To Be a Time Lord

Chapter 8 - The Time Lords' Wife

The Time Lords' Wife, part 2 -

He pulled her all the way to the brig where Idris sat in a cage, seemingly meditating.

"How did you know about the boxes? You said they'd make us angry. How did you know?", he yelled at her.

"Ah, it's my thieves", she opened her eyes.

"Who are you?", the Oracle asked, calmer than the Doctor had.

"It's about time", she just said.

"I don't understand. Who are you?", the Doctor stood back as the Oracle crouched down in front of the cage.

Idris dashed forward, staring right into her eyes, "Do you not know me? Just because they put me in here?"

"They said you were dangerous", the Oracle muttered, "And you did bite the Doctor."

"Not the cage, stupid. Sorry, no, he's stupid. You're the clever one, the pretty one", Idris told her with wide, adoring eyes, "In here. They put me in here", she held her own cheeks as if she was talking about her body, "I'm the- Oh, what do you call me? We travel. I go", she pursed her lips and the sound of the Tardis when the Doctor landed came out.

"The Tardis?", she breathed out.

"Time And Relative Dimension In Space. Yes, that's it", she confirmed, "Names are funny. It's me. I'm the Tardis."

"No, you're not", the Doctor called out and started pacing, "You're a biter, mad lady. The Tardis is up and downy stuff in a big blue box."

"Yes, that's me", she got up to look at him now, "A Type Forty Tardis. I was already a museum piece when you were young, and the first time you touched my console you said-"

"I said you were the most beautiful thing I had ever known", he finished.

"And then you looked at her", she pointed at the Oracle", and said, well, close second, and I agreed. So you stole me. And I stole you", she smiled down at the Oracle lovingly.

"We borrowed you", the Oracle disagreed.

"Borrowing implies the intention to return the thing that was taken. What makes you think I would ever give you back? Either of you?", she smiled.

The Doctor turned around, "You're the Tardis?"

"Yes."

"My Tardis?"

"Our Tardis", the Oracle immediately corrected.

"My Oracle. My Doctor. Oh. We have now reached the point in the conversation where you open the lock", she raised a brow.

"No more biting", the Oracle warned and didn't wait for an answer before she sonicked the lock open.

She stepped out and the Doctor walked around her, observing her with furrowed brows, still not quite believing it.

"Are all people like this?", she asked.

"Like what?", the Doctor questioned.

"So much bigger on the inside. I'm, oh, what is that word? It's so big, so complicated. It's so sad", she rambled.

"I still don't understand. Why did they pull the living soul from a Tardis and put into a tiny human head? What does she want you for? You won't survive for long like this", the Oracle mused.

"Oh, it doesn't want me", she said.

"How do you know?", the Doctor asked.

"House eats Tardises", she just muttered.