Disclaimer: I do not own Doctor Who. All rights to BBC.
'Want to see Galleria then, or what?'
Her eyes swiftly moved to the door and then settled on the Doctor's face. One big smile. 'I'd love to see it!'
'Right then,' the Doctor seemed to have busied himself immensely in the last half hour; he looked drained yet alive, energetic yet bored. The Sonic Screwdriver was out of his pocket and it was fondly embraced in the Doctor's hand as he ran to the open world outside that door. He stopped before he moved to open it, Joy hot on his heels.
'What year is it again?' He murmured, mostly to himself. Joy stood back and let him think. She could wait another moment before she stepped into her first out of world adventure. She chewed on her lip unknowingly, watching him think.
She remembered only a few hours ago, wait a minute…she was in space now, on a new world. And the Doctor didn't even know the year yet. So theoretically she had met the Doctor lifetimes ago, generations had passed in the blink of an eye. It felt weird. More then that, yet less…an out of body experience.
'IT'S 3454!' The Doctor yelled out suddenly. She jumped a mile, put her hand over her heart and gave him a murderous look.
'You idiot! You nearly made me jump out of my skin!' She barked.
The Doctor faced her, he gave her one of those looks that Rose would have known well; a 'what-are-you-suggesting-do-you-not-think-I-know-a-giraffe-when-I-see-one' look.
'You can't jump out of your skin, it's impossible,' he raised an eyebrow at her. 'I think,' he trailed off. 'RIGHT,' he breathed in sharply, 'Joy Parker…welcome to the world of tomorrow – today!' He grinned and swung the door open, stepping outside.
Joy was hesitant; the Doctor trusted what was outside before he even looked. He just went out without even blinking. She couldn't see anything from inside; it was brilliantly white like a glare. But it didn't hurt her eyes. 'Leave the TARDIS?' She thought daringly.
'Come on! Where are you?' The Doctor called from outside somewhere. Joy raised her head and stepped out, following his suit.
It took her about a moment, blinking furiously, to understand what she was seeing in front of her. Galleria – a whole new world, far in the future, far away from home…beautiful beyond words.
Everything she sensed was rich with a strange yet familiar feeling. A warm breeze swept up her hair; it was sea breeze, definitely, stroking her cheekbones and wrapping across her skin. She heard wildlife, like animal noises but distant and harmonious. It reminded her of creatures she watched in documentaries, lost long ago with the dinosaurs. She dared to open her mouth and instantly her tongue tasted the new air; honeycomb and peppermint. It was delicious.
What attracted her most was the smell and the view. Linking with the taste of sweets she breathed in fruity wonders, easily placing in her mind a Caribbean feast. Now the view…was breath taking. The Doctor stood by her side, in front of the TARDIS and smiled at her.
Rose's first impression of the year 5 billion when they touched down on Platform 1. As the shields opened up to reveal the sun glowing, dominating, over existence. That was what Joy looked like now; taking in wonder and learning. He looked back at the scene.
It was nearly dusk; a scarlet red sun a little bigger then the Earth's was just touching the horizon, a horizon lined with alien trees, their shadows trailing longer across the sandy ground as the sun set. Apart from the odd sand dune and peaking purple mountains in the west, the ground was empty and flat. But the wind picked up the sand grains and they danced in the sky like bees. Up above the sky was brushed with clouds of amber, stains of satin blue sky and echoes of red from the sun.
Joy looked all around, she could not take in everything at once and looked like she could have stayed here all night. The Doctor pointed up at the sky. 'Look!' He explained, she followed the path of his finger, 'up there! See that planet?'
She could see a planet. And it looked very close! Just smaller then the sun that was setting, a dark green and orange sphere trailing through space angelically.
'That's the solar system's third planet from the sun. It's called Newton but not inhabitable. It's like Jupiter but smaller!' He explained, grinning up at said planet. 'It was close enough to be classed as Galena's twin but the experts concluded that it was not close enough, nor had hardly any physicality's of a twin planet.'
'Galena is…?' Joy asked.
'The name of the planet we're standing on. The human race's first habited planet outside of your home solar system! It and this new solar system are named after that glorious scientist, Galileo Galilei! Twinny over there is named after Issac Newton, of course!'
Joy gazed at Galena. 'It's so beautiful Doctor!' She sighed.
'Yes, it is, isn't it?' He grinned, strolling across the desert, hands in his pockets. 'I've been trying to come here for years but then I always got another idea and followed it istinctively, ending up all over the place.'
Joy ran over to him and walked beside him, they were heading towards the horizon, though what was out there, Joy had no idea – it looked like a never ending desert! 'You left this place on the end of your list for a special reason?' She asked curiously. Or did he just not want to bother with exciting places he took his former companions anymore?
'What list, what?' he asked, 'I've not got a list, I'm not reaching the end of my life and thinking about all the places I've not been and then going there. That's not what I do!' He walked ahead and Joy felt as though he didn't want to talk at the moment.
A few hours ago, when they met and they were dealing with that London alien threat, they had a few quiet moments when he poured out his troubles to her. Do you remember those planets in the sky a few months back? He said to her, A spaceship hitting Big Ben, Christmas? Well…I was there, fighting for Earth, I'm not trying to be a hero, I just step in and help…She was awed by what he told her (which wasn't much) about his TARDIS, a couple of mentions of Donna, Martha and Rose…that he was an alien Time Lord.
She wanted to know more, sick of her job as a Teacher's assisant now she understood the universe better. She wanted to learn what was out there, see it like he saw, she wanted him to be her guide through the stars. What an amazing Gap year that would be! And when he agreed to take her for a few trips, when he agreed that she was good in helping him today, when he explained he could travel in time so she could return in the blink of an eye, she rushed home to pack her things.
Back on Galena, she watched the Doctor's stiff back ahead and now that she was getting used to being in space, she realised that he didn't look the happiest man when she came aboard.
She stopped. He didn't; he didn't even notice. 'I'm sorry.' She said – it echoed strangely through the vast space they were travelling.
He turned round and stopped. 'Sorry? Erm, for what?'
'I'm sorry that I came. You don't seem to want me here!' She shrugged her shoulders. 'I don't want to intrude on you, it's not my place. If you want to take me back then you may, but just so you know,' she walked up to him – the Doctor stood with a grim face. I've done it again. Treating Joy second best just like with Martha.
Joy appraoched him, stood close to him and gazed into his tired eyes, 'I wouldn't have missed this for the world!' She smiled sadly.
It hurt him to have upset her, this youthful and helpful girl that deserved a chance to shine. He touched her hand. The sun was almost below. The sky was glittering like a lake in its final hours of the day.
'Then I'll have to make sure it's not worth missing!' He grinned and led her across the sand towards the almost absent sun; a faintish blood red dip on the border between heaven and Galena.
He was a weird one, she thought happily. Quite eccentric and inordinary – just like Galilei.
The sun vanished, leaving them in a twilight sky, alien clouds reflecting any visible light like a watery world.