It all started in the TARDIS. When doesn't it? This time, though, I wasn't taken to any random planet or people that needed my cleverness, it was just a quiet, peaceful, boring, lonely day. I was in the middle of a nap, and heard strange noises coming from the TARDIS' console. It was noises I don't normally hear, so I was a bit concerned. I jumped up, grabbed my coat, and leapt over to investigate. I checked all the radars, buttons, screens, and timey-wimey things, but nothing was out of the norm. I was puzzled, very puzzled. Why was the TARDIS making all these loud, noisy noises? With no other ideas left, I grabbed a pair of goggles and ran down under to see if anything was wrong down there. All the wires and hoses and whatnot were perfectly fine. So what was making the mysterious sounds?
As soon as I hopped back up the stairs to the main floor, the noises suddenly stopped. My curiosity was killing me, so I had to go and investigate around the console. I slowly tip-toed around, hoping to find some gift from the TARDIS herself. BAM! My face in the ground before I even knew what was happening. I looked over my shoulder to see what I'd tripped over, and almost gasped. "How in the world did you get on here?!" I yelled as I saw a skinny girl was curled up on the ground, blanketed by long, bright ginger hair. She had no clothes on whatsoever. My yell seemed to wake her up, and she roused awake with round, childish sparkly eyes.
"Hello." She greeted with a soft voice.
"Hello..." I replied back, still trying to figure out who she was, and how she got here. "What's your name?"
"I don't have one." She blinked, and I noticed her eyes looked like space. Yes, I meant nebulas and dust. The lights even made it seem like there were stars gleaming in her eyes. I smiled, trying to hide my confusion away and be friendly to my new, unexpected, guest.
"Well, how did you get on here? In the TARDIS, I mean." The ginger-haired girl thought for a moment, and she started to uncurl from her sleeping position. I looked away quickly before I saw anything I didn't want to, and blurted, "Let's get you some clothes first, shall we?" before she could answer.
I assumed she'd agreed and I held out my hand, covering my eyes to guide her to my vast wardrobe, which was full of clothes for any occasion. I practically dragged her behind me, and barely heard her footsteps as we trekked to our location. We turned one more corner before we arrived to the wardrobe and the door automatically opened. "Go pick something out, I'll be waiting right here." I smiled with my eyes covered and she ran in. Once the door closed, I sighed and tried to process what happened: I woke up from a nap because I heard weird noises coming from the TARDIS; checked the console, found nothing wrong, checked underneath and came up with the same results; returned to the console area and investigated; tripped on mysterious, sleeping, ginger-haired girl; woke her up to find out who she was; took her to get some clothes on. How did she get on board? It's nearly impossible for just anyone to appear out of nowhere. I thought, trying to find a reasonable explanation to my predicament.
In the midst of my thoughts, the doors opened with an air pressure release and then closed back up. I glanced over and saw that my guest had dressed in an olive green jumper, which was a few sizes too big since she was so tiny, skinny jeans, and some yellow trainers. Since when did I have yellow trainers? That wardrobe was a different place every time I walked in, so I shouldn't be surprised. "Very nice." I complimented and she tilted her head slightly. "Let's go talk in the console room, shall we?" I escorted Mystery, as I shall call her for now, to the vast room and grabbed a chair for her. "Now tell me, how did you get here?" Mystery thought as if she were trying to phrase her sentence in a certain way.
"I came from here." That took me by surprise.
"Here? As in the TARDIS?" She nodded and I did too, slowly. "Do you remember anything special? Memories, feelings, thoughts?"
"Loneliness." I was even more surprised by that. That was exactly what I was feeling long before the weird noises started. I'd been without a companion for awhile, and I didn't realize how much I really needed someone here to show off to or show the universe to. I was just roaming space, feeling empty inside, as if I was missing something.
"Da- Doctor?" Mystery stuttered, as if she were about to say something she wasn't supposed to.
"Yes? Sorry, I was thinking. So you said you came from the TARDIS, right?" She nodded again, and I tried to think more. I just put a smile on my face and rested a hand on her shoulder. "Well, you said you didn't have a name?" I stood up and she blinked those intriguing eyes at me.
"Yes."
"Hmm..." I tried to think and think even more. The first names that came to my head were River, Amelia, and Clara. I tried to ignore those thoughts because they weren't here anymore, and I didn't want to break out in tears in front of this stranger.
"Oh, Doctor, could I tell you something?" She asked with her soft voice.
"Sure!"
"I'm your daughter." That caught me off guard and almost stumbled for a second. I wanted to say that was impossible, but saying that to a kid is on the list of the worst things you could say. "Would you like me to explain?" Mystery offered, and I nodded. "Well, you've been desperately lonely lately, right?" I nodded again. "You haven't had a companion in what seems like an eternity, and it's been quiet. So, the TARDIS created me from your loneliness, I'm your daughter." She blatantly smiled and I thought about how that was possible. The TARDIS usually took me places when I was in need of something to do. I never knew it was possible for her to create a life form, let alone a humanoid one. Which made me think...
"Does that mean you're Gallifreyan?" I hoped, and Mystery nodded. "Are you sure you're Gallifreyan?"
Would you like to check?" I knew what she meant and leapt over to my monitor. I cued it up, and focused on Mystery. The file came up with almost everything with question marks, but she had two hearts all right.
I ran over to her and hugged her. I didn't want to let go, this was one of the first family members, or anything close to it, I'd seen in forever. The Ponds were gone, River was gone, Mystery was all I had left. "Name! Right!" I let go and paced around. "Name, name, name, name, name..." I made at least three trips around the console before a simple, but significant, name popped into my head. "Tardis! You'll be Tardis!" I picked her up and swung her around joyfully.
"What if I get confused with who you're talking to?"
"I'll call you just plain Tardis, and I'll call her the TARDIS." I smiled and was excited for once. It'd been a long time since I've felt like this. The TARDIS had given me a gift after all; a new companion to travel with, to teach, to learn from. Tardis was more than just a companion, though, she was my daughter. I had to take care of her and made sure she was always okay, no matter what, and make sure she was always happy. "Do you like fish fingers and custard?"
"I've never had it, but from what you've said, it sounds delish." Tardis smiled and I took her hand.
"We must go have some then!" We both ran out of the console room and to the kitchen. I whipped up some custard and told Tardis to heat up some fish fingers. "Ready to take your little taste buds on a flavorful journey?" I held the bowl of custard back, awaiting her response.
"Yes sir!" She and I slid the food to the center of the table we were sitting at, and I let her have the first taste. "This is..." She took a moment to taste it. "Amazing!" Tardis started to practically inhale all the food, and I had to hurry before she ate the last pieces.
"Fish fingers and custard is cool." I dipped my fish finger into the sweet custard and took a satisfying bite. Whilst we were letting the food settle, I questioned Tardis. "Do you remember anything?" I simply asked, with no specifics.
"I remember everything. I remember Gallifrey, I remember Susan." She started to recollect. Susan was my granddaughter, this was long ago, though. "Remember the time you almost crashed into an asteroid?" She couldn't control her laughter, but I just smirked.
"That asteroid was a very rude one, I've met far nicer asteroids than him!" We kept talking about my past adventures, then she brought up Rose.
"Dad, you miss Rose, don't you?" My face dimmed down a bit, but then I put on a smile like I always did.
"Of course I do. I miss everyone I've travelled with."
Tardis yawned and stretched her arms. "I'm tired. I think I'm going to kip." She stood up and started to slowly walk away.
"Tardis, you don't even have a bed, or a room!" I ran after her, and she wasn't even around the corner when I caught up to her.
"I've got a room."
"No you-" I was interrupted by Tardis walking into a brand-new room right by the doors to the console room that I'd never seen before.
"I told you." She yawned and hopped into her bed, which was floating above the ground. The ceiling and walls looked like space, and was actually moving and animated, with asteroids floating around, stars, and even planets. The carpet was purple, and there were drawers for anything she wanted to put in them. Tardis was sound asleep before I could even fathom how this room got here. Then I remembered that the TARDIS had random rooms appear all the time, even I didn't know what was behind every single door. I switched off the lights, and leaned down to give Tardis a goodnight kiss on her forehead, then left to go to the console room and think about where to go tomorrow.