Meeting You for the First Time Again

Chapter Four

And I followed.

Through the winding streets we ran, not worrying about cars, for there were none. People walked about on foot or rode on what seemed to be a bicycle of some sort.

The Doctor glanced back at me, smiling and laughing, and though he hadn't technically walked these streets before, I could tell that he missed this.

"Where are we going!" I laughed, running after him.

"We are going to the Academy!" He exclaimed, turning a sharp right and running through the doors of the tallest building in the city.

I had to stop outside for a moment and look up at the towering structure in front of me. It was incredible, amazing even. And I had seen a lot of amazing things.

I let out an excited squeal before I followed the Doctor through the tall doors.

It was almost as radiant inside as it was outside! Shining marble columns lined the walls. The space where the floor met the wall was trimmed with gold.

There was a glass-blown fountain in the center of what I assumed was the lobby. The glass was the same color as the sky outside. Amber, but with a pinkish tint.

And the people! They looked human, but I knew too well that they weren't. These were time lords and ladies. They were far more poised than any human I had ever met, and I had met the Queens of years long passed.

I scanned the room searching for the Doctor. It wasn't long until I found him.

I could only assume that we stood out in this sea of extravagance, and the Doctor had always been a bit disorderly.

"Oi, there you are," I said when I had made my way across the room.

The Doctor was standing in front of the receptionist's desk. The man behind the desk was tall. And I mean really tall. I had always known that the Doctor had a good six inches on me, but I had never thought much of it. Now, taking a look around the room, I could see that everyone here was taller than I was.

"Is height one of the things that comes with being a time lord?" I whispered to the Doctor so that the receptionist couldn't hear me.

"Yes. I'm considered short," he informed me and I nodded.

The man at the desk cleared his throat.

"May I help you?" He asked, sounding a bit rude.

"Yes! It's been a long time! Could you point me in the direction of TARDIS Education and Registration?" The Doctor asked politely, not matching the tone of the other man whatsoever.

The tall man sighed. "First corridor to your right, take the elevator to the Tenth Floor. I trust you can find your way from there?"

"I'd assume so, yeah," mumbled the Doctor. He then changed his tone back to friendly and waved at the man, "Thank you!"

The Doctor entwined his fingers with mine and he lead me off towards the first corridor.

"The people here, they look the same as us, but they're so different," I said.

"Rose, these aren't people, you must remember. These are Gallifreyans, Time Lords. After all these years, you still associate my people with yours?" The Doctor sounded disappointed.

"How come you're so different from them?" I asked. It was something I'd noticed. These people were elegant. The Doctor was anything but!

"Well, for starters I'm half human," he reminded me once again about how he was not the real Doctor.

"Aside from that, I mean. You act so differently."

"When I was a boy on Gallifrey I was a bit...rebellious, should I say. My parents always wanted me to be the proper time lord son that they could be proud of. I did well in school, but I hated it. I got through one day of my TARDIS training before I completely bailed," he told me.

"But you had a TARDIS," I stated. By this time, we had reached the elevator. I pressed the button for the Tenth Floor and the doors closed.

"Yes. Did I never tell you? You, Rose of all people?"

I shook my head. The Doctor had never told me how he had gotten his TARDIS.

"I stole it...and I ran away," He looked a bit sad for a moment. "The proper Time Lord life was something that I didn't want and I didn't think I needed...and it ended up being the downfall of the whole bloody planet..."

I said nothing and the Doctor said nothing more. I could tell that he was done talking about this and I wasn't going to ask him to tell me more, not this time.

The silence was broken by the sound of the elevator doors sliding open in front of us.

The man downstairs was right when he said that we couldn't miss the right door, for it was the only one on that floor, and they still felt the need to have the word 'TARDIS' in big brass letters above the door.

"Is it going to be bigger on the inside?" I joked.

"You can't really get much bigger than this building," the Doctor laughed.

"Let's get us a TARDIS," I looked up at the Doctor, smiling.

He nodded and walked through the door and I followed right behind.

It was beautiful in here. It wasn't quite as amazing as it had been downstairs, but I couldn't expect anything to be.

Pictures of different TARDIS interiors lined the walls.

My eyes flew across the the front desk. The whole desk was glowing blue and it floated, hovering over the ground, but never touching it.

"Hello!" The Doctor greeted the woman at the desk.

"Hi, how can I help you?" She smiled. Definitely more friendly than the man downstairs.

"I'm here to sign up for TARDIS Education," he said.

"Have you completed the necessary courses?" She asked. I couldn't tell if she was speaking English, but that's what it translated to in my head. That gift of the TARDIS had never gone away.

"A long time ago, yeah," the Doctor said as if remembering, "but I never did finish TARDIS Education."

"Wonderful! Tell, me what is your name?" She asked sweetly.

"I'm the Doctor, this is Rose," he said, nodding towards me. I felt the woman's eyes scanning me.

"You're a long way from home, aren't you," she guessed.

"Oh, you've got no idea," I laughed.

She nodded skeptically.

"Alright Doctor, Rose, this way," she stepped away from her desk. "I'll get you right to your classroom."

"This is great, Rose! Now you can help me fly the TARDIS when we get it," The Doctor squeezed me around the shoulder.

"Do they know I'm human?"

"Of course they do! Anyone can learn how to fly, it's just that a TARDIS can only be issued to a Time Lord or Lady. I'll get my TARDIS and we'll be able to fly it together," he explained.

"Good," I said. "Great!"

"So, Rose Tyler, let's learn how to fly!"