Interlude: A Request

Inside the TARDIS control room, Seren leaned against a coral in exhaustion as the Doctor walked around the console.

Suddenly, the silence that had fallen around them as they flew through the Vortex was broken by Seren's mobile ringing 'Ode to Joy'.

"Seren Jones." She answered crisply, years of habit making her instinctively mask her tiredness and speak in a professional tone.

"Seren, it's Rose." Rose said softly on the other end. "Take me to see him. Take me to see dad."

Seren's eyes widened as she listened to her god-sister's plea. The Doctor, seeing the change in the woman out of the corner of his yes, turned to her with a questioning look.

"Give me a moment, Rose." Seren said into the mouthpiece before covering it turning to the Time Lord. "Rose. She's asking if you could take her to see Uncle Pete, before he died." He looked at her in silence and she sighed. "I know after the fiasco that happened with Adam, I don't have the right to ask, but please. Just this once and I won't ask again." She looked away, at the green glowing Time Rotor, unable to look into his expressive blue eyes.

"Are you ready to go and see him again?" the Doctor asked softly, making her turn back to him with wide eyes.

"No." she replied with tears in her eyes after a long moment. "But at the same time, I do want to see him again, even if it's at a distance. I miss him, I miss him so much."

Seren gasped as her tears flowed freely down her cheeks, the events of the past few hours and the thought of seeing her beloved god-father before he died catching up to her. The Doctor put his arms around the younger woman, embracing her gently as she sobbed, both of them forgetting the mobile that was held to Seren's chest. As she shuddered against his chest, he gently rested his chin on her head, letting her sob her heart out in his strong embrace.

The ancient man had a feeling that it was a bad idea but wanting to do anything in his power to help the sobbing young woman in his arms. The woman who was always so strong and always doing what she can for others without a though to herself. It was why he had agreed to Adam being on the TARDIS in the first place, and why he would do this for Seren.

"Let's go." The Doctor said finally.

"Are you sure?" Seren asked, looking up at him but not removing herself from his arms.

"Just this once." He said. "Then no more going back to see deceased family members. I know how difficult it is to tear yourself away after seeing them, knowing you can't do anything to save them. So just this once."

"Okay." Seren agreed, understanding that he would know what he was talking about. She stepped back from his arms, immediately feeling the loss keenly, and put the phone to her ear. "Rose?"

"Yea?" Rose asked hopefully, she hadn't heard the conversation between the two, the sounds far too muffled to make out clearly.

"We're on our way."

Seren hung up the phone as she heard Rose begin squealing happily and hearing Jackie ask what the noise was about. She turned to the Doctor who was watching her with eyes that were far too old for his youthful face.

"Thank you." She said softly, her sincerity clear on her face.

He nodded and she turned and walked out of the Console Room, going down the maze of hallways until she reached the room Idris had given her after she returned following the incident with the Slitheen.

The magnificent room was designed like a suite, with a walk-in closet, an en-suite bathroom, a vanity set, and a study area/ reading nook. The room was mostly in shades of purples, golds and creams, creating a comfortable atmosphere mixed with elegance and timelessness.

The room had a king sized bed centred along the far wall with a chaise at the foot and a white and gold headboard at the head, the comforters and beddings white and amethyst. There was a small circular night table on either side of the bed, each with a lamp in the centre. On one side of the room, there was a vanity table with a large oval mirror that encompassed nearly the entire space from ceiling to decorated marble floor with a high-backed cushioned chair*.

The walk-in closet, the entrance to which was just beside the vanity table, continued the theme of marble flooring and pristine white walls with white shelves and shoe racks. In the middle of the closet, there was an island, made of the same white painted wood and marble surface*.

Since Seren had returned to the TARDIS with only a small suitcase, Idris had taken it upon herself to relocate many items from the massive Wardrobe to the Welshwoman's quarters, unheeding of the room's occupant's protests.

The en-suite bathroom, the entrance on the opposite side of the room and directly across from the walk-in closet, was entirely marble, from the walls to the floors, the shower that could comfortably fit half a dozen people with room for more to the surfaces, though the ceiling was painted white wood. The Jacuzzi tub was large enough to easily swim around in as well as comfortably contain a handful of people. The tub and the sink were a pristine white colour, while the marble that surrounded them were a soft crème colour, fitting with the theme of the rest of her suite*.

The study area/ reading nook were combined. The study area had a marble table secured directly to the walls. The table contained a laptop that the TARDIS had provided her with, the Doctor informing her that it was a model that wouldn't be in production for at least a decade and she wholeheartedly believed him when she took in the sleek and portable design of the mobile device. The table also had a lamp in one corner and a light fixture directly above it to ensure a comfortable working space. The reading nook was a few feet away from the study area, a cosy nook with a long cushioned seat on a marble platform alongside a makeshift window that gave the illusion of seeing outside. The Doctor informed her that the three-panelled window would show any scene she wanted, so long as it didn't fringe on the privacy of others – most of the time, she had the window showing her the night sky filled with the stars and planets that she loved so dearly. On either side of the cushioned platform there was a floor to ceiling bookshelf, filled with books of all kinds – from educational texts to fairy tales and everything between, every genre she could imagine*.

Going inside, she threw herself onto the king-sized bed, landing on her front and burying her head in her arms. She felt Idris hum soothingly, the room glowing slightly as the sentient ship tried to soothe her passenger. While Seren was looking forward to Rose travelling with them, even if it was just one trip, she wasn't very eager to visit a relative who she was still grieving for. She was also afraid that the visit would result in meeting her own deceased parents, whom she definitely hadn't fully grieved for. She knew, that if she saw her parents again, she would want to save them from their fate of death, and she prayed that she would be strong enough to resist the temptation.

She made a mental note to talk to the Doctor and ask him if he could do what he can to ensure that she didn't do the very thing she was afraid of doing – finding a way to save her parents form their death.

Slowly, Seren felt herself fall asleep, aided by the gentle song of the last of the TARDIS' in existence.

Links (on pinterest):

*Seren's bedroom in the TARDIS (bed, vanity and immediate area) - .ca/pin/305400418465356912/

*Seren's bedroom in the TARDIS (walk-in closet) - .ca/pin/474566879470200926/

*Seren's bedroom in the TARDIS (en-suite bathroom) - .ca/pin/285204588878665277/

*Seren's bedroom in the TARDIS (study area/ reading nook) - .ca/pin/37788084343434183/