And another chapter!

Memories, Meetings, and Musings

Complete and utter chaos.

That's what this was and no one could convince him otherwise.

The Doctor watched what was supposed to be a meal with the Vongola Boss and his… Elements. Or Guardians. And Advisors with some other guests. A silver-haired teen was glaring at a grinning swordsman who didn't seem to notice. Or then he just ignored it. There were two kids and a teen chasing each other around the table with weapons and fighting each other. Thought the one with the cow outfit was full of bravado and laughing maniacally.

Tsunayoshi, the Boss that couldn't be older than twenty-two, had a fond and annoyed smile on his face as he ate. While dodging attempts to shove urgent paperwork at him about repairs to walls and ceilings because of battles as well as strange contracts for criminal activity. Or undermining other famiglias. Someone ate on the table, easily dodging pink hand grenades and food that sometimes flew over his head or at him. There was a girl with a trident and an eyepatch who wove something like illusions at a boy who looked eerily like her and countered them with his own. Both had dark blue hair. All natural.

A white-haired young man with white hair had bandages all over his arms as he cheerfully shouted 'Extreme!' at a man in the corner with tonfas. He was glaring around while eating steak from a plate, a yellow bird in his hair. There was a woman with pink hair who had something he hesitated to call food on her plate. It looked utterly poisonous. People were making sure she didn't slip anything into their food or drink.

Harriet and her Sun, Reborn, were sitting next to each other and ignoring the chaos around them with an ease that said they reveled in it. At least the hitman seemed to. Harry just looked like this was her normal.

Then the kid with the afro-like hair started crying and pulled a bazooka out of it. To his mild horror, he aimed it at himself. Even though Harry had tried to explain the weapon it was entirely different to see it. That was why they were watching this memory, actually. So he could see what the bazooka did in person. He shot. There was pink smoke and a ten years older kid, a teen, was standing in his place. He looked bored and had much less wild hair. There was a plate in his hands and a fork in his mouth.

"Not again", a sigh, "Could you keep my younger self from using the bazooka while I'm eating?", he said in a bored tone, swallowing whatever he ate.

No one batted an eye. Some people greeted him. Others ignored him. A girl gave him ice cream. Tsuna apologized and promised to try not to let the teen's younger self mess around. No one seemed to pay attention to the fact that a kid summoned his older self from the closest parallel timeline possible with a bazooka of all things. Like snapping fingers.

Complete and utter chaos. No wonder Harry hadn't been fazed when she got summoned to his universe.

"So. That's the Ten-Year Bazooka", the older Harriet by his side that looked exactly the same as the girl in the room said as the memory ended. They just wore different clothing.

He just shook his head, slightly disbelieving of what he had just seen.

Ridiculous. That world's Mafia (yes, it deserved the capital letter 'cause nothing in his universe was even similar) was utterly ridiculous.

xXXx

Harry was sitting in the library, nursing her tea, when the Doctor stumbled in with his sonic screwdriver.

"I did it!", he exclaimed, holding it up.

This was emphasized by the manic smile and slightly charred and ripped but replaceable, or fixable, shirt. The immortal girl turned her head in mild curiosity. She was unable to muster a more appropriate reaction with her melancholy thoughts.

"Did what?", her tone held slight interest but not the enthusiasm it usually did.

The Doctor blinked out of his success to look her over and frowned at what he saw. Still, he continued in hopes of cheering Harry up even slightly.

"Added another option to my screwdriver!", he explained, "It was tricky to introduce your Flame infused magic as an alternative power source but I managed"

She sat up straighter, a dim version of her usual excitement sparking in her eyes as she gave him a small smile.

"Do tell!"

He grinned, "I'll do one better!"

And then he pointed it at a wall. Something looking suspiciously like a sonic blue spell shot out of it and opened an oval shape. Harry's eyes went wide as she realized what he'd done. He did the same trick to another wall and opened a path between two blue ovals, though the new one was a lighter shade.

Harry jumped up, quickly waving a hand to make her tea land somewhere safe, and rushed to the closer oval. She inspected it with awed eyes before stepping through and coming out of the other. Her eyes snapped to the Doctor who was standing there smugly, arms crossed.

She grinned at him, "You're a genius! How did you make it work? What's the math? I know it's super complex or I'd have done this ages ago!"

He preened under the praise and congratulated himself for the great distraction. The Time Lord then launched into a lecture that explained the finer aspects of his tunings. As well as a small brush on the fifth dimension, which went right over Harry's head. After that they got caught in yet another debate of the differences and similarities between magic and technology. Mostly in how to make them work together since the former needed willpower and imagination to work and the other used energy sources.

Then Harriet's newest comment petered off and she lapsed into another melancholy silence. The Doctor sighed.

"What's bothering you?", he asked casually, shifting his position on the comfy couch.

She started out of her musings and turned to him. Her emerald eyes were back in the moment and he felt slight relief. Harry thought back on her mood and almost instantly knew the answer. Her mouth twisted in a slight grimace.

"I… I miss noise. Well, not noise exactly. More like people"

The Doctor listened and remembered what her home universe was like. Especially the Mafia. It made sense. She was used to many people creating chaos all around. He made a thoughtful noise.

"I think I can help with that…", he mused, "Though it won't be the same"

Her interest was piqued and she practically glued her gaze to him. The Doctor gave her a smile.

"How does the New Year's festival in the year 2000's London sound?"

If her brightening expression was any indication it was a good idea.

xXXx

It was. A good idea, that is.

Harry was like a little kid in a candy store as she took everything in, moving through the crowds with the ease of familiarity. There was a firework show, stalls all over the Hyde Park and roads, a stage with constant music performances, lots and lots of people and noise, and games. She wanted to be everywhere. The more chaotic the better.

Thus the Doctor found himself dragged along to different game stalls, playing games, talking to random people, and taste testing things. It was fun. But he found that watching Harriet with that much energy was better. Much better than the brooding version in the TARDIS.

Of course, that energy also meant it was easier to get separated.

Which happened. What else did they expect? They were trouble magnets. And they hadn't had trouble in the last three weeks or so. The longest they remembered going without (before they met, that is) was around five to seven months. So it was a high time things went at least a little bit wrong.

It took about fifteen minutes for Harry to realize she was alone. She felt a bit annoyed but not worried. They'd been separated in much more dangerous places. Her hand unconsciously wrapped around her stomach. Shredders. She had died twice within a year. That was a first. She hoped not to make it a habit.

Shaking her head to take her mind off such morbid thoughts she let her keen eyes wander around. They drank in all the people, the young and old. Everyone was so very happy and content. She smiled. It was infectious. Maybe that was why she loved festivals and parties so much. Though she liked being the spectator too.

Harry wrapped her coat tighter around herself, casting a silent warming charm, and started moving around once more. She'd find the Doctor in a bit. Now she wanted to enjoy this.

Another thing caught her eye.

She frowned and started walking closer. A blonde girl was inching away from a taller guy. He was maybe seventeen, leaning over the younger teen almost threateningly.

"C' mon, girlie! You can hang out with me and my mates. It wouldn't do for a young beauty like you to be alone"

The blonde was frowning heavily, brown eyes darting around for an escape.

"No thanks. I'm good"

"Aww, don't be like that. I could show you something amazing"

And then Harry was by her side, smiling sweetly at the man.

"She said no", the woman told him plainly, "It means she's not interested"

Now the boy's attention turned to the girl that looked around his age. The charming smile was back.

"And would you be interested, gorgeous?"

She raised an eyebrow, "No. Please just go back to your friends"

He looked like he wanted to try again. Harry's eyes turned cold and promised pain if the guy didn't back down. The teen clearly wavered under such a heavy gaze.

"Go", she commanded and this time she was obeyed, if grudgingly and with fake bravado.

The immortal tracked him for a while, casting a silent curse at him after discreetly drawing her Holly wand to prevent him from pursuing any other women with ill intent. A crafty spell she'd invented after the guys in the Mafia got a little too persistent. It was unfortunate it only lasted a month or so and would wear away faster the farther away she got.

"Thanks. He just wouldn't leave", a voice behind her reminded Harry of the girl she'd helped.

She turned to the blonde with a bright smile, "No problem! If you bump into any other guys like that just run or scream. The more hands-on ones can probably take a kick or two"

That startled out a laugh from the girl who gave her a cute tongue-in-teeth grin.

"I'll keep that in mind. My name's Rose"

They started walking back into the crowd even as the raven-haired girl shook Rose's hand.

"I'm Harriet. Call me Harry. Are you here alone?"

Apparently, Rose was at the festival with her best friend Shareen. They had gotten separated in the crowd around the stage and she had been trying to track her down since. Neither owned a cell phone so it was hard. Harry told the shorter girl she was looking for a tall man with a leather jacket and biggish ears. As it turned out both were looking for their friends they decided to stick together to look for them.

Rose was young and witty. She was also compassionate but wasn't that interested in school. An estate girl. Harry was only a little bit aware of what that meant but got that her family wasn't that rich. In turn, the immortal told her she was a traveler. And a researcher, kind of.

"But- How old are you?", Rose had asked, frowning.

Harry told her the most believable thing, "I'm nineteen. Graduated young. You?"

"Fourteen. You must be very smart"

"Nah", Harry laughed, "I was average in almost everything but sports. Aced that one. Nowadays I'm a much more dedicated learner"

Rose grinned, "I'm good at gymnastics"

She looked the blonde over and noted that she did have pretty lean muscles. If her sense of balance was as good as it seemed to be she'd really be very good at it if she worked hard.

"Keep that up. You never know when you'll need the skills", Harry told her seriously.

Then she spotted something green, brown, and curly. Someone also looking for someone if the looking around and asking people was any indication. The immortal nudged the young girl beside her.

"Is that your friend?"

Rose looked to the pointed direction and her expression lighted up, "Shareen!"

Harry watched contently as the two embraced. She had missed the lightheartedness that came with innocence and youth. Mafia didn't have that. At least not in the same sense as civilians. Well, until Tsuna came along that is. She missed her student, though he had already grown up. Almost as much as she missed her teaching partner.

"Harry!", came a call from behind her. She turned to smile at the Doctor who was mock-scowling at her, "When will you apes actually listen? Don't wander off! I had to use the sonic to get your general location. And that's only thanks to our tinkering!"

"Well, I wasn't kidnapped or anything. And even if I was I'm pretty sure I could get out", she commented with laughter in her voice, "Besides, you're the one with all the equipment"

"Says the girl who makes impossible a daily occurrence", he grumbled.

"Is he your friend?", asked Rose's voice next to Harry, making both start and look to her and Shareen.

The witch nodded with a smile, "Rose, this is the Doctor. Doctor, Rose and Shareen"

After the default confusion over how 'Doctor' could be a name, the two fourteen-year-olds decided to show the two travelers all the best places in return for 'cool stories'. The Doctor was about to say no but one look at Harry's happy and content expression stayed his tongue. It was a fun day. Harry told the two girls edited versions of their travels, mixing in her experiences in the Mafia of her world. She had a lot to tell about Italy and it's little adventures. Japan was the next, then the sea. If she slipped little life lessons into the tidbits of her stories, well. That was her business. And maybe the Doctor's.

It was a fun day. Rose especially seemed to drink up the stories and gained a new fire in her eyes. Harry wondered what she would do with it. The Doctor and Harry walked the girls back to their home district before heading back to the TARDIS.

Harry was still smiling.

"Well?", the Doctor asked, "Better?"

The witch nodded, "Much. It reminded me that I love teaching"

He smiled, "You're good at it", the smile then turned into a grin, "So! Ready for the next adventure?"

She laughed.

"Of course!"

xXXx

It was a bit short. Rose entered for a bit. Hopefully you liked it!