A/N: I do not own anything relating to Doctor Who. I only own the ideas of my OC. Thank you so very much to RudeandNotGinger92 and the two guest reviews! I get so excited when I see a new review. It gives me that little bit of encouragement to keep writing. Since you all were so lovely and wrote reviews, I decided to try and put out another chapter. Sorry it's shorter than normal chapters but it's a connector chapter. I hope you are all enjoying this so far. The outfit for this is on Polyvore (/fathers_day/set?id=170741089) I hope you enjoy and please leave a review. Tell me what you like, what you don't like, etc. Alright, enough rambling, on to the next chapter. :-)
I awoke only a couple hours after falling asleep. I looked over and saw a small digital clock glowing on my nightstand. It had only been 5 hours since I had gone to bed and it didn't feel like I would be able to fall back asleep any time soon. With a frown I got up and got dressed in a pair of jeans, a light gray tank top and a black hoodie.
~Is everything alright?~ The Tardis asked softly as I was getting ready.
"Yeah. I just can't sleep. Guess I'm not as tired as I thought." I muttered, trying to get my messy hair under control. It was a struggle.
~Would you like me to get you something or let the Doctor know?~
"No thank you. I'll just get some soda and do some reading. I appreciate it though." She hummed gently in my mind. "Is Rose asleep?"
~Yes. She went to sleep after calling her mother and talking with her for a while.~
"How are they?" I was always concerned about Rose and I felt guilty that I hadn't called Jackie in a while. She seemed to accept me leaving better than she had with Rose. It seemed like she really had been preparing for me to leave eventually.
~Jackie was glad to hear that you were both alright. She's doing well. And Rose is doing better now that she spoke with Jackie.~ I thanked her for letting me know and made my way to the kitchen to get something to drink. After pouring a glass of soda, I went to leave but the door opened to a pantry.
"What's this about?" I asked. It was definitely the door I had come through.
~You need to eat. How long since you've eaten something?~ She was sounding like Jackie did when I forgot to eat. I didn't do it on purpose but I just didn't feel hungry that often. I ate tiny snacks throughout the day and felt fine. I only ate normal meals when I was truly hungry or when others seemed really concerned.
"I'm fine. I don't need to eat." I closed the door and went to try the door across the room. It opened to the same room. "I'm not hungry." I pouted, going back to the first door.
~I'm not letting you out until you eat something. It doesn't have to be much but you need something.~ She tried.
"I'm not eating." I huffed. After trying the doors a couple more times I groaned and stood in the middle of the room. "You'll have to let me out eventually." She just hummed. "Sooner or later the Doctor or Rose will come looking for me. I'll just sit here and wait." Nothing. "You may be stubborn but you have seen nothing. I can wait. I'll just sit here until one of them comes to find me." I huffed and plopped myself on the ground in the middle of the room. "You are insufferable." I whined after a minute. There was a chuckling behind me so I turned. The Doctor was leaning against the door frame laughing at me. I scrunched up my face and stood up. "Did the traitorous omnipotent ship tell you I was in here?" I questioned.
"No, I heard you arguing with her from the console room." He chuckled.
"Oh." I hadn't realized I was being loud. Embarrassment flooded me and I felt my cheeks heat up. "Sorry. I didn't realize I was that loud." I apologized.
"It's fine. What's the problem?" He asked with a smile.
"She wouldn't let me leave. She just kept making the doors lead to the pantry. I'm not hungry and I told her that." I frowned at the ceiling as I said this. I could feel her laughing. I stuck my tongue out at her and tried to open the door that the Doctor had just come in from. Once again it was a pantry. He began laughing behind me when I groaned in frustration. I spun to face him. "What's so funny?"
"She's mothering you. She says you haven't eaten in a while. When was the last time you ate?" He asked, beginning to sound concerned.
"No, please, no Mr. Concerned. I'm fine. I had an apple this morning before Satellite Five." I crossed my arms and leaned against the wall.
"And before that?" He continued. I thought for a moment.
"I had breakfast with Rose before Van Statten's museum." He frowned. I groaned. "Ok, so it's been a while. But like I told her, I'm fine. I'm not hungry." He raised an eyebrow in challenge. With a huff, I pushed myself away from the wall. "Fine, I'll eat something. I can't stand it when you two plot against me." He snorted and I felt her laughing.
~I'm beginning to think Rose was right when you were having breakfast.~ She teased. I glared at the ceiling, hoping desperately that she wouldn't say anything like that to the Doctor. ~I won't say anything. I'm not that traitorous.~ She continued to laugh.
"So, what would you like?" The Doctor asked as we both looked into the refrigerator. It was fully stocked. I was amazed at the variety of things within.
"What do you want? If I'm eating, so are you. It's only fair." He shook his head while smiling and continued to look.
"I'll eat just about anything. Not sure how good of a cook I am though. Haven't really tried yet." He mused the last part more to himself than anything. I looked at him curiously before giving up and pulling out some ground beef and vegetables.
"Well you're lucky that I make a killer goulash then. It's one of maybe six meals that I feel confidant making." I explained as I grabbed pots and pans from cabinets along with the rest of the items I needed. Luckily there was everything I needed, even different varieties of the items.
"Do you need any help?" He asked from the other side of the counter.
"No, it's alright. You can just sit and watch the magic and slight train wreck that is me cooking. I get a bit fidgety when people are in my work area when I cook. One time, Rose had to force Mickey to stay in the living room while I cooked because he kept trying to taste everything. I almost decked him with a frying pan." I giggled as I set noodles to boil and began cutting vegetables. The Doctor laughed and sat on one of the stools on the other side of the counter.
"Then I won't get in your way." He teased. I shook my head and continued working. I decided to learn more about him while I cooked.
"So, you said you were 900 years old. Do you not age, or do you just age at a slower rate? I mean, you look pretty young for your age." He chuckled softly. "If I ever ask anything too personal, just let me know. I've been known to not have a filter on what I say." I was curious about him but I didn't want to ask anything that was too painful for him to answer. Rose had been right when she had said we should know who we're traveling with.
"It's alright. As a Time Lord I age at a much slower rate. There's also this thing I can do. It's a way of cheating death. If I'm dying, I regenerate, I become a whole new person." He went on to explain how regeneration worked, how he would look completely different and have some slightly different personality quirks but still have all the same memories. He explained how he had regenerated a little while before meeting me and Rose. It explained why he was so fascinated with his image at Jackie's flat and why he didn't know if he could cook. He said it was because of the war so I decided not to continue with that topic. I started cooking the meat and checking on the noodles.
"So in 900 years, have you traveled with other people? Rose and I surely aren't the first to come with." I offered.
"I've had several companions over the years." He said carefully. It was almost as if he was worried how I would react. I was intrigued to hear more. I wanted to know about the other adventures he had been on.
"What were they like?" I asked. He smiled and started talking about past friends. He talked about his granddaughter, her teachers that accidentally went with, and many others. I smiled when I saw him smile at the thought of them. He definitely cared about all those who traveled with him. Sarah Jane Smith was by far my favorite from his stories. I finished cooking and made us each a plate. I handed him his plate. He thanked me and I sat next to him to eat. "I would love to meet her." I smiled.
"It would be entertaining having you two meet." He chuckled. "But she's got her own life now. I had to leave her behind to deal with things back home." He seemed saddened and slightly regretful.
"We could always check on her. Help you see that she's doing well." I offered.
"Maybe some day." I nodded in agreement, not wanting to push it. "This is really good." He beamed, getting a second helping. I smiled.
"I'm glad you approve. Told you it was a killer goulash." We laughed and continued eating in a comfortable silence. I loved it when people liked my cooking. It made me feel like I was doing something right. When we were done, he helped me put away leftovers and clean the dishes.
"Where'd you learn to cook like that?" He asked as we walked into the console room. I hopped up onto the jump seat.
"My great gran." I said quickly before I frowned. I didn't remember my parents let alone grand parents or great grandparents. It just slipped out. Maybe it was true. "I think. . . I'm not actually sure." I looked up to see the Doctor watching me carefully while leaning against the console. "Why do I keep saying things that I can't remember?" I asked.
"What do you mean?" He questioned.
"I just instinctively said my great gran taught me but I don't remember her. I don't remember any of my family. Then Rose told me a while back that I mentioned something about my parents while drunk. I feel like I'm going mad when I say stuff like that." I looked down at my hands and started picking at my nails.
"You're not going mad, Phoenix." I looked up at him but continued picking at my nails. "Maybe they're just fragments of memories coming through. It's a good thing. It means you still remember but there's just something keeping the full memories from coming through. We'll figure it out." He came and sat next to me.
"What if there's a reason they're blocked though? Rose said I mentioned my parents fighting a lot." I went back to looking at my hands. I had some knowledge about psychology. It was something I read up on in my spare time. From all I had read, this strong of amnesia only came from highly traumatic events. It was terrifying thinking that I had gone through something so bad that I blocked all memories, even ones of who I was.
"Then Rose and I will help you deal with it. We're both here for you. Don't forget that. We'll help you figure it out. I promise." He was so sincere. It helped ease my worry slightly.
"Pinky promise?" I asked with a smile, holding out my pinky. He chuckled and linked his with mine.
"Pinky promise." We chuckled when we let go. "Aren't you tired?"
"Surprisingly no. It's a bit odd for me to only get a little sleep, but as long as I'm not tired I guess it's not a bad thing." I shrugged.
"Yeah. Rose mentioned that you sleep in a lot." He teased.
"What can I say? It takes a lot of energy being this awesome." He snorted which caused me to laugh. When we calmed down a bit I decided to ask him something. "Why don't you sleep? I know you said you don't need to sleep as much as humans, but surely you must need sleep some time. You haven't slept once since we met."
"How do you know I haven't slept?" He raised an eyebrow at me.
"I can see it in your eyes. I know what sleep deprivation looks like. You need to get some sleep. If not for yourself, then do it so you won't be too tired to think while we travel." I suggested. His frown made me think for a minute. "You have nightmares, don't you?" I tried to be careful with how much I pushed him. He didn't respond. "Come sit with me in the library. Relax on the couch while I read. Maybe you can at least get a small nap in." I suggested, getting up from the jump seat. He watched me carefully but didn't join me. I shrugged my shoulders and made my way to the library without him.
I found a book and sat in a large chair near a couch. I became so invested in the book that I almost didn't notice the Doctor come in and recline on the couch. He didn't say anything so I continued reading. Maybe he was humoring me, or doing it to get me to stop nagging him, but he eventually fell asleep. I heard his breathing even out and looked over at him. He looked relaxed for the first time in a while. I quietly got up and walked over to a small closet in the library. After pulling out two blankets, I made my way back to the chair. He already had a small pillow under his head so I gently laid one of the blankets over him. Thankfully he didn't wake. I climbed back in the chair and threw the other blanket around myself before continuing to read.
Some time later, I was greeted by a glass of soda being dangled between me and my book. I looked up and saw Rose holding the glass in front of my face. She smiled when I took it. I looked over at the couch. It was empty other than the folded up blanket under the small pillow. I wondered how long he had slept. I could only hope that it had been enough. The Tardis gave a comforting hum in my head so I smiled. If she was happy with how much he slept, it was good enough for me. She had known him longer after all.
"Thank you." I smiled at Rose and took a large swig from the glass. She sat on the couch and laughed at me. "What?"
"The Doctor said you've been in here for hours without moving. I've always known you to hate sitting still so I came in here and waited for a couple moments. You didn't seem to notice me so I brought you something you couldn't ignore." She giggled. I pulled a face and we both began laughing. There was a bookmark on the small table next to me so I placed it in the book before setting it down.