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Chapter One – An Unexpected Gift
It was a big night for Hope. She would soon be celebrating her twenty first birthday; actually her three hundred and fifty first birthday, but her friends had known her for about twenty one Earth years. She'd asked her parents for permission to borrow the TARDIS and take Anthony and their friends to loads of parties through time and space. Her mum and dad said she had to open her presents first, and then she could leave.
So Hope, along with her boyfriend Anthony and their friends Lorna, Sam and Tanya, gathered in the TARDIS console room. The girl of honour, dressed in her trademark aviators jacket and TARDIS blue jeans, couldn't wait to see what her friends and family would give her. Her little brother Danny gave her his present first, all wrapped up in paper covered in stars and planets. Hope unwrapped the cardboard box and opened it to find a small plastic figurine of herself; it had obviously been hand crafted.
"Oh, Danny, it's awesome" she smiled, lifting the little doll from the tissue paper and turning it over in her hands. The detail was astounding. "Yeah, I got it made at that Figure Maker workshop we went to last week. Remember when I asked you for a picture in your new outfit? That's what it was for" the little boy explained proudly.
Next, Tanya gave Hope a bottle of expensive perfume and a cashmere scarf. "And it's the same colour as your jeans, so it'll go with your outfit!" the fashion conscious teen enthused. Hope wrapped the scarf around her neck and struck poses for her friend's iPhone cameras. "I don't really know what girls like for 21st birthdays" admitted Sam, "but I got you a jar of jelly beans, cos who doesn't like jelly beans, and err…I sorta did the same thing as your brother, only with a sketch artist…"
Sam's present, apart from the jelly beans, was a sketch of the five of them together. It was based on a group photo that they'd taken not long after Hope regenerated. It made her so happy to have friends who didn't find her changing bodies and personalities to be weird or disturbing. Lorna, shy as she was, didn't think her present would be up to much.
The simple brown paper and box was opened to reveal a cloth leaf, with Hope's name embroidered in the language of the Gamma Forests. She traced the threads with a finger, beaming. "It's great. It's really great, I love it. I love all of them" she said truthfully. Sam clapped Anthony on the back. "Prince Charming here hasn't gone yet" he pointed out. Anthony rolled his eyes and stepped forwards to give his presents to Hope.
First, a bouquet of TARDIS blue roses. Then a selection of fine chocolates, in a heart shaped scarlet tin. To top it all off, he gave her a gold bracelet with an 'H' and 'A' engraved on the two hearts hanging from the beads. "Show off" Tanya said teasingly. Hope could hardly speak. "They're…it's…oh, Anthony". She handed the roses and chocolates to Lorna before wrapping her arms around Anthony's neck and giving him a passionate kiss.
They ignored Sam's catcall, but broke apart when the Doctor cleared his throat pointedly. "You still have one more present" he reminded his daughter. Anthony stepped back to a respectful distance as Anna came forward with a small velvet covered box. "Look at you, my little girl. All grown up" she smiled wistfully, stroking Hope's cheek. Hope blushed in embarrassment. "Mum" she groaned.
"I know, I'm sorry, but…a lot of things are going to change now, and I just want you to know that your father and I are here for you. All you have to do is call us" Anna told Hope, tears appearing in the corners of her eyes for some reason. Then she pressed the box into Hope's hands and stepped back to stand beside the Doctor, who put his arm around her supportively.
Hope looked down at the box, filled with excitement. It could be anything; a diamond necklace from Midnight, a brand new sonic screwdriver (actually, it was a bit small for that)...with a deep breath, she pulled off the lid to reveal a – "key. It's just a Yale lock key" she said in disappointment. "A key to what?" asked Anthony. "Oh yeah, good point. A key to what?" Hope inquired of her parents.
The Doctor pulled out his own sonic screwdriver and aimed it at an empty patch of console room. A tall grey box shimmered into view. Hope stared at it in disbelief. "That's…that's a TARDIS" she said for the benefit of the others. "Yes, I took some advice from an old friend of mine and grew a TARDIS in a decade rather than a century. It's fully functional, has automatic isomorphic Imprinting and the kitchen is stocked with all your favourite foods. Now you can take your friends to all those parties in that one instead of in ours" explained the Doctor.
Hope's mind finally connected the dots. "Hang on…are you saying, that's my TARDIS?" she asked, just to make absolutely sure. The Doctor sighed heavily. "I'm going to regret saying this but yes, that is your TARDIS" he replied. Hope's squeal of delight could be heard on the other side of the galaxy.
"Hrrk!" the Doctor said, or rather grunted, as his daughter rushed up and bestowed on him and Anna a crushing hug. "Oh my gosh thank you, thank you, thank you! You're the best mum and dad in the universe and I love you and oh my gosh you grew a TARDIS for me!" She ran over to the grey time machine and placed a hand on it; the box thrummed as if in welcome. Then she put the key in the lock and opened it, stepping inside her new ship for the first time.
It was bigger on the inside, of course. The walls were bronze coloured and supported with columns of interlocking hexagons, arranged around the central console. A ramp led up to a glass floor beneath which snaked a mish-mash of wiring and circuitry. The Time Rotor had a cerulean glow and a swirling glass inset. A comfy looking chair was arranged near the console, opposite the scanner. The ceiling was domed and decorated with a holographic display of the stars.
Hope's unbridled glee gave way to quiet awe. "So what do you think?" asked her dad; she hadn't even noticed the others come in. "It's awesome" she replied, "I mean, it's incredible. I can't believe you did all this for me" she said happily. "Okay, let's make it official. Come over here" the Doctor instructed. Curious, Hope came and joined him by the TARDIS console. The Doctor typed in a set of commands and then asked Hope to put her finger in a small tube. She did so and then winced as something pricked her finger.
She frowned at her father as she pulled her hand away, and he shrugged apologetically. "It needed a blood sample" he explained. "Okay, now place your hands on the console, close your eyes, and open your mind". Hope did as he instructed and swiftly sensed her TARDIS's consciousness reaching out to her. It felt like being greeted by a new friend and getting a hug from an old friend all at once. A familial warmth spread from the console all the way through her body, before fading and settling into a corner of her mind.
Hope opened her eyes. "You're bonded to this TARDIS now. The controls will obey you, and you alone" the Doctor informed her. His voice betrayed his reluctance to let her go, yet his eyes held nothing but pride.
After bidding goodbye to her family, Hope and her friends set a course for 'the top ten best parties in the universe'. The Doctor, Danny and Anna watched the second TARDIS disappear, leaving the console room feeling uncomfortably empty. Anna looked at the patch of air where her daughter's new TARDIS had stood mere moments ago, and sighed. "I saw this coming" she admitted, "as soon she was born I knew one day, she'd be out there exploring the stars, being amazing…I just didn't think it would be this hard to watch". The Doctor wrapped his arms around her for comfort.
/
The five teenagers visited a myriad of different parties, including an Elizabethan ball, a fifty first century rave and a street party at the end of World War Two. Hope decided to call it a night, as it were, when Sam accidentally threw up on the gown of a diplomat's wife and they all had to run for it to avoid getting thrown in jail.
Back on board her TARDIS, Hope rummaged around in a compartment on the side of the console. "Here, everybody eat one of these" she said, handing out some tablets that smelled like burnt wood and tasted pretty much the same. But as soon as they'd swallowed them, her friends felt the fog of several glasses of wine and beers leave them; being a Time Lady, Hope had already detoxified her system.
"Anti-inebriation tablets. It'll prevent any hangovers in the morning" she explained. Then she dropped them off, one by one, until only Anthony remained. As Hope piloted the TARDIS to another destination, presumably his flat (he'd moved out of his parent's house four months ago), all Anthony could think was how much he'd miss her. "So um, congrats on getting a TARDIS" he said awkwardly, "if you drop by Earth, let me know".
Hope rolled her eyes. "Go look outside, but don't step out whatever you do" she told him, gesturing at the door. Anthony hesitantly opened the doors and peered out, then pulled them fully open. His jaw dropped as he beheld every hue imaginable swirling and looping above him. Every strand of light stretched into the centre of a black hole far in the distance. Hope came to stand beside him, slipping her hand into his.
"Impressive, isn't it? And there's plenty more where that came from. I can show you the birth of planets and the death of stars, things you could only dream of and things you'd never imagined in a million years. So, you wanna come with me?" she inquired casually. Her boyfriend couldn't believe his ears. "You want me to travel with you?" he asked. "Yes, dolt-head. I want you to be my companion" answered Hope.
Anthony didn't know what to say. Well, he supposed saying 'yes' would be a good start. "Yes. Yes, I would love to be your companion" he agreed eagerly. Hope pecked him on the cheek. "Perfect. Listen, you look deadbeat. There's bedrooms down that corridor there, you should get some sleep" she advised, pushing him towards the archway.
He took one last look at the light show and then bid Hope goodnight. He did feel really tired, too tired to notice that the bedroom he entered looked almost identical to his flat. He brushed his teeth and crawled into bed. He was nearly asleep when the bed shifted and creaked. Opening his eyes, he saw Hope lying opposite him. "Sorry, I was just setting the TARDIS to auto-pilot. Go back to sleep" she whispered.
"Hope, we can't…" he protested drowsily. Hope pressed a finger to his lips. "Ant, we're dating, we're adults, and our parents are nowhere nearby. What have you got to worry about?" she asked, rolling over and wriggling backwards into his side. Anthony yawned and turned onto his side, wrapping an arm around Hope's waist. She's right…there's nothing to worry about.
