Alex was bored; very bored.
The guest speaker at her conference obviously didn't want to be there, and was showing it in his voice. Excusing herself, she walked to the restroom, where she took the handicapped stall and sat with her back against the wall.
Sighing, she retrieved a copy of "A Tale of Two Cities" from her purse, and began reading. Absentmindedly she began to fondle the TARDIS key. She dropped the book as a familiar wooshing sound filled the stall, and the Doctor popped his head out.
"Hullo again, Alex!" he grinned. Glancing around, his grin faltered. "Er… I'm in the ladies' room?" he guessed, blushing scarlet.
Alex dropped the key, where it hung around her neck. "Sorry, I was just reading and kind of accidently called you here…"
The Doctor shrugged. "Not a big deal. Bad date?"
Alex blinked. "Um…what?"
"You're sitting in the Ladies' Room reading Charles Dickens. Are you running from a bad date?" The Doctor clarified, gesturing to the book thrown across the floor.
"No, a boring conference." Alex sighed. "Honor Student thing, but the speaker doesn't want to be here." She got up, brushing dust off her pants. "I'd better go back…" She extended her hand. "Can I have my book back?"
The Doctor was currently engrossed in the book, glasses slipping off his nose. "Paris. Lovely place." He remarked, flipping through the pages at a remarkable speed. "Would you like to go?" he asked, his eyes shining.
"That's why I want my book back, so I can go and finish the conference," Alex replied, taking the statement wrong.
"No, to Paris."
Alex thought for a minute. "…can you take me back by the end?"
The Doctor grinned. "The TARDIS is a time machine," he reminded her.
Alex stepped inside the TARDIS, beaming like a child on Christmas Morning. "Paris…" she said to herself, imagining it. Meanwhile the Doctor was running around the console, hitting buttons and pulling levers.
"Doctor," she interrupted him. He looked up. "We're going to Paris in the 1790's," she clarified. "Won't I look a bit… witchcraft-y?" she asked.
The Doctor pointed to a hallway. "TARDIS Wardrobe, you'll find everything you need."
Alex walked through the hallway, and the hums of the TARDIS seemed to guide her. She picked out a dress, grimacing at the corset she knew she had to wear, and thinking about her pixie cut, grabbed a wig as well.
She began to get changed. As she wiggled into the corset, she suddenly felt hands helping her to tighten it. Yelping, she turned around to see a girl. "You scared me!" she said a bit out of breath. "Who are you?"
The girl had black hair and was wearing a striped shirt. "Oh, I'm just the visual interface of the TARDIS. I'm pretty sure I'm dead," the girl remarked, a look of concentration on her face. "But anyway, you can call me Susan."
Alex was silent for a moment, before Susan continued. "Anyway, let's get you into this dress!" Alex let out a yelp as the corset was tightened once more.
When Alex descended into the console room, the Doctor bent over in a fit of laughter. Alex looked so… odd. Sure, it was normal for ladies of that time, but still! She was wearing a lavender paisley print dress, and she was wearing a mop of blonde curls.
"Go on, laugh." Alex rolled her eyes. "This corset kind of hurts."
The Doctor stopped laughing. "Nice job, you got into one by yourself!"
Alex shook her head. "No, Susan helped."
The Doctor's jaw dropped. "Susan?"
"She said she was the visual interface of the TARDIS. Black hair, striped shirt." Alex continued.
The Doctor shut his mouth tightly. "Anyway… Paris waits!"
Author's Note
Thank you to Banana Minion of the Pixy Sticks for reviewing. Review more, my friendly friends, and feel free to give me plot ideas!
-ATLK