My eyes slowly peeled open, wincing in preparation for the sun to sting them, but no sun came. I sat up, rubbing my eyes and looked around. Nothing but white. For a moment my heart stopped, until all the memories of yesterday came flooding back.
"Doctor!?" I shouted. Still in my clothes and shoes from yesterday, I jumped out of the bed and ran down the hall. Wait. This was the direction we came from last night, wasn't it? I continued running and came to a fork in the hall. In a rush of adrenalin, I took the left path, shuffling my feet as quickly as I could.
"Hillary?" I heard a voice echoing through the TARDIS, but I couldn't tell which way it was coming from. I quickened my pace, shooting down the halls, turning at random when given the option. I didn't know why, but being half awake in unfamiliar territory in an unfamiliar universe was quite frightening, and being frightened tends to make you do odd things.
"Hillary, where are you? Come back!" The Doctor's voice rang out again.
"Where are you?" I called.
"Just… just stop! Don't go anywhere! I'll come and find you!"
Good idea, I thought. That's what you're supposed to do when you get lost, right? Just sit there and wait. Despite my good intentions, my feet kept moving, slower now, but still wandering aimlessly through the endless abyss called the TARDIS.
Everything was quiet, except for an occasional creak, as if the walls were shifting. Judging from what I'd seen on Doctor Who, they very well could be. A shiver ran down my spine as I continued to walk. What if the TARDIS didn't like me? I brushed my hand along the wall as I walked. "Hey, girl." I said quietly. "If you could help me find my way back to the console… that would be great." I said, stroking a metal beam. The TARDIS made a soft creaking sound.
I don't know if it was the TARDIS, or just luck that helped me, but within the next minute I had found my way back to the main room. The Doctor had left, no doubt into the halls to find me.
I circled the console, inspecting the control panels, but never pushing buttons in fear of sending the TARDIS into flight, or even something more dangerous. Best leave that stuff alone.
"Hillary?" Said the Doctor as he stumbled into the room. "How did you get in here?" He looked around.
"I don't know. I got lost in the halls, but eventually I found my way here."
"The TARDIS let you back in?" A wide grin spread across his face. "Good girl!" He said, looking around at his pride and joy. He turned back to me. "She doesn't usually like new companions." A spark of joy flickered in me as he said that last word.
"Doctor…"
"…Yes?" He was a bit caught off guard by my sudden solemn tone.
I chose my words as carefully as I could, as to not strike a chord I didn't mean to touch. "I know how you… are sad that the people you meet… I mean… how you can never stay with them as long as you want to." I tried to read his face as best I could. "I just… I have nowhere to go back to. Y'know… 'cause we can't go back to my universe. What I'm trying to say is... I'll stay with you."
The Doctor smiled. It hurt me inside, because I knew it wasn't a real smile. It was a mask for all the pain I had brought up. "Most of them say that, Hillary. They don't always choose to go." His tone made me feel as if I was a child, and he my parent. "They all say…" He swallowed hard. "They all say they'll be with me forever."
A deadly silence fell over us.
later
"Well, Hillary." The Doctor said. "Since you can't make up your mind on where to go, I'm going to surprise you." He crossed his arms.
"Ok!" I chirped pleasantly.
He gave me a look that only companions had ever gotten, which made me squee a little inside. He jumped around the understaffed console, pushing buttons, twisting levers and spinning doodads. I tiptoed around, following his every move, observing the actual TARDIS in actual flight. My heart pounded through my throat. It was then that I realized I wasn't sure I could handle more excitement. But we had only just begun.
I froze as the whirring of the phone box started. The engine screeched as the ground suddenly felt unstable. The Doctor paused for a moment and looked at me, no doubt musing at how close my jaw was to the floor. I shook my head in attempt to shut my mouth, but it remained a crack open as I felt an odd sensation. I was really going through time. I was traveling through space faster than light!
I crossed the floor, slightly wobbling, and found myself a seat. Me and the Doctor exchanged glances before the sounds of the ship eventually died down.
"Ready?" He smirked.
I stood up to head for the door, but dropped back down. "No." I gasped.
He chuckled and reached out his hand as support. I delicately placed my own into his, and pulled myself up. I could tell how amused he was by me by the way his shining eyes ran up and down my body, carefully observing my expressions.
I wobbled my way to the door, with a mixture of happiness, exhaustion, and impending doom.
"After you." He said, stepping away from the door to make room for me.
I touched my fingers to the door, took a deep breathe, and pressed it open to see my first alien destination.
