ignite ➝ Doctor Who¹

XXXIII

Surely she couldn't have taken another wrong turn? Penelope was certain she knew exactly where the wardrobe was, she had tried very hard to learn the corridors of the TARDIS very early on, convinced that she could do it. And it had worked for a very long time.

Turning up at the console again, she lets out a shout, calling the Doctor. He appeared over the railings, grinning at her. "Yes Miss Adaams."

"Let me change out of this damn dress." He leant on the railing, his face propped up on his hands.

"I don't know what you mean." Trying hard to be less annoyed, Penelope prepared herself to shout at him when a phone started to ring. He shushed her - which caused her anger to flare up even more - and went to answer it. Muttering to herself, she walked up to the main console, wanting nothing more than to beat the alien senseless. She had been wandering around the TARDIS looking for the wardrobe so that she could finally get out of the damn waitressing dress from the parallel world but she kept changing her walls. She knew it was the Doctor's fault, he probably lost her clothes in the other world as well.

"You know-" He stopped her, looking very serious with the phone pressed to the side of his head.

"Yes she is.. of course you can.." He hands the phone to his ginger companion, a sinking feeling in his chest when her face lights up at the sound of her aunt Sharon.

"Hello! I know we haven't spoken in ages, I've been so busy. Yes I'm doing well on my own, I knew you wouldn't be able to make it so I sorted the funeral myself." He couldn't hear the other side of the conversation properly, but he adored the way a blush flared up and her eyes flickered to his momentarily. "Auntie Sherry! No! He's- well yes but- oh my god no." He was grinning at her, guessing what the conversation was about.

"Anything you want to share, Penelope." He gets up close to her and she puts a hand in his face, turning bright red.

"No there is not! You idiot. Stop listening to my conversation, go- I don't know, tinker with your car." He laughed behind her hand, preparing to respond when her face dropped, something said on the other end of the line? He took her hand from his face, which had now gone a little slack, and rubbed circles on her knuckles.

"Penelope?"

"No, Auntie Sherry. W-What, no that's impossible. Don't- you can't get mad at me for-" The line went dead and she sighed, placing it back on the TARDIS' receiver.

"What happened?" The ginger woman shook her head, confused, grateful for the feeling of her hands in his. She needed to be grounded, what did she just hear.

"She- my great auntie died a while back, I went to the funeral and everything. But, she was saying that she had been visiting, that she had come back."

"Did she say how?"

"No. But she hasn't always been the most stable, the loss of my great auntie and then my mum was hard on her. She should be getting help, but I'm not sure." He swallowed the creeping sense of doom that he has created for himself, instead looking over the dress again. Anything to distract himself.

"Do you want to see her? Spend time with her until she sorts it out." This was big, for him at least, willingly giving her a reason to leave. After continuously losing her, both at New New Earth and then wasting five years of her life, he didn't really like to keep her away.

She was aware of this, not liking the thought of leaving him much either. Surely her aunt could cope, she had her therapy and her friends with her. There was no reason for the girl to crowd the house - even if it was 3 floors - she didn't want to intrude. Looking down at their hands, she tried to push away the guilt she felt for her aunt. Penelope didn't belong anywhere else and she definitely isn't planning on leaving again any time soon.

"I'm sure she can live without me for a little while longer. I'll check in if she really needs me, but for now I really need to get out of this dress." She pulled away from his hands, a giddy smile on his face, she wasn't leaving.

"I mean you don't have to change out of the dress."