13A/N Upon advice from my friend Aimee, I'm moving this to the HP/DW crossover section. It will allow me to have more fun with Cassie's background and the adventures! I'm also considering reuploading the original Cassie fic, so I'll be noting my process with rewriting the bits of that that I couldn't find in my emails up here in the author's note. Sorry for rambling - enjoy the chapter!
To put it bluntly, Cassie slept like a log that night - if you could even call it night.
Before he had also retired to bed, the Doctor had knocked on her door to tell her that he was putting them in the 'space-time vortex'. She hadn't really understood that much further than knowing that nobody else in the universe could find them there, and that was enough to put her at ease for the time being. After all, who else had a time machine?
Sitting up in the bed, having woken up barely moments previously she looked around and took in her surroundings for the first time.
Her room was nice enough. Lovely, even. The Doctor hadn't been lying when he'd said it would cater for her. The TARDIS had performed above the basics, and had apparently taken great care in the little details. Her name had been written across the door in a swirly white font, there were thick crimson and gold blankets over the bed, and the wardrobe even had clothes not dissimilar to ones that she usually wore. One thing that really touched Cassie was that she knew she'd hung her little bag on the doorknob as she went to investigate the clothes, yet when she got back, it was placed on the chair next to her bed for easy access and in case she needed it in the night.
All the things that made it more homely, and everything she would need if she was staying indefinitely.
Cassie laid back onto the pillows and stared up at the canopy overhanging her. Did the welcome mean that she was allowed to remain there permanently? She considered her options thoughtfully.
One option was staying for a few weeks then escaping and starting a new life. With a time and space ship, she could ask the Doctor to take her to any planet in the universe a million years in the future, with no worries of her loathsome cousin catching up with her.
But, even as she thought about it, Cassie knew she wasn't going to do that. The Doctor had been so generous, and it would be beyond unacceptable to abuse his kindness.
That then left option two. She could stay permanently, or at least until Amelia had grown up, and remain as an au pair to the young girl. This option came with the benefits of long term companionship and employment, and less danger than if she went back and faced the streets of 20th Century England alone.
She rolled her eyes. Who was she kidding? Of course she was going to pick option two. The only thing she'd accomplished by even considering otherwise was pointless burning out a few thousand brain cells.
"And option two means comfy blankets." She murmured aloud to the empty room. Using her foot as a hook, she pulled the blankets lying folded at the foot of the bed towards her. After a short wrestling match with them, she finally got one around her shoulders. She pulled it round her and sat there, engulfed in a fluffy swamp, savouring the feel of them.
Thinking back, she realised that the first moment she'd truly accepted that the TARDIS was alive was the same moment that she'd seen the blankets. Not only were they ridiculously warm (something she'd been missing for months), but they were in the exact colours of her school house; the two colours of Gryffindor house stuck out like a sore thumb in the shades of navy blue that coated the room, so it wasn't like they were there by chance.
Cassie hugged them closer to herself and pushed the thoughts of the former school out of her mind. Besides, she was going to have to start living like a normal, mortal human being, she was going to have to get used to thinking like one.
It then occurred to her that she'd been invited into the TARDIS to look after the little ginger girl she'd seen before, and she wasn't making a great first impression by sitting around in a blanket fort. She wriggled out of the bundle and swung her legs over the side of the bed and onto the floor, ready to get up and get dressed.
Out of habit, she reached for her bedside table looking for the familiar thin stick that she carried around permanently with her. Her fingers hit an empty surface, and she retracted them with a sigh. It had been lost in the scuffle with her new employer.
Telling the Doctor of her heritage was out of the question and, while she was feeling the absence of her wand like a splinter in her side, asking him to go back for it without raising suspicion was simply impossible. She sighed, and made her way into the bathroom to find a toothbrush.
Ten minutes and a quick wash later, Cassie had successfully put all thoughts of her lost wand out of her mind. On the contrary, she was busy investigating the many surprises of the spacious bathroom.
Eight cupboards lined the wall over the sink. Upon opening each in turn, Cassie had found things ranging from twenty different types of toothpaste to a hairbrush shaped like a turtle. To her amusement, the third cupboard had been entirely dedicated to an assortment of rubber animals which now resided in a pile in the bathtub.
Cassie closed the door of the eighth and final cupboard, and reached for the sink. The toothbrush hunt had been successful (cupboard number four) and she'd picked out some generic minty toothpaste. There were other flavours like strawberry and lemon, but she decided to leave those experiments for another day.
She brushed her teeth quickly, then put everything away in its rightful place. Taking a moment to swipe her hair up into a hairband, she left the room.
Back in the main bedroom, Cassie approached the wardrobe and pulled out the first thing that she laid her hands on. The item revealed itself to be a snazzy red dress that wouldn't have been out of place in a dance club. She returned it to its home hastily, and tried again. The second attempt was more successful, and she ended up in a plain pair of dark jeans and a matching jacket. She also found a smart red blouse, so pulled that on too.
Then she hit the sock drawer.
She didn't really know what she'd been expecting, but it certainly wasn't what she found. Row upon row of brightly coloured and patterned socks lay packed into the wooden box. Cassie couldn't contain her laugh, and started poking around to find a new favourite. After all, she'd only had two pairs of boring black socks up until this point.
Small things amuse small minds. Eh, Cass?
Her eyes fell on a pair covered in tiny bunnies, and she grinned. Within moments they were on her feet, and she wiggled her toes childishly. The rest of the clothes followed suit, and a couple of minutes later she was ready for whatever the day threw at her.
As she wandered around making the bed and checking that she had her little bag tucked safely into her pocket, she realised that, as a whole, she was pretty happy that morning. Comfortable clothes, a good night's sleep; she was finally feeling something other than exhausted. It had to have been over a year since she'd felt like this.
However, it couldn't last.
"Good morning, Cassie."
Fear shot through her as a smooth voice spoke in her ear, and she grabbed the nearest weapon while slamming the perpetrator into the wall.
"Oh, hello. Your, um... teeth look nice today. The TARDIS said-"
Cassie stepped back and took the lamp stand away from the Doctor's neck.
"Number one; do not sneak up on me. Number two; keep your ship's creepy telepathy away from me!" She snapped, spooked.
She took a step back, and the Doctor retreated towards the door apologetically. A smile was on his face, but it was far from his usual cheeky confident grin. It was more of a gentle smile; warm, yet calm at the same time. He stood there, twiddling his fingers, as he waited for her to calm down and be ready to talk.
Eventually she pinched the bridge of her nose and sat down on the edge of the bed.
"You made me jump." She said quietly. "That's not a very good idea. I could've seriously hurt you."
"I doubt it, I'm pretty resilient." The Doctor replied, only to receive a unimpressed raised eyebrow as a response.
"Right. Just, give me some warning next time?" She asked, still looking a little on edge. "I don't want to end up panicking and breaking limbs, and then getting kicked out. As it is, I've probably upset the TARDIS."
She looked so dejected that the Doctor broke his retreat and strolled over to sit by her on the covers. While she didn't tell him to stop or threaten him with the lamp again, he noticed she still flinched when the bed sagged slightly under his weight. He made sure to leave space between them as a compromise.
"The TARDIS doesn't hold petty grudges, and companions choose when they want to leave, Cassie. We won't kick you out if you don't want to go."
She looked up with, to his surprise, slightly watery eyes.
"Did I do something?" He asked, alarmed. "No, no." She mumbled.
"Don't worry, I'm just being silly."
He frowned. "Are you sure?" "
You really don't understand why I'm...?" She asked in disbelief, then shook her head. "...Oh, you don't. Yes. Don't worry."
Her words didn't stop him from doing so, but he fell silent anyway. It took a few moments for him to remember his reason for being there.
"A little bird told me you were wondering what the plan for the day is."
"The TARDIS is pretty remarkable." Cassie commented. "Yes, I suppose I was."
"Well, it's an exciting one! After an incident with a star whale, I promised Amelia a trip to an intergalactic pet shop, and..."
He trailed off as Cassie snorted.
"What?"
"Nothing." She hid her mouth behind her hand. "You're just getting very excited over seeing some fluffy animals."
His eyes twinkled. "You say that like they're a bad thing."
Cassie laughed, and had visibly relaxed. "Well, you're taking a seven year old girl into a pet shop. Just let that sink in!"
The Doctor shrugged. "I keep my promises."
"Always?" Cassie tilted her head.
"When I possibly can."
Cassie seemed satisfied. The answer seemed to have been the right one, and she stood up, indicating towards the door.
"Are we leaving now, then?" She asked, straightening her back.
A shrill squeal of the Doctor's name answered for him. The sound made the Doctor's face break into a subconscious grin, and Cassie's face softened a little. She smiled once more, then hovered in the door to wait for him.
And together, the unlikely team walked in time as they left to find Amelia.
Reviews are love! Next chapter will have Amelia, adventures, and a crapton of guinea pigs.