AN: Very sorry if I misled anyone in the last chapter. As far as I know, Matt is NOT a kleptomaniac, (that's what his condition is, by the way.) That was a bit of creativity on my part. It seemed fitting and I, for some ridiculous reason, like to give my characters psychological problems... Don't judge.

Chapter Eleven

"This can not be sanitary..." Matt grimaced, examining his slab of meat in disgust.

"It's the twelfth century. What did you expect? McDonald's?"

"Oh shut up, Karen."

Amy frowned, plopping down next to him on the damp ground. She balanced a bit of meat in her palm and took a bite. "Sorry... Karen?"

Matt's eyes flew to the red head. "Er, sorry, Amy. It's still weird... calling you that."

"Well, that's my name, so..." Amy shrugged, as if to say, 'deal with it'.

Matt rolled his eyes and continued to stare at his dinner.

Eventually Amy sighed dramatically. "Oh good grief, eat it, Matt. You're as picky as the Doctor."

"Probably pickier," muttered Matt, "but at least the food I like is normal."

Amy snorted. "Not a fan of fish fingers and custard?"

Blanching, Matt poked his piece of mostly burnt meat. "I hate it." A memory rose behind his eyes, and he snickered. "There was scene I filmed when you first meet the Doctor… He made you cook."

Amy laughed. "Yeah, I remember."

"You- I mean, the actor playing you when you were nine- nice girl, mischievous as heck- she purposely kept messing up the bloody scene so that I had to drink the horrid thing over and over."

Giggling, Amy held a hand over her mouth. "That sounds like something I would do!"

"Course it does." He leaned back and yawned. "A character sort of becomes a part of you…" He paused. "Or she was a part of you in the first place."

Amy nodded thoughtfully, still chuckling. There was a moment of silence until she spoke up again."You too, then?"

Smiling ruefully, Matt picked up his piece of meat and attempted to chew on it. "Yeah," he admitted, "me too." He nodded toward the tents, where the Doctor was still examining the sick. "But it's different with him. See, he's had different faces. I'm just one of them, not him."

Amy frowned. "How can he have a different face? You said that earlier."

Thinking for a moment, Matt leaned back and balanced his steak on his knee. "Yes, that's right. He told you his past in the episode with the star whale."

Amy was confused. "Wait, what? He never told me anything."

"Exactly. According to the Doctor, my presence is messing with… stuff. "When I filmed the episode, you were awake, but this time around, you were unconscious."

Blinking, Amy suddenly looked indignant. "So it's your fault, then!"

Matt cringed. "Yeah. A bit."

Amy huffed. "Fine, whatever. I get that part. What was he suppose to tell me?"

"I've been talking to you this whole time," Matt suddenly snorted, wiping his mouth. "-like you know who he is!"

"Well tell me, then!"

A mischievous smile took hold of Matt's lips and he looked away. "I don't know if I should…"

"Oh don't you dare! You can't just say somethin' like that and then not tell me!"

"Watch me."

Amy leaned toward him conspiratorially. "But what if by not saying anything you create a paradox or somethin' wonky like that?"

Matt cocked his head, considering her question. He leaned forward as if to tell her a secret but then pulled back with a laugh. "It's a valid point, but it's his history, not mine. If I tell you instead of the Doctor, that could cause a paradox all by itself."

Amy pouted. "That's rubbish."

"You're rubbish!"

Amy's mouth formed an O. "Well- well, you," she sputtered, attempting to look angry. "You are a clumsy idiot!"

"I'm not clumsy!" Matt's voice cracked and set Amy off into a fit of giggles.

Matt stared at her, really trying not to be amused. "Oh fine," he huffed after a moment, "maybe I'm a bit clumsy."

"A bit?"

Matt raised an incredulous eyebrow and then finally gave up. He chuckled. "Actually, I broke like, a bunch of stuff on the TARDIS set. There was this guy who was always, always telling me not to pull on the handles and stuff. 'Don't swing on the bars,' he said."

"And?"

Snorting, Matt smiled. "Totally swung on the bars."

Amy just shook her head, chuckling. "You know," she said after a moment, "it's an odd thing to think about, you and the Doctor getting traits from each other. Who was the idiot first? You or him?"

Matt opened his mouth and then closed it again. "That's a really weird question, and I have no idea."

"Yeah, me neither. I see you're not denying the idiot part, though"

"Shush."

This incarnation didn't seem to get tired often, but examining patient after patient had really zapped the energy from the Doctor.

Rubbing his eyes, he exited the tent and breathed in the night air. It smelled of smoke and moisture. The Doctor let his gaze wander upward. Above the desolate camp, the sky looked like a sea of fireflies swimming in black ink. Breathtaking. At least, a human might think so. After seeing all he saw, the Doctor forgot to appreciate the simple beauty of a star-filled sky. When was the last time he looked at the stars without anticipating something absolutely horrid zooming out of the darkness?

"Centuries," he murmured aloud.

"Pardon?" Bryce spoke, overhearing him. He was pacing around the sick tent worriedly, but now he paused behind the Doctor.

Jumping in surprise, the Doctor spun around. His shoulders slumped with relief when he realized who spoke. Shrugging, the Time Lord waved Bryce's question away. "Nothing."

Bryce nodded, moving up beside him. "Have you been able to-?"

The Doctor bit his lip, interrupting. "I'm going to get my TARDIS and do further tests. Then I'll know what the sickness is."

The Scott's brow furrowed in confusion. His bright red hair fell in loose locks around his pale face. "Sorry, your what?"

"Oh." the Doctor coughed. "It's complicated. Don't worry about it."

His eyes wandered away from the Scott and landed on the group of people eating around the campfire. Originally a deer was roasting over the fire, but now it was mostly in the stomachs or beards of the Scotts.

Amy was conversing amiably with a few of the men. Matt sat next her, smiling genuinely for the first time. He noticed his twin's uneaten meal on his lap and snickered inwardly. What a 21st centurite.

Then he paused. His twin. He'd just thought of him as his twin.

The Doctor smirked, supposing he rather liked the term. Matt was a bit like a twin. Very much, actually. He wouldn't mind calling him that in the least.

Yes, there was something odd about Matt, and yes, they shared a face, but Matt so far showed himself to be an energetic, kind, (if a bit adventure-shy) man. Of course, the Doctor was tempted at first to think that Matt might actually be a future version of him, but it was perfectly logical to assume that he really was a parallel version of the Time Lord and no more.

But that still didn't explain the reading he got on his screwdriver after scanning Matt on the TARDIS.

Then again, a parallel version of me wouldn't be exactly normal, the Doctor thought.

So involved in his musing, he didn't realize that Bryce had been speaking until the young man was finished. "Sorry." the Doctor turned toward him. "Missed that last bit. What did you say?"

Bryce rolled his eyes. "I was commenting on the familiarity between your brother and Atala. One would think they were friends with each other for years."

Tapping his chin absently, the Doctor glanced at Matt and Amy. The smallest- smallest sliver of envy pricked his hearts.

It wasn't that he particularity cared whether Matt made Amy laugh or not. He wasn't a needy person, and he knew that everything went much smoother when his companions got along. It was the fact that while they laughed and talked, he was continually responsible for the lives of everyone around him. That's what made him envious.

The bliss of ignorance: to not know about every possible danger, to not have to prevent every disaster all on his own. That was what the Doctor craved when he saw Matt conversing with Amy and the Scotts.

"Don't be rubbish," the Doctor muttered. "Can't think like that."

Bryce frowned. "What?"

"Did I say that out loud? Sorry." He smiled and clapped Bryce on the back. "How about we join them?"
The Doctor turned toward the camp fire, but Bryce stopped him. "You never said anything- I mean about Atala and your brother."

"Oh. Yes. They get on rather well, don't they?" He cocked his head, opened his mouth and closed it again.

"About Atala," the Doctor murmured, "when was the last time you saw her?"

"Right now," Bryce answered slowly, "I'm looking at her."

The Doctor rolled his eyes. "No! Before you ran into Matt and I."

Light dawned in the Scott's mind. "Oh, I saw her… last night? I think."

The Doctor nodded. "Good. Good. Did she act… strange in any way?"

"Well," Bryce replied, "she was a bit jumpy. Constantly lookin' over her shoulder and such, but such can be expected of a woman fearing for her life." He frowned. "Why?"

The Doctor just nodded. "Fearing for her life? Why?"

"Sir, we all live in fear."

Clapping his hands, the Doctor pointed at him. "Good point. That's good- well, not good exactly. Bad, very bad... but you get the idea." He pulled the man toward the circle of light. "Let's have some food, 'ey?"

AN: HAVE YOU GUYS SEEN SEASON EIGHT?!

To be honest, when I first saw him I thought Capaldi was WAY to old to play a New-Who Doctor... But then he acted in the first episode and I was like 'wow. So sorry I ever doubted you. Your wish is my command.'

Anyway... What did you think about it? The episode, Capaldi? Stuff in general?

And by the way, this story is going to pick up speed in the next chapter so hold on tight! :)))

Shout out to Psitta D for beta reading!