Travel by TARDIS

[Clirkus]

Clirkus x OnlyDoylie
OOC

~
It was a quaint English coffee shop on the far side of London. There wasn't really anything significant about it, just a small cafe, never too busy. The kind of place where folks came just to read the newspaper and enjoy a hot brew. It was still early, not yet nine-o-clock, and all the regulars were in their regular places, either reading the paper or taking advantage of the free wi-fi. Classical music played softly in the background, creating a very relaxed atmosphere.

At one table sat a gentleman who did not frequent the place. He was tall with curling auburn hair and neatly trimmed whiskers. He was young, could have been in his late twenties. Dressed in a blue blazer and slacks, he was casually stylish, and the color brought out the blue in his ever-curious eyes. In one hand he daintily held a cup of tea, and in the other he held a folded section of the news, the crossword to be exact, and was carefully scrutinizing the puzzle. His brow was furrowed slightly in concentration, though the puzzle had already been solved.

There was something about him, something different. Something likable, cheery; something that made you want to trust him right away. For all this, he sat alone, occasionally taking a sip from the teacup. People came and went, passing by him without a second glance. At long last he finished his tea, and still dissatisfied with the puzzle he tucked it away into his pocket and stood to make his way out the door.

He was the Doctor, and you could say he wasn't from around here. In fact, he was from a planet a long, long way away. Although he tended not to talk about it much. He'd saved this world and others countless times, and never once asked for a thank-you. He was a hero to many, but fame didn't matter to him. Discovery mattered, experiencing new things, finding out the secrets of the universe. All by himself was no fun though. You cannot imagine the frustration of seeing something so marvelous, so awe-inspiring, and not being able to turn to a person and know that they saw it too. To see the amazement in their eyes.

It was part of the reason he'd come back to Earth, to the 21st century, to find just such a person who shared his desire for adventure. Well, that and the puzzle he now carried with him, he still needed to figure that out. He'd never admit to being lonely, even to himself, but even Lords of Time need a comrade, a companion, once in a while.

[OnlyDoylie]

She had been lost. Joanna remembered that much. You're always afraid when you're lost, even if you don't go into hysterics about it.

She was about nine and lost in the downtown area with nothing but her favorite book to keep her company. She wasn't a dumb child, so she knew what to do. She slipped into the nearest shop and tried to tell an adult.

Nobody listens to children anymore.

She isn't a golden hair, blue eyed angel either. She's rather dull looking with dark curls and simple brown eyes. She's calm because her father always said being rational about problems was best. She doesn't cry or sniffle, it's not that bad yet, so none of the adults look at her. They all sip their coffee and look out the window, ignoring her. So she hops into line, arms wrapped around her book and waits to go up to the counter. It's getting darker outside, and people keep cutting in front of her because she's a child.

Thing start to look bad. Despite her better judgement she slips out of line and sits in a chair too big for her, clutching her fairy tale book to her chest and trying not to cry.

That's when he showed up with a cup of hot chocolate and a smile.

Her mother found her thirty minutes later, crying and yelling out of worry. Joanna didn't say anything in return, but when she looked for the man with the hot chocolate, he was gone.

So now, ten years later, the same little shop in the same little town. De Ja Vu and Nostalgia hit each other with something akin to a sonic boom as he just barely glanced at her. The scone she was eating fell out of her hands and her friend asked her if she was ok. She couldn't reply. Joanna suddenly remembered the man with the smile.

She stood to go talk to him and promptly knocked over the little coffee table she was at. Her friends all jumped, yelling at her to be careful. She didn't pay attention to them, moving through the thick crowds, trying desperately to get to the man's table.

"You." She said, practically slamming her hands on his table, her dark eyes staring back pointedly, "How can it be you?"

[Clirkus]

Needless to say, the disturbance caused by the girl's sudden movement caught his attention. Even more so when she ran up to him and demanded to know how he could be there. Now, being the Doctor, something like this wasn't an uncommon occurance. Still, usually when someone ran up to him yelling "You!" he recognized them. Wait, she looked vaguely familiar. He racked his brain for an answer but came up with nothing.

He cast a quick glance around to be sure he wasn't mistaken in thinking she was addressing him. No, he was the only person in the immediate vicinity, and she seemed to be very intently focused, there was no other possibility.

"Me?" He asked, pointing to himself. "I'm sorry, have we met?"

There were a few people staring now, a group of them seemed to be with the girl, or she with them. Peers, friends, out for a late breakfast together, or something of the sort. He offered a smile to them as well as to the girl, just to reassure everyone that he was quite friendly. Turning his gaze back to the girl, he said, "Can I help you?"

[OnlyDoylie]

She didn't reply right away. Instead she leaned closer, narrowing her gaze at his face. Her dark eyes weren't as dark and empty that they appeared to be normally. This close he could see the intelligence and cunning, laced like gold around the edges of an otherwise dark brown irises. She wasn't dumb or boring. She wasn't stupid. She was quick, clever even, and there wasn't much Joanna missed in life, especially when she was paying attention.

"You, me, this coffee shop nearly ten years ago." She said slapping her hand once. She softened suddenly. Confusion and wonder can do that to a face, round the edges of harsh lines, turn frowns into contemplation. She was curious and that made her pause. "How is that possible? You haven't aged a day."

"Jo? You al'ight?" One of the other girls asked as Joanna sat down in front of this man.

"Yeah yeah I'll catch up with you girls, ok?"

"A'rite." The girl said, sounding confused. Then again Joanna was a weird one and most of her friends... no, acquaintances chalked it up as that.

[Clirkus]

"Ten years? No, that can't be right," said the man, brow furrowing, "You must be mistaken, the first and last time I came here was just yesterday..." Withdrawing the newpaper from his pocket, he checked the date and frowned again. "Wait..." He closed his eyes, thinking very hard. There was soemthing. Something he'd missed, something blatantly obvious that he wasn't seeing. His mind flashed back to the day before, or what had been the day before to him. It was right there, at the edge of his mind, if only he could reach it...

"Aha!" he cried out excitedly, causing everyone in the room to turn and stare, everyone who wasn't already staring, that is. He pointed Joanna, "It's you! Wait!" He dashed to the door of the cafe and threw it open and a sudden breeze gusted in, blowing several napkins and flyers from their respective places and onto the floor. He paused and took in a deep breath of air through his nostrils. "Yes, that's it. Perdón moi, I must be going right away. Without another word he leaped out the door and sprinted down the street.

It was a blustery autumn morning in the city of London, the sky was blue and clear, and by this time most folks were gone at work or school. Still, as in any large city, there are always people, and today some of those said people were enjoying the cool weather and sunny day. The Doctor realized this, and every so often he would come to a sudden stop, shove his hands in his pockets, and stroll leisurely along for a bit until he remembered that he was in a hurry, and then he would start running again. This coupled with his blue suit, red hair, and considerable height made following him a simple task.

He finally came to a stop at the edge of a park, panting from the exercise and fumbling in his pocket for something. In front of him was a blue box, a police box, the kind they used to call the police back in the 1960s. Nowadays nobody used them anymore, but that fact didn't really bother the Doctor, this was his police box, and right now he needed to get inside.

--

Meanwhile, on the other side of London, the horizon had begun to grow dark, as if night were approaching. Occasional flashes of colored lightning lit up the gloom, but no thunder followed. All was quiet, no one had yet thought of it as a cause for concern.

Yet.