Title: The Forgotten Companion
Summary: After the Time War and before Rose, The Doctor traveled by himself for a while… or did he? This is the story of the year even The Doctor made himself forget.
Author's note: This is my first fanfiction in years, I wrote it for my own entertainment and it quite probably sucks. I will most likely never finish it, because I never managed to finish a fanfiction. English is not my first language and I wrote this without a beta reader, so please be indulgent. Also, this is an OC story, if you don't like that, I suggest you don't read it.
Without further apologizing for my writing. Here goes nothing.
Prologue
"Doctor, who is she?"
The Doctor looks away from the girl in the store and back at the red head at his side.
"I don't know."
"How can you not know, you've been staring at her for a hour."
"I don't know Amy. I just don't. Every once in a while the TARDIS just decides to veer off course…"
"Every once in a while!" Amy sneers.
"As I was saying, every once in a while the TARDIS veers off course of its own accord and brings me to Earth, the same day, the same month and always a year further in Earth's time. And I have no idea why. It's been doing that since I first regenerated after the Time War. The only constant thing is this girl is always there. We land, I spend the best part of the day trying to figure out why the TARDIS insists on having me follow that girl and after twelve hours we leave."
"'Follow that girl', Doctor? You do realize how that sounds, don't you?"
"It's not like that!"
Amy rolls her eyes. Under normal circumstances, The Doctor would have gone on and on about how Time Lords are not like Humans, how they can have purely scientific interest and curiosity for people and so on. Just like that time when Amy had teased him for looking a little too long at Liz 10. She was waiting for the long speech when she realizes that his attention is back to the shop window and the girl inside. She seems bored, probably due to the lack of customers. She pushes her glasses back up and a few seconds later they slide down again. Her bleach blond hair should be redone as long black roots are showing even from the distance and her pixie cut would greatly benefit from a good trim.
After few more minutes of observation, Amy cannot take it anymore.
"Doctor, we're in New York! We won't spend all day staring at that girl now, will we?"
The Doctor reaches for something in his jacket and absentmindedly places it in Amy's palm; a TARDIS key.
"Just make sure to be back in the TARDIS by midnight."
As she puts the key in her pocket, a question forms in her mind.
"Have you ever talked to her? Maybe she would know why the TARDIS keeps bringing you to her."
The Doctor turns to her, giving her his full attention for what seems like the first time since they landed. He concentrates for a while, as if filtering through all his memories.
"I don't think so.", he finally admits, a little ashamed.
"Well, what are we waiting for then!"
Amy grabs on to The Doctor's hand and starts half-leading, half-pulling him toward the shop. Almost halfway there, The Doctor plants his feet solidly on to the marble floor, bringing them to a sudden halt.
"Amy, no! I can't!" The Doctor's voice echoes through the ten stories glass atrium. A family of German tourists turns at the sound, as well as a few of the security personnel and sales persons, including the girl. She looks at them for a moment, squinting as she adjusts her glasses. She rises from her seat and starts walking toward the store's exit. She's almost out when a tour guide carrying a Canadian flag blocks her way with his group, she smiles as they pass. She glances back at the spot where a redheaded girl and a guy in a bow tie had stood only seconds earlier. Shaking her head, she goes back to her seat. Hiding behind one of the large black columns, The Doctor peeks out to make sure the girl isn't heading their way.
"Amy, I can't go talk to her."
"Come on, Doctor, don't tell me you're shy." Amy says, coyly.
"No. There just something that tells me I can't talk to her. That if I did, it would be terribly bad."
"Fine." She sighs, giving up. "I'll meet you back at the TARDIS, then."
"Just promise me you'll be careful, New York is a gigantic city and I wouldn't want to lose you." As he looks into her eyes, Amy catches a rare glimpse of vulnerability; not knowing why the TARDIS keeps leading him back to this girl is really weighing on his mind more than he'll probably ever admit, even to himself.
She gives him the warmest and most comforting smile she can manage before heading toward the closest exit and into the City That Never Sleeps.
...
It's only minutes before midnight when Amy walks through the TARDIS' door, a "I 3 New York" sweatshirt tied around her waist and a green foam "Lady Liberty" crown on her head.
"Doctor, it was incredible!" She leans against the console, beaming. "I saw Time Square and all the lights! Oh and Broadway! And the Statue of Liberty… well, from afar but still, I saw it!" She adds, in one breath.
"Don't forget to breathe, Pond!" He replies, laughing at her overly excited description.
A few minutes later, the TARDIS takes off by itself. After describing some more of her day's adventures, Amy lies down on the seat near the console, watching The Doctor work the controls effortlessly.
"And you, how did the following around go?" She asks, removing her shoes to massage her feet after walking all day. She can tell that he is trying to stay away from the subject, but she needs to satisfy her curiosity.
"Oh, hum, well… She's married now and seems happy enough." He says a little too matter-of-factually, his eyes never leaving the controls.
She pushes herself off the seat and comes to stand next to him, putting a hand on his arm.
"Doctor, are you all right?"
"Me? I'm always all right. Why wouldn't I be?" He turns to her, his usual child-on-a-Christmas-morning smile back in its place. "Well then, how about a different planet? I know! There's this planet that's just one big, great museum!"
As The Doctor plans their heading, Amy decides it best to leave the subject of the mysterious girl alone for a while, sitting back down, she wonders how anything interesting could come out of a visit to the museum.
So, is it worth continuing? Or is it just plain awful?