21

"I'm going out."

"What? Wait where?" Doctor jumped out from the cupboard, he had finally managed to talk Phil into introducing herself to her neighbours. He spoke honestly when he said this would be the place she'd return to. Like most people she couldn't stay with him forever and she'd need to come home eventually. At the moment he was still trying to find cleaning products, but then suddenly realized that he didn't actually know what Earth cleaning products looked like, the packaging for things was forever changing.

At the moment he was holding onto a empty can of polish and a cleaning sponge.

Phil looked at him and laughed, "You look so confused, like...if I had a camera the photo I would keep and use for blackmail."

"There's that bleak humour again," Doctor put down the items he was holding and looked up at the ceiling, he frowned and then looked quickly back down at Phil who had changed her clothes and was rummaging in her bag for money.

"I'm going to the shops, if I've been missing for a month, and have been brainwashed-"

"There was no washing of the brain involved stop being dramatic." Doctor said while leaning back against the counter, he eyed the ceiling again and then looked back at her, she raised an eyebrow at him and then nodded slowly. "Right ok as I was saying, if I've been missing for a month every item of food I own is past its sell by date. And if I'm actually inviting people into my home I'll need edible food."

"Milk!" Doctor exclaimed suddenly, "You need milk...milk is essential for tea." Phil shook her head and smiled. "Why don't you come to?"

"Huh? Me shopping for food? I have to say that's an experience I actually haven't done, but then again there's a first time for everything." He pondered and then nodded, rolling down his shirt sleeves he grabbed his jacket and walked up to her, stopping in front of her he grinned. "Lead the way then Phil! Let us go food shopping."

"There's so many," eyeing all the different types of milk Doctor crossed his arms, he felt proud of himself for putting the idea into Phil's head to meet her new neighbours. He was a little glad however to get out of her home, remembering being told there wasn't an upstairs the Doctor frowned in thought.

"Then why is there footsteps from above?" He pondered to himself, "How? How does that work? If there's no upstairs then why is there footsteps?" Doctor noticed how a worker was restocking the shelves near him and gave him an odd look. In response Doctor just smiled at him and looked back to the milk.

"Why is there so many?" He said confused just as Phil whizzed by while leaning against the trolley, she plucked a milk up as she past and skidded to a halt. "Hey! None of that in here thanks love!" The worker behind him exclaimed, clearly using the trolley as a form of transport was a thing not to do. Walking over to her Doctor looked at the food in the trolley, "Cereal and cartoons?"

"Only if I'm still there in the morning," she answered while Doctor took to eyeing up the cereal box he was holding. "There's a lot of sugar in this."

"There's a lot of sugar in most things," Phil plucked the box from him and put it in the trolley before walking down another aisle. Doctor walked happily behind her eyeing up everything he passed, Phil had to stop a few times to pull him along, at one point he'd taken to looking over air fresheners. In the end Doctor took to pushing the trolley, although like Phil earlier he took to leaning against it and using it as a mode of transport.

"That was fun! Who knew shopping for food could be so much fun? We really should go food shopping more often Phil!" Doctor happily walked up the stairs carrying the plastic bags of food, he frowned and looked up at the ceiling when he could hear footsteps. Phil noticing him stopping walking turned and looked up at him, "What's wrong?"

"Can't you hear them? Those footsteps? Just like the ones from...last month?" Doctor said slowly and then jumped when the door he was standing next to got opened. A cheery blond smiled at him and then at her, "Hello! You're the mysterious next door neighbours huh? Wondered who lived there! The person who showed me around this place said you'd just up and left."

"We went travelling," Doctor smiled, "Around the world." He added in, the blond's eyes lit up and she grinned more, which just caused him to smile more which then caused Phil to mentally groan and turn to her apartment door.

"So you two have only just got back then huh?"

"Yup! We return back to bills and no food."

"Isn't that always the way?" The blond sighed defeatedly, Doctor nodded, Phil had to applaud him his acting of being a normal human was rather excellent. "Anyway! I'll leave you two to unpack and all that!"

"Why don't you pop round in an hour or so? By then we'll hopefully be all straight again!"

"Aren't you two suffering from jet lag?" Phil looked at her and gave her a half smile, the blond just smiled at her. "No...jet lag looses its affect once you get used to flying." Phil opened the door and disappeared, Doctor looked at the plastic bags, then to the open door then to the happy blond next to him. "I think she's suffering slightly, trust me she isn't usually this grumpy."

"Aha! Gotcha, see you later!" With that the blond disappeared into her home, walking in Doctor nudged the door shut and walked into the kitchen. Phil was already putting things away, crumpling up a bag she threw it into a cupboard.

"Am I perhaps receiving the silent treatment?"

"You just invited someone into my home when it's dusty...and...forget it." Phil sighed heavily, "Good acting though."

"You think? I thought I did rather well although I didn't act any differently than I usually do, but oh well, she seemed like a nice enough lady though! I think you'll get along great with her." Doctor put the bags on the table, Phil looked at him oddly. "Why are you trying to get me to be friends with her?" Doctor slowly looked up at her, "Philippa you have to realize something," walking over to her he helped unpack some of the bags.

"You can't stay with me, as a person a human, you can't stay with me." The kitchen went silent for a moment except for the footsteps from above which shouldn't be there. "And I think it is rather important that you have people around you." He looked down at her, Phil just stood staring into one of the bags with a blank expression on her face.

She nodded slowly before packing everything else away and turning to try and clean up the sitting room, Doctor followed her and watched as she unpinned the drawings and soon she had a small pile in her hands. "Why are you doing that for? They made great wallpaper."

"Because you don't understand!" Phil exclaimed and shoved the drawings into a spare sketchbook. "It's one thing to make friends, it's another when you're not exactly normal. She'll walk in here, see them and all questions will pop out...and as much as I just love answering questions I don't want to." She crossed her arms and frowned in his direction, "I understand, I understand a lot more than I think you realize. The concept of staying with you if for a little while is a novelty, and I know that as a person I will die long before you. But I will be fine...just quit forcing random friendships on me."

Doctor looked up at the ceiling, "They stopped."

"What?"

"The footsteps they stopped about half a minute ago."

"Were you listening?"

"Yes yes...no not really." He admitted, Phil turned and walked away he watched and then quickly walked after her. Although the following didn't last long before he came face to face with a door, hearing a click from the other side he frowned.

Pulling out the screwdriver he pointed it at the door, it clicked again – now unlocked – he pushed the door open only for it to get slammed shut again. He tapped on the wood before getting near the bottom where it sounded less hollow. Slowly sitting down he leant his back against the door, just like on the other side of the door how Phil was sitting.