Episode One: The Rutans' Fury *part five*

And so ends my first episode. Thank Gallifrey. Oh, this last part is written in the Doctor's perspective. :)

“Mum!” Lisa shouted, storming into her apartment. “Mum, I’m back!”

“Where the HELL have you been?!” her mum yelled, engulfing her in a hug. “People were talking about the ‘end of the world’ and you’re off with some maniac doing God knows what!”

Her mother let go of her, and a girl with spiky black and red hair walked in with a plate of chips.

“Lisa Janie Anderson I’m going kill you!” she said. Instead, she pelted her with a few chips.

“Yeah, Nikki, I love you too,” Lisa joked.

“Now,” her mum said, “go eat breakfast. It’s Christmas Morning, you know.” She gave me a look that I had gotten from just about every mother I had encountered in my ten lives.

I’m a pretty brave Time Lord. I’ve defeated the Daleks multiple times, escaped a horde of living shadows once, and saved the 2012 Olympic Torch with my bare hands. But when it comes to mothers, I just don’t know what to do.

Lisa caught my gaze as she walked into the kitchen. Her grey eyes seemed full of questions when I turned away and started down the metal stairs. A battle raged in my mind.

Everything felt right for those few hours. Like the way it had when I first picked up Rose, or Martha, or Donna. Donna… I couldn’t bear it if Lisa ended up like her. Losing Donna made me question ever bringing another companion on the TARDIS with me ever again. But Lisa made me feel like there was hope. Hope for something, at least, I couldn’t place what.

I found myself looking up at the TARDIS, right where I had parked it, under the shadow of Lisa’s building. I supposed one more trip with Lisa wouldn’t hurt.

“Hey! Doctor!”

I spun around and saw Lisa, running toward me.

“Question…” she said, stopping in front of me. “You’re an alien, aren’t you?”

“Well,” I said, my hand involuntarily jumping to my hair. “Yeah.”

Lisa laughed. “That’s… amazing.”

“Thank you.”

“What?”

“Thank you,” I said again, putting a hand on her shoulder. “You helped me save the world.”

“Wish I could put that on my resume…” she muttered, turning from me to the TARDIS. “Could I… you know, have one last look inside?”

“Sure.” I opened the door.

Her eyes grew wider as we stepped in, and she let out a low whistle and turned around. “So, Time Lord, where to next? What do you usually do after saving the Earth?”

“I dunno,” I said, patting the control panel. “Probably save some other planet. Might take a holiday to eighteenth century Europe…”

“Eighteenth century?” Lisa asked incredulously.

“Oh yeah… Or the Renaissance. I can travel anywhere, I mean anywhere in this old thing.”

“You can travel in time? Time travel? Is that why you’re called a Time Lord?” Lisa sat on the rail beside me.

“You catch on,” I said and sighed, ending the war in my mind. “You know… you could… tag along, if you want….”

Lisa breathed in and pressed her lips together. “It’s always this exciting, isn’t it? You’re always saving the day, aren’t you?”

I grinned, a little sadly, remembering Donna, Rose, and Martha. “Yes.”

“And you can always just… take me back to this time, like I wasn’t gone at all if I wanted… right?”

“More or less, yes,” I said, taking into account the time I accidentally got Rose home months later than I intended.

“Yeah,” Lisa stated, standing up. “Yeah, I’ll come with you. Keep you company in this old police box.”

“Brilliant.” And everything felt right again, for the first time since Donna.

“Right. I’ll be right back. Just gonna… tell Mum I’m going out. You be here when I get back.”

I smiled as she walked out of the TARIDS. “I’m just going to check on something,” I said loud enough for her to hear. “Won’t take a mo.”

“Okay!” Lisa answered.

The TARDIS shuddered to a stop and I walked out into the crisp morning air across the street from the Noble household. An evergreen wreath hung from the door and I could hear Christmas carols being sung inside the small red brick house. My first time back in London since that rainy night a few months ago, Donna’s granddad saluting me on the front porch….

Suddenly, the door opened, taking me by surprise. I stepped back onto the sidewalk, my back against the blue police box.

And elderly man wearing a red Christmas hat stepped out onto the street and looked up into the sky. He stood there for a few seconds, and turned to walk back into the house; he saw me standing by the TARDIS and his eyes filled with tears. Standing up straighter, he saluted me and nodded as if to say ‘everything is okay’.

I bowed my head respectfully and turned back into to the TARDIS.

“Ready?” I asked Lisa. I was standing at the console, my hand hovering over a flashing blue button.

“Like hell I am!”

Her smile filled the room and we were off.

I had a companion, and everything was brilliant.