Chapter 1
First person POV
"No one has ever heard the wind blow like this before," I muttered under my breath, grabbing my bag and shouldering it.
"No kidding," Joseph said, grinning at me. "I've never heard it be so ferocious. Oh, hey, Gwyn?"
I turned back to face my overly-friendly coworker. "Yeah, Joe?"
Joseph looked very uncomfortable as he sort of squirmed in place. "Um, well, would you be willing to, uh, go out with me to, uh, get drinks or, um, something?" he asked awkwardly, and I giggled.
"Of course, silly!" I exclaimed, smiling at him warmly. "We can hang out together as friends."
Joseph looked disappointed, but he nodded. "Yeah, of course. Friends, ha-ha, that's it."
I waved good-bye to him and then proceeded to walk out of the door, lifting my umbrella above my head and opening it. I knew of Joseph's feelings for me; I just didn't return them, so I played the "dumb" card every time he got up the courage to ask me out. I suppose that it was mean of me, but I really didn't know anything else to do, you know? I just wasn't into him like that, and you know, when your heart makes up its mind, there's no changing it.
I sighed as the wind tugged forcefully on the blue umbrella in my hand, threatening to tug it free, and I pulled the umbrella down out of the wind's mischievous fingers, closing it. The rain pelted against me, and I groaned, pulling my jacket closer about myself in a most likely pointless effort to keep myself warm.
Suddenly, there was a brown trench coat wrapped around me, a man standing next to me with his arm wrapped around my shoulders loosely. "You warm enough, Gwyn?" the man asked, looking down at me.
"Sorry, do I know you?" I asked rudely, but somehow finding myself enchanted by the warmth in his brown eyes.
The man just grinned at me. "Not yet, you don't," he replied, pulling me tighter into himself. "But are you warm enough yet?"
"Yeah, I s'ppose," I muttered, subjecting myself to the uncomfortableness of the situation.
But I seemed to be the only one who was uncomfortable; the man was seemingly completely comfortable as he walked with his arm draped over my shoulders like a scarf that you just couldn't get rid of. Eventually, I couldn't help but relax into the man's somehow so familiar grip. Once I had all but melted into him, the man grinned down at me.
"Oh, Gwyn Reeds," he murmured, stroking my cheek with the back of his hand. "My Gwyn Reeds."
Alarm spiked in my heart, but I couldn't move; it was like I was paralyzed. I slumped down, and the man caught me neatly, scooping me up into his arms like I was naught but a child. He carried me in the opposite direction of my house, and I beat my fists against his chest weakly.
"Where are you taking me!?" I demanded pathetically, unable to do anything.
"To the TARDIS," the man replied, smiling down at me. "Oh, you don't know my name, do you?"
I shook my head, and the man leaned forward, stopping in his tracks.
"My name is the Doctor."
My eyes widened, and a pain spiked in my head. My body wasn't able to cope with the utter agony, and I fell limply into the man's arms. His smile faded, and what looked like a tear slid down his cheek.
"My . . ." he murmured, his face blurring in and out of my sight and his voice fading in and out.
All too soon, I blacked out.
I woke up in a bed covered with silk sheets in the color of red velvet, and I sat up. "What? How did I end up here?" I muttered, looking around the room. My jaw dropped when I realized this was my dream room; the bed was a princess' bed with the red silk canopy and everything, the walls were painted crimson with blue roses curling in and out of what appeared to be Celtic knots, the floor was Amazon rainforest redwood wood and was covered by a violet red rug spread out partially under the bed I was laying in.
There was a knock on the door, which was painted red velvet red to match the rest of my room, and I whirled around to face it, having been examining my room earlier. "Come in!" I called, forgetting that I had most likely been kidnapped – well, kidnappers didn't treat their prisoners so kindly by creating them their dream rooms. My eyes widened; how did 'the Doctor' know what my dream room was, anyway?
The man, the one who had called himself the Doctor, poked his head inside the room, a brilliant grin stretching across his features when he saw I was awake. "Gwyn!" he exclaimed happily, stepping inside the room.
"Where am I?" I asked, the words coming out harsher than I meant them to be, I realized as I watched the man flinch.
"Well, you're inside the TARDIS," he said, and I tilted my head.
"What's that?" I asked innocently, blinking at him.
"It's my ship," the Doctor replied, seeming to become happier now that I wasn't snapping at him anymore; I made a mental note of that – I didn't want to upset him, especially when he seemed to be the only person who really, really cared about me.
"Are you an alien?" I asked, tilting my head to the side.
"Yes," he replied cautiously, looking afraid of my reaction, but I just blinked.
"Oh, that's so cool!" I exclaimed after a few seconds, and the man laughed raucously.
"Of course you would say that," the Doctor muttered, smiling at me as he wiped some tears out of his brilliant, brown eyes.
I pouted. "What's that supposed to mean?"
His brown eyes widened. "Uh, nothing," he said too quickly, but I shrugged it off; his secrets were his secrets, not mine.
"Well, I've got to leave – I've got someplace to be. Uh, unless you want to come with me," he offered hesitantly, and I nodded eagerly.
"Oh, yes please!" I exclaimed. "I would love that!"
"Brilliant!" the Doctor exclaimed, rushing forwards and grabbing my hand. He dragged me out of the bed and into the main room, which was so huge I needed a moment to admire the magnificent beauty. He dropped my hand and took a few steps backwards, only for me to gravitate after him.
"Do you want to see something?" he asked me, grinning mischievously at me.
"Absolutely!" I shouted, bouncing up and down in place.
The Doctor offered me his hand, and I raced forwards to grab it. He pulled me along with him, swinging the small, double doors open. I stepped out, surprised to find myself just in a normal neighborhood. I turned. "What is it that you wanted to show me?"
The Doctor was standing in the door of a police public call box.
My eyes widened, and I squealed loudly. "Oh, my God! Your ship is a police public call box! That's so amazing!"
The Doctor chuckled at my childish behavior. "Yes, my ship's form is in the form of a public call box. Aren't you going to say 'it's bigger on the inside'?"
I blinked at him. "But isn't that pretty obvious?" I asked, and the Doctor laughed. Hard.
"You see, this is why I keep you around," he said, and I pouted.
"Because I point out the obvious? That's all?"
"No, of course not!" the Doctor was quick to add, seemingly shocked that I would ask such a question. "It's because I –"
But he cut himself off, giving me a strange look, his eyes wide. "Never mind," he finally choked out, sounding as if he was doing nothing more than choking on air, and I chuckled.
"Fine, don't tell me," I said, grinning at him. "I don't mind."
The Doctor shot me a grateful look, and I smiled back at him. "Well, are you coming or not?" he asked after a few moments, holding the door open for me, and I raced inside.
