Doctor and an oppressed, clueless, alien used like a tool... Yet another character that I needed out of my mind, though very... cute, I guess? Character's cluelessness was fun to write.

Noise. There were animals growling, footsteps approaching, whimpers echoing around the stone walls as I peered out from my arms with a low growl; orange eyes flashing dangerously as two people approached the metal cage I was trapped in.

"Now this one is our prized fighter!" The larger man grinned proudly, tapping the bars with the end of his whip. "She hasn't disappointed us yet!"

He laughed jovially, his large stomach bouncing on his waist as he headed for the stairs, but the second person didn't move and instead called out to him.

"Is it okay if I just look around for a bit? You know, get a look at the merchandise?"

"Sure, sure! Just don't get too close. I'm not going to be responsible if one of them decides to maul you." He laughed, opening the door upstairs and disappearing.

Surprisingly enough though, the man who stayed behind let out a growl of his own.

"Despicable."

I could feel the anger coming off him and made sure I was pressed up against the bars at the back corner of my cage as I narrowed my eyes at him. I knew better than to go around trusting every person who walked into this room and called the owner names. They were always the same. They came here to watch the fights like everyone else. They'd give empty promises to the other people and creatures in here. Telling them they'd buy them and get them out, and they'd get hopeful, let their guard down, and died the next round. I wasn't going to fall for it. Not even when those emerald green eyes sadly looked at me huddled in the back of my cage and the slim man in the bow-tie knelt down before me; placing a hand on the bars.

"I'll get you out of here. I promise."

I lifted my lips up in a snarl, growling at the man and surprising him as I spoke in the broken Argonian that I knew.

"Esma. Yhet lla esma. Oy'ure tno ffidreten." Same. They all same. You're not different.

I curled up tighter and buried my face in my arms once more, relishing in the silence and swallowing thickly after having not used my voice in years.

"I lliw veas oyu." I will save you.

I peered an eye open to look at him once more, seeing the conviction in his gaze as my heart skipped at seeing that and hearing someone else speak Argonian after so long, but I quickly shoved the surprise back and closed my eye again; hoping to get some rest before the fight coming up. I would need it, after all, if I wanted to survive. Though I couldn't help but listen as this man let out a soft sigh and disappeared upstairs, a tiny part of me actually hoping that he'd be the one to finally keep a promise and get me out of here. My hope was shoved aside though, when there was a loud clatter against the bars of my cage and I growled as I was poked and prodded out of my position by men with cattle prods, forcing me out and into the open where they could loop catch poles around my neck to move me along safety. For them, anyway. The wires around my neck often caused bruising and even cut into me on occasion.

From there though, I was brought into another room where I was stripped out of my ratty white clothes and forced into some 'battle gear' as the owner liked to call it; flimsy metal arm guards placed on my new—but no less dirty—clothes along with a small dagger at my waist as my only weapon. It was my weapon of choice, sure, but preferably I'd rather just not have to fight at all. But life doesn't really work that way, does it? I knew better. Life had thrown me the short end of the stick time and time again, and I'd grown tired of fighting it and grew used to it. This was the norm for me now. Cages, fighting, losing my own language and personality bit by bit until I was nothing more than a beast in a cage who ate food out of small metal trays and was whipped into submission upon doing something wrong. This was me. This was who I was now, and nothing had changed that. Nothing was going to change that. No matter what that man had promised.

And I stepped out into the small arena, wincing at the harsh orange glow of the suns up above us that I hadn't seen since the last round of fighting, as well as the numerous loud cheers than rang out; deafening me as the owner spoke in a loud booming voice.

"Our champion, who has yet to be defeated, is back for another round of ferocious fighting! Three new opponents who might very well end her reign! But! Who's to say? She might just hang on to her title! So let's get this show on the road and find out, shall we? Behold, her first opponent, a Karadax!"

I shifted my gaze across the way to see a walking shark-like creature, built for fighting and gnashing its teeth every so often. When its gaze locked on me though, all thoughts disappeared from my mind as it charged at me swiftly and I ducked and dodged its assaults. My first actual hit to the alien was a hard punch to the nose and, surprisingly enough, the alien let out a wail and backed off, shaking its head and clutching at it as though I'd stabbed him. Taking that as my chance, however, I easily incapacitated the alien and he was soon taken out; probably belonging to someone like the owner, except they cared on whether he lived or died at the end of a match. Cheers rang out, but I caught sight of the owner and his bored expression and knew that things weren't going to be as easy as this one.

Sure enough, my next opponent was an Aggedor; a large, powerful creature much like an Earth bear except more heavily built with a boar's head and a large horn and tusks. The fight with it only grew worse though, because the beast was hungry and blind and I had no other choice than to kill the beast before it could do the same to me. During the fight, however, I was unable to prevent myself from getting a bit torn up and by the end of it, my right arm was bleeding heavily after the beast had slashed it with its claws. Cheers had rang out when I'd managed to stab the beast fatally, but I stared at the creature solemnly; hating what I'd had to do to it, but knowing that I had no other choice. Not in this life.

"Ster ni ceape." Rest in peace. I muttered under my breath as the creature was removed from the arena and I turned away from it to face my next opponent; as detached from all of this as I could possibly make myself.

I was right in doing this, because the next round consisted of me fighting three strong cons from the prison nearby. This wouldn't be the first time I'd be fighting people like them. It had become a sort of tradition for the owner to make a deal with prison wardens in order to help them lower their numbers and get a good show out of it. But I knew what it came down to for them, making them twice as dangerous as the usual fighters. Because these men had nothing to lose and were probably told they'd get their lives back if they beat me. Of course, what they didn't know, was that that was how I lived my life every single day. And I wasn't about to give up now.

So I charged in, taking out the slowest of the group with a single stab to the kidney from behind and swinging around to try and take out the other, only for him to dodge and swing at me with his long sword. I ducked and sped closer, blood pumping in my ears and drowning out the roars of the audience. He had the advantage with his longer weapon, so as I charged in, I quickly changed directions and went for the other opponent who—though on the larger side—was the slower of the two, carrying a large club as his weapon of choice. He didn't expect it and I managed to cut him pretty deeply in the upper thigh; hoping I'd hit an artery or nerve that would slow him down even more. Surprisingly enough, it didn't and the man proved to be faster than I expected and swung his club around to slam into my stomach and send me flying back. I managed to twist myself to land on my feet, but had to take a minute to catch my breath. A minute I didn't have before the swordsman came running over.

I rushed past him, managing to nick him in the side with my blade before I took my chance and slide between the big guy's legs; digging my dagger into the artery on the inside of his right thigh and incapacitating him. With only one opponent left, I faced him and was finally able to catch my breath, when I felt eyes on me and I spotted someone sitting beside the owner; said man laughing in glee at the fight. The man I saw though wasn't laughing. His green eyes showed complete seriousness and disgust as to what was happening in front of him and my brows furrowed in confusion; having never before seen someone come to a fight and not be enjoying it. Not only that, but I recognized those eyes. They were the same eyes that stared at me from outside my cage not hours before, promising to save me. And when those very same eyes locked onto mine once more, something caught in my chest, just before I spotted the glint of a sword heading my way.

My body moved automatically, dodging past the sword and ignoring the pain it cause upon nicking a part of my ear as I buried my dagger to the hilt in the man's stomach. The man collapsed beside me onto the ground, sliding off my blade and leaving me panting there as I shook in confusion as to this new feeling pumping through me. This sudden feeling that everything I was doing was sick and disgusting and just so… wrong that I'd much rather die here and now than to continue on like this. Like an animal, when I was so much more than that. A feeling that I'd never known until I saw those eyes cut through me. The eyes of that serious man in the bow-tie who promised to save me.

I was startled out of these thoughts as a pained groan echoed from behind me and chants started coming up from the audience as I realized I hadn't killed the swordsman in one hit like I'd hoped.

"Kill him! Kill him!" They chanted, their words lost on me as I stared down at the man and battled with these sudden feelings that conflicted one another in my stomach.

I almost did it though. I almost detached myself from feeling again and finished the man off, like I had many times before. But the man looked at me and for a split second, I saw those green eyes staring sadly at me, promising me again, and I dropped my dagger into the dirt in defiance; the audience starting to murmur as the owner spoke.

"What are you doing? Finish him!" He ordered, but I looked at the green-eyed man beside him briefly before turning back to him and shaking my head. "Do it! I order you!"

I didn't move and the owner stood up and pulled out a gun.

"If you won't do it, then I will." He snarled and I don't know what possessed me to do it, but I moved and stood in front of the man on the ground; coming between him and what would surely be his death.

The owner growled and cocked his weapon, only for the green-eyed man to say something to him and for him to grumble before waving the guards to come in and remove me, while he apologized to the audience and prepared a different fight to entertain them. Making me wonder what the green-eyed man had done and what was going to happen now.

I flinched again as the whip cracked along my spine, sending tendrils of pain through my back as I grit my teeth and the owner hit me again. This was my punishment, it seems, for disobeying an order from him. I had almost forgotten what it was like, having kept quiet and obedient for so long while in his ownership. Though a part of me felt pleased that I had acted out for the first time in years. Feeling elated at the sight of the owner's furious face as he was embarrassed in front of hundreds of people. Then again, maybe that was just the pain and adrenaline talking because I was sure that I had lost any sanity I had left if I thought that being beat was a good thing. Finally though, the owner stopped; huffing and puffing as he slumped and glared at my back, before he reached out and grabbed me by the hair and turned me around and slamming me into the wall behind me.

"You are mine. You understand me? Mine! And that means when I tell you to do something, you better damn well do it. Got it?!" He spat in my face as I just stared back at him blankly before he scoffed and threw me back into my cage.

He kicked the door shut with a loud rattle before ordering the guards that I was to get no food or water for the next three days as punishment, unless I was on the verge of death. Then he and the guards disappeared upstairs and I was left alone once more in my cage, in the dark, with nothing but the snarling noises of the other creatures in the room to keep me company. I pulled myself up from off the floor with a cringe of pain, moving back into my usual corner and curling up with my shoulder pressed up against the bars this time; keeping my aching back out in the open and having it face the front of the cage as I let out a soft, stuttering sigh. There wasn't much I could do now. I hadn't seen the green-eyed man since I was removed from the arena and what tiny sliver of hope he'd given me had dwindled down to a virtually non-existent speck as I drifted into a half-conscious sleep.

I couldn't tell you how long it had been before there was a noise that was different from the usual clattering creatures in the room or the occasional guard poking in and doing their rounds. It was gone in an instant though, and when I heard the door to the upstairs open, I assumed the guard had tripped over something and had made the noise, so I ignored it and started to drift off again. That is, until I heard a clattering near the bars of my cage and I let out a low growl as I peered an eye open and turned slightly to see who was bothering me. I couldn't help but be shocked though at the man who knelt there with a green penlight that buzzed as he pointed it at my cage door; quickly unlocking it.

"Come on. We don't have much time and…"

His eyes locked with mine then, before slowly drifting down to my exposed back and immediately softening as he slowly pulled the door open with a guilty look on his face.

"They… I'm so sorry. They did that to you, and I..." He looked down at my cage floor as I furrowed my brows at him, confused as to why he was so upset about my punishment for acting out.

I may not understand much of what people were saying around me, but I did understand he was upset about this, though I hadn't the slightest idea why. He shook himself out of his thoughts then and reached towards me, making me growl at him and halting the action. I was still cautious of him, as I rightfully should be. I'd had enough of people and aliens alike and this one man wasn't going to change that. He seemed to realize this, but continued to hold out his hand, looking determined.

"Please. Let me get you out of here." He shook his head, before repeating himself in Argonian. "Slepae. Tel em teg oyu tuo fo reeh."

I eyed him, hesitant, but slowly uncurled myself from my corner and moved towards him. I stopped, maybe a few inches away, feeling a bit trapped with him blocking the entrance to the cage, but he soon backed up and retreated a safe distance and I came out and stood upright outside; feeling strange at being able to without the catch poles and cattle prods. I jumped when there was a crash and pounding at the door upstairs and the green-eyed man suddenly grabbed my wrist and started pulling me to the only other door in the room.

"Whoops. Took too long. Off we go!"

I allowed him to pull me along, staring at his hand on my wrist in confusion at the action, before a thought drifted into mind.

"Reweh ginog?" Where going?

We rounded a corner, only to see guards coming and he turned us around to another corridor.

"Not that way!" He said, before answering me. "Siph." Ship.

I skidded to a halt, breath catching in my throat at the remembrance of the last ship I'd been on and how that trip went. Cramped cages, screeching animals, a churning stomach that gave no room to keep any food down and the noise of the engines that made my ears burn for days afterward. I hadn't noticed I'd stopped, nor pulled the man to a stop, until he squeezed my wrist to get my attention.

"L'il peke oyu faes. I somprie." I'll keep you safe. I promise.

He lightly tugged and I allowed him to pull me along once more, not knowing why I trusted this man so quickly. I remembered being called one of the "beasts of old" by a man interested in buying me once. He'd woven a tale about these beasts so fierce and dangerous that they could take down armies with one swipe of their tail and cause disasters with one beat of their massive wings. He said they had a weakness though, one he believed to be mine when he caught me staring at the chain hanging out of his pocket for his fob watch.

"They have an eye for the shiny and mysterious. Jewels and precious metals. Items that captivate the eyes enough for them to let their guard down, even when they're up against the most dangerous of opponents."

And I believed in that instant that he was right. And this man, tugging me along, was that mysterious, precious, shiny object. His emerald eyes captivating me in one look and making me do things that I hadn't done or felt in years. He was my weakness and a part of me was scared. Weaknesses weren't acceptable in my books. Weaknesses got you killed and I couldn't die. Not yet. So I picked up my pace, running almost alongside the green-eyed man up until he came to a sudden halt in front of a blue box of some kind.

It wasn't very big. Maybe big enough for two people inside, three if you squished together, and I tried to tug him to another corridor, but he remained firmly rooted to the spot as he pulled out a key and began unlocking the box. I was confused, unsure why one would need a key for this box and—a much better question—why he was stopping to unlock it when the guards rounded the corner down the hall and I made my tugging more urgent.

"Ah-ha!" He cheered upon opening the door, and he easily pulled me inside, despite me digging in my heels as a sense of claustrophobia overcame me at the thought of being trapped in a tiny box; much like the cage I'd finally escaped from.

But when we were in the box and the green-eyed man had closed the doors behind us, I suddenly didn't know what to think. The box was much bigger on the inside, with a low humming of an engine echoing throughout the area I was in. The green-eyed man rushed up some steps and began twisting and pulling at levers and switches on a console around a large glowing green tube in the center of the room and panic finally settled in as I turned to bolt from the ship. Because that's what it was, I'd now realized. A ship. A ship that I was in and the green-eyed man was about to pilot somewhere to take me away. And as much as I didn't want to be back where I was, there was this overwhelming sense of fear steadily growing inside me at being trapped in a ship with someone I didn't know or trust, and about to be taken somewhere else entirely. Someplace I wouldn't know. Someplace that might not be much safer than where I had been.

So I scrambled back to the doors and tugged on the handles, but they were locked and wouldn't budge as the ship let out a groan and wheezing noise, only setting me more on edge. Then the ship began to shake and rock violently and I fell to my knees before grabbing onto a railing nearby and clinging to it for life as I curled up into a ball on the floor; shaking in fear. Not knowing what to do or what would happen next. The engines went quiet and the ground ceased its erratic movements, but I did not unlatch myself from the railing beside me, nor did I move; for that matter. It wasn't until the green-eyed man spoke that I was able to focus on anything other than the sounds of my rapidly beating heart in my ears.

"Perfect! Now that we're adrift in the Time Vortex, I can go ahead and take a look at your wounds and—" He stopped and I clenched my eyes shut, honestly wishing he'd kept going so I wouldn't have to listen to my shaky breathing telling me how weak I was acting, and how fearful I really was now that reality had caught up with me.

I heard his approaching footsteps and flinched when they stopped beside me and he knelt down to my level; feeling the burning of his eyes on me as I struggled not to open my eyes and look at him. He may have saved me from the hell I was in, but who was I to say he wouldn't take me to another?

"What's wrong?" He asked in fluent Argonian, not seeming to have the need to correct what language he was using this time, like he had before. "Was it my ship? I know the ride can be a bit rough and I might have thrown too much at you at once, but I honestly wasn't intending to frighten you."

I understood the gist of what he was asking me—my understanding of my own language being limited after so long of not hearing or speaking it—but I wasn't sure what to tell him. I certainly didn't want to go back, but I didn't like being here. Not behind lock and key. Bigger on the inside box or not.

"Prapted." Trapped. I breathed out, knuckles white against the railing I was still clutching. "Elt out." Let out.

"Trapped? Oh! No! I'm not trapping you! Look!" He got up and I reluctantly opened my eyes upon feeling a chill.

My eyes widened though as I looked through the now opened doors, the dark expanse of space littered with stars and planets spread out before the two of us.

"See?" The man smiled, waving a hand out the door. "I just didn't want you to fall off into space. You're free. Like I promised."

I hesitantly stood up on shaky legs, letting the railing go and stepping towards the doors in fascination, going so far as to stick my head and shoulders out of the open doors as I hung onto the door frame, to make sure I wasn't imagining this. I was in space. Actual space. In an instant! I'd never seen it before, having usually been packed in with the rest of the animals in the holding section of a ship when traveling from one arena to another on various planets, but this honestly took my breath away. Any and all fear went out the window and I very nearly took a step out the doors, if it weren't for the green-eyed man grabbing my elbow to stop me.

"I wouldn't do that. You'll be alright in here, but if you walk out there, I might just very well lose you."

I furrowed my brows, confused and he seemed to understand that and shut the doors as he pulled a hand through his moppy brown hair; rephrasing things.

"Ah, dangerous. Bad. You could fall."

I understood that and nodded, though I still felt rather uncomfortable in this ship of his when the doors were closed. It was like the room before being pushed out into the arena. No escape other than the one possibly leading to my death. The man though, seemed determined to keep my mind off of things however, and took my wrist in his hand again, tugging me along.

"Come. Let's heal those wounds."

He pulled me down a hall as I looked around, fascinated by everything we passed from the strange wooden doors to the metal circle things on the walls and the grating underneath our feet that soon gave way to smooth flooring. I'd only ever seen the inside of my cage and the gravel floor of the arena and surrounding rooms, so even that was interesting to me and I barely even noticed we'd entered another room until I lifted my gaze to find bright white walls and a covered table of some kind. The man pat the table, revealing it to be soft and covered with a cloth of some kind.

"Here. Sit."

I went over hesitantly, touching the material that was silky smooth under my fingers, tilting my head curiously as I took a little jump and sat on it like he'd wanted; surprised at how the material seemed to bounce a little when I did. I felt like a kid with a new toy and bounced a little more, before I felt eyes on me and I turned to see the green-eyed man looking at me with a strange look.

"Have you… never seen a bed before?"

I frowned, confused at the word that I didn't know. "Deb?" Bed?

His eyes softened, looking sad, before he smiled strangely and covered it up, pointing to the object I was sitting on.

"This is a bed. You sleep on it, usually."

I eyed the bed and bounced a little once more, before I watched the man move towards my back, making me stiffen.

"It's okay." He said softly, voice calm. "I'm helping. It'll hurt a little."

I stayed stock still, wincing when he pressed something lightly against my back that stung my wounds, but not once moving away. When I got hurt during fights, the guards would do something similar and I'd get hit and chained up if I moved while they worked, so I stayed where I was as this man did the same. He had me remove my shredded shirt and bandaged me up, before digging through a tiny room and pulling out a number of clothes; throwing them over his shoulder before bringing one to me with a smile.

"Here we go! I think this shade of blue would work." He smiled, passing me the shirt and I stared at it in confusion; not knowing what to do with it.

I suspected that he wanted me to wear it, but I honestly wasn't sure how. The guards usually dressed me and undressed me respectively, but when faced with this challenge, I didn't want to back down. Especially since I didn't know what this man wanted from me, so I'd best do what he said, if I didn't want to end up back where he'd brought me. So I attempted to pull the shirt on, like I saw the guards do, but I must have twisted it wrong and mistakened one of the four holes in the cloth, because I was soon stuck and struggling with said article, which was half on me and half bundled up on my shoulder. I frowned in frustration, but the man chuckled and pulled it off, before helping me put it on the right way and explaining how it worked. The largest hole was what I was supposed to put my body through, then the two smallest holes on the side were where my arms would go; with my head coming out the top.

"Seems I've got a lot to teach you, if you can't even put on a shirt right." He said, though he was smiling so I suspected that I wasn't in trouble for anything just yet.

I felt I should be embarrassed though. For what exactly, I wasn't sure. The man then hit himself in the face, startling me.

"Oh, I haven't even introduced myself yet! And I just went and kidnapped you." He sighed, before smiling again and holding out his hand to me. "I'm the Doctor."

I blinked, confused once more at his gesture and what he meant; yet another foreign word being thrown into the mix.

"Tordoc?" Doctor?

He nodded, pointing to himself. "Doctor. That's me. Who are you?"

He pointed to me then and I pointed at myself, earning a nod. But I honestly had no idea what he wanted me to say.

"Name." He said, smile faltering as he looked at me in worry. "You… do have a name, don't you?"

"Enam? Wath si… enam?" Name? What is… name? I asked, genuinely curious.

"Oh dear." He muttered, messing up his hair again. "A-A… A name is… something you call yourself. Something that others call you. Like, I'm the Doctor."

He pointed to himself again and I pointed at him this time, understanding a part of what he was saying.

"Tordoc."

"Yup!" He nodded, before pointing at me. "And you?"

I pointed at myself, brows furrowed as I tried to think of what people called me. And they called me a number of things, so I tried to figure out which name I was called the most.

"M'i… sept." I'm… pest. I concluded, looking proud that I'd found my name, but the Doctor looked devastated and I slowly frowned, stumped again as he shook his head.

"No. No, no. That's not… That's not a name. That is… That is a very mean word. Bad word. We don't call people that." He said sternly, making me even more confused than I already was. "Okay. You, um, probably don't have a name or don't remember it, so… how about I give you one? Hm? How's that sound?"

"Vige enam?" Give name?

"Yup!" He smiled again. "I'll say a name and you decide if you like it or not, okay?"

I nodded, feeling a buzzing energy in me at receiving something from someone that wasn't food or the occasional scraps of clothing or weapons.

"How about… Tammy?"

I tried mouthing the foreign word, but shook my head, deeming it too difficult to pronounce.

"Alright, then what about Kate?"

I shook my head again, not caring for the sound of that name.

"Isabelle? Joan? Evangeline? Silvia? Tiffany? Alex? Danny? Avery? Ellis? Charlie? Robin? Riley? Jamie? Sam? Drew? Blake? Tanner? Chris?" He rattled off, before I stopped him, waving a finger at him and he raised a brow, backtracking. "Blake?"

I shook my head, waving him along.

"Chris?"

I shook my head again and he thought a second more before saying the next name.

"Tanner?"

I nodded, liking that one and he mouthed it a few times, before nodding with a smile.

"Alright then. Tanner it is!"

What happened next was strange. For me, anyway. I was filled with this buzzing feeling and a lightness that I didn't understand and my lips lifted up to reveal my teeth in a way that wasn't a snarl. It felt strange. This feeling. I'd felt it before, I could tell, but it had been so long that feeling it again now was strange and the instant it happened, I quickly made it stop; bringing a hand to my rapidly beating heart in a panic as the Doctor stared at me in pleasant surprise, which only worried me more.

"Kisc? M'i kisc?" Sick? I'm sick? I asked him, scared as to what this stirring in my stomach meant, but he just laughed.

"No! Gosh, no. You're not sick! That was happiness! You were happy! You smiled! A very nice smile at that. I was just surprised, that's all."

I furrowed my brows. Lost.

"Ont kisc? Wath si phapy? Milse ont dab?" Not sick? What is happy? Smile not bad?

He shook his head, taking my wrist and tugging me lightly from the bed; which I looked back at sadly, having liked the soft, bouncy object.

"Oh no. Happy is good! Smiling is good! You smile when you're happy. And happy is that funny feeling you get when something good happens. Like butterflies in your stomach." The Doctor explained, the two of us arriving in another strange room with smooth counters and odd machines humming away.

"Wath si ttuberlifes?" What is butterflies? I asked, another foreign word coming up in his speech.

"They're these little creatures that fly. Flutter, if you will. Like… Ah! Like this!"

He reached over and picked up a piece of paper, folding it this way and that until it took shape into a winged creature, handing it to me as I hesitantly took it with a puzzled look; tugging lightly at the wings.

"A butterfly looks like that." He said, pointing at the paper as I turned it around and looked at it from all angles, before tossing it up in the air only for it to fall; making me frown.

"Ti on lyf." It no fly.

He chuckled, picking it up and handing it back to me. "That's because it's paper. I'll show you some butterflies later. For now, how about some food?"

At the word 'food', my stomach growled and I eagerly looked around for the metal tray I usually received with food on it; the Doctor chuckling again.

"Look, come here. Pick something that you like." He said, opening a machine that let out cold air and made me lean into it in curiosity as to where the chilly breeze was coming from.

"Reweh clod morf?" Where cold from?

Laughing still, the Doctor tugged me out of the machine and led me to a chair to sit on at a table.

"How about I just pick some things and if you like them, you can have them. If not, I'll put them back. That okay?"

I wasn't sure what to do, so I nodded and kicked my feet back and forth as they hung off the ground in the tall chair, which I realized now, was a chair like those at a bar. A stool, I think they called them. I decided then, that I liked stools. Something slid on the table towards me and I tilted my head curiously at the different varieties of food on the plates before me; most of which I'd never seen before. I glanced at the Doctor who smiled and pointed out each thing on the plate.

"That's macaroni and cheese with peas and carrots, fish and chips, roast chicken, mashed potatoes and gravy, apple slices, grapes, bananas, green beans, broccoli, french bread, buttered toast, beans, jam, clam chowder, chicken noodle soup, a ham and turkey sandwich, and custard. Which I prefer on fish fingers."

I blinked at the array of food, desperately wanting to just devourer the whole lot of it, but I wasn't sure what I should do with the Doctor watching me and the numerous things I didn't even know if I might like.

"Anyway, I figured Earth food would be the best thing." The Doctor continued to rant on. "It's some of the easiest food in the universe to eat and acquire, and since you've probably never had some of it, I figured why not?" He then noticed me and waved a hand at the plates. "Go ahead. Eat."

I nodded and did so. Using my hands to pick up pieces of food to try before I'd go ahead and devour what I wanted. I liked most of the food, but—according to the Doctor—I seemed to have a problem with the color green. Any food of that color I seemed to naturally dislike, though carrots were also on the list of foods I didn't like. I felt bad at first though, and tried to eat everything even if I didn't like it, but the Doctor must have noticed and had begun to pull away food that he could tell I disliked; saying something along the lines of I didn't have to eat it if I didn't like it. It was… different, I had to say. I wasn't used to having choices in what I wanted to eat and how I wanted to eat them. The Doctor had made quite the expression when I'd dipped the bananas into the gravy and mashed potatoes. But then again, he was eating fish fingers and custard, so I wasn't alone in my strange choice of dipping foods. Surprisingly enough though, I hadn't managed to eat a whole lot of anything. Despite how hungry I'd felt, I'd only managed to try a bit of everything before I started to feel full and then I'd finished off about half of the macaroni and cheese and fish and chips; two of my favorites out of all the food. After that, I'd started to doze off at the table; head drooping only to snap up again when I came back to my senses. The Doctor though, got up and took my wrist once more, tugging me along the corridors of his ship until he found a room and opened it for me, gesturing to another bed; this one with a black cloth over it that was speckled with tiny white dots here and there, like stars.

He went over to a small room, much like the one he'd gotten my shirt from, and pulled out some different clothes. He helped me put them on, muttering something under his breath about having an 'Amy' do this next time, before pushing my shoulders down so I was lying on the bed and tucked under the 'covers'; as he called them. I curled into the covers and yawned, blinking tiredly and starting to fall asleep, before I saw the Doctor heading for the door and my heart suddenly leapt into my throat.

"Tordoc."

He stopped and turned towards me as I felt a tightness in my throat and a heat on my face, feeling childish at suddenly calling out to him and I buried my head under the covers as I heard him come back to the bed.

"Tanner? What is it?"

"Yast…" Stay… I muttered, hearing him sigh and tensing; thinking that he was annoyed by me and would send me back because of my acting out.

"Yes, of course." He said instead, making me poke my eyes out from under the covers as he flicked on a small light beside the bed and pulled out a book from his pocket; round glasses now on his face as the lights dimmed with a hum from his ship. "I'll stay right here until you wake up, Tanner. Promise."

He ruffled the top of my head and I felt that strange 'happy' feeling again; though I didn't smile this time and just nodded, sinking into the covers once more as I fell asleep. Not knowing that my hand had come out from under the covers to hang onto the edge of the Doctor's tweed jacket to ensure he'd stay right where he was; beside me.