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Houdini Act (Eleventh Doctor/Reader)

Notes: Hey y'all, here's part 2 to my multi-part series! I'm not sure how long this series will run but I hope you enjoy

Wordcount: 6.2k

This wasn’t exactly the apology you were expecting.

“And do you, (Y/N), take King Frelinzier, to be your husband?” The officiant asked, standing between you and the King, who was gently holding your hands in his. “For better or for worse, in sickness and in health, ‘til death do you part?”

“I… I–”

–

“There’s a planet called Thargonis V, their civilization is very similar to that of the Regency Era on Earth,” The Doctor explained as he ran around the console, pressing buttons and flipping switches as he went. You watched quietly with a smile as he kept talking. “Well, aesthetically speaking, of course. They’re much more advanced technologically speaking, but they’ve always been the type for theatrics.”

“How did you get here?” You asked curiously, not noticing the slight pause in the Doctor’s movements. “Time machines aren’t exactly easy to come by on Earth.”

“Oh, well that’s quite simple actually,” he smiled, turning back to you as he held onto one of the many levers. Your head tilted slightly as you waited for an answer. “It’s not from Earth. I’m not from Earth.”

Your stomach dropped for a second, taking in the fact that you were literally speaking to a real life alien. Before you could reply, the Doctor flipped the lever, apparently the last step he needed to do before sending you both flying as the TARDIS took off. You quickly grabbed onto the handrail, trying to steady yourself as the ship continued to thrash around, wheezing and moaning in her flight. The Doctor, used to the motion, managed to steady himself much quicker and carefully stepped over to give you a hand. Just as he grabbed your hand, all of the commotion stopped. 

“Is the ride always that bumpy?” You asked with a small laugh, allowing the Doctor to steady you on your feet. He shrugged with a devious smile, letting go of your hand and turning back to the console. 

“Now,” he clapped his hands together excitedly. “As I said, the Thergonians are quite theatrical, so I can’t let you leave the ship looking like… that.” You opened your mouth in offense, but before you could say anything, he ran past you and down the stairs. You waited there for a moment, not knowing what to do until the Doctor’s head popped up from underneath the glass flooring. “Well? Are you coming?”

You snapped back into yourself, following the path the Doctor took as he led you through the maze of his ship, until he stopped in front of a door. It slid open with a faint hiss and you followed the man in, stopping suddenly in your tracks as you took in the humongous room in front of you. It stretched on for what seemed like forever, racks and dressers and boxes of shoes. Everything was different sizes, different colors, different eras it seemed. There were gowns made of silk covered in diamonds, rags for a peasant with stains in the fabric, gloves of lace, jewelry galore. Your eyes couldn’t stop moving as you gazed on in awe. 

The Doctor, unfazed as always, was already rustling through the racks trying to find something to wear. “Take whatever you like, (Y/N). Try to look the part of a noblewoman, if you can. Those should be somewhere on aisle 32.”

“Aisle…” You huffed in a laugh, noticing that there were, in fact, numbered aisles the further you looked. You walked past the Doctor, who was examining two bowties, until you reached the aisle he had specified. Just as he said, there were dresses, shoes, scarves, hats, just about anything you could want. You broke out into a huge grin and you ran your hand along the fabric, the silk softness a welcoming feeling to your rough fingertips. 

As you wandered through the gowns, your eye caught a glimpse of an elegant dark green dress worn by a mannequin. The square neckline, the lace, the short-puffed sleeves, all drew you in. What sold you though, was the jewelry that was already paired with the gown. A thin, delicate belt made of a thin string diamond-encased pearls sat around the waist, the fabric below it fanning out in a cascading waterfall of silk and lace. A matching silver necklace, sitting beautifully on the chest of the mannequin with another pearl sitting front and center on the chain. Laying on a table next to the mannequin was a matching pair of green, silk gloves, long enough to just reach your elbow. Next to the gloves was a small, open box, showcasing a pair of pearl drop earrings, perfectly matching the belt and the necklace. 

It was stunning, probably one of the most beautiful gowns in the entire collection. You ever so gently ran your finger along the silk of the dress, admiring it up close. As if by fate, it seemed to be exactly your size. Noticing a curtain nearby, you carefully removed the dress and the jewelry from the stand and took it to change. Behind the curtain was a mirror and you finally caught a glimpse of yourself. Your eyes were red-rimmed from before, though no longer puffy, and you had dried tear tracks crusted onto your face. 

You grimaced at the sight, looking away just to find a vanity to your left. You curiously stepped over, finding all kinds of makeup adoring the desk and drawers of the vanity. Smiling, you quickly touched yourself up, covering the bags under your eyes, concealing the blemishes, and adding some color to your cheeks and your lips. Nothing drastic, just enough to bring you back to life. After, you looked back over to the gown now hanging over the curtain. You quickly changed, slipping into the silk dress that happened to fit just right. You carefully clasped on the belt and the necklace before you turned to look at yourself in the mirror. 

“(Y/N)?” You heard the Doctor’s voice call out, his footsteps echoing through the room as he grew nearer. You quickly turned away from the mirror and stepped out from behind the curtain to grab the gloves and the earrings. Just as the Doctor rounded the corner, you finished with the earrings and were slipping the gloves onto your hands. Another perfect fit. “Oh wow.”

Turning to face him with a shy smile, you watched as he took in the sight of you, “What do you think?” You give a little twirl, allowing him to see the entire look. He was actually speechless for a moment, his cheeks slightly flushed.

“Wow, I-I mean,” He shook his head, still at a loss for words. “You’re stunning. I mean, the dress. The dress is stunning. You, uh… you look great.”

“Thank you, Doctor,” you smiled as he stumbled over his words. “You look quite dapper yourself.”

It was true, he dressed the part of a nobleman perfectly. With his navy tailcoat, embroidered brown vest, and a soft white cravat replacing his bowtie, he was a sight to see as well. He wiped some invisible dirt off of his pants, saying, “Ah, well, yes, thank you. I do enjoy changing things up every now and then.”

“So, Thargonis?” You started toward him, allowing him to lead you both back to the main console room. He rambled on about the planet and its people until you arrived at the wooden doors where you had been cowering just an hour before. 

“And get this,” his smile was contagious, his eyes almost sparkling as he turned to you with a handle on the door. “I managed to get us an invitation to the Royal Wedding. The King here has been looking for a bride for decades but he’s supposed to find her today. Now I’m not all excited about the ceremony of course, the reception is where the fun is really at. Are you ready?”

“Yeah,” you said with a big grin, watching as he opened the doors. “Oh wow.”

The TARDIS had landed in a field of wildflowers, though the grass here was a beautiful bright white, the colors of the flowers stood out. There was a path through the wildflowers, leading to what you can assume is the Kingdom of the Thargonians. Even from far away, you could see the palace in the distance, shimmering in the sunlight of the day. Trees with golden leaves were scattered throughout the plains, and there were creatures resembling birds flying up above. 

“We look the part, now we must play the part,” The Doctor said, making you turn to look at him. His arm was extended, inviting you to join him. You happily looped your gloved arm through his and allowed him to start down the stone path towards the kingdom. 

–

The Doctor had slowed his pace to match yours as you walked through the bustling streets of the kingdom. You wanted to take in everything you could about this place. Their people were very kind to you, offering you food and trinkets. Some even just offered you bags of silver coins. Much to your surprise, the people of Thargonis V looked quite human, the only noticeable difference being their skin. Everyone had soft, dusty blue colored skin. It varied from dark to light, but other than that, they looked human. 

“Doctor, this place is beautiful,” You turned to smile at him, who had already been watching as you took in the sights. “It’s amazing.”

“Let’s get something to eat before the ceremony,” he mused, looking away and towards what seemed to be the town center. 

There was a parlor just a few meters away, and you could smell whatever was cooking from where you were standing. Without waiting for a response, the Doctor started forward, pulling you to walk with him. Inside the parlor, the busy room was filled with quiet chatter and laughter. You were quickly sat at a table, your stomach starting to rumble as you realized how hungry you really were. After all, you never did get to eat the Thai food you had ordered with Mark. The table was far away from anyone else, though you could still hear the elegant band that played on the other side of the room. There was no menu, but the servers brought out the appetizer almost a minute after the two of you had sat down. 

“The service here is incredible,” You said to the Doctor, who was looking around with a furrowed brow. Before you could ask what was wrong, a man came up to your table, bowing his head to you. 

“Madam, I would like to introduce myself,” he had said, gently grabbing your hand and placing a soft kiss to your silk glove. The motion took you by surprise and you looked to the Doctor, who was eyeing the man as if trying to figure something out. “My name is Garrous, I am the head chef. Your meal shall be my finest work, this I promise to you. It is an honor to serve you Miss...”

“(Y/N),” you smiled shyly, making the man in front of you grin widely. 

“A name befitting of a queen, Miss (Y/N),” he said, placing another kiss on your hand. With that, he left the table giving only a small nod to the Doctor. 

Who, speaking of, was holding the small green stick from before. Unable to contain your curiosity, you asked, “What is that thing?”

“This is a sonic screwdriver,” he said without looking up, staring at the object as if he was reading it over. “It can do just about anything, except for wood. It doesn’t do wood.”

You nodded, deciding to just let him be as whatever he was doing probably wouldn’t make sense to you anyway. Gently removing your gloves, you decided to start on the appetizer. You were absolutely starving, but you made sure to pace yourself so you would have room for the main course. It was going to be the chef’s finest work after all. You sipped on the glass of wine in front of you, looking around the parlor. You noticed a few wandering eyes flickering over to you and the Doctor every so often, but you thought nothing of it as it was probably because the two of you looked different.

“(Y/N),” The Doctor said, almost under his breath. He had put away his sonic screwdriver as he looked at you. He slowly stood, glancing around the room before his gaze landed back on you with a smile. When he next spoke, his voice was a little lighter “I have something I need to look at, alright? But I need you to stay put, right here, I’ll be back in a minute.”

Though you were hesitant to be in a place, hell, on a planet that you were unfamiliar with, you nodded with a smile and watched as he walked out of the parlor. Just as the door shut, the main course was being served by servers with smiles plastered on their faces. You started to help yourself, the food melting deliciously in your mouth. 

“Mind if I join you?” A deep, sultry voice asked. You looked up to find a man dressed in what seemed to be very expensive clothing. His skin, still that dusty blue, was dark, and paired beautifully with his soft navy hair and striking maroon eyes. He slid into the seat previously occupied by the Doctor before you could answer. “My name is Frelinzier, Miss (Y/N).”

“How-”

“Do I know your name?” He finished with a small chuckle. “I know everyone that comes into my kingdom.”

“Your kingdom?” Your jaw dropped, your voice a whisper. Seeing and conversing with aliens was fine, but royal aliens? You were way out of your depth here. “You mean, you’re the King?”

“That I am, my dear,” he nodded, smiling gently. Everything about him was inviting, his voice, his eyes, his hand that he had gently placed atop of yours. “But please, call me Linz.”

You bowed your head to him, though he quickly lifted your chin with his soft, gentle hand. For a moment, you forgot how to breathe, his eyes staring into yours with an intensity that made your heart stop. You almost felt as if you were in a trance, looking at him. “Your highness, don’t you have a wedding to prepare for?”

He laughed softly, the sound sending a chill down your spine. “I suppose I do, darling. I’d like to show you something first, if it’s alright with you.”

You nodded before you could even register the question, allowing him to take your hand and lead you out of the parlor. Outside was a carriage, drawn by what seemed to be horses with wings. He helped you inside and sat across from you, pulling out a book from the bag on the seat. The carriage started forward and you watched as you passed by.

“This is the Book of Sight,” he explained, looking down at the cover with an adoring smile. His gaze shifted to you, “It tells all of what is to come.”

“That’s incredible,” you smiled at him. 

“Only the royal family is able to read it,” he explained, though he put the book back into the bag next to him. He leaned forward and took your hands in his, his touch making you melt. “It helps us to prepare, that way we can keep our people safe.”

You didn’t respond, just smiled as your gaze met his. He leaned closer, his eyes flickering to your lips as you felt his breath fan over your face. Your cheeks warmed, your eyes fluttered closed, and the last thing you remember is his soft lips on yours. 

–

When the Doctor walked back into the parlor with Amy and Rory behind him, he was surprised to see you missing from the table you both had been sitting at a bit before. Throughout the day, the Doctor had the feeling that he was being followed, so he went to investigate. Plenty of people have their bones to pick with him, so he figured it might be something he hadn’t done yet in his lifetime. Amy and Rory had wandered out of the TARDIS on their own and were lucky enough to spot him once they made it into the town. While he was explaining the situation to the two of them, he realized that he no longer had that feeling. The feeling of being watched, of being followed. That could only mean one thing.

He wasn’t the one being followed.

“This isn’t good,” the Doctor twisted around to the couple. “They’ve taken her.”

“Why? What do they want with her?” Amy asked, following the Doctor as he headed back toward the kitchen. 

“I don’t know,” the Doctor said, shaking his head. For once, he really hadn’t known what was happening. He didn’t know who or what was behind your disappearance, but he had to figure it out before it was too late. He walked into the kitchen, though Amy and Rory were hesitant, they followed behind him. He all but stomped up to the head chef that had treated you like royalty. “Where is she?”

The man didn’t seem surprised by the question, in fact, he looked at the Doctor with a sinister smile, “Exactly where she’s supposed to be.”

“What does that mean? What did you do to her?”

“I have committed no crime, sir,” Garrous stated, still smiling. “I did nothing to her other than providing her with the best meal I could concoct.”

The tone of the man’s voice only pissed the Doctor off more, so he decided to rifle through the contents of the kitchen. The chef tried to protest but the Doctor did as he pleased until he found a bottle in the garbage. He snatched it, opening the lid and taking a whiff. His hearts dropped, recognizing the scent immediately. 

“You did not,” The Doctor’s voice was deep, almost menacing. His companions looked at one another, never having heard him so angry. “You would not.”

“I did as instructed by his majesty, the King,” the chef showed no remorse. 

Though the Doctor wanted to argue, to berate the man for his behavior, he knew you were running out of time. If he wanted to find you while you were still, well, you. He couldn’t waste his time on Garrous. It seemed that the chef knew that as well, as he still had that disgustingly smug smile on his face. 

“Doctor?” Amy asked, breaking the silence. His head whipped toward her and he took a breath before storming past them out into the parlor. The two chased after him, “Doctor, what was that? What did he give her?”

“An elixir,” the Doctor said, heading back toward the TARDIS. Amy and Rory exchanged worried glances as they hurried after the Time Lord. “It’s outlawed, they should never have been able to get ahold of it.”

“What will it do to her?” Rory asked as they walked briskly down the road towards the TARDIS.

The Doctor was silent for a moment, “It will change her. She will be torn apart atom by atom, reconstructed, and put back together. But she won’t be her, she… she won’t be human.”

“She won’t be human? Then what will she be?” Amy asked, making the Doctor stop in front of the doors of the TARDIS. He looked back, his eyes dark.

“A Time Lord.”

–

You felt sore. 

Actually, you felt worse than sore. You were miserable. Every part of you ached, just to take a breath was a pain. Your eyes fluttered open, but the light was blinding, stinging your eyes. You groaned, which must have alerted the people in the room that you were waking up. A familiar voice spoke, “My dear, try to stay still.” It was the King. “Moving will only make it worse.”

“What happened?” You managed to croak out, your throat throbbing at the effort. You cracked your eyes open once more, this time the light was blocked by Frelinzier’s head above you. His gaze was no longer warm and welcoming, as it had been in the restaurant. “Where am I?”

“Don’t fret, my dear,” he said, voice smooth as he sat by your bed. “You’re safe. We’re keeping you here until the transition is complete.”

You furrowed your brows, “Transition?”

“I suppose you would like an explanation,” Frelinzier chuckled. You nodded, though the motion sent a wave of pain through your body. It was nothing compared to what you were about to hear, however. “My planet is dying, and my people along with it. But the Book of Sight, it told us of a way to stop it. A way to not only save ourselves, but to evolve into the Level 7 society we are meant to be.” None of what he said made a lot of sense, it didn’t explain what was happening to you. You watched as he pulled out the book, opening and flipping to a page that made your heart drop. “It prophesied that on this day, a woman from another world would be our saving grace. She would transform into a being of unfathomable power and save our world by sacrificing herself. (Y/N), that woman is you.”

The room started to spin and you felt like you were going to be sick. The color drained from your face, your mouth agape as the King continued. 

“We have been waiting a long time for you, some even started to lose faith that you would appear,” he lamented, turning his head away. He paused for a moment before turning back to you with a huge grin. “But I knew you would come. I knew the Book would not let us down.”

“What’s going to happen to me?” You quietly asked, your eyes pricking with tears as you took in all of the information he had just thrown at you. You flinched as his hand came to cup your face. 

“We’re rebuilding you, from the inside out,” he almost sounded giddy, but you felt as if you would hurl at any given moment. Both from the pain of what was happening, and the idea of what was happening. “You see, the Book told us of an elixir. It’s almost impossible to come by, but I wouldn’t allow my Kingdom to fall. When I received word that you had arrived, I had my chef prepare the elixir for you. The only issue was that the Book said you would not come willingly, so I apologize, but I took it into my own hands to make sure you did.”

“What did you do to me?”

“It was harmless, my dear, do not worry,” You wanted to scoff at his words. “On Earth, I believe the best way to describe it would be a love potion. Rather than love, however, it made you infatuated with me. You would do anything I asked, anything. I just needed you to come with me, you must understand.”

You closed your eyes, finally allowing yourself to cry. Was this really it? Was this the universe’s way of punishing you for running off with a man you just met? And what would happen to you? You were condemned to a fate worse than death. Being rebuilt, reborn as… something else. Something that wasn’t really you. 

“Please don’t cry,” Frelinzier’s voice softly pleaded, his thumbs gently wiping away the hot tears as they rolled over your cheeks. You opened your eyes slowly to look at him. “Your life will be honored, here. The sacrifice you make today will save millions. After the wedding, the transformation will be complete. You will forever be our Queen.”

“The wedding?”

“Yes, my dear. It’s you, (Y/N). You shall be my bride,” every word he spoke felt like just another nail in the coffin. In your coffin. “And once you are crowned Queen, you will save us.”

With that, he pressed a small kiss to your forehead, a gesture that made you sick, and walked out of the room, stating that he had preparations to make. Once he left, the room started buzzing with excitement. Servants chattered on and gave you praises for simply existing. 

You couldn’t think, couldn’t breathe. Your mind was racing a mile a minute and yet you couldn’t form a single coherent thought. Inside, you could feel it, the transition. The elixir was working and soon you would no longer be you. As people bustled around you, preparing the gown for the wedding, you thought of home. Your lip trembled as the tears flowed endlessly. You thought of your mother, the gentle woman who raised you, bathed you, loved you. The lullabies she would sing softly as you fell asleep. You thought of your father, the man that taught you everything you knew. The man who would move heaven and Earth for his little girl. Mark and Chelsea, your best friends. The people who you knew you could always count on, who would never leave your side. And finally, you thought about you. About the life you’ll never get to live. The love you’ll never get to find. You were young, the future just waiting to be conquered. But you would never see it. 

The room had gone quiet at the sound of your cries, some looking over with sympathy while others did not dare to look at you at all. As your tears slowed and your breath evened out, they began to prepare you for the ceremony. Someone pulled on your hair, maneuvering it how they pleased while others touched up your makeup. They wiped away the running mascara and covered the bags under your eyes. By the time they had slipped you into the gorgeous white gown, you were numb. You couldn’t recognize the person in the mirror, the woman in that reflection was not you. Rather, a shell of you, stripped of your happiness, of your emotion, of your life. As you were escorted toward the grand hall, all you could think about was the fact that nobody would know what happened to you. You would just be another cold case in a box of files in a dusty old police station. 

“There you are!” You looked up and you finally felt like you could breathe. In front of you, grinning from ear to ear, stood the Doctor. He explained to the guards that the King had allowed him to walk you down the aisle, as a sign of good faith between your people and his. After the guards left, you hugged him tightly. He held you close before pulling away and examining you. “(Y/N)... I am so sorry. I never should have brought us here.”

“It’s okay, Doctor,” you sighed, looking past him at the huge doors that led to your ultimate demise. He shook his head before his eyes landed on your hands, making him pause. You looked down and found your palms were glowing, A shimmering golden light emitted from your skin, and you could feel your fingers tingling. “What’s happening to me?”

“I’m so sorry,” his shoulders were slumped as he grabbed your hands. “I can’t reverse the effects of the elixir they gave you, but I can stop them from going further.”

“But they’ll die without me,” you said. “Whatever I’m becoming, I can’t fight it. I already feel the difference, Doctor. I’m not… I’m not me, at least, I won’t be soon. Since I’m going to die anyway, I might as well save a planet while I’m doing it.”

The Doctor shook his head, gently grabbing your hands, “You’re not going to die, (Y/N). They’re not going to kill you.”

“Wha-”

“They’re going to torture you,” his voice was low, his eyes dark as he spoke. “This regeneration energy inside of you… they’re going to slowly drain every bit of your life force. If you were still human, yes, you’d die. But (Y/N), you’re not human anymore. This torture will go on for thousands of years and you will be awake and aware for every single second.” You were silent, your head reeling at this information. “I’m not sure what they told you, but you are not sacrificing your death for them. You're sacrificing your life.”

“What am I?” You looked back to your hands, still shimmering with that golden light. 

“I can’t explain it to you right now, there’s too much to tell,” he looked back toward the doors where you both could hear the excited voices of the people of Thargonis. “I promise I will tell you everything, (Y/N), I swear. But I need you to do exactly as I say, do you understand?”

“Yes.”

–

“Dearly beloved,” The officiant spoke. “We are gathered here today to witness the joining of two souls. Their bond will be unbreakable, and our people need no longer to fear for the future.” There were cheers from the crowd, whistles from the happy kingdom. “For our new Queen shall be our saving grace! Our new beginning!” More cheers. “Now, King Frelinzier, do you take (Y/N) to be your wife? For better or for worse, in sickness and in health, ‘til death do you part?”

The King smiled at you, allowing you to slip the wedding band onto his finger as he softly said, “I do.”

The priest turned to you, ““And do you, (Y/N), take King Frelinzier, to be your husband? For better or for worse, in sickness and in health, ‘til death do you part?”

“I… I do.”

“Then, with the power vested in me, I now pronounce you husband and wife!” He exclaimed, making the crowd cheer once more. “Your Majesty, you may now kiss your Queen.”

Frelinzier cupped your face gently in his hands, leaning into you, but just as his lips brushed yours, there was a voice. The Doctor’s voice to be specific. “Is this working? Can you hear me?” You smiled as an enormous hologram of the Doctor was displayed just above the three of you at the altar. “Alright, brilliant, let’s get this show on the road shall we? People of Thargonis V, I’m the Doctor and your new Queen is a very dear friend of mine. Now, as a friend I wanted to make sure she would marry someone worthy of her, so I did some digging on your King and found some interesting information.”

“Stop him!” Frelinzier hissed at his guards, who scrambled to find a way to shut off the hologram. 

“You see, this Book of Sight that everyone has told me about… It’s fake,” He revealed, there were gasps and cries of confusion from the crowd. Frelinzier was getting angrier by the second, the warm facade was long gone. “It’s made of psychic paper, which will only show you what he wants to show you. Your planet isn’t in any danger and it never, ever was. Your King has been lying to you.”

“Don’t listen to his nonsense!” The King desperately yelled, turning to the people. “He lies! Not me!”

“You see, King Frelinzier is a fake,” The Doctor stated. “In fact, the real King Frelinzier, is dead. Killed by the very man in front of you. He is not one of you and he has never cared about you. He is undercover for your own neighbor, Thargonis II.” 

The hologram of the Doctor lifted up his sonic screwdriver and pointed it at a small device in his other hand. Just as he did so, there was a flash from the man standing across from you. When you finally got to look at him, you gasped. No longer was he the handsome blue man from the parlor, instead, he truly looked alien. With scales of blood red and 4 spiny legs sprouting from him like a spider, he was terrifying. You took a step back in horror as he roared, the crowd screaming at the sight of him.

“He was planning to use his bride to enslave not only your people, but the people of Thargonis I, III, and IV,” The Doctor stated, causing the crowd to cry out in distress. “But now that his form has been revealed, I will allow the people of Thargonis V to see to his punishment as they see fit, so long as you release (Y/N) unharmed. Oh and Chef Garrous was in on it.”

Finally grasping the situation, the people’s screams turned angry. They started yelling obscenities toward the man who claimed to be their king. The guards, who had previously been trying to find a way to stop the Doctor, now turned on the alien invader in front of them. As the people began to circle the altar in search of vengeance, you saw your chance. You ran as fast as you could, sprinting away from your new husband and fleeing the soon-to-be bloodbath. The hologram disappeared and you heard the wheezing sound of the TARDIS. It materialized right before your eyes and just as the doors opened to reveal the Doctor, he grabbed your arm and pulled you toward him with such force that you almost stumbled into him. 

“Careful Doctor, she’s a married woman,” said a woman’s voice. Looking up, you saw the red-headed woman from before, Amy. Next to her was the lanky man as well. “I’m Amy, that’s my fiance Rory. Sorry about kidnapping you.”

“It’s alright,” you smiled as the Doctor let go of your arms, walking back to the main console. “I’m (Y/N).”

Before you could properly talk to her, the Doctor was back and had shoved a cup of some disgusting looking liquid in your direction, “Drink this, it will stop the effects of the elixir immediately.”

“You want me to drink it?” You ask, your nose scrunching at the smell of it. He nodded and gently thrust the cup into your hand. Hesitantly, you took it, the brown-green mixture looking positively revolting. Holding your breath, you threw your head back, drinking it all in one go just to get it over with. “Oh my god…”

“Well you didn’t expect it to taste good did you?” He chuckled, taking the cup back and instead handing you a glass of water to cleanse the taste. “Now, I need you to come to the infirmary so I can see just how bad the damage is.”

–

The infirmary was cold, the stark white walls and silence reminding you of a normal hospital. The Doctor had taken your blood for tests, done scans and the works, and was analyzing everything while he sat across from you. As he was reading, you took the time to really look at him. His brows were furrowed as his eyes darted back and forth from the different results. The fluffy brown hair atop his head was somewhat disheveled, but still looked charming on him. Gone were the tailcoat and cravat from before, replaced by a tweed jacket and a bowtie, just as when you had first met him. 

“I’m so sorry,” he finally said, throwing the papers haphazardly down onto a nearby desk. “I never should have brought you there. If I hadn’t, you–”

“But you did,” you interrupted, making him look up at you. “You brought me there. And all I can say is… Thank you.” This clearly took him by surprise, and he opened his mouth to protest but you put your hand up to stop him. “Doctor, you didn’t know what would happen. You wouldn’t have brought me there if you did, so whatever is wrong with me, it isn’t your fault. It’s not. Back home, I’m a computer engineering major at MIT. I have so-so grades, two friends, and the most back-breaking pressure I could ever imagine. I liked my life, it was okay and I’m grateful for my family and friends. But Doctor, you showed me that I don’t have to stick to so-so, to just okay. I can make my life better. I can make myself whoever I want to be. You opened my eyes to an entire universe of possibilities and I will never be able to repay you.”

The Doctor shook his head with a small smile on his face, though it didn’t quite reach his eyes, “You won’t be so thankful when I explain these results to you.”

“Go on then, what’s wrong with me?”

He let out a deep sigh, before grabbing the papers and coming to sit next to you, “The elixir that was given to you is called Hargum Naraxis. It’s outlawed in almost every corner of the universe, I don’t know how Frelinzier managed to obtain it. It’s filled with nanobots programmed to redesign an entire organism from the inside out. The one you ingested was made with the DNA from an ancient race long since extinct. A race that has the power to regenerate, that is, be reborn just as they are about to die. It was the regeneration energy that he wanted to use, the glow from your hands.”

“So… I’m not human anymore?” you asked quietly, scanning over the papers that made no sense to you. “I’m part of some extinct race?”

“That’s right, and I’m sorry,” he gently grabbed your hand and squeezed it. “Your life as a human is over, but your life as a… As a Time Lord, has begun.”

[giftedburnoutkid-blog]

Houdini Act (Eleventh Doctor/Reader)

Note: Hi guys :) This is my first ever fic I'm posting on here. I'm planning on making this a whole series, so expect more chapters to follow!! I really hope you enjoy <3

Wordcount: 4.9k

“I didn’t know you brought someone else on,” Amy caught the movement in one of the many doorways from the control room. She saw a figure, just barely, walking briskly through the halls. It was a girl, that much she could tell, who wore a book bag stuffed to the brim. “When were you going to introduce us?” 

When she turned back to him, the Doctor, he looked perplexed. He had not seen anyone new and certainly had not invited someone in, “Introduce you to who?”

“The girl, she just walked past the doorway over there,” she motioned to the hall behind her. She watched as the Doctor investigated and sent a confused glance to Rory. 

“Maybe you should get some sleep,” the Doctor came back out and started pushing the two towards their bedroom. “You humans are so fragile with your sleeping schedules, you’ll go mad if you don’t nap every so often. Go on, promise I won’t do anything fun without you.”

After they left with no protest, the Doctor quickly took to the console, asking the TARDIS to scan for any life other than him and his two human companions. If something had managed to sneak into the TARDIS without her blocking them out, they could have a very serious problem. He found nothing for what felt like hours, scanning and searching until, for just a few seconds, there was another form of life detected. 

He went to the footage to find what looked like a human girl. Mid twenties with a school bag. From the look of her phone that she carried, she was from the late 2010s, 2019 to be exact. But just as quickly as she appeared, she vanished. He replayed the footage yet every time, she just… disappeared. 

For months, this went on. The girl would appear for a moment, not acknowledging anyone in the room before disappearing in the blink of an eye. They were never fast enough to catch her, could never get close enough to touch her. At first, Amy and Rory kept the encounters to themselves, not wanting to find out that hallucinations were some crazy side effect of time travel, the Doctor kept it to himself because he didn’t want to scare the Ponds by telling them there was an unknown entity in their occasional home. 

It all changed when they were lounging in the console room, discussing where to go. They heard a woman’s voice, clear as day, that said, “I’m not sure that’s a good idea.” 

If that wasn’t menacing on its own, the small laugh that followed after certainly was. The Doctor and Rory both looked at Amy, but they all knew she hadn’t been the one to say it. He motioned for them to remain quiet and to stay put while he carefully took his sonic out and crept out in the hall. It took him fifteen minutes to circle back to the couple, empty handed.

“I’ve been seeing someone,” Amy stated, breaking the tense silence. Rory whipped his head over to her. “Oh, not like that!” He gave her another look. “Okay, yes like that, but that’s you! I’ve been seeing a girl around. But not constantly just-“

“For a moment,” The Doctor finished. “Yes, I’ve been seeing her too. The question is, who is she? And how did she get here? And also how does she disappear so quickly? There’s quite a load of questions that follow her.”

“Is she dangerous?” Rory asked.

The Doctor was silent, contemplating before he said, “Very. Keep on your toes, I’ll find a way to keep her here so we can have a word.”

—

“No Mark, that doesn’t make any sense,” you sat back, lounging in the wheeled chair of the study room you and your roommate booked. Your feet rested comfortably on the table while your legs held the Physics 101 textbook. “Look, just read page… hold on, um… 352. It explains the concept in simple terms.” 

“I’ve read it a million times, it won’t make me understand it better,” he spun around and stared up at the ceiling. “That’s why I asked you because you’re really good at dumbing things down.” 

“I’m taking that personally,” you took your feet off of the table and went to start putting your stuff away. Mark made no complaints and did the same, “Let’s just head back home. Maybe Chelsea is done blowing her boyfriend so we can get takeout.”

“Dude, if you ever mention Chelsea’s greasy rat of a boyfriend ever again, I’m gonna throw up,” he fake gagged as you opened the door with him behind you. 

“Okay, this one is better than the last,” you meekly defended. “At least he doesn’t have a mullet, so that’s an immediate upgrade.”

“No,” Mark argued while you both left the building and fell into step with the other MIT students. “Bring back Mullet Man. Grease Rat has nothing on him and I don’t want our apartment to start smelling like garbage and feces had a baby.”

“Mark,” you warned, though your tone was soft. 

“I bet he uses fifteen in one shampoo,” he continued. You laughed out loud, earning annoyed glances from the group of girls that were sitting in the grass a few feet away. “He doesn’t have a job, lives with his parents, doesn’t wash himself, and is leeching off of all of our groceries. And he wears the same stupid camo jacket and black cap every day! And if it were a money problem I would understand, but his parents are filthy rich! Like rolling in dog shit rich, okay?! Not to mention—“

“Mark!” You cut him off, laughing when he just rolled his eyes and grumbled. “For someone who hates that grease ball so much, you sure do talk about him a lot.”

“Oh! Do not even start!” He dramatically poked your chest with his finger. “You are one to talk. When Chelsea was dating your cousin, you wouldn’t shut up about it for weeks.”

“He’s a pervert! He has one of those little pedo staches on his top lip and his head is always bent at a weird angle!” You scoffed, mimicking the awkward head position with your own as you both entered the apartment building. “He has no respect for himself or women and I will not let our poor little Chels be defiled by that… that garbage heap of a man!”

“Oh, so you can rant about a man being a worthless shithole but when I do it suddenly I’m being over dramatic,” he trudged up the stairs behind you. He stayed quiet when you didn’t answer until he broke the silence with a quiet, “It’s because I’m black isn’t it?”

You both laughed loudly, the joyous sound echoing throughout the stairwell. It took only another minute to get to your apartment, the sock that was previously on the knob had been taken off, much to your relief.

“Honey, we’re home!” Mark yelled down the short hall, knowing full well that Chelsea and her boyfriend were asleep. He turned back to you, setting his bag down on the counter. “Horny little shits. She always used to warn us beforehand but now we come back to socks on the doorknob? His crusty socks? The absolute audacity of that man, I swear to god.” 

“She needs better taste in men,” you hummed, looking through the fridge. 

“Wasn’t your first boyfriend’s name Chad?”

“Okay, that was a test run, he doesn’t count,” you grabbed a coke can and tossed another one to him, bumping the fridge door with your hip to shut it. “It was three months. What’s three months in the eyes of the universe?”

“I’m not sure, but you lost your virginity to someone named Chad and I think that’s something to be ashamed of.” 

“You’re an asshole, you know that?” You sipped the cold drink. Mark just winked and slid the various takeout menus toward you. “Thai, Indian, or Chinese?”

“Thai, I’ve been craving it since the Calc exam,” he hopped into one of the bar stools. You dialed the number and placed your usual order before you and Mark both sat in silence, occasionally showing the other a funny TikTok. When the knock came, he went to get it and paid for the food. “I don’t care if this is unhealthy, it makes me happy.” 

You each got your own servings when Chelsea’s boyfriend, Brady, strolled out of her room in just his boxers and a sweat stained white tank, reeking of BO. He said nothing and looked in the bag of Thai food, humming when he saw the remaining half that you hadn’t gotten to unpack yet. He grabbed the bag, but you took the other side to stop him.

“What the fuck is your problem?” He immediately started yelling, making you send an annoyed glance to Mark. 

“This is our food, Brady, order your own,” you tugged it out of his grasp and handed it to Mark who held it tightly to himself. “Everyone knows you have the money to, so just get it yourself.”

“You’re such a bitch!” He shouted walking around the counter towards you. “I’m fucking exhausted and all I want is something to eat! You don’t even need the food! You’re already so fucking fat! God, I don’t know what Mark sees in you, you’re a pig!”

“I’m gay,” Mark said. He looked like he was going to continue, but Brady cut him off. 

“Are you fucking kidding me?!” He looked offended. He stomped over to Chelsea’s room and almost kicked the door down when he opened it. He went in and there was a bunch of rustling. “You didn’t tell me you lived with a fucking bitch and a gay boy! I should’ve known you were a mistake. I never should have dated you. We’re fucking over!”

“Brady!” Chelsea exclaimed, running after him out of her room. Brady now had his phone, some shorts, and shoes. He stormed up to you and ripped your bag out of the stool next to you. Before you could do anything, you watched in horror as he hit the bag against the edge of the marble counter and then threw the bag on the ground, stomping on it repeatedly, “Brady, please!”

He shoved her away, sending her tumbling to the tile before he stormed out of the apartment. You immediately rushed over to Chelsea and helped her up, making sure she wasn’t seriously hurt. She was crying and kept apologizing, but both you and Mark assured her that none of it was her fault. 

You left her with Mark and kneeled next to your bag. The Physics textbook was fine, not that you were worried about it, the only concern you had was about your laptop. You had a thesis due that night and Chelsea said she would look over it before you turned it in. If it got deleted, you had no way of getting it back or rewriting it in less than four hours. 

At first, you thought it made it out okay, but when you pulled it out all the way, you could see that it was bent in the middle and there were little glass pieces from the screen. You held your breath as you opened it. No surprise, the screen was shattered and it wouldn’t turn on.

“Shit,” you groaned, dropping it back onto your bag as you rubbed a hand over your face. Chelsea heard your sigh and started crying even harder, saying that it was his fault her crazy boyfriend broke it. You shook your head and slid over to her. “No, Chels, it’s not your fault. He was the one who broke it, not you. I’m not mad at you, okay?”

“But your thesis—“

“I can just run down to the Tech store across the street,” you gave her a reassuring smile, and rubbed her arm soothingly. “It’ll be fine. I can just write half the pages for half credit and maybe offer to give Professor Davidson my firstborn or something.”

You left her with Mark, grabbed your wallet, keys, and bag, and headed down to the lobby. You knew that you were lying through your teeth about being able to somewhat salvage your thesis. The tech store closed an hour ago, but you needed to get some air. Maybe have a good cry or something. 

The sun had almost finished setting and the sky was dark. It wasn’t exactly a smart idea to be out on your own, though you didn’t care as you made your way to University Park. Maybe those True Crime podcasts hadn’t gotten to you considering you had no worries other than your incoming F. 

The park was quiet, nearly empty save for a few couples wandering. You went to the spot that you, Mark, and Chelsea liked to hang out or study, right under a large oak. Sitting with your back against the trunk, you looked over the clearing over the park. There was a soft breeze, just cold enough to make you shiver. You let out a shaky sigh, feeling your face heat up and tears stinging your eyes. You looked up, blinking back the tears as your throat began to close up. 

You were already struggling enough, you couldn’t afford another failing grade. When you had gotten into MIT, your parents were overjoyed. You were the first in the family to go to college and since you were an only child, you couldn’t disappoint your parents by flunking out. 

Before you knew it, your warm cheeks were cooled by the tears that you tried to quickly wipe away. Your breaths were ragged and you buried your head in your hands. For a second you felt like you were about to throw up, like something had zapped your stomach with nausea. You bit your tongue and moved a hand to cover your mouth. 

“Who are you and what have you been doing to my TARDIS?” A man’s voice pulled you out of it. You looked up, eyes red rimmed and puffy, nose dripping with snot. He had fluffy brown hair, a bow tie, and a glowing green stick. “Well? Out with it, we haven’t got all day.”

You looked up at him from your seated position and he towered over you as he stood. With a sniffle, you asked, “What?”

“People are only allowed into the TARDIS with my approval, but somehow you’ve managed to sneak on undetected. Usually I would be impressed but you put the lives of my companions in danger,” he threatened, keeping his voice low. He opened his mouth to continue, but you held up your hand to stop him.

“Sorry, I know that some people are into the whole role play in the park thing, but I’m not, so if you could just take it somewhere else, that would be great,” you dried your face off and wiped your nose on your sleeve, even though that was disgusting. “I really need to just wallow right now and I’d really appreciate it if you'd let me do it in peace.”

“Role play?” He repeated. 

You rolled your eyes, getting more frustrated as he wouldn’t let it go, “There’s a time and a place for these kind of things! I’m clearly not in the mood so just fucking drop it!” 

You pushed yourself up, but your hand didn’t touch any of the cool grass. In fact, you hadn’t noticed how light and warm it had gotten. You looked down at your hand and found a metal floor. Quickly, you scrambled up and looked around, trying to figure how you had gotten there.

“Keep your hands where I can see them!” A new voice yelled, a woman’s voice. You turned to find a woman with red hair, who somehow had the same glowing green stick that the other man did. You glared and stomped toward her. “Stay back! Doctor?”

“Hold on, I’m scanning!” The first man yelled. He was now in the center of the huge room. “Keep her there!”

She nodded and stepped toward you, shoving the stick in your face. You took a step back but smacked the stick out of her hand, making her shriek and step back in fear. Another man stepped in front of her and took a karate position of some sort, “Don’t touch her! Doctor?!”

“How many fucking people are there?!” You groaned and turned to look at the man in the center. “Where the hell am I? I don’t know who you all think you are, but kidnapping is still illegal!”

When you tried to walk toward the center, the woman showed back up in front of you, with the stick. They backed you up until your back hit a wall. No, a door. You could work with a door. You swiftly turned and pulled the two doors open. Just as you were about to step out, you screamed and scrambled to get back in, slamming the door shut behind you. Behind those doors was nothing. Literally just a black void that continued on forever. 

“What the f—“

“Stop with the swearing!” The second man commanded. Your eyes began to tear up and your lip quivered, making the man and woman send each other a wary glance. “Doctor?”

“Working!” The other man, you guessed was a Doctor of some sort, replied with a frustrated tone.

“Look, you can take my wallet and my keys, it’s not a lot,” your voice shook as you tried desperately not to cry in front of your captors. “But, please… let me go home. I promise I won’t tell anyone, just let me go.”

“Doctor, she’s… crying,” the man in front of you said. “What do we do?”

“Nothing, it’s a trick, just let me finish scanning her.”

“I’m sorry, I know I was being difficult and I smacked your little green stick, but I just want to go home. Please, let me go,” you begged, tears quickly pouring as you realized that no one knew where you were before they took you. You wouldn’t see your friends or family again and your parents would never know what happened to their little girl. “If this is about Brady, I’ll get him whatever he wants. I’ll do anything, just let me go.” 

“Ponds, step back, give her room,” Doctor whatever-his-name-is instructed, slowly and carefully walking toward you. This freaked you out even more as you thought he was coming to hurt you on his own, clearly being the one in charge. You cried harder but kept yourself from making any noise, just shaking against the cold wood doors. “How could you be human?”

The question seemed strange but you could tell he was throwing the question out there instead of directing it at you. Once he got a few feet away from you, he stopped. He took the stick from the girl and pocketed it in his jacket before taking another step toward you.

“Please, please no,” you closed your eyes and whispered to whatever god there could be, begging them to save you. A cold, calloused hand grabbed yours, making you whimper and  squeeze your eyes shut even tighter. He placed something soft in your hand and you looked down to find a handkerchief. 

“What’s your name?” He asked softly, as to not scare you more. Your gaze lingered on the handkerchief and he added, “I thought you might like to wipe your face.”

You cautiously did so, wiping the tear tracks that trailed down your neck. Thankfully your nose wasn’t too runny and gross, so just sniffles every now and then. After a beat, you figured that you might as well tell him if he was going to kill you, “(Y/N). My name is (Y/N).”

“Hello there, (Y/N),” he smiled. “I’m the Doctor. This is Amy and Rory. The Ponds.”

You glanced at the two others who only stared at the Doctor with a confused expression. You looked back to him and he just sighed and said, “We must have frightened you.”

You said nothing, instead scanning the room for a way out as you dig your fingernails into the skin of your palm. The Doctor shooed the other two away, asking them to go to their room while he talked to you. Once they were out of earshot, he walked to the center and started pressing buttons. 

“Come here,” he beckoned, still messing with things on whatever mechanism was in the middle of the room. You hesitantly walked forward and joined him, careful to keep a decent amount of room between you. He pushed a screen in front of you and as you watched, you saw yourself constantly appearing. You always had your bag on you, but what threw you off is that these clips showed you in different parts of this futuristic place that you were currently in.

“What is this?” You asked quietly, looking over to the Doctor. 

“You’ve been appearing on my ship for months,” he explained, his face serious. “But only for a few moments before you disappear. We’ve been trying to find you, trying to figure out who you are. Once the TARDIS pinpointed your temporal energy, I used a remote vortex manipulator to locate and transfer you to us.”

He was using words and lingo that was foreign and strange. You could hardly understand it and even questioned if he was speaking English. Looking around, you were hoping to find Brady and his friends trying to hide so they could make fun of you. That would be an ideal situation rather than what this man was trying to explain. 

“What is this place?”

“This is my ship,” he seemed to cheer up at that question, smiling joyfully as he continued to explain.The Doctor looked adoringly at the centerpiece. “Time and relative dimension in space, or TARDIS for short. She can travel through all of time and space, but she doesn’t always land where I want her to.” He paused to look back at you. “I can take you home, if you’d like. I want to know why you’ve been appearing and I believe I’ll need your help, but if you want to leave, I won’t stop you.”

“Take me home.”

The Doctor pressed his lips together but complied, walking around the console and making the ship jump to a start. You grabbed on to the railing as the room shook and nearly launched you over the edge. He looked over to you, like he was about to ask something, but put his attention back on the TARDIS. Once it came to a stop, you ran to the doors, opening them to find the park, just the same as when you left it. 

You took a few steps out, relishing in the fact that you hadn’t been brutally murdered when the Doctor stood next to you and asked, “Why were you wallowing?” 

“Sorry?”

“You said earlier that you’d prefer to wallow,” he mentioned, frowning as your shoulders slumped and you shook your head. “What happened?”

“Just…” your voice shook and you felt your face heat up again. You took a breath and said, “My roommate’s boyfriend destroyed my laptop. My 20 page thesis is due in four hours and I have no way to get it back. If I fail this class, I- Uh, I have to either drop out or retake the class. But I don’t have the money so.. And my parents were so excited when I got accepted. If I—“

“What class?” 

“Biochemistry and biophysics,” You answered, still sulking. “I’ve tried so hard, but something isn’t clicking. I just- I can’t understand it. Which is stupid because if I can understand physics, I should be able to study biophysics, right? But I can’t.” 

“I can,” he was smiling. You gave him a dirty look and scoffed. “I can write your thesis too. I actually already have a few on that topic anyway, but I’ll have to cut it down. Do you get extra credit for having more than two hundred pages?”

“That’s not funny,” you snapped, turning to face him. Your brows were furrowed and you poked his chest with your finger, making him stumble back. “This is my life we’re talking about. Everything is going wrong and the last thing I need is you making me feel even worse with your stupid teasing!”

“I'm not teasing or trying to make you feel bad,” the Doctor tried to assure you. “I really do have more than enough papers written about every aspect of human science. If you just wait here a moment, I’ll get them to you. I can get rid of some parts on the way out. It is quite chilly, so feel free to wait in the TARDIS.”

You watched him walk away, your eyes following him as he walked back into his ship. As you saw him get further and further away, you noticed how small the door was. In fact, all of it was small, except the inside. You walked closer and carefully circled the police box that could have been more than three feet wide. Poking your head back inside, your brows furrowed. You measured the width of one side of the box with your arm, but obviously when you went inside, the room exceeded your arm for quite a bit. 

“What…” you whispered, once again walking around the box. As someone who was taking physics, you were pretty sure this was impossible. A small smile came to your face and you went inside, counting your steps as you walked the perimeter of the room. You cautiously walked up the steps toward what seemed to be the center of the room. The middle console was adorned with all different types of buttons and levers, you were tempted to press something just to see what would happen, but you held yourself back. You felt your stress melt away as you spun around, taking in the entire room once more. “It’s… It’s bigger-”

“On the inside?” the Doctor’s voice startled you out of the tranquility you had just settled into, making you turn to see him holding a stack of papers. “Yes, yes it is.”

He walked closer to you, you thought that maybe you should step back in case he tried something, but for some reason, a small voice in the back of your head told you that it was okay. That he was okay. As promised, he handed you the papers. You flipped through the pages, your eyes scanning over the hundreds of pages of research about biophysics. The pages were entrancing, going over theories and ideas that you hadn’t even thought of. You were in awe at the work he had done. 

“I can’t take this,” you breathed, still looking through the papers. “It wouldn’t be right, it’s not-”

“Well, considering I slightly kidnapped you, I feel it’s a fair trade,” The Doctor mused, making you chuckle a bit. You finally looked up at him, finding him studying you while you held the research. He perked up as if he had suddenly remembered something. You watched as he quickly ran around the console and grabbed something out of site. He rushed back with a giddy grin and presented his findings to you. “And as for the laptop, yours was probably rubbish anyway. I prefer handwritten, so I think you’ll find more use in this than I ever will.”

“You…” your eyes settled on the pristine laptop he was holding in front of you. You weren’t sure what or when it was from, but considering your previous laptop was bent in half, this one would automatically serve you much better. “Are you serious?”

“Of course I am,” he shrugged, as if it should’ve been obvious. You set the paper down by your feet and gently took the laptop, opening it to watch the screen come to life. He circled around to be standing next to you, “The battery should last a hundred years at least, so you’ll never even need to charge it.”

Your eyes pricked with tears, you were silently praying for this to be real. You were almost convinced the last ten minutes of your life were a dream or a hallucination. Your breath caught in your throat and you gently placed the laptop onto the papers at your feet before turning and hugging the Doctor. The embrace caught him off guard but he was quick to gain his balance, returning the gesture. You sighed, “Thank you.”

“What are kidnappers for?” He smiled as you pulled away. You let out a breathy laugh and looked toward the open door of the TARDIS. “Right, I suppose you want to get going.”

“Actually,” you hesitated, shuffling a little on your feet. “Well, I need to type up my thesis again, but I can’t do it in just four hours. You said this, uh, TARDIS, can travel through time?” He nodded, a small smile growing on his face. “Maybe I could stay for a little? Just until I finish my thesis and then I’ll leave. And, I mean, since I’m here, if you need to run any tests to figure out why you’ve been seeing me… I guess that would be okay.”

“Brilliant!” He clapped his hands together excitedly. His energy was contagious and you found yourself smiling at the mad man as he ran around the console. “But first, I’d like to apologize. Let me take you on a trip somewhere, anywhere you want to go in all of time and space. It’ll help clear your head some.”

He was looking at you expectantly, waiting for the go ahead. You were nervous, and though part of you said to turn back and forget you ever met this man, every other bone in your body longed to stay. You broke out into a big grin and nodded, “Take me away.”