...and that's what happens when you have a coding program messing with your web clipboard XD yeah I didn't realized that had happened; sorry about that. Thanks to treesofsilverleaves for leaving the review about that :)

Disclaimer: I do not own any characters except Aria

A nine-year old Aria sat on a boulder outside her school building, head bent in concentration even as her classmates streamed past, shrieking in delight at the day being over. She was quiet, using a stick to trace what seemed like a random design of circles in the soft dirt below her. Her hazel eyes narrowed as she finished the sequence, a breeze blowing past as she whispered two words.

"My Doctor."

"What'd you say, freak?" A loud voice mocked from behind Aria, causing her to turn her head slowly, meeting her attacker's harsh gaze with her own. Her hand crept to her neck, where the small golden watch the Doctor had left for her hung. It flashed in the sunlight as she stroked it with her thumb.

"Doesn't matter what I said; bet you're too stupid to understand it," she retorted. Aria looked at the group of boys, a grade older than her, who stood in a cluster. The one in the middle she knew too well, his icy green eyes always seeming to bore into her wherever she went. His arms held several bruises from the last time he had attempted to harm Aria, not knowing then that she could defend herself. He hadn't forgiven the younger girl, and she wasn't about to apologize either.

Flanking him were three other boys who Aria had never heard utter a word before. The blonde's friends couldn't think for themselves, she was fairly sure. Whenever their leader was caught misbehaving and sent to the principal's office, they were disoriented, never knowing what to do. The mere thought of it almost brought a smile to her face.

"Did you just call us stupid?" the blonde asked through the fakest smile Aria had ever seen. The shrug she gave him was the last straw, for he lunged forward and grabbed her by one of her braided pigtails. The sharp action dragged Aria off the boulder, her feet just barely touching the ground as the boy's large hand held her hair tightly, the force not yet enough to tear any out, yet Aria still had to bite her tongue to keep from crying out. "Gonna cry for help, you little brat? Don't even have anyone left who cares about you."

Aria sniffled a bit, vainly attempting to stop tears from flowing freely down her cheeks. The boy was right, her mother was essentially never around and her father had left before she was born. No siblings, no real friends, just a babysitter who almost never showed up. Only her Doctor had ever given her the time of day, and she had only met him once five years ago. Her teachers had tried convincing her that her man in the leather jacket wasn't real, just a fatherly or brotherly figure she had conjured when lonely. She didn't believe them.

After all, would an imaginary friend leave her a watch?

She had never doubted her Doctor.

And now, she couldn't be happier. Hope filled her as she heard the sound of the TARDIS groaning. A smile flitted across her face as she forgot for a moment that she was currently being held captive by a bunch of bullies who had nothing better to do than harass a girl more than a year younger than them. Reality came rushing back as the blonde boy punched her in the stomach after seeing her budding joy. She grimaced and finally whimpered, falling to her knees as the kid released her hair. The guffaws from the boy and his gang rang in her ears as her vision blurred from brimming tears. However, as her watch grew warm and a tall figure wearing a red sort of hat came into view, Aria smiled despite her tears.

"That's not true. My Doctor cares about me," she said loudly. The boys were confused at first, not understanding what she was talking about until they followed her gaze, which was fixed on something behind them. A man wearing a bright red fez with floppy caramel hair falling over part of his face glared down at them coldly, his arms crossed. He wore a tweed jacket with a dress shirt, both suspenders and a bow tie showing. Dark pants and dress boots finished his polished professor-like look. The children's eyes widened in slight fear of the harshness in his eyes.

"If you're willing to pick a fight with a thousand year-old alien's little sister, then by all means, go ahead," he challenged them. The boys didn't waste a second before running past Aria and back towards the school's playground, glancing behind them and tripping several times in their haste. The Doctor narrowed his eyes, deciding against causing them any harm. The sound of Aria brushing herself off snapped his attention back to her.

"Doctor!" she cried, running into his open arms. He used her momentum to lift her up and spin her around, laughing as her giggles floated through the air. She grinned up at him after both her feet were on the ground once more, tipping her head a bit as she studied him. The Doctor had a sudden flashback as he noticed her playing with the end of her braid, remembering the time- so very many years ago for him- that he had first stumbled across Aria, a little five year old at the time. She wasn't much different now, a curious spark still shining in her eyes. "You're not so serious anymore."

The Doctor tugged a bit at his suspenders, his feet tapping nervously as he realized just how observant she was even at this age. He avoided her hazel gaze, glancing up at the sky and down at his boots as he did. "Well, 'course I'm not," he slightly stammered. "I've got you, haven't I?" He attempted a smile, looking back at her.

Aria ignored him, staring at his neck. "You're wearing a bow tie?" she pointed, standing on her tip toes to get a closer look. The Doctor proudly tugged at it, imagining how dashing he appeared.

"Yes," he affirmed. "Bow ties are cool." He leaned his head forward to inspect her, both hands shooting up quickly to keep his fez from falling off his mussed hair. "And so are fezes." A smug grin crossed his face as the young girl nodded eagerly.

"Can I wear it?" He grudgingly removed it and crouched down to her level, placing it on her as if it were a crown. Then again, he did treat it like one most of the time. He wasn't sure why nobody else besides Aria liked it. His wife especially had something against it. He didn't know why, and he didn't like not knowing. He rapidly shook his head, standing back up and offering his hand to Aria, who readily took it in her own smaller one.

"You still sound funny," she said, skipping alongside him.

"Oi!" he protested, sparking more giggles from the girl. "I do not sound 'funny!' You lot over here sound 'funny!'" He would have continued speaking, but both his and Aria's attention had been diverted to the magnificent blue box that stood in front of them. Aria raced up to the TARDIS, gently placing one hand on it, her eyes shining with excitement. The Doctor smiled, but it quickly turned into a frown as he felt his ship urgently nudge his mind, trying to warn him about something. His face went slack as Aria reached to open the door. "Wait!"

The girl turned to look at him. "What is it?"

He slightly pulled her away from the TARDIS, frantically trying to think of an excuse. "Um, well, you see… we had this… thing that happened, and… oh alright," he gave in as Aria crossed her arms stubbornly. "You can't go in there."

"Why not?"

"Because… well… because you're in there." He stopped talking as the door squeaked open, then began to fume as a red haired young woman popped her head out of the ship.

"Aw, Aria!" she cooed in a thick Scottish accent. "You were so cute!"

"Told you!" a voice from inside the TARDIS called, prompting a grin to spread across the ginger's face. "Now get back in here, Amy, you know how he gets when we mess with time." Amy winked at the little girl, whose jaw was dropped in- most likely- shock, before disappearing into the police box again.

Aria turned to stare confusedly at the Doctor, giggles escaping from her as he caught sight of him flapping his arms in frustration. "Who was that?"

The Doctor clapped one hand to his face and slid it down tiredly, sighing in exasperation. "That was Amelia Pond, who I SPECIFICALLY told NOT TO COME OUT!" He shouted several of the words at the TARDIS, directing them towards the fiery Scot who was inside. The responding laughter that floated out wasn't exactly what he wanted to hear.

Aria rolled her eyes and reached out to tug on his sleeve, effectively gaining his notice once more. "Will you play with me?" she asked, pointing towards the metal and plastic playground that stood in the direction they had originally come from. She looked up at him with tentative hope filling her still curious hazel eyes, just like they had all those years ago.

Sometimes the Doctor forgot how young Aria really was, so her request surprised him for a moment. He realized that while he was hundreds of years old and yet sometimes acted like a kid, she was the complete opposite, being so young yet wise beyond her age. To be honest, it scared him a bit. Growing up took away the fun in life, and if he could do anything to keep Aria full of fun and happiness, he was damn well going to do it.

Even if it was something as simple as playing on a playground.

A mischievous smirk spread across his face as he met Aria's gaze. "You're it," he said before racing off, the young girl following close behind.