Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters from the Doctor Who universe, only the ones I create myself, and I am in no way affiliated with the show
A/N: My favourite companion was Donna Noble (though they're all pretty amazing) and my favourite Doctor was the 11th (again, ditto the amazing for all other Doctors). It breaks my heart knowing that these two will never meet so for me, this is the next best thing … enjoy!
(BTW, are disclaimers still a thing? I haven't read a lot of fanfiction lately but I don't think people do it anymore. STILL, I really don't want to risk it.)
**THE YEAR IS 2057, 40 YEARS IN THE FUTURE**
Chapter One: You're Completely Mad If You Think I'm Getting In That Thing
The rain was falling heavily outside, smacking against the library windows so intensely that the glass shuddered from the force. A flash of lightning went off in the distance and Evie groaned. She hated thunderstorms and she really didn't want to walk in one. She briefly considered taking a cab home but dismissed the idea quickly – she didn't have much money at the moment to pay for it herself and she knew how cross her mother would be if she asked her to pay.
"Is your dad picking you up Ash?"
"Yeah, why?"
Evie perked up instantly – a ride!
"You think it'd be alright if I came with you? He could drop me 'round my place, it's not too far from yours…"
Ashley grimaced.
"Sorry Evie, Dad said we're going straight to have dinner with my gran after he comes to get me and he doesn't like to be late. When I told him we'd need an extra ten to finish up our paper he nearly blew his top!"
Evie slumped back into her seat and sighed.
"Well alright then, wouldn't want to give the old man a stroke."
Ashley laughed, a rather morbid thing to do, just as her holo-phone began to buzz.
"Oh, that's him! Got to run, I'll see you tomorrow yeah?"
"Where else would I be?"
Ashley waved as she ran out of the building, calling out a quick goodbye over her shoulder. The librarian glared at Evie as though she had been the one shouting.
"No one else is even in here!" She quipped causing the librarian to sneer. "You old cow" Evie muttered under her breath as the elderly woman turned back towards her open book. It was true; the normally busy building was empty at the moment, everyone gone home either to their parents or their respective dormitories. Evie wished she could afford to live in a dorm or even in her own flat but as it was the wages she earned from her part-time job at the sub shop on campus were barely enough to cover her phone bill. Still, she was trying to save up and she dreamed of the day when she could buy her own car.
She was lost in thought when someone suddenly tapped on her shoulder. She looked up to see a funny looking man staring back down at her. He had floppy brown hair that covered the tips of his ears and a very prominent chin. His eyes were bright and curious yet there was something about them that made him look years older than he probably was.
"Can I help you with something?"
He straightened up then and fixed his bowtie. His outfit looked ridiculous, a brown tweed blazer that was a size too big for his skinny body worn over a wrinkled white shirt with suspenders, a simple pair of black slacks rolled at the ankle and chunky black boots that seemed to have the tiniest bit of a heel. She tried to stifle a giggle and failed miserably.
"Yes, well I'm looking for a specific book in this library and I was hoping that you could help me locate it."
Evie just stared. The university housed millions of books - paperback, hardcover, electronic, holographic, etc. - within its 3 libraries on campus and she was currently sitting in the largest of them.
"You're going to have to narrow that down for me a bit professor."
"Professor?"
"Well, yeah. You do teach here don't you?"
The man looked genuinely perplexed by the question and Evie guessed she was mirroring the look. Based on the way he dressed and spoke she couldn't imagine him as a fellow student.
"Well if you're not a professor than why are you here?"
He blinked at her as though the question were obvious.
"Like I said – I'm looking for a book."
She quirked a brow, shaking her head in defeat.
"Well the librarian's over there" waving a hand in the direction of the now sleeping woman, "you could try asking her though she's never been much help to me."
Evie went back to staring out the window but the man didn't move – she could see him awkwardly moving, shifting his weight from one foot to the other in her peripheral vision. She turned back around to him, both eyebrows raised now as if to ask 'what are you waiting for?'
"I don't want to talk to her; she doesn't seem like a pleasant sort of person."
He wasn't wrong. Evie sighed, much more heavily than she needed to, and stood up from her seat.
"Alright, what's this book? What section would it be in?"
He beamed.
"Well actually, I'm not certain as to what the title is – it's been so many years since I last read it you couldn't honestly expect me to remember – but I know I'll know it when I see it and I believe it would be in the aeronautics section."
Evie hadn't ever had a reason to go to that side of the library before but she knew where to go. Leading the way, they walked along the long stretch of study tables situated in the center of the room and then straight into the seemingly endless stacks of literature. He never stopped talking once, chattering on and on about the human fascination with space exploration and the obsession with claiming new worlds - the way he spoke, you'd think he wasn't human himself.
"Are you sure you know where you're going?" He asked suddenly and Evie paused. Without turning to look at him she began marching very quickly, enough that she could hear him speeding up his pace just to keep up. The thought made her smile. She came to a halting stop and she knew he'd have to catch himself not to run into her back.
"Here we are, good luck."
She turned to leave, but then:
"It's not here."
She whirled around on him, an incredulous look on her face.
"You couldn't possibly know that, you've been standing here for all of 2 seconds! You haven't even looked!"
"It's not here, I told you I'd know it when I saw it and I. Don't. See. It."
He said the last bit slowly, enunciating as though he were speaking to someone quite dim. She was really getting ticked off now.
"Look mister, I don't know who you think you are but unless you have the eyes of an eagle there is NO WAY you've looked through every book here. STOP wasting my time."
"You didn't seem to be all that preoccupied when I came by."
Evie didn't have a retort - it was true, she'd only been biding her time hoping to wait out the storm. Although, if she were being honest, she'd begun to develop a bit of a habit of hanging around school after classes let out. Home wasn't her favourite place to be, not now that it was just her and her mum. They didn't see eye to eye on most subjects (or any really) and it was just easier to avoid her than engage in an endless conflict. She wasn't about to admit any of that to this man though - the nerve of him, acting as though he knew anything!
"I could have loads of things to do right now, where do you get off?"
"Oi, you gingers are such a heated bunch."
Well that did it, she was really going to tear into him now - or rather, that's what she was planning to do. Suddenly the whole building shook, the way a tree would if you'd rammed a car into the side of it.
"What the hell?"
It shook again, for longer this time, causing a cloud of dust to rain down on them from the tops of the shelves.
"What's happening? Is this an earthquake?!"
She looked to the man with panic in her eyes and saw a grim looking figure staring back at her. Moving quickly he reached into his pocket pulling out a long silver tube with a glowing green end. He flicked the device and it extended itself, emitting a whirring noise. He aimed it around the room before bringing it closer to his ear.
"Oh this is not good. This is not good at all."
"What is it? What's not good?"
The building started shaking again, but it didn't stop this time, and a low ringing began to sound in Evie's ears.
"We can't stay here, it's not safe!"
"Well go then, no one's stopping you!"
But she didn't move - something about this infuriating person stopped her from leaving. He was insane, that much was clear, but there was something else there. It intrigued her and for some reason she felt safe in his presence. 'Oh no, his madness is contagious' she thought. He was staring at his little wand looking device intently, completely ignoring her.
"Well alright then genius, what do we do?"
He looked up at her, then down again. His face was serious, mouth set in a straight line as though he were making an extremely difficult decision. But just as fast as the look appeared it was gone, a smile in it's place. He grabbed Evie by the hand and started leading her out into the main hall. She didn't have a chance to ask any more questions as she was panting heavily trying to match his long strides. She did manage to cast a quick glance over to the front counter and felt a small bit of relief - it was empty which meant the librarian must have gotten out in time.
They were walking briskly down a long corridor but they weren't headed towards an exit.
"What are you doing?" She gasped out, still running along with him as his grip on her hand never let up.
"It's not an earthquake, the waves aren't coming from below they're coming from the sky. Someone is trying to get in contact with me but they aren't being very smart about it. My guess is that this isn't the only building taking the hit - I need to get up there and speak to whoever is doing this before they topple over every house, library and store in this city."
Evie's jaw hung slack - he really was crazy! She'd gone and put her life into the hands of a complete nutter and now she was going to die so that this man could live out his illusions of grandeur.
"YOU DO-DO BRAIN, WHY ARE YOU DRAGGING ME ALONG THEN?"
"Well you didn't leave when you had the chance and I can't very well leave you behind to be crushed to death under all the rubble - It'd be bad for my reputation."
They stopped in front of a small wooden door at the end of the hallway.
"This is a broom closet."
"Yes it is!"
"You've brought me to a broom closet - and the building is falling apart."
She was on the verge of tears, this all seemed so ridiculous.
He had to pry open the door as the vibrations had caused the walls around them to become slightly warped. There was a bright blue phone box inside, crammed into the tiny space. Without waiting for her to comment, the man unlocked the door and pushed his way inside.
"You're completely mad if you think I'm getting inside there with you!"
"Suit yourself!"
The box was making a whirring sound now that seemed very unnatural for a box made out of wood to make. The library groaned around her and she saw a crack begin to form in the wall closest to her head. She let out an involuntary squeak and seconds later heard echoing footsteps approaching her from INSIDE the box. A hand thrust out at her, palm facing upward.
"Let's go already, we really haven't got all day."
She didn't think - she grabbed his hand, closed her eyes and allowed herself to be pulled in. 'I'm about to die anyway, might as well' she thought. She heard the door close behind her and stood up straight, expecting to feel his body pressed up tightly against her own. Instead she felt - nothing? Slowly, she opened her eyes not knowing exactly what she was expecting to see.
"WHAT THE HELL IS THIS?"
End of Chapter 1
(A/N: Well what did you think? What are your thoughts on Evie? Does she remind you of anyone *wink*wink* Hope you guys liked it as much as I enjoyed writing it, and who knows this might just be a series that I actually stick to!)