A/N: Newly edited version. And to clarify for the sake of everyone's sanity, Diana knows the events of Eight's audios from "Storm Warning" up until "Scherzo" and then she doesn't know anything past that.

I woke with a start, images from my dream flashing before my eyes. The Doctor, his hands holding my face, a kiss, Rose, Cassandra, my hand on his chest and his heartsbeat a tattoo on my fingers. I sat straight up in bed and shook my head.

"What on Earth?"

I moved my hands to my face so I could rub the sleep from my eyes, but ended up bumping my fists against my glasses. Confused, I pulled the glasses off and stared at them for a long time. I was so tired that I hadn't even realized my glasses were on, which made me wonder why I had fallen asleep with them on in the first place. I rolled out of bed, finding that I was still in my jeans and tshirt.

"I must've been really tired last night," I sighed.

Shaking my head to clear it, I walked to my door and pulled it open. However, I was in for a shock when the space beyond my bedroom door was a long, partially darkened corridor I had never seen before. The walls were a dark, mahogany color and the overhead lights left a pale white glow on the walls.

"What the…?" I shook my head and stepped into the hallway, looking around in confusion. There was a slight breeze in the corridor and I briefly wondered if I had been kidnapped in my sleep. But that didn't explain the exact replica of my old bedroom. "What the heck? I don't understand. Where am I?"

I placed my left hand against the wall for support and gasped when I felt the wall vibrate under my fingers. I recoiled and cradled my hand against my chest, staring at the wall in confusion. The lights overhead buzzed and dimmed for a moment and I felt my throat constrict with fear. I felt as if I was in a haunted house.

Footsteps suddenly echoed around me, causing me to panic. I gasped and jumped backwards, bumping into the door I had just exited and falling back onto my rear end. A low groan of pain escaped my lips and I rubbed my hand along the back of my head where it had impacted the floor.

"Diana?"

I stiffened. Slowly opening both my eyes, I looked up at the source of the soft voice. A handsome man in a dark green velvet coat, a cream patterned waistcoat, and a matching cream cravat was standing at my feet. His grey-blue eyes were soft and concerned and staring unashamedly at me.

"Doctor," I replied in awe.

"Are you alright?" he asked, kneeling at my feet and smiling slightly. "I didn't mean to startle you. I just thought I'd heard something. Apparently it was you."

I blinked, confused and more than a little shocked. What was he doing in my room? Then I remembered the end of the world, the death of Cassandra, and the Doctor telling me he'd known me five years ago. Did he mean this? I wondered.

"Diana?"

I blinked and shook my head, bringing myself out of my thoughts. "I'm sorry," I stammered. "I-I don't… I feel sort of weird."

"It's probably just the effects of the vortex," the Doctor replied smoothly. "But I can check and see if it's something more if that would make you feel better."

"No," I answered with a shake of my head. "No, it's fine. I'm just… confused. I-I don't understand what's going on."

"What do you mean?" the Time Lord asked gently, a half smile on his face.

"I just saw you, a future you, and you said you knew me. Now I'm here in your past and you know me again. What's happening? Is this what you meant by five years or…?"

The Doctor's smile faded, much like Nine's had when I met him in my not-really dream. His eyes turned sad and his gentle smile faded into a frown. "You're still very early, aren't you?" he questioned softly.

I tilted my head to the side in confusion. "Early for what?"

"Do you have the journal I gave you?"

I shook my head. "What journal?"

He nodded and looked down at the ground. "I thought as much," he said with a heavy sigh.

"Doctor, what are you talking about? Am I dreaming? The last time felt so real, but..." Curious, I slowly reached forward and pressed my hands on his chest over his hearts. I gasped when I felt his heartsbeat through his clothes. "You feel so real. I don't understand."

I looked up at the Doctor's face and saw that his smile had returned. His hands gently rested over mine and I felt my own heartbeat start to race. I wanted him to be real, I wanted it more than anything else in the world, but there wasn't any logical way for him to actually exist.

"I can feel your heartsbeat," I murmured.

"And I can feel your pulse through your fingers," the Doctor replied.

"You don't feel like a dream. Dreams aren't like this."

"That's because I'm not a dream."

My eyes flitted up to meet the Time Lord's and I blushed when he smiled sweetly at me. He released my hands and moved his own to cup my cheek. I stiffened in surprise, but relaxed when his fingertips grazed against my temple.

"If I could prove that you aren't dreaming, would you believe me?"

I nodded wordlessly.

"Come on, then.," he urged as he jumped to his feet and pulled me along after him. "There's something I want to show you."

"The Horsehead Nebula, approximately 1500 light years from Earth in the constellation of Orion."

I gazed through the doorway of the TARDIS, awestruck and completely breathless. The Doctor walked up beside me and looked out of the doors with a smile. He lightly rested one hand on the small of my back and pressed his chest against my shoulder, extending his other arm to point at something.

"Do you see that star? The bright one towards the bottom and to the right?" he asked. I followed his finger and nodded. "That's Sigma Orionis. It's a system made up of five stars."

I shook my head. "It's beautiful," I breathed. "It's the most beautiful thing I've ever seen."

The Doctor suddenly pulled away and started for the console again, a grin spread across his face. "Just wait," he told me excitedly as he plotted new coordinates into the computer. "There's more."

The TARDIS wheezed and slammed the doors shut in my face. I took a step backwards and stuffed my hands into my pants pockets. The ship let out another wheeze and then groaned. The Doctor looked up at the time rotor and smiled.

"What happened?" I asked.

"The old girl's just dematerialized. I wanted to show you something else." He flipped a lever on the console and gestured to the doors with a wave of his hand. "Have a look."

Slowly, I turned around and grabbed the silver handles on the door and pulled them open. A light breeze brushed across my face as I stepped to the edge of the doorway and looked out into space.

"Oh my God," I gasped.

The Doctor lightly walked towards me and stopped just behind me. "It's called Simeis 147, or sometimes the Spaghetti Nebula, on Earth," he explained. "It's a supernova remnant now hosted by the Milky Way, your home galaxy."

"It's…" I laughed and shook my head. "I don't have words. I didn't even know it existed."

"The humans of the twenty-first century don't know very much about it because it's so difficult for them to study it. Most of the information they have on it is made up of educated guesses."

"Doctor, it's… it's the most beautiful thing I've ever seen."

"Do you still believe this is a dream?" he asked gently.

I gazed out at the stars shimmering all around us and felt a chill run up my spine. "No," I finally answered after a long pause. "No, this is real. It has to be."

The Doctor gently gripped my elbow and I turned suddenly to look at him. "Sit down," he urged with a smile. "Please. There's something else I want to give you."

"What is it?" I asked.

"Just a gift."

He released my arm and I walked past him towards the two chairs placed a few feet away from the console. Between the chairs was a coffee table with a book titled "The Time Machine" on it. I sat down in the chair on the right and awkwardly rested my hands on my knees, silently observing my surroundings.

"This is for you, my dear," the Doctor said from somewhere behind me. I glanced over my shoulder to see him patting the console and then approaching me. "You'll need it in the future. And I suggest that you start writing in it now."

Writing? I thought. Is he giving me a journal?

As it happened, I was right. The Doctor handed me a dark blue book and then took his seat in the chair beside mine. I turned the book over in my hands and realized that it was a journal very similar to River's. The only difference between hers and mine was that mine was a darker shade of blue and almost three times as thick.

I smiled and ran my fingers over the cover. "Doctor, thank you. It's wonderful."

"I am glad you like it."

I smiled and ran my hand over the cover of my new book. Upon opening it to the first page, I noticed a few sentences of mostly legible cursive writing signed at the end with "The Doctor"; he'd written a little note to me.

But before I could read it, the Doctor put his hand over the writing with a slightly red face. "Don't read it now. When you've gone you can, but wait until then. Please."

"Oh. Um, okay."

The Doctor smiled and relaxed, moving his hand away. "So where were you before you came here?" he asked. "In our timeline, where were you?"

"I was in your future."

"How far?"

"Your ninth regeneration."

"I see." He nodded and smiled briefly at me. "And before that?"

"Before that?"

"Yes. Were you with my fourth incarnation? Or maybe my third? You look young enough, but I can't quite tell."

"Doctor, I-…" I felt my throat constrict and I had to look away. I felt terrible for having to tell him the truth, but knew it had to be done. "I haven't met you before this. I mean, I met your ninth self, but… no one before that. This is the second time I've met you."

"The second time?" he repeated.

I nodded silently, chewing nervously on my bottom lip and hoping he wouldn't be too hurt by my confession. But, to my surprise, the Doctor suddenly stood up and grasped my arms to pull me up after him. His eyes were alight with excitement and I felt my worries melt away.

"Diana, how would you like to travel with me?"

My mouth dropped open in shock and my eyes widened. "Travel with you? Like, as a companion?"

He nodded. "Yes."

I excitedly wrapped my arms tightly around the Doctor's waist and rested my head on his chest. "Oh Doctor, thank you! I'd love to!"

He chuckled and returned the embrace. He gently unhooked my hands from his waist and walked briskly in the direction of the console. I followed close behind, watching him as he entered new coordinates into the computer with a flourish of his hands. Then he pulled on a lever by his right hand and the TARDIS wheezed again like before.

"How does lunch in eighteenth century Italy sound to you?" the Time Lord questioned with a knowing smile.

"We're going to eighteenth century Italy?"

"If you want to."

"Of course I do!" I exclaimed with a laugh.

When the ship had materialized again, the Doctor turned to me with a smile. "Go change into something a little more appropriate for the time," he told me. "Can't have you starting a riot in the streets with your jeans and t-shirt."

I blushed a little. "I don't know where to go."

"Ah. Come with me, then. I'll show you."

He grabbed my hand and led me down the many hallways of the TARDIS. We took turn after turn, causing me to get terribly lost and I felt incredibly grateful for having the Doctor as my guide. He stopped walking after a few minutes, pointing to a door on our left with a smile.

"Just through here," he said. "I'll wait out here in case you have any trouble. Alright?"

It took me at least ten minutes of searching, but I finally found a dress that suited the period and my figure. My final choice was a golden-brown silk gown with three-quarter sleeves and embroidered flowers and large ruffles in the rear. It was impossible to put the corset on without help, so I just decided to wear my bra and a petticoat underneath the dress. I avoided looking in the mirror and just hoped the dress didn't make me look like a fat giraffe. I grabbed a matching pair of golden-brown heels that perfectly matched that of eighteenth century fashion and slipped them on my feet.

I cracked the door open slightly and looked out at the Doctor. "I don't know if it looks good or not," I told him softly. "I don't even know if it's the right time period. But I'm already all shoved inside the stupid thing, so..."

The Doctor chuckled and held out a hand to me. "Let me see. I'm sure you look lovely."

I opened the door all the way and looked down at my feet. I could feel his eyes moving over my body, sending my heart into a beating frenzy. Nervously, I crossed my arms across my chest.

"I can change if I need to. I wasn't sure where exactly we were going and I didn't know what to wear, so I just chose this one. I know it's probably not my best look, but-"

"It's perfect," the Doctor told me with a smile. "You look like a noble woman."

"I do?" I asked incredulously.

He folded his arm and offered me his elbow. "May I have the honor of escorting you to lunch, my lady?"

I curtsied and smiled sweetly. "You may, Doctor."

We were sitting at a fancy restaurant named 'Lupo Cattivo' eating the best spaghetti and meatballs I'd ever eaten. The Doctor sat across the table from me, alternating from poking at his food and looking at me just like I was with him. It felt romantic in a strange way, having a meal with just the Doctor and no one else.

"So what do you think of Italy?"

"It's beautiful, Doctor. I don't think I've ever seen anything so beautiful."

"I have."

I smiled and tilted my head to the side. "What's that?" I wondered.

"You."

A raging blush was the closest thing to answer that I could provide. I looked back at my food at picked at it with my fork. This Doctor was a charmer and a romantic and boy, did I like it.

The only downside to eating alone with him was that I could barely eat at all because I was so self-conscious. I didn't want him to think I had the manners of a pig. So when I ended up with a spatter of sauce across my lips and cheek, I could barely stand to look at him because I was so completely flustered.

But the Doctor was sweet enough not to laugh. Instead, he stood up and gently wiped his napkin across my face. His hands lingered on my lips for a few long moments before he blinked and returned to his seat. We spent the rest of the meal in silence.

Mere seconds after our plates were taken away, screams of panic and terror reached our ears. We glanced at each other and the Doctor jumped to his feet, his sonic screwdriver already in hand. He reached for me with his other hand and we took off running as fast as we could towards the source of the sound.

"Trouble always follows you, doesn't it?" I asked.

The Doctor nodded. "It's a talent of mine," he replied with a smirk.

Somehow, I felt I was ready to face anything with this man. He'd saved my life already and I knew he would do it again if anything ever happened to me. He'd shown me the most beautiful sights I could have ever hoped to see and I already trusted him. So I held his hand even tighter in mine and we ran towards danger, the Doctor and his companion.

Fifteen exhausting hours later, the Doctor and I stumbled into the TARDIS with heavy feet. I leaned heavily on his shoulder, my eyes half closed, and he had an arm around my shoulders to support himself. Our clothes were dusty and muddy and we both looked like we'd had the snot beaten out of us.
The TARDIS doors closed softly behind us, courtesy of the ship herself. The Doctor stumbled forward, pointing at his chair and mumbling incoherently. I hurriedly walked him over to it and helped him sit down.

"Doctor, are you alright?" I asked worriedly, suddenly feeling completely awake and alert.

"Fighting against a giant, psychopathic, walking tree was not on my agenda today," he replied with a strained voice.

I laughed. "It wasn't on mine either."

The Doctor looked up at me with wild, tired eyes. He reached for my hand with a serious expression. "I'm sorry our date was cut short, Diana. I wanted you to enjoy yourself, see the sights of Italy, and instead we got arrested and nearly trampled."

"It was a date?"

"Of course. What did you think it was?"

"Uh... You being nice to your companion?"

"You're so much more than a companion, Diana."

I blushed and smiled a little. "What am I, then?"

He smiled sadly and sighed heavily. "Spoilers, I'm afraid, my dear. But you'll understand one day."

I sighed and turned my head away, taking a few deep breaths to steady myself. "Why are you suddenly sounding so much like River?" I questioned. Then I opened my eyes again and found that I was in a different console room altogether, the dark wood and bookcases replaced with coral and bright orange. "What?"