Winnie Is Not Okay

1.3

"I don't understand", Winnie muttered, still in the entrance to the box.

"It's the Tardis", Rose said, "A spaceship."

"And time", the Doctor added, walking around the console.

"It was a police box", Winnie continued.

"It's bigger on the inside", Rose replied.

"Why?, she asked, looking directly at the Doctor.

"Well, essentially", he walked closer to her, "It's another dimension, stacked into the one you were able to see when you were outside."

"But how?"

"It's technology on my home planet. I'm a Time Lord. An alien", he said, looking into her eyes with a hand on her arm now, "Is that all right?"

"Is it all right you're an alien?", she asked to confirm she'd understood the question.

"Yeah."

Winnie tilted her head, "No. Change it please."

He breathed out a laugh, "What?"

She leaned forward and like a secret she muttered, "Sarcasm."

"Ah", he nodded, "So it's okay."

"What difference does it make?"

"I have a box that can take you across time and space", he shrugged.

"Well, then it's okay", she snorted.

"Great."

"Wonderful."

"Fantastic."

"Okay", she finally nodded, hoping to move on in the conversation.

"All right. Where do you want to go?", he asked, walking back to the console and taking her along.

"Amsterdam", she said immediately.

The Doctor tilted his head, "Amsterdam."

"Yup."

"All of time and space and you want to go to Amsterdam."

"I've never been", she shrugged, "And neither has Rosie."

"But you have all of time and space at your disposal", he almost whined, "Can we at least do Amsterdam in another time?"

"September two thousand three", Winnie replied.

"Winnie", Rose muttered, almost warningly.

"Amsterdam, any time between August and December of two thousand three", Winnie nodded.

"Fine, but just to have a look. Nothing exciting ever happens in Amsterdam. It's all just- It's all right over there. It's a place for when you don't want excitement."

"See?", Winnie turned to Rose, then back to the Doctor, "That's all right, then. Anywhere else is fine."

"What?", he furrowed his brows, "But Amsterdam's right out there."

"No way", Winnie went to the door, opened it and looked outside. They were standing right next to a river she didn't even know the name of, people were biking around and next to her was a coffee shop where people sat with coffee and joints. The only one smoking a cigarette instead of a joint was a tan woman with dark hair under a red beanie, tears running down her face.

Winnie stepped out of the Tardis and stood at the woman's table, "Sorry. May I?"

The woman looked at her, then around the filled terrace and shrugged, "Sure, whatever."

"I'm Winnie", she introduced herself.

The woman nodded, lighting another cigarette, "Noosh."

Winnie nodded slowly, "Cool name."

"Thanks."

"So, um, why were you crying?", she dared to ask.

"I don't even know you", Noosh replied with narrowed eyes.

"I'm Winnie, my sister calls me Fred, mostly to annoy me but I'm at a point where I find it endearing. She's probably my favourite person in the world", Winnie shrugged, "That's probably why I ask. Why were you crying?"

"What?"

"Was it Jimmy?"

"Dude, you're creeping me out", Noosh leaned back, away from her.

"Well, at least you're not sad anymore", Winnie smiled, "Listen, I'm genuinely kind of worried. Because the last person I found crying for Jimmy Stone was my sister. He convinced her to drop out of school and before he left her for you he stole a bunch of her shit. I kind of ask for you to tell me he's fucked up."

Noosh looked at her intently and then started to laugh, "Holy shit, you're right."

"I am?", Winnie tilted her head.

"I'm crying for him like a damn teenager. She was a teenager, he said she was a dumb green blonde."

Winnie narrowed her eyes, "He did?"

"And I believed him but seeing you here, like this. Of course, he was what's wrong", Noosh took a last drag from the cigarette and stumped it out on the ashtray, "We ran off with a camper van because he thought he could start a music career here. He lost all the money he probably stole from his ex because, and I quote, 'all big rockstars take drugs, babe, and it's legal!'"

Winnie laughed at her mocking impression of Jimmy.

"We ran out of petrol and so I got a job, waitressing here", she gestured down at the shirt with the coffee shop's label on it, "and I just got off of my break but the van was gone so I assumed he just drove off. I had it coming, honestly. But everything I owned was in that van and he just took it with him."

"Oh shit", Winnie breathed out.

"So yeah, you're right, your sister honestly got the longer end of the stick, so give her my best."

Winnie snorted, "What are you gonna do now?"

"Ask around, get a room somewhere. Honestly can't be that hard and my colleagues are the best. But hey", Noosh leaned forward and took Winnie's hand, "Tell your sister I'm sorry about how things went down. I hope she'll understand I walked into the same trap she did."

Winnie snorted, "Rose found a good one, I think. So she'll be all right. But, hey, if you ever need anything", she took the pen that laid on the table and a napkin and wrote down her mobile number, "I think I'll be out of range for a while but after that - I think we could all use a friend."

Noosh smiled, "Thanks, Winnie. I'll see you around."

Winnie walked back to the Tardis that the Doctor was leaning against as he watched Rose walk around and look at everything.

"You got what you needed?", he asked.

"Might be the wrong wording", she shrugged, "But yeah."

"Why did we go to Amsterdam?", he asked, looking directly at her.

"Because Rosie's never been to Amsterdam", she looked up at him, "Listen, you said it would be dangerous, all the stuff we're going to do, but please, whatever happens, just make sure she doesn't get hurt, in whichever way."

He tilted his head, trying to read her face, "I'll do my best. I'll do whatever's in my power to protect her."

She smiled, "Good. Now, I don't know what's in your plans but let's do something cool, that impresses her, that she won't forget."

"Okay, okay, hold on", he stopped her, "We went to Amsterdam because she's never been, now you want to do something that impresses her. What do you want, Winifred Tyler?"

She smiled with her head tilted, "I don't know. I wanted a stable base to grow a life upon. You know, the boring stuff, simple but effective. How am I going to choose out of a catalogue I haven't seen? I don't know time and space, I was terrible in history and humanity has no records of other life out there as far as I'm concerned."

The Doctor smiled, "Oh, Winifred, I think you'll find I can impress you with just a snap of my fingers."