Up, Up, and Away

Chapter 1

Time stopped.

My head snapped towards Yaz before she'd even finished her sentence. She was telling Ryan about some girl who had bullied her as a kid, and who I'd like to give at least some pity. Just the thought of little Yaz, hiding in a corner somewhere with her face in her hands made my stomach flip.

How could someone do that? Be mean intentionally, when there's so much capacity for good in this world. I'm not one to lecture... I've changed, though. I reminded myself that I had not been mean, I had only done what I'd had to. And it was over. I have lived with that for over a thousand years, what's a few more?

"No, how could someone be mean to Yaz? My Yaz? Well- not my Yaz, but you know, my Yaz. Yaaaaz. Yasmin Khan, my good mate-" I stammered my way through my words until Graham cut me off.

"Doc?"

"Yeah!" I turned immediately, grateful for the change of subject.

"What's this flashing light mean, I've never seen it before? Looks all red and angry, if you ask me-" the TARDIS began shaking, and he never finished his sentence.

"Everyone hold on!" I called to my team. It felt like an earthquake as I rushed over to the console and began working away.

"Why does somethin' always have to go wrong?" Asked Ryan, clinging to the railing for dear life.

I noticed the light Graham was talking about, and couldn't figure out what was causing it. I tried flipping every switch that wouldn't send us into a black hole, but nothing extinguished the light. The TARDIS wouldn't land, but she didn't want to keep flying either. Her systems were shutting down one by one.

"Ah nooo," I groaned, forcing a lever up with my new arms. Surprisingly reliable, maybe even more so than the last.

"What does that mean? 'Ah no'! That's never a good sign." Ryan chimed in from behind me.

Yaz launched herself from the railing over to the console beside me, nearly falling over, but steadying herself by grabbing my hand. I squeezed her hand tight, and used my other to keep busy with the TARDIS.

I pulled Yaz around the console in circles, until the TARDIS finally slowed her shuttering, and we'd landed safely.

I quickly pulled my hand from Yaz's once I realized I was still holding it.

"Where are we?" she asked, straightening up and rushing for the door. Ryan and Graham were close behind, but something was giving me a bad feeling.

"Wait!" I called, and watched as they all stopped and looked back at me. I gripped my sonic in my coat pocket and searched for a quick explanation.

"Got any common sense, the lot of ya?" I ran in front of them and blocked Ryan's outstretched hand, reaching for the door handle. Yaz and Ryans' eyebrows raised as Graham's lowered.

"I don't know what's going to be out there. The TARDIS isn't showing any readings and it could be dangerous- or at least more so than usual." I jogged my way to the front of their line, and stood on my tip toes to look out the police box's top windows.

"Since when have you become so safety-conscious?" Asked Ryan. I rolled my eyes, but couldn't help the flash of memories that shot through my brain... all the people... the friends and the- the more than friends. My family.

I creaked open the door a smidge, just enough to pop my head out and survey. What I saw, I wasn't expecting.

"Aha!" I laughed, as a snow flake landed and melted on the tip of my nose. I pulled my head back into the TARDIS, shut the door, and leaned back against it, with a slight smirk on my face.

"You're going to need your coats."