"That literally sounds like he was crushing on you so hard."
"Oh my god, Ruby!"
That evening, Ruby had suggested that Willow should have some time to treat herself and talk about her problems during a special girl's night. Ruby was brushing Willow's freshly washed hair while Willow painted her nails with a soft shade of blue.
Relaxing classical music played from Ruby's phone as the girls talked about the 'Doctor' situation.
"I mean, that's not a bad thing. He sounds like a nice guy, even from your extremely vague descriptions of him," Ruby paused brushing the middle part of Willow's hair. "What's his name anyway?"
"He goes by a title," Willow replied.
"Oh?"
"He’s called the Doctor."
Ruby let a loud laugh escape her lips before she clamped her hand over her mouth to suppress the giggles.
Willow frowned at her. "What?"
"Nothing. It's just," she gasped in between a laugh. "That is so fucking sexual!"
Ruby puckered her lips and tossed her hair back. In a high pitched voice, she said, "Oh Doctor, come here! Doctor, treat me like one of your patients, you bad bad boy!"
Willow whirled around and stuck her tongue out at Ruby, who was now rolling on her bed, chanting:
"Willow and the Doctor sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G, first comes-"
"Shut it, Ruby," Willow chuckled as she corrected a streak of nail polish on her finger.
"Am I wrong?" Ruby managed in between a giggle.
"I am not going to answer that," Willow said with her middle finger in the air.
"Okay, okay," Ruby pushed her friend's hand down. "Forget what I said about his… name."
Willow sighed as she sipped on her glass of water. "Talking about him is stupid. It's making me want to see him again even more," she turned to face Ruby again. "Should I try therapy?"
A moment of silence fell between them before they both broke out in laughter.
"You? Therapy? From all the stories I've heard about your past, you'd be the last person to try getting a therapist."
Their laughs subsided as Ruby finished brushing Willow's hair. "Just give it time, Willow. Sometimes we get worse when we don't express our feelings to friends or family."
Willow nodded gratefully before hugging her friend.
Ruby glanced at a small metal clock on her bedside table and immediately gasped. "I've gotta go," she said, wrapping up her hair into a messy bun. "It's my shift at the plant nursery. I’ll be back at ten.”
Willow sighed. "Do you have to go?"
"One of us has to work," Ruby said halfway out the door, grabbing her purse and flats.
"I'm working on getting a job!" Willow called after her.
"There's a lot you need to work on Willow," Ruby said in a sing-songy tone before closing the front door behind her.
"There's a lot you need to work on Willow," Willow mimicked in a nasal voice.
Now alone, Willow exited Ruby's room and went to her own. She turned on her small radio and hummed along to the station. She pulled her notebook from her backpack and set it down on her desk before taking a seat. Willow selected a pencil from her drawer and began etching in the rest of the Doctor for the remainder of the day and into the long night.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Rays of sunlight seeped in the corners of Willow’s eyes, arousing her from her slumber. She had fallen asleep at her desk, face down on her notebook.
“Damn,” she murmured while stretching. “What time is it?”
She glanced at her phone, which read 2:30 pm. Willow’s eyes widened as she scrambled for a change of clothes.
“Oh shit!”
Her beginners French class started at exactly 2:35 on Mondays and Tuesdays. Willow snagged a pair of leggings and a frayed yellow sweater. She ran to the mirror to survey the outfit as she threw it all on.
“I’ve looked better,” she noted before smoothing her wild curls down. She pulled on a pair of combat boots before running out the door, then running back in to grab her backpack.
“Shit shit shit shit,” she repeatedly said to herself, walking as quickly as she could through the neighborhood.
Instead of going across the sidewalk like she normally did, she went down a small alley that would cut off a few minutes from her arrival time. Willow turned the corner and froze when she saw two figures conversing. One appeared to be a middle aged man, and the other a black suited figure with a helmet on their head. Much to her relief, they hadn’t noticed her. They seemed to be human but something was… off. Willow couldn’t put her finger on it, but their demeanor let off something sinister.
She couldn't hear their conversation, but she reeled back in surprise when she heard strange burbling noises come from the mouth of the man as he tugged on his blue suit.
Slowly, Willow backed out of the alley. She was nearly out of there, but her phone began to ring. Her mother’s contact popped up on the lock screen of her phone.
“Godammit mom!” She shouted with frustration.
The heads of the people turned and froze.
“Heeeey,” Willow said, slowly waving. “I was just passing by, didn’t mean to intrude-”
The man's face splayed a look of recognition as he grabbed a strange looking gun from his back pocket. He then glanced at the black dressed person. “Eliminate her.”
Willow’s eyes widened as the two aimed their weapons at her. They both shot, but the bullets clanged off of the bricks behind her. As she ran, she quickly answered the phone.
“Hey mom kinda busy right now call you later bye!”
She took off in an even faster sprint, rounding another corner, then stopped. Her breathing was the only thing she could hear. The footsteps behind her had ceased.
Willow squeezed her eyes shut and prayed silently that they had left. Suddenly, the man's arm reached out and swatted for her. He missed, but managed to brush her arm.
The man shivered and flashed a toothy grin, as if that had excited him.
“Shit!” She yelped with disgust, and sprinted away again. The alley led to two different passages, and Willow groaned. She selected the one on the right and didn’t stop running until she was deep inside. Willow put her hands to her head when she realized that it was a deadend. Slowly, she turned to face her two chasers.
“Where is he?" The man demanded. The black suited person stood silently.
"Who?" Willow replied, her voice shaking.
"Don't be stupid," he spat, his blue eyes flaring with impatience. "It's not like I even need you, why am I wasting my breath?"
The man looked at the silent person at his side. "Kill her."
"What?" Willow cried and watched in horror as they aimed the gun at her head.
She closed her eyes as she waited for the end, until a whooshing noise filled the narrow road. Her eyes opened as a large room phased in and out around her, tossing her hair around her head until it solidified. She was now behind an all too familiar console. The shot of the gun sounded, but it hit nothing.
Then, she heard him.
YOU ARE READING
The Skin Thief (10th Doctor x OC)
Fanfiction| SEQUEL TO: A GIRL NAMED WILLOW | It's been a few months since Willow had traveled with the Doctor, and no matter how hard she tried, she still couldn't get over him. Nor was she over the fact that she'd rejected a chance at staying by his side. ...
