You were accompanying the Doctor, walking with him just as you'd done many times before. Not much was different from any other time. You were walking a few steps behind him; you always did feel much safer when he was a little ways in front of you.
Your adventures this time had brought you to a town in the middle of essentially nowhere. It was dark; the only light was coming from a scarce few streetlamps dotted around the town, casting a gentle, faded but somewhat eerie glow about the place.
The Doctor and yourself thought you'd seen something off in the distance–in the dense forest that surrounded the outskirts of town–so the two of you headed off toward it.
As you walked onward, the light got farther and farther away, growing dimmer with each step. A thick fog seemed to come out of nowhere and cast itself overhead as you approached the edge of the forest.
In the midst of the forest, what sounded like a low rumbling, almost growling, made itself audible. This was quickly followed by a rustling noise. Almost instinctively, the Doctor put his arm out in front of you to protect you.
After a few seconds with no further sounds, you resume walking.
You jolt as you feel something wrap around your ankle tightly, and you let out a gasp.
The Doctor quickly turns to face you.
"________!"
Your blood runs cold. You have no idea what's going to happen to you, but you find yourself unable to move. You were immobilized by something.
"I-I... I can't move...!" you tell him. Dread washes over you, and your voice wavers. "Doctor!"
You're being swiftly dragged away.
"Doctor!!" Pleadingly, you cry out his name again.
"________!!!!" He shouts to you, trying to run after you.
"I... Aah!" you yelp, still being pulled.
*+*+*+*
The Doctor stands at the console of the TARDIS. He shifts it to auto-pilot, and – he could have sworn that he heard something just then.
"Doctor...!"
It took a moment for him to register what it was. Then it clicked.
"________!?" He shouted, dashing off to one of the many rooms of the TARDIS.
Your bedroom.
"________!" He says upon entering the room. He stops as he sees you asleep on your bed, tossing and turning with a distraught look on your face. You were whimpering and muttering, calling out to him every few seconds. He took a few steps forward and saw the tears on your cheeks. He rushes to you and sits on the edge of the bed. He takes you in his arms and holds you close.
" ________, wake up! You're having a nightmare! You're okay; you're safe now, I promise! I'm here, ________, I'm right here..." He wipes away your tears and strokes your hair, burying your face in his chest.
"D-Doctor..." you say after a few seconds. He could hear the tinge of worry that was still in your voice.
"I'm here... You're safe..." Relieved to hear your voice again, he looks down at you, still holding onto your shoulders. "What happened?"
You recount your horrible nightmare to him, voice quivering and tears forming again. You pause for a minute. "And then I lost you... You... You were gone. ... And I was all alone..."
The Doctor holds you again, comforting you. "You'd never lose me... I'd never leave you, ________..."
He thinks for a minute, and your pain gets to him, too. "And I won't lose you, either... I can't and I won't. I will always protect you. I promise..." He looks at you again after some time. You seem to have calmed down, as your heartbeat and breathing are back to normal. You settle back down onto the bed.
"Are you alright now, ________?"
You hesitate a bit. "Yeah..."
"Are you sure? Do you... want me to stay with you?"
Your eyes widen. Did he know that that was exactly what you wanted? You sort of stammer. "I, uh... If it's no problem to you..."
"Of course it's not."
He climbs into bed at your side and makes sure again that you were okay with it. He lays down and puts his arm around you. You wait for a moment and then snuggle closer and lay your head on his chest, listening to the sound of his dual heartbeats. He's a little surprised but then he looks at you and smiles. You weren't sure if you were imagining things, but you thought you heard them get a bit faster.
Suddenly, he turns your face to his and plants a soft kiss on your lips. Shocked, you just stay there a second before kissing back. He quickly pulls away as the realization of what he'd just done sets in.
"I... I'm sorry, I just... I don't... I really shouldn't have–" you cut him off, wrapping your arms around him and kissing him harder than he had kissed you, the Doctor soon kissing you back and taking control of the kiss. It feels amazing. All of your fear means nothing now, this is all that matters to you. You eventually break the kiss for breath, and his dark brown eyes gaze into your _____ ones. He loves you, you're sure of it.
You sure weren't scared now. And not in the morning, either.
