Darcy slipped into the control room, her socked feet making almost no sound. She stood in the doorway watching as the Doctor sat at the open Tardis door, his feet dangling out into space. It was strange seeing him so quiet, he was normally dashing about, this way and that, pressing buttons and flicking switches. To see him like this was unnerving.

"What are you doing sitting here in silence?" She leaned her shoulder against the wall, her eyes adjusting to the abnormally dark room.

The Doctor turned to face inside, a slight smile on his face as looked upon Darcy. It had been a month since he had dragged her out of her universe and into his. In that time she had traveled with him, exploring and saving planets.

For a single moment after he had realized what he had done, he had thought about dropping her off on Earth. He had lost too many companions, he was a danger to their lives and their hearts. That moment passed quickly as he realized how wrong his line of thought was. He had been the one to pull her away from her own universe, away from her friends and family and all that was familiar. Now she was his responsibility, and he couldn't just leave her alone in an unfamiliar world.

"There is no true silence in the universe, only absence of sound." He leaned his back against the doorframe, crossing his legs at the ankles. He could barely see Darcy's expression in the dim light of the console, but he imagined she looked quite annoyed with him.

"I hate to break it to you, but that is what silence is." Darcy left the wall and maneuvered her way to the door. She slipped down at his feet, flicking at the toe of his shoe with her hand.

"Nope!" The Doctor tapped his foot twice on her knee before spinning in place so he could return to his previous position.

"Nope?! What do you mean, nope? Do I have to get out a dictionary and actually show you the definition of silence?" Darcy blinked at the man… alien… alien man, in front of her. She had known he could be a bit… eccentric… even before she was pulled into his universe. After living with him for a month she realized that the show really downplayed it.

"Do you hear any sounds right now, Darcy Lewis?" The Doctor turned his head back and grinned. Forgetting about what came later, the loss and heart ache, he decided to focus on the good bits. The bits where he got to show all of time an space to someone for the first time, watch their eyes grow big and the look of wonder light up their face.

"Besides our voices, no." She let out a little shriek when, without warning, the Doctor reached back and yanked her forward. He settled her beside him, her legs dangling into space with his. She had seen him in this position many times before, but she had never been brave enough to join him. She knew he would never allow her to fall, but it was the thought of so much nothing below her that was scary. It was like getting on a boat out in the ocean, you knew that the chances of the ship sinking were low, but you couldn't help but freak out over the many, many creepy-ass things lurking in those waters.

"Now, listen." He leaned into her side a little, watching her face as she did as told. He could see her frustration and couldn't help but give a little laugh.

"I don't know if this is some Time Lord thing or not, but I'm not hearing anything." Darcy shook her head and made to get up. She huffed when he pressed her back down with a single hand. Before she could get after him, he slid back enough that he was able to sit behind her with a leg on each side. She swallowed as she realized she was now cradled between his legs with her back resting on his chest.

"This is better." Reaching up, he placed both hands over her ears, cupping them lightly. He left them there for only a second, pressing them in until he laid them flat against her head. Slowly he slid his hands until he had uncovered her ears, but continued to hold her head. "Now, listen."

Darcy opened her mouth to ask him what the hell he was doing, but she didn't get a word out before the world around her erupted into sound. From all around her she could hear an undulating buzz reminiscent of a singing bowl. The deep pulsing bass, like rapid heartbeats. Amongst this a high hum that made her think of the tales of sirens. She closed her eyes and relaxed completely into arms of the man behind her.

For a while the two remained quiet, and when Darcy did decide to speak it was a whisper. Somehow it felt wrong to speak any louder than that.

"What is this? It is beautiful." Darcy was so focused on the sounds surrounding her that she almost missed his reply.

"That is the song of the universe. Electromagnetic radiation translated into sound so you can hear it. This is all around you, all the time, everywhere. Even when you can't hear it, it is there." He rested his chin on her head, his eyes taking in the universe outside. "This is what I meant."

"Never silence, only absence of sound." Darcy had never heard anything so beautiful in her life, the song of planets and stars, or creation around her. She felt the Doctor's hands slip from her head, the sounds abruptly stopping as soon as they were gone.

Darcy remained sitting at the door as the Doctor stood and returned inside. The control room lit up and the spell surrounding her seemed to disappear. She stood and followed back inside, sitting down in the chair.

"Is that what you hear all the time?" She watched as he flicked a couple of switches and looked up to give her a small smile.

"It is different depending on where you are in the universe, but yes." He flicked the switch to close the doors and quickly set about entering a series of coordinates into the console.

"Doesn't it ever drive you crazy?" Darcy pulled her feet up onto the chair to prevent the Doctor from stepping on them as he rushed about.

"Never. That is the sound of life." He stopped where he stood, his eyes setting on the young woman. "True silence, now that would drive me to insanity. I couldn't stand that, not ever."

Darcy swallowed back the lump that formed in her throat. She didn't need him to explain what he meant, it was all etched out in his face. And, she thought, she agreed with him. True silence would be horrifying.

Author's Note: Alright, had this story started for awhile, but just now was able to finish it. Actually got the idea while I was in Humanities class when we were talking about experimental styles of music.

Anyway, I suggest reading this, or at least the last half of this after going on YouTube and looking up the videos of the NASA recording of the sounds of the planets. They are really interesting.

And I have been asked if I will be following Who Cannon, and yeah I will, and at some point I might write a chapter during one of the eps, but I will be focusing mainly on the in-between time. I don't just want to rewrite the series with just Darcy thrown in.

And I'm tagging this TemperalShock, because I'm not sure what the ship name for this is, if it even has one yet so I'm tagging it this right now.

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.