Prologue
The bell that signaled the kids to pack up and leave rang. Ms. Smith sat at the desk in the front of her students and she smiled as they ran off. Playing the part of a substitute teacher was one of her favorite roles, especially at this point in the game. It was break from all of the 'nurse' and the 'promiscuous female' characters. She pretended to grade papers in between waving good bye to the children, and then once they were gone she grabbed the key out of her purse and began opening the drawers and rummaging through them, trying to find something to bring back to Jack.
She moved down to the next drawer when all of a sudden she heard a familiar buzzing coming from the hallway. Ms. Smith dropped the key in awe and quickly got off of her knees to catch the man in the hall she knew was waiting out there. The man with sonic screwdriver making that sound that she missed so much. The man with the blue box that was once home to her.
Just as she stepped out of the classroom doorway, Ms. Smith bumped into that man. He was wearing the same brown, pin-striped suit that he always did. "Oh my stars! It's you!" Ms. Smith grabbed him by his elbow and pulled him into the classroom.
"Glad to meet a fan." He flashed that cocky smile and arched one dark, furry brow. "What's the name, love?" The Doctor asked. Ms. Smith was taken aback. She dropped her hand from his sleeve and her heart broke a bit. Holding back a tear she touched his cheek. The Doctor didn't move. Instead he tried searching for something familiar within her. He studied her facial features; from each blue eye to the soft wrinkles forming around her mouth, but he didn't see anything.
"You have no idea who I am, do you?" Ms. Smith asked. He didn't answer; instead he kept looking until she stepped back to her desk and reached into her purse. "My name is Winifred." She pulled a long, hemp string out of her bag with a key dangling off of the end. This was no ordinary key and this was obvious to him too. "Time is funny." Winifred dropped the key into her palm, clasping the chunk of silver in her fist. "It makes me old and you just stay young." The Doctor could see the pain in her eyes and the will she had to hold back the tears ready to pour. She began walking toward him, looking at him directly in the eyes. "You're going to meet a young lady in a bar sooner or later, not from the United Kingdom, and she's going to need you as much as you're going to need her. You need to take her with you no matter what the cost."
He stood for a moment, sizing up the situation. Weighing his options and deciding whether to believe Winifred or not. "Why should I trust you?" For The Doctor he had no reason not to say this. He had no clue who this Winifred was and for all he knew she could be sending him into a trap. For Ms. Smith, this question meant something completely different. It pained her and cracked her spirit.
She opened her hand and picked up the key by the string, waving it in front of The Doctor's face. "I'm sure you know what this is." Her mood shifted and she became very determined to get The Doctor to trust her. "And if I'm right, Martha just left and you'll be meeting this girl next." He didn't shift from his stern expression. "Here," Ms. Smith took The Doctor's hand and dropped the key into it. "Give this to her when you need her to trust you the most." The Doctor dropped it in the pocket of his trench coat and nodded at her. "Now, you're probably here for a reason so go do what you need to." Ms. Smith turned away from him and returned to her desk, sitting back in the seat pretending to mark papers again. She played it off as though she wasn't ready to cry and that she wasn't at the school to gather information, just like him.
"Goodbye Winifred." The Doctor said. Ms. Smith didn't look up from her desk while The Doctor swaggered off, ready to save the world.
Once he was gone, she rubbed her hand on her forehead, knowing she had to get back to find what Jack wanted her to, but she couldn't get The Doctor off of her mind. "Goodbye my Doctor." She whispered to herself.