I rubbed my eyes as I stepped out of my room. My hair was similar to that of Medusa's. I made a mental note to braid my hair before I went to sleep again that night. Something felt strangely familiar about all this, but I knew it was just another 'regular' day in the TARDIS. We were flying through time and space. Something I was actually quite used to at the moment. I smiled the same smile at the Doctor as I walked into the control room. He was sitting in my usual chair, staring at the console.
"Hello, Doctor, how are you today?" The Doctor smiled at me, a tired smile. I knew the feeling. I guess sometimes even people like the Doctor just need a break from their everyday lives. To get a break from mine, I flew away. The Doctor couldn't escape his life. This, running and jumping and fighting, was something he had to go through every day.
"Rachel Foster, looking as chipper as ever." My smile brightened. Ever since my last dentists visit, I had been feeling lackluster. As if I wasn't even living anymore. As if it was just the same day, over and over again. We land, we run, we survive, and we fly away. That is what always happened.
"So, Doctor, where are we going today?" I sat next to him on the chair. "Anywhere in time and space again?" The Doctor laughed. "Well, when are we going?" The Doctor made a sly look at the door.
"Oh, we're already there." I smiled and ran towards the door. "Wait," My feet stopped steps before the door. "You can't go out there dressed like that. You might start a riot." He smiled at me. "No, no pants. Go back there and put on the nice flowery dress next to the matador costume." I smiled.
"Do you know every piece of clothing in that huge wardrobe?" I smiled and ran back. I found the dress immediately. It was perfect, a cream dress with burgundy and amethyst colored flowers around the middle. It was totally 1950s style with the border print fabric and the crinolines that went underneath. I quickly changed and put my hair up in a nice French twist.
The Doctor smiled as I walked out of the wardrobe and towards the door outside. He grabbed his jacket and we walked outside. As I suspected we were in the 1950s, except there were aliens.
"Doctor, where or when are we?" He smiled at me and grabbed my arm. We started walking towards what looked like a small town's Main Street. There was a diner and a city hall and it all looked so perfect. "This is all sort of Pleasantville, isn't it? Well, Pleasantville with aliens." To prove my point a guy who looked like a human jock walked past with his girlfriend, a tentacle-faced cheerleader.
"We're in the year- well the year doesn't really matter. But really this planet is based on America's 1950s, as you might have guessed." I smiled, still surveying the people and aliens around us, looking so happy and content with their lives. It seemed like everything was perfect. I wanted to just run around and I had the strange urge to burst into song. The Doctor looked down at me and smiled. He must have read my mind. "Feel like bursting into song?"
I nodded and started to hum to myself. We continued walking and I realized that if I listened hard enough, I could hear a song playing and then I started to notice things. There were speakers on every lamp post playing a loop of songs.
"What is this, some sort of theme park?" I asked the Doctor. We were in the center of the town square. I spun in a circle and no one seemed to care. He chuckled as I kept spinning around and around. It was almost like I didn't want to stop. But I ran out of breath and I leaned on a rail with the Doctor.
"No, just a planet that liked the idea of everything being pleasant all the time. No pain or unhappiness, just one big happy planet dressed in 1950s clothing." He smiled and grabbed my hand. "I think it's time for a milkshake." We laughed as we walked into the diner.
They set us at a table. We ordered. I was famished, seeing as I just woke up so I ordered a burger, fries, and a strawberry milkshake, but the Doctor just got a lime milkshake. I stuck my tongue out at him. There were mini jukeboxes on the tables. The Doctor gave me some coins. I picked a few songs and pressed the buttons. A song by Elvis, Brittany Spears and someone named Glarebsgdofh. I figured all the music would be good, it was in the jukebox. We waited for our food. It took a little while, but eventually we got it.
I took the first bite. It was amazing. It tasted just how every burger should taste. The fries were crispy and the shake was amazing. In short, the food was just absolutely ideal. We ate and talked as if there was nothing in the world that could go wrong. The Doctor seemed to get just a little bit happier and more at ease. I guessed this was like a little vacation. There were no threats or people who wanted to kill us. There was just me, the Doctor, the nice people of this planet, good food, happy songs and blue skies.
The rest of the day went by quickly. There was a gathering at the City Hall and people cruised down Main Street. The Doctor and I just watched everything and enjoyed ourselves. Eventually, we went back into the TARDIS so that I could sleep. It was parked just a little ways outside the town center.
"Are you going to fly us out of here tonight? Or are we waiting until morning?" I smiled as I leaned on some of the TARDIS railings.
"Well, it might be nice to stay here for the night. Perhaps there will be some nice morning goings on around here." The Doctor shooed me off to bed. I think he liked the idea of a nice sort of vacation. There really was no threat on the planet. We could just relax and have fun. And I wouldn't be the one complaining about the lack of engine noise as I slept.
I changed out of the dress and folded it on the chair in my bedroom. I braided my hair and completed the rest of my nighttime routine before falling into a perfectly restful night's sleep.
I woke up the next morning feeling perfectly rested. I got up, did my morning routine and dressed in some jeans and a t-shirt. I yawned and walked out of my room.
I rubbed my eyes and made my way to the console room. My hair was a bit out of control. I made a mental note that I should braid my hair before falling asleep. It felt strangely familiar; however, I brushed it off. It was just another day in the TARDIS. I walked into the console room and smiled at the Doctor. He was staring at the controls, sitting in my chair.
"Hello, Doctor, how are you today?" There was weariness in his eyes as he smiled at me. He needed a break from being himself. He was always running and jumping and fighting. He never got a break.
"Rachel Foster, you're looking well rested today." My cheeks hurt as my smile grew wider. It seemed so ordinary for me to be like this, so dull. Ever since visiting the dentist it was if I was living the same day. Each day was the same as the last. We land, we run, we survive, and we fly away. Same again and again.
"So, Doctor, where are we going today?" I sat next to him. "Anywhere in time and space again?" The Doctor nodded. "Well, when are we going?" The Doctor kept nodding his head.
"Just check outside." I ran over to the door. My hand was on the knob before the Doctor called out to me again. "You're going to want to change first. There's a very nice dress that would fit and look nice for you in the wardrobe." I smiled and made my way to the room. "You'll find it right next to the matador costume."
"Do you know every piece of clothing in that huge wardrobe?" I walked into the room and found the dress. It was hard to miss next to the gaudy costume next to the dress. The dress, however, was beautiful, cream with a border print of burgundy and amethyst flowers. I loved that it was of 1950s style. I situated the crinolines and the dress on my body. I pinned my hair up after combing it into a French twist.
I walked out of the wardrobe and towards the door. I caught the Doctor smiling at me. I walked outside as he grabbed his jacket. I looked around. There were aliens everywhere, but I could swear we were in the 1950s on Earth.
"Doctor, where or when are we?" I grabbed his arm and he smiled. It looked like a small town and we were walking down the Main Street. I spotted a city hall and a diner. It was all so perfect. "This is all sort of Pleasantville, isn't it? Well, Pleasantville with aliens." A cheerleader with tentacles on her face walked past with her human jock boyfriend.
"The year doesn't matter. We're on a planet based on America's 1950s. You might have guessed that." I smiled. Everyone here looked so happy and content. It was too good to be true. I had the strange urge to burst into song and I was afraid I didn't have the self control to stop myself. The Doctor looked down and seemingly read my mind. "You're about to burst into song, aren't you?"
We continued to walk through the town square. I couldn't help myself and started to hum a song. It was the same song that I realized was playing over speakers. They were set up on the lamp posts and they were playing a song loop.
"What is this, some sort of theme park?" We had reached the center of town square and I spun in a circle. I couldn't stop myself from turning around and around. The Doctor chuckled at my actions. I leaned on a railing next to the Doctor as I ran out of breath.
"Just a planet that likes happiness and 1950s clothing. No pain or hurt, just contentment; where nothing is wrong." I smiled as he grabbed my hand and we walked towards the diner. "Doesn't a milkshake sound nice?" I nodded as we came to be in front of the restaurant. We laughed and I stepped inside first.
We were seated at a booth near the window and the waiter came over to take our orders. I didn't even need to look at the menu. For some reason I was starving, probably because I had just woken up and hadn't eaten breakfast yet. I ordered a burger, fries and a strawberry milkshake. The Doctor just got a raspberry cheesecake shake. I smiled and stuck my tongue out at him. I looked at the mini jukebox at our table and found some interesting songs. There was one by Elvis, Brittany Spears, and Glarebsgdofh. I didn't really know the last one, but it was the future. The Doctor gave me some coins and I picked the songs. The food took a little while to come, but when it did, it was amazing.
The first bite made my taste buds sing. It was the best food I had ever tasted, like how every burger should taste. The fries were perfectly crisp and the milkshake had just enough strawberry flavor to be perfect. All the food was just perfect. The Doctor and I spoke and ate as if nothing could go wrong. The Doctor was at ease and happy. It was like he was getting a vacation. No one wanted to kill us and there were no vicious monsters to attack us. There was just me, the Doctor, the nice people of this planet, good food, happy songs and blue skies.
The day just didn't seem long enough for all the things to do. In the evening, there was a gathering at the City Hall and Main Street was the place for people to just cruise. The Doctor and I were bystanders, watching everything. I got tired, so the Doctor took me back to the TARDIS so that I could get some sleep. We stood in the console room and I smiled at the Doctor.
"Are you going to fly us out of here tonight? Or are we waiting until morning?" I leaned on the railings of the TARDIS. The Doctor looked at me. He was hiding something and I could see it behind his eyes, but I didn't press the matter.
"Stay here for the night, I guess. There could be something exciting tomorrow." The Doctor stood up and hugged me before shooing me off to my bedroom. It was my opinion, but I thought the Doctor liked the vacation. There wouldn't be the noisy engine sounds as I slept, so there were no complaints from me.
I did my nightly routine before bed. I stripped from the dress and folded it, placing it on the chair in my room. I remembered my thought from the morning and braided my hair. The rest of my night was completely and perfectly peaceful. I slept all night without tossing or turning.
Except when I heard a creak in my room. It was in the middle of the night, but I heard the noise and shot bolt upright in my bed. My covers flew everywhere and as I sat there, I saw the Doctor standing in my doorway.
"Why are you there, Doctor?" The Doctor looked at me. He smiled and I spied the dress I had worn in his hands. "What are you doing with my dress?"
"Oh, uh," He ran his hands quickly through the back of his hair and walked into my room. "Well, let's just say that I am getting the dress so I can wash it for tomorrow." I crossed my arms.
"Why do you need it for tomorrow? I'm not going to wear it twice in a row." I got out of bed and grabbed the dress. The Doctor was up to something. I could tell by the way he was looking at me. He was guilty of something. "What are you up to Doctor?" I was getting a bit more perturbed as the Doctor said nothing.
"Well, I thought we needed a break. You looked so upset. I was a bit upset. You needed some happiness and this whole thing has made you happy." The Doctor wasn't making sense. A growl sounded from within my throat. I didn't know where the growl had come from, but I knew I was a bit angry.
"What do you mean, Doctor?" I walked forward. He backed a little against the my wall.
"We've been repeating the same day over and over again." I had dropped the dress and it fell to the floor, spreading out across like liquid. "I'm sorry, we both needed some perfection, and I thought maybe we could be happy just doing this for a while. But then we got here and I never wanted to stop." I drew in a deep breath. I was trying to calm myself, but there was something I had to know.
"How many times?" The Doctor didn't look like he was going to answer. "How many times have I repeated this day?" The Doctor cleared his throat.
"Well, it's been the same day, really. But technically, we've repeated the same day, uh," He cleared his throat again. "14 times. But I mean, uh, this whole planet really lives the same life over and over again. So it was just like we visited this planet 14 times."
"Get out of my room," I pushed him towards the door. He willing stepped out of my room. I closed the door and locked it. I turned on my lights and grabbed my notebook from my nightstand. "The same day over and over again," I whispered to myself. I opened my book and turned the page so that I would have room to write. I needed to write out my feelings and this was the best way I knew how.
Sometimes it felt like the days were the same. Every day it was a routine for the Doctor and the girl who traveled with him. Each adventure had different people and different places. Yet somehow, each new adventure was exactly the same. The Doctor noticed something. The girl was unhappy.
The girl tried to hide it, but somehow the Doctor knew. And when he found the opportunity, he did something. The Doctor took the girl and made everything perfect. The girl didn't want perfection, but he gave it to her anyways. When the girl realized what had happened, she was livid, but then she realized the kindness of the Doctor.
And she was able to forgive him.
I took a deep calming breath. I knew I had overreacted to the whole situation. I took my braided hair and twisted it into a bun. My slippers slid onto my feet as I walked out to find the Doctor. Just like always, the Doctor was in the console room. I sat down on my chair. The Doctor leaned against the controls. He looked uncertain. It was a look I had never before seen on the Doctor's face.
"You shouldn't manipulate me, you know." I crossed my arms. "I'm not just a toy you can play with. I'm a person." I slouched down a bit and pulled down my sleep shirt. "I'm your friend. You can talk to me. And I'll try to confide in you more. I know I've been a little listless for a while, but really, I just want things to go back to normal." I patted the seat next to me. The Doctor walked over and sat down. "I'm sorry I got so angry."
"No, you had the right to. I was playing with your mind." I bumped the Doctor's shoulder with mine.
"Well, just as long as you don't do it again." I smiled. He smiled in return. I knew he wouldn't because he knew if he manipulated my mind again I would kick his butt. "Now I really need to get back to sleep. What time is it?" The Doctor looked at the watch on his wrist.
"It's about 3 o'clock in the morning here. I think sleep would be best for you right now." He kissed the top of my head.
"Goodnight, Doctor." I paused as I just about walked out of the room. "Doctor," I got his attention as he turned to me. "How did I not know what was going on? How did I not remember?"
"At midnight this planet resets itself. You were asleep, so you got reset; whereas I was awake and able to remember it all. It's quite the phenomenon." I looked at him with concern. I didn't want to forget what happened as soon as I fell asleep. The Doctor read the worry on my face. "Don't worry, you'll be fine. You were awake at the time it reset." I nodded and smiled, bidding the Doctor goodnight one last time. I walked back into my room and jumped into bed. As soon as my head hit the pillow, I was out like a light. I didn't wake up until 10 o'clock the next morning.
I opened my eyes and stretched my limbs. I went into the wardrobe room and grabbed a new dress to wear that day. I did my morning routine and dressed myself. I walked into the control room. The Doctor was surprisingly dozed off on the chair. Trying not to wake him, I grabbed some money and opened the door. I walked quickly to the diner.
"I've been eating nothing but burgers and fries and milkshakes for the last 14 days. I'm surprised my waistline hasn't expanded to the size of a house." I smiled, laughing at my silliness, and looked at my reflection as I passed a window display. I burst into the diner and sat at the counter. The waiter came up and asked for my order. I told him what I wanted and surprisingly quickly, I got my food and I was leaving to get back to the TARDIS.
I walked in and the Doctor was still dozed off. I didn't want to wake him, but the TARDIS door accidentally slammed shut behind me. He jolted upright and grabbed at his person. He jumped up and smiled slightly.
"So, what have you got there?" He was referring to the two cups I had in my hands. I held one out to him. He grabbed it and immediately stuck his finger to taste what it was. "Oh, a banana shake. Bananas are good. Lots of potassium. Love a good banana." I handed him a straw.
"Yeah, I figured you might like it." I smiled and put my straw in my lid. I had gotten myself a mocha milkshake. I had been deciding between a strawberry one and the one I had, but somehow, I felt a bit sick of strawberry.
The Doctor smiled and placed his milkshake down. I sat on my chair and the Doctor started towards the controls so that we could fly away. I took a sip of my milkshake.
"Doctor," I muttered. He turned to look at me. "Let's just stay here for a moment. We need to talk." The Doctor nodded and sat down next to me. We sat in an awkward silence for a while before he spoke up.
"Where do we start?" He held his hands out to me, as if adding to his question. Palms facing up, we were both surrendering. I shrugged my shoulders. There wasn't a right place to start; there were just points in the story to start.
"How about the beginning of all this?" I placed my cup down and clasped my hands together. There was no way to tell if this talk would be good for our friendship or not. But we both knew that there were things unsaid that needed to be spoken. Both of us took a deep breath. He cleared his throat and I played with my skirt. "Well, I don't know what to tell you." I cleared my throat and began.
We spent the day talking things through. By the end of it all, we both seemed exhausted. I, for one, was very emotionally spent. But I felt so much better about the whole thing. By the end of the day, we were done.
I stood and grabbed the Doctor's hand and led him outside. We were just in time to watch all the people cruising down the Main Street. It was a pretty sight to see. There was neon everywhere and there was music playing. The world seemed right and perfect. Even if we knew it wasn't, it was nice to pretend that life was fine for just one more time.
We flew away in the TARDIS from the planet. I wasn't quite sure what kind of adventure was next, but for the first time in a while, I was completely excited to see what was coming.