It was the first time he'd ever dreamed of Jenny. It had surprised and saddened him a little that he never had.
He was lying on a beach, vaguely aware of the sound of waves. She sat beside him, upright and watchful. In the dream, her being there was not shocking, only mildly surprising.
"I hate this waiting!" Jenny said.
"I know," he told her, "but these things happen. You need to be more worried about what happens when it's over. Mistakes in time aren't good for us."
"I know...I've seen a few now." Jenny got up and paced around the room, "why do people do it? Why not leave well enough alone?"
"Nature and time," the Doctor mused, "the two things they have no control over...and can't leave alone." They smiled at each other.
"I thought you were dead," the Doctor said.
"No." She looked triumphant, "I've been looking for you! Keep missing you by minutes. Last time was near Midnight. You'd just left. Wish I'd caught up with you then. I could have been with you." She stared at him solemnly.
"Donna said that," he told her, "she felt bad for staying behind. She was so good that night. Sat up all night, until we fell asleep. Talked to me about...everything. Normal things. Work and families and traffic jams! Single-handedly restored my faith in the human race!"
"Tell her I said hello," Jenny said.
"Will I see you again?" He took her hand and clutched it, inwardly aware that he was beginning to wake, "how are you managing to time-travel anyway?"
"We'll see each other soon, Father. We'll be in danger when we next meet though...you'll need to be quick."
"Nothing new there," he said, blinking suddenly as light flooded across them.
"It's done," Jenny said. She got up and looked down at him, "come on, you need to stand. Tide's coming in." As the Doctor slowly stood, she put her arms around him and he kissed the top of her head.
"Father...stay off the beach until Donna comes," Jenny said, "you won't be feeling the best."
"Donna...is she ok?"
"She'll be there...if you stay near the road," Jenny replied, "and I'll see you soon." Her face had clouded over.
"Are you alright, Jenny?"
"Goodbye Father." With a last wave, she was gone.
He sat up with a start, her voice so clear in his head that for a moment, he expected to see her nearby. But it was only a dream, the first he'd had of her. She had looked just as he remembered her too, although now that he was awake, her image seemed to fade away in his mind...the exact contours of her, her smile. And his head was killing him.
He looked around cautiously, allowing the most recent things he could remember to come back to him slowly. Thinking seemed to hurt his head more
Donna.
He walked forward, swaying slightly. Donna had been on the beach with him, and Clara. Had they been swallowed too?
But everything was alright. He could see that. The Missing posters were gone. People were walking back and forwards on the pier, throwing him wary glances. No one seemed to be even slightly affected. So they had fixed it.
He groaned, unable to stay upright any longer.
Please don't have opened that watch!
...
Donna half expected to be arrested the moment she got out of the car. It would be just her luck that its owner would be there, dancing up and down with rage at its disappearance as soon as she pulled up. But no one paid any attention to her. She gazed happily at the scene. People. Music. Condensation on windows. Shopping bags.
She got out of the car and moved quickly away from it, wishing she'd thought of replacing the petrol she'd used. It was the least she could do. She hoped she hadn't scratched it. Still, it was all in a good cause, even if the owner would never know.
She was almost afraid to look at the beach. Hesitantly she crossed to the pier and held the railings for a moment, before looking down.
No sign of the TARDIS.
The sea was still choppy, as if protesting that it, if nothing else, remembered the last few days. But no TARDIS. It had seemed to her that if everything was ok, if Clara had somehow managed to fix things then they'd be back. She'd been so sure. And if the TARDIS was gone...how the hell would she track the Doctor down? Was he even trackable? Was he just gone?
Shaking, she walked a few steps in one direction and then the other, unable to keep still. There had to be something she could still do. People were bustling around everywhere she looked; shopping, talking, rushing, looking at watches. It all looked so normal.
Hold on...looking at watches??
She back-tracked her gaze to the other end of the pier. A heavy-set man stood, looking intently at his wrist. She hadn't seen him clearly the last time, in the darkness. But it was definitely Professor Anderson. At a distance, he seemed more harmless than he had done the last time. But there was still something about him...a presence. He was the sort of person who, if he spoke to you at random, would make you want to move away without knowing why. His eyes were cold and disdainful as he looked around him.
She really hoped he hadn't found Clara. Wherever she was, maybe it was better for her.
She crouched low on a bench, trying to make herself look inconspicuous. People passing by threw her strange looks. But surely if she stayed still...
No, he was turning slightly, beginning to look in her direction.
"Excuse me," she said to a woman passing close to her, trying to hide behind her, "have you the time?" Hearing her words made her laugh. Delayed hysteria? "And...um...is it day or night?"
"They're all out today," the woman muttered, frowning and moving away swiftly. She threw a glance to her right and following her gaze, Donna saw a grey figure slumped in the sand about 100 yards from her down the beach.
"Oh my God!" She clapped a hand over her mouth and began to run. But there was a buzzing sound behind her. She half-turned to see the professor walking swiftly in her direction. She stopped uncertainly, not wanting to lead him in the direction of the Doctor. But if it was him, he was lying on the beach and from what she could make out, the water was getting alarmingly close to him.
The professor had seen her. From across the street, they regarded each other.
Anywhere she could run to would bring him parallel to the pier where the Doctor would be on view. Would he recognise him? She couldn't take the risk.
He crossed the street, sedately, as if he had all the time in world.
"Miss Noble, isn't it?"
Donna said nothing.
"Still haven't located your friends?" He glanced around him, "and yet the mist appears to be quite cleared, doesn't it?"
"I'm not with anyone," Donna said quickly, "and if you don't want me to start screaming blue murder, I suggest you turn around and walk away!"
"Screaming?" He raised an eyebrow, "the thing we find in our travels, my dear, is that we don't draw attention to ourselves. After all, a simple trip to the police station, or hospital leads to a lot of questions, don't you think? About the fabrics you wear, the devices you carry, even your accent?" He looked her up and down contemptuously.
He reached into a pocket and pulled out a piece of card and Donna saw that it was a photo. The background was grainy but it appeared to be some sort of control room. Clara was clearly visible, half turned towards a lever and partially blocking out the man beside her.
"Quite a nice one of your little friends," the professor said conversationally. Donna said nothing but stared steadily back at him to try and hide a quick smile.
The man in the picture was Captain Jack, not the Doctor.
"I haven't been personally introduced, you see," the professor continued, "hence the need for the picture. But now you've shown up, I'm happy to accompany you on your search for them." He raised an eyebrow and smiled nastily at her.
"Fine." Donna maintained eye-contact. It felt like a stand-off. She moved as if to walk ahead and gave herself a second for a deep breath.
Then, before she could think about it, she turned back and lunged for his watch device. His surprise have her a valuable second to close her hand around it, searching for a button to press. She pressed as hard as she could, and pressed a few together for good measure. When she felt it vibrate, she let go quickly.
He vanished on the spot.
She hesitated, terrified that he would simply appear again. Then she turned and ran in the direction of the beach.
He was lying at an angle, as if he had tried to walk at some stage and collapsed without warning. Small waves were beginning to lap dangerously close to his shoes. Donna sank to her knees beside him.
"Doctor?" She touched his face.
There was no response.
