The empty TARDIS sat peacefully, silent save for the ship's constant gentle hum, her engines whirring slowly as she slept, patiently awaiting her captain's return. All was quiet until a dull distant roar, first masked by the tranquil sounds of the TARDIS's slumber, grew louder. Soon, the rhythmic pound of hundreds of pairs of feet upon the ground, echoed by a chorus of what could only be described as guttural roars that nearly drowned out the sound of two human, or human-like, screams. The cacophony grew louder and louder, until with a sudden thud, the Doctor and Clara burst through the door of the TARDIS, slamming it shut quickly behind them, leaning their backs against it, tousled and breathless.
The Doctor and his companion turned towards each other, gasping for air. Clara stared at the Doctor with an expression of awe, joy, and just a little bit of fear. The Doctor returned her expression until a great banging began behind them, jarring the door of the TARDIS. The Doctor broke out into a goofy grin and gave a short laugh as he pushed away from the TARDIS wall to the console, dashing about his precious ship. Clara stared after him, still looking incredulous and a skeptical smile spreading across her face, leaning against the door as if to keep the intruders out, even though they had no chance of getting through the TARDIS's locks. The Doctor, unaware of the scrutiny of his companion, brought the TARDIS to life with a combination of mysterious buttons, cranks and levers, twirling on the ball of his foot as he did so. Soon, the unmistakable sound of the TARDIS rang out, and the pounding on the door ceased.
Clara seemed to gather her wits and made her way toward the Doctor. He spun around and looked down at her, his wide grin still stretched across his face and the tail of his coat swishing to one side as he finally came to a stop. "Ha ha," he sang. "Well that was fun!" Clara laughed. "If you say so," she replied with a hint of uncertainty, although they both knew she was enjoying herself nearly as much as he was. The Doctor pulled a screen down to eye level and was once again consumed in piloting his magnificent ship. Clara smiled at the Doctor's apparent enthusiasm for near death experiences. But she couldn't deny that she too found the adventure thrilling. She began strolling around the console, staring up at the large cylinder that reached to the ceiling, exposing some of the machine's gears and other inner workings.
"So…" the Doctor began. "Where next? Maybe somewhere not quite so dangerous. A bit of relaxing, sightseeing? Although, it never seems to matter how boring of a place we go. Trouble always finds us."
Clara was about to reply, when she stopped suddenly, staring at her feet, a look of shock quickly replacing her gentle smile. Her silence went unnoticed by the Doctor, who was still fiddling with some controls. "We could go to Palnium. See the lovely red lake…"
"Doctor," Clara interrupted quietly. The Doctor rambled on, not noticing the panic in her voice.
"We could watch the formation of the Grastilia galaxy. Beautiful to see those stars align. It's like they're dancing!"
"Doctor…"
"Or Earth, 1950s! Always a favorite of mine. Never really did get to see Elvis."
"Doctor."
"There is the risk of running into Marilyn, however. That would be awkward…"
"DOCTOR!" Clara shouted, finally succeeding in getting his attention. He looked up to where she stood, directly across from him on the other side of the console.
"What is it?" He asked, now concerned as he saw the confusion in Clara's eyes.
"Doctor. Why is there a girl laying on the ground over here?" Clara's voice was now calm and even, yet her brow was raised in surprise.
"What?" the Doctor replied, not understanding what she might mean. Clara merely pointed down towards her feet, the look on her face clearly displaying her impatience with the brilliant, yet sometimes thick, Time Lord. Now the Doctor's brow furrowed in confusion as he rushed around the console to where Clara was standing.
He stopped suddenly when he saw what Clara was pointing at. There was indeed a girl laying on the ground, unconscious, her jeans torn at the knee in a way that suggested it was not meant as a fashion statement, and her hair fanned out on the floor.
The Doctor was breathless, unable to gasp as he kneeled down quickly beside the girl, checking her vitals. Her pulse was normal, and she was breathing. She did have a nasty gash on the temple. The Doctor quickly removed his jacket and balled it up, gently raising her head on top of it. "How," was all the Doctor seemed to be able to say. "How are you here?"
"You know her?" Clara inquired, surprised at his apparent familiarity with the girl. "A friend of yours?"
"Yeah," the Doctor answered distractedly, still staring at the girl's face, brushing a stray strand of blonde hair from her face. Clara could see that this was no ordinary friend as the Doctor sat back on his knees and sighed. "Rose."