In honour of the new series. And for Corrine, as always.

Chapter 3: We used to be friends

'A long time ago… we used to be friends…'

Naboo soon discovered that getting the armor of Jools' body was harder than it had originally seemed. That's because it appeared that she'd actually been welded in it, or the stuff was surgically attached to her skin.

That and Jools was completely and utterly out of it. She'd always slept like a kid, he remembered, as soon as she was out, she was out. He remembered once, in college, he'd actually had to climb on top of her and yell in her ears, throw water on her, pull all her sheets of her bed in a vain attempt to wake her. Of course, as soon as he went across the room and touched her wardrobe door she'd sat bolt upright and yelled 'Get away from the shoes or prepare to say goodbye to your feet, Sheep Spawn.'

After much sweating and heaving (and swearing) he'd managed to get it so she was just wearing the smock that she wore to stop the chain mail chafing her skin.

Her hair was as long as he remembered it, tied back and pinned against her head in loose braids, the delicate whiteness smeared with blood and dirt every now and then. He liked her hair, it always smelled sweet and clean. Her round face was blemish free, apart from the small scratches and bruises on her pearly white skin. Her full lips were pink and full like a rose in bloom…

Naboo stood up and shook himself (mentally, he shook himself. He didn't stand up and shake his arms and legs about, because frankly, that'd look weird and it isn't a very shamanic thing to do). He shouldn't be thinking about Jools like that. She was practically his sister. He loved her… but not the way he loved Tara. He thought about Tara, his beautiful, van driving, fun loving, multi coloured haired girlfriend. She was like no one he'd ever met. She made him feel things he never thought possible. She was just… so right for him.

So it was quite a shock when, 30 later seconds Jools opened her eyes, saw him, smiled and said 'hello' and promptly pulled him by the lapels to kiss him…Only to have her push him away five seconds later.(What, look I KNOW you're thinking 'Five seconds? That's ages!' But Naboo is a very polite man. He doesn't push women. Even if they are tonsil raping him)

She had a very startled look on her face.

"What the hell?" she asked, looking around Naboo's colourful bedroom.

"Why am I here, where is here, why are you here?" her questions fell out in a tumble. Then the most prominent one came back to her "Why did I just kiss you?"

Naboo saw he had no choice "I don't know, London on earth, and I live here. And again, I have no idea.Although you should probably know, I have a girlfriend. "

Jools continued to look confused.

"Naboo… you do not live on earth! You reside on Xooberon! We came here… on a trip" her voice became disjointed as memories came flooding back.

It was Naboo's turn to look confused. To be honest, really it was more the clocks turn to be looking confused by now, or the chaise lounge in the corner. But seeing as they don't have faces (ok… the clock does, smart arse) it was down to the two humanoids to have precedence over the expressions.

"What are you on about? Our trip ended nearly forty years ago!" he insisted.

"What?" screeched Jools. Naboo shot backwards and went turban over elbow as he fell off the bed.

"But we… we were JUST in New York! We were JUST saying goodbye! You must remember? We hugged and it was snowing….?" There were tears in her eyes, as she clutched his arms.

"Jools… that WAS forty years ago. You went back to Celestaiaa? To finish the training?"

She continued to look confused.

"You've bene here before, remember? When you had that trouble?"

Again a blank look.

Naboo reached out and touched her face and shut his eyes. He realised with alarm, the memories that she had had when she first arrived in the kitchen had gone. They had literally vanished, as if they'd never been there in the first place.

"Oh … Jools I think you have amnesia." he said gravely.

"Hmm... yes that seems to be the most logical explanation. Seeing as I cannot remember a single thing that has happened in the last four decades. Your powers of deduction are truly remarkable, Naboo." she said, sarcastically. But there was a sad note in her voice.

Then she brightened.

"You must know what I have been doing! We are best friends!" she reached out and grabbed his hand, giving him a broad smile.

Naboo felt a dull ache tug on his heart. He dropped her hand.

"No Jools… not really. Not anymore. All I know about you is that you have an important job which basically stops you from spending anytime with me. Except when you're in trouble." he couldn't help adding, bitterly.

"Oh." Jools looked at her hands, which were littered with small grazes.

Naboo's heart melted. Not literally, it didn't just start running everywhere, like brie in the microwave. But the little part of it, usually reserved for Tara and kittens (who'd have thought it?), softened slightly as he looked down at his friend, who looked like she'd just eaten a sock.

"Hey look, it'll be ok. I'll do a scrying spell on your last movements, and we'll soon find out what happened to you. Now, I'll go and find the clothes you left here last time." Naboo shuffled off.

Jools clambered back up onto the bed, her mind whirling. She couldn't understand… how had she lots her memories? How could four decades just be gone, like candy floss in a downpour? And… how had she spent the last forty years not talking to Naboo? They always talked, she couldn't recall a day when they hadn't spoken, either face to face or via telepathic link in the previous four hundred years. So why now?

She recalled the kiss and blushed violently. All that had been so long ago. But her memories were so churned up. She rolled onto her side and a small picture in a frame caught her attention. It was of a girl, smiling. She had interesting hair and large blue eyes. She was very pretty, in her Scumbag College T shirt and jeans. It wasn't just her though. There was love in her eyes. Jools sensed that Naboo had taken the picture. She smiled at it.

Jools got up and began to walk around the flat. The place looked homely, but there was a dash of style here and there too. She wondered about the men Naboo lived with. The gorilla… he had been kind. The tall man with the moustache… and the young man. With blue eyes…. he'd said…something. Something strange…

A jangling noise distracted Jools. The small, plastic machine on Naboo's kitchen wall appeared to be chirruping at her. Like an annoying bird. On drugs. With a personality problem. And Tourettes.

She vaguely remembered these things… humans used them for communication. God only knows why they didn't jut develop their cerebral cortex's psychic capacity, making thought conversations possible. And it's not like BT could charge for them. Tentatively, she picked up the ringing device and held it to her ear.

"Umm.. Naboo's flat.." she hazarded.

"Hi, this is Tara… who's that?"

"Hello Tara, I'm Jools."

Jools felt pleased with herself that despite the fact she could barely remember anything of the last forty years; she still remembered basic human etiquette. It was small comfort, really, seeing as if you go to any town centre in Britain, there are people whose memories work perfectly well yet have not grasped the very basics of hygiene, yet alone social niceties. And I'm not even talking about the homeless people.

Tara paused. She'd heard Naboo mention Jools and she knew that they used to be close… she tried to beat down the wave of panic that was rising in her. Despite his insistence that it would never happen, Tara always assumed that one day, Naboo would suddenly realise that he belonged with someone more glamorous, smarter, taller, could do magic and who's hair stayed looking nice even in windy/humid weather. She worried that this Jools person might be the girl.

What Tara didn't know was that Jools was privy to all these thoughts. Jools didn't particularly want to have her thoughts in her head, but she did and her heart went out to Tara. Jools knew what it was like to feel like you were losing someone you cared about.

Of course, Naboo chose that point to yell something rather sitcom-ish.

"Jools, what do you want me to do with your clothes? They got a bit dirty and I'm not sure this white stuff will come out…"

"What was that he said?" asked Tara, clutching her mobile tighter to her ear.

"Ahhh… funny thing… that was just Naboo in the bedroom… I left my clothes in there and ahhhh!" Jools said, trying to make the best out of a bad situation. And failing. With a certain jittery charm.

"You left your clothes… in his bedroom."

"Yes."

"And they have white stuff on them."

"Well, yes, but … we didn't do anything! I mean, there was a bit of kissing, but that was because I was all confused. And Naboo took MY clothes off. I mean, I don't mean he took my clothes off, I mean he took them off but only because he needed to help me. And the ones that have stuff on them are just ones I left with him ages ago! You see I have amnesia and -"

"That you'd kiss Naboo and leave your clothes in his room? After he'd kindly removed them for you?! AND HE HAS CLOTHES THAT YOU LEFT AT HIS FLAT BEFORE!?" yelled Tara.

"Uhhh…"

At this point, Naboo wandered in, looking a bit bewildered. His old friend seemed flustered and as soon as she saw him she thrust the phone at him and said;

"It's Tara and she may be a little…."

Naboo gave Jools a confused look and lifted the phone to his ear. "Hello?"

He seemed to have caught Tara mid rant about something. "-but with my brother in the same flat you've got some nerve missy, I-"

"Tara? What's wrong?" asked Naboo.

"And I hope you are bloody happy together, you turban wearing bastard!" she said and then slammed the phone down. Well she would've done, if she hadn't been sat in the van and was therefore using a mobile. But she pressed the 'End Call' button very hard, I can tell you.

Naboo stared at the phone for a moment, then turned to Jools who was studying the wallpaper like it was a Van Gogh. She glanced up at him, all sheepish (although not covered in wool).

"What did you do?"

Yo. So I figure it's been a while and if anyone is still reading this they are probably pissed off by now. So yeah, sorry. Stuff gets in the way. Also some notes : I realise that this story might be a bit confusing, so the plot is pretty complex (for me at least… I suppose I could have written something about Magic Mittens, but hey, I fancied a challenge). Thing is, you are just going to have to bear with it. All will become clear. I'm not saying that will happen soon but you know, persevere and you will succeed.

Actually, now I think about Magic Mittens seems a pretty good idea….

Please Review!