A/N: Sorry for not updating for so long: I was ill and then very busy. But I'll do my best not to do that again^)) And as usual: no beta, so all mistakes are mine, and I'm ashamed of them^(

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Chapter 2.

"What is going on here?" cried Captain Wentworth.

Actually, he had no right to demand an answer, but it didn't even occur to him, for he needed to know what was going on, why Anne was outside so early in the morning and who was the man she was talking to. The only idea, which would naturally come to anyone at the sight of man and a woman (who, by the way, was barely dressed) secretly meeting at dawn, seemed ridiculous to Captain Wentworth. No, that couldn't be! Anne couldn't, simply couldn't have an affair with this man, who was looking at Captain slightly quizzically and with curiosity. But the way Anne was dressed conveyed the suggestion that she had spent the night with a lover and now was seeing him off. The fact that this supposed lover was dressed quite eccentric Captain Wentworth dismissed as irrelevant.

"Oi, do you know that it's rude to interrupt someone's conversation?" asked the stranger before Anne could explain herself to Captain Wentworth.

"I do not recall we were introduced to each other" said Frederick dryly.

"Captain Wentworth, let me introduce you to the Doctor. Doctor, this is Captain Wentworth... a friend of the family", nervously said Anne, who felt as if she was in some weird dream. Or, rather, nightmare, because to be seen at that hour in a company of a man without a chaperone, was terrible. To be seen by Captain Wentworth was twice terrible.

"Doctor?" Captain Wentworth eyed suspiciously the man who looked nothing like a doctor. "Doctor who?"

"Just the Doctor", said the Doctor grumpily and murmured low, but distinct: "Another captain... as if Jack wasn't enough!"

"Just the Doctor? Sir, I insist that you tell me your name!"

"That's my name. The Doctor is my name and if you only knew how many times in my life I said that you would not believe me. Anyway, why do you need my name so badly? It's so human…"

'To call you out' was the only reply Captain Wentworth wanted to give, but he couldn't say it, first of all, because it wasn't his duty to do that (though he highly doubted that either Sit Walter or Charles would try to protect Anne's honour), and also because he hadn't yet figured out what was going on here. Could he be wrong? Could he jump to conclusions? Yes, Anne had changed since their last meeting almost eight years ago, but Frederick was sure that these changes hadn't touched her soul, that Anne was still the kindest, the sweetest and the most innocent girl in the world, who could do nothing wrong, nothing improper or indecent. But now Captain Wentworth didn't know anymore, and the nameless stranger wasn't helping to understand the situation.

"Ahem", Anne cleared her throat. She decided that it was high time to break in the Doctor and Captain's dialogue. Anne was ashamed, for she was well aware, that her behaviour was not only foolish, but also disgraceful, and her reputation was ruined forever. And it pained her that now in Captain Wentworth's eyes she was not only a weak-willed, but also fallen woman. But her own misery can wait, because at the moment she had to help someone, who was more desolate than Anne, but, poor man, didn't even realize it. And though Anne doubted that Captain Wentworth would be willing to assist the Doctor, she still wanted to try to persuade him. "Captain Wentworth, the Doctor… has lost something and while searching it, I assume, he got lost himself. I believe we…"

"What?!" quickly interrupted her the indignant Doctor, who seemed to be insulted by her worlds. "I'm not lost. I cannot be lost, ever. I'm a Time Lord, and Time Lords simply don't get lost. And if we still get lost, it's not our fault, but TARDIS's. Anyway, since I'm not lost and haven't yet found what I'm looking for, I'm leaving. I would say that it wasn't very pleasant to meet you, Captain Wentworth, but even I'm not that rude. So, it was a pleasure to meet you, Captain. As for you, miss Anne Elliot of Kellynch-Hall, next time you see your interesting little friend, tell him that he is in danger and that I'm here to help him. And be careful. Remember what I said about unusual events, odd people and violent deaths? Stay away from them. No, seriously, be careful – never know what's waiting for you around the corner".

The Doctor looked gravely at Anne and critically at Captain Wentworth, turned and left, disappearing in the garden, which surrounded Uppercross. And it certainly was not something that Captain Wentworth expected, for he was planning to have a long and hardly pleasant talk with the Doctor, whose hasty departure… no, disgraceful escape proved him to be even worse rascal than Frederick thought, because to ruin an innocent girl was bad enough, but to leave her in these particular circumstances, alone with a man, was simply disgusting. Captain Wentworth didn't understand what Anne could see in this man (who actually had no right to be called a man, a wimp – that's what he was), and suddenly it stroke him that, perhaps, her tryst with the Doctor was not voluntary. What if he had forced her to meet him? What if he had threatened, intimidated her? The blood froze in Frederick's veins. If so, he would kill the nameless Doctor, plain and simple. But first of all, he had to find out what was really going on between her and the Doctor and who this Doctor was. Though he wasn't sure that Anne would tell him anything - it was a very delicate issue to discuss with a male, especially with him, of all people, because his recent behaviour made impossible any confidence between them. It was extremely unlikely that Anne would confide in Captain Wentworth, but Frederick also suspected that she wouldn't talk about it with Charles Musgrove or her father, but for different reasons. Anne never liked to burden anyone with her problems or sorrows and she had no one, but Lady Russell to bare her soul to and seek help and advice. But before Captain Wentworth could say how truly sorry he was, Anne noticed his gun and her eyes, huge and scared as it is, grew even larger and more terrified.

"Captain Wentworth", cried she, "you are here to meet Charles and go shooting with him, aren't you?"

It was a strange question, because the answer was obvious and insignificant in present circumstances, but Frederick saw that Anne was too agitated and shocked to think clearly.

"Yes, indeed, but for now I think we should talk about more important things like…"

"I have to go!" blurted out Anne. "Please, Captain Wentworth, I know that you must think horribly of me, and I suppose I partially deserved it, but believe me, it's not what you think!"

Anne looked at Captain Wentworth with pleading eyes, silently begging him to believe her. And Frederick felt that he couldn't not believe her.

"Then why don't you explain me everything" said Captain Wentworth gently and took her hand – a gesture that surprised them both. He hadn't done it since the days of their engagement and in the first year after it was broken Frederick had often remembered the feel of her soft warm skin and long delicate fingers interlaced with his. Eight years ago she had used to blush from head to toe any time she had allowed him to touch her bare hand, and that's why now it was very difficult to believe that she was capable of improper or lewd behaviour.

"Not now, I can't, I have to return to my room. Don't you understand, that Charles may come here any minute? Please, if he saw us together…"

Captain Wentworth briefly considered, what would happen if Charles saw them. If he would come to the same conclusion as Frederick, Anne's reputation and life would be destroyed. There was a distant possibility that Musgrove, a rather slow-witted fellow, would assume that Anne and Captain Wentworth's meeting was nothing more than just a pure coincidence and would forget about it, the second he and Frederick went shooting, but Captain Wentworth couldn't count on it. Frederick suspected that Musgrove wouldn't demand satisfaction, but would insist that Captain Wentworth must marry Anne. And Frederick was astonished to acknowledge that this idea was equally revolting and enticing. The thought of a forced marriage was always unbearable to him, but if it was Anne who would become his wife, he could put up with this twist of fate. Louisa Musgrove, whom Frederick, in his feverish speculations, prematurely considered himself tied up to, was instantly forgotten.

"Oh, yes of course," mumbled Captain Wentworth. "But Miss Anne, I'd like…"

"Later, we'll talk later, if you wish," whispered Anne, looking back at the house.

Then she squeezed Frederick's hand, turned about and practically run towards Uppercross. A few minuets after she disappeared around the corner, Captain Wentworth followed her and almost run into Charles Musgrove.

"Captain, you're already here!" cried Charles. "That's capital! Let's go, we shall not waste our time! I hope today we'll do better than tomorrow. Don't know what to do with that dog, it's absolutely untrained, I'm afraid it'll make no good. Maybe I should…"

Charles kept on ranting, but Captain Wentworth, engrossed in his thoughts, didn't listen to him.

* * *

Anne had spent the whole morning in her room, pleading a headache. Mary, who preferred to be taken care of by Anne and not otherwise, visited her sister only once, before breakfast, and let her alone, much to Anne's satisfaction. (Mary didn't fail to tell Henrietta and Louisa that it was their walk to Winthrope that had caused Anne's illness.)

Anne's feelings and thoughts were in turmoil. Her foolishness, curiosity, compassion led to this impossible, unimaginable situation she found herself in, and she didn't know what to do about in. Captain Wentworth was an honourable man, and Anne was sure that he wouldn't tell a soul about what he had witnessed, but Anne understood that his opinion of her, which was quite low after she had broken their engagement, sank even lower. She was a fallen woman for him now, and Anne positively would never be able to look into his eyes again. She would try to explain him everything, but would he accept her explanations? Besides, it would need time and privacy, and Anne and Captain Wentworth couldn't afford any, for their long and serious conversation would be noticed and wondered over.

Anne lay on the bed with her eyes closed and didn't hear the door opened, so she yelped when something cold and wet touched her hand. Anne opened her eyes and saw a dog, the same one who keep her company at night. The dog licked Anne's hand and face, and only then Anne realized that she was silently crying. She patted the dog, who happily nudged her hand, and whispered in a broken voice

"Oh, boy, you've come to solace me, right? Good boy, you are such a good boy! Don't worry, I'm fine. I will be fine, I have to. But what should I do? How could this happen to me? Lady Russell would be terrified and extremely disappointed if she knew about it. But this Doctor… I'm not sorry that I came to him, because this poor soul needs help", wrapped in her thoughts, Anne didn't notice that the dog started, when she mentioned the Doctor, and pricked up his ears. "I hope someone is looking for him and they will find him before he gets into real troubles. He seems to be obsessed with dangers, and today he was more delusional than yesterday. But still… yes, he talks like a lunatic and acts like one, and I think that he's a madman, I know it, but somehow I don't feel it, and I'm confused about it. But I'm sure I'll never see the Doctor again. He didn't like Captain Wentworth. And he has very sad eyes. Oh, boy, what am I thinking about?!" the dog licked Anne's face once more. "You understand me, don't you? You're not only the kindest, but also the cleverest dog I've ever met. And I have no idea how you get into the house unnoticed. One of the servants must he helping you".

Anne's eyes fell upon the writing desk and she cried excitedly:

"Letter! I shall write a letter to Captain Wentworth. This way I'll explain him everything and won't have to face him. Oh, I don't know how to act around him, how to be in the same room with him now. I wish I had gone to Bath with father and Elizabeth, none of this would have happened then".

Anne quickly rose from the bed and went to the writing desk, resolute to write this letter as soon as possible. When she finished it (two hours and dozens of crumpled sheets of paper later), she saw that the dog had already left the room, as quietly as usual.

"I should ask Charles his name", decided Anne. "And, perhaps, I can keep him".

* * *

The TARDIS was empty, and it was strange and unnatural, for the Doctor's ship (no, not ship, ship's too primitive, – Time And Relative Dimension In Space!) used to have more than just one passenger on board (the Doctor, of course, didn't consider himself a passenger, but the TARDIS had other opinion. Though he was her favourite passenger). Both the Doctor and the TARDIS were lonely.

"No, I didn't find him", answered the Doctor to the TARDIS's telepathic question. Of course, he could give a mental answer, but he was tired of silence, and at the moment even the sound of his own voice was enough. "But he's alive, I tracked him. And he got a friend, a local girl, who is now in danger because of him. Stupid creature! No, not the girl, him. Why am I doing this? Because I'm kind and want to help. Bored? Well, yes, I was bored when I agreed to that, but just a bit. Tiny, tiny bit. Okay, what I really need right now is a cuppa. Hope the girl will be fine…"