Knobs lit up as buttons were nudged and levers flicked up ways, down ways and all ways that were possible as all under the watchful eyes of the luminescent light of the TARDIS council. Numbers blinked violently as bits and pieces violently burst into flashing sparks throughout. The Doctor rushed back and forth, oscillating between levers, buttons and even a type writer. Bits and pieces clanked together from all over and one last pull to a lever up front and a loud crash and thunk on the Doctor's head signaled to him that he had landed as safely as he could manage.
"Just you and me again, old girl..." He smiled fondly at the screen as he fiddled with unnecessary buttons. "Mrs and Mr Pond have their own lives to live and dreams to fulfill." a loud knock came at the door. "Hello...?" he walked out to only to meet the eyes of a strikingly well dressed man. His blonde hair and bright blue eyes glistened in the moonlight and practically glowed against the soft orange light from the window next door. His black tail coat floated in the gentle night breeze only to reveal the beautifully made blood red vest embroidered with a golden dragon with flames licking up to almost the tip of the man's armpit as loose fitting black pants hung artfully from his strong hips.
"What on earth where you doing in there?" The handsome stranger crinkled his face in confusion.
"Got lost on the way to a party." he replied honestly.
"I see. Where you on your way to the Pennington anniversary by any chance?"
"I suppose so." The Doctor said with a smile
"Then you must be a friend of my wife's" the other man smile politely and held out his large hand "I'm Arthur Pennington."
"Pleasure to meet you, Arthur. I'm the Doctor." he dutifully took Arthur's hand in his and shook "Why are you out here?"
"My wife heard an abnormal sound coming from here and I came to see what it was. I'm assuming it was you, Doctor..." Arthur paused "Doctor what exactly?"
"Just the Doctor. And yes, I just had a bit of a problem with landing. No worries now." he straightened his bowtie with a grin.
"Are you sure you are a friend of my wife's?" Arthur said thoughtfully
"Yes, definitely. I'm in her... knitting club." he lied
*

Once inside Arthur beeline toward a smaller blonde, who was bouncing animatedly with another group of women. Bundles of a faded blue and white bounced with her small figure as glove clad hands landed on the small of her back. He pointed in the Doctor's direction and whispered a few words to cause her head to shake slightly with laughter. As she made her way towards the Doctor, a familiar face was soon inches away from his own. He stood there, stunned as his smile faltered slightly.

"Rose?" he mumbled softly, old emotions beginning to slowly resurface.

"Pardon? I'm sorry, but I think you have got the wrong person..." She bit her lip in confusion.

"Why yes, of course. My apologizes, miss...?"

"Arthur said you're a friend of mine, shouldn't you know? I'm pretty sure this is my party and you are in my knitting club after all." Her wicked grin brought a childish grin back to the Doctor's face.

"I'm the Doctor." His eyes filled with amusement.

"Doctor what exactly?"

"Just... the Doctor."

"All right, Doctor, it's a pleasure to meet you. My name is Marion. Marion Pennington. The knitting club one is new though, I must give you props on that one."

"Rose Marion Tyler..." He uttered to himself, a smile bloomed over wider across his strong face.

"Did you say something?"

"Oh, no, no. I was just thinking about something... someone. Someone I used to be very close to. You- she. We had a great adventure."

A heavy silence rested between the two as people mingled and laughed joyously around them. Marion's eyes drifted up and down him, as if trying to absorb every detail on his thin body.

"You look... so familiar... yet so..." Marion whispered quietly after a moment.

"I've been around" he paused "We've met before that is. Well, before to me. Not exactly before. More like later. Much much later. Years later. Decades later... Generations later..." His voice trailed off when he looked into her glistening eyes. "reincarnations later." he added with a whisper.

"Doctor, I-" Marion turned with a start when low sobs began to fill the large room from just a tiny wooden crib, right under a set of wooden painted stars above. She pardoned herself to soothe the screaming bundle. "Shhh, little Lotte, Mummy's here now."

"Is she yours?"

"Yea, her name's Charlotte." Marion looked up and dimpled. She rocked the white bundle back and forth as she cooed delicately into the small child's ear. "She's only two months old."

"May I hold her?" The Doctor asks with his smile growing wider. Marion hesitated slightly before handing the now tranquil baby over. Charlotte's sparkling blue eyes opened in wonder at the Doctor as he lightly bounced her up and down, as Marion had just done. Doing that earned him a dimpled grin and a delicate fit of laughter. Small light blonde curls at the top of her head bounced happily with her and almost danced in the great light produced by a chandelier up high. "How did you meet Arthur?" he mentioned.

"My Father introduced us at a party. Arthur one day, out of the blue, arrived at the company with only a suit to his name and managed to charm the knickers off those stuck up old men." she giggled fondly "This is just an arranged marriage but we've learned to live well enough together...The beginning was not the most pleasant but we've come to an agreement..." she froze and began fiddling with the ends of her sleeves "although... he doesn't remember anything about his past. His brilliant, truly brilliant, don't get me wrong. Whenever... whenever I try to ask him about his past he just gives me the most heartbroken eyes I have ever seen. He just looks like he's missing something or someone very, very dear to him. When he's sleeping, he sometimes tells grand tales of his times in Camelot, as if he were Prince Arthur himself" she explained "Sometimes he talks of hunting with his knights, taking down monsters beyond your wildest imagination. Even spoke of taking down the great dragon that threatened the very life of Camelot! But mostly of Merlin. You know, the wizard. About his insanely large ears" she mimicked the size with her hands " how his clumsiness would rival a toddler on ice and, most of all, how much he loves him so very much. I try asking him about the dreams in the morning but I always get the same sad, sad eyes and he goes to deny it all." her large pleading eyes locked onto his "Doctor, please help him."

"Why did you ask that of me? We only just met after all. And all of this could very well be that he just likes Arthurian history." His noted as he placed the sound Charlotte back in her crib. .

"I just, I don't know why. It just feels like I can trust you." Marion's eyes continued searching his face once more looking for something... anything "I just know if anyone will be able to help him, it's you. The story might very well be a load of bullocks, like you say, but every story, every detail he has told felt too real to be just a mad man's tale." she shook her head slowly as her eyes began to swell "Please, I'll do anything, I just want him to be happy. Truly happy. Not just this domestic bliss we have going on."

"Marion, look at me" he instructed as he placed both hands on her wet cheeks "I promise I'll do whatever I can within my power and more to help" he wiped away the freshly formed tears " I just want one thing from you."

"A-anything." her voice hoarse from the choked back sobs.

"Live a good life and make yourself happy." his brilliant smile returned as he planted one quick chaste kiss to her forehead. She nodded quickly as she returned the favor on his cheek.

"Thank you and be safe, Doctor." She smiled brightly through her tears.