Chapter One

In Which the Doctor is Forgotten

All I remember is that I was running.

And God, do I hate running.

I don't remember why I was running, but I think I was afraid. Muggers, maybe? Oh! Something else, something blue. Big and blue. Where the heck am I right now? I guess my pounding headache is why my eyes refuse to open.

My hands search around me, all I feel are slightly scratchy sheets and a cool wall to my left, to my right is a-OW! Okay, table to my right. Even if I try to squint, it's too bright to see anything, there's just shadows. Maybe if I just open them, real quick! Like ripping off a band aid or jumping in an ice cold pool or-

Focus. Eyes. Open. On three.

One.

Are those footsteps?

Two.

Those are definitely voices.

Thre-

"VIVIAN WATERS!"

JESUS. CHRIST. ALMIGHTY.

Well, that's one way to do it.

"What were you thinking?! Going off alone like that! I should handcuff you to the console next time we go anywhere. Goodness, you could've died, I mean…"

Owww.. I have to shield my eyes from the added glow from what seems to be a hallway of heavenly blinding light. What the hell is going on? If I squint, I can make out a strange man wearing a, is that a bowtie? Yelling at me for god knows what, and he's got a pretty redhead backing him up, oi, just what does she think she's doing pointing fingers at me? At least I think she's pointing fingers. I just see a blurry arm movement. And leaning against an ugly shade of olive green wall is a fairly attractive man I think. Blinking rapidly, I rub my eyes like a child waking and try again. Scratch that, he is very attractive. A nice bit of scruff on him too…and he's not yelling at me. Just a bit of glaring. I can deal with that. I wonder who he is, maybe he and I can have a chat about what's going on..

"And you're just sitting there acting all innocent squinting and looking all confused, well you can forget about that because you are in some big trouble missy. Just what do you have to say for yourself?" He looks so proud of himself. He must get off on telling people what they do wrong. Well, he can shove his self-importance in someone else's face. I cross my arms and raise my nose at him, and after blowing a puff of air to move hair out of my face I ask, "Just who the hell are you?"

Well. There goes his haughty expression. Now they all just looked gob smacked. Even fancy face boy.

"Vi, are you all right? Did you hit your head or anything on your way back? Rory, maybe you should check her out." The redhead walked over and bend down to my level, closely inspecting my face.

"No I did not hit my head, my head is perfectly fine! It's you lot who're messed up. Why don't you just let me go, and I promise not to tell anyone what happened." Maybe they're the ones that were chasing me! But that doesn't make any sense, they said I went off alone, plus they don't seem in any way hostile towards me. Well, floppy hair pushed past fancy face and is shining this green glow stick in my eyes, and unless he starts poking me I don't think any real damage has been done.

Now he flicked it up and looks like he's trying to read it. Are these people insane? "Seriously. Just let me go home now, no damage done. You're all fine, I'm fine, it's all fine and dandy. Just let me go." I move my hands up in a non-threatening manner, afraid that if I scare them they could attack me.

I think they're ignoring me. Fancy face is 'defending his honor as a nurse' as floppy hair insults his medical skill. They're acting like children. Redhead's sitting on the arm of an even uglier shade of green than olive chair, looking at them both fondly, like this is a regular thing for them.

I have got to figure out their actual names. Did she call fancy face Rory?

"Well, it seems as if her vitals are completely normal, and there seems to be no head trauma. It could be that some of the Valtrox's radiation has gotten into her system, after all we really have no idea what could have happened while she went off alone." At that, my eyes open wide. "Radiation? RADIATION? Are you telling me my body has been poisoned?" And just what the HELL is a Vanthrox? "Who are you people and how do you know me? Oh, I just want to go home!" With that, I put my head in my hands and feel myself wanting to cry. This is absolutely ridiculous, I must be dreaming, even if there is pain. I feel the bed shift on my left and a few soft, yet awkward, pats on my back. I lift my head to see floppy hair sitting calmly next to me, his face looking strangely familiar as it takes on a comforting look. "Alright Vivian, just tell me where exactly home is."

I perk up at that and look at him questionably. Will he really take me home? "I live..live…" Nothing. I can picture a home, with a mother and a father, some kids and maybe a puppy or two. But there's no memory of a home that is mine. A street name doesn't automatically come to mind. No parent's names or faces. I don't know if I have any siblings or pets. I can't even think of my favorite stuffed animal, or even if I have one. I look at the man, the stranger next to me and mumble, "I don't know. I can't remember my home."

For some reason he doesn't look surprised. And this scares me. His expression only changes to one slightly more worried. I turn to the other two, who only glanced at me then avoid eye contact. He glances towards them then tells me to "Wait here" while he does..something. I stopped paying attention to him as he takes redhead and fancy face with him into the hallway.

I have a semi panic attack as I try to remember something, anything from my past. I know nothing. In fact, I don't even know my name! He called me 'Vivian Waters', but I feel no connection to that name. I could very well be a 'Sally' or 'Danielle'. I know nothing about myself. I know nothing. I hold no memories, save for one. I know I was running. I squeeze my eyes shut and try to memorize every detail from this one memory.

Run. Keep running. I have to keep running. They can't have it! Oh, the doctor will never let me out of his sight again, I've screwed it all up! Oh, Doctor, I pray that you will forgive me for what I am about to do..

CLANG!

Damn it! They're catching up! I have to be quick.

I see myself take out a vial and some sort of device that looks like a miniature CD with gears and buttons on one side and a series of small needles on the other. I wince as past-me turns a dial and jams the small mechanism into the side of her neck. With a gasp of pain, I attach the vial to the end of the device and watchs out of the corner of my eye as a silvery liquid slowly fills it.

Come on..come on! Hurry up! I'm frantically looking around the corner to keep track of the shadowy figures advancing towards me through the steam. Tapping my foot and fidgeting impatiently, I wait until the last few drops of liquid enter the vial and quickly pull the machine from my neck, now me gasping at what had to be an extremely painful ordeal but past me ignoring the pain and blood now oozing from the small puncture wounds. Strapping both items to a black..giant watch looking think that was around my wrist, I seem to know how to use the strange looking watch with ease. After a few beeping noises, the entire thing, including the vial and device, disappear completely. I feel myself relax and slump against a wall.

Now he can only be mad at me for one thing. The Doctor will find other excuses to scold me though..he always does. If wonder if this doctor is the one with the bowtie then? Shit, I still have to make it to the TARDIS, this is so going to hurt tomorrow. The memory is slowly getting harder and harder to remember, just a few flashes of me looking around the corner, feelings of panic, and my hand reaching for a blue door, and the feelings of hope that it ignited. Then nothing.

I open my eyes, slightly surprised to find myself in the olive room and not an alleyway, and try to figure out what all of it meant. No, figuring it out would be impossible. I lace my fingers together and start spinning my thumbs, sorting through all the was this 'Doctor' and myself, along with those terrifying shadowy figures that didn't look quite..human. Then the TARDIS, which I assume was the blue door. Perhaps that is my home? There is a faint feeling of familiarity that goes along with it. Plus it made me feel hope, so whatever the TARDIS is, I suspect it is good. And then there was the device and silvery liquid that had come out of me. I was trying to get it away from 'them'. For what reason? Why did I have it, inside of me? There are too many questions. Am I the reason that my memories are gone? Did that device have the side effect of amnesia? If so, past-me is an idiot. And deserves a slap.

Floppy hair man decided to burst into the room again, making me jump and almost slide off of the bed. "O.K. Vivian! Since I have done a short series of tests on your body and have concluded that you in fact do not have any traces of radiation in you, your loss of memory is a mystery,"

"But, how-"

"So, I would very much like for you to stay here so that I may continue doing tests and hopefully find out what has been done to your memories, and since the initial bio scan seems incomplete, which seems rather odd since I just added a new contrapulator to the console, and you staying here opposed to us leaving you on a strange planet where you have no memory of anything makes sense, yes?"

"Well, I suppose, but-"

"Good! I'll try to have everything sorted out soon, so you stop having..that look," he gestured wildly to my face with a sort of disgusted look, " I mean we may be strangers but we're not strangers, really."

"I just have one-"

"Alrighty, this can be your new room I suppose, until we figure out the best plan of action I don't think we should expose you to any personal items so no false memories are made quite yet. Now," He stopped his pacing and hand movements that he had previously been doing while talking and stared at me intensely, "are you sure you don't remember anything? Anything at all?"

This is it, do I trust this man or not? My hands automatically find each other and my thumbs are flying as I think. He has shown nothing but kindness to me, yet I have no idea who he is. He could be one of those who were chasing me, I have no idea. Perhaps he's only being kind so he can find whatever I took such trouble to hide? All I know is that I need to find this 'Doctor'. He will be the only person I will trust with my sole memory. Until I find him, I will tell this man nothing.

So I shake my head, put disappointment in my voice and sit on my hands guiltily as I tell him, "No, sorry, I don't remember anything."

He looks at me a few seconds more and I fear that I might be a person who is terrible at lying. That would really suck. Then some emotion crosses his face for a second that it so saddening, I feel my heart break and my face reddens with guilt for lying to him. It is only there for a second though, and the next he hops up with a happy face and holds his hand out to me. "Well then, we should probably find you a new name for starters, unless you like Vivian Waters?" I see him look at me a tad hopefully as I hold on to his hand to help myself up and shake my head slightly, "No, Vivian is fine. Perhaps it will trigger something eventually."

He nods and leads me through the hallway, which is actually not so bright, just had white walls with ring sort of things circling the walls every few feet. Much better than staring at that dreadful green room. I take in my surrounds as he takes me to a larger room where redhead and fancy face are talking next to what looks like some sort of circular control station with a large cylinder coming up from the center. It all looked so strange, lights coming from the walls, a glass floor my boots leave slight smudges on and as we walked closer to the circular panel, I could see a number of weird buttons and wires that looked like they were from hundreds of different machines, all put together to make this beauty. I touch a pretty orange sphere as the doctor is rambling on about a 'chameleon circuit' and how the thing is 'isomorphic', whatever those meant.

"Oh! I suppose before I re-teach you everything, you have to re-learn our names." Well, finally. Interrupting this guy seems to be impossible, and I don't think they'd take to their nicknames very well. I look up and wait for him to continue. He gestures to the other to first, "This is Rory and Amy Pond,"

"Actually-" Fancy face, er, Rory starts but floppy hair just continues to talk, "And I'm the Doctor." I feel myself start to smile at poor Rory, who always seems to get verbally abused kindly by the Doctor.

I freeze, mouth half open and a 'nice to meet you' starting to come out.

Doctor.

The Doctor.

Shit.

A/N And that's that! The very first chapter of what hopefully will turn into an actual story. Sorry it's short, I'm still getting back into the swing of things with writing, so it might be a bit…bad. At some points. I do enjoy criticism though, so fire away! Also, pairings! I sort of already insinuated that the Ponds are happily married, but things can change, and the Doctor can be a bit pushy at times, so perhaps this time Rory was right in correcting him? Yes yes, well I don't take suggestions lightly so point me in a good direction and I shall go! There will be some things that are unchangeable, but those will be surprises…

Thank you for reading:)