Author's Note: Ah yes, the obligatory author's note to say that yes, this is a sequel, in fact it's #5 in a series. It'll most likely make more sense in context and all that. And no, I am not shamelessly self-advertising. Definitely not. Just concerned about your reading experience like any true author should be. Nope. No shameless self-advertising here…

But seriously. If you start with "The Scavenger and the Dalek," they're all posted on my profile in order lol.

Prologue

"You deserve a planet." The Doctor flung a lever forward and the TARDIS settled into place with a slight thump. "We've done past, past again, sometime in the 2000s, now you need to see the future. Or, well, slight future. Past, depending on your perspective. It's all a bit relative when you consider it, you know?" Bounding past Rey, he flung open the doors with a flourish. "Welcome to the planet of—"

He froze.

She slipped her staff into its holster and stepped to his side.

"The planet of somewhere. Somewhere that is hopefully a planet. Probably is, considering there's trees. Although—I have seen trees in space. Oooh, I have to show you the space forests of—"

"Trees?" She let out a little gasp and pushed past him. "You've landed us in a forest?"

Her foot landed on crunching leaves.

Tree trunks stretched away into the distance, green leaves flickering and fluttering in a whispering breeze. Sunlight and shadow played across the TARDIS and around her feet in ever-changing patterns. She tilted her face upward, nearly stumbling over her own feet as she tried to stare at the giant trunks.

"I've never seen trees so huge," she murmured.

The Doctor leaned against the TARDIS, his arms crossed. "I'm just going to say this is exactly where I meant to take you," he said with a grin.

And then she was grinning. She clasped her hands together and let out a little giggle. "Thank you—thank you!" She tilted her head back again. The trunks shot up and away to a height that nearly made her dizzy. She wanted to grab onto the nearest branch and climb up, just so she could see the blue sky above. She could imagine the forest stretching out like a carpet before her, rolls and waves of green—

Her foot caught on a stick.

She stumbled and her hand shot out. Her palm slammed into bark and she let out a little yelp. Steadying herself, she glanced at her feet.

A tiny sapling poked from the ground, half-bent.

"Oh!" She dropped to her knees, moving to straighten it, brushing a finger over the new-green leaves. White flowers spread out around its base, a whole carpet of them poking their heads through the brown leaves.

Slowly, carefully, she reached to pick one. Desert flowers were tiny, nearly impossible to pick. She had always hesitated to touch them lest she destroy them between her fingers.

They grew in the ruins sometimes. Somehow, it had always felt like hope.

She held the little flower carefully between her fingers, gazing for a long moment at its fragile white petals. She could keep these in the TARDIS. She could dig up a few, maybe the Doctor could find a pot. A whole windowsill of little white forest flowers—the thought made her smile. She turned back to the Doctor—

The familiar sound of the TARDIS filled the forest.

She jumped to her feet. "Doctor?" The flower fluttered to the ground and she took off running. The doors slammed closed in front of her and she threw a hand forward, trying to catch hold of them. She thought she heard the Doctor shouting, footsteps pounding inside the TARDIS. Was that her name? Was he calling her name? She snatched at swiftly disappearing door handle—and her fingers slipped through nothingness.

She stumbled, and fell to the forest floor where the TARDIS had been.