Clutching two bags of food, Jamie followed Polly to her car. He'd insisted on carrying not only his own bag, but hers as well. Jamie knew she'd object, but he thought it was only right. He was raised to take care of a lady and do all he could for her. In the end, she agreed and let him carry the bags. He didn't know if she truly appreciated it or if she was just being polite, but truth be told, he didn't really care. He was just glad to see her again and know she was doing well.

Reaching her car, he dutifully placed the bags on her back seat and, on her urging, sat himself down in the front passenger seat.

During the short drive to her house, Jamie looked at her thoughtfully. She had hardly changed at all since he and the Doctor had left her and Ben that day at Gatwick Airport. She still had that long, golden blonde hair, was dressed very nicely and had that cheeky smile. She was still pretty as ever. He'd meant that in a totally platonic way, of course; he was well aware, even not long after he'd joined them in the TARDIS, that she and Ben had feelings for one another. From the way she spoke of him and the ring on her finger, he was glad they had finally consummated those feelings.

He then thought about the friend whom she'd introduced to him. She was fairly petite and had dark hair past her shoulders in a shade similar to his own. She seemed a bit shy, which Jamie found endearing. The way her mood seemed to change when Polly asked her to join them really threw him, especially the way she just ran out of the market. It made him wonder if he'd done something to upset her, even though he couldn't think of anything offensive as he replayed the events in his mind. Ah, lassies could be such a puzzle … perhaps it was best if he didn't agonize over it. Still …

"Hey, you!" a voice next to him suddenly made him jump and snap out of his deep thoughts.

"Ah!" he yelped.

Polly giggled. "We're here," she told him, gesturing to the familiar house. She turned back to him and he found her expression had changed to one of concern. "You alright? You looked like you were lost, there."

Jamie sighed. "Aye. Just been thinking aboot … ye know … things." Polly gave him a smile that seemed sympathetic in nature. He was about to say more when his stomach growled loud enough for both of them to hear and he felt his cheeks grow hot. "Och, I really am fair famished," he finished sheepishly.

Polly laughed. "Well let's go inside so I can cook you a decent meal, you silly boy!"

She ruffled up the hair on top of his head, causing him to scowl playfully before a lopsided grin tugged at the corner of his mouth. He stopped only to push the fringe back from his eyes and then rose from the seat, going around to the back of her car and picking up one of her grocery bags. He was about to reach for the other when he noticed it was gone. He lifted his gaze to find Polly had already grabbed it. He reached out to take it from her and she gave him a firm shake of the head.

"I'm fine," she insisted.

Jamie rolled his eyes briefly but followed her up the front stairs and to the door. He watched her fumble for her key for some time and shook his head. She was about to place the bag on the ground when Jamie reached over and took it from her. He expected her to protest but she didn't say a word. She only gave him a little nod as she searched deeper in her purse, her brow wrinkled in apparent frustration.

"Ah! There we are," she suddenly exclaimed. She turned to him with a contrite expression before unlocking the door, pushing it open and gesturing him to follow. Jamie nodded, picking both bags up and entering behind her.

Polly had switched a light on in the entrance way and Jamie looked all around as he followed her through the house. He saw a lounge which reminded him of the one from when Isobel lived there. Suddenly he could see Zoe standing there, wearing the feather boa and posing for photographs. A sad smile twitched at his lips before he shook himself out of the memory. He followed Polly down a short corridor and then on the left was a room he presumed to be the kitchen. She'd switched on another light and then gestured for him to place the bags on a counter.

Having done so, Jamie began emptying the bags and then turned to find her leaning against the table, skimming the pages of a book. He'd briefly forgotten about the groceries as he stood in back of her, curious about what she was reading. She must have sensed he was behind her as she suddenly turned to him with a questioning gaze.

"Oh. Er … I've got all yer food out, wasnae sure where tae put it."

Laughing, Polly straightened up and patted him on the shoulder. "Come here." She'd taken the package of meat and headed for the fridge. "We've got a compartment down here where we store the meat." He watched as she bent and pulled out a fairly large compartment at the bottom of the fridge. She then took a bottle of milk and placed it on a higher shelf, then turned to place the vegetables in a separate compartment above the one in which she placed the meat.

"As for these," she added, picking up the box of chocolate biscuits, "We usually keep them in this biscuit barrel." She gestured to the medium sized, cream-colored container with the word 'Biscuits', placing the unopened box next to it.

Jamie nodded. He didn't want her to think of him as overly thick; he'd seen food stored in similar contraptions during his travels with the Doctor and of course on the TARDIS itself. But he was so thankful to Polly for letting him stay at her house that he didn't want to make any mistakes.

"Now!" she started, grabbing the book once again. "What would you like for dinner?" She showed the book to him, which turned out to be a cookbook. As she flipped through it, Jamie could see bright, colorful photos of all sorts of meals.

"How about Beef Wellington?" she asked, pointing to a certain page. "I've got some dough to make puff pastry. I'd been planning on making it for a party I was supposed to attend not long ago, but that fell through." Her brow furrowed as she read through the recipe. "Mm, I think I've got some pâté, but goodness knows how long it's been in there, or perhaps I could substitute some ..."

Jamie made a face. He didn't want Polly to have to go through all that trouble, especially for him.

She'd apparently caught it and flashed another cheeky grin at him. "No, you're right. Too much trouble." She flipped through the book again, scanning the pages. From the way her face lit up, she'd apparently found something good. "How do you feel about plain old roast beef, Jamie?"

Now she was talking. Jamie's face broadened into a big smile. "I would love that, Polly."

"Fab. This recipe seems quick and easy to make. I don't have all the ingredients, but I could substitute. Remember, I said I like to dabble and experiment."

"As long as it's warm and tasty, I'm sure it will be the best meal I've ever had," he enthused.

"Hey now, don't set that bar too high, my bonnie Scotsman. You may be setting yourself up for a big disappointment. Have a seat in the lounge whilst I whip this up. Then we can catch up as it's cooking."

"Dinnae doubt yourself, lass. Ye will do just fine. I know it." He watched her take out the ingredients as well as a dish in which to cook them. "Just don' forget the potatoes and carrots. Oh, and a bit of cabbage if ye've got any ..."

"Out!" she ordered, shooing him out of the room. As he walked away, he could hear her laughing softly and it made him crack a smile as well.

Once in the lounge, Jamie took a seat on the sofa. It wasn't very large, but it was quite comfortable. He gazed around the room once more, little sparks of familiarity hitting him. The now solid white wall had, at one time, been covered with handwritten notes from Isobel. He remembered when he and the Doctor were looking for her and Zoe and found the discarded sandwiches. They had been standing over … there.

Jamie found an electronic device now occupying that corner of the room. Examining it closer, he realized it was a record player. He remembered the one Isobel had, which looked quite different. There was a contraption standing aside it, housing some thin books. Upon further inspection he discovered they weren't books, they were some sort of sleeves which held … ah, records.

Jamie curiously picked up some of these records, reading the covers … 'The Rolling Stones'? Why would someone write music about rocks rolling around somewhere? He looked through some other records, a few named after a type of insect, one titled something you might have with tea and scones, another with some random man's name … Jamie scrunched his nose. Just from the words and names alone, Polly and Ben seemed to have a weird taste in music. And finally … 'Led Zeppelin'? The words sounded like total nonsense to him …

"Interested in hearing any of these tunes?" an amused voice suddenly spoke behind him.

Jamie's felt his face grow warm in embarrassment as he turned to face her. "Oh, should I not have been looking at these -"

"Oh, knock it off, Jamie. My home is your home." She grabbed the last album from him. "Would you at least like to hear a bit of this? It's one of my favorites. It's several years old now. They just released a new one; heard it's quite good. I'll have to nip down to the record shop and pick it up one of these days."

Jamie merely shrugged. Polly seemed so intent on showing off her music. If it made her happy, he had no objections. Besides, he was just a wee curious to hear what it sounded like.

She'd placed the record on the player, set some bar type of instrument on top of it and within seconds, some music began playing.

Some rather loud type of music. Actually, the more he listened, the more it sounded familiar to the music that the Doctor – the version he'd just left, anyway – liked to play. He turned to see Polly nodding her head in rhythm to the music and snapping her fingers. Jamie had tried to follow the words, but the only ones he could make out were about the singer not "foolin'" and talking about "a whole lot of love." He had to admit it wasn't bad, although after a while he started to cringe as it seemed almost as if it were getting louder.

Polly must have noticed as she suddenly grinned and turned to switch off the music. "Alright, that's enough for now. Not bad, yeah?" She sat down on a chair opposite the sofa and gazed at him. "So, we've got a lot of catching up to do." She held out her hand as if a cue for him to speak.

"Where'd ye like me tae start?"

"Well you can start by telling me what you're doing here! Where is the Doctor?"

Jamie took a deep breath and then told Polly just about everything. He told her about the new companions he and the Doctor had after she and Ben had stayed back in London. He told her about the War Games and the Doctor's people punishing him by taking Jamie and Zoe away from him, back to their own times and wiping their memories of their travels with him; not to mention that they'd forced the Doctor to change his appearance and be exiled to Earth.

He told her about the Doctor's current incarnation finding Jamie in prison back in Scotland, saving him, and bringing him back to the TARDIS. He told her of how he'd regained his memories, how they'd gone back to find Zoe, fought the Vashta Nerada, how the Doctor had given Zoe her memories back but she'd wanted to stay back on the Wheel … and finally, how he'd decided he wanted some time away from traveling with the Doctor.

Polly regarded him with what appeared to be a mix of surprise – perhaps even disbelief – and empathy. For a moment she was unable to speak.

"So ..." she finally spoke. "You asked to be brought back here to London in the present day? 1971?" She looked quite confused. "Why?"

Jamie managed a lopsided grin. "Well, the Doctor had offered tae take me tae Paris in 1746. Remember when I first joined ye in the TARDIS? My Laird and Kirsty had set off for Paris and I'd stayed tae help ye get back." He watched as some familiarity flashed in her eyes. "The Doctor offered tae reunite me with my family. He even checked the scanners and was sure this was supposed tae be Paris."

"Oh, that silly machine of his," she smirked. "I remember it didn't always get us where we wanted to go, but this is ridiculous!"

Jamie chuckled. "Aye." His laughter faded and he felt a twinge of sadness. "I was hopin' tae find them again, but … this is no' so bad. I mean, you and Ben, in the short time we all traveled with the Doctor, I thought of ye as part of my family."

He watched as a bright smile spread across Polly's face. "Well, I'm happy to see you again, Jamie. And I know Ben will be, too." Her smile suddenly faded and her brow seemed knitted with concern. "But the Doctor just dropped you off here without anything?"

"No, I've got some clothes in here," he replied, patting the knapsack he'd placed on the floor in front of him. "And he also gave me this." He rummaged through it, finding the small leather pouch and handing it to her.

Polly opened it up and, evident from the grin on her face, she'd found the note from the Doctor. She'd then fingered the money tucked inside and wrinkled her nose. "Twenty pounds?! Hmmph, he never gave me and Ben anything like that!" She'd stuck out her lower lip, although the twinkle in her eye made it clear she was teasing.

Jamie flashed a smile back at her. "Well, I don' think the Doctor was expecting tae give ye a 'going away present.'"

The look she gave him was a stricken one and Jamie felt like kicking himself. "I'm sorry, I didnae mean tae say it like that. After leaving the Doctor just now, I understand why the both of ye wanted tae stay here."

"Silly, it's alright," she said, giving him a soft smile and reaching over to give him a hug.

"But, y'see, that's why I want tae help. The Doctor gave me money and I don't feel right aboot ye paying for anything. At least let me help ye round the house, here."

"Don't even try to insist, Jamie. I will have none of it." Her expression then turned thoughtful. "Well … now that I think of it, I do rather dislike taking out the rubbish. Perhaps you might do me a favor that way. I'll think about it." She gave him a cheeky grin and patted him on the shoulder.

Almost as if on cue, a loud buzzing sounded from the kitchen. "Oh! It's ready. Let's have that roast now, shall we? Hopefully it'll be slightly passable."

Jamie rolled his eyes. "Och! I dinnae care, lass! As long as it's food is all I care aboot!"

Having removed his jacket and hung it up, Jamie sighed and turned down the bed sheets. After having the pot roast dinner, which was very good, he and Polly had talked a bit more. The excitement of the day started to catch up on him and he'd wanted to turn in. He'd offered to sleep on the sofa, but Polly wouldn't allow it. She and Ben had a modest guest room and she insisted Jamie sleep there. He was so tired, he wasn't about to argue.

Lying down, he found the bed to be very comfortable. Jamie was used to sleeping on very hard, solid beds. In fact, he'd requested the bed in his room on the TARDIS be hard. Both the Doctor and Zoe had teased him for wanting to sleep on a rock. Granted, this bed wasn't so hard, but something about it just seemed to cradle his body and make him feel safe, almost like a wee bairn tucked safely away in a trundle bed.

He'd started thinking of all that had happened today. He still didn't understand why he was here in London in the twentieth century instead of Paris with his family, but he wasn't angry with the Doctor (or the TARDIS, for that matter). He was so glad to see Polly again and know that she and Ben were safe and well. After he'd regained his memories, one of the first things he'd wanted to do was make sure all his old friends were okay. They'd found Zoe and although he wasn't happy that she didn't want to travel with them, he was glad to know she'd be safe where she was. Now he was comforted by the fact that Polly and Ben were, too …

BANG!

Jamie didn't know how long he'd been asleep when a loud noise outside jolted him out of bed. Fearing a burglar trying to break in, he took hold of his sgian dubh, padded out into the corridor and quickly checked to make sure Polly was okay. He breathed a sigh of relief, finding her sleeping soundly.

The loud noises continued and he quietly edged toward the front door. Slowly unlocking it, he raised his knife as he grasped the doorknob with his other hand and flung the door open.

"Craig an tuire!" he shouted into the chilly nighttime air. He suddenly clamped his mouth shut when he eyed the trouble maker: a large man with stringy, gray hair hunched over a rubbish bin. The man was wearing a ratty dressing gown and looked as if he hadn't shaved in a couple of days. Jamie felt his brow furrowing in confusion as the man suddenly stopped and quickly turned to him. Jamie readied his sgian dubh in case the man was about to attack.

"Drix!" the man suddenly shouted, his eyes widened and making him appear insane.

Jamie lowered his knife. "Eh?"

"Drix!" the man repeated, almost desperately.

Before Jamie could ask what he was talking about, the man suddenly took off running down the street, shouting incoherently the whole way.

Jamie lost sight of him and assumed he'd turned down the corner. He wasn't about to follow him; perhaps the police would catch him and then figure out what was going on. All he could do was stare at the empty space this strange man had once occupied. Finally shaking his head as if to clear it, he made his way back inside.