Alice Carter started her day of her twenty-third year being on this planet, once more at her childhood favorite place to be: the park, drawing the creatures that had come on Earth and writing what they were and their capabilities were with a concentration that was out of character for the normally distant minded girl who would forget her head if it wasn't attached. But lately nothing was normal for her. While everyone else was slowly but surely forgetting the Planets in the Sky parts one and two, and these monsters who killed without distinction, she felt the only one who was aware of it. Her parents constantly berated her for having her head in the clouds, but she knew that wasn't it. They hadn't minded when her mind wondered to other things before but now that she was focused her mom was worried she was going back to that phase from childhood brought about by that conversation so many years ago, a cup of iced soda by her as it was the second month of summer. She was supposed to be at least searching for a job but there was no way she would allow normality to put her back to a sleep and ignoring everything that could be out there. She had a dream to see those planets...all but that red huge one. She had a feeling that it was no longer wherever it had come from or where it went to.

The sound of waves and wind were ever present on the beaches of Diadem, deemed the most relaxing planet in the galaxy by many of it's inhabitants. It was the forty-fifth century of the universe's brilliant little existence, and though the man dressed in his tightly-fit blue pinstripe suit with the unkempt hair whom seemed to be the beach's only occupant knew that it was forever expanding and growing, but shrinking simultaneously. This resulted in what he liked to call 'The Expandey-thing.' When around those who didn't quite understand the laws of the ultimate fate of the universe. With a deep sigh the man known only as The Doctor rose to his feet and began to brush off the dust and sand from his suit, kicking the heels of his red Converse All-Star shoes together to remove any excess sand from their topsides. Even here, on this world where it is supposed that any man could find release The Doctor could not find any form of comfort in his solitude, his mind wandering around in itself and bringing forth the survivor's guilt of everyone he had ever failed in his nine centuries of life. Rose, Donna, Wilf. Those were the prominent names that haunted him every day.

With an enraged scream, the Time Lord launched a small, lonesome pebble short of thirty meters into the sea in pure anger. Quickly turning away from the crystal clear waters of Diadem with sweat dripping from his furrowed brow in the triple-digit heat. It was as he turned that it. No, she came into his sight. The shape of the blue police box from the Earthean nineteen-fifties being the most welcomed sight in The Doctor's life that ever had, or would be. After a few minutes of walking he found himself at the doors of the TARDIS, with the brass Yale key in hand that would grant him access to his mode of transportation through time and space. After correctly entering the key in it's lock and opening the door he ran inside, almost seeming anxious to leave the 'most relaxing planet' through some form of boredom. Which was true in every aspect of the statement. The Doctor had never been one for settling down, and even this magnificent planet was no exception to his rule. Though there was one place he could never help himself from coming back to.

Earth.

Almost non-stop in his sprint, The Doctor slammed the door shut behind him with his foot during a spinning motion and proceeded to head immediately to the TARDIS's navigation panel. Being keen on returning to Earth, but being unable to face England in his current state of mind he closed his eyes and randomly selected a place on a globe by spinning it and then stopping it with a single finger. Wherever his finger had stopped the globe by, is where he would decide to go. Fortunately for him, the globe stopped with his index finger over New York City. A place he rarely visited, The Doctor always felt a fondness for the Big Apple, especially after his defeat of the Cult of Skarro with the help of Martha Jones...He wondered how she and Mickey were doing, the last he had seen of them was when he had saved them from that Sontaran soldier about a year ago...Or was it two? Stopping himself from his mental ramblings, The Doctor straightened himself out and ruffled his hair back. Looking to the core of his TARDIS and smiling before flipping the ship's dematerialisation circuit upwards, beginning his frantic dash round the console, flicking and twisting all manners of switches and knobs, some of which he didn't even know what they did. He merely used them out of habit.

It was moments later, that the distinctive grinding and whirring sound that his ship made came to be heard as the vessel began to transport itself into the Time Vortex. As the TARDIS rolled and flipped it's way through the Vortex with The Doctor stumbling around like a madman, keeping her in flight. As those sounds began to screech again, he knew that he had arrived at his destination in a park which he had visited many years ago. The navy blue beacon of hope slowly materialising onto the green grass, trees and bushes alike being blown about in the strong wind generated by The Doctor's arrival.

"Two thousand and eleven? Well...I was only off by about a century. And don't give me that look." He said to no-one in particular, later in his speech turning to the core of the TARDIS and smirking a little before gallivanting out of the TARDIS's doors and into the park, feeling a slight breeze rustle his hair as he stepped into the open air. Stretching down and touching his toes before strolling off, his brown overcoat having been thrown over his shoulder as he left his ship. But almost immediately as he had stepped foot on American soil, he looked over to his left, and there. He saw her. That little girl whom he had once spoken to many years ago. Through all of time and space and he had found her again. Though he had to admit to himself, were it not for the fact she wore the same kind smile that she had on that day all those years ago, he would likely have walked straight past her. Instead he had stopped, and stared for just a moment.

Though apparently even that was too long.

Alice had chanced to look up as a almost familiar grinding noise entered her ears and it brought about a pure smile from somewhere in her soul, and looked about curious as to what the sound was and once more in her life saw a bright blue police box. There staring at her was a man in a brown long coat that was body length with brown messed up hair and brown eyes. He wore a pinstripe suit and red converse. She covered her lips to hide the amused grin but it wouldn't be hidden by the grey/blue eyes that she had. She was an open book about her feelings and wasn't shy to show it. At least to those who knew her well enough. "Hello. Beautiful day." She greeted her normal Albany accent coming through. She had lived in the 'country' of New York and it showed especially as she got lost at least a dozen or so times when her family had moved there cause her dad got a new better job. He seemed....familiar. But he couldn't be. That man had been older, wore a strange jacket with question marks and was obscenely rude. Or so she had thought. No one could just change willy nilly. Then again, most had and did say that aliens did not exist so maybe she ought to have an open mind there. "This might be weird, but have we met?" She asks curiously tilting her head. Her blue-black hair fell into her face even as it hung in a pony tail to keep herself cool.

"Well...I suppose you could say we have, but the circumstances would be a little confusing to explain. At least not without me sounding like a lunatic. A different me, but the same. There I go, rambling again. But anyway, fancy a walk? I could do with stretching my legs, I've been at the beach for god knows how long and I'm gonna go mad unless I see some people!" The Doctor replied, at first seeming unsure of his words as he spoke, but later growing more confident and playful, before eventually almost growling with his closing words. A quirky smileq uickly slapped across his face for a time as he swayed his body from left to right at the hip, his hands in the deep pockets of his blue suit and licking his teeth.

___

"Confusing?" Alice asks and laughs as she stood closing the notebook she was drawing in and walked to the familiar stranger. "You haven't been here long enough to know and get an understanding of confusion. I live it every day. It makes me feel like pulling my hair out half the time. Let's go and walk together then. I have a feeling we have a game of catch up to do." She said with a bright grin as she put herself next to him almost naturally. She could understand the need for action than inaction. It made her nuts too to see people going back to sleep and forgetting. "Got your teeth cleaned?" She asked having seen that little habit and became curious. It was pretty much an easy state for her to be in. Not that she was slow or anything but a lot of things just didn't make a whole lot of sense to her. Especially these days.

"Ey? Nah, just got a case of pre-fun jitters. Well come on then, let's go." He remarked before motioning to Alice to move on and lead the way though the city, which she did, although The Doctor remained directly to her right the whole time as they walked among the crowds, almost losing each other in the chaos a couple of times. Though eventually they found themselves sat outside a discreet little cafe in downtown Manhattan, once there, they ordered their favored hot-drinks, with Alice ordering a coffee and The Doctor grabbing a cup of tea for himself, along with a small tray of biscuits. Which it did not take him long to start snacking on. With a mouthful of the confectionary treats, the Time Lord began to speak again.

"So, I never actually caught your name."

Alice laughs as she settles into the seat with her much needed caffeine in her hands. "That's because you didn't ask me the first time we met." She teases as she gave him a napkin. "Here wipe your face. Got cookie crumbs all over it. My name's Alice Carter. Its nice to officially meet you." She said stretching out placing the note book on the table. They had almost lost one another a couple of times but thankfully they found one another quickly. She really wasn't used to the chaos and bustle of the city. She had gotten pretty used to walking everywhere though. That had been a change from her old place where she lived. "Pre-fun jitters? Not used to staying still then. Now, something is bothering you." She said with a clarity from when she was a little girl and knew he had lost something. "You hide it well with your joviality. Did you want to talk about it?" She asks curiously. She would listen if he did. She was really good at that, listening while people spoke to her. Her friends teased her about being a therapist so she could charge $150 to hear peoples problems. She never took them serious cause she liked sharing the problems of the people she cared for. He had been that when she was a girl. He fit in just as well even though he changed.

It was as Alice began to speak more openly, that numerous loud dinging noises began to resonate from inside The Doctor's suave blue suit. As they did, his eyes widened as he stared into Alice's blue-brown eyes, realizing just what that ding had meant...Zygons. But they could not be here, not now, surely? "What was that noise?" Alice asked quickly as the sharp ringing persisted and continued to occur. Though it seemed that every time the machine dinged, that it would pick up in speed, dinging more and more often with every iteration of the sound. "That is the sound that tells us we need to run. Very slowly stand to your feet, turn to face the direction of your residence, and then begin to run just as fast as you can. I'll keep up." The Doctor ordered, ruffling his hair back before leaning back into his chair and finishing off his tea, his face having severely darkened from it's previously excited features.

Alice heard the noise and questioned about it, and was told to calmly and slowly get up and turn in the direction in which she lived. Although with the adrenaline rushing through her system at the look on The Doctor's face made it next to impossible to really remember which direction that was in. That and the noise from his pocket certainly wasn't helping. So she did exactly as instructed and got up slowly turning in a direction she hoped was where she lived and with a speed she hadn't known she possessed, she ran. She hadn't been running for a while nor did she ever pick up on the habit of doing so, but this, the freedom of a sprint gave her made her feel giddy and continue with the pace she set. People seeing her run made a big enough gap for her and hopefully The Doctor who was behind her, a smile breaking across her lips. This was exciting, thrilling, and a bit frightening all at once. She stopped as she got to her house and opens the door closing it once The Doctor got inside laughing. It was the kind of laughter that said, 'that was thrilling' and 'oh my gosh did I actually just do that' all at once her eyes glittering with the enjoyment of the madness that seemed to be his life.
"Enough excitement now?" She teases not having expected that at all.