Miscalculation

Author's Note: This takes place some time after The Invasion.

"Doctor, have you noticed something strange about Jamie recently?"

"Hmmm?" the Doctor said, looking up from the console in front of him. Truthfully, he had been startled by Zoe's question. He hadn't even known she was in the room until she had spoken.

He soon regained his composure and tapped an index finger on the back of his other hand. "Odd? No, I don't think so. Why do you ask?"

"It's nothing important," Zoe said with a shrug. "I was just wondering."

The Doctor smiled at her and moved over to where she was standing. "I think you've been doing a lot more than 'just wondering'," he said.

Zoe frowned slightly for a moment before speaking again. "It started out a few hours ago, right after we had finished breakfast. As you know, it was Jamie's turn to wash the dishes. I tried to explain to him that there was a way that was more efficient so he wouldn't have to spend so much time with that chore. But then he called me a 'walking computer'."

Zoe stopped and the Doctor stared at her. "Yes? And?"

"That was it," Zoe said. "After that, he kept grumbling to himself in Gaelic, I believe. I'm not quite sure."

"I see. And I take it that it was this comment that you were wondering about?"

"Yes, I suppose it is," Zoe said, frowning. "I'm certain that he didn't mean it as a compliment, comparing me to a computer. But I don't see why it should offend me. Computers are the ultimate thinking machines and can solve problems much faster than most humans could."

"They may be able to think faster, but they are not so good at reasoning," the Doctor mused. "They're really only as good as the people who program them."

"That is true," Zoe nodded. "Still, computers with carefully crafted programming are very useful. I still don't understand why Jamie thought I would consider it an insult to be compared to one."

"Well Jamie is not overly fond of computers," the Doctor said. "Not because he thinks they are bad, mind you. It's that they frustrate him at times. I'm sure you can understand that given the era in time that he comes from."

"Oh I understand that. It's just…."

"Just that what?"

"It's just that….some of the people on the Wheel said something like that too. That I was like a computer. And I know that computers were not beyond their knowledge. In fact, a couple of them were almost as proficient with them as I am."

"That's comforting to know," the Doctor chuckled.

"But Doctor, do you think I'm like a computer?" she asked.

The Doctor's smile fell away while his brow creased. He stood there silently for a minute and Zoe was about to repeat the question when he finally spoke.

"I think, much like computers, people will either appreciate you for who you are or they will fail to understand you because they can't be bothered to learn," he said. "As far as Jamie goes, I'm sure he likes you, but he doesn't always understand you. As for your former co-workers, they most likely wanted you to be a certain way, but did not want to take the time to get to know you."

The Doctor patted Zoe's shoulder and guided her back closer to the console.

"It's not such a bad thing to be like a computer in certain ways," he added. "Computers can be fast and can store a lot of information. I just hope that you realize that you might be like a computer, but you're also much more than one."

Zoe's eyes lit up as the Doctor's words sank in and she smiled. A smile that was reflected on the Doctor's face.

"Doctor? Have we landed yet?"

The two of them whirled around to see Jamie walking into the room. The Doctor scurried over to a monitor.

"No, but we will be soon," he mumbled.

"I should go change," Zoe said. "Oh and Jamie."

"Aye?"

"Thank you," she said, beaming at him before walking into the corridor. Jamie watched her leave with a bemused look on his face.

"Hey Doctor, what was she talking about?"

"Oh, that? Well Jamie, she was just thanking you for your compliment."