I was sat in my grandmothers kitchen.
My kitchen.
With the Doctor offering me my tea and my biscuits.
Which I accepted and sipped, looking at the man with teary eyes.
"So you're Nikki." the Doctor said.
He knew my name?
"Yeah. And you're the Doctor. Grama told me about you. She told me everything about you." I said, slightly breathless.
It was like my imaginary friend had come to life and was stood leaning against my kitchen counter eating my Digestives and drinking my Earl Grey. He'd even finished off the last of the milk and it wasn't as if he carried any money to replace it.
A little smile curled at the Doctors lip.
My smile matched his.
Then I remembered the key, still slightly too warm under round my neck. I scrabbled to pull it out from under my dressing gown, taking it off over my head and holding it out to him.
"This belongs to you, I think." I said, a little sadly.
He took it and flicked his eyes to mine, staring at me for a long moment through long lashes his dark hazel eyes searching my own green ones - inherited from my grandmother - for some sort of answer to why I was handing over the most precious thing I had.
"Do you really want me to take it?" he asked, quirking an eyebrow.
No. No I didn't.
"Her adventures are over. Seems right." I replied.
There was his little smile again, almost mischievous.
"But yours… its just beginning."
There was silence for a second after he spoke.
Then another.
"If you want it to…" he shrugged.
Was he asking me to travel with him? Or was he just making a statement? With the Doctor looking at me the way he was it was hard to tell.
"Let me finish my tea and I'll have a think." I whispered.