Old Memory
"You go and find us a nice cup of tea and I'll sort the rest of these papers out," Wilf suggested.
"There's a place around the corner. Suzy's sister's boyfriend's Dad runs it. He had that pub you remember, the one we went too at New Year. Anyway his wife went on X-factor - " Donna laughed. "I'm doing it again. Alright, I'm going. I'll be back in a minute."
Before Wilf could reply, she was already walking away and soon out of sight, lost to the busy London crowd.
After organising the last of the papers into neat piles, Wilf stood observing passers-by. It was several seconds before he saw the man and several more until Wilf realised who he was staring at.
Across the road, at the edge of the park, stood the TARDIS. It was partly obscured by a tree trunk but the blue police box was unmistakable. Leaning against the ship was a tall, thin man wearing a pinstripe brown suit. People walking past were too absorbed in their own thoughts or conversations to notice anything out of the ordinary.
The man smiled and raised his hand in acknowledgement of the paper seller. Wilf waved a cheery hello in reply. He noted that the man didn't look a day older, though it was a good few years since they last met. Before Wilf could organise his words into some sort of greeting, something had caught the man's attention and without hesitation he was gone. The TARDIS door shut firmly behind him.
"Tea, milk and no sugar." Donna tapped her Grandfather's shoulder and offered him the polystyrene cup.
"Thanks sweetheart."
"What were you looking at?"
Donna glanced across the street, but the blue box and the man were no longer there.
"Oh it was nothing. I was just thinking for a minute…an old memory…"
"How old? Anything I'd remember?"
Wilf shook his head sadly. He thought of the man and his warning. She must never know.
Donna Noble, the most important woman in the Universe, must never know.
Epilogue
The Doctor took one last look at the monitor screen. Donna and her Grandfather selling papers in London. He held the sonic screwdriver to the screen and the picture faded.
Enough now.