Work Text:
It’s been months of arguing, compromising and planning for the upcoming nuptials of Graydon Hastur and Kit Tanthalos. A pairing that was pulled out of thin air with nothing in common except for the fact that they don’t want to get married to each other at all. Weddings were for show in their families and Sorsha Tanthalos was taking every advantage of the early access to the Hastur’s fortune. One of the many amenities Sorsha took advantage of was the private jet to London. The Tanthalos money only went so far in the last few years, so why not wring the Hastur’s for all their worth.
Normally Kit would be embarrassed by the blatant disregard her mother had for how the facade looked to outsiders, but lately she just feels numb. If Kit could actually be honest with her mother, she’d tell her she’s ridiculously bored with her life and would rather be anywhere else than this stuffy hotel room the night before her impending wedding. There were only so many ways Kit could declare how unhappy she was before succumbing to reality.
The current view from Kit’s window is peaceful – an ominous calm before the storm. Off to the side, the French doors are open to let a steady breeze in. The breeze carries through the sheer creamy white curtains and whips through her messy brown hair. The midnight sky is filled with a plethora of stars and she can’t help but wistfully stare into the abyss and wish on the shooting star to take her away from it all. After the third abnormally vibrant shooting star however, she was capped out of wishing and waiting.
Or maybe she could do something about it now? There’s at least ten different types of sheets and billowing curtains in this hotel room. The balcony isn’t that far from the ground, she could probably make it safely down to the ground that surely tastes of freedom. After a strategic battle with tying the sheets one by one, she feels like it’s stable enough to ascend into the garden.
Taking a deep breath and checking the security of the top knot — she’s ready.
“You’ve got this, you can do this.” Kit encourages herself.
A couple of short releases down the cotton lifeline, when she suddenly hears a rustling in the bushes immediately below her dangling feet. She freezes and peers down. A reptilian man emerges from the tangled branches before she can fully drop down.
“Ahhhhhhh!” Kit yells, surely waking up the rooms next to her in the process. “Oh shit! Shit, shitty, shit!!”
Grunting back up the elaborately tied sheets in an attempt to escape the odd invaders, she slips just as she’s at the top. Suddenly an arm reaches out and grabs her wrist before her body plummets. Kit looks up in shock to see a red curly haired woman in a baggy beige suit jacket pulling her up.
“C’mon you’re gonna have to help me a bit more than that, yeah?” The mystery woman grunts down at her in a thick British accent. Kit takes the help in stride and pulls herself up as her other hand latches onto the ledge to hoist her hips over it. Kit collapses onto the redhead’s body while their hands are still intertwined.
“Thanks.” Kit says in disbelief and out of breath still laying on top of this makeshift knight that’s saved her life.
“Anytime, but now's not the time for pleasantries.”
The slimy monster jumps onto the balcony ledge and growls directly at them.
“Right, gotta go!” She takes Kit’s hand and tugs her along in a race through the empty room making a mad dash down the hallway.
“Um, mind telling me what is happening and who you are?” Kit manages to get out every other word during their sprint to safety. “And what in the hell was that thing back there?”
“No time, love. Gotta save the world first, yeah?”
“I don’t even know your name!” Kit says, hesitant to keep running around with a complete stranger. Yes, this woman did save her life but the adrenaline is catching up with her and so is her environmental awareness.
“Name’s the Doctor!” She says matter of factly with a sly upturn of her lips.
“Doctor who?” Kit asks, confused by the vague answer.
“Just the Doctor.”
“Uh, okay. I’m Kit.”
“Nice to meet ya, Kit. Now run for your life!” The Doctor exclaims taking her hand again and hopefully running towards safety.
The woman leads them down to the dingy hotel basement where they manage to gain a decent lead on the thing that was chasing them.
Before Kit knows it there’s a blue police box in front of her. At least that’s what it says on the front of it. What exactly is a police box is yet to be determined but the word ‘police’ has mixed connotations to her and this woman didn’t seem like law enforcement.
But it’s either this or get eaten by a life size crocodile person- er, alien? She’ll take her chances on what’s in front of her and not behind her.
______
Magic wasn’t something most people expected to be real. But seeing the inside of this small box open up into a giant room with a thousand lights is an experience she could only describe as magical.
How is it bigger on the inside?
The Doctor ignores her stunned reaction and is whipping around the center of the room with what looks like a control panel.
“Welcome to my ship, also known as the TARDIS!” The Doctor says in a rush. “Feel free to give yourself a tour while I get us out of here.”
“Are you alone?” Kit asks, timidly looking around the tardis interior for anyone else but them.
“Yep, just me.” She replies softly with her head pointed down at the weird looking control panel. “This is a new me actually!” She says pointing to her face and smiling. "I've been a woman before, but never a ginger. Finally!"
Kit can’t help but laugh at how excited this woman is to be a ginger. What’s the big deal?
“So! Where do ya wanna go?”
“What about those things at the hotel? My family and friends are there, don’t we need to go save them?” Kit asks worried the hotel was overtaken by the weird creatures.
“Ah right, see when we got down to the bottom of the hotel that turned into a weird timey-whimey space time continuum and reversed the whole lot of them from ever invadin'.” The Doctor explains at lightning speed. “Plus, I had backup from some mates of mine so that’s all taken care of now. Your friends and family are safe and right where we left ‘em.”
Kit blinks in complete silence and stares blankly at the complex explanation.
“So Kit, I ask again. If you could go anywhere in space and time, where and when would you choose?”
Kit doesn’t answer. It was an overwhelming decision to seemingly be able to go anywhere in the universe. The Doctor looks curiously at her and directly at her huge engagement ring. Kit looks down at it along with her and then hides it, suddenly feeling self conscious. The Doctor starts flipping levers and buttons like a mad woman and Kit just decides to hold on for dear life and go with it.
When the Doctor opens the doors, she wasn’t expecting to walk out into a storm. Except this wasn’t like any other storm she’s seen before on Earth. This storm is almost blinding to look at, especially with the light reflecting off the rain.
“That rain is blinding!” Kit exclaims shielding her eyes from the glare. ”Where are we?”
“Welcome to Neptune, Kit.” The Doctor replies. “Oh and that’s not technically rain. It’s diamonds.”
Neptune has raining diamonds? The Doctor’s pointed look at her engagement ring before this impromptu journey clicks with her now. The sparkling rocks were beautiful but they were also getting too close for comfort.
“Is it just me or is the storm heading straight towards us?” Kit asks, backing up a bit towards the Tardis.
The Doctor tilts her head and squints, her nose is all scrunched together and it looks absolutely adorable. Kit finds herself staring at her instead of the extraordinary new planet in front of her. She likes the way her constellation of freckles travels down her cheeks to her neck. She likes the way her curly red hair is bunched up into a haphazard bun. She likes the way her posture relaxes when her hands are in her large trouser pockets.
“You might be onto something there. Best to leave before the storm cuts us all up!” The Doctor turns to look at Kit. They stare at each other for a few seconds. They both smile, not looking away until the silence is inevitably broken. “C’mon, on to the next big event. Away we go!”
____
Two more planets in opposite time periods later and they eventually return to the hotel with the aliens gone and her whole wedding party about to wake up. She doesn’t want to go back to her life – especially knowing the universe is out there ready for her to grab it. And ready to grab it with the Doctor? Well that’s one of the most mind boggling opportunities she’s ever had and she couldn’t waste it, could she?
“Well, you comin’ with me or not?” The Doctor asks Kit with a cock of her eyebrow and a smirk that could melt the whole world. She’s leaning against the side of the door of the Tardis, one relaxed hand in her pocket and the other reaching out inviting Kit to explore the galaxy with her.
Kit grins the widest she’s smiled in her entire life.
The big, blue box is what she’s been waiting for all this time. This extraordinary woman with freckles that will take her days to count and an accent that makes her weak in the knees has swept her off her feet.
Kit makes the easiest decision of her life and runs back into the Tardis taking the gorgeous hand being offered to her. She runs towards her future and away from her stifling, uninspiring life. This is the start of forever.