Author's Note – It is a beautiful sunny summer day in 1861 and the Doctor finds himself at a barbeque at Twelve Oaks Plantation…
Once More, Doctor
Chapter 1:
A Great and Terrible Wind
It was a strange sort of feeling one got when one realized that they were well and truly depressed. This realization happened quite suddenly for the Doctor; after all, it was nothing like the last time. After the Time War the Doctor had been beside himself, screaming and ranting and raging, always raging. It had been cathartic. Now the Doctor found himself sitting still and quiet on the TARDIS floor for well over four hours, staring at the same bunch of wires he had intended to tinker with but never got around to. He dawdled long enough. He really should get to it. The TARDIS needed repairs. The Doctor continued to sit there and stare.
He just wished Rose was with him. No matter what he did he couldn't stop his thoughts from revolving around her. It was terrifying. Never before had he felt such longing for a companion before. He had destroyed a sun just to be able to say goodbye to her. A sun! And now that she was gone, gone like all the rest, he still couldn't stop thinking about her.
He never got to tell her he loved her.
And what a shocking revelation that was! He had thought it was need. He was secure enough to admit that he had needed her; she had been his anchor, his salvation, after the War. But those wounds were all scarred over now and yet there was still this pressing need. It was only after she was gone that he began to wonder if what he had been feeling was actually love. To love a human… young and delicate and blind and would burn all up in the blink of an eye.
The Doctor heaved out a sigh as his sight refocused on the wires in front of him. Right, enough with the pity. It was time he got some work done.
Before the Doctor could put his plan into action – not that he would have, he had a feeling he would have continued to sit there for a while – the TARDIS gave a shuddering lurch. The Doctor was sent hurling across the TARDIS floor, scraping across the grating as he fell in a heap pressed up against the console. With a great shudder the TARDIS came to a sudden stop.
"Ow…" The Doctor mumbled as he sat up while picking at the torn threads in his jacket that had been caught in the grating during his tumble.
The Doctor jerked to his feet when he heard the TARDIS door flew open with a bang. A great gust came roaring in, ruffling his hair and sending a shiver down his spine. It wasn't from the cold, though. It was impossible to open the TARDIS doors without a key. Something wasn't right. There was something wrong with the timeline, he could feel it.
***
The Doctor strolled amiably along the picturesque plantation as he made his way up to the large manor house known as Twelve Oaks.
Or, well, it would have been picturesque if there weren't any slaves.
But that was just something he was going to have to swallow. It is 1861 in Georgia, of course there is going to be slaves. The Doctor pushed the thoughts out of his head and looked around. There were a great many people wandering about, laughing and chatting. There was some sort of party going on. The Doctor put a smile on his face and blended into the crowd, hoping no one noticed how fake it looked. He ambled up the manor steps and entered the gilded and marbled grand foyer. Oh yes, there was definitely something off. His Time Lord sense was tingling.
The Doctor scanned the house, looking at all the happy faces, trying to see if he could pinpoint the anomaly. And then he saw him.
The Doctor stopped dead in his tracks, color draining from his cheeks as he came face to face with a certain Captain Jack Harkness.
Well, face to back to be more accurate.
But even from the back, the Doctor would be able to recognize Jack anywhere. The strong jaw, the cheeky grin. He was leaning against the staircase banister, looking all the world like a Cheshire cat as he gazed at the pretty young things. Call him a coward – because that was what he was – he had been hoping never to see him again. He couldn't deal with Jack's presence, not with the feeling of having the rug ripped out from under his feet whenever he was close to him. He was wrong. He shouldn't exist. And he didn't even know.
As if sensing someone watching him, Jack frowned and turned to look behind him. Panicked, the Doctor threw himself into the nearest room, only belatedly realizing that Jack wouldn't recognize his current form.
"Can I help you?" A soft, quiet voice asked in a thick Southern drawl.
The Doctor looked at a rather aristocratic-looking young man who was regarding the Doctor with a look of suspension. "This engagement is invitation only." The young man continued.
"I received an invitation." The Doctor responded indignantly and flashed the young man his psychic paper. Immediately, the man's face changed.
"My apologies! I didn't realize you were one of my father's associates. Allow me to introduce myself: I am Ashley Wilkes, John Wilkes's son." The two shook hands. "I am truly sorry for my behavior, but I must ask what you were doing just now?"
The Doctor grimaced as he looked back at Jack. "Oh, just trying to avoid a big scene. I've had a few altercations with that man in there in the past and would rather not spoil the lovely atmosphere."
Ashley followed the Doctor's gaze and nodded with understanding. "Yes, I've heard a great deal about Mr. Rhett Butler, although I had hoped that it had been nothing more than salacious rumors."
Rhett Butler? The Doctor thought. "What sort of rumors?" He asked.
Ashley looked rather uncomfortable. "I'd rather not say, it isn't befitting of a gentleman-"
"Oh, come on. I'm the only one who's going to here it. You can tell me."
Ashley still looked uncomfortable but acquiesced. "I heard that he was a cad and a scoundrel. A professional gambler who no respectable family in Charleston would allow in their own home and who was even disowned by his own father."
"Really?" The Doctor murmured as he looked back at his old friend. Jack (although now apparently called Rhett) was staring at something transfixed at the top of the staircase. The Doctor looked up to see a smirking raven-haired beauty glide down the steps. The Doctor rolled his eyes. He should have known.
"Mr. Smith," The Doctor returned his attention to Ashley. "I wouldn't worry about Mr. Butler while you're here. I will not allow any sort of violent disruptions in my home. I believe the barbecue is ready. Please, help yourself." Ashley gestured for the Doctor to follow him out into the garden. The Doctor looked back, but by then Jack was gone. The black-haired girl was still there, however.
The Doctor jerked to a stop, ignoring the quiet questioning of Ashley as he continued to stare. It was the same girl, but it wasn't. She was standing on the staircase flat against the wall with one hand clutching something behind her back. Her beautiful dress was gone and replaced with rags, while her hair was in complete disarray. She looked older.
"Mr. Smith?" Ashley asked, a bit louder this time. The Doctor turned to him briefly before looking back. She was gone.
"Sorry, I just… uh, sorry." He muttered. Ashley looked confused, but didn't question it as the Doctor continued outside with him. He couldn't help but spare the empty staircase one last glance, though.