The Doctor danced around the TARDIS and tugged levers, pushed buttons, and twisted dials. He had just dropped Amy and Rory off for the last time, and now he had to find a new place to be, new faces to surround himself with. He tapped a few random numbers into the keyboard; he didn't care about the particular time or place. Just new. He wanted new.

The TARDIS set off into the vortex, loud and powerful. The Doctor sat back in the worn yellow chair near the controls and twirled a fez on his fingertip. The whole world at his fingertips. But alone, it wouldn't be nearly as fun.

Still, he had Sexy. Maybe she was all he needed, really. Hadn't it always been them? The Doctor and his TARDIS, the TARDIS and her Doctor. Maybe he didn't need anyone new. Maybe.

On the other hand, he and the TARDIS couldn't communicate. Oh, how the Doctor wished they could. He missed the day he could talk to her and get a real response. He still got a bit too emotional when he remembered her saying hello for the first- and last- time.

No, no, he couldn't keep thinking about. He needed something to occupy his mind. For the love of Rassilon, he was alone for five minutes and he couldn't stop himself from marinating in his own woes. It was almost sad.

But he was fine. He was always fine, wasn't he? He was the king of fine. So of course he was fine. Well, that was what he told himself.

"Alright, enough of this pity party," he murmured, jumping out of his chair and running back to the controls, looking for something, anything he could do. He could only push a few buttons and stroke the console gently while he waited to land. Why did the TARDIS suddenly decide to fly perfectly? It was just unfair. Desperate for something to do, he walked down the corridor and peeked his head in a multitude of doors; all the rooms Sexy had saved, even after all this time.

Rose's room. That sent an unwelcome pain through his chest, so he quickly ducked out and moved on to the next. Martha's room. No pain, just a fond warmth. He saw the door to what he suspected was Donna's room and passed over it completely. Out of everyone, Donna's departure still hit him the hardest. She didn't even know who he was. She didn't have memories of him, like Martha, or a second him, like Rose. If she so much as looked at him, she would die. It was tearing at his hearts to think about it, so he quickly made his way to the kitchen. He could really use some fish fingers and custard.

He sat and ate for a while, twirling the breaded fish in the thick cream. He focused on the task at hand. His mind would not wander. He wouldn't let it.

Still, it was difficult, concentrating on something such a medial task, especially with his superior Time Lord brain. He found his thoughts wandering, flashes of faces, the occasional solid memory sneaking into his mind's eye. Yes, he really needed a new companion. Being alone wasn't fun at all.

Finally, with a familiar wail, the TARDIS finally landed. The Doctor sprung to his feet and ran excitedly to the door, anxious to see wherever it was that his random button-pushing had landed him.

It wasn't Earth, that much was clear. The sky was a warm peach, and the air smelled sweeter, less… Earthy. The grass was yellow, and the sun was a deep purple color, clashing oddly with the pink clouds. To his complete and utter surprise, he had no idea where he was.

"Sexy, you've done it again," he murmured affectionately, running his fingers over the smooth grain of the door. With one last pat, he locked the TARDIS and swaggered toward the village in the distance. At least he didn't have to worry about Amy complaining about how far a walk it was. Silver linings.

The village was very clean and busy, with tall buildings made of reflective glass and shiny carts spilling over with fancy merchandise. The accents were unlike any he'd heard before, so the TARDIS wasn't translating it for him. This was an English-speaking planet.

The people, for the most part, were humanoid. There was an odd Ood (odd Ood; he'd have to remember that one) or Judoon around, but nobody spared them a second glance. It was comforting, to the Doctor. This planet clearly wasn't hostile to alien life.

"Excuse me," he said, catching the attention of a nearby merchant. The man looked up and smiled charmingly, obviously hoping the Doctor was looking to buy something. "I was just wondering what planet this is?"

To his credit, the man looked only mildly surprised that the Doctor had no clue where he was. "This is Fritania, sir. Beautiful place!"

So the Doctor had heard of it. He wasn't surprised he had never been, though; it was a pleasure planet, full of spas, movie theaters and amusement parks. Terribly boring for a man like him, who had seen so much in his life. Really, sitting for two hours in the dark, not talking? Movies (and the like) were useless when he could be out exploring.

"Great, thanks," he said absently, already walking away from the now frowning man.

An Ood spotted him and tilted its head to the side, observing him carefully. The Doctor paused and tried to decipher if he knew this particular creature. It was very hard, telling them apart. They all had the same faces and voices, it was very confusing.

"Ah, Doctor, how nice to see you again."

A smile blossomed on the Doctor's face. "Ood Sigma! Long time no see."

"Doctor. I see your song ended," he commented mildly in his smooth, patient voice. A slight frown marred the Doctor's brow.

"Yes, well, had to happen eventually. I saw it coming, I had time to prepare." That wasn't exactly a lie. He had time. But he hadn't been ready for it. His past-self's last words still felt etched in his mind, that little corner that was stuck on brown pinstripe suits and Rose Tyler. "You made sure of that."

Ood Sigma considered him for a moment, his head tilted to the side once more. "Indeed. And I feel it is only fair to warn you of another great obstacle, Doctor."

Dread pooled in the Doctor's stomach. "Excellent. Um, go on then, I suppose. Better sooner than later, they say."

Ood Sigma was quiet for a minute, just staring at the Doctor with sharp eyes. "You are not alone." Then, with a turn of his heel, he disappeared into the crowd, and no matter how much the Doctor called after him, he didn't respond.

He was not alone? What the hell did that mean? The Doctor wasn't sure if he should feel elated or horrified. After all, when the Face of Boe said he wasn't alone, he had gotten a big ball of terror and death and other no good, very bad things. Though seeing a fellow Time Lord had been exciting at first, he just lost him in the end. He wasn't sure if he could handle it again.

He fought through the crowd a while longer, but he ended up just getting lost. Ood Sigma really was nowhere to be found.

"Oh, hell," the Doctor swore. His voice, though quiet at first, grew in volume and anger. "You can't just leave a person bloody hanging like that!"

So, this story was born when a young girl named Em lost her internet for a week and ended up writing over twenty thousand words out of pure boredom. I finished this story AND am almost done with its sequel. So I hope you like it. If you don't, I'm not really sure what I'm going to do with all the other chapters...

Also, who do you think the first Time Lord/Lady is? There's so few to choose from, so I'm sure one of you will get it right. Anyone want to try and get both? I'm curious as to your guesses! So REVIEW and let me know :)

-Em