Another new story. I know. I'm sorry. The idea for this came from Cap. J. Harkness. She also helped me work through some of the kinks to get it started.
Author's note with more info at the end. If you have questions, feel free to ask. :)
Disclaimer: Not mine.
Enjoy!
CHAPTER 1
The TARDIS landed gracefully and without incident, and as he collected the papers he was looking for, the Doctor vaguely noticed the candles burning behind him. He hit a switch on the control panel on his way by and all the little flames were extinguished. Making sure his key was securely in his pocket, he exited his craft and closed the door behind him. When he looked around, he saw a few beings staring at him and he smiled pleasantly at them as he set off as a stroll through the street.
Meandering through the stalls and houses, he glanced at what was there to sell and smiled approvingly at several things while frowning at the large displays of weapons. When he finally reached his destination, he knocked on the small door and waited outside it, his hands stuffed into his pockets as he rocked back and forth on his heels.
The door opened inwards and a person appeared. "Yes, hello," the Doctor said cheerfully. "Not sure exactly why I'm here, but I left a note for myself, telling me to come and look for Barktuth." The girl looked at him warily, but must have decided that he wasn't dangerous, because, speaking in gobledegook, she began to give him directions.
"Just go up that path there, take a right at Saren's stall there, and tell the cart driver that you need to go up to the bank. Four knuts should cover the cost. Once there, ask one of the tellers to direct you to Barktuth." Nearly smiling, she closed the door. Whistling calmly, the Doctor followed her directions.
It took some digging, but the Doctor finally found some of the right currency and the driver gladly accepted the large gold coins with a wide grin. The ride was exciting and he enjoyed the breakneck speeds while trying to understand how they were traveling upwards as quickly as they would have been had they been going down.
He walked confidently over to the teller with the shortest line and waited his turn. The goblin merely grunted at his inquiry and pointed to a door. "Down the corridor and fifth on your left." The Doctor strolled down the marble hallway and knocked politely on the wooden door.
The goblin inside, who he could only assume was Barktuth, looked at him oddly before asking what business he had.
"Ah," said the Doctor. "Well, you bring up an interesting question. I found a note, you see, directing me to come here and find you."
The goblin looked skeptical.
The Doctor smiled pleasantly.
"Could I have a sample of your blood, please." It was not a question.
The Doctor was wary of this, but extended his hand over the proffered bowl anyways, allowing the goblin to knick his thumb. Three drops of the orangish liquid fell onto the dish's surface and Barktuth frowned at it.
Without warning, a stack of papers and files appeared on the desk.
"Ah, it seems you've done business with us before," he proclaimed, examining one of the pages. "And will again!" The goblin seemed ecstatic now as he riffled through the material. "Ah, yes! I see exactly why you're here." He pulled a roll of parchment from a drawer and inked a quill before writing out several paragraphs at a speed that was beyond impressive. He then pulled a velvet drawstring bag from a different drawer and passed them both over to the contentedly oblivious alien. "I wish you luck on your business venture Mr. Smith," Barktuth offered, standing. "You will find the shop one street over and eight buildings down."
He bowed slightly and the Doctor returned the action before stepping out of the office.
When the sunlight hit his face, the Doctor took a deep breath, attempting to determine his current location in the universe. He got conflicting results and blamed all the energy in the air. Shrugging, he set off down the bustling street, his long hair and velvet tailcoat only drawing a few glances.
He glanced at the shop sign, noting that it sold furniture and luggage. Entering, he met the glance of the boy behind the desk. "Ms. Sanders is waiting for you," the boy said, nodding back to the curtain covering the entrance to the back of the shop.
The Doctor wound his way through the trunks, bags, and shelves on display and pushed the curtain aside to duck underneath it.
"Mr. Smith!" the woman bent over a wooden chest commented. "You're right on time. Just a moment and I'll be with you." She put a few more intricate carvings in the wood's surface with her wand before brushing off her robes and turning to face him.
Her kind face was worn and aged by hard work, but her eyes were warm and open, only a hint of steel reflecting her role as a hard businesswoman.
The Doctor greeted her with all his charm, taking her hand in his and kissing the knuckles.
Ms. Sanders got right down to business though. "You mentioned, Mr. Smith, that you might be interested in examining my undetectable extension charms."
"Ah, yes!" The Doctor was still completely lost, but over the past months in this body, he'd gotten used to not remembering important information. She led him to a recently finished trunk and opened it to show him the larger interior. "Ooh, this is fascinating," he cooed while brushing the inside walls with his fingers. "How do you achieve these kinds of results?"
The woman chuckled, rubbing her hands together. "The same way anyone else does, Mr. Smith. I cast the charm and imagine how I want it to look."
The Doctor nodded distractedly and used his sonic screwdriver to test the boundaries of the energy field inside the trunk. "Could I observe as you cast the charm?"
She raised her eyebrows in surprise, but nodded and pulled a book bag from a shelf. Pointing her wand at the bag, she closed her eyes, said the incantation, and moved her wand in the intricate pattern. The Doctor observed the whole time, recording the energy fields with his sonic. He hummed at the results as the inside of the bag grew. "Interesting. Very interesting."
At that moment, his thoughts were cut off by the curtain behind him being pulled aside and a young woman stepping through, brushing against him as she did so. He turned to look at her as she apologized and he brushed off her unnecessary regret. Her emerald eyes caught his glance and stopped him mid-sentence.
"Sir?"
"Oh, yes, I am sorry, Miss. John Smith. Pleased to make your acquaintance." She quirked an eyebrow at him, a half-smile gracing her lips as he kissed her hand.
"Lily Evans." She turned from him, a bemused expression still covering her face, and addressed Ms. Sanders. "I came for my new trunk. It is completely protected against the likes of arrogant toe rags, correct?"
Ms. Sanders' nose twitched slightly as she nodded. "Of course, dear. It's all done for you here." She summoned a beautifully carved trunk from the back of the shop area and handed it to the young woman. "If you need anything else, be sure to come back, but it should work out for you."
Lily thanked her and took the trunk out with her.
"Mr. Smith?"
The Doctor turned jerkily to look at the woman, his face blank except for the deep crease between his eyebrows that indicated a puzzle. "Ah, yes, that should be all. You were very helpful. Thank you." He left a few coins on the table and ran out of the shop at a full sprint, catching Miss. Evans' shoulder just a few shops down.
~oOo~
The Doctor woke with a gasp, sitting bolt upright. He brushed the drop of sweat from his temple and scrubbed his face with his hands. Throwing the sheet aside, he swung his feet over the edge of his bed. 'Did that happen?'
The Doctor knew he had lots of unrecovered memories—large blank spots that had remained a mystery to him for years. Especially around the time of his eighth life. Too many things had gone wrong with that one. And he couldn't risk the chance of dredging up too many repressed memories from the war in the process.
Ignoring the feeling of intense loss errupting in his chest and pushing aside the memories of what was probably just an odd dream-'It's not real. Can't be. Just a fantasy. The unconscious fantasy of an old man. I couldn't even tell which life it was!'-the Doctor stood and started his day, not seeing any point in going back to sleep now that he was awake. Besides, he still had so many places to show Rose. And now Jack, as well. There wasn't any time for more sleep!
Please leave a review and tell me what you think! Next chapter up whenever I get it written.
Thanks for reading!
-MP
ooo
A/N: For the purposes of this story, I'm ignoring all of the eighth doctor's actual history apart from the times he actually appeared on film. I may mention things from the comics, novels, or audio adventures, but I'm not considering them cannon.
He has severe, nearly constant amnesia, is half human due to complications when he regenerated in the hospital with the electrocution and anesthesia and such, and is constantly leaving notes for himself. He gets flashes of the future as a mutation of what usually allows him to see the difference between fixed and unfixed points in time, and knows about the wizarding world, obviously, but doesn't really care.
In the story, Lily is already 17, so despite there being an insanely large age gap, the Doctor's not actually a pedophile.
