Note - This is the second adventure in this series. Please read The Long Brown Coat, the first adventure, before starting this one :)
Chapter 1 – Music and Noise
After a little while, maybe a few weeks, or a month, I realized that the event, my little adventure with the Doctor was something that could only happen once in my lifetime. Because of that, I felt lucky along with a little sadness because I also felt that I'd never have such as good a friend for the rest of my life as he'd been in that short time . The Doctor probably happened across hundreds of people all the time, wherever he went. Some he may see again, others are just there at the same time or they happened to need him for something. The latter was me and I eventually convinced myself that was all.
From the day he left me I took what life I had and moved on, as I always had before I met him. I went back to work at the bank. After a month, I finished my first short story about a mysterious stranger in a long brown coat. It was accepted and published in a literary magazine. I had become an author.
After two months I was promoted to payroll at the bank which provided me with my own office and a tiny little office window, also of my very own.
Teddy was always there. He'd become the manager up at the front of the office. Jordan ended up finding a higher up position as an office manager or something. I still think he was bitter about his car because Teddy never confessed to doing anything to it. It is difficult to admit to doing something you don't remember doing. (If you wanted to get technical, the Doctor's the one who broke the blasted thing.)
Though Teddy knew my feelings on the matter of him and me we ended up going out quite a lot with mates or just the two of us. I knew he wanted it to be more serious because of what the Culraith had said. But again, Teddy had no memory of ever telling me how he felt.
I thought of the Doctor as little as I could because all it would bring up in my head was our discussion of fear. I wanted to kick myself because I proved him right by refusing to go with him out of fear. He and his ship were the most wondrous things I'd ever encountered and most likely, nothing I ended up seeing afterwards would ever match up.
With all of that though, my head was clear and I was happy with my simple life.
--
Four months had passed after the Doctor's ship had faded away.
I was in my office on a Friday afternoon, waiting maddeningly for the five o'clock hour so I could go home. I was behind in my work. Papers were strewn about my desk and I was hovering over them anxiously when I got a call on my desk phone. It was Teddy telling me that someone wanted to speak with me. I told him I was very busy – no that wasn't just a lame excuse – that he should tell the individual to come back at another time.
"Alice, I think you'll want to see him," Teddy said.
I sighed and pinched the bridge of my nose. I could feel a headache coming on. "Alright then, send him back."
"He's already on his way."
I growled a thank you and hung up the phone. Probably someone from human resources coming to do a surprise inspection or something horrible like that. I got to my feet and smoothed out my skirt, hoping I still looked somewhat presentable, and went to my file cabinets in the corner of the office. I began going through them to make sure they were still organized.
A knock sounded on my open office door.
"Come in and have a seat, I'll be with you in just a minute," I said, my head bent over the open drawer of the cabinet. There was a small blur at the corner of my eye as whoever it was took the seat in front of my desk.
"Thanks, but I've only got a question for you," the voice was too familiar.
I couldn't see the files anymore. It sounded like he'd propped his feet up on my desk but I couldn't look. I was terrified to look because if I was wrong…
A pair of red lace up trainers rested on my desk. I saw them just at a side glance. It couldn't be him. He'd worn white ones. But good heavens it certainly sounded like him. I finally gave in and turned around.
The Doctor sat reclining comfortably with the same playful smile on his face and the glint in his brown eyes. His suit was a shocking royal blue pinstripe. But it was perfect for him. "Hello," he said happily.
I wanted to laugh and cry at the same time but I compromised by standing there and smiling like a loon.
"Oh, come here," he said and got back to his feet and came towards me, scooping me up in a great bear hug.
I held him tightly and laughed as the random dormant memories of his resurfaced in my mind. I'd almost forgotten that I had them.
"Aw, did you miss me?" he said.
We pulled apart and I shook my head, "Not in the slightest."
"You cut your hair," he said with a raise of his eyebrows.
I automatically ran my fingers through my short cropped hair cut and smiled. "Do you like it?"
The Doctor took me by the shoulders, his eyes intently studying the top of my head. He turned me around to see the back until I made a complete 360.
"It suits you actually," he said.
"Well, after everything that happened, with that thing inside my head I couldn't stand my hair anymore. I don't know why but it feels a lot better this way."
He looked curiously at me for a moment.
"I like the suit," I said smiling at the red shoes.
He brightened up again, "I wasn't sure about it at first, really," he said scratching his head. "But one does get tired of brown."
"It looks tighter," I said suspiciously.
"It's just the color," he said with a shrug.
"How'd you get back here?" I said as he sat back down and I leaned on my desk.
"Oh well, by my flawless charm and wit…and Teddy let me through."
I folded my arms in front of me and studied him, "You're not just back for a visit, are you?"
"Partially, yes. And I really do have a question for you," his eyes lifted up to the ceiling and he folded his hands in front of him. "There's this particular memory of yours that's been cropping up in my head lately. It involves you of course, a public toilet, and a girl who could easily pass for a human crilatain. It ends with you getting all wet." He looked at me expectantly as my face reddened, not out of embarrassment but out of irritation.
"I'd rather you draw your own conclusions, thank you very much," I growled.
"Whoa, now! No need to get touchy. I'd rather hear it from you, that's all," he said, the smile off of his face.
"Theresa Blindt enjoyed dunking my head in the toilet at school for getting higher marks in my classes when we were children,"
The Doctor's face slowly turned into a scowl like a protective older brother, "She humiliated you because you're clever?"
I shrugged, "I couldn't think of any other reason she did it. I never did anything to her. Is that really why you came back here?"
"Partially, again," he said, his eyes returning to their brightness. He reached into his blue jacket pocket and pulled out a rolled up magazine, "I have a story I think you should hear." He unrolled the magazine and thumbed through the pages, "It's actually quite captivating for a first time author." He found the page he was looking for, "Ah, here it is – "
I braced myself.
"The Man in the Long Brown Coat," he read aloud calmly, but I recognized that mischievous expression on his face. "Very mysterious sounding, don't you think?"
I rolled my eyes, "Am I in trouble or what? Are you angry with me?"
He looked perfectly taken aback as though the suggestion offended his very being, "Why would I be angry?"
"Because –" I pointed a finger at him, "You know full well that story is about you…well a two dimensional young adult version of you anyway."
"Whew, you're paranoid! I could extract the paranoia from you and fill an entire mental hospital with it." He got to his feet and took me by the shoulders, lowering me into the chair while he sat on my desk. "I wanted to tell you in person how brilliant I think this is," he waved the magazine at me. "I especially love the way you describe him.
He read aloud, "When I met his eyes he didn't flinch for a moment but only continued looking – studying. The eyes were dark and endless. They held a beauty and a horror, the most fiery hate and the sweetest kind of love along with what I believed to be entire galaxies and universes being created and destroyed one second after another. I witnessed all of this just behind the warm brown colored eyes and what seemed to be the face of a handsome young man."
I'd found the pattern in the carpet extremely interesting as he read it. I felt far from brilliant and more like a fool for not realizing that he'd stumble upon it sooner or later.
"I admit, I blushed the first time," he said with a grin. "It's near poetry, Alice."
"Thanks," I said sheepishly.
A car alarm went off outside, smashing the silence with its loud squeal.
"You didn't want me to read it," he said, looking disappointed.
"No, of course not. I just didn't think you'd be interested is all."
The Doctor chuckled as he rolled up the magazine, "You're kidding, right? I couldn't resist when I saw your name on there. Of course I found it in a list of other short stories by different authors – some haven't even written their stuff yet – and I traced it here, back to you," he grinned as though he'd accomplished a great feat.
Two more car alarms went off at the same time. The first one was still blaring. I glared at the window and the Doctor stood to his full height. "Lots of motor thefts in these parts?"
I shook my head, "No, it's been happening a lot lately around the neighborhood," I stopped myself.
It had been happening for nearly two weeks. I hadn't been able to sleep through the night without a bloody car alarm going off. "That's a bit odd, isn't it?" I looked at him. He was peering out of my small office window. "I never thought on it before now but it has been happening a lot lately. A few days ago my neighbor's burglar alarm went off and they never found anyone or anything that set it off."
"It's happening with anything that has a power source?" he asked me, still gazing out the window.
"No…just things that make lots of noise," I said.
He snickered and looked at me with those excited eyes of his and a small smile. "Fancy punching out early?" he said as he pulled out the...sonic screwdriver from his inside pocket.
I glanced at the work on my desk then back at the Doctor. I'd been prepared for this. For four months, I knew what I was going to say if by some slim chance I'd have the opportunity to go with him again. But the fear kicked in first. "You don't really need me, do you?"
He seemed to deflate a little, "Well, you never know. I could use an extra pair of hands or someone to distract the blood sucking creature while I save the world but it's up to you," he said nonchalantly.
I moved back around my desk, trying to keep from smiling. "Out," I pointed to the door as I opened on of the desk drawers.
"No need to be rude, Alice. I was only asking," he said, taking small steps backwards towards the doorway. Another alarm went off.
I took out a pair of jeans, a shirt, and my sneakers from the desk drawer and smiled at him, "I know you were which is why I'm going with you. It'll be easier to keep up with you without the skirt, don't you think?"
I pushed him the rest of the way out into the corridor. "You keep a change of clothes in the office?" he said, sounding amused. "We really should confront that paranoia."
I shut the door.
"I'll just wait outside, shall I?" his voice came through the door.
"I'll be just a minute," I called back as I slipped my skirt off and put on the much more comfortable pair of jeans and sneakers.
After I shoved all of the paper work into my desk drawers and locking my office door, I went to the lobby and met Teddy there. I asked him to tell anyone who asked that I went home early with a massive migraine and that I'd see him later.
Teddy held me in place by taking hold of my arm, "Are you sure about him? You haven't seen him for months, then he suddenly shows up and you're off like a light. You hardly know him."
"Don't worry Teddy," I gave him a peck on the cheek. "I trust him. I'll be back soon." I did my best to keep from smiling as I spoke. Teddy was basing what he thought of the Doctor on the fact that he believed him to be a human being. If Teddy knew the entire truth he'd have chained me to my desk.
I went out into the open air and walked to the back car park where my car was and in the space next to it was a blue wooden police box. I smiled in happy recognition like it was a long lost friend I had dearly missed. I ran up to my car and dumped my work clothes in the back seat.
"Come and have a look," I turned and the Doctor's head was poking out the door of the TARDIS. I've identified it as a low band energy signal, definitely not from around these parts," he said as I slung my bag over my shoulder and he held the door open for me.
"It's coming from a long way off which is why the signal is so weak. But," he said as he leaped back up to the TARDIS console, "right now it's strong enough we can still track it down."
I took a seat next to the circular console as he continued working, "Is someone calling for help?" I asked.
He looked at me from behind the large power chamber, "Too soon to tell yet. The signal is weak but still strong enough to set off your every day electronic gadgets. It's just the noise makers that I can't figure out." He stared at the computer monitor and grinned, "Got it!" Cranks were turned and switches were flipped as the sound of the ship's engine started up. It rumbled but remained steady. I couldn't feel us moving anywhere. All I could tell is that the ship was just making a bunch of noise. The engine died down again.
"Well, not much for your first trip. We're just outside Cardiff."
"Cardiff," I said probably too harshly.
"That's where the signal is. It's at the strongest point about a block away." He pulled out the blue light…sonic screwdriver and went for the door, "Off we go then," he said as though we were going to an afternoon picnic.
We stepped out onto a street corner. Warehouses and more warehouses lined the block we were on. All of them were two or three stories high, large and unimpressive rectangular buildings.
"Come on, this way," the Doctor nodded his head, holding the screwdriver out in front of him.
I had to move at a jogging pace nearly to keep up with his long strides. We covered one side of the street, turned a corner and started down another nameless street. I slowed down a little and looked around me, "Can you hear music?" I said.
It was very faint at first but the more I concentrated on it the louder it became. It was beautiful! The Doctor stopped several yards in front of me and looked back, "What kind of music?"
"I've never heard anything like it before," I said, trying to search for the words. "It's light, airy, sad and beautiful but so soft." I walked slowly up to him, pricking my ears for the lovely song.
The Doctor furrowed his brow and took my hand, "Come on," he said. He led me inside on of the warehouses. This one was only partially full of boxes and chests. The music became louder.
I pulled on the Doctor's arm, "Can you hear it? It's gorgeous." I smiled vaguely at him and the corners of his mouth lowered into a frown.
But he said nothing and we kept moving through the stacks of boxes and junk.
"I hear it now," the Doctor said, though he didn't sound like he appreciated it very much.
"Isn't it lovely?" I said dreamily.
"Yes, quite," he said sharply.
I closed my eyes and listened contentedly.
"No, Alice!" the Doctor shook me. "Try to ignore it," he said after I opened my eyes.
"But you don't know what it is," I protested.
"Which is highly inconvenient," he said.
We walked deeper into the storage. The warehouse seemed larger than I would have guessed from the outside. But I knew we were getting closer, "It's getting louder."
"We're almost there," the Doctor held out the sonic screwdriver and we stepped together into a corner made of stacked boxes but there was no time to look around.
The music was no longer soft and soothing. The melody had not changed but it was loud, harsh and pounding in my head. I put my hands to my ears and screamed, falling to my knees. The Doctor must've heard it too. He was shouting something over the music. A flash of blue light consumed the both of us and the small corner we were in.