Serena had made it too school for the day, and of course it was as routine as most other days. However, there were thoughts that had been lingering at the back of her mind. Things that her brother had said earlier that morning and just things about the incident at the café. She had to shrug them off as best as possible though to get through the classes she was in. It wasn't easy, however, and she seemed very much distracted as she listened to lecture.
She was lucky she didn't get called on for anything seeing as her mind wasn't there in the present. It felt like the hours could have poured on like a slow stream of quick sand for all she cared. How could someone even think about classes when something more intriguing caught her attention? It was the big sky no man land state for heaven's sake nothing interested ever happened! Yet it had, and as much as she wanted to deny such facts, she couldn't escape the obvious and it was killing her inside. Even as lunch had rolled around she still couldn't seem to get out of her funk state of thought.
While she was trying to read one of her text books, however, a voice broke the chaos that was here mind. It made her jump a bit as she looked up to see who had caught her attention. Before her, one of her classmates stood staring at her waiting to see if she'd respond. He was a decent looking man, one that many a girl wouldn't mind going with if given the chance. Sadly though since losing a decent portion of her sight, she couldn't even fully tell if he was giving one of them flirtatious stares or not. She smiled in any case, just so she didn't seem unfriendly.
"Oh, hi." she offered.
"Hey." the man stated as he still stood there. "I was wondering if I could sit with you and eat. Maybe talk shop about class or something. It doesn't have to be class."
"Uh, sure." Serena pushed some hair out of her face. Luckily by this point she was able to put a name to the voices she got to hear. She could tell that this particular one was Jordan. What she didn't know, however, was who Jordan really was. She didn't know that anything had happened to him the night before. So she was oblivious to the danger she potentially was in even right then and there. It wasn't her fault of course, she wasn't a mind reader and she had no idea the guy was out last night.
"Great." he stated, sitting down across from her, setting his bag down. There was a smile on the man's face, but it was uncertain the intention of that smile. "So, history was a bore today, don't you think? Honestly, I don't understand half the reason we have to read all these books we have. It's kinda stupid when you think about it. There is no way anyone could read, research, and write papers on eight separate reads over the course of a quarter. The professor has got to be out of his mind."
"Yeah." Serena stated looking sort of down, his words sort of cutting unintentionally like a fire heated knife through her. He caught the embarrassed look.
"Oh I'm sorry, that was rude to start off like that." he offered. "Sometimes my mouth just wanders as if it has a mind of its own."
"Eh." she stated a bit more solemnly, this good meet up was feeling a bit like it was kind of going sour already.
"Um…." the man rubbed the back of his neck a bit. "Yeah sorry. Seriously. I'd say I understand, but….I don't."
"It's okay." she sighed fiddling a bit with the page in front of her and then looked at him. "Your right, the professor is a hard ass, and just a bit crazy if he thinks anyone can get through that class of his. I know I'm going to fail it, I just don't have the speed to read and do the rest all at once. And he refuses to give anyone extra time to do so, so."
"That's not true. I'm sure you can get through it. I know this is probably going to come off wrong, but I think you got the inner strength to do it." he stated, already seeming like he was regretting what he said. The man was being smooth, that was for sure, or at least trying anyway. It would seem like there was nothing wrong with him at all.
"Yeah that was bad," Serena cringed a bit, she couldn't tell if he was suggesting her impairment which she didn't usually try to show outwardly, or if it was a "because you're a girl" card that he was trying to pull. Either way it was off putting. "But I get it."
"Maybe….," it sounded like Jordan was thinking about something very hard. "Maybe we could help each other. I can catch you up on reading and you can maybe get me through some of the over my head jargon the books seem to pose."
"You can't be serious?" she looked taken aback with a bit of astonishment. No one usually ever asked to help her first. She usually had to beg others relentlessly before they'd help her. And it was even more uncommon that folks would first ask her for help, so inevitably this made her actually excited about the prospect.
"Yeah, I am serious." he stated and leaned forward a bit, his features coming into a clearer view for her and it made her turn red just a bit being able to see some better details on his face.
"Okay sure." she finally stated. Serena probably should have been more suspicious of his offer to help but it wasn't like she believed herself to be under any threat. "Maybe we could find time this weekend to hang out and play catch up."
"Sounds like a good idea to me." Jordan replied warmly and began to eat his lunch.
They talked about other things of course, movies, sports, politics, anything and everything before their lunch hours were over and they'd both have to run off to their next classes. It was actually turning back into a pleasant conversation again, which was good. By the end they even parted ways going to separate classes with a smile and a hand shake. The rest of the day went by fairly smoothly, the funk fog in her brain now having dissipated finally at the thought of getting help from an actual genuine guy who wanted an interest in her.
By this point, the familiar face of the Doctor entered the main hub of the college. It was as if there were signals all over the place in this facility. However, as he started to gauge, it was going to be like looking for a needle in a hay stack to try and find the direct link to what he was searching for. Frowning, he realized he was going to have to play it cooler here, and less out of the ordinary seeing as there were students still about. Luckily, most paid no mind to him. Perhaps it being a technical college, made him blending in a lot easier. Of course he had to start his search somewhere, and the library seemed like a good place to start. So over to the library he went.
From there, he continued to subtly search about, eventually going from classroom door to classroom door in hopes to locate his target. Sadly it was to no avail. For some reason all the signals seemed to be somehow muddling up within the walls of the college and locations inside it. He surmised it was because it was a busy place and he wasn't completely sure what he was quite looking for really. When he didn't find what he was looking for he went back to the main entrance and stood outside, trying to think, the wind whipping at his aged looking hair. Another dead end and more questions than answers. He watched as people left to go home and come in for later classes go by him, but it was like sitting in a stream with fish floating by there was no reason to care.
Yet that was the problem right there, he should have cared. Because there was one fish in the stream of nobodies, that stood out brighter than the rest. And one other fishy that was going to eat that bright colored fish if he didn't do something about it. That fish was Serena, and its predator was Jordan.
Jordan apparently had already been out in his car waiting, because when Serena walked out of the school, he ended up pulling up in his car just as if it weren't planned at all. She originally was going to try and catch the bus again as was per usual because they weren't going to meet until the weekend as far as she knew was planned. Nothing of outstanding interest. However, the moment the car pulled up and the window rolled down and Jordan began to speak to Serena, is the same moment that the Doctor took notice to his device that was going really crazy. It was here, outside. He stared at the screen then looked around at the parking lot. Nothing seemed familiar at first.
"Hey." Jordan called out. "Wanna lift?"
"Oh hey again." Serena blushed. "Yeah sure, beats taking the bus any day."
"Cool." He patted at the seat next to his. "Hop in."
Serena did just that, and as she did, it then hit the Doctor as his eyes crossed paths with Jordan's face finally, that he had found what he was looking for just as Serena closed the door behind her.
"No, no, no, no." he stated frantically to himself and then called out. "Hey! Hey wait!"
Jordan caught sight of the Doctor though and glared with an almost vicious smile on his face at him, rolling up the window. Serena looked over at The Doctor as he did that.
"Maybe we should see what he wants?" Serena offered.
"Nah it's probably just one of the professors or some older student trying to get someone else's attention. Don't worry about it." he stated quickly and began to drive off.
"Okay…" she stated putting her belt on, sort of not actually sure.
"Hey I got an idea, why don't you and I go hang out for a little while. Could go get something to eat maybe. What do you say?" Jordan said trying to deliberately distract her from the previous frantic calling Doctor who was trying to get her attention.
"Um…" she hesitated.
"Come on, I promise I won't make it weird or anything." he pleaded.
"Well…" she was so torn. A part of her needed to get back home to make sure her brother hadn't wrecked the place and she had homework to do on the other hand this guy was probably asking her on a date.
"I mean if it's too soon to hang out you know….I could always take you home." Jordan said, a wounded glance crossing over his features.
"No! ...I mean, okay. About food." she suddenly blurted out her heart sort of pounding in her chest. "Let's do it. Let's go hang out."
"Really?" his face went quickly from pathetic to glowing.
"Yeah really." she said, giving him a genuine smile. "Just…let me text my doofus brother. He's kinda in town for a while."
She opened the screen on her phone and sent out a text saying, Hey going out for a few hours with a friend I'll be back later tonight. She then let the phone go to black screen until her brother possibly responded if he wasn't busy doing something she should wonder about.
"Oh, is he someone I'll have to worry about pummeling me for taking there sister out for a dinner?" he teased a bit.
Is he cute?, was the response she got in text from her brother. She turned red as a beat before responding to him.
Shut up. I never said it was a he, she hastily texted back and then said, "Um, no. Hah, he's more like a chill cat. Just give him a bit of cat nip and he's good."
"Haha, sounds entertaining." Jordan jested. "I can only imagine."
"Yeah," she ran a hand through her hair as she brushed a strand out of her face. "Well, he'll be fine for at least a few hours without me. After all he did sort of show up uninvited and unannounced a bit."
"Well that doesn't seem very nice." Jordan stated giving her a glance as he drove.
"Not really, but he's my brother and I wouldn't replace the crazy numb nut for the world." Serena said with a chuckle.
"Fair enough. So, where would you like to go?" he asked.
"I don't know, there's not too many places to hang in town, at least none that I know of anyway." she admitted.
"True." Jordan agreed. "I think I know of a couple, but that depends on what you're into."
"You're asking me what I'm into," she laughed. "Bub, you're in for a whooper on that one. I pretty much like anything and everything food wise. So that won't make choosing any easier."
"Haha, okay well then, what are you craving. Like right now." he asked.
"Right now?" she mused. "Hmmm, good old fashion sit down. Like Tracy's. I'd say Fifth Street, but their closed after three p.m., which sucks to be honest because they got the best milkshakes. The only other place that could compete is Ford's drive in and ugh, they are the only place that makes green river soda milkshakes in town too! You can get the soda by the gallon I think at that. Quite a deal if you ask me. But Tracy's would be great as long as they're not closed too. They've been getting some funky hours themselves lately. That whole downtown area has pretty well gone to the dogs sadly, aside from bars."
"Huh, well if the food joints closed we could just get a simple drink or something and call it good." he stated. "No pressure necessary."
"Sure." Serena smiled.
"Great, we'll try Tracy's first, and if all else fails we can find a pub or bar so we can get a drink and maybe a snack at least." Jordan assured. They were now heading well into downtown after having crossed the big highway that burrowed through a good portion of the south side of the town. Two hundred also known as Tenth Avenue was only one of two major roads in or out of town. They, however, were headed down to Central. The place where the whole situation had originated from.
It wasn't like Serena knew. She like every other human being on the planet, was about as oblivious to what strange things could be around her as the next person. She was with Jordan, she believed she'd be just fine. Nothing out of the ordinary about a hook up. Luckily, Tracy's was open and they were able to go in and get themselves some food and a cup of coffee. They even continued to talk about classes and other casual things. What had been a very stressful day, had as far as Serena was concerned at the moment turned into a very pleasant afternoon out of the house. She just hoped her brother wouldn't cause chaos while she was out.
About almost an hour or two later of eating, drinking, and talking the time away; they both finally left the small diner together, both happy and full from they're meet up. Jordan gave her a casually wry smile before asking, "So, I can either take you home right away or we could sit in the car for a bit, maybe cruise around the area before I take you back."
"I don't mind sitting and vegging. After all it seems we have plenty of things to talk about." Serena mused.
"That we do." Jordan gave a short chuckle. "Well then my lady shall we head back to my noble steed –I mean car so we can veg as you say."
"Lead on, good sir." she said warmly. Her eyes that were already tired a bit from a day's hard work of strain, were now starting to droop from falling into a slight food coma. They went to the car, and he even opened the door for her. Getting in, she let herself just flop back in the seat as Jordan closed the door beside her. He then got in himself on the driver's side and closed the door behind him. The car now filled with a momentary silence.
Jordan had parked not too far from Tracy's, but it wasn't on the same black as it. They were still on central, just a few blocks down from where they were eating. The sky now dark, it was noticeable that people were now gone from the area. Work was over, and so most folks had already gone home. However, that didn't mean there wasn't anyone down there other than them. Just not as many. It was another few long moments of vegging status before Jordan finally spoke.
"You know," he began. "I think people have under estimated you."
"Hmm?" she said a bit dreamily looking out half opened eyes at him. "How's that?"
"You just, you're a totally different person face to face, than you are in school. You not as…distant, I guess." he offered with a shrug.
"I suppose that makes sense." she mused.
"You're livelier, chattier, and open ya know." Jordan rambled off.
"Glad to know." she said smiling before looking back out the front window. "I always thought I kinda sucked at socializing."
"Nah, to me you talk more like you've done it great for your whole life." he smirked.
"Oh now your just sucking up, I can tell." Serena said getting readjusted in her seat. "I always can tell, my brother does similar sucking up."
"Is that so? Does it still work though?" he mused.
"Eh, sure." she stated lightly. "I'm too full to argue it."
"Fair." he smirked. He then adjusted in his own seat. His body though, was more contorted to the side so he could look at her better. It was visible on his face at the moment that there might have been some genuine interest in Serena. However, after biting at his lower lip lightly in thought of what to do next, there seemed to have been a sudden not so noticeable change in his demeanor. Where a few seconds before he probably would have hesitated to ask what he was about to ask, he sure wasn't now.
"Hey Serena?" he began.
"Yeah?" she looked over at him again, her eyes open so she could stare into his gaze.
He just wanted her attention. Now that he had it, Jordan reached out to her face and began to stroke it before he then pulled her soft features towards himself to go in for what would be "the kill". But, this was no ordinary gesture of affection, because by the moment he got her lips right against his, the true intentions finally came to the forefront. Intimacy of such a fashion usually brought an instant eye lock, but where he thought he'd find a bond in her eyes, he did not. Something was wrong, and Jordan or at least what used to be Jordan, didn't know why. It just wasn't working. This could get very bad for him very quickly. Yet all the same it wasn't like she was pulling away, so he supposed that could make up for the lack of success.
As they parted lips finally though, the creature inside Jordan got worse, angrier. That was when Serena began to notice something was off about him, wrong. Where Jordan's eyes should have been, Serena could begin to see something glowing where they should be, but it was highly unfocused because of her visual acuity. He then began to make a sound that possibly could have been speech, but came out in sounds of clicks and screech's instead, his mouth opening in a very odd elongated sort of way, leaving the inside of his mouth to seem like a disappearing black hole of an abyss, like something straight out of the movie Legion. Even his features began to transform a bit. This made her already back away from him, her heart racing fast.
"J-j-jordan!" she cried out almost is a whispered squeak that should have been more a scream. Without looking she had already been trying to look for the door handle with one hand, and her bag with the other. She wanted so bad to get out of there.
Before either knew it though, the door on the passenger side of Jordan's car was wretched open and Serena, who luckily didn't have a belt on since they hadn't gone anywhere yet, was yanked from the car forcefully by some unknown assailant.
"Let go of me!" she flailed wildly at whoever grabbed her out of the car. It was too dark to tell the features of who had grabbed her, but she could in her rushed moment of fear, tell that they were definitely taller than her, and a bit bigger in build, but not by much. She could hear the door close with a slam even as Jordan had cried out a "Hey!" to them both.
She could tell that she was pulled a few feet away from the car, her bag from school shoved into her arms before the hand that had been closer to her elbow that had pulled her was now set on one of her shoulders while another was set on her other shoulder.
"Are you alrigh'?" a thick, and maybe familiar voice spoke out in a harsh tone to her. "Did he hurt you? Tell me! Did he hurt you?!"
"N-no!" she squeaked out in confusion.
"Are you sure? You're not feeling funny, off, a bit odd?" the man inquired.
"Y-y-yes, I'm sure. Please, just let me go. I can give you whatever you want, just don't hurt me." Serena said palely. She then heard the car turn on and rev up.
"Ahhhhhh! No you don't!" the heavy Scottish brogue man cried out in frustration as he looked over at the car then back at her. "Stay here! Got it!"
All she could do was nod before he went running down the street after the car a bit, hoping to catch it before it could speed up through a light. Alas the light he was hoping that would be red, wasn't. And even with his device he had on hand to meddle with the control of it, it still had not turned red in time. This made The Doctor sigh in frustration before he make a quip one eighty back to where Serena was. Which surprisingly she did just as he said. She could have ran, but a part of her was too terrified for one, and for two, it was dark out. She wouldn't have known her way home from how disoriented she was.
She jumped when he came back up to her on her blind side. She looked down, scared that whomever had taken her, was possibly dangerous. A part of her even flinched when a hand gently touched under her chin and raised up her face to look at him. It had been noticeable now that she had been actually crying from the shock of it all.
"Hey, hey now. Don't cry, I can't stan' cryin'. Breaks me inside you see." The Doctor said more softly now. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to frighten you. It's just-"
He didn't know if he could explain it to her. Honestly he didn't even know how she managed to get out of that situation in one piece. From his angle, he sure had thought she'd been toast by the creature that was inside Jordan. Yet somehow she survived, but how?
"It's very complicated." he finally managed. "I actually though' you might have been in real danger."
"Yeah, well, I wasn't." she spat back a bit, not intestinally, but it came out that way anyway.
"Okay, I deserve that." he offered, putting his hands in his pockets to try and show he was no threat. He couldn't tell that she couldn't actually see that to tell he was.
"I was fine until you, whoever you are, showed up and scared the ever living daylights out of me." Serena managed, a bit of a fiery spirit returning to her. "You know, for a possible thief or a robber you're really bad at it."
"Wha?" The Doctor scoffed. "You think I'm a- oh heavens! No! I am not a thief! Or a robber. Or anything else related to illicit activity! I genuinely thought you were in trouble!"
"Yes, well now I have no way home." she bit out bitterly, still just from fear.
"Look I'm sorry, 'ow many times do I 'ave to say it!" The Doctor looked to the sky exasperatedly.
"I don't know." she mumbled a bit afraid still of his brazen voice. Scottish people were loud. At least that was the impression she was getting right now.
"Okay, look, if I help get you a ride, will you please forgive me for the mistake?" he pleaded with her.
"Yeah, I supposed." Serena nodded.
"Great! Now, do you have any money, 'cause uh, I don't exactly carry spare cash or card around." The Doctor cringed a bit as clapped his hands together, his bushy brows furrowing.
"I think so, a bit." she frowned, most of her money had been spent on lunch and she usually only carried enough around for the bus usually.
"Well if not, we'll see if someone inside a place might be able to spare you a ride or at least money for one." he offered. "Though I forgot to ask, do you have a phone? We could try and call an uber or a cab or something first?"
"Yeah." she stated taking her phone out, but when she tried to turn it back on, it wouldn't. It was as if the battery was dead or sapped of energy. She could have sworn she had charged it, but to no avail it wouldn't turn on no matter what.
"Ughhhhh, damn it!"
"What?"
"The things dead, as in R.I.P. I need a charger at best stat dead." she groaned.
"Ah, no matter, we can still do the other thing instead." he stated, his voice still hopeful.
"Okay." she nodded, clinging the bag more to her chest. She flinched again when he had put a hand gently on her shoulder once more to comfort her a bit and to turn her to lead her in the right direction to somewhere where they could get her a ride, but he didn't pull away even if she was sure he had thought about it with how the pressure changed against her shoulder blade a few times.
Eventually they had made it to a bar in the area. It was across the street of Central, but at least it was in walking distance. The Doctor lightly urged her to go inside before looking both ways down the sidewalk himself then darting in behind her. He wasn't quite fond of bars, at least not dive ones like this, but at least he could help her get a ride this way and get her out of the open from Jordan possibly returning for her.
He walked up to the bar with her and waited for a tender to come over and help them. The air in the place made The Doctor slightly uneasy, but it could have been worse, it could have been still back outside facing Jordan. Though in his case, he'd rather have been doing that, than being in a bar any day. Finally a tender came over to them while putting a bottle away on a self.
"Hey, how can I help ya?" the man behind the bar asked.
"Yeah, I was wondering if you could help my friend here. Her phones dead and she needs to get a ride home. I'd uh, give her a lift but, ya know….i don't have a car myself you see. So yeah if you wouldn't mind helping a poor lady get a safe ride home I'd be very appreciative."
"Sure." the tender stated. "Not a problem."
As the tender walked off, The Doctor glanced over to Serena who was already frantically digging through her bag for any spare money she might have had left over from lunch. Unfortunately, what she was able to dredge up wasn't quite enough to cover the cab. At least not in cash form. She could have used her card, but she wasn't sure how much she had on it at the moment. Her mind was too frazzled about the situation that had just happened.
"You doin' alright?" The Doctor asked with genuine concern.
"Yeah, just…not enough change." she brooded with a sigh. "Might just have to charge the card instead. Oh well. I don't like using the card, try to keep it for emergencies only, but I guess this counts as an emergency."
"I'd say." the elder man stated leaning against the bar while waiting. Serena looked over at him, trying to gauge his face, but the bar much like outside was just too dark to fully tell features clearly. However, a part of her thought he might have been smiling, not cruelly, but fondly at her. At least she could tell that he was an older gentleman, who seemed to have a very strong possible Scottish background.
"So um, about earlier…." she began.
"Yes?" he raised a brow at her.
"Just wanted to say, I'm sorry." She confessed honestly, now that her heightened fears were starting to slowly subside a bit. The man before her still scared her, but she wasn't in freak out panic mode anymore. "I didn't mean it."
"I know." was all that he said.
"You know? How? I wasn't exactly kind tempered." she stated.
"You're not the first person who's ever gotten cross or hot headed around me." The Doctor stated with a short laugh, remembering back fondly at his past.
"I just, I guess I used the fear I had already started to get with Jorden out on you." Serena stated. "And it wasn't fair."
"Oh?" curious as to what she had meant.
"Yeah. What I saw…" she took a hard gulp in as the images came back to her mind.
"What did you see?" The Doctor asked, a bit concerned now.
"Something happened. He…he somehow changed. Like, his eyes." Serena gestured to her own eyes as she spoke. "I think he, well you're not going to probably believe me, but I think his eyes glowed a bit. And I swore, I swore I saw his mouth open wide up in an unnatural fashion, like a snake, when it unhinges its jaw. It was horrifying. I swear I wasn't hallucinating. I don't do drugs. Gods, why am I even telling you this, you probably are thinking I'm plain out nuts."
"You're not crazy." he stated.
"Oh? How do you know?" she asked. "You weren't there."
"No, but I can't see you being dishonest in a situation as such." he offered. "Plus, I've seen things, things you couldn't possibly imagine. But really I am glad you're safe. Even more so now than ever."
"Okay." she scoffed mockingly a bit as she shoved some things back into her bag, not convinced that he didn't believe she was not some nutter. She watched as the man turned back to the bar impatiently, hoping the tender would arrive soon. In The Doctors opinion he was still not really great with domestic affairs. She wondered who he was, and thought maybe she should ask, but before she could the tender in favor of the The Doctor, arrived to give them word on the cab.
"Alright a cab's been called they should be here in about ten to fifteen minutes." the tender stated.
"That's wonderful." The Doctor said a bit more lightly than he had been. Apparently feeling accomplished at helping her get a way home safely.
"Yay." Serena added tiredly.
"Either of you want a drink in the meantime?" the tender asked.
"Water will be fine." The Doctor stated.
"Same." Serena stated, wanting to feel sober as possible.
The tender went and grabbed them both some water and brought it back promptly. The two of them sat there drinking their waters awkwardly.
"So?" Serena asked.
"So?" The Doctor mirrored.
"I never got your name. Mines Serena." she stated, hoping to get his.
"I," he wasn't sure if he should give out his true identity at the moment or not. Though, there was nothing else he could really go by except his John alias, but he didn't want to do that really. "I am The Doctor."
Serena almost choked on her water and nearly spit it back out when she tried to not die from inhaling it, "Yeah right! And I'm a space princess! Really? Who are you?"
"I just told you." he stated, his voice more serious now.
"No, The Doctor is a fictional character in a tv series. The Doctor cannot be real." she stated and then muttered. "As much as that would be the most awesome thing in the universe."
She couldn't believe it, because she couldn't see that he really was who he said he was.
"But I am!" he breathed softly too her. The comment about him clearly confused him for a moment, but after a second of thought, it began to become clearer to him. He wasn't in his own universe, somehow.
"And like I said, I'm a space princess named Leia." she scoffed a bit.
"Look, I can tell you don't believe me," he had a pleading look on his face. "At least believe this, what you saw, was real. Okay. I know you probably think I'm lying but I'm not."
"No I think you're crazy. Probably right now more crazy than even me." she stated, still not quite believing him. "You're a right mad man you know that."
"Never said I wasn't." he accepted. "Never said I was either. But that's beside the point right now."
"Oh really." she raised a brow of her own at him. "Okay….Doctor….if that really is even who you are. Where's you're TARDIS, and why couldn't you just have taken me home via it hmmm?"
"I-well….," he started a bit flustered by her forthright nature just now. "It's here! Well…not here, here. But it's around! And moreover, it's not quite in walking distance right now. Otherwise, maybe I would have."
"Uh huh….right." she shook her head at him. This guy was all sorts of loon as far as she was concerned. She decided at that point to shoulder her bag and then down her water in almost one go before getting off the stool to leave.
"Well Doctor." she snorted. "I think I'm going to go wait for my ride outside now."
She began to walk away from him and the bar, but was stopped by a hand to her elbow. Her gaze turned back to The Doctor in a "please let me just go" fashion. The look on his face was a pained one though. One that he'd only given to people like Clara or Amy or any one of his other companions. That look of fear that only barely shows through his eyes and lips, a war torn tired caring afraid stare he'd not just share with just any random person, but one he'd started to come to actually like.
"Don't." he stated bluntly. "Just don't."
"Why not?"
"Because."
"That's not good enough excuse mister." Serena said wearily. "I really should go."
"Because he could come back." The Doctor stated honestly. "I have no idea what that being is like that has ahold of your friends body, it could be relentless can return for you when it thinks things are safe again."
"Jordan….he's not my friend." she stated, her cheeks a bit hot.
"Okay boyfriend." The Doctor snarked a bit.
"He's not my boyfriend either!" she said in a bit of a higher tone voice than she expected.
"Does it really matter?" he huffed in irritation a bit.
"No I suppose not, but still, why should I believe you? You just claimed yourself to be the Doctor!" she jabbed.
"Because I am! If going by John Smith or Basil or some other name instead will help you, so be it! But I am who I say I am!" The Doctor blustered, his Scottish brogue coming out heavier than before. Honestly he really wasn't mad. In fact he was glad she questioned him, it meant she was paying attention. It didn't mean he couldn't still be frustrated about it though. Inevitably it made him sigh. "But I mean it, unless the cab's out there, you really shouldn't leave yet. You don't have to believe that I am who I say I am, but you can't go out there blindly not believing that what you saw did not happen. I can see it in your face. The fear actually is still there. I promise you, it's true. At least let me look before you go leaping back out there."
"Is there a problem over here?" the tender asked as he came over while still working.
"No." they both said at the same time and then looked at each other again, their gazes both firm on each other even if Serena couldn't see The Doctors features. The tender shrugged and walked back off.
"Fine." Serena stated, readjusting her pack on her back.
"Thank you." he breathed deeply and let it out.
"Your still mad." she commented.
"Yes," he had to freely admit. "Yes I am."
The Doctor was sure there had been enough time between the call and now for the cab to show he was sure. Unless the service was backed up. Downing his own water, he got up and walked to the door to poke his head out to see if the cab had arrived. At first it had looked like the cab wasn't there, but then a few moments later a car rolled up with a big sign on it declaring it was a cab. The Doctor was very relieved by this. He pulled his head back inside and looked at her, "Alright, you're in luck, it just arrived."
"About time." she stated. "I should be getting home anyway. My brothers going to be wondering what I've gotten up to. Especially now that my phones dead."
"Right." he agreed. "Well, good luck, be safe, and try to stay out of any further danger. Especially Jordan. I don't know if I'll be able to rescue you next time."
"I can take care of myself. I'm good at that." she tried to pass off, it was her internalizing that made her that way.
"Clearly." The Doctor this time was not the convinced one. He still didn't know how she escaped and that bugged him, badly. It was like an itch at the back of his mind that he wanted to find out. There didn't seem to be anything special about her in any way. So what gave?
"See ya around space case." she said giving a bit of a laugh.
He helped by opening the cab door for her, checked inside just in case to make sure not another one of those things was riding the driver. He then just realized, he was going to have to walk back to the TARDIS if he didn't get a ride as well. It would mean more time with Serena, but a part of him actually didn't mind.
"Wait, maybe I should get a ride too." he piped up holding the door. "I mean, I'll have to walk myself otherwise to where I need to go, and it's quite a ways from here to be honest."
"I guess I could spend a few more minutes with your daft face." Serena stated. It was of no consequence to the driver, they'd get paid either way. "Come on, get in."
He gave a half smile and then got in, in the back himself. The cab then took off, luckily in the right direction already. The driver asked for an address. Serena gave hers first, but then The Doctor quipped in that he needed to be dropped off in the park with the plane that was suspended in the air at one of its corners. The driver stated that, that was Lions Park.
This made Serena raise a brow. Was this guy a homeless dude? It made her wonder. To be dropped off in a park seem suspicious. She could see now possibly why he'd not give his real name in her mind. It still didn't make things any less strange though that he'd get dropped off in a park. It was almost Star Trek fourth movie of him. Maybe he really was The Doctor and his TARDIS was parked there. It made her shake her head to think she could believe such nonsense.
The moment the car stopped at the park and The Doctor opened the door to get out, she also too wanted to get out for some reason. Did this guy really have that sort of effect on her? Was she really that stupid to want to try and follow this mysterious man back to wherever it was he was going? She had to be mad herself.
"Goodbye, and good luck Serena." The Doctor stated before fully getting out of the car and then closing the door behind him. A part of him almost sounded like a wounded puppy when he'd said that. A wounded, lonely, scared puppy who just seemed to only want friendship in such a dark universe. It actually made Serena's heart hurt a bit inside as she sat there and watched The Doctor swiftly move away from the car and into the depths of the park. She was about to just let the best thing to ever happen in her life go like it never existed. What was wrong with her?!
Sadly there had been no time for her to bolt from the cab herself to chase after him. Instead she was left putting her hand up to the window and pressed it there, staring at her frowning reflection in the window as the car pulled away from the park. If he really was The Doctor, would she even ever see him again? A part of her wondered. This was not how she'd expected her day to end, not like this.
Disclaimer: I do not claim to own Doctor Who or its canon. Only the original characters and original content are mine.
A/N: Here's to another chapter for the new year! Hopefully the antic's are funny and the suspense dramatic. I myself enjoyed writing it, especially once 12 showed up to save the day. But don't be fooled, Serena's can potentially become a tough cookie if she wants to. Both are just lost, confused, scared, etc. in their own special ways. The Doctor has past he's still not grappling with well and Serena is being speedily thrown into a world she's not familiar with and doesn't exactly know what to believe. Here's hoping both of them will come to some terms with their stuff and be able to come together to solve this alien threat to her world. Again as always read and reviews are welcome!