The Doctor was leaving for a very mission today.

"Don't forget me when you're gone, okay?" I hugged him tightly.

"I promise I'll remember," he hugged me back.

"Doctor…" I groaned as I awoke.

"Correct. Incoming message from…'The Doctor.'"

"What?" I pushed myself up with my weak arms. Weird, I don't remember coming to bed last night.

I sat up straight, wiping the sleep from my eyes. The slate droned on, and I let it. When I sent a message to The Doctor this time, I was at least going to be ready.

Once I finished fixing my hair, I returned to the slate.

"Okay," I checked my face one last time, "open the message."

The screen showed The Doctor in his TARDIS, pressing buttons.

"Delilah!" he turned around. "As you can see, I'm on my way home from Altaria. I've gotten you a gift! You should be able to receive in 3…2…1.."

From my bedroom I could hear sounds of the TARDIS arriving.

"Soon," the hologram waved. Like a child on Christmas morning, I ran eagerly into my living room. The Doctor was just stepping out of the TARDIS.

"Doctor!" I threw my arms around him.

"Delilah! It's so good to see you're smiling face!" he pat me on the back.

"So how have you been? How was Altaria? Was it amazing?"

"Well," he loosened his collar, "The king and I got into a bit of a scuffle and I was, well, forced, to depart earlier than was planned."

"Oh. Oh, I'm sorry."

"It's fine. I got out before anything actually happened. On the upside, I have something for you."

"Ooh! Do you really?" I beamed.

"Here," he handed me a little ball.

"It's a marble," I tried not to let my disappointment show.

"No it's not!" he laughed.

"Uhm, Doctor. I may not be the brightest crayon in the box, but I'm pretty sure I know what a marble looks like."

"I don't know what crayons have to do with this, but just look." He took back the marble and rolled it in his hand. There was a tiny silver star on it. He lightly pressed his finger over it, and within seconds a large holographic map was displayed across the entire room. My room seemed to be transformed into light years worth of stars and planets, all swirling around me. I tried to touch one, and was amazed. I thought it would burn, but it didn't. It felt icy-cold and hard under my touch.

"Doctor…" I put my hand on his arm, pulling at the tweed fabric.

"Don't get excited just yet. There's more," he smiled at me. He led me around the room, naming all of the stars as we passed by them. "Ready for the best part?"

I nodded avidly.

"What's your favourite planet?"

"Saturn." I replied.

"Ooh, great selection. GPS, show me Saturn."

"GPS? Like, Global Positioning System?" I inquired.

"It's Galactic Positioning System. Why be limited to just the Earth? Your perspective should be expanded, trying to understand the complexity of the universe…" The Doctor kept talking, but I had stopped listening. Instead, I took to watching him explain; his face would always light up once he told me of his travels. His eyes sparkled along with the stars, and he called them all by name. He led me by one of his hands, the other he used to point out various constellations. I smiled warmly at him. I was so entranced by him.

"Delilah?" he asked, smiling at me.

I shook myself from my day-dreaming. "Yes, Doctor?"

"Look," he pointed to the giant, lovely planet before me. The rings hovered in front of me, the little asteroids circling perfectly.

"Will it hurt if I touch it?"

"No, but it will get a little a dusty."

I reached out to it, and The Doctor was right (as always). The pink dust felt like steam and it shimmered like glitter as I wiped it from my hand onto the floor. "It's so mystifying."

"I thought you'd love it."

"It seems you know much more about me than I thought," I told him. I honestly didn't know whether to be creeped out or flattered. "It's like we've already met."

"I'm fairly sure we haven't," he shifted his feet awkwardly. Something about him seemed off just now. "Well, what do you have to do today?"

"I was going to stop by the Café and check up on my job status. Payday was last week and I never picked up my check."

"Then let's go do that! I want to see what you do," he stood up, rushing around my flat.

"Okay…" The Doctor was acting quite weird; moreso than usual. Was he hiding something from me?

O00O

He was trying to explain to Delilah the complexity of the universe, but it took him several minutes to realize that she wasn't paying him any attention. Well, not to his lecture anyway. Instead, she was watching him intently…very intently. She smiled at him, a loving fondness in her eyes. It was just like the way Rose used to look at him.

No, he thought to himself, I have to try harder not to think of her.

"Delilah?" he drew out her name, reassuring himself it was her.

"Yes, Doctor?"

"Look," he pointed to Saturn. The rings hovered in front of them, the little asteroids circling around slowly.

"Will it hurt if I touch it?"

"No, but it will get a little a dusty."

She reached out to touch the planet. "It's so mystifying."

"I thought you'd love it."

"It seems you know much more about me than I thought," she tilted her head. "It's like we've already met."

"I'm fairly sure we haven't," he shifted his feet. "Well, what do you have to do today?" He tried changing the subject.

"I was going to stop by the Café and check up on my job status. Payday was last week and I never picked up my check." Delilah replied unsurely.

"Then let's go do that! I want to see what you do," he stood up, rushing around the flat. He didn't want her to notice his absence of conversation. All he wanted to be was distracted.