{david tennant character oneshots}

Ten ~ Circular Gallifreyan

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You had been comfortably asleep when the TARDIS had begun to shake twenty minutes ago, a blaring alarm waking you. Since you'd woken, you'd been trying to find the Doctor, but you hadn't found anything more than the wardrobe and what appeared to be an old console or two. 

Stumbling as the TARDIS rocked again, you called out, "Doctor?" There was no response. "C'mon, old girl, can you lead me to him? Be a little bit helpful?"

Lights flickered and sparks flew as the TARDIS pitched violently, throwing you off a walkway. You screamed as you fell. You slammed into a wall as the ship swayed, tossing you across the hallway. Panicking, you scrambled for purchase. By some chance, you managed to grab hold of a railing and right yourself.

Panting, you lay on the floor, trying to steady your breathing and your flying pulse.

When the Doctor said life with him was going to be scary, you'd thought...aliens. Monsters. That sort of scary. Not...falling inside the safety of the TARDIS.

The ship lurched again, throwing you into another room. Yelping, you tried to grab the door, only for the ship to lurch and the door to slam. You slid across the floor, your head slamming into a heavy object. You had just enough time to guess it was probably metal before your world went black.

When you came to, the ship was steady and the lights were emitting a warm yellow glow. Groaning, you put your hand to your head and found a sizable bump there. You sighed, knowing you would be lucky if you didn't have a concussion.

Sitting up, you look a glance around the room you were in—and gasped in astonishment.

This was a part of the TARDIS you hadn't seen before. Every inch of the walls were covered in circular strings—the same writing the Doctor made notes in. You looked around, struggling to your feet and tracing your hands over each symbol. They weren't just written on the walls—they were carved and stamped into the metal. 

What is this place? you wondered, most of the throbbing pain in your head forgotten. 

There was a distant shouting—the Doctor, calling your name. You paused. He called again, and this time you could hear his panic. "HERE!" you yelled as loud as you could, hoping he could hear you from wherever in the TARDIS he was.

A few minutes later, you heard the pounding of feet. He appeared in the doorway a few seconds later. "There you are!" The Doctor threw his arms around you. You kissed his cheek. "You scared me, I couldn't find you anywhere."

"I got thrown around a bit," you admitted. "What was that?"

"Not really sure," he said. "I think we ran into a plot of space where a planet used to be. There's just a random asteroid field!"

"Hey, Doctor, what is this place?" you asked, slowly leaving his side to wander around the room. He seemed reluctant to let you go. "What's all these circles?"

He took your hand, twisting his fingers through yours. "It's my language. Circular Gallifreyan."

"What's it say?"

"I..." He cleared his throat, his eyes glazing with memories as he looked over the stories. "The TARDIS likes to transcribe her favorite stories with my companions." He pointed to one. "This one's from my ninth regeneration, when I took Rose, Mickey, and Jack to Cardiff. And in this one, it's the story of Madame de Pompadour."

"Has...has the TARDIS written about me?" you asked, not sure if you really wanted to know the answer.

The Doctor led you around the room. "Here's one," he said after a minute. "The planet with all the carnivorous flowers. And this one, with the wizards. That time in Madrid." He nodded. "There's a few in here."

You snuggled into his side. "Does she like me?"

"Yeah," he promised, kissing your head.

"Do you like me?"

He kissed you. "Of course I do," he whispered, holding you as if he wasn't ever going to let you go.

"Yay," you whispered. He laughed.

The Doctor taught you how to write in his language, though you didn't dare attempt to speak it. Languages had never been your thing, especially not one as complex as the language of the Time Lords. Of course, you'd never heard it spoken, as he had no one to talk to in it, but you doubted the language of a people who were called 'Time Lords' would be simple to learn.

Soon, you were leaving little sticky notes in circular Gallifreyan for the Doctor—little 'I love you's and reminders that you needed more food and you had to be home by this date or your mother was going to kill you both. 

It proved itself useful, too. When you were captured, you wrote little hints as to where you were in the frost and condensation on the windows and walls and floors. He arrived with several sheets of paper in his hand, all scrawled with your circular Gallifreyan messages.

"You've stolen the only other person who can write in my language," he said to your captors, that proud little smile on his face. "Did you honestly think she wouldn't use that to her advantage?"

Your captors exchanged a nervous glance, took another look at the Doctor and his furious face, and ran.

The Doctor knelt before you, carefully unlocking your chains with the sonic screwdriver. He took your face in his hands. "I'm so sorry I lost you," he said, kissing you.

"Well," you said, "I wandered off. You told me not to."

He sighed. "I really should stop telling companions not to wander. They just do it anyway."

You laughed and kissed him again.

He brushed hair from your face. "Come on, let's go home." He took your hand and pulled you to your feet. "And at least that circular Gallifreyan did us some good, eh?"

"I'm glad I knew it even if it didn't," you said. "Anything to make you feel a little more at home."

The Doctor kissed you again, and this time you felt his thankfulness in it.

"I love it when you do that," you murmured.

"Do what?"

"Everything."

He beamed and waggled his eyebrows twice, making you giggle. "Yay."