The Doctor sat in the cafe, waiting. All around him were completely boring and mundane people going about their completely mundane lives on the colony that was actually a spaceship. She wasn't mundane though, not her, not the one he was waiting for.
Finally she came striding toward him, a fiery spitball on the frigid world. "Wha'd ya want?" She asked gruffly, folding her arms across her body as if she felt exposed without her patch and badge covered jacket. He intentionally took his time when he looked up from his book and pushed his glasses back into his hair.
He thought for several seconds, despite having decided long ago. "Milkshake." He said finally.
"Flavor?"
He smiled, "Waiter's choice." She strode away to the counter, and spoke to the man there for a minute before returning, milkshake in hand.
She placed it on the table, and turned to leave, he caught her wrist, stopping her. "Yes?" She was suddenly frightened, she hid it well, but he knew her better than she could realise.
"It's lumpy." He said, pretending to be completely serious.
She looked exasperated, "It's a milkshake, it's-"
He cut her off, "Supposed to be lumpy." The Doctor smiled, "Do you like lumpy milkshakes?" He asked suddenly. "Because you see, I forgot my special Milkshake Straw. I have my Fizzy Straw, but it's just not the same."
She was very obviously confused. "Uh?"
He pushed the chair next to him out, and pushed the Milkshake over in front of her. She sat down, albeit hesitantly. He stuck his hand out to her, "I'm-" he momentarily froze, realizing he couldn't introduce himself as 'The Doctor.' He said, "Doctor John Smith."
She looked down at the milkshake uncertainly as she sat down, "I'm Ace," she said after a moment.
"Ace?" He asked innocently. "Interesting." He was trying not to laugh, or cry, he wasn't sure which.
"I picked it." She snapped, taking a sip of the milkshake. Her eyes lit up a little with amazement at the taste, he wondered if she'd ever had one before. He knew her time on Ice World had been rough, even though they hadn't discussed it much.
She seemed to remember her manners and managed a, "Thanks Doctor."
He almost told her that it was about time she remember his name, but held his tongue, knowing she had yet to meet her 'Professor.'
"Have we met?" She asked suddenly, "You seem familiar."
"Oh no," he promised, "Never." He couldn't explain to her that Deja Vu was a real thing when dealing with time, that on one of their adventures in his past and her future she must have accidentally left a tiny fragment of memory somewhere that this Ace found it. If any one in the universe could manage that he decided, it would be her.
"Alright," she sipped the milkshake, still seeming confused by his actions. The Doctor knew he shouldn't have been here, messing in his own timestream, but after losing the Ponds he needed someone to see.
"You're from Earth, aren't you?"
She gave him an odd look, "Maybe."
"Ever been to New York?"
"No."
"Don't." He said, partly to himself, "And don't blink Ace. If you go to New York, don't blink."
Ace looked up at him, more confused with every word he spoke. He ignored her questioning look and stared past her, not really seeing the other customers. She looked over her shoulder to where he was looking, and after deciding that there was nothing of interest there she went back to her milkshake.
He stood as she finished the milkshake, he dropped a few coins on the table and said, "Well, I'll be off then." And strode off, leaving a still very confused Ace in his wake.
He left at just the right time, as he entered the TARDIS and punched in the coordinates another TARDIS landed in the freezer section and a woman with frizzy red curls stepped out and looked around. "The freezer section?" Melanie Bush demanded.