Twelve Days

In a wonderful turn of events, Callie did not jump for a full twelve days. For the first two days, she was on edge a lot. She expected to jump at literally any second. But once the first few days passed, she settled into the dynamic on the TARDIS. Her room was next to Rose's, and they spent long nights hanging out in each others' rooms. Callie got the chance to explore the TARDIS more, and was able to actually be a part of adventures from start to finish.

Surprisingly, they never went to New Earth— never progressed in the show or went into one of the episodes at all. That, in and of itself, was a nice surprise, as well. It was more fun to not know what would happen next, and experience it along with her friends.

Day One:

All of them well-rested and ready to go, Team TARDIS stood around the console. Callie felt a thrill shoot up her spine— she'd only gotten to travel in the TARDIS one time so far. She was excited just to be there, though in the back of her mind she was just waiting for the jump to happen. She'd already been here hours longer than any other point in time— all things good must come to an end sometime.

"So, where to then?" Rose asked, looking up at the transparent cylinder in the middle of the console.

Mickey wanted to check out a new planet, somewhere far off and crazy. Jack wanted to go into the past— the Middle Ages or a time similar. Rose asked for a different country ("We're always landing in the UK— can't we branch out and go to Japan or something?").

"Callie?" the Doctor asked. "You have an idea?"

"Oh," she blinked. "I don't know, they all sound so good. I mean, I got to choose my first trip, so we can go with someone else's idea. Whichever you want."

"Your first… No, no, your pick wins. Where do you want to go?" They all looked at her and she blurted out the first place she could think of.

"Ancient Egypt?"

—

Callie ducked around people milling about the marketplace, running from a swarm of bee-like aliens. They'd landed just inside a pyramid and had a look around. It was all fun and spooky games until Callie bumped into a shrine and let loose alien bees. In an attempt to get away, she used an app on her phone to transport the bees away. Unfortunately, the app transported her along with them.

Out of breath, she looked around for something— anything— that might help her avoid whatever punishment the bees had in mind. Did alien bees sting? She wasn't sure, and she really didn't want to find out.

No luck. There were people everywhere, stores and food stands and all sorts of goodies, but nothing that jumped out as useful. Swearing, she dug her phone out of her purse.

Taking careful aim, she sonicked the bees as a last ditch effort. The swarm froze in mid-air, then fell one by one onto the ground. Passersby made faces at the insects, giving the pile a wide berth. Callie knelt, scanning them once more. They didn't seem to be dead— just stunned.

She sighed, and called Rose's phone. Hopefully interdimensional roaming included the depths underneath pyramids.

Day Two:

Hair still wet from her shower, Callie found herself wandering the TARDIS's halls. With no destination in mind, the lights above remained normal. The Doctor was currently fiddling with the engines, and the others had chosen to take some time to themselves. It was the first time in a while Callie had found some time to herself, to just think and be alone for a bit.

The corridor she walked down came to a dead end, a beautifully ornate door in front of her. Giving the doorknob a careful twist, she opened it to reveal the library.

"Wow," she breathed, eyes wide in awe.

She'd been in the library before, of course. But it had been in disarray after the Doctor's regeneration— shelves upheaved, a swimming pool in the middle of the reading nook. But this— it was beautiful. Bookshelves lined the circular walls, curling up to the ceiling farther than she could see. In the middle were many plush couches and chairs, the perfect reading nook.

As someone who worked in a bookstore, it was a given that Callie was a bit of a bookworm. Nothing was better than curling up with a good book, according to her. She was most at home in bookshops and libraries, but found she was almost overwhelmed with the sheer number of books at her disposal. She could never read them all, not even if she lived as long as the Doctor.

Still, that didn't mean she wouldn't try.

Day Three:

"There you are!" the Doctor called, coming up the stairs to Callie's left. She blinked blearily, lifting her gaze from her book. She'd spent the whole of yesterday seeing what sorts of the books the library had to offer, and now she was going to town with her choices. She'd grabbed a variety of books— some were novels she'd been wanting to read back home, future releases from her favorite authors, novels from a planet called Lutrainia Five, and histories of Gallifrey.

"Should've known I'd be where the books are," Callie joked. She held the book she was reading up for him to see. She'd been so intrigued that she'd sunk to her knees in front of the shelves, not even making it to one of the cozy chairs nearby.

"Yes, what was I thinking?" the Doctor asked sarcastically. More seriously, he added, "Thought you might have jumped when I wasn't looking. That happens sometimes."

"Well," Callie said, "lucky for both of us, I'm still here."

He smiled, soft and tender. "Yeah, lucky for us. Is your book too good to put down for some lunch?"

Callie pretended to think about it. "I guess, if I must eat, I can take a break from my book."

"Good! Because I've already landed outside the nicest bistro in 1980s Paris and I wasn't going to take no for an answer."

She rolled her eyes, but slipped her bookmark into her book and let him pull her to her feet. She was shorter than him, just a bit taller than his chin. Tipping her own chin up, she looked at him a moment. She was almost struck by how handsome he was, especially in this incarnation.

He adjusted his hold on her hand so it was more comfortable and started to pull her down the stairs.

"Wait!" She squawked, pulling back. "My books!"

He practically cackled, but relented and let go. She scurried back to her stack of books and shoved them into her backpack. She took only a moment to marvel over the Time Lord technology keeping her backpack light as air even with twenty hardbacks inside. Slinging her backpack over her shoulders, she grabbed the Doctor's hand again.

"Okay, I'm ready! Let's go see Paris."

Day Four:

Callie sighed loudly, pressing her forehead against the jail bars.

"Please, sigh louder," the Doctor said wryly. He sat by the window, trying to pick the lock manually, as they'd both left their sonics with Rose and Jack by mistake. "I would have no idea you were upset otherwise."

"You know, when you said, 'Let's go to Paris!' I was expecting the Eiffel Tower and croissants. Not being jailed during the fucking French Revolution!"

Day Five:

Callie had taken the hottest shower imaginable after their adventure in 1790s Paris. She still felt dirty— as if the old, dingy jail still had its marks on her. Hair still wet and curling, she left the comfort of her room. She was tired, but there was something she needed to do first.

One of the only good things about Callie's jumping situation, she'd realized, is that it prevented her from putting things off. She could jump at any moment, so she couldn't risk going to sleep and then waking up somewhere else.

Rose's bedroom was right next to Callie's, which was quite nice. Convenient. Much like Callie's door, there was a gold plate on Rose's door with Circular Gallifreyan inscribed. Callie stared at her reflection in it for a long moment before working up the courage.

She knocked quickly. Her stomach twisted with nerves, but she resisted the urge to bolt down the hall and out of sight before Rose could open the door. She was running on limited time, and she knew she needed to do this before jumping again.

Rose looked exhausted when she opened the door. Her hair— newly cut into a cute long bob— was pulled into a bun. She was already in fluffy pajamas. Rubbing her eyes, she yawned.

"Callie?" She asked. "What's up?"

"Hey, um— can we talk?"

"Is everything okay?" Rose asked, stepping back to let Callie into the room. Rose's room was quite similar to Callie's, though it was full of trinkets she'd picked up on her adventures, and very messy with clothes thrown everywhere.

"Yeah, of course," Callie said. She sat on the desk chair, and Rose took up a spot on the bed. She folded her legs up, resting her chin on her knees, and looked at Callie expectantly. "I just wanted to apologize. And to thank you."

Rose blinked. Clearly, this wasn't what she'd been expecting. "What?"

"I wanted to apologize for everything that happened at Christmas," Callie explained. She tugged at a loose string on her shirt. "I— I don't know. I've still been trying to get used to everything and figure out what to do. I felt like I let you down and I'm sorry for that."

"Hey, whoa, no!" Rose said quickly, sitting up straighter. "No. You don't need to apologize. If anything, I should've been nicer. It was a scary situation all around and I put way too much pressure on you."

"I want us to be friends," Callie said, trying to make it sound like she wasn't about to cry. She felt like she'd been crying so much since coming to this universe.

"We are friends," Rose insisted. "We are! And sometimes, friends butt heads. You should see me and Mickey when we get into it. It's not pretty."

Callie laughed a little. She could just imagine Rose giving Mickey a piece of her mind.

"Well, okay. Good." She nodded to herself. "And thank you for saving us from the revolutionaries. The Doctor and I couldn't have gotten out of there without you."

Rose smirked. "You two couldn't get through so much without me. What did you ever do before I came along?" She joked. Callie shrugged.

"Probably got into a lot more trouble," she said lightly. They shared a look and broke into giggles. Unable to help herself, Callie lunged forward and scooped Rose into a hug. She was so grateful they were friends.

Day Six:

Sparks flew around the console room without abandon. Callie paused in the doorway.

"Uh, Doctor?" she called.

"Hey, hey, don't come in here!" The Doctor called from below the grated floor. She peered down, but could hardly see him. "I think I broke the radiation flux mechanism on accident." He did something, and there was a loud snap as sparks flung into the air.

"Be careful!" Callie called, stepping back for safe measure. After a long moment, the sparks abated and she left him to his work.

—

The Doctor waited a moment, and frowned when Callie walked away. He reminded himself that she was young, and probably didn't realize he would have welcomed her company nearby.

Day Seven:

They were on a planet only a few galaxies over from Earth called Portentia A-Seven. Callie found herself between Jack and Mickey as they walked through the busy, alien-filled marketplace. She'd already used some of her credits to buy herself a necklace and some ice cream— well, ice cream adjacent. It was more savory than sweet, and less creamy and more milky. Mickey made a face when she offered him some.

The Doctor and Rose had wandered off somewhere by themselves. Callie knew it was to be expected, as this was the season where they truly would fall in love, but she found herself pouting about it just a little.

But it wasn't like she wanted the Doctor for herself! Of course not— that would be crazy. So impossible she should never indulge the notion.

Mickey paused, admiring a bag in a display.

"You should get it," Callie said, giving him a little nudge. He shook his head, but there was a small smile on his lips.

"Not a girl, I could never wear it back home, anyway," he said. "It's just kinda nice."

Callie and Jack shared a look. Oh, early twenty-first century toxic masculinity!

"Well, maybe I'll just have to buy it, then," Jack said haughtily. He made a big show of shoving Mickey to the side and using his own credits to purchase the bag. Mickey spluttered, protesting as Jack threw the bag over his shoulder and struck a pose. "Looks better on me, anyway."

"Hey, that's not fair!" Mickey complained. "I saw it first."

"You didn't want it!"

"Yes, I did! I just needed to think about it."

"Oh really? I think you just want it because you're jealous it looks so good on me," Jack said smugly, adjusting the bag so it was in clear view to assist his point.

"Callie!" Mickey whined, stretching out the "ie" sound at the end of her name. He looked two seconds away from stomping his feet. "He stole my bag."

Callie physically bit her tongue to keep from laughing at the 180 he'd just spun. She struggled to keep a straight face. "Maybe you can buy the bag from Jack?" she suggested as seriously as she could.

Mickey looked to Jack, who just rolled his eyes and handed the bag over.

"Just buy me some food and we'll call it even," he said. Mickey whooped and scooped the bag up, too excited to notice Jack and Callie muffling their giggles.

Day Eight:

Callie curled up deeper into her bed, willing herself to disappear. She'd been having such a lovely dream about going home and having lunch with her mom. The family dogs had nipped at her heels until she fed them scraps, and her mom told her stories about the misadventures she'd been having at work. In the background, she'd heard her brother shouting at his video-game-of-the-week, and her dad drilling something out in the garage. And then— she woke up.

She would never see her mom again. Never hear those stories about the dumb things patients did to get them sent to the ER. Never get annoyed by her little brother again, or sneak treats to her mom's fat little pugs.

Tears stung her eyes again, and she buried her face into the pillow. Her heart felt like it was being ripped out of her chest. She felt almost physically sick, and curled in on herself as she sobbed.

In the midst of her anguish, she didn't hear the knock at the door.

The door squeaked loudly as it opened. Callie ignored it in favor of burying herself in her duvet and willing herself to just vanish into the air. Anything to make this pain go away.

"Oh, honey." The Doctor's voice was low and sympathetic, but it embarrassed Callie to her core to be seen when she was melting into nothingness.

"Go away," she said, her voice muffled even to her own ears.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"No."

"Do you want me to stay?"

"No!"

In her mind's eye, she remembered how her mom used to crawl into bed with her and hold her when she cried, whether she admitted to wanting her there or not. The thought made her cry harder.

She heard fabric rustling, and finally a soft thud as the Doctor sat beside the bed.

Sniffling, Callie pushed the duvet aside so she could see him. He leaned against her side table, fiddling with some sort of gadget. He wore his black-framed glasses. He blurred as tears filled her eyes once more.

"What are you doing?" she asked. Mercifully, he didn't look up at her.

"Trying to fix this," he said, holding the gadget up for her to see. "It's an instrument from the Gamma-Delta-Gorgon belt. There's a race of people who live on the asteroids there…"

He kept talking, telling her the history of the Gorgons and their ingenuity of invention on barren asteroids. He explained what he thought was wrong with the instrument, but he couldn't figure out how to fix it.

He spoke for a very long time, keeping it up tirelessly and without complaint. Slowly, thanks to his distraction, her sobs ebbed away to silent tears and small sniffles. She listened with rapt attention, both grateful for the distraction and interested in what he was talking about.

With a shaky hand, she pointed to a hole on the instrument. Inside the hole was a small, flat piece of metal stuck in a weird angle. "What's this part for?"

The Doctor opened his mouth to answer, then paused. "I… don't know. I don't think that's supposed to be there, actually." He stopped, then shot her a jokingly disdainful look. "I've been working on this for days— of course you would spot what was wrong with it in ten minutes."

Despite herself, Callie giggled.

Day Nine:

Fifty-first century Earth looked so… alien. Callie pulled her denim jacket closer from the chill in the air as she looked around. Of course, there were familiar things like trees, clouds, and squirrels. But the buildings they walked past— the houses looked nothing like any house Callie had ever seen. They were round, bulbous. Their cars were similar, too round and sleek to look anything like the pickup trucks and minivans Callie was used to.

They might as well have been on a different planet, to be quite honest.

"Right up there," Jack said, pointing to a house on a hill. Well, a house in a hill. The circular home seemed to almost grow from the hill, and there were windows carved into the dirt.

"That's where you grew up?" Rose asked, squinting in the sun. Though it was a chilly autumn afternoon, the sun was bright in the sky. Callie hadn't commented on it, but the sun seemed a little bigger than she was used to. To be honest, she wasn't sure she wanted to hear why.

"I used to go rolling down that hill all the time," Jack said fondly. "My brother and I— we would push each other and just tumble right down."

"Probably fun for sledding, right?" Callie asked.

"Sledding?"

"You know, when it snowed?"

Jack blinked, then shook his head with a laugh. "Oh, no, we never got snow this far south!"

"It's— didn't you say this was Washington State?" Callie asked, confused.

"Global warming," the Doctor chimed in, his hands stuffed in his pockets. "By the fiftieth century, only the polar ice caps and the highest mountains have snow anymore."

Suddenly, the memory of Jack literally dancing in the falling snow on Christmas night made much more sense.

"Well, what next?" Mickey asked, clapping Jack on the back. "Should we go say hi?"

Jack stilled, his smile faltering. "I, uh— I haven't been home in years. I don't know if they'd want to see me," he admitted.

"It's up to you," Callie told him. "We can go visit, or you can show us where you went to school."

"Schools are fun," the Doctor added when Callie pinched him. Jack relaxed, nodding.

"Yeah, you guys would probably like to see the school! Boeshane Academy was pretty podunk, but there are some great memories there," he said, leading them away from his home. Callie trailed behind, taking one last look to see a man standing in the window, watching them. Callie waved.

The man did not wave back.

Day Ten:

It was late— er, well, Callie was quite tired, and the others had all gone to bed a while ago. But after taking the time to journal about the past few days and taking her nightly shower, she'd found that sleep would just not come. After a while of tossing and turning, she'd given up and navigated her way to the kitchen.

Fortunately, all the ingredients she'd needed were in the cupboards. So, as quietly as she could, she got to work making cookies. She had to guess on the oven setting— Gallifreyan ovens looked nothing like Earth ones— but otherwise things were going quite smoothly as she read the recipe on her phone.

She hummed to herself as she stirred, swaying her hips to her own music. There was a slight cough behind her. Yelping a little, she whirled around to see Mickey in the doorway.

"Sorry, I was tryin' not to scare you," he said. "What are you even doing up?"

She shrugged. "Couldn't sleep. Thought cookies might help." She dug out a spoon and scooped some of the cookie dough, offering it to him. He took it with a grin.

"Thanks. And to think, I was just looking for some water."

Callie smiled in return and continued to stir her cookies. She couldn't find a mixer anywhere, so she had to do everything by hand. Mickey got himself a glass of water, the spoon sticking out of his mouth as he filled it from the tap.

"So, you getting used to things?" he asked through a mouthful of dough. Callie sighed, but nodded.

"I am. It's— it's kind of more amazing than I ever dreamed," she admitted. Softly, she added, "But I keep feeling so on edge. I'm just waiting for this all to be ripped away, you know?"

He nodded. "Guess you just need to enjoy it while you can?"

"Yeah, I guess."

"Does it help to know that you'll be back with us many, many times in your future?" He asked. "I mean, since I started traveling with you all, you've been present almost every single day. I could probably count on my fingers the days I've gone without you here."

"That does make me feel better," she said. "I can't wait to do all that in the future."

"Fun times," he said softly, leaning against the counter next to her. "Well, some of it's been quite scary. But the good outweighs the bad, yeah?"

She smiled and bumped her hip into his. "Yeah."

They sat there in a companionable silence as Mickey sipped his water. Finally, Callie tossed the bowl back onto the counter. "Okay, now you have to help me scoop out all the cookies or else you don't get any." Mickey let out a noise of indignation, but accepted the scooper and got to work.

Day Eleven:

Callie sat in the captain's chair with her legs crossed, her nose in a book. The Doctor was staring at the screen on the console, trying to get readings about the planet outside. For some reason, he was encountering interference. Callie had gotten bored waiting while he fiddled with the thing and pulled her book out.

It was really quite good; an Earthen romance set in the year 4056. At the time it was written, it was viewed as historical fiction.

"Can't we just walk out and take a look for ourselves?" Mickey asked from his seat on the floor. He was playing a game on his phone, mindlessly pressing buttons.

"Normally, yes," the Doctor responded absently. "But I have a feeling we might have landed in the middle of a hurricane. Don't want to risk it."

"So why don't we just leave then?" Rose asked.

"Well, now I'm curious how a hurricane could mess up the readings so bad."

They all groaned, knowing he would keep them there for hours while he figured it all out. However long it took. Callie didn't really mind— it gave her a chance to read. She'd found there wasn't always time to pick up a book when traveling in the TARDIS, so she needed to take every opportunity possible to read.

Rose pulled Mickey by the arm and dragged him out of the console room, assumably to find something to occupy themselves until the Doctor deemed the planet either safe or unsafe to visit.

Jack spoke to the Doctor quietly, offering his help with the scanner. Callie slumped into the chair as she read, sliding down to get more comfortable. Quietly, she began to read aloud.

For the next two hours, Callie read her book to Jack and the Doctor as they worked. Her voice grew hoarse, but she pushed through as she neared the climax of the romance novel (no pun intended). By the time she finished the book, the two of them had paused in their work. Quickly, Jack rubbed his eyes.

Callie snorted in delight. "Oh my god, are you crying? Over Carson and Daveigh?" she asked. Jack scoffed, but the effect was dimmed by the shine in his eyes.

"What, no! Of course not. I've never cried over a dumb romance before," he mumbled. Callie laughed, slamming the book shut.

"Oh, boy, do I have some recommendations for you!"

Day Twelve:

Callie stumbled into the TARDIS, laughing so hard her sides hurt. Rose laughed behind her, pushing her through the doorway. The two women had rosy cheeks and laughed far too loud— clear signs of their evening out drinking at an alien club. They'd ditched the boys at some point, opting to have a much-needed girls' night out, and danced the night away.

Callie pulled her skintight red dress down a little, her fingers fumbling some.

"Have fun, you two?" the Doctor asked, poking his head up through the grated floor. He held some thick wires in his hands, doing who-knows-what with them.

"It was the best!" Callie gushed, stumbling into the captain's chair. She kicked her heels off, though the grated floor wasn't much better on her sore feet. "The music— do aliens just have better club music than humans? Because I've never heard better dancing music before."

"Oh, they definitely have better music," Rose inserted, bumping into the console as she walked. "That one song about timelessness? Better than anything the Beatles ever wrote! There, I said it!"

Callie found this the funniest thing she'd ever heard, nearly falling out of her chair as she shrieked with laughter. The Doctor just shook his head in amusement at the two of them.

"Blimey, can either of you hold your liquor?" he mumbled. He dropped his wires and sonic and pulled himself up and out of the floor. "Come on, let's get you both to bed."

"Noo," Callie slurred, fighting as he tried to pull her up. "I want food. Ooh, tacos sound amazing!"

"Oh, tacos," Rose moaned. "I could go for a taco right now."

"Doctor, can we get tacos, please?" Callie asked, hanging off of his arms. She pouted, sticking her lower lip out and making her eyes as big as she could. He shook his head at her antics, but found he couldn't say no to her.

"Yeah, we'll get you two tacos," he promised. Callie and Rose cheered, throwing their arms in the air.

"Oh," Callie said, dropping her arms as the room began to spin more. "Oh, my head hurts. Do we have any Tylenol?" She blinked as gold crept into her line of sight, clouding out the Doctor as he leaned down to her.

She groaned as the pain got worse, and then she was gone in a flash of golden light.

—

Rose whined a little, picked up Callie's discarded shoes, and made to leave the console room.

"Did you still want tacos?" the Doctor asked, his voice sad. Rose shook her head.

"It won't be any fun without Callie," she muttered, then left to stumble her way back to her room. The Doctor hung his head and sighed.

"Yeah, I know."

A/N: I hope you enjoyed this chapter! I actually really like how it came out, where we get to see little snippets of Callie's time in the TARDIS before jumping again.

Just a bit of a heads-up, there might be a bit of a longer wait before the next chapter gets posted. I'm still struggling through the next adventure, and I'd really like to have the whole adventure written before I post any of it. Between that and the last few weeks of the semester, it's been slow-going But I'm really hoping to gave the next chapter out within a week or so!