INNER TURMOIL

* As a devoted Doctor Who fan I occasionally write the odd Doctor Who fan story, and every now and then I'm going to share them with you. This one was written quite a while before The Doctor's Wife screened, and shares similar themes. Obviously the good Doctor is owned by the BBC and not to re-produced as it's just a bit of fun. Enjoy!

Consciousness painfully returned. The Doctor slowly opened his eyes and tried to see where he was. He had absolutely no idea how he came to be in this strange place, and apart from his name he could remember next to nothing about himself.
As he tried to familiarise himself with this strange place he suddenly found himself in his mind was bombarded with what seemed to be hundreds of conflicting images. He closed his eyes and tried to focus the images so they made some sort of sense. Among the images he saw was a vast fleet of flying saucers each one holding thousands of exterminating pepper pots, a space station orbiting a small polluted planet where these same pepper pots were rounding up the survivors and making short work of them, and finally the image of a young blonde woman reacting with horror as the features of the man she has come to trust with her life changes before her very eyes.
It was this final image that stirred something in the Doctor's memory. He knew this girl, and although he could remember nothing about her he was certain she travelled around with him. The Doctor struggled to recall the young girls name, he was sure it had something to do with flowers but beyond that he drew a complete blank.
"Why can't I remember her name?" He asked, addressing no-one in particular. It came as a bit of shock when he was met with a reply.
"Don't worry Doctor; you haven't lost your memory. You're experiencing a little disorientation, that's what happens when you rush off in the middle of something important. Give it a few moments and I promise it will all come flooding back!"

The Doctor spun around, startled to find he was not alone. The woman before him was incredibly tall and incredibly beautiful. She had flowing blonde hair and friendly features, but although she appeared to be human there was something alien about her.
It was at this moment that the Doctor's memories chose to return, and even though he was still very confused as to what was happening he knew exactly who this mysterious woman was.
"Ah my trusty TARDIS. It's good to see you old girl!" She smiled warmly at him.
"Together again Doctor."
“Wouldn't have it any other way. So how's the regeneration going?"
"Well I thought I had everything under control until Rose Tyler decided she needed you to rescue her. I must say she certainly is a very determined young lady isn't she? We haven't had anyone this fiery aboard since Ace."
"We must be grateful we have her and not her mother, now that would be torture. Where are we by the way?"
"Don't you know?"
"Well it appears to be the zero room but I know for a fact I'm not in the TARDIS, not physically anyway. I'm currently in Jackie Tylers flat wearing a pair of jim jams with so much fruit in it's pockets it could easily double as a fruit stand." The TARDIS's manner grew serious.
"I recreated the zero room in your mind as a last minute attempt to stabilise your regeneration, so far it appears to be working but there is still a great deal of vortex energy in your system so I can't say how long the stability will last!"
"Well this won't be the first time you've helped me with one of my regenerations as i recall."
"Yes, unfortunately the circumstances this time round are slightly more complicated than they were on those occasions."
"Always the time war." The Doctor said softly. "So what happens now?"
"We wait. I'm using all of my energy so If the zero room doesn't help you I'm really not sure what else I can try. On those occasions where you had difficulty regenerating I was able to help because the link to Gallifrey was still present, but now there is nothing. It's like navigating your way through a strange land without a map; inevitably you're going to get lost."
"I have to go back. Rose needs me."
"Someone's always going to need you Doctor, this time they're going to have to cope without you. I really shouldn't have let you go off before!"
"You don't understand, the attack on Rose and the others was just the beginning. Those creatures were just the pilot fish with the daddy shark not far behind. Somethings coming, and I have a feeling they're not here for tea and cake!" The TARDIS gave him a knowing smile.
"Doctor you're face may change, but I'm pleased to say you never do. Anyway the something you were referring to has arrived, and while we've been talking Rose and the others have retreated back to me. Now that you're physically back in the TARDIS I may be able to fully stabilise you, but don't get your hopes up I can't promise anything."
"I won't, but you're the one thing in my life I've always been able to rely on."
"If that's your way of thanking me, then your welcome."

The Doctor looked around the zero room, noting with not much suprise that the physical presence of the TARDIS was no longer there. Although the people who travelled with him, Rose included, would inevitably leave him it seemed his TARDIS was there for the long haul and to quote his most recent incarnation that was fantastic!