Chapter One: The Doctor

Veronica Smith sat patiently with the other kids outside of the principal's office. Her arms were crossed and she sported her regular attire: black athletic shorts, a tank top with her favorite fandom character, a superman jacket, and red converse. She wasn't sure why she was called down to Mrs. Collins's office. As far as she could tell, she hadn't done anything wrong. She glanced at the door just as it cracked open and Mrs. Collins's peeked out.

Mrs. Collins, while sweet, was ugly. She had a pudgy body that wouldn't have bothered Veronica if Collins hadn't worn skin-tight shirts and skirts that were less than flattering. Her face was rippled in fat, and she always wore too much makeup to hide the blemishes, but the makeup didn't work. Instead of hiding them, they just make them worse. With a small sigh, Veronica smiled at her principal, and stood up. Mrs. Collins waved Veronica inside and Veronica followed her inside, trying to be confident, but her stomach stirred.

Veronica, despite her appearance, wasn't a tough girl. She was the world's biggest softie stuffed into a cowardly, hormonal girl who wanted nothing more than for people to find her appealing. She was a bit crazy, and very unlady-like. So when she saw a goofy man sitting in one of the chairs in front of the principal's desk, she had to ask, "Am I getting suspended for something I didn't do?"

Mrs. Collins clicked her tongue, and closed the door behind Veronica before wrapping an arm around her shoulder. "Oh no sweetie. Never. Why would you think that?" She forced Veronica into the seat next to the man. The man, who was quite handsome, glanced at her with sad eyes. But Veronica didn't notice, her eyes were on Mrs. Collins as she took a seat across from them.

Veronica glanced at the man before shrugging. "Nerves, I suppose. Being in your office makes me nervous."

"Why?" Mrs. Collins asked. "I'm not threatening, am I?" The women shifted uncomfortably in her seat. "Am I too intimidating? That's what I've feared!" Mrs. Collins slapped her hands down on her desk, her eyes rolling. "The children always glance away from me when I walk past! Now I know why! I'll get right to that!"

The man sitting next to Veronica cleared his throat. "Mrs. Collins I believe we're trying to discuss something important here."

"Oh yes!" Mrs. Collins said. She shifted excitedly in her seat and placed her flabby elbows on her deck, and her fat cheeks swelled with a smile. "Veronica, this man, as he claims, is your father!"

The man turned to face Veronica slowly, as if taking his time, and finally looked at her. Veronica did the same, almost falling out of her chair as she turned to face the man next to her. She was shocked, and at a loss for words as she looked at him, analyzed him. The first thing that Veronica noticed, other than his old man clothes, was the he had a british accent. Or something close to it, Veronica wasn't quite sure. But then there were the boots. This man was wearing boots, even when it was so close to summer vacation! Veronica glanced down at herself, and then back to the man. Maybe he's comfortable, she thought. That would explain his fashion disaster. He looks dorky, maybe. No. He's too young. He looks nothing like me. How did he find me, anyway? What if he's just a stalker? Why does he keep looking at me like that? Why does he want me now? Why now of all times does he show up? What's this about? Why now?

The man, after an awkward moment stuck out his hand. He face wasn't serious anymore. It was happy. "Hi!" he blurted, sounding nervous. He licked his lips and glanced down at his hand when Veronica didn't take it. "It's nice to finally meet you." He put his hand down and looked around for something to say. "You know, you look so much like your mother." His voice broke, but he cleared his throat. "I just...you look exactly like her." His cheerful façade melted into one of sadness. His eyes looked over Veronica, but then he looked away. "If you don't mind Mrs. Collins, I'd like have a private moment alone with my daughter, please."

Mrs. Collins nodded, happy to do anything for this man. That was something Veronica noted, because that was just strange. Mrs. Collins was never happy to do anything. She stood up in a rush and quickly fled the room. When she was gone, Veronica wanted to say, "What was that all about?" but she didn't. This man...this man was claiming to be her father, Veronica decided. She had a father. She had a loyal father at home waiting for her to get home so he could be there for her like her mother wasn't. Her eyes stung as her gut twirled. But she stayed silent, watching the floor, not wanting to be rude.

"I have a question," the man said. Veronica looked up at him, her eyes wide and expectant and hopeful and cautious. The man smiled at her. It was a sad smile. "Veronica, are you lonely?"

Veronica didn't respond for a moment. She didn't even think about it. "What?" she wanted to say. "What kind of stupid question is that? After all of this time, all this time of you not knowing me the one question you ask is if I'm lonely? Of course I'm lonely! My dad's great, but without my mom, my life's empty. I only have one friend, but she's never around. Not only that, but being smart and being in band and being a part of super heroes fandoms doesn't exactly give me a bunch of friends! I'm lonely! I'm super lonely. And I know my dad tries, but he can't pick up the slack like my mother could." It scratched at her throat to say those things. To tell this man the truth, but he was just a stranger-father or not. She wasn't going to burden him. She wasn't going to make him feel guilty. She wasn't going to give this guy a bad first impression about her mundane teenage life. So instead, Veronica shrugged and said, "No. Not really."

"Not really?" he echoed. The man stood up and moved his seat around to face Veronica. Veronica gave him a worried look. The man decided not to notice and instead looked over Veronica, sizing her up. "You're lying to me. I can see it. You have your mothers nervous tic." Veronica was going to say something, but the man stopped her. "Say no more, I've made a promise, and I always keep my promises."

"Promise? To who?"

"You mother. Now Miss Veronica Smith, would you be so kind as to accompany me on a trip?"

"What?" Veronica shook her head, instantly thinking the worst, and thinking of her father. "No. I'm sorry, but I've got places to be." Veronica gave the man a wry look. "I can't leave." She was now glaring at the man, warning him to say anything wrong. I'm not my mother, she thought.

"Well," the man sat back in his chair, "what if I said, I had a box that could travel through time, and when we got back it'd be like we'd never even left?" he said.

Veronica scoffed. "Look, I may be a nerd, but time travel doesn't exist in this day and age."

"You're right, but I'm not from here. I'm from the future," he said. "And the past, and I'm still in the present. Isn't it wonderful?" The man shifted excitedly in his seat. "I could show you things you'd never even thought was possible. I could take you anywhere." He paused for dramatic effect. "I could make sure you'd never be lonely again."

Veronica thought for a moment. This was her dream. It was her dream to go on some epic adventure. Ever since she found her mother's diary about her time through space with a mysterious man, she'd wanted to go herself. But now that it was right there. Now that she could finally could, she didn't know if she was ready. Was she able to handle it? She thought about the near death experiences that her mother had gone through. She thought about how strong her mother was. How much of a hero her mother had been before she'd run away with her doctor.

"I don't know," she admitted. "How can you guarantee anything? Like that it will actually work? Or that you're not abducting me because you're some creepy pedo stalker?"

The man shrugged. "I can't." He stood up. "But, I can guarantee your safety. I made a promise to your mother, and I won't let her down. Now, Veronica Smith..." the man narrowed his eyes at her. "will you or will you not like to come with me?"

Veronica stared at the hand that was suddenly in her face. Her heart hammered in her chest, and she opened her mouth. But only a choking sound came out. She flinched when the man spun around on his heel, fist pumping the air with a shout.

"That's a yes," he exclaimed. He gave her a bright smile before straightening up into a formal stance. "May I have you hand?"

Veronica's nerves melted away as she stared at the man, and he face broke out into a smile. She nodded and extended her hand out, but drew it back when he reached for it. "First things first. You know my name, but I don't know yours."

"Ah, yes." The man straightened his bow tie proudly as he said, "I'm the Doctor."

Author's Note: This is just a short story I'm writing. I will most likely make a lot of mistakes because I'm trying to get it out of my head before I lose it, but I will go over it again and again. So do not worry!

Also, I hope you enjoy reading it. I mean, why else do I post it? :) Have a great day-and criticism is welcomed.