I'm moving. Falling. How am I moving? I was sleeping.

My organs feel suspended in midair, my bangs are slapping me in the face, then zooming up, I might vomit or pass out again. Where the fuck am I? Where am I going?

I hear a voice behind me, it whispers something indistinct. Then a light giggle.

I swear to god this better be a nightmare, because if there is no way this is real. I'm sleeping. But the weight of nothing and the air against my skin, the way I'm inhaling…

Wait. I'm not inhaling. I'm not breathing. How am I not breathing? I desperately try to suck air into my lungs but it feels like I'm drowning, and I feel thick pressure fill my insides, my lungs are empty of oxygen and my head is filled with panic. I need to breath, I need air, why can't I get air?

That laugh again. To my right, no, to my left, above me, behind me again.

Needles in my shoulder blades, now its stabbing, burning, searing, the laughter gets louder and louder and the air becomes crushing I can't breathe I can't move I'm falling so fast make it stop dear God make it stop-

I fall.

Finally, I hit something solid; cold, but solid. I couldn't ask for more. I feel like a baby deer, weak and gangly. I can't feel my legs or arms, something heavy weighs from my back. Should I open my eyes? My heart beats in my ears, I can feel the air going in my nose now, sweet, sweet air. Oxygen at last.

I hesitantly open my eyes, hoping to see something familiar to me, and I do, but not the kind of familiar I want to see. Dark wisps cloud the sides of my vision as I look on to a familiar scene, a natural wood looking room. Where is it from though? I don't remember. A feeling of dread washes over me.

Where am I? What am I doing here? What the hell is going on?

I try to get up, but I'm weighed down by something. The wisps move. Wait, wisps? Where are those from? I unsteadily get on my knees and the weight on my back shifts. It feels heavy and drags on the floor. I whip my head around, shocked by the sight of what is essentially dark goose pillow innards, coming from my back. Feathers. From my back. Feathers… What?

I have more questions than answers. Like a reflex, as I adjusted my posture, the feathers again moved. I suppose they aren't fully feathers though, are they wings? My mind was numb. My emotions shut off, one by one, as I realize I'm overwhelmed by the environment around me. I grab a wing with my hands, pulling it around me, though I don't have to because they move however I want them to, just like I can move my legs or arms, they move just as well.

They were a dark chocolate brown with a red tint to them. Almost like what you'd expect to see from a shedding eagle, but much larger. I sit there and stare.

What else am I to do? I try to think about what's going on.

I was sleeping. I went to sleep last night in my apartment, in my bed. I didn't go out to drink, I'm not old enough anyways, plus I hate being under any influence. So what the fuck happened?

I'd say I'm dreaming, but this is too vivid. My limbs wouldn't feel this heavy, the world wouldn't be this crisp.

I turn my attention to the room I'm in. The walls are a light brown color and have the pattern of wood paneling. The floors are stone, which explains why they're so cold. There's a large window behind me, red light filtering through it. I turn around.

It's a sun. Above… the earth? My earth?

A red, bulging sun, looking ready to swallow a planet whole, right outside that window. I could see the vague shape of continents, a sprawling ocean, and the tendrils of the angry star wrapping itself around a vulnerable rock.

"What the hell?" I could feel the color draining from my face. This can't be real. All of it. I know I can be a bit stressed out sometimes but I didn't think it was bad enough to get to this degree.

In the distance I hear voices, I can vaguely make out… British accents?

"The planet looks the same as ever. I thought the continents shifted and things." It sounded like a young woman, I know I heard her voice before…

"They did, and the Trust shifted them back. That's a classic Earth. But now the money's run out, nature takes over." A male voice responded.

I knew that voice. I wish I didn't, its not possible, but I do and it is. They were getting closer. I pulled close to the wall, dragging the wings behind me.

"How long's it got?"

"About half an hour and then the planet gets roasted."

The people pulled into my view, but didn't notice me yet. I know them. It's fucking Rose and Nine. Blonde hair, cocky attitude from the both of them, of course it was my least favorite characters.

"Of fucking course, of all the things that could happen, the places I could be, its them." I unintentionally mumble out loud; I only realize my mistake when I hear a chipper Northern accent chime in, "What? Who are you then?"

He meets my gaze. I was protected from view before, but Rose and the Doctor turn to see me, huddled against the wall, dark feathers pooling on the floor at my sides.

"Fuck." And that's the only word I can get out. Right. Sounds like me.

"Pardon you, language. You also have yet to introduce yourself." The Doctor retorts. Rose looks at me for a moment before turning to the Doctor, muttering, "Wings?" before turning her gaze to the floor. The Doctor simply nods.

Heat flushes my face. "Listen, bud, don't censor my language, you can fuck right off with that soccer mom bullshit, and yes, wings. I can hear you, you know. Also, don't ask me for an introduction when you haven't said a goddamn thing other than explain to your little friend there that the planet's about to die." What has gotten into me? I suppose the exhaustion and the unknown is getting to me. I want to go home.

"I'm the Doctor, this is Rose. Your turn."

"Sage. Nice to meet you."

Rose turned her gaze from the floor back to me, searching my face for… something. She averted her eyes from my face down my body, and I realized, after seeing that look so often, she was trying to figure out if I was a boy or a girl. Typical.

We're in space, I'm lost and have new feathery limbs attached to me, she's just travelled through space and time, but as a human, she's more preoccupied with seeing what my gender was.

I couldn't help but scoff. "Neither, thanks for checking me out though. I'm genderfluid, I prefer to present as neutral."

Rose flushed, embarrassed. "Sorry. Couldn't help it."

"I know. No one can." I shook my head.

A door opened and a voice piped up, "Who the hell are you?"

The Doctor turned his attention to the newly arrived blue skinned man, "Oh, that's nice, thanks."

Dumbfounded, the steward glanced to each of the three of us, then back to the Doctor. "But how did you get in? This is a maximum hospitality zone. The guests have disembarked. They're on their way any second now."

"That's me. I'm a guest. Look, I've got an invitation. Look. There, you see? It's fine, you see? The Doctor plus one. I'm the Doctor, this is Rose Tyler. She's my plus one. Is that all right?" The Doctor flashed his ever so useful psychic paper at the steward, but neglected to include me.

"And who are you?" The steward shifted to me, accepting the Doctor's lie and fake invitation.

I stammered. "I'm with them, but not officially. I'm a tagalong, if you will. Not important enough to be included in the invite." Pleadingly, I looked over to Rose and the Doctor, hoping they'd back up my horribly constructed excuse.

Luckily, that thick Northern accept backed me up. "Exactly, not a problem for our pal Sage now is it?"

The steward gave me a second glace. I now realized I had obviously disheveled hair, I was still in pajamas (not that they'd know that it wasn't just clothing from whatever alien planet I had just hopped off of) and was wrapping myself in my own limbs as a form of comfort.

"Well, obviously. Apologies, et cetera. If you're on board, we'd better start. Enjoy." He turned, walking to his station, and began to introduce the guests. "Representing the Forest of Cheam, we have trees, namely, Jabe, Lute and Coffa."

I tuned out, and slumped to the floor, wings naturally falling to my sides. Luckily they were not inclined to fall below me as I sat down, I'm sure that'd hurt a hell of a lot. The Doctor began his scripted greetings, down to the "air from my lungs" bit.

I buried my head in my hands, content to be ignored by everyone else. That is, until I felt like someone was watching me. I looked up, and right in front of me was a huge tank, filled by an even bigger face. It was the Face of Boe.

He smiled at me. "Hello, Sage, long time no see. You're just getting started, aren't you?"

"Jack?" I remembered the scene between Jack and Ten. It was him, wasn't it?

"Don't say that too loud. For all intents and purposes, I'm the Face of Boe."

"Right. Hey, so. What the fuck is going on? I don't know you. I don't know anyone here. I was home 20 minutes ago, sleeping. Why do I have these fucking things-" I gestured to the wings, "and what the hell am I doing here? This is a show. You're a character. In a show." I started rambling faster, "What the actual fuck, dude? Also, how can I understand what people are saying? I thought the TARDIS translates, but I haven't even seen it yet, or anything really, and why season one, here, with this regeneration, this Doctor, this companion? What is going on? Where's all my stuff? What am I supposed to do? Also did I mention there is no way in hell this is real or is actually going on, I'm going crazy, right, I mean-"

The Face of Boe cut me off. "Slow down. You will find your answers eventually. Focus on what you can do now. Come with me." He began to move away from me, slowly enough that he gave me time to get up and figure out how to comfortably drag my feather paperweights along with me.

He sighed. "Perk your shoulders up, they'll adjust."

I try it, rolling my shoulders before straightening my back, and sure enough, my wings rolled with my shoulders, standing tight to my spine and hips. The tops were above my head my an inch. The longest feathers near the bottom edge dragged a few inches on the floor by my feet, but not enough to be a tripping hazard.

"Thanks."

"They are an extension of you. They move like your arms or legs would, but you need to learn how to control them." He moved through the door he had just come in through. I turned to see what the Doctor and Rose were doing, but they were off, not paying attention to me. I'd think the Doctor would be interested in what I was doing, especially since I had so quickly attached myself to his invite, but maybe he was more preoccupied with something else.

"Follow me, child. Don't get distracted." The Face of Boe went down the hallway, patiently waiting for me to follow suit.