A/N - Hello again...Hope you're enjoying the story so far. Not much to say at the moment. Yeah....so...um, what have you been up to? Really? That's interesting.....anyway, why are you reading this? You came here to read the story, not some pointless author note, so read on, and tell me what you think!

Disclaimer: I don't own Doctor Who...but I do own this story.

CHAPTER TWO: REUNION

Brittany keyed for the elevator doors to close. They obediently slid shut with a quiet hiss and, with a barely perceptible jolt, the elevator shot upwards. The Skyliner was a café on the 38th floor of the James McKillin building, a silvery sided skyscraper. She had no idea why the Doctor would choose this as a meeting place, especially as a spur of the moment decision. It was notoriously hard to get bookings for a meal, and Brittany half expected to be kicked out when she reached the right level. The elevator doors opened, and she stepped out. The café was huge, spanning the entire floor. The walls were curved glass, allowing uninterrupted views of the 38th century cityscape. She stood dumbfounded until one of the waitstaff tapped her on the arm.

"Can I help you?" the black uniformed man asked pleasantly.

Brittany jumped in surprise. "Oh, I, uh … was meeting a friend here," she said, searching the room for a blue suit. When she couldn't find one, she bit her lip, realising the Doctor hadn't managed to get a booking after all.

The waiter moved to a table sheltered by some tall potplants, and picked up a metal computer tablet. "May I ask what name the booking is under?" he queried, touching the tablet's screen to turn it on.

Brittany racked her brains for the name the Doctor had used all those years ago.

"Smith," she said at last. "John Smith."

The waiter looked surprised, but pointed to a table on the far side of the room. Brittany looked, and spotted a man wearing a brown coat, messy brown hair poking out the top. She quickly thanked the waiter and hurried towards the table he had indicated. The Doctor had managed to get a booking, and a window table no less. She sat down next to him, and gave him a huge smile. He looked around in alarm, but when he realised it was Brittany, he returned her wide grin.

"Toast?" he said, offering the plate in front of him. "All I've got is marmalade."

Brittany picked up a piece and took a bite out of it, watching the Doctor stare out of the window. It looked as if he hadn't aged at all. His face looked the same, if somewhat sadder, but he was undeniably unchanged.

She finished her toast and prodded him in the arm.

"So, enlighten me. How did you manage to get this booking?" she asked in a conspiratal tone. The Doctor waggled a long finger at her.

"Trade secret," he replied. "Anyway, long time, no see. How've you been?"

Brittany stared at him in disbelief. "Long time? It's been four years since I last saw you," she replied, suddenly very angry.

The Doctor looked worried, and his eyes keep straying to her hands, as if he feared physical retribution.

"Four years?" he asked. Brittany nodded sharply. "Really?" He scratched his head. "I thought it had only been a month. I didn't –"

"A month!" Brittany interrupted, shaking her head angrily. "How can you mistake a month for four years?"

The Doctor drummed his fingers on the table. "I'm never really good with dates. Don't really have much use for them, since my spaceship can travel in time."

Brittany laughed. "A time machine!" she exclaimed. "Don't be stupid. There's no such thing."

The Doctor glanced around warily, but no one was giving them any notice. "Keep it down," he hissed through his teeth. "That's what my spaceship, the TARDIS, is. A time travelling spaceship. Time And Relative Dimension In Space. Hang on, I never asked. What year is it?"

Brittany blinked in confusion. "Year? 3706." She was actually starting to believe what the Doctor was saying. Where else would he have gotten his strange choice of clothing if it weren't through time travel? And, it also explained why he hardly looked older at all, even though she had last seen him four years ago.

"3706?" The Time Lord looked around the café. "No wonder this place is so new. It's only been ope six years. I was at the opening," he muttered absently. "Someone threw an ice sculpture at me."

"Doctor?"

He looked at Brittany in surprise. "Huh?" he said, a guilty look on his face. "I was getting distracted, wasn't I?"

Brittany made a point of rolling her eyes. "So."

The Doctor frowned. "So what?"

"Why did you want to see me?

"Isn't just wanting to catch up with you a good enough reason?"

"Not for you it's not," Brittany scoffed. "I have a feeling that something bad has happened and you want my help."

The Doctor ran his hands through his hair, messing it up even more.

"Yeah, you're right about that. This might not make sense at first, but I'll try to explain," he said with a half-hearted grin. "A rift has opened up a few miles out of this city. A rift is kind of like a hole in the fabric of space and time, a magic door if you like. It links two places together, allowing instant travel. However, this rift links to a place called the void. Now, the void is a rather nasty place, and a rift going there should be impossible, but it's happened and I need to close it before anything else comes through."

Brittany sat in silence for a while, and the Doctor decided not to say anything else. He knew it was a lot to take in all at once, but Brittany seemed to have a knack for understanding things far beyond what one would expect of her.

"What do you mean by 'something else'?" she asked, suspicious of the Doctor's choice of words.

The Time Lord smiled to himself and looked out the window. She was sharper than he'd remembered. "Something has already come through the rift. A voidic shade. Nasty thing. Almost impossible to get rid of. That's why I need to close this rift." He jabbed a finger at the window. "We need to go there."

Brittany looked at what he was pointing to. "A banana plantation?" she asked. "Is that where the rift is?"

"No, beyond that. The mine." He paused. "Is that a banana plantation? I hadn't noticed that."

"Doctor…"

"Oh, right. Sorry." He leaned back in his chair and thumped his feet up on the table. "The rift has opened up at the mine." He grinned at Brittany. "And it just so happens that I have the perfect way in."