A chance encounter
Disclaimer: I do not own Doctor Who. Doctor Who is owned by the BBC.
A/N: This story is set at some point between "The Deadly Assassin" and "The Face of Evil", when the Doctor was travelling alone.
He was somewhere on Earth, in any year in the twentieth century; he was not sure and he did not care at that time. He was fighting against a Sontaran, sword against sword. They both were exhausted, and the Doctor knew that the first one to fall to the ground was a dead man.
The Doctor managed to give his opponent a blow with the pommel of his weapon that knocked him down on the ground face down. The Sontaran was already his. The Doctor sank the blade of his sword into the Sontaran's nape, thereby depriving him of his existence. The Time Lord looked at his fallen foe. He had already defeated the last soldier of the Sontaran army sent to conquer Earth. He could return to the TARDIS to continue his travel, but the renegade gallifreyan was too tired to reach his ship. After ascertaining that there was no danger around him he lay down beside the dead Sontaran and gave in to exhaustion.
He could not open his eyes: he was still too tired, but a sweet aroma was returning him consciousness. It smelled of lilies … Why it smelled lilies? The dead Sontarans do not smell like fresh flowers!
The Doctor felt the soft touch of a hand on his forehead, and heard a female voice speaking to him.
"Are you alright, sir? Wake up, please."
That voice was familiar. He knew that voice.
"Sir?"
He opened his eyes slowly. He saw that he was lying on a bed in which, judging by the vase of fresh lilies on the desk, it was a woman's bedroom. And it was true: beside him had a beautiful young woman who he immediately recognized.
"Victoria," he said wearily.
"Do you know me, sir?"
The Doctor smiled at her.
"Of course I know you, Victoria. And you also know me: I'm the Doctor."
"No, it is impossible. I know the Doctor and he does not look anything like you."
"My look has changed, but my memories and feelings are the same. I remember when I promised to take care of Edward Waterfield's daughter. And I remember the moments we spent together traveling in the TARDIS."
"Is it really you, Doctor?" she asked starting to believe that this man was who he claimed to be.
"Have you seen the dead creature beside me?" the Doctor asked.
"Yes, it was horrible. I thought that the creature had killed you too."
"Who else besides the Doctor could defeat a creature like that?"
"You are right", Victoria said. "Doctor, it is you!"
The girl leaned carefully over the man lying on her bed and hugged him. He returned the hug to that girl who he had loved as a daughter.
"You have changed very much, Doctor. You look taller and younger."
The Doctor laughed.
"Yes, I'm taller now, but I'm actually older than the last time you saw me. How did you bring me here? I am too heavy for you."
"A taxi driver helped me. I said you were my brother and you were drunk."
"Drunk? Me? I saved Earth!"
Victoria smiled.
"What has been of your life since I left the TARDIS?" the girl asked.
"I kept travelling and helping people who needed it," he answered. "I was recently at my home planet."
"Were your people glad to see you again?" Victoria asked excited.
"I was accused of murder, they tortured me and they were about to execute me. It can be said that yes, they were glad to see me again."
"Oh ... I'm sorry."
"Don't worry about it, everything went well," he said with a smile.
"Yes, I see that fortunately they did not execute you," she said.
How long has it been for you since you decided to stay with Harris?"
"Almost two years."
"Just two years for you, and a lifetime for me," the Doctor said.
"Where is Jaime, Doctor? Are you still travelling with him?"
The joy of the Time Lord turned sadness to remind the young Scottish piper.
"He returned at his home ... to his time."
"That is the eighteenth century, and Jamie will be dead ... How sad. I would have loved to see him again. I remember him every day. Do you think that he once thought of me too?"
No. Time Lords erased the memory of the boy. He did not remember anything but his first encounter with the Doctor, when he was travelling with Ben and Polly. Jamie McCrimmon did not remember having ever met Victoria Waterfield, but the Doctor could not tell that to the girl.
"I am sure he thought about you every moment of his life."
Victoria smiled and caressed the Doctor's face gently.
"You are lying."
The Doctor looked at her sadly. It was useless to tell a white lie to that girl. She always knew when people were lying.
Victoria embraced back her old friend, and so they stayed a long time, until the Doctor decided it was time to return to his travels. The girl accompanied him on his way back to the TARDIS.
"Victoria," the Doctor began to say. "Are you happy here?"
"Yes, very much," his former companion said. "The Harris treat me like a daughter; they love me, and I love them too."
"I'm glad for you," the Doctor said with a charming smile.
"And you, Doctor. Are you happy?"
"I cannot lie to you. What do you think?"
"I think you are not entirely happy. Are you travelling with someone right now? Loneliness is not good for anyone."
"Until recently I travelled with a brave and beautiful girl that I had to leave at her home to avoid her memories of me were wiped. Now I travel alone because I need to be alone."
"Why don't you back with her?" Victoria asked.
The Doctor looked down trying to hide an expression of pain on his face.
"Because she deserves to have a happy and normal life and I cannot give it to her."
Despite his attempt to hide it Victoria could feel the pain of her friend in his voice. She took his hand and the Doctor felt comforted again.
The two friends arrived where the TARDIS was. It was time for another goodbye between the Doctor and Victoria. The Doctor took his hat off and from inside he took a beautiful white lily which offered his friend. He thought that the flower was like the young Victoria: Beautiful and delicate. She thanked him for the gift with a kiss on his cheek.
"Goodbye, Victoria. I wish you all the happiness of the world."
"Goodbye, Doctor. Do not be alone for long, you also deserve to be happy ... And do not expect to change your face back to see me again."
The Doctor smiled at her before going into the TARDIS.
Next destination: unknown.
The End