How to Attract a Time Lord (Doctor Who)

Getting to the End

It was midday in our little world now, the sun beating down on our backs through the trees, and I punched the Doctor softly in the arm. Not enough to hurt, just enough to get my point across. He had a crestfallen look on his face. "I'm sorry," he glumly apologised. 

This made me feel bad so I instinctively wrapped my arms around him in a hug. I held in a small gasp of astonishment as he quickly wrapped his arms around me, then softly cleared his throat and took a step back. "My mistake." His voice was high and odd when he spoke. He cleared his throat again, louder this time, and repeated himself in his normal voice. "My mistake. Don't worry, I've learned my lesson."

"Yeah. . ." I watched as a black figure appeared in the distance, starting towards us, partially hidden by the shaded green of the spruce trees surrounding us. They weren't allowing us any small talk this time. I started to go forward a few paces, and my feet made odd squelching noises. I looked down to find the bottom half of my brand new pair of bright cherry red Converse that I had found in the TARDIS covered in mud. The mud/dirt had dried a bit on the white rubber part, small cracks running through the surface. So much for that, although it was bound to happen with the Doctor one way or another.

By the time I looked back up, a worried face of a woman appeared through the trees, the same woman as there had been in the airport, minus the purple hair and weird tablet. She was dressed in rough, neutral-colored hiking clothes, as I expected. 

"Are you okay?" I immediately asked, my first response.

"I. . .I. . .I need help," she burst out, looking like a frightened animal, maybe a puppy. Her hair, although the same length and style as the first version of her, was a coffee brown, to match her eyes. I couldn't shake the feeling that she was the same innocent, apologetic person that we had first met in the airport, even though I knew she was a different person.

"What's wrong?" The Doctor asked, evidently getting the same wave of guilt that was coursing through my veins at the moment. You could see it in his eyes, or at least I could.

This girl pointed behind her, into the forest, towards something we obviously couldn't see. "There's a volcano back there that's on the verge of erupting, and my brother is stuck on top. I couldn't get to him, so I ran back here to try to find my mom, who managed to lost in this forest somehow."

I heard a loud grumble from quite a bit behind her, as though confirming our impending-and her brother's- doom. "Okay," I acknowledged, taking a deep breath. "What's your name?"

"Grace," she said simply, the panic still lingering in her eyes, the want to run back to the volcano and desperately try to save her brother, even though she knew it was hopeless. 

Pull yourself together, I thought, running a hand through my hair. Damn. The Doctor was really rubbing off on me. It's just a game,  I reminded myself, and all you have to do is win.

The Doctor spoke up from beside me. "Hello, Grace, I'm the Doctor and this is Tiffany. We're going to try to help you."

A look of relief crossed her face. "Thank you, thank you so much," she sang, the gratitude clear on her features.

The man next to me smiled. "Well, let's get going, shall we?" He looked at me and winked. "Allons-y, eh?"

The three of us began our trek into the forest in the direction Grace had pointed, and the game got harder. Grace was nice and all, but she wouldn't stop asking question after question.

"So. . .are you guys, like, dating or something?" She questioned us once more, genuine curiosity in her voice.

"Uhh. . .no," The Doctor hesitated, looking at me to see what I would say. As soon as his eyes met mine, I studied the ground below my feet, the dirt on my Converse dry and thankfully silent.