A/N: So, here is an interlude to the adventure, as promised. Little shorter, but I think interludes are. It's in the name. Thank you guys so much for the response I've gotten so far!

"Just leave her!" Mike yelled. "There's nothing you can do!" He tried to grab John, but he pulled away.

"No, 'cause you see, I've got a job, but I haven't got a future. I've got no one, no family, no real friends besides you, and I reckon she hasn't either. But I'll tell you what I can do. I can help her save the world for everyone else." John grinned.

"Right then, I'll be off! Unless," she shrugged, "I don't know. You could come with me."

John grinned and looked at Mike. "See ya, mate," he said, and took off running to the blue box.

"But – " Mike said, but John never knew the end of that sentence as the TARDIS doors closed behind him, leaving his old world behind him.

Interlude: Welcome to the TARDIS

John leaned against the TARDIS doors once they closed, a bit out of breath. The Wolf was doing her dance around the column in the middle of the room, sending the ship into the air once more. Once done, she turned to John and grinned.

"Welcome aboard, Doctor John Smythe!" she said with a contagious grin. "Or, rather, back aboard."

John gave an easy smile back. "Thanks."

The Wolf spread out her arms. "So! As you already know, this is the TARDIS. My ship, but she's also my home."

"I thought guys only called their vehicles 'she'," John said.

The Wolf raised her eyebrows. "Don't let her hear you call her a vehicle, John," she warned. "She may be a ship, but she is very much alive."

John's eyes widened. Living spaceships? "What?" he asked. "How is that – what?" Not very articulate, there.

"She is a sentient being, just like you or me. And really doesn't take to being referred to as something like a car. Fair warning, stay on her good side."

John nodded, suddenly a bit frightened. "Noted." He looked up at the ceiling. "Sorry TARDIS." The lights flashed bright for a second, then turned back down to their normal hue.

The Wolf grinned. "She likes you. No one accepts her being alive so quickly, and no one ever talks to her besides me. You're good, John." She motioned to him, and he walked up the ramp through coral-looking pillars to the Wolf's side in the center of the room by the column.

"This is the console. These controls are what get the old girl dematerialized into the Vortex before rematerializing wherever I want to go," she explained.

John eyed the "controls". Buttons were scattered along the surface, none of them labeled, along with a multitude of levers, and what John was pretty sure was a videogame joystick. Then his mind caught up with the second half of her explanation.

"Vortex? What is that?" he asked.

"The Space-Time Vortex, Time Vortex, or, just the Vortex," the Wolf clarified. "It's a sort of wormhole that exists outside of the relative space-time continuum, where normal physics do not apply. It was created by the – " she faltered for a second, "an ancient alien species for their use. The TARDIS is one of the only machines that can utilize it," she finished proudly.

"What else can?" John asked.

"Oh, you know, you're basic vortex manipulator, though I wouldn't recommend one of those. Nasty, dreadful things. So inelegant," the Wolf said haughtily.

Ha, she's a snob about how she travels. Although, now that he thought about it, who wouldn't be when they had something like the TARDIS? Bigger on the inside, and all that.

"Now, would you like a tour? Or straight on to another adventure? I expect you're tired, with life all exciting around you past couple days. Whatcha think?" the Wolf asked.

John smiled. "Tour sounds great." The Wolf grinned and motioned for him to follow her down a hallway he hadn't noticed before. "How big is the TARDIS anyway?" he asked.

The Wolf looked back over her shoulder. "Even I don't know for sure. She's always rearranging and hiding or revealing new rooms. Keeps things exciting. She gets bored easily, you see."

They continued down various halls until John was entirely lost. The Wolf showed him a large library with multiple stories filled with books, and lots of alcoves with comfortable looking armchairs and sofas. Some of these set apart areas had fireplaces, one space had a large pool.

When John asked why a pool was in a library, the Wolf replied, "Why not? Is it a bad place for a pool? Better than in some tiled room like a high school, all smelling of chlorine and other disgusting chemicals. I much prefer the smell of books, don't you?" The logic didn't quite make sense, but John had to agree with her.

There were multiple gardens. Some were filled with flowers, there was a tropical feel to one of them, and one was entirely filled with rocks of many colors and a stream running through it. Many doors the Wolf just walked past, telling him that if a door didn't open on his first try, to just leave it alone. John easily accepted that there were some rooms where he would not be welcomed. He was sure the Wolf wanted time to herself, and he had the feeling she was a very private creature.

The wardrobe room was fascinating. Three levels of clothes stuffing racks, separated according to time and world of origin. John grinned. "I guess you really are a girl," he told the Wolf.

She elbowed him, replying, "Oi! I'll have you know the TARDIS tends to collect these items over the years, she is in fact a girl as well, and she doesn't like to get rid of anything!" The Wolf glared at him, and John burst into laughter. The Wolf tensed, then relaxed and giggled slightly as well.

"Come on," she said, grabbing him by the hand and dragging him out. "Let's get you a room so you can stop laughing at me and go to sleep." She shook her head. "Humans. Sleep away half your lives."

"What, and you don't sleep?" John asked.

"Superior biology, me. Don't need much."

John processed that. There were bound to be differences between him and her. The Wolf was much stronger than she looked, for being so tiny, and he got the feeling that she was vastly more intelligent than he was.

The Wolf brought him to a normal-looking door at the end of a hallway. "So. The console room is that way," she said, pointing down the hall. "Just keep going straight 'til you hit it. Kitchen, take your first right, then it's the swinging doors second on your left. Typically, I'll be in one of those places, or the library I showed you, which is your second right, third left, first left, four doors down on the right. If you still can't find me, ask the TARDIS, sometimes she can help point you in the right direction."

John nodded, not following any of those directions. He had a feeling he was going to be asking the TARDIS a lot of questions. That was another problem in and of itself. How could the ship answer him? Not like she had a mouth.

"Without further ado," the Wolf said, opening the door, "here is your room." John walked in and grinned. It looked like his room back home, just a little more posh, with items he wished he'd had, but couldn't afford, an amazing looking bed, and an attached bathroom with an awesome stone tiled shower. The floor had paneling made of some sort of dark wood, nearly black, with comfortable looking thick rugs scattered around. There were numerous empty shelves of the same dark wood, waiting to be filled, and the bed matched the color as well. Everything had a sort of rustic feel to it.

John was awestruck. "This – is amazing," he said. "I've never seen something this nice."

The Wolf looked surprised as well. "Yeah she went all out, didn't she?"

"Thank you, Wolf," John said sincerely, turning to look at her. She just shook her head.

"Don't thank me. Thank the TARDIS. She's the one that designed it. I told you she's always rearranging." The Wolf looked at him thoughtfully, as if trying to work out a puzzle. "She must really like you. It's nearly as nice as mine, and she only met you a day ago. She's been with me for years."

"Well, that's good. I can't imagine what an angry TARDIS would do." The Wolf shuddered a bit, making John grin. "Thanks, TARDIS," he said. The lights flashed again.

The Wolf turned to go. "I'll just leave you to it, then. When you wake up, go ahead and eat whatever you want in the kitchen, just make sure you leave me a banana. Then come find me and we'll figure out where to go!"

John nodded. "Will do. And thanks, Wolf. You know, for bringing me along and everything."

"You're welcome." The Wolf smiled, and left.

John closed the door quietly, then fell into the most comfortable mattress he'd ever felt. He wanted to try out the shower, but without any sleep the night before, even with practice with that as a doctor, the excitement had finally caught up with him and he was exhausted. It didn't take long for him to fall asleep.

"What do you see in him love?" the Wolf asked her TARDIS once she was alone. "Or are you just thrilled I'm not on my lonesome anymore?" Lights flashed above her. She shook her head. "Don't get used to him. I only brought him along 'cause he saved my life. Although, he did handle the idea of aliens fairly well," she admitted. "But as soon as he sees some real aliens, he'll go scarpering back home, trust me," the Wolf warned her ship. "And it'll be you an' me again. Like it should be," she added, trying to ignore the voice in her mind that told her she didn't want to be on her own anymore, and that John could be the reason why.

The Wolf shook herself. She was better off on her own. That was what she deserved, and John or any other human couldn't change that. With that last thought directed at the TARDIS, the Wolf walked down the hall to do some repairs under the console while waiting for her new companion to wake up. She knew just where she'd take him next.

A/N: Ooo, two notes. In response to two reviews, I make no promises, but I will attempt to come up with a fully fleshed out original chapter, although it may be a while. So 'til then, the story will be based on the season 1 episodes, but I will do my best to throw in some personal flair. I do have some ideas I'm excited about for some of the episodes, although others are giving me trouble.