Chapter One
Before the regeneration energy could consume him completely the Doctor staggered back to the safety of the TARDIS. He practically fell through the doors and dragged himself towards the console. As his hands started to glow he pulled himself up, using the console to support himself. He reached out a hand and pulled a lever and the TARDIS lurched into motion. The wheezing groaning sound filled the TARDIS's console room as it dematerialised and started its journey to the time vortex. The Doctor stepped away from the console as the regeneration glow spread from his hands to his face. The Doctor spreads his arms wide and faced the sky as the regeneration energy took him over. The yellow energy burst from his arms and hit the console rooms' walls, which exploded with the impact. The Doctor screamed as he felt every cell in his body die and be reborn once more. The light got brighter and the Doctor's features began to change. The light radiating from the Doctor's regeneration was so powerful that more of the console room began to explode and parts of the console even burst into flames. As soon as the light has reached its brightest point it fades and the Doctor is revealed, renewed and regenerated. The Doctor looked around at the blaze in the console room, at the destruction his recent regeneration has caused. Then the Doctor remembered that he had just changed again.
"Right, ok, let's see. Still got two legs, that's good. Two arms, good. The hair. Let's see. I'm…blonde…still not ginger. Wait a minute. It's so long. I'm a girl" The Doctor looks down at his chest.
"Hmm…well that's new. Wait, I am a girl. Well a woman anyway. That's new. Never happened before. What else is new then? Are there other parts I don't know about? I've ever been a woman before. I didn't ask Missy about that, maybe I should have done. So many questions and no one to ask. Good job Bill wasn't here though, looking at this place she'd have been toasted. Now where was I…"
The TARDIS lurches out of control and the Doctor falls against the console.
"Ah yes, crashing. Let's get you under control old girl. I'll try and land you somewhere"
The Doctor pushes a few buttons on the console, avoiding the flames, and attempts to land the TARDIS. She jumps back as another section of the console explodes and sparks fly from the wreckage.
"Alright old girl, don't give out on my just yet. Let me get you somewhere safe first" The Doctor tried to soothe the TARDIS.
The TARDIS groaned and the floor beneath the Doctor's feet juddered. The Doctor pulled the screen towards her and looked at the readout.
"Well, we've landed but…"
Before the Doctor could see where the TARDIS had taken her the screen went black and exploded. The Doctor was thrown onto the console room floor. She picked herself back up and ran towards the TARDIS doors. She threw them open and was thrown out by another explosion rattling through the console room. She was thrown clear of the TARDIS and quickly spun herself around. Through the still open doors she could see the console room ablaze, the fire eating its way through the space. Before she could get up and try to get back into the TARDIS the doors slammed shut. The Doctor pushes herself up off the floor and brushes the dirt off her trousers.
"Where have you taken me this time old girl?" The Doctors asks the TARDIS.
Just as the Doctor is about to turn around and take a proper look at the surrounding area, rather than the quick glance she got as she flew out the TARDIS doors, she hears footsteps behind her.
"I thought I heard the TARDIS" The Doctor hears a familiar voice behind her.
She turns around and coming out of the undergrowth the Doctor sees a familiar face. Her black kicks covered in mud and splattered up the legs of her black trousers. Her checked red and black shirt and khaki green jacket untouched. The Doctor looks up to her face. She takes in the familiar brown eyes and the cute button nose. The small face perfectly framed with her brown hair.
"Are you his companion?" Clara asks The Doctor.
The Doctor snaps out of the momentary trance that seeing Clara again had put her into.
"His companion?" The Doctor questions her, stunned.
"The Doctor. You're travelling with him, aren't you?" Clara asks her again.
"Clara, don't you recognise me?"
"I've never seen you before…wait a minute…how do you know my name?" Clara takes a step back from the Doctor, a little nervous.
"Clara, it's me. I'm the Doctor"
"But…you're a…" Clara stuttered, momentarily taken aback by the Doctor's new appearance.
She takes a step towards the Doctor, she looks into her eyes. Clara looks into those new eyes and can see something familiar in them. The more she looks the more she can see that the woman stood in front of her is the Doctor. Her Doctor. She has that old look in her eyes, just like he did. Impossibly old.
"It is you. But how did this happen?" Clara queries the Doctor.
"Long story, I'm still a bit fuzzy on some of the details"
"I knew that Time Lords could switch genders but I never thought it would happen to you"
"There was a time I thought the same thing. But regeneration is a game of chance. Every time you never know what you're going to get. I'm beginning to wish I'd asked Missy more about it. This is all so strange and unfamiliar. There's so many new parts"
"Urgh, too much information" Clara wrinkles up her nose.
"Sorry, I'm just not used to this yet. This is all new to me. You're used to being a woman. I'm not" The Doctor looks down at her new body again.
Clara goes over to the TARDIS and tries to go inside but finds the doors are locked.
"She still doesn't like me" Clara remarks.
"What? Oh, you mean the TARDIS. Let me try"
The Doctor approaches the TARDIS doors and tries to push them open, but finds them locked too. She tries again, but the doors don't budge.
"It must be rebuilding. I did make quite a mess of the console room" The Doctor remarks.
"Sounds like your last regeneration was a little messy"
"I wouldn't say messy. More explosive and I mean that literally. I set fire to most, if not all, of the console room"
"Ok, so no TARDIS then"
"Nope, no TARDIS. But never mind. I've managed without her before, looks like I'll have to again. She'll need a few hours to rebuild"
"Do you still have your sonic screwdriver?"
The Doctor pats down all her pockets. She starts off with her trouser pockets but has no luck there. She pats down her jacket and feels a strange lump on her chest, which has nothing to do with the other two unfamiliar lumps that recently appeared. She opens her jacket and reaches into the inner pocket. She pulls out the sonic screwdriver, surprisingly still intact.
"I'm surprised this didn't get fried as well"
The Doctor cautiously pushes a button on the sonic screwdriver and it still emits the same blue glow along with the familiar electronic whine. She keeps pushing the button, waiting for the sonic to explode in her hands but it never happens. She takes her finger off and for the first time sees her new hands. The sonic looks so much bigger in them. They're so much smaller and the fingers more delicate.
"Doctor? What's wrong?" Clara asks.
"Nothing. It's just…I never noticed before…"
Clara looks at the Doctor, still so unsure about her new body. Looking at her hands with such fascination. In some ways she wished she could see herself like that. She watches as the Doctor examines her nails.
"This is as much of a shock for you as it is for me, isn't it" Clara questions the Doctor.
"I'm not sure shock's the right word for it. I suppose it's more of an adventure. There's so much to discover about this new body. What it can do. What it's capable of. It's a whole new experience. There's planets and galaxies out there that this body has experience yet and it's all so…exciting"
Clara sees the look on her friends face. The way she smiles and it lights up her whole face. She can't remember the last time she saw the Doctor this happy. So excited about a whole new world of possibilities that she's yet to face. So ready for adventure. She remembers when she was like that travelling with her. So thrilled at the prospect of travelling through time and space. Discovering everything. It was where it all started for her. With the Doctor.
