dedicated to McKenzieAnne, for pushing me through my block and leaving a lovely first review

Chapter Two

She was enjoying her day, before they caught up to her.

Now, the bright warm calm of the sunlight was broken by a rapid footfall. She'd always been a fast runner. But they'd never been so close to catching her. Her heart pounded rang in her ears, and her adrenaline pumped through her veins. Through her fear of being caught burst a thrill of running once again, and it almost brought a smile to her face.

Rose's breath caught in her throat as she approached an alley. They had slowed down behind her, only enough for her to slip in without their notice.

The police ran by in a matter of seconds, leaving her pressed against the wall and without breath. When she finally let the smallest puff of relief escape her lips, she heard the sound of a gun locking onto its target.

"Got you now, missy."

She tried to move her feet, to fly away, to lift her voice up to the world and scream until her vocal chords bled. But all she could do was close her eyes and whisper, "Maybe you finally have caught me."

And then a hand slipped into hers, warm and calloused and right in all the ways it shouldn't be. Her eyes flew open, and she gawked at the face of the stranger she had met weeks before. His face broke into a huge grin, and he whispered, "Run."

A gunshot rang out behind them as he tugged her along, and she startled in response.

"This way, yeah?" He yelled above the noise of scuffling feet behind them. "Trust me."

He pulled her out of the alley and they ran, hands intertwined, until he reached a blue box and began yanking on the door. "M'sorry!" he shouted, giving the door one move vicious yank before it heaved open. He gestured, hands as wild as his hair, for her to go in. "My fault they're out tonight. Dunno why they went after you, unless they thought I had an accomplice. Odd, honestly, they saw me alone before I escaped them earlier today. Guess they never stopped the manhunt. My ransom must be huge! I've always wanted a big ransom for my head. You're staring at me."

Startled by his change of topic, Rose looked at the blue box he stood in front of. "This is a box."

"Yeah," he agreed happily. "Now into the box you go, or else we're gonna get caught."

"It's a box," she said again, dumbfounded. "You want me to hide out in a box."

"Yes," he sighed, somewhat impatiently.

"Bit...snug." She commented, eyeing the box with a wary eye. He was bouncing on his heels now, eyes brighter than the sun, and definitely lighter than the night she'd first met him. His grin had doubled in size, and he shrugged with a lazy roll of his shoulders.

"Ah, this is only the shell!" the man said, gesturing inside once again. "Now, it's the only place we've got before the police turn that corner in three seconds, so are you in the snug box, or not?"

She gawked at him again, but the sirens growing closer made her push her way inside without much more hesitation.

She couldn't even get passed the doorway.

The space was huge, domed, and something straight out of a movie. He pushed her forward a little to close the door behind her, then skipped around her towards the middle of the room. His arms opened wide, gesturing with pride to the enormous room they stood in.

"Welcome to the good ol' Ship TARDIS. Best sailor in her day, I'll tell you that!"

"But... It's huge!" Rose exploded, uprooting from her spot on the grating to run around the room. "It's impossible! It's beautiful. Oh. Oh, God, it's alien."

She came to a halt in front him, eyes wide with wonder, and he beams at her.

"Very good observation," he commented, tone tiptoeing into sarcastic. But he was still smiling at her, and she couldn't stop the questions that began to burst from her lips.

"How'd you manage it, then? Getting the outside to fit 'round the inside so tightly?" Rose inquired, lip quirking up in a disarming smile.

The man shrugged. "Alien tech?" he tried, testing the words in the light air. Rose almost laughed.

"Alright then. Next question," she continued, her mouth a waterfall of inquiries, and the man beamed at her. "Who are you?"

"The Doctor," he said, title rolling off his tongue easily. Rose furrowed her brow.

"That it?" she asked, and he nodded. "Bit dull, don't you think? 'The Doctor'. You must think you're so impressive!"

His grin deflated at that, and his chest puffed out as he mumbled, "I am so impressive."

Rose laughed, unable to hold back her giggles. He lightened once again, and she continued her questions. "Next. How'd you mean, the police were after you earlier?"

His smile turned more lazy once again, and she wished she were more annoyed by the expression he couldn't stop wearing. "It's the same old life, day to day. Try to save the world, end up with the police on your tail."

Rose tensed at his words, eyes wide and mouth open in a gentle 'o'. "Sounds..."

"A bit mad, yeah," he finished for her. "Any other questions?"

"Alien," she said, slow as she tested the world. "Is that what you are, then?"

"Yep!" the Doctor replied, leaning against a console in the middle of the domed room. "That alright with you?"

"Yeah," she stammered, a bit too quick. "It's brilliant, honestly. Can't imagine how you've done it."

He shrugged with an easy roll of his shoulders. "Little bit of jiggery pokery and you're good to go."

"Too bad I failed that class," Rose said, face straight she sighed with mock longing. The Doctor laughed.

She wanted to admit the sound was nice, but instead it just reminded her where she was.

"What's your name, then?" he asked. "My turn for questions."

"Rose," she blurted, and it dawned on her too late that she had given her real name.

"Like the galaxy," the Doctor commented with a nod, and Rose shook her head.

"Like the flower. I need to go home," she mumbled, turning to the door. Her hand lingered on the handle, and she was only just pushing it open when the Doctor stopped her.

"It was nice meeting you, Rose," he mentioned, voice oozing with ease and laziness and a confidence she could only wish she had. "I'll be seeing you soon."

It was her second time walking away from him. But this time, she couldn't stop herself from turning back to glance at him once last time.

His smile was worth her hesitation.

A/N: Thank you for all your lovely follows. Please drop a review! You all deserve much love.