at the loose-fitting clothes and frowned. "Yes. I suppose you're right." she thought for a minute. "I've got it!" she bounced up and ran down one of the TARDIS' corridors. As she left Clara heard her yell, "It's finally socially acceptable for me to wear a dress!"
*A/N* Well, there was chapter one. This fic is, indeed going to deal with the mystery of the Rectofur, who shot the Doctor, as well as the problems girls face. For this reason it's recommended for girls only (but, I mean, I'm not going to discriminate :P) For those who are wondering: yes, there will be a chapter on periods.