Oh hello. I'm back. And now writing Doctor Who fanfics... Obviously, I have been writing other things, including other fanfics, though they were sort of plotless. (Who can help it, though?) Of course, this one I can see an end to, so hurray! I suppose I'll let it happen. Updates should be relatively good. I know it will have multiple chapters, but as of right now, I am not sure how many. c:

Yes, there is an OC, and she is telling the story, and she is pretty well based on me (I have to write what I know, and who do I know better than me?). No, there aren't any pairings or romantic relationships (thank god). Yes, there is a parallel universe involved. No, this isn't Eleven (even though he's totally my fave, yo ;P). This is Eight.

Deal with it! If there is anything that is overly out of line, feel free to inform me, and I'll see what I can do about it. C: Now have a nice day! OR ELSE

My last day of high school was a relatively normal one. I got barely enough sleep during the night, woke up five minutes before I had to leave, gathered my things, and dashed to my carpool.

My aunt and uncle had recently gotten me my second Whovian t-shirt (both of them with a TARDIS emblazoned on the chest), so I had set it out to wear the night before, along with blue converse and blue jeans.

What can I say? I'm a fan.

I should mention, however, that my last day of high school wasn't meant to be the last day. For everyone else, it was just after the start of second semester. February crawled along.

I ran up the walk to the doors of my school, knowing from the clock in the car that I had less than a minute before I was late. On my way inside, I bumped into someone for the first time. (I'd been there three and a half years, and I'd never crashed head-on into anyone.) He fell, I slipped, and we landed in a heap on the floor. The late bell rang.

"Hell," I said, springing up into a sitting position. The man rubbed his forehead, looking mildly annoyed... especially when he saw me staring at him.

"Sorry," he said. "All right, there?"

I blinked a few times. "Oh, yeah, man, no problem." I jumped up, and he stood, too. "Assuming I'm not hallucinating."

He squinted at my eyes as I dropped my backpack on the floor. The halls were empty. "Well, considering your pupil dilation, you're probably not."

"Riiight." I couldn't help myself - I reached out and poked him. "You're real."

"Uh, yeah, last I checked."

"But you shouldn't be here."

"How do you mean?" he said, frowning. "Have we met?"

I looked down, shaking my head. "You shouldn't be... here. You don't exist here."

"Sorry? Don't quite follow." He noticed my shirt. "Nice tee."

I could feel a migraine headache developing quickly. "Thanks. Your name?"

"John Smith."

"Of course it is." I rubbed my temple before sticking my hand out. "Mine's Kaoru Presly."

He shook. "Nice to meet you. I'm a bit lost, actually. Not sure precisely where I am, besides, you know, a high school."

"Clearly." He was a bit too old to be wandering around a high school, after all, and while I may not have met all of the teachers there, I could tell he wasn't one.

"Are you sure we've not met?"

I was making him suspicious. Greaaat. That's what I needed that early in the morning. "I've certainly seen you before, though you may not have seen me."

I realized too late that that was a poor wording choice. Or rather, a poor quote to use. Way too early in the morning - whose bright idea was it to start school at seven? He looked up and down the wing before leading me out the doors. Dragging me, whatever. It was so sudden that I was surprised I didn't begin to panic at the contact. We stayed up against the wall where I tried not to stare only at my feet. The whole thing was, you know... weird.

"Can you tell me anything? What's happening?"

"I'd, uh, really better not." I scratched my head in disbelief. "You're the Doctor, right?" He nodded. "The eighth, if I'm not mistaken."

"Yeah, how did you know?"

"I, uh, watch a lot of television." I was too busy thinking of what I could ask or say to get too overly excited. "Is it safe to assume you know where you are?"

"Mid-Florida, United States. I'm not precisely sure why, but I suppose the TARDIS brought me here for a reason."

"I don't know, either. There are plenty of millions of others who could help you just as easily - and probably in a better fashion - than I could."

"I'm sure they aren't nearly as eloquent."

I just shrugged. I was sure most of them were seeing as most of them were British.

"But here I am!" He pointed across the street. I could barely make out the blue police call box just like the one on my shirt. "Landed just over there, felt a pull in this direction, and..."

I raised my eyebrows. "Ran in to me. Odd."

"Why is it odd if you know me?"

"Plenty of people here know you. Like I said, you don't exist here. You're in a... a universe parallel to your own."

"Then how do you know me?" He made a face. "I didn't leave you here, did I?"

He has left people behind before, but I wasn't one of them. I wouldn't have forgotten it, and if I had - I'd surely be dead by then, right? "Oh, no, it's... well... a television series."

"I'm sorry?"

"You're a fictional character in a television series."

He laughed. "Is it any good?"

"Very popular, Doctor. Not as much here as in the UK, where I'm pretty sure the show is regarded as a national treasure."

"Excellent." He was practically giggling. "Best get back then. See ya, Kaoru!"

"Hey, hold on! You can't just leave me here!"

He turned back around, about to cross the street. "Why not?"

"Because you've made me late for my first period, you have a time-traveling space-ship that has a kitchen, and I skipped breakfast."

"You know about all that?"

I couldn't stop myself from grinning. "It's bigger on the inside."

The Doctor grinned. "All right. Breakfast for Kaoru before I head back, then."

Me, planning to run away with him, even if it meant going to another universe? Never...

Okay, I totally was. As we crossed the street, I texted my best friend and told her to get her as to school ASAP. She wouldn't have been awake yet due to not have a first period, but if I texted her enough, she'd wake up. Hopefully. I even called her and immediately hung up.

I followed him into the phone box, which, thankfully, no one noticed. It was a nauseating feeling at first, but when I thought pocket dimension, I felt much better. Thinking of certain video games with similar aspects also helped.

"More impressive than telly, I hope," he said.

"Oh, yeah." It wasn't the main control room I was used to seeing in the new series. There were rugs, a wooden floor, shelves upon shelves of books, and, in the center, the hexagonal control panel.

"What would you like?"

No fish fingers, I thought automatically, not a big fan of fish. No spoilers, I told myself. I dropped my backpack next to a small chair. "You wouldn't happen to have cheese sticks, would you? I'm on a bit of a mozzarella kick."

"All right, come along, then," he said, and led me down four hallways, a corridor, and through two rooms (one of which contained a swimming pool), gave me some cheese sticks, and headed back to the main control room. "What year is it here? Last time I was on Earth, it was 1999-ish."

"2013," I said. I waved a fried cheese stick at him. If he was last on Earth around 1999, then the last televised show was Eight's movie. He didn't really look like he had in the movie, though. He had a bluish, double-breasted leather coat instead of a frock, so he didn't look too out of place... though the coat was probably a bit hot for February in Florida. "But the time's probably different, anyway, y'know."

He nodded. "So, Kaoru Presly - this show about me..."

"I can't say anything. I'm sorry, but most of what I know is your future." If it was even the same. I couldn't know if any of it even was close.

"Were you in it?"

I frowned. As if I'd be able to keep up for long in such a thing. "I don't think I was, but, see, things got a bit... rough... after the Seventh. There was just one movie with Eight - you - and then there was a ton of media other than television that I never got a chance to read or listen to because I only got into the show during the summer."

He looked a little annoyed. I ran my fingers through my hair nervously.

"You know, it's probably not even too similar. The shows that were produced - sometimes they couldn't do - like... when... how did you get from Six to Seven?"

He looked more bemused than anything by then. I was beginning to think I sounded somewhat incoherent. "I was attacked by the Rani."

"Yeah! See, they sort of fired the Sixth actor, and he was all offended and wouldn't come back to shoot the regeneration bit, so they stuck Seven in a wig. They weren't really clear on how he died. I think I read that he tripped and hit his head on the controls when the Rani did something-or-other. Really vague, like I said."

Now he looked absolutely miffed. I tried not to giggle, but it was hard with the face he was making. "That doesn't happen."

"Of course not, of course not. That's TV. See, it's different." A minor thing, perhaps, but a difference. There was only so much they could do on a budget, after all. I looked at the doors. "Where were you trying to go?" I asked curiously.

He frowned and indicated a glowing white box on the dash.

Not good.

"Home. Something's... wrong. They need me."

"Home?"

"Gallifrey. If this universe's show has my regenerations, you must know of my planet?"

"Yeah, just showed it the once, though, very pretty, y'talk about it a lot..."

"I try not to, actually," he said, and began to set the controls.

I prodded my last cheese stick around the plate, no longer hungry. Something bad at Gallifrey following that movie could only mean one thing (as far as I knew). The Last Great Time War.

Then I realized that I had muttered something aloud. The Doctor was giving me a confused look and no longer fiddling with the controls. "What did you say?"

"Nothing. Nothing. It's - it's nothing." Just one of the worst, most traumatic things that will ever happen to you, but how could I tell him that?

"But - Do you know what the problem could be? From the show?"

"Oh, definitely. There's only one thing after that movie that involves Gallifrey before..." I shook my head. I wasn't sure how much to say, or if I should just stop talking completely. "It's - It's really not nothing. I'm sorry-"

He could tell I was getting worked up, so he had me sit down by my bag.

"Daleks," I said finally.

He was instantly flipping switches, cranking knobs, and turning dials - the TARDIS's engines started. "Press that green button!"

I stood up quickly and pressed it.

"I'm sorry, Kaoru, but if it's Daleks, there's no time to lose. You'll be safe in here. As soon as the Daleks are taken care of, I'll bring you back."

Yeah, right. There would never be time because after the time war the Doctor couldn't go through parallel universes without eating up all the TARDIS's power. Talk about a foregone conclusion... I sat back down hard. He saw my look.

"Don't worry, I'll get you back in time for tea. It'll be an adventure!"

I gave him a half-hearted smile and rubbed my nose, even though I was completely panicking on the inside. Mostly panicking. I thought there would be time. My best friend hadn't even texted me back yet. "All right. Do you need me to do anything?"

"If there is anything you could tell me that would help, that would be great."

"I don't know what I can say." My voice was going, and the reality of it all was starting to hit me. Hard. Right in the face. I never thought I'd have to deal with such a thing. I scuffed the floor with my shoe. "Losses... on both sides... I'm sorry."

He paused for a moment, but didn't say anything. Then we were off, punching through the skin of my universe to get into the Doctor's. There was much shaking - it seemed that the TARDIS didn't much like the trip, and she certainly didn't want us to enjoy it, either. The Doctor ended up sprawled out on the floor; I was hunched over in my seat.

"All right, Kaoru?" he called.

I swallowed; I felt bad for enjoying the ride. "I'm fine." For now. "I'm just - I'm fine." But I didn't think I would be for much longer.