Random Destination [Attn: Jenny]

The Doctor strolled into the TARDIS, beaming as he held the door open for Jenny.

"So, where should we go? We've got all of time and space to explore." He threw his coat over the railing and wandered further inside.

He bent over the TARDIS controls and began flipping switches. "I know. Random mode," he stated. "Always good for an adventure, don't you think?"

At the flip of a lever, the TARDIS was swept up into the vortex, rattling and bumping as it went.

Jenny couldn't stop smiling as she walked into the TARDIS. It was like coming home all over again, and she spun in sheer delight as her dad wandered along. "Oh, anywhere's good for our first trip alone. But Dad, why do you have a coatrack you never use?"

She giggled as he threw switches in what looked like random order, and may very well have been, given what he said. "Random mode? Oh, that's brilliant! Anywhere, anywhen and it's the TARDIS that does all the choosing!"

"But Dad, why do you have a coat rack you never use?"

"I use it sometimes," The Doctor replied, nudging Jenny's shoulder as he fiddled with more dials, spinning them to random destinations and times as the TARDIS saw fit.

"Random mode? Oh, that's brilliant! Anywhere, anywhen and it's the TARDIS that does all the choosing!"

When every switch and dial seemed to have stabilised itself, he pulled the lever again and they bumped to a stop. "And this is the fun part. There could be anything out there. Anything at all, just on the other side of that door." He beamed at Jenny, gesturing for her to do the honours. "Go on, you know you want to see."

"Only sometimes?" She grinned and watched him fiddle with the controls, hanging on as the shaking and bumping continued. One day, she promised herself - one day she'd be able to do all this. And it would be amazing! "Will you give me lessons in piloting the TARDIS sometime?"

The jostling of the landing didn't phase her (much) this time, and Jenny couldn't stop beaming as her dad rambled on. "Oh, this is going to be so much fun! Thankyou!" She hugged him tight, and then let go to run to the doors and throw them open enthusiastically. Fearlessly, she stepped outside and spun in a slow circle, taking in the scenery.

"Will you give me lessons in piloting the TARDIS sometime?"

"Of course! Plenty of time for that. If Donna can get the hang of it...mostly...then I'm sure you can pick it up in no time!"

The Doctor grinned so wide his face hurt as Jenny hugged him tight and then threw the doors open to stare around in wonder.

"So what've we got?" The Doctor stepped out to join her, quickly stepping back as he almost stepped off a cliff edge that would have sent him tumbling into a crater.

Staring around and then down, he found he was looking at what appeared to be a highly populated moon. The slight orange tint to the sky was the only sign that they were inside a field that must be keeping in the atmosphere and down below them was a mighty conglomeration of a city built right into the rock... spanning out as far as the eye could see.

"Donna can pilot the TARDIS? How come she never said? But I can't wait for lessons!"

Jenny winced as her dad almost walked right over the edge of the cliff, and sighed in relief as he caught himself. She'd have grabbed him, but it's much better that she didn't have to. Joining him on the edge, she stared down at the conglomeration beneath them. A huge city, as far as she could see, and it was all built into the rock with arching bridges connecting various sections.

"Oh, this is brilliant! Look down there, it's fantastic! They've built their city into the canyon!"

"Donna can pilot the TARDIS? How come she never said? But I can't wait for lessons!"

The Doctor grimaced at that. "Pilot might be too strong a word, but she did get me to giver her a lesson once." He nodded in thought and added in a mumble: "Just when I was beginning to think there wasn't anything left in the universe to terrify me."

"Anyway..." taking a deep breath, he stared down into the canyon again.

"Oh, this is brilliant! Look down there, it's fantastic! They've built their city into the canyon!"

"Shall we?" The Doctor hooked Jenny's elbow into his and headed off around the canyon's edge. "It looks like there might be a way down over there." He pointed to something that looked like a large escalator, flanked by several glass-doored lifts that sparkled in the sunlight.

"Well okay, a lesson does not a pilot make." Jenny elbowed him, gently, for that mumbled comment. "I heard every word, Dad. And that wasn't nice."

But indeed, anyway. She beamed and tucked her arm into his and bounced as they walked along the edge toward sparkling lifts and a very large escalator. "Have you ever been anywhere like this before? And can we take the escalator? Or would it be better to take a lift, maybe they have maps in the lifts..."

"I heard every word, Dad. And that wasn't nice."

The Doctor smiled impishly for a moment, before coughing to hide it.

"Have you ever been anywhere like this before? And can we take the escalator? Or would it be better to take a lift, maybe they have maps in the lifts..."

"Yeah, lifts work for me," he replied. "It's... I think I have been here before. I've seen the city anyway. It was a long while ago though, and a lot further in the future... when the people were gone. But the city was here still. I think we're on the Malmooth homeworld, Malcassairo."

As he rambled, trying to reconcile the dead city he'd witnessed at the end of the universe with the thriving one he saw now, they grew nearer to the lifts and the Malmooth who were operating and using them. Well, that confirmed his theory, anyway.

"Hi. Excuse me." He waved to one of the Malmoothians walking toward the nearest lift.

The Malmooth turned to greet them.

"Gar-Yes-Thos?" He answered, politely. The Malmooth's mandibles twitched as he spoke and he inclined his blue-skinned head.

"I'm the Doctor and this is Jenny. We're visitors. Is it alright if we share the lift?"

"Gar- I am GarThos -Thos. Gar- Of course you may -Thos."

Jenny listened attentively to her dad as they walked, wondering what he'd been doing so far in the future when Malcassairo was a dead world. He didn't really go into details, just mostly spent his time comparing the dead city he remembered to the vibrant and thriving conglomerate they saw now. But she could ask him later, because they were coming up to the lifts and there were Malmoothians around...and it'd be kind of mean for them to hear about what their world was eventually going to look like. Especially since it was so pretty now.

"Thanks GarThos, that's really nice of you." That was a strange speech-pattern though, bracketing his name around whatever he was saying. She hoped they wouldn't make her and her dad talk like that though...it'd get awkward.

Stepping into the lift - the clear walls of which would likely make a person bad with heights feel mighty heady - the Doctor found a sort of touchscreen within the one wall that faced the rock.

As the lift slowly descended into the canyon, he idly touched it, finding various maps and site descriptions. "Gar- Those are all over the city -Thos," GarThos helpfully informed them, bobbing his head peacefully and shooting The Doctor a shy smile.

"Very nice, thank you." The Doctor smiled, turning back to the rather spectacular view of the city they were passing through.

"What do you think? Should we head straight down to ground level, Jenny? Start at the bottom?" he asked. It was a random suggestion for a random trip through time and space. After all, he was as new to the city as his daughter.

Jenny split her attention between the absolutely stellar view of the city and the maps that were called up. Some of the site descriptions looked fascinating...especially what appeared to be the main shopping district, somewhere in the middle of the city. She'd noted mention of food stalls and restaurants, and she was a bit peckish.

"Why don't we start in the middle and work our way out from there?" She grinned at him before looking out the lift again to watch the city rise around them. "It's so beautiful here."

"Why don't we start in the middle and work our way out from there?" She grinned at him before looking out the lift again to watch the city rise around them. "It's so beautiful here."

The Doctor bumped Jenny's shoulder, staring out to the view. "Lovely! Middle it is."

The lift paused as GarThos stepped out. "Gar- goodbye -Thos," he said, before stepping out into the city.

The Doctor waved as the door closed. He counted two more levels until they were right in the middle of the city...at least according to the maps. "Off we go then."

The doors opened onto a market place and the Doctor stopped just beyond the doors, breathing in the lush scents of sweet spices and immersing himself in the sounds of the crowd of chattering Malmoothians.

Yen- Hot cakes, get your hot cake -Tho!
Hon- Decorative Mandible warmers, half price -Choo!

The Doctor's mouth twitched into a smile. No matter where they were in the universe, markets were fun!

Jenny stepped from the lift into the scents and sounds of a thriving market and beamed. This was a lot better than she'd been expecting; an actual market - not a stuffy line of stores, an actual market! She giggled and took her dad's hand to tug him straight into the crowds. "Come on! We'll never see it all if we just stand here!"

All around them the market bustled, hawkers cried their wares and other Malmoothians chattered away, and Jenny was in the thick of it smiling and looking at everything in wonder. A little further along, she dropped his hand to make a beeline for one of the stalls, draped in scarves and veils of every shade imaginable and tinted with an indescribable iridescence.

"Oh, they're beautiful!" She beamed at the Malmoothian, who smiled back.

"Shen - Made of the finest sal-silk and hand-woven - Tho. Shen - Feel free to examine them - Tho."

"Really? Thank you!" Jenny gently touched one and then held it out, watching the play of light bring out even more subtle colors as the delicate fabric moved.

The Doctor laughed as he let himself be pulled along through the streets of the crowded market. He liked seeing Jenny this happy and carefree and knowing it was, in part at least, his doing. It felt right. It'd been so long since he'd had a family, but it was fabulous and he wasn't about to let Jenny go again.

Suddenly, she dropped his hand to make a beeline for one of the stalls, draped in scarves and veils that twinkled colourfully in the light. She talked to the stall owner briefly before gently touched one and then holding it out.

"We'll take two," he told the stall keeper, picking up another scarf in various shades of blue. "This one brings out your eyes," he commented, smiling just because she was happy.

Jenny hadn't even noticed her dad walk up, so entranced was she by the play of light and color in the violet scarf she'd picked out. Not till she heard him say "We'll take two."

Turning, she saw him holding another scarf in all the shades of blue imaginable, and didn't even notice what he'd said about it bringing out her eyes. She was just a little too busy pounce-hugging him and babbling. "Thankyouthankyouthankyou!"

The Doctor caught Jenny in his arms and hugged back, handing the grinning vendor a credit chip, before tugging Jenny's hand and setting off again.

"Come on, I don't know about you, but I can smell something like cinnamon and chocolate and if it tastes half as good as it smells, I want one." The Doctor followed his nose toward another vendor selling frothy, multicoloured drinks and asked for two.

He took a delighted sip of the beverage. "Now, this is fun!" He grinned at Jenny, multicoloured froth on his nose!

Jenny laughed as she caught up with her dad, her newly purchased scarves bouncing in a bag attached to her wrist. "Ooh, it smells wonderful!" And reminded her that she'd been getting more than a little hungry before the scarves distracted her.

At the stall, she giggled and took a deep sip of her own cup of the frothy stuff, resulting not only in some on her nose but in a multicolored froth mustache as well. "It's fantastic! I'm so glad we came here!"

The Doctor laughed again, linking arms with Jenny and marching them further along the stalls. "Let's go find some food. I'm starved, what about you?"

Jenny laughed and walked with him, arm in arm as they wandered further into the marked. "Oh, I'm famished!" She glanced sidelong at him, an impish little grin curling her lips. "It's kind of why I suggested we start in the middle. Though I really wasn't expecting anything this wonderful!"

She beamed and skipped a little because she could, though soon enough she dragged her dad to a halt. "Smell that? Waft of honey and meat and...pastry, yeah? Let's go find it!"

There was something about a Timelord's senses. They were so much more heightened than human senses, but only for certain things. Peculiar things. Certain tastes, certain smells were just... well, delightful! Then others would leave The Doctor gagging or crinkling his nose and holding his breath, when nobody else seemed to have a problem with it.

It was part of what made him alien (alien everywhere he went), but since he'd been the last Timelord, he never assumed he'd have someone else that would share these particular sensory preferences with him. He supposed Jenny, being technically a clone, would share his own peculiarities all the more, but it still seemed a wonderous thing to the Doctor that just as his nose started to twitch at a particularly fabulous smell, an aroma that had his mouth watering almost instantly, just then, Jenny spoke up, grabbing his arm to lead them to it's source.

"Smell that? Waft of honey and meat and...pastry, yeah? Let's go find it!"

And he was more than happy to oblige, as they quite literally began following their noses; the two of them laughing and running through the crowds, down small ally ways behind stalls and through stalls and out to the very edge of the marketplace, before they finally found its source.

Jenny had been slowly learning to deal with having heightened senses compared to humans and tastes that would sometimes make them stare at her in bewilderment. Not that she didn't do likewise, but until she'd run into her dad again she'd never thought she would find someone else who shared her particular sensory experiences with, much less preferences. Here they were though, and she could tell the moment she finished talking that not only had her dad smelled it too, but found the delicate trace of scent just as appealing as she did.

It was grand running just to run with him; through the crowds and down the little alleyways, dodging collisions and laughing the entire time. And that tantalizing aroma just kept getting stronger, occasionally developing overtones of spices that made it all the more appealing. At the very edge of the market, they finally tracked down the source; a stall -or maybe it was an extremely large cart - that sold meat pasties. Made with performance cooking, even - the two Malmoothians prepared each one in front of their customers with such flair that Jenny couldn't help grinning in surprised delight. "Fantastic!"

"Oh, fantastic," the Doctor agreed watching as the Malmoothian flipped his order off the pan and into the bowl the Doctor held.

He grinned, holding the bowl out, so that he could point out the sauces he wanted on top, before taking a huge bite. The pie was hot and he danced about a bit as it burnt his tongue, but it was every bit as good in taste as the aroma they'd followed suggested.

"Oh, we need more of these," The Doctor stated, as soon as he could talk again. He found a nearby bench, dragging Jenny over to sit down beside him, so he could watch the performing pie makers make him more pies.

Jenny giggled as he did the 'ow hot hot' dance, and neatly caught her own order. After getting the same sauces her dad had picked out, she took a more careful bite...and still wound up doing an 'ow hot hot' dance of her own. But as soon as she recovered, she beamed. "S'wonderful!"

She sat down by her dad and finished her pie, then leaned her head on his shoulder as they watched the performance art continuing on. "Definitely need more of these." She hugged him and smiled as she continued. "Thanks for this, Dad. It's just completely brilliant."

In the back of her mind though, she couldn't help but wonder what sort of chaos would break loose now. It was always the same - whenever she started to relax, something would always happen. And with the two of them together...well, who knew what sort of catastrophe would occur?

Jenny sat down by her dad and finished her pie, then leaned her head on his shoulder as they watched the performance art continuing on. "Definitely need more of these." She hugged him and smiled as she continued. "Thanks for this, Dad. It's just completely brilliant."

The Doctor smiled. Just hearing Jenny call him "Dad" seemed to make him glow these days. It was hard to believe how close they'd become in such a short time. He leaned his chin down to touch the soft hair on her head, before turning back to watch the performance.

"Jenny? I know I never asked before, I mean, it was so great to see you... Brilliant that you'd come back. But, you know I wouldn't have left you, if I'd... I really thought I'd lost you." He continued to stare at the pie-makers as he spoke, his voice soft with a sort of sad regret, but Jenny had her head so close that she would no doubt hear him.