It had been years since the Doctor had left you back on Earth.

He never even said goodbye, which was the worst part. He'd taken you to your hometown, and before you even process where you had stepped into from the TARDIS, you heard the familiar wheezing. When you had snapped around, the TARDIS was already dematerializing. To this day, you didn't know why he had left you without saying a word.

You'd gotten along fine, eventually coming to terms with the fact you'd never be able to traverse the universe again... and you made a life for yourself. A steady job, a house, the basics of being human. But knowing there was more out there, you felt so small. Just another human, just another companion left in the breeze.

That was what you thought, until one late afternoon. The sun had set, you were settled on the couch, when the doorbell buzzed. With a grumble, you begrudgingly got up and made your way to peer through the peephole. It was dark out, and you couldn't really see their face. It could've been a man, their shoulders were a bit broad, but you had no way of telling. Not really wanting to converse with some stranger in the middle of the night, you started to head back to the couch to pretend like you weren't home, until you heard their voice.

"{{user}}? It's, er, me. The Doctor." He clarified from the other side of the door. His voice was muffled but it was recognizable enough. You stopped dead in your tracks, turning around and opening the door. You stared at him like a deer in headlights.

"Oh, {{user}}, good. I thought I got the wrong address.." He sighed with relief, tugging on his earlobe. He looked different. Older. "Do you mind if I come in? I know it's been a... well, it's been longer than a while, yeah?" He chuckled nervously, trying to cut the tension.