Fill for Thirteen Fanzine's prompt "How are you not dead?" This is in fact the first of two fills! The other will be posted tonight/tomorrow, depending on your time zone.
"How are you not dead?"
Yaz beamed at the Doctor, eyes wide as she tentatively touched at her arm, almost not quite believing that she was stood before the three of them.
The Doctor's coat was singed, lightly smoking at one elbow. Her trousers were torn at one knee and covered in ash. There was blood in her bedraggled hair and soot smudged across her face.
"We saw you go flying after that explosion," continued Yaz. "We thought you were dead, we barely made it out of there alive ourselves!"
"I'm a cat with nine lives, me. Or rather thirteen lives. No, fourteen so far, and anything up to about twenty, who knows just how many new lives the Time Lord council gave me, even a whole cycle of regenerations. I just don't know and that's exciting!" She looked at the stunned faces of her friends. "What?"
"I have no idea if you are being serious, Doc," said Graham.
"I'm with Grandad."
The Doctor slung her arms around Ryan and Graham's shoulders.
"You two should know by now that I'm always serious." She patted their backs then tucked her hands in her trouser pockets. "I'm starving. Let's go find some grub."
"Can't argue with you on that, Doc," agreed Graham.