Suddenly....Paris (Annie)

The ride was far from smooth. The room in which Annie stood (as much as one can stand, giving the circumstances) was now tipping and tilting this way and that, threatening to toss the pair of travelers right against the wall. Or that wall. Or both of them at the same time, if they hit the wrong rift. For a first trip in the TARDIS, this one was a doozy, considering they were supposed to be going just across the channel.

"WELCOME TO THE TARDIS!" The Doctor called over the sound of the engines and the rumbling that seemed to be emitting both from outside and inside the ship at the same time. "WE'RE ON OUR WAY TO PARIS NOW. SEE, NO WATER AT ALL!" He reached up and grabbed a leather strap and used another sudden momentum shift to swing around the console. "ON THAT NOTE, YOU MIGHT WANT TO STAY OUT OF THE LIBRARY FOR NOW. AT SOME POINT, SOME IDIOT MANAGED TO MISPLACE A SWIMMING POOL THERE." He gazed down at a screen, taking a few moments and blinking in surprise. "Oh, dear, SORRY, OVERSHOT IT A BIT, THAT WAS GERMANY." As he said that final word, the TARDIS gave another great jolt, and the Doctor winced. "...Well, I'm sure they didn't need that wall anyway..." he muttered under his breath, quietly enough so that Annie wouldn't hear over the roar of sound around them.

"FIXING IT NOW!" He fiddled with a few controls, and started counting off "One...two...THREE!" At his exclamation, he yanked down a lever and the TARDIS came to a sudden, jolting halt. The console calmed, the sound died down, and finally there seemed to be some peace. The Doctor straightened himself up and brushed off the front of his coat. He paced evenly and calmly right over to the doors, then turned and smiled at his companion. "And here we are. Right through these doors is the Eastern shore of L'Île de la Cité de Paris." He smiled and opened the door, cordially bowing her out.

Indeed, just outside the door was an entirely different scene from the one which they had just left just a minute or so ago. There was still some foliage about, but it was certainly not the forest near Dover. And just to put a full stop after that, before them, just a short distance away, rose a gigantic building. It might be hard to identify immediately, but the towers nearest the parking spot of the police box, on the western side of the building, were impossible to mistake. This was Notre-Dame.

However, something still seemed of about it. Mostly that it was now quite earlier in the day, but also that something looked strange about the building itself. The design was...different. Somehow. Newer. Also, the tourists one might expect to see weren't present. Instead, only a few people roamed around, and mostly they carried construction materials.

Oh, it could stand to be mentioned that the Doctor had forgotten to mention that the TARDIS was a time machine. He stood there, beaming to himself, waiting for Annie to soak in the atmosphere of the Paris she had so longed to see.

Annie was pretty sure she was going to die. She'd been on all the carnival rides Blackpool had to offer and none were as bouncing, shaking, and lunch-losing as a ride in this... TARDIS thing. She held onto the console for dear life, yelping as it felt like they'd crashed into something.

When it finally came to a stop, she sighed in relief and sunk to the floor, catching her breath. She'd been holding it without even realizing, certain their transport was going to fall apart at the seams at any moment. "Some advanced alien technology..." she thought to herself, then the Doctor opened the doors.

The fresh air was a help and her excitement was palpable. Forgetting the rocky mode of transportation the woman ran out and gazed around with a wide grin. "Oh my god, this is Paris! And that... that's Notre Dame!" she ran up to the famed building. "Oh, I almost wanna kiss it! Never thought I'd get to see it in person, y'know? It's even prettier than the pictures. Must'a done some restoration work on it or somethin'..." she muttered, reaching out and put her hand to the wall. "Wow... Doctor, this is incredible." she looked back. Then paused. Had a bit of a look-around.

"...Doctor? M'not the trendiest girl, but... m'pretty sure fashion in Paris didn't go... super retro... And the contruction stuff." With an eyebrow quirked, Annie looked to her fellow traveler, "What's goin' on?"

"Well, of course!"  The Doctor replied to her query.  "Why on Earth would you want to go to 21st century Paris?  It's so.....bland.  So boring.  So packed with tourists and flashy cameras...If you want to see Notre Dame, you simply must see it right as it's completed!"

The Doctor, still completely oblivious to the fact that some people among present company may not be used to the idea of time travel quite yet, peered around the area, beaming with interest.  While he wasn't exactly a practitioner of religion himself, he was always amazed by the scale of the buildings the religious could come up with, and the fine detail they would put into even the simplest of their places of worship, when the time was allowed to them. And what a fair bit of time was allowed to this behemoth of a church.  Over a hundred years, three bishops, two Kings, and countless man-hours had been poured into this masterpiece.  But here it was, in all its original glory.  The large stained glass windows that would eventually be replaced with geometric designs currently held biblical scenes.  The spire in the center of the cathedral seemed quite a bit shorter than the modern day one.  But those towers were still there, still just as majestic.

"I believe..."  The Doctor said after a pause to admire the view, "They're just finishing up.  Look, they're bringing construction materials out now!  I believe that by the end of this day, the cathedral will be completed.  I would venture to say that we've some pretty good timing."  He chimed, a little sing-songy tone entering his voice.  He bounced on his toes and grinned.  "We're going to be among the first to see it completed!  ...Well, we'll be among the first to see it as completed as it gets, anyway.  Isn't that exciting?" He asked and turned to Annie, a bit of a gleeful glint in his eye.

"We're... not in th' 21st century?" Annie slowly walked over to a nearby cafe table and fell into one of the chairs, gawking around at everything and everyone around her. "'ow... 'ow is that possible? 'ow are we able t'be 'ere seein' them just as they finish building Notre Dame?"

She shook her head in disbelief, looking to The Doctor for an answer before being distracted again. Two ladies at another table were whispering, not very quietly, about how Annie seemed to have forgotten to dress completely. The girl was about to stand and give them a word when she stopped and turned back to her traveling companion, "And why's everyone in France speakin' english?"

The Doctor stood silently for a moment while Annie's internal crisis, letting her work things out.  Or maybe he was just caught up in the atmosphere.  He was probably just caught up in the atmosphere.  Her last question caught his attention, however.

"Of course, how silly of me!" he responded cheerfully.  "Here, I'll explain as you get changed."  He urged her up and then steered her back into the TARDIS, then through the hallways and to a changing room, which seemed complete with an almost suspiciously convenient assortment of period French clothing.

"The TARDIS has what's called a "translation circuit" installed.  Anyone who rides in this TARDIS becomes psychically connected to the circuit, and it translates what you hear and what you say into the most appropriate language for the person you're speaking to.  In this case, the most convenient language is French.  You will understand more or less everything that you hear, assuming it makes sense to begin with, and also assuming that it is being spoken or written in a language my TARDIS understands, of which there are several billion.  You'll never have need for a translator again!"  He beamed, standing outside the changing room and occasionally glancing at his wrist as if he were wearing a watch, or as if a watch would make that much of a difference considering he wasn't actually sure exactly what time it was anyway.

"Wait, so you're sayin' that your blue box is inside me 'ead? ...S'not gonna start broadcastin' me thoughts around is it?" Annie was shoved into the wardrobe and began to look around, rifling through rows upon rows and drawers on top of drawers of clothes from every era she could imagine and a good amount that wouldn't have looked out of place in Star Wars or something like that, she thought. "Woulda been nice t'mention it were a time machine, too!" she called through the door.

She found a dress, just grabbing one from the rack that seemed pretty similar to what the gossiping ladies had worn and began to change, a few muttered swear words escaping from under the door as she did. Soon enough the door opened and Annie stepped out in her 14th century dress, crossing her arms. It was a strange contrast to her usual casual punk, or perhaps it was just lazy, look. "I feel ridiculous."

"Of course it won't!" The Doctor called through the door.  Well, it probably wouldn't anyway.  "It's completely harmless.  Just a simple psychic tweak, and it lets you speak, understand, and read any language necessary."  He hummed a moment until she said something else.  Then he felt a slight twitch come into his eye.  "Did I not?  Then yes, I suppose it would have been nice to mention that it was a time machine."  Suddenly, he found himself weighing the fact that Mel, who never made such a mockery of the language with the fact that she had forced him on an exercise bike and given him that horrid carrot juice.  "It's the TARDIS.  That stands for Time And Relative Dimension In Space.  What did you think the "Time" part was referring to?"

When she emerged in her new dress, the Doctor beamed.  "Well, feeling ridiculous or not, you look the part.  You'll fit right in.  You may even be a bit fashion forward.  Either way, you won't get an angry mob chasing you down for being a gypsy.  Now, then!" The Doctor called into the echoing halls of the TARDIS, "Let's go to church!"  Truly, one of the few times he had said that in his life.  But the first congregation in the newly completed Notre Dame?  How could he simply not go?

The cathedral's architecture, the pair would notice when they finally managed to get inside and find a seat somewhat near the door, was an almost surreal sight.  The high vaulted ceiling, the stained glass windows, the arches along either side of the room they sat in, all fresh and relatively new, even though the first laid stone had been over a century old.  And this all might have been more interesting had the Doctor not been prattling on about random facts from the moment they stepped outside the TARDIS.

"Doctor, I 'ave the pamphlet in me backpack. Shush." she put a finger to her lips as they found their seats. "I wanna enjoy bein' 'ere, an' you goin' all museum curator is killin' the mood of bein' a time traveler." she said with a wide grin, fumbling with her dress until she found a way to sit comfortably.

Annie gazed around in wonder at the young, ancient building as Parisians filed in. "I can't believe we're sittin' in a piece'a 'istory!" she whispered excitedly, looking to the Time Lord. "I mean, I know I would be if I'd, y'know, traveled 'ere normally but this is... this is sittin' in a time of 'istory!" she babbled a bit before she caught on and slowed down, taking a deep breath.

"Sorry. Bit excited." Annie blushed, nervously running a hand through her hair. "...I dunno 'ow you do this. If I 'ad a time machine, I'd probably be fan-girlin' throughout the ages. Not to mention a spaceship. I mean... I don't even know what amazin' things are 'appenin' out there but Earth is just one planet and... Ooh, me 'ead might just pop!" she laughed.

The Doctor let out a harrumph of indignation, his mouth curling into a deep frown.  He was beginning to remember why he hadn’t wanted to take any companions along.  Still...at least her interest was earnest.  Though, when she began to babble at length herself, he rolled his eyes at the sheer hypocrisy of it.  Still, he fell quiet.  For now.  Instead, he started looking around the room, trying to take in the crowd as much as he could.  As another churchgoer entered the church and passed them, The Doctor suddenly lifted his head and tweaked it to the side, giving them a sidelong glance.  He blinked just a bit, then smiled, settling back into his chair without a word.

But then it happened again.  Not the next person, but about four people afterwards.  Then the one after that, as well.  The Doctor’s eyebrows raised, his lips pursed, and he tried not to make it too obvious to the passers by when he looked at them.  But still, they were there, and he couldn’t quite ignore it fully.Finally, he gave one last scan of the room, counting in his head.  It was only at this point that he let out the breath he’d been holding.

Then, he grinned.  As subtly as he could, he leaned over towards Annie, whispering low to avoid the other people around him hearing.  ”Pareesans.”  He chuckled to himself, but before anything further could be said the mass started in earnest.

It honestly wasn’t all that spectacular.  It was a typical, dour 1250’s Parisian service.  Complete with, The Doctor noticed specifically with a small smile, a rather powerful incense.  Despite a bit of a cough that sounded from nearly everyone in the cathedral, The Doctor fell quiet, simply experiencing everything around him.  And, once it ended, he waited patiently, quietly, as people began filing out.  Once they were mostly gone, he turned to his newfoud companion and shot her a smile.  ”How would you like to meet the direct descendants of aliens?”

Annie coughed and fanned her face, hoping to dispel the lingering incense around her as the service went on. Could they make it any stronger? she wondered, occasionally looking to the Doctor. At first he'd seemed upset and she'd started feeling upset with herself for shushing him, but then she noticed him start to break into a grin.

When the Time Lord turned to her and asked his question Annie looked around in surprise, "There're aliens? D'you mean, like, 'ere right now?" a wide grin broke out on her face. "I'd like nothin' more, mate." she nodded enthusiastically.