Book 1, Chapter 8 - Tea in the Vortex

Chapter Eight — Tea in the Vortex

For once, nobody is trying to kill them.

The TARDIS drifts quietly through the Vortex while the Doctor attempts something unexpectedly difficult:

Stopping.

There is tea. There are books. There are repairs that can wait until tomorrow. Ava begins settling into the impossible ship, while the Doctor discovers that becoming Unified has not magically resolved the weight of everything he remembers.

Without a monster to fight or a universe to save, there is nowhere for either of them to hide.

Between cups of tea and unfinished conversations, the Doctor and Ava begin learning who they are when survival is no longer the only task.

Sometimes the quiet moments are the ones that catch up with you.