With a gasp, the Doctor woke up, bolting upright. He was surprised to find that he was panting and sweating, but then had the sensation that people do after having woken up from a terrible dream, and recalled that it was a terrible dream that had put him in such a state. He shuddered.

Then the Time Lord turned his attention to his surroundings. His memory was foggy, so he really had little idea where he was. It certainly wasn't the TARDIS, or anyplace else he could ever remember being. The bed he was in was layered with quilts and blankets, a few stuffed animals here and there. On the opposite side of the room was a miniature floor lamp, and it was lit, providing a small beam of light in the otherwise dark room. Thanks to the light, he could see, looking around various articles of clothing and other objects that led him to believe it must be a girl's bedroom.

He heard a sharp intake of breath. It was quiet, but close. Looking at the floor, the Doctor saw a teenage girl in a sleeping bag, fast asleep. After a bit more looking around, he saw the mural painted on the wall above him of the name "JANE" and many other stars and planets and clouds and things. Then the few memories that the Doctor had of that day clicked into place, and he realized that the girl on the floor was Jane, and she was the same girl who had dragged him all over the place to get him to her home, where he could rest. The Doctor suddenly wondered at her kindness. It must've really taken her a lot to get him here, and to convince her family to allow him to stay. He was, after all, a complete stranger.

This made him smile. It was that part of humanity he really loved: that fantastic yet immensely strange caring that nearly all people inherently possessed.

But, still feeling weak, the Doctor leaned back into the pillow. He sighed, and ran a hand through his hair-

His hair! The memory of his regeneration suddenly hit him, and again he bolted upright. In the blink of an eye, the Doctor was standing in front of the mirror on the other side of the room, studying everything: his face, his hair, his arms, his chest, his legs.

Inspection complete, he stepped back, taking everything in. Over all, he was pretty satisfied. This regeneration was young, even younger than the last one. Again he was disappointed to find that his hair wasn't ginger, but another sort-of-brown. Yet he assured himself that this he could live with.

He glanced over at the desk and saw a digital alarm clock, neon-green letters illuminating the time to be 5.3o am. And next to the alarm clock, a cup of tea…

Carefully stepping over Jane, the Doctor carefully took up the mug. It was untouched, and still mostly warm somehow. He decided it was intended for him. As he drank, he also noticed his jacket and tie folded neatly on the desk, and he smiled just a bit. He again stepped over Jane and sat on the edge of the bed.

As he sat, the Doctor sipped his tea and wondered. What now? An answer to this ponder didn't take long to form: Move on, I suppose. But that was just… so lonely. Sure, his life was an incredibly dangerous one. But it was fun, too. The good times outweighed the bad times, really. And he needed to have someone with him. Like humans, Gallifreyans weren't solitary figures, however esteemed and serious (and stuffy) they seemed. They needed company, they needed other people. He needed someone to laugh with, someone to have fun with. Someone to keep him from dwelling on things. And sometimes, he needed someone to stop him.

The Doctor sighed. He couldn't live a singular life. He just couldn't. The last days of his previous regeneration had been some of the worst of his life. Even though there were people with him on occasion… that just made it even more terrible because it was so good to have a friend by his side, and then they were gone.

He was pulled out of his thoughts by movement. Quickly looking around, the Doctor saw that it was Jane rolling over. Nothing more.

The Doctor drained the last of his tea. Seconds later, he was up and ready to go. Setting the cup down on the desk, he considered Jane's kindness. He wanted to thank her, but in thinking, he couldn't come up with anything he had that a teenage girl would want. Not that he knew what teenage girls wanted. So he grabbed a pencil from the tin and the notepad sticking out from underneath the cowboy hat, and scribbled Jane a note.

On opening the door, the young-looking Time Lord was surprised to see a light on in the room immediately next door. It was the bath. Looking down the hallway, he saw more lights on in the back of the house.

Quietly, he crept down the hall. Peering into the living room, he was relieved to see it was a man who could only be Jane's father snoozing on the couch. On the telly played the news. The Doctor tiptoed into the living room and, crouching behind a chair, watched enough to gather that he was in a place called Firefly City, Washington; a city on the west coast of America.

He nearly jumped out of his shoes with surprise when he heard Jane's dad jolt awake with a painful-sounding snort. The man sleepily yawned, pulled off his glasses, and rubbed his eyes. Slowly he stood up, turned the telly off, and shuffled right past the Doctor, into the hallway to retrieve his coat from the closet.

When Mr Parsons returned to the living room, about to let himself out, the Doctor had hidden himself behind the table in the dining room. But it didn't take long for Jane's father to be out the door and gone, off to work.

The Doctor waited for several long minutes, then stood up. He glanced at the clock: 5.35. At 5.37, he, too, was out the door and on his way to find the TARDIS.

0-0

Wow. This chapter took a lot of editing. I was trying to make it more realistic… than it had been before. Or something. Okay, that's an absolute lie; I was avoiding working on my homework. I'm supposed to be writing an essay, but it's giving me so much trouble. I don't know why. I basically know what I'm trying to say…

This is not the place for that, Marty. Anyhow, sorry this took so long. I've been so busy recently it isn't even funny. Hopefully this chapter is more interesting than the rest. The story picks up from here, I promise.

Um… the Doctor's thoughts, if you didn't gather, are basically on whether or not he should, if the opportunity arises, to take on a companion (I hate to say "take on", but I couldn't think of a better way to phrase it), as he seemed so object to doing in the Specials. What he thinks here were my thoughts on that, in a more roundabout, slightly more logical way. Sort of. I think. Whatever…

Let's see… what else… Fun trivia for you: the city Jane lives in (Firefly City) and her school (Saltwater High School) are named for Owl City songs. I had just got "Ocean Eyes" when I wrote this, and that's basically all I listened to (that, and the audio of "MirrorMask", my second-favourite movie ever). It's pretty much the soundtrack for this story. XD So Firefly City= "Fireflies" + Owl City, and Saltwater High School= "The Saltwater Room". Oh, aren't I funny.

No idea when there will be more, sorry. Thanks again to all of you who read and review. It's one of the best things you can do for me right now, unless you can somehow magically make something actually go right for the play I'm in or help me figure out this gorram essay. Or… no, I won't go there. That isn't fair. Sorry. Anyhow, thanks again! Have a great week and beyond, everyone! 8D