A/N: Thank you, Hannah, for the idea for this story. :)
Space, September 2012 (Earth time)
"So," said the Doctor, releasing Rose's hand and running to the console, "where are we going?"
It took a minute for the question to run through Rose's head, as she was still reflecting on this new Doctor. He was different, even from that first year. He had never been so affectionate, or so energetic, though she knew that came from being in the TARDIS again.
"How do I know what to choose?" she responded after storing those thoughts in the back of her mind.
The Doctor swept past her, grabbing her hand as he did so, and led her to the TARDIS doors. He pulled them open with a flourish to reveal millions upon millions of bright lights amidst the backdrop of an empty blackness.
Though Rose had seen this scene before, it had been years. The sight took her breath away, and she could only gaze at it in awe for a long time.
"It's magnificent, isn't it?" the Doctor said in a subdued voice after a minute or so had gone by. He squeezed her hand and extended his arm toward the countless number of planets, stars, galaxies... "Pick one."
It was too big of a decision. There were too many things to choose from! As she scanned the endless expanse of space, her eyes came across a blinking yellow dot, far, far in the distance, surrounded by a bunch of blue stars. "What about there? That yellow one." Rose pointed and the Doctor followed her finger, squinting.
"It's a planet." He shrugged and beamed at her. "Who knows what we'll find? Allons-y!" The Doctor shut the doors and leaped to the controls, his excitement unable to be contained. "I can only estimate the coordinates, so no promises."
"I'm sure we'll manage to find trouble no matter where we end up," laughed Rose.
The Doctor looked back at her, eyebrows raised. "Still not afraid of danger, are you?"
"After everything I've seen with you?" Rose shook her head. "No."
"Good." The Doctor's hands danced along the console in a blur. After a moment he smiled, and looked up at her again. "Year?"
Rose looked up and picked a random number from her head. "Five thousand and twenty-six."
The TARDIS lurched, sending Rose sprawling into the control panel. Her stomach leaped with anticipation. She was in the TARDIS with the Doctor, traveling to who knew where. She couldn't keep herself from laughing at the sheer impossibility of it all. At one point, she would have never thought she could go back to this life. And now here she was.
The Doctor smiled at her from across the console, his features warped by the long tube that ran down the center of the TARDIS. Even so, Rose could see that he was beyond excited. Coming back to this life must be like coming home to him, just as it was for her.
In less than a minute, the TARDIS made that same old grinding, whining noise, and then became still. Rose straightened up and looked at the Doctor, whose smile stretched from ear to ear. Wanting to beat him to it, Rose bounded across the TARDIS and opened the door.
What met Rose's eyes was an endless expanse of orange-brown sand. She took a couple of steps forward, noting that it took next to no effort. Less gravity, then.
The TARDIS door creaked open again behind Rose, and she turned around to see the Doctor step out with a smile on his face. He squinted as he stepped out into the harsh sunlight, his eyes scanning their surroundings.
"Out of all the planets in the universe, you chose the eternal desert," he said, shaking his head.
"It's not like I knew! There's got to be something," Rose added to herself. She walked around to the other side of the TARDIS, and smiled as she saw something in the distance. It looked like a large gate of some sort, with rows of buildings behind it.
"Doctor!"
She heard his footsteps come up behind her. "Well, there's something! Oh," he added as if he had forgotten something, "got to get something from the TARDIS." He circled back around, but was gone for only a moment.
"Two things actually," he said as he approached her, dangling something from his fingers. He dropped it into her open palm, and Rose recognized the little silver key at first sight.
"TARDIS key," he said, nodding at her hand. "And don't go giving it away to anybody who meets your fancy."
"Shut up," Rose told him with a laugh, remembering her stupidity all too well. "What else?" she added, remembering that he had said he had two things.
The Doctor reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a shiny silver rectangle, no taller than a finger, almost like an oversized cigarette lighter. The only thing that adorned the outside was a red dome at the top which looked very similar to the end of a sonic screwdriver. The Doctor flipped the item up in the air and caught it again in his hand, looking at it with a proud smile.
"What is it?"
"A sonic receiver. Made it myself."
Rose was still skeptical. "What does it do?"
"Intercepts radio transmissions."
Rose waited for more explanation, but the Doctor just kept smiling at his creation. "Is that it?"
"It?" he asked, holding it up. "It took me almost the entire time you were asleep to make this. It's very useful."
"Useful," Rose scoffed. "When are we going to use that? We need a sonic screwdriver!"
"I would need a sonic phaser for that, and I can't make one anyway. This is the best I've got." He grinned again. "And it's brilliant."
Rose decided not to insult the object further. She followed the Doctor's gaze to the large gate ahead, wondering what would await them.
After a few moments, the Doctor perked up and offered her his arm, smiling like a kid. "Shall we?"
Rose looped her arm through his and smiled back. "I think we shall."
