IMAGINE: Becoming the Doctor’s Companion

 *Christmas, 1789*      You quietly move into the dining room, your hands wrapped around a heavy jug of water. As a servant, you keep your head low and start pouring water into the goblets as loud chatter from the large family you serve fills the room. You feel the headmistress watching you carefully as you make your way around the table, making sure you don't spill any water. You smell the Christmas lunch and your stomach lowly growls. While these people—pompous, rude and stuffy—have never known what it is to go hungry, this feeling is a familiar friend that stays with you constantly. You stiffen as you near Jack, the youngest son of the family. He's slightly older than you and has taken you to his liking, in the most inappropriate way. Ever since you have come to serve this family—nearly four months ago—he has done nothing but harass you and make suggestive comments about you. You know he doesn't truly care for you. He only sees you as some sick sport he has to play. With hands shaking, you pour water into his goblet, your back rigid. "Why don't we get away from this boring party and sneak away to the quiet corners of the house?" Jack whispers in your ear, his hand on your arm. You stiffen even more. "I'm working." You say briskly. “That's nothing I can't solve. I'll just lie and tell my mother you were sick to your stomach." He whispers. You look at him, your eyes glinting. "Only that wouldn't be a lie, sir. I am sick to my stomach—sick to my stomach at the sight and touch of you." You hiss. Jack's eyes flash angrily and he tightens his hold on your wrist. "You'd best watch yourself, Y/N. Another remark like that and I'll have you sent out before you can say, 'Merry Christmas'." He snaps quietly. You clench your jaw, glaring at him. You know he has you there. You can't quit. You have barely any money and you have nowhere to go. You have to keep this job as long as possible. Jack leans forward and his hand moves to your lower back, slowly inching downward. "Now, I'll forgive that little remark if you'd just come with me to the other end of the house. All will be forgiven, I trust you. You needn't worry about your job security, as long as you do what I tell you to do." He purrs. Something in you snaps like a twig. Anger rushes through your body and, without thinking, you take the water jug and slosh all of the water onto Jack's face.      The women in the family shriek in horror while Jack just stares at you, dripping wet, in complete shock. The headmistress stands up, horrified. “Y/N!" She exclaims sternly. The guests at the table look nervous. Instead of feeling scared or humiliated, you feel quite happy. Free. You smile brightly. "Merry Christmas." You say quickly, proving Jack wrong about his earlier statement. You turn on your heel and take off running out of the room. “Y/N, you get back here right now!" You hear the headmistress scream. "There'll be forty lashing for you if you don't come this instant!" She screeches like a banshee. You burst through the kitchen. “Y/N, what in the world is happening?" Mary, the kind old cook, asks worriedly. “I'm not staying here any longer. I can't take it." You breathe, stripping yourself of your apron and quickly putting on your old raggedy cloak. "But-but where will you go?" She asks nervously, twisting her apron in her hands. “I haven't the slightest idea." You go to her, hug her tightly, and kiss her on the cheek. "Goodbye, Mary. Merry Christmas." Tears fill her eyes and she cups your face. "Goodbye, dear child." She chokes out. You give her a watery smile. "Thank you for everything these past few months. I wouldn't have made it without you." You hear footsteps running. “You best get going, child. They'll be after you." Mary whispers quickly, patting you towards the backdoor. You wrench it open and run into the cold, snowy weather, not giving a backwards glance.      It doesn't take long for reality to sink in. You wrap your coat tightly around you and keep your head low as the snow comes pelting at you. The sun will be going down in a couple of hours and you have no idea what you're going to do then. Tears pool in your eyes. While you can't say that you regret pouring water onto Jack's face—you chuckle at the memory of his shocked expression—you wish you would have thought it through a little more. Now you're homeless, jobless, and alone on Christmas. You finger the two coins in your pocket and sigh. You were going to be paid for Christmas too tonight. If only you had waited just a few hours more. The tears start to fall more frequently and your nose starts running even more. You sniff. Your foot catches on a snow covered root and you trip, diving headfirst into the snow. You groan and just lay there for a long moment. You pull yourself up and rest against the trunk of a tree, pulling your knees to your chest and silently weeping. You start hearing this loud whirring noise and you look up, your eyebrows drawn in confusion. You stand up as the wind starts blowing more violently, blowing your hair all over the place. Right before your eyes, in the midst of a blizzard, a blue, tall rectangular box lands ten feet in front of you. You gasp and back against the tree, your eyes going wide. Your heart pounds wildly as you slowly inch towards it. The door bursts open and you scream, stumbling backwards. “Well, hello! Happy Christmas!" A young man, wearing a red fez, says excitedly. “Oh, uh...happy Christmas." You reply slowly, staring at him. The man steps out into the snow and does a circle, looking around. “Where are we?” "Derbyshire, England, sir." “Oh, how lovely. What year is it?" He asks. You stare at him as if he has lost it. "Do you not know either?" He asks curiously, squinting at you. “It's 1789, my lord." You answer slowly. “Oh, is it? That's wonderful. Just wonderful." He breathes, smiling. "Who-who are you?" “I'm the Doctor." "Doctor who?" You question suspiciously. He smiles. "Just the Doctor will do. And who are you?" “Y/N." It's as if the Doctor realizes you're standing in the middle of a blizzard with just a thin, holey cloak on. His eyes widen. "Look at you. You must be freezing. Come, come in the Tardis. We'll get you something warm and something to eat." He says, beckoning you into the blue box. You don't move, frowning. "Oh, it's all right. Really." The Doctor smiles. You smile slightly and nod, walking forward.      You stand in the middle of the Tardis, your jaw nearly hitting the floor. "It's-it's magnificent." You breathe in wonder. “She is quite wonderful." The Doctor agrees as he rummages through a chest. “What-what is this place?" You ask, staring up at the ceiling. “It's a time machine." He answers nonchalantly. “A time machine?" You gasp incredulously. "How is that possible?" You breathe. After a minute or so, the Doctor pulls out a pair of clothes and hands them to you with a smile. In the privacy of small room, you change out of your wet maid's outfit and into the clothes the Doctor has given you. They fit perfectly. A few minutes later you emerge. “I made you some tea to warm you up." The Doctor states. “Oh." You breathe in surprise. He hands you a cup and then you both sit on the steps of the Tardis. "Thank you. Thank you so much." You whisper, touched. “You're welcome, Y/N." The Doctor smiles. "Now, tell me your story. Why did the Tardis bring me to Derbyshire, England on Christmas in the middle of a blizzard? Why did she bring me to you?" He asks suspiciously. “You talk as if the Tardis is alive." You laugh softly. The Doctor raises an eyebrow. "Isn't she?" “Well, since time travel is real, I guess it shouldn't come as a surprise to me that this...this machine is alive." “You're taking this rather calmly, Y/N. Most people freak out." You laugh. "I saw a blue box land in front of my face. That's all the proof I need. If you had told me back when I was slave, I never would have believed you. However, I saw it with my own eyes and I believe it." “You're a slave?" The Doctor asks sadly. “Was." You correct. “What happened?"      You take a deep breath and start at the beginning. "I grew up in a large family. I was the oldest girl. Despite my parents struggling to make ends meet, they kept bringing more children into this world. The older children would go to bed hungry at night, sacrificing their food for the younger ones. The time finally came when my parents couldn't afford our small house any longer. We sold everything we had, but we were still going to be thrown out of the house. My parents decided to do the only thing they could think of doing—they brought me to the slave market." You explain hoarsely. “They sold you into slavery—their own daughter." The Doctor whispers in realization. Nodding, tears burn in your eyes and you rapidly blink them away. "With the money they got for me, they were able to keep our house and feed the rest of my siblings. As for me, I went to live with the Willoughbys. At first, it wasn't bad. I was accustomed to the hard work. However, soon it turned foul. The family's son Jack started to...harass me and-and-and-" You choke out. “It's okay, it's okay." The Doctor whispers, holding your hand. You sniff. "This afternoon, I finally had had enough. During their Christmas lunch, I splashed water onto Jack's face. I knew I couldn't stay. If I did, they would have beat me yet again. I couldn't go through it again, so I did the only thing I could think of doing. With nowhere to go and barely any money, I ran. And ran right into you." You finish, smiling at the Doctor. “I'm glad you did, Y/N." He replies, smiling back. "The Tardis knew you were in trouble. I was on my way to the year 2954 Russia when she pulled me here." Can the Tardis really go to anywhere you want?" You ask eagerly. “Of course it can. You want to go to the beginning of time? I'll take you there. You want to go on the Titanic? Sure. You want to be there when the car is first invented? Let's go." Your eyebrows furrow. "Titanic? Car?" You ask in confusion. “Oh, that's right. That's after your time." He rushes to explain. “Oh." You laugh. "That's-that's incredible." You murmur excitedly. The Doctor stares at you intently. "What?" You ask nervously, biting your lip. “If I hadn't come along, would you have gone back home to your family?" You guffaw. "No way. I never want to see them again, not after what they put me through. I don't really know where I was going to go. I have no one here for me. I'm all alone." The Doctor squeezes your hand. "Not any longer, Y/N." "What?" You laugh as he stands up, pulling you with him. “Y/N, how would you like to be my companion—traveling all of time and space with me?" Your eyes widen. "Really? Do you mean it?" “I do. I see that spark of adventure in your eyes. You're eager to see the world—escape from your past. I know all about that. I want you to come with me, Y/N." A grin splits across your mouth. "I'd love to come with you, Doctor." You murmur. He grins and whizzes over to the console, flicking random switches, the Tardis lighting up. “Where would you like to go first, Y/N?" He asks eagerly. “What's this Titanic you were telling me about?" You ask curiously. The Doctor smiles, grabs your hand again, and pulls a lever with his free hand. "1912 it is."  [THE END] I hope you liked it!