Rose had been quite sure she didn't want to go back to Scotland. The Highlands were cold, they brought on her hayfever and they were overrun with psycho ninja minks and werewolves.

The Doctor had ignored her protests however, telling her the energy from the wolf star would recharge the TARDIS after she'd gone and ripped its heart open. She couldn't really think of anything to say to that, so she stepped outside sulkily and found herself face to face with a wide-eyed young man in a very fetching kilt. Looked just like the one her mate Shareen had brought in Topshop the other... month? Year? It looked better on him, anyway. "Sorry, can I help you?" she asked.

He pointed at the TARDIS. "That box... I've seen it before. In my dreams."

"Oh no," Rose insisted. "You must be confusing it with... some other blue box with Police Box written on the side," she finished, realising that it was only really possible to mistake the TARDIS for a blue, London Police Box and there didn't seem to be all that many others here in the Highlands. "Well, OK, maybe you have seen it before," she admitted. "Probably when something bad was happening."

The boy shook his head. "No... aye, well, mebbe... there was the battle, and the Doctor-"

"The Doctor?" Rose interrupted sharply. "He was here before?"

"Aye, in the battle," he answered eagerly. "And there were a boy and a girl, Ben and Polly, and then..." He trailed off suddenly, eyes clouding over. "I don't remember what else. I seen this box in my head, a TARDIS, it's called, and there's metal men and great, hairy beasties and strange creatures called Daleks and metal birds wit' people in them and it's terrifying and wonderful... and then I wake up. It's not real."

"But it is real," Rose said, confused. "The Doctor, the TARDIS, Daleks, and I've certainly seen more than enough great hairy beasties to last a lifetime." She stood in thought for a moment. Memory loss didn't appear to be a side-effect of travelling in the TARDIS, unless you absorbed the time vortex of course. Maybe this boy had done the same thing? "What's your name anyway?" she asked.

"James McCrimmon. Jamie," he answered.

"I know that name..." she said thoughtfully. "The Doctor used it on Queen Victoria. Did you use to travel with him?"

Jamie scowled. "I told you, I cannae remember. Mebbe I did. Or mebbe they're right and t' battle made me crazy."

"Rose! All fixed, time to go!"

She turned around as the Doctor's voice echoed out of the TARDIS. "I'm sorry, I have to go."

Jamie looked distraught. "But y' cannae just go like that withou' telling me what's going on!"

Rose felt her heart twist in sympathy for him as she suddenly imagined what it would be like to be back at home with no memory of the wonders she had seen. "I'm sorry," she said again. "I can't help. But you're not crazy, you're really not." She impulsively leaned forward and kissed him, wanting to cheer him up a bit. "Bye. I hope you get your memory back, Jamie McCrimmon."

And then she was gone.

It was several days later that Rose realised she probably should've told the Doctor about the boy. Except now she was stuck at Torchwood in a parallel universe with no way of contacting him.

And plagued by dreams.