Adrift in a Sunbeam

A short(ish) Doctor Who fan-fic wrote. Hope you like it! The story takes place after "Journey's End" in the parallel world.

Tales and Midnight Tea

Romana crept down the stairs. As her normal late night routine she knew where each creaking stair lay in waiting betrayal. Navigating the house was second nature for her even the complete darkness. Tonight though, as the moon sent its soft light cascading through every window, a light glow illuminated her path. Just like every night previous, silence lay over everything apart from the gentle rhythmic ticking of the living room clock, and the occasional passing zeppelin from above. When she first started these missions for midnight tea, the mirror at the bottom landing startled her, mistaking her own reflection for her mother’s in the dim light. She looked very much like her mother with blonde hair, a round face and large brown eyes. Grandma Jackie often said she looked just like a young Rose Tyler. However, there was no denying the inheritance of other-worldly intelligence and vigor that stemmed solely from her father. One only had to spend two minutes with them to see the connection.

Romana liked to think her above average intelligence was the reason for never having been caught slinking about the house late at night. Well, except for that one night when she bumped unexpectedly into uncle Toby, but he promised to keep quiet if she also stayed mum to his own midnight sprees to explore an old abandoned house with his friends. Ever since the truce held fast. Tonight however no one stirred.

Ignoring the mirror at the bottom of the stairs, she tiptoed over to the coat rack and dug through her father’s coat pockets. It had to be there somewhere. He always kept the sonic in one of his pockets so he wouldn’t forget it when running off to Torchwood in the mornings.

In the corner of her eye a slight movement nearly caused her skin to jump back up the stairs without her. “Looking for this?” said her father stepping out from the dark corner, where he had evidently been watching, and into the moonlit hallway. He held out a long slender object with a blue crystalline tip at one end. The sonic screwdriver. Drat! How did he know?

“Dad! Um… I was heading to the bathroom and needed a light.” He smiled which surprised her. He wasn’t mad? “I was gonna put it back.” she said hoping he might accept this and go back to bed.

“You needed a light to walk to the bathroom on a night like this?” He gestured to the moonlight streaming in through the windows and down from the hallway skylight. “Is the one right across from your room out of order?”

“Erm, well, I uh—”

“You need to get a man in. Besides, I know you were really headed to the kitchen to make some tea, weren’t you? Now, your story might work on Jackie, but not me.” He twirled the sonic in his fingers as if congratulating himself. “My mind is much too advanced for such simple trickery… and the cat may have told me.” Stepping forward he dropped the sonic into her hands, bent to her level and gave her a warm, loving smile, the kind of smile that only her father could do.

“So you’re not upset or anything?” she asked.

“Oh, I wouldn’t say that.” His face suddenly turned serious as he leveled his dark piercing eyes at her. Uh-oh Romana thought as he continued to stare for a few seconds more. “I am a bit disappointed that you’ve never invited me before.” His expression remained serious, but now she knew it was an act. She held his gaze, her eyes opening wider and wider. For a bed time story, he had once told her about the weeping angels. Close your eyes and they would zap you into the past, gobbling up all the days that you could have lived in the future. Any moment he would crack. “Don’t blink.” She whispered. And just as she predicted, he broke into a smile again and stood.

“Oh! All right then, come on. That tea’s not going to make itself, is it? Allonsy!” He scooped her up into his warm arms and headed toward the kitchen, making a show of lurching zig-zag down the hall and teetering on one foot as if attempting stealth, although she knew he could walk as soundlessly as an Indian on the hunt. She liked being carried. It made her feel like a mighty queen traveling first-class, perhaps to some far away planet. Dad had plenty of stories of kings and queens. One of her favorites was the tale Princess Astra of Atrios. Each time he told it, it became more and more strange and wonderful. He told of the fabled ‘Key to Time’ that when put together could stop the whole universe just for a moment, and of the evil Black Guardian, and the insane Captain, and a little robot dog, and the war that raged between that planet and its neighbor. She knew he was only making it up, but sometimes she almost believed him.

In this story, he also talked about Romana, one of his best friends, the woman she was named after. She had been the Lord President of a magical and beautiful red planet, but no matter how many hints she dropped, he didn’t talk about it much. Instead he would say “Nah. Much too drab. You’d fall asleep before I could think of anything good to say. Wouldn’t you much rather hear about the time I found myself on Tigella defeating the mad Meglos? Or what about the time when mum and I met Charles Dickens?” And though every story, no matter when, where, or who it featured was just as good if not more exciting than the last, what she would much rather hear was about that ancient world, with its red skies and noble Lords and Ladies of Time.

Entering the kitchen, her father, John Smith, or ‘the Doctor’ as most people called him, sonicked the lights into a warm dim glow and plunked her onto the cushioned window seat where the white moonlight washed over her. Romana gazed out through the window at the silvery nightscape, the sound of the screwdriver buzzing away behind her as her father prepared the tea. She watched as the silver-lined silhouette of a distant zeppelin moved lazily across the star dappled night sky, casting its reflection into the glassy duck pond on the front lawn. When she was younger, her mother used to tell her that on moonlit nights tiny fairies could be seen dancing on the water in the bright reflection of the moon. Silly notion she thought, but that didn’t stop her from looking.

After a minute without one fairy sighting, she turned her eyes and imagination to the heavens. Thinking of all the wonderful stories she had been told about the Universe, she picked a star and imagined it was Manussa where the mighty Doctor had defeated the Mara. Or that one there! It could be Metebelis Three where he was attacked by giant spiders. That bright star over there might even be the same one that dad and his friend Martha nearly crashed into when they got stuck on a broken spaceship with a panicking crew. And that red flickering one could be Gallifrey.

Gallifrey. With this thought she instantly longed for a glimpse into its magnificent cities and enchanted forests. “Dad?”

“Hm?” He looked over at her through his glasses (brainy specs he called them) from where he sat cross-legged on the granite countertop. With the kettle already on its way to a boil and a royal blue teapot prepared with milk, honey and tea bags, he was now in the process of dipping his fingers into the honey jar, murmuring conspiratorially, “Don’t tell your mother. Or Jackie. She’ll have my head.” Then satisfied with the sticky mess, licked it all off in one go.

Ah ha, leverage, Romana thought. “I won’t tell anyone, especially not Grandma Jackie… on one condition.”

“Uh oh. Now we’re making conditions? What happened to ‘I’ve got your back, dad. My lips are sealed’?”

“I want you to tell me a story.”

“Oh is that all?” He grinned obligingly, “Alright, which one then?”

Romana held her breath for a moment and said it. “I want you to tell me about Gallifrey.”

“…” The smile quickly dissolved.

“Please? You never tell me that story, and I want to know. I want to hear about the Lords and Ladies of Time and all the kingdoms and the queens and kings or presidents or whatever and the red sky. Mummy told me a little, but she doesn’t know the whole thing and she says you tell it better. Plllleeeease? Plus you’ve got to now ‘cause if you don’t I’ll tell mummy and grandma that you double dipped.”

“Did not.”

“Did too.” Romana gave him what she hoped were her biggest pleading eyes. It worked when mummy wanted something.

A moment later, after a silent stare-down, he let out a defeated sigh. “You break me, you know that? Every time. You and your mother! You’ve got to be using hypnosis or something. Or maybe I’ve just gotten soft. Blimey, I have, haven’t I?” He looked around at the kitchen as if seeing it properly for the first time.

Romana bounced eagerly in her seat. She could barely contain the squeals of excitement. “You mean you’re actually going to tell about the Time Planet?!” His gaze returned to her, taking in all her eight-year old enthusiasm, the same age at which he’d been ripped away from his own family for initiation into Time Lord Society. The Untempered Schism. The raw power of the time vortex seething, burning into his soul, his boy hearts pounding out the rhythm of terror. And then running, running and never looking back. Always running. Even now the forbidden memory caused his pulse to quicken, a single heart trying to beat enough for two. Seeing his daughter before him in all her innocence, he sincere thanked any power who cared to listen that this time around his child would never have to suffer such horror. He could no longer see their faces, but the memory of the panic as they were taken away never faded, as if eternally branded into his mind. “I’ll never let that happen to you,” he had vowed the day Romana was born, as she staring up at him with her beautiful hazel eyes.

Despite all the pain he still associated with his home planet, he found himself smiling at Romana’s keen interest. It’s in her DNA. Of course she wants to know, He thought to himself. Even though Gallifrey is gone she still fells the connection that every Time Lord possesses. She might as well learn about her origins now than whenever you were planning on telling her.

“I suppose I am,” he said quietly after a moment’s pause, inducing and eruption of squeals from little Romana.

“You promise?”

“Promise.”

At that moment the kettle decided to very loudly let them know it was now boiling. He quickly moved it to an inactive burner before the whistle could get any more annoying and stabbed at the off button. They both sat in silence for a moment listening for the tell-tale sounds of stirring humans, but alas the only noise was that of their own breathing and the ticking of the clock in the next room. A loud meow ripped through the silence causing father and daughter to start in surprise. The orange tabby wandered in from the hallway, and they laughed quietly in relief.

Romana waited impatiently as her father poured the hot water into the tea pot and stirred everything around for a good, long minute. Finally, as both of them settled at opposite sides of the dining room table, he looked up at her and very seriously said, “Romana, you know those stories I tell you?”

“Which ones?”

“All of them. Well… I know this is going to be hard to believe but… they’re all true. Every one. And before you ask, no, I’m not having you on. All those stories about the Daleks and Cybermen and adventures on other worlds actually happened. ” Romana could barely comprehend what she was hearing. Did her dad, the extravagant story teller, just say that every fairytale he’d ever spun was true?

“What? But they’re just stories.”

“Well, yes, but true ones. Trust me my imagination’s not that broad. I really did all those things, traveling in time, saving planets, showing my friends the universe. Tea?” He offered her a steaming mug. Her favorite: all black with pictures of all the planets in the solar system printed around the side, a blue comet painted onto the handle and a bright yellow and orange sun waiting to greet you on the very bottom after slurping up the last dredges of sweet tea. Accepting the proffered tea, Romana buried her nose in the aromatic steam and took a sip. Maybe it could help clear the fuzz swirling around in her mind put there by her father’s words.

“But how… how can,” she faltered not sure what to say. “But they can’t be true. They’re not―”

“They are.”

The Doctor watched her as this revelation sunk in, knowing that other questions were bound to surface at any moment. He was absolutely right as at that very moment Romana’s brain raced with confused excitement, making astonishing connections with every second. “So…” she said slowly looking up from her tea, “If the stories are all true, does that mean that you actually traveled in time?”

“Right through the time vortex itself.”

“And went to other planets?”

“Don’t forget asteroids, rogue spaceships and different dimensions. Oh, and a whole other universe one time. Well, twice. Or was it three times? This one in fact.” Nothing in his voice indicated that he was joking.

Romana gaped curiously at him for a moment before asking her next question. Traveling through space and time she could handle, but his next answer would change her life forever. “… And you’re an …alien? From another world… from Gallifrey?”

“Yes… Well, no. Well, it’s a long story, but basically yes.” He decided not to tell her about the meta crisis. Not that it was beyond her comprehension, but because it might be too much to grasp at present. “I come from a race of people called the Time Lords.” He waited for her reaction, which didn’t take long.

“So I’m part Time Lord?!” her expression was caught between an excited smile and disbelief.

“Yes you are, Romana. You might even say you’re part ‘Time Lady’. But every bit as much human. Which personally I think is the much more impressive half.”

“But everybody’s human. Just human is boring.”

“Oi! Your mum’s human, and she’s not ‘everybody’ is she? And she’s certainly not boring. You wouldn’t think it, but the human race is just about the most interesting paint slat in the abstract painting of life in the Universe. Besides, you’d be surprised at how many people aren’t human at all. And I should know.”

Romana chose to ignore this supposed wisdom and got straight to her next question. “What about the time machine? The Tardis? Is that real too?” Before answering her father topped off her cup with more steaming liquid, eyes sparkling mischievously and a ghostly smile flickering over his lips.

“… Do you want to see it?” he finally said, voice barely audible.

Romana very nearly dropped her mug and spit out her mouthful of tea, but luckily was too stunned to accomplish either. Carefully swallowing and managing not to choke, she composed herself enough to speak. “You’re kidding.”

“I’m gonna take that as a yes. Besides, storytelling is much more fun when it’s done in a dimensionally transcendental environment, don’t you think?” Romana didn’t know what she thought. All she did know was that her dad now held a mug of tea in each hand, leading the way to his study. On the way back up the stair case, she accidentally stepped squarely on the creaky step. How had she missed avoiding it? She had every part of this house memorized. Everything was exactly the same as it had been earlier, yet now the whole world felt completely different. Romana wondered what other supposedly fictional things were also real. I might start believing in a lot of things now, she thought, even mum’s moonlight fairies.

Before reaching the door to his study, the Doctor took a slight detour. “Romana, I have to grab something first. You go ahead and I’ll meet you there. Oh, and take these with you.” He said handing her the mugs.

“Okay, but hurry up! I want to see the Tardis.” She said bouncing back and forth from one foot to the other, and scurried off down the hallway and around the corner. He watched until she was out of sight then slipped silently through a door to his left. He crept up to the sleeping form of Rose Tyler-Smith, face half buried in a pillow, blond hair splayed out like a hallow behind her. She appeared to be fast asleep, but he knew it didn’t take much to wake her.

He hesitated for a moment, not wanting to wake this sleeping angel, but finally leaned over and whispered in her ear. “Rose?” She murmured something unintelligible and shifted slightly, still lost in a dream. He tried again. “Rose?” Her eyed flickered open and that stunning smile lit up her face as the sight of him hovering there above her swam into focus.

“Wotcha.” she said teasingly and, wrapping her arms around his neck, pulled him down with a kiss. He obliged willingly enough, but she could tell something else occupied his mind.

“Rose,” the Doctor began after she released him, “I need to borrow your key.”

She smirked at him, “Oh, was that all you woke me for? Out for a midnight escapade and forgot yours at Torchwood? Bit disappointed. Thought maybe—”

“You Tardis key.” He interjected.

“Oh, yeah, sure… Um, why?” She asked, slightly confused.

Years ago, shortly after a string of events that ultimately gave her this gorgeous man in front of her, they were giving a remarkable parting gift. A small piece of the original Tardis, the most incredible ship in the Universe, to be grow and nurtured with a few tips from the lovely Miss Donna Noble. The Doctor had made sure it was fully operational for their wedding. They spent an amazing honeymoon on a jungle planet dubbed “Ju-Ju-Ha” by the local inhabitants. Well, half of it anyway. The other half was spent battling an invading race of giant, toad-like lumberjacks. Just like old times, Rose thought bemusedly at the time.

Then it became an everyday occurrence. Hoping from planet to planet, star system to star system. Meeting remarkable alien races from every time and place in the Universe, and on occasion freeing them from tyrannical rule or stopping planet-wide invasions. Always traveling, moving forward, hardly ever stopping to think about home and the ones left behind. The Doctor with Rose Tyler in the Tardis once again. Yes, just like old times…

Until the day the Tardis discreetly informed them that it was not just the Doctor and Rose careening through time together. Another passenger had joined them. Of course the Doctor, being the Doctor, immediately came to the conclusion that it must be a malevolent alien intruder and ran a full scan to find the culprit, telling Rose of the time the Sontarans overran the space-time ship.

For a full hour they ran down the endless corridors, searching fruitlessly for the said intruder, following a tracker the Doctor had rigged to his sonic screwdriver. “Are we close?” Rose asked, out of breath from all the running, when he stopped at a corner.

“Well, that’s the strange thing. Are we following it or is it following us? We seem to be right on top of it. Is it invisible? I don’t know. Maybe using some sort of extremely powerful perception filter? Oooh, that is clever!” He bleeped his device around a bit more, but it still indicated the intruder was standing right in front of them, right among them.

“It seems to like you, though.” The Doctor said, the tracker bleeping louder when he swung it in her direction. “Don’t blame it really,” he added cheekily.

And that’s when realization hit Rose like a cold, hard brick. “Oh, my god…” Rose breathed as reality pushed her against the wall. Forget the alien; this was probably the most domestic thing that ever happened in the Tardis. “Doctor, it’s not alien.”

“Of course it is! It’s obviously using some highly advanced evasive maneuvers to avoid being seen.”

“No I mean it’s really not an alien. I know where it is and what it is.”

“What?! When’d you figure that out? Oh, you’re good! You clever girl, I knew there was a reason I kept you around,” he teased. “Alright then, enlighten me.” The Doctor, standing there with a smile, hands dug into the pockets of his form-fitting blue suit, peering curiously over his brainy specs at her, so oblivious. And she told him.

He spent the next half hour bent over the control console, staring intently through the glass time rotor as if hoping an answer would float past at any moment and tell him what to do. How to react. What to say. He’d always wanted a peaceful life but never could seem to stop running long enough to try it out. Now this forced him to stop, whether he was ready or not. Stuck on the slow path. The thought almost floored him, until he remembered who exactly promised to stand by his side for all of time and space. His Rose. His beautiful, brilliant, clever and absolutely lovely Rose who faced so much horror and beauty with him. His light and hope after so much darkness and despair. And everything was alright once again.

After a very silent afternoon, they flew back home, locking the doors to journeys through time and space. A much bigger and scarier adventure awaited them both. Later that year Romana was born, a child of the stars, the perfect completion to their odd family. And it was decided that the Tardis would stay locked until Romana’s tenth birthday, a reasonable age they both agreed, to tell her the whole story and let her decide the future. Whether she wanted to travel and see the stars or stay on earth and live a normal human life in the comfort of family and friends, they would gladly accept it.

But Romana was only eight, so why was the Doctor asking for the key? Rose sat up and turned on a light. “Is something wrong?” she asked, pulling the silver chain and engraved key from around her neck. A wedding present.

“No, not wrong exactly, but… Did you know Romana has been making midnight runs for tea?”

“Of course I know, I’m her mother. Doctor, what you on about?”

“Ah, well, I decided to join her tonight, and she asked again.”

“About Gallifrey?” Rose recognized the expression now creeping into her husband’s features, one of sad, wistful memory that only arose when he recalled his home world.

“Yeah. About Gallifrey,” he said quietly.

“And what did you tell her?”

“Oh, you know, that every story you and I ever invented is actually fact. That time travel and aliens and all those adventures are real… and the Tardis.”

“Blimey! Feeling a bit generous, are we?”

“I know we agreed to tell her when she’s ten, but she did that thing with the eyes, and she’s been asking so much lately I couldn’t put it off anymore. So I promised I’d tell her in the Tardis.”

“Do you want me to be there?” She knew that even now after all these years he wasn’t able to forgive himself for what he had done. The most unthinkable thing. Horrific but absolutely vital. When they first met all those years ago he was so broken. Constantly he reminded her that she was the one to put him back together and the mortar that kept him from falling apart all over again. Rose was not about to let him face his guilt alone again.

“Nah, I think I’ll be alright. I can’t keep avoiding my past, and anyways I’d do just about anything for Romana, so…”

“Okay, well you know where to find me,” she told him and pressed the key into his hand, “Good luck. And Doctor,” she grabbed the hem of his shirt as he rose to leave, pulling him back. “I love you,” she said softly, each syllable leaving no doubt to the sincerity of her words. His turn for a dazzling smile. Wrapping his lovely Rose in a warm embrace, he breathed a response, just like that day on the beach. Three little words that changed her life forever.

Rose waited until the Doctor slipped back into the hallway before switching off the lamp and burrowing back under the warm blankets. She attempted sleep, but knew that it was ultimately pointless. She couldn’t help but think about all the changes about to happen. Tomorrow morning everything would be different. No more pretending, no more secrets. Romana knew the truth, and now the false pretenses could drop after eight years. The ‘government operatives’ could be ‘alien experts’ and ‘time travelers’ once again. At least around their daughter. Everyone one else who didn’t already know their past would continue believing she and Mr. John Smith met in Norway, which to some extent was true, and now both worked at the Ministry of Defense, also partly true except for the tiny detail of dealing mostly with aliens drifting through a rift in space and time instead of people. And though she dared not entertain the idea, the possibility of yet again traveling amongst the star threatened to overwhelm her and eliminate the quest for sleep altogether. Don’t get too excited, she thought to herself. Whatever Romana chooses is how things are gonna be. Although she couldn’t deny which choice she and the Doctor secretly hoped for.

While Rose unsuccessfully attempted flipping the switch for unconsciousness, mind buzzing with adrenaline filled thoughts, the Doctor tiptoed past Jackie and Pete’s room and on to his study where his daughter waited for him. He fingered Rose’s Tardis key nervously. Even though every second of every day he felt the unbreakable connection with his Tardis, the doors hadn’t been opened for eight years and he’d buried the screaming urge to travel for Rose and Romana’s sake. Now he feared that urge would claw its way to the surface the moment his ship welcomed him back, an old friend whispering encouragement, promising adventure. He remembered the rush of thrilling wanderlust that initially moved him to steal the retired time ship, unlocked as if waiting just for him. How could he resist? It was the most beautiful thing he’d ever seen. But everything was different now. The mere idea of leaving his family refused to present itself.

Romana sat nodding off in a big leather swivel chair, sleep threatening to drag her under, when her father’s messy brown hair and lanky, pajama-clad frame finally slid through the door. He must have noticed her jerk suddenly awake because he paused in front of her and said, “Romana, are you sleepy? I wouldn’t blame you if you wanted to wait till the morning.” Fidgeting slightly with a small object in his hand, he glanced at something in the corner then quickly back to her. “In fact, that sound like a good idea, doesn’t it? It’s late and you’re obviously tired. Let’s wait till tomor—”

“No! I’m fine. I’m not tired anymore.” And she really wasn’t. Jumping out of the chair, sending it spinning round and round, Romana marched up to her father, “Come on, please? You promised. I don’t want to wait till the morning.” It was then that she noticed what he held in his hand. “Is that mummy’s necklace?” Why does he have that? she wondered.

“Yeah, it is, and I’m sorry. Of course you’re right. I promised and I’m not going back on my word.” He glanced again to the corner at the far end of the room. Wondering what interested him so much, Romana looked back to see for herself. There stood a tall set of metal cabinets. It’d been there as long as she could remember and remained, as far as she was concerned, the least interesting piece of furniture in the whole house. Nothing special stood out about it whatsoever. It was locked anyway. Probably just somewhere to store old, boring and important paper work she guessed. Mostly people just ignored it. Romana certainly did. Though for some curious reason her father seemed to be paying the old thing a bit of attention.

Slightly frustrated at this unfounded distraction, Romana tried to pull his straying thoughts back to the matter at hand. “Alright, well, where is it? The Tardis? Is it in a secret room behind the bookshelf? Or do we climb down a hidden tunnel under the rug? Is it invisible?” It seemed to work.

“Invisible?!” The Doctor looked incredulous. “What makes you say that? You’ve been watching too much TV. Although, it is possible, mind you. Big drain on the power though. And as for secret rooms and hidden tunnels… well, let’s just say when you’ve been down one dark tunnel, you’ve been down them all. And, trust me, I’ve been down many a tunnel in my time. Still, wouldn’t look forward to doing it again, especially in one filled with killer Cybermen.” He twirled Rose’s key necklace round on a finger saying, “So, story time in the Tardis then?” and strode over to the corner cabinets, Romana following more than a little baffled in his wake.

The Tardis was in there? In his stories it was ‘bigger on the inside,’ but surely it was big enough on the outside that it wouldn’t be stored in a cabinet. She imagined it set on a raised plinth in a secret, cavernous room, a single spot light shining down on the legendary blue box. Why in the world did her father put it in this ordinary, boring cabinet?

After a moment’s hesitation, he slotted Rose’s key into the lock. Odd thing for it to open, Romana thought. She always assumed it was purely symbolic. An object that meant ‘you hold the key to my heart’ sort of thing, not for actually opening locked doors, least of all an old metal cabinet. Romana expected to see the same sort of metal shelves that the ones at school held, each piled with paper and various random objects. Instead all that greeted her senses when the Doctor swung open the double doors appeared to be empty dark space and an unfamiliar smell that pricked at her nostrils.

“Well,” he said looking down at her, “here goes nothing,” and stepped into the darkness.

“Wait!” Romana called after him. He seemed to have just disappeared. “Where did you go?”

“I’m right here.” His voice came back to her from an impossibly far distance. “Just follow my voice. I’ll see if I can get some lights on. Been awhile since I’ve been in here, but the telepathic link should still work. Just got to find the right frequency.” The familiar blue glow of the sonic screwdriver gleamed reassuringly as he buzzed away at something in the dark.

“Telepathic link?” she asked stepping through the doors, stumbling in the general direction of intermittent blips of buzzing blue light.

“Yup, almost got it… Ah! There we go! Molto bene!” He cried triumphantly. “Should kick in any moment now.”

“So is this the secret room where you keep the Tardis hidden? It’s certainly big enough.” Romana listened as her voice moved away from her and traveled around the cavernous room. Where are we? She wondered. The house was big with many rooms and hidey-holes, but somehow she doubted a room like this would easily be overlooked, especially as it seemed to take up quite a bit of space. In fact, if she’d calculated correctly, they distance she’d covered from the suede-cabinet doors to here, standing just an arm’s-length from her dad’s silhouetted form, should put them somewhere in the back yard, maybe even in the garden house. And yet we’re obviously still inside, so that can’t be right, Romana attempted to reason.

“Oh, it’s not hidden. Not really a problem with a fully functional chameleon circuit. You see, Romana,” the lights finally came on, or rather the whole room began to glow, “you’re standing in it. Welcome to the Tardis.”

Romana’s previous train of thought slipped off the edge of oblivion like an actual train off the side of a mountain, and her breath stuck in her throat at the sight invading her bewildered eyes. Nothing could have prepared her for what she now saw, the most beautiful place she’d ever been. Just as she imagined but so much better.

The circular room felt alive, the yellow-orange light pulsing rhythmically up the walls, on which grew thick vines of silvery leaves, hanging in shining tangled clusters the further up they went. A spiral staircase circled the entire room three times before eventually disappearing into the ceiling, a yet to be explored part of the time ship. A set of wooden steps led to another wooded space, expansive and hexagonally shaped, at the center of which sat the console, all its strange gadgets and scanners buzzing, whirling, and winking invitingly. A column of blue glass rising from the top of the console connected fifteen feet up at the ceiling in a series of metallic disks and circles, almost resembling a model of the solar system. With a closer look Romana recognized it as the made-up language in which dad sometimes wrote. Not made up then, she realized.

The Doctor followed from a distance, watching as Romana wandered awestruck around the console room, eyes wide and mouth hanging slightly agape. It occurred to him the same sort of expression had probably been plastered to his own face upon discovering the Tardis. Nothing quite compared to a good ol’ vintage Type 40. Romana shuffled to the center of the room and slowly mounted the steps, gripping a carved wooden balustrade crawling with silver leafed vines.

“Silver Star Creepers” the Doctor said from the opposite side of the console, fingering the silver leaves fondly. “Flutterwings used to lay their eggs on these. When they’d hatch in the spring, it was like watching a million yellow flowers bloom out of the silver and then blow away on the wind.” He looked over at her and smiled. “Alas, the only place anything like this can exist now is in the Tardis. Still better than to be lost forever in the winds of time, eh? So what do you think? Beautiful isn’t it?”

Romana moved around the console and took his hand. Though he was still smiling down at her, something had changed. A touch of sadness crept into his eyes betraying a layer right beneath the lighthearted surface. Romana could only guess at what caused this sadness, but she figured it must be something to do with his home, the planet of the Time Lords of which he barely every spoke. “It’s okay. Don’t be sad. I know you miss it, but you and me and mummy can go visit sometime, can’t we?”

He gripped her hand a little tighter, “No, Romana, we can’t.” A disappointed expression registered on her face. He led her to a hanging, nest-like wicker sofa to one side of the console. He took a seat, pushing pillows around for optimum comfort while Romana climbed up after him, hugging her knees expectantly, so young and innocent, round brown eyes imploring him for answers. Time for the whole story. The true story, He thought. Time to face your past.

“Let me tell you about Gallifrey.”

END OF PART ONE!