Key to the TARDIS (Doctor x Reader)

It was a cool fall day and the sky was partially cloudy. As you walked through the park, the wind picked up, and you pulled your jacket tighter around you. Then you noticed, amidst the fluttering leaves, something silver glinting in the grass. You strolled off the path slightly and picked it up. It was a key. A simple round key.
Knowing someone had probably lost it and would come looking for it, you thought for a moment that maybe you should just leave it. Then, all of the sudden, the clouds opened up and released a torrent of rain. You yelped in shock and slipped the key into your pocket, rushing off toward your apartment.

It had been a few days and you still carried the key in your pocket. It wasn't really a choice. You just seemed to subconsciously put it in any pocket you had.
Currently, you had taken a short trip down to a little café and ordered your (preferred beverage). As you sat in a seat next to the front window, something across the road caught your eye. It was wedged into an alley.
You quickly finished off your beverage and made your way out the shop, throwing away the cup as you went. You crossed the street carefully and approached the odd object. A blue Police box, according to the sign at the top.
You looked it over and quickly tried to open it. First pulling on the handle as the sign suggested. Then pressing against it when that didn't work. When it still wouldn't budge, you noticed a key hole. You were about to give up and walk away when you remembered what was in your pocket. You dug your hand into your jacket and pulled out the key you had found earlier that week. You looked back and forth between the key and the lock. You knew it probably wouldn't work. How could it? You took the chance anyway. You lifted the key to the lock and carefully slid it in. It fit perfectly. You squealed with joy. It wasn't everyday that you found an unknown key, then days later found the lock it fit into.
You considered just leaving the key there. It's not like there would be anything interesting in a tiny box. Plus, it was locked. That meant whoever owned it, didn't want strangers poking their heads in. But the sign /did/ say "public", and why would someone lock a public Police box anyway? Unless they were hiding something... You decided to just take one little peek. Glancing around quickly to see if anyone was nearby, you turned the key quickly and pulled on the door. It didn't open. You grunted in frustration and hit the door with your fist. It responded by slowly swinging open. You grinned, took the key from the lock, and slipped inside. Then you closed the door behind you.
Finally, you actually looked at the inside of the box. Your jaw dropped. The inside was enormous. You thought it was a tiny box, but perhaps it was actually a building. That couldn't be possible, though. It was too short and narrow to hold a room like this. You closed your mouth and shook out of your awe. Scanning the larger-than-the-outside room, you realized it was empty, which was perfectly fine. You didn't want to have to explain to the owner how you had gotten in.
Then you noticed a strange counter-type thing in the middle of the room, with a glowing tube in its center. As you approached it, you saw that it had knobs, buttons, and levers scattered across it. You were careful not to disturb any of it and continued to look around, discovering a stairway on the other side of the room. Excited to see what else this strange place held, you ascended the staircase.

A few hours of exploring the endless and fascinating... place, and you began to feel the familiar emptiness of hunger in your stomach. Though the rooms were exiting and interesting— some including music of all eras and instruments, another like a jungle, and even a room seemingly without gravity— you knew it was time for you to head back home and leave the strange place for whoever owned it.
You headed back the way you came, but realized that it looked completely different. Or was it that it all looked the same? In any respect, you tried to locate your position by checking one of the rooms. You quickly opened a door and bright light streamed out. You shielded your eyes, and waited until they adjusted. The first thing you noticed, was that the light felt like sunlight. When you finally looked into the room, you saw a field. An endless looking field that was growing something that seemed like popcorn. Except that it came in all colors and was growing out of corn cobs.
You quickly closed the door and continued down the hallway you thought you had come from. You kept walking along the twisting and turning halls, growing increasingly tired and hungry.

You had no idea how long it had been, but your body was telling you that if you didn't get food or water soon, you were going to collapse. You wished you could find the popcorn room again, but it was somewhere lost in the halls behind you and you didn't want to risk getting more lost than you were. Not that you could get anymore lost. You were beginning to regret entering a strange building and walking deeper into its infinite corridors.
As you stumbled through another door, you found an orchard. It had odd trees that looked like they were made of crystal, and golden fruit hung from the branches. The fruit looked slightly like apple and plum hybrids. Hunger and curiosity made you pluck one of the shiny fruits. You tentatively bit into it. One of the most wonderful tastes you had ever experienced exploded over your taste buds. The fruit itself was crisp and juicy. It's flavor wasn't describable by any words that you knew. You finished three of the fruits and stuffed another in your jacket pocket for later. In case you still couldn't find the exit.
The next few rooms were almost normal, except for their size. You passed a kitchen, closet, and a lounge area. All impossibly and unnecessarily large. Finally, you saw a library. You almost felt tempted to stay, but you knew you had to find a way out, not a reason to move in. You quickly shut the door and continued on.
It wasn't long after, that you began to grow tired. Your eyelids were growing heavy and your legs were starting to wobble. You were getting scared that it was an effect of the fruit. You pulled it out of your pocket and examined the object. It was smooth and soft. The entirety of the skin was gold, and glittered almost by itself. You were mesmerized by it and brought it closer to your face as you continued to walk.
You breathed in the scent of it. The intoxicating smell seemed like an island flower and something else you couldn't quite place. Suddenly your eyes blurred and your senses shut down. Just for a moment. Almost like it didn't happen at all. You tried to shake away the cloudiness now invading your head, but it didn't seem to want to clear. You moved the fruit away from your face and continued the search for the exit, almost not noticing the numbness beginning to spread throughout your body.
Soon after, you turned another corner and saw the long searched for room you had entered from. You almost screamed with joy. At least you would have if your voice hadn't seemed to have stopped working. You lurched toward the railing and your eyes brightened at the glow of the tube-thing. You were three quarters down the stairs when you realized a strange man was standing at the counter. /He must be the owner/, you thought. Your scrambling caught the man's attention and he spun around to see you. His face held a look of utter shock.
You touched your feet to the ground, but before you could say a thing, the man pulled out a strange buzzing contraption and pointed it at you. You froze. He watched you closely and threatened, "Don't move! I'm warning you, this is a highly dangerous weapon!" When you made no effort to move, he continued, "Now I demand that you tell me who sent you! And how did you get in here?!" You tried to explain, but still nothing would come out of your mouth. Frustrated, you tried to pull out the key to show him. At first he continued to threaten you with the weapon, but you signaled that you meant no harm. He relaxed slightly, and you dug into your pocket to retrieve the key. With your fingers growing numb, it was hard to grasp, but you managed to pull it out. You cupped the key in your palm, not trusting your fingers to hold it, and brought your hands to your face. The intoxicating smell enveloped you and you finally realized that the golden fruit was still in your other hand.
The odd sensation of your senses shutting down fell over you, but this time it was stronger. You tried to call out for help, but with no voice, your mouth gaped silently. The man watched you with curiosity and wariness, still not trusting the stranger that had entered his domain unannounced. Now you felt your knees grow weak, and all of your bones turn to jelly. What was happening to you?!
With blackness threatening the edges of your eyes, you looked at the man with petrified fear.

Doctor's POV:
I was just able to catch the girl before her limp body hit the floor. Sure, she's an intruding stranger, that may or may not be dangerous, but that doesn't mean I'm going to abandon manners.
After I caught her, I quickly scanned her with my sonic screwdriver. She was human. Not surprising, as I was currently parked on Earth. The problem was how she had gotten in. I could've sworn the TARDIS was locked when I left.
Then I looked at her hands. First I saw the TARDIS key. Well, that solves how she got in, but still... Where could she have gotten it? That was when I saw the Golense fruit that had fallen from her other hand. A cold fear ran through me. I immediately picked up the girl and started running through the TARDIS halls. A few moments later, I rushed into the infirmary and set her gently on a bed. Questions could wait. I had to be fast, soon her breathing would cease, and her heart would stop.

Your POV:
You woke up slowly, as if from a wonderful dream. Your sight was blurry and your senses dull, so that you almost believed you were still dreaming. You shook your head to clear it and finally noticed the respirator attached to your head. You moved your arm to take it off, when it got caught on something. You looked at the offending arm and saw an IV taped to it. A strange neon blue liquid was being flowed into your veins. Your eyes widened at the unknown substance. You immediately ripped off the IV, then proceeded to detach yourself from the respirator. As soon as you were free, you sat up. That wasn't a very good choice, as your head began to spin. Once you could see straight, you cautiously slid off the cot-type thing.
When your bare feet touched the cold floor, you realized your shoes were gone. You looked around and saw them at the end of the cot. You quickly grabbed them and put them on. While you were putting on your shoes, you tried to remember where you were.
It took a bit of work to get your brain back to full functioning mode, but you finally did. The pieces of memories began to fall into place in your mind, like autumn leaves on a pond. The strange lost key. The odd blue Police box that never ended. The golden fruit. The owner with his threats and weapon. You must have blacked out.
Just as you were standing, the man from the front room walked in, staring at a paper. You made a slight squeak that startled him. He looked up at you and simply said, "Oh. You're up. That's good." When you took a step back, he quickly added, "I'm sorry if I scared you. A strange man walking in on you after you wake up in a strange room... That certainly is terrifying isn't it? Though technically your the one that walked in on me earlier. But that's not the point!" You continued to stare at him blankly. He didn't seem to notice and went on, "I just... It's just that... Well I brought you here because you blacked out. You see, you had apparently eaten some Golense fruit. Quite a lot of it actually. Which is definitely not good... But you're alright now! I made sure of that. Just did a few last tests and it looks like you'll be fine, with no long term effects!" He waved the paper enthusiasticly. For some reason, you weren't feeling the same excitement. In fact, you were more frustrated and confused. You had so many questions for this man and had no idea where to start. What was this place? How can it be so large, yet so small? Who was he? How did he come to own such a befuddling box? What was a Golense fruit? Why is it so bad to eat? What had it done to you?! Before you could even get the beginning of a question out, the man said, "How about we sit somewhere and talk? I probably owe you some explanations, and you definitely owe me a few." You nodded weakly and allowed the man to escort you through the halls you had explored earlier.

You arrived at the ridiculously large lounge area you had passed during your explorations. He guided you to a comfortable chair and invited you to sit. You complied, and began to fiddle in nervousness.
The man sat across from you and spoke up first, "Let's start with introductions. I'm the Doctor. You are...?" You stopped fiddling and looked up at the man that called himself by an occupation. You gave him an odd look and tentatively stated, "____." He grinned and replied, "Well it's great to finally meet you ____! Lovely name by the way!" After a pause, he continued, "Now, I believe you were trying to give me this, before you blacked out?" He pulled the silver key from one of his pockets. You nodded hesitantly. There was no point trying to lie. You had intruded, and he deserved to interrogate you.
"I-I found it. A few days ago. It was just lying in the park... On the ground..."
The man nodded and seemed to think to himself for a moment. When he didn't reply, you decided to ask your own question, "W-Where am I?" The Doctor snapped out of his daze and smiled at your question, "Earth, of course. Where else?" He smirked as if there was more to the 'where else?'.
You shook your head. "No. I mean... I mean, yes, of course but... What is this place?"
"My TARDIS." There was that smile again, as if there was more to what he said. You stared at him, your brows wrinkling in confusion. His grin widened, and he elaborated, "Stands for Time And Relative Dimension In Space."
"What does it do? I mean, it was smaller on the outside... If I remember correctly..."
"Ah, yes! It's bigger on the inside! Smaller on the outside! And travels in time and space!"
You stared at the Doctor in shock, your eyes wide. "What?!"
He sent you a mischievous glance, "Would you like me to show you?"
"Wh-what?", it was all you could sputter out. And before you could make any objections, the Doctor had grabbed your hand and rushed off, with you trailing behind him.

As you stepped into the front room, the one with the counter full of buttons and levers, the Doctor released your hand. He raced up to said counter and began to flip the switches and pull the knobs. You stepped up to it cautiously, still wary of breaking something.
He jumped around the counter excitedly. Finally he stopped, his hand on a lever. He grinned and shouted to you, "Hold onto something!" He yanked the lever and you were immediately thrown to the ground. You frantically grabbed at the counter in front of you to pull yourself up.
When you were finally standing again, the jostling stopped. The Doctor walked past you towards the doors, waving his hand slightly, inviting you to follow. You joined him as he swung them open.
As you looked out, you gasped and stumbled back. The Doctor put his hand lightly on your back to steady you, his joy evident on his face. Before you, was... Space. Real, actual space. Stars and galaxies and nebulas. All moving and changing, right in front of you. You tore your eyes away from it all, and asked worriedly, "H-how are we breathing?"
"The TARDIS. She's protecting us. Think of it as a force field around the whole ship."
You absentmindedly replied, "Force field. Space ship and time travel. Bigger in the inside, smaller on the outside. Dangerous fruit... I'm dreaming aren't I?"
The Doctor laughed. "Well, I hope not! Because then I could never ask you to travel with me!"
"What?", you asked, a strange feeling of excitement and hope filling you inside. The Doctor replied, "Yes! You can travel with me! This universe is too big to enjoy alone! And you don't have to worry about getting home on time, because it has a time travel setting, too!" Your mouth slightly opened, but you didn't know how to respond.
"Just say yes! I promise it'll be worth it! It'll be the best experience you've ever had!" With his goofy grin making your heart swell, you only knew one answer to give, "Yes. I'd love to travel all of space and time with you."
"Fantastic! Brilliant! (Allons-y/ Geronimo) ____!"
The Doctor ran back to what must be the controls of the ship, and began to push the buttons and twist the thingy-mabobs. You smiled and joined him at the final lever.
"Would you like to do the honors?" He gestured at the black lever. Your eyes lit up with excitement, "Really?"
"Of course! (Allons-y/ Geronimo)!" You grinned, "Then, Let's go!", and pulled down the lever. A whirring sound filled the air.