Chapter 11

Having taken a seat on the sofa, Jamie sifted thoughtfully through the stack of mail he'd taken out of Ben and Polly's postbox. Most of it was in the form of cards, most likely Christmas cards. They'd already received a couple, first from Ben's family and then Polly's.

Christmas cards. He couldn't believe how time had flown by. It was now the second week of December, nearly a month since Jamie had first arrived here in London. So much had happened since then. There had been another string of strange deaths, all of them occurring the same way as the others. The only difference was they seemed to be occurring more often and in greater numbers. Not much progress had been made on figuring out what was causing them. Just thinking of it made Jamie sigh in frustration.

The only breakthrough they'd achieved – if you could call it that – was that a strange, gooey substance was found discharging from the victims' ear canals. UNIT had tried to obtain a sample of it, but they had to jump through quite a few hoops in order to do so. They finally managed to get a small one and had given it to the Doctor to study.

Jamie was eager to help them in any way he could, but unfortunately there wasn't much for him to do. He had done some cataloging work with Jo and had gotten to know her a little better. She seemed to be a nice lass and he was glad the Doctor had her companionship.

One of the things that had first caught his eye was the presence of the TARDIS in a corner of the laboratory. Apparently it had been there all along, but his mind had been so focused upon first meeting this incarnation of the Doctor that he hadn't noticed it right away. There were times where he would just zone out and gaze longingly at it.

One day when no one else was around, Jamie actually approached it and went inside. He knew it didn't work, but this was something he had to do for old time's sake. As soon as he'd entered, he'd felt a sharp twinge of homesickness. It looked exactly the same as he'd remembered it. If he squinted, he could still see Ben and Polly looking up at the scanners and marveling at the Moon's surface, or Victoria interrupting him and the Doctor to proudly model a new outfit, or Zoe peeking out of that trunk she'd stowed away inside once they'd left the Wheel.

Or the Doctor frantically running around the console pushing buttons or pulling levers so they could escape the Time Lords …

Jamie shook his head to clear it, trying hard to focus on something else. He gazed around the console room again and suddenly recalled his time with the Doctor he had just left. That version of the TARDIS had looked so different. The console room alone had been darker with much different lighting and there were rooms he hadn't recalled being there before: the studio, for instance, where the Doctor sat back and listened to his brand of loud music or played his guitar. Jamie momentarily felt another sense of longing, realizing again how much he missed that Doctor.

He tried to shrug himself out of it, reminding himself that this version of the Doctor he'd just met was the same chappie. Physically, he almost reminded him of the version Jamie had just left: taller with gray hair. His style of clothing was even similar. Before he could make any further comparisons, Jamie stopped himself. He didn't want to get stuck in another rut dwelling on how much he'd missed that Doctor … even though this chappie was still pretty much 'that' Doctor … Argh, the whole thing still made his head hurt.

He'd taken one last look around the console room and started for the doors, discreetly peeking out. Once he made sure the lab was still empty, he opened them and stepped out, quietly shutting them behind him.

Not long after, Jamie had made an interesting discovery: inside that wallet the Doctor had given him was another note tucked inside. Scrawled across it was a series of numbers and letters. Flipping the paper over, he'd found an explanation of some sort. It was a channel Jamie could use to communicate with him should the need arise. Jamie had shown it to the Brigadier and after studying it, a knowing look spread across the other man's face. He gave Jamie a hand-held communicator with a video screen and explained how to use it. It reminded him of the wrist communicators they had used when they first met the Ice Warriors, only much bigger. Jamie had told him he wanted to contact the Doctor to let him know he was alright and the Brigadier seemed happy to oblige.

And so he'd done it. Two weeks after he'd landed in London, he'd gathered Ben, Polly and Victoria together to record a video communication to send to the Doctor. He knew Ben and Polly didn't really want any involvement with anything surrounding the Doctor, but they didn't have any problem with sending him a message to say 'hello.' Jamie hadn't told Kathryn about it because he didn't think she'd want to be involved; she hadn't even known the Doctor and he could just picture her confusion if he tried to explain about all his different incarnations.

Once he'd finished recording it, he'd inputted the code the Doctor had provided him and sent the communication. Hopefully it had worked. He expected that version of the Doctor to be worried if he'd somehow discovered Jamie hadn't ended up in Paris after all, and he wanted to put his fears to rest.

The shrill sound of the phone ringing pierced through Jamie's reverie and brought him back to the present. Blinking, he looked around the room before remembering Polly was at work and Ben had gone out. Rising from the sofa, he was about to head over to the phone when the front door swung open and revealed Ben on the other side. He'd barely nodded a greeting to Jamie when he'd raced to pick up the phone, saving him the trouble.

"'Ello? … Oh, yeah, he's here. Hang on."

Jamie felt his heart speed up, wondering if it was Kathryn.

"'Ere, it's for you, mate," Ben addressed him, holding out the receiver.

Jamie muttered a quiet "thank you" as he took it from Ben and watched the other man leave the room. "Hello?"

"Hello, Jamie?"

Jamie's eyes narrowed thoughtfully as he recognized the voice that answered him back. He felt a bit of disappointment well up inside him upon realizing it was Victoria and silently admonished himself for it.

"Oh, Victoria. It's nice tae hear from ye."

Victoria uttered what sounded like an awkward chuckle. "Yes, you too. How was your weekend?"

"Ah, not too bad. Kathryn and I had dinner and went to the cinema to see a picture."

"Oh, how nice! What did you see?"

"Um … It was a comedy … 'The Magnificent Seven Deadly Sins.'"

She'd paused as if she were unfamiliar with it. "Oh! How was it? Did you like it?"

"Aye, 'twas good. Kathryn seemed tae love it. She was laughin' so much she had tae hold onto me for support." He smiled at the memory.

Victoria laughed. "She's really lovely. I'm glad you two are so close. You deserve a special girl, Jamie."

Jamie felt his cheeks grow warm and he cleared his throat awkwardly. "Thank ye, Victoria."

"Well, the reason I'm phoning … I wanted to ask if you both wanted to join Terrence and me this Friday night. There's a club downtown that I've heard is quite good."

Jamie's brow furrowed in thought. A club?

Victoria seemed to sense his hesitation. "As a rule I'm not really a club lady, but I've been to a few with Terrence and I was assured this is a very good place."

"Well ..."

"Oh, please, Jamie. It would be nice for us to get together before Christmas. We'll be spending the holiday with Terrence's family at their home in Surrey. Before we go I would love for you to meet him, and I would love to see Kathryn once more as well."

He hated to disappoint her. Plus, he was curious about her fiancé and thought it might be a nice evening out with Kathryn. "Alright. I'll speak tae Kathryn and I'll let ye know what she wants tae do."

"Marvelous! Do give me a ring once you find out. Have a lovely evening, Jamie."

"An' you, Victoria."

Having hung up the phone, Jamie stood mired in thought for several minutes. He was looking forward to seeing Victoria again and meeting her fiancé, and of course to another evening out with Kathryn. He wasn't sure if she fancied clubs at all, though, and hoped she would be up for it. He himself had never been to one and was curious, but her happiness was more important. He finally stopped himself from over-thinking it as he picked up the receiver once again and began dialing her number.


Having just gotten off the phone with Jamie, Kathryn sat back in her chair, smiling as she stared into space. She almost couldn't believe it: she had agreed to go with Jamie to a club Friday night. They would be going with his old friend, Victoria and her fiancé. When Jamie had first mentioned it, she felt rather uneasy. She and Tom had gone to clubs quite often as it was something he had enjoyed doing very much. That memory cultivated a tiny fear that she might actually run into him again. She dreaded the very idea as their last moments together were not good ones.

The sound of Jamie's voice brought her back to the present where she finally talked herself out of these ridiculous thoughts. Why would she expect Tom to be there in the first place? She had never been inside this particular club before, and it wouldn't be fair to Jamie to expect the worst. She wanted to go with him and have a good time.

Her thoughts then turned to how much she enjoyed being with him. Over the past few weeks, they had met for breakfast or lunch, get-togethers with Ben and Polly of course, and he'd even taken her to dinner once. Although it was just fish and chips, it was the thought that counted and she thought he was really sweet for doing so. Plus she had to admit the food was quite good. Gradually, she had found her feelings for him had grown deeper. She'd promised herself earlier to keep them as close to friendship as possible but that was becoming more and more difficult. Jamie had proved time and again he was a genuine, sweet soul, practically the complete opposite of Tom.

She finally told Jamie she'd be happy to go. His voice sounded so happy and upbeat, it warmed her heart and made her face crack open in a wide smile. After saying goodbye to him, she had hung up the phone and sat, thinking about the plans she had just made. She and Jamie were actually going on a 'proper' date. It was exciting, if not a bit overwhelming. But she was determined to have a good time with him and vowed not to give it a second thought.


"Fascinating!"

At the sound of the Doctor's voice, Jamie jerked his head up and looked over at his friend. "What?"

Apparently, the Doctor had been studying under the microscope that sample UNIT had brought back. "This gooey substance appears to have some sort of life forms in it."

This really got Jamie's attention. "Eh?"

The Doctor gestured for him to come over and look. Jamie sat himself down on a stool next to the Doctor's and squinted as he peered inside the view finder. "Aye, I see some … wee creepy crawlie things."

The Time Lord chuckled. "What's interesting is they closely resemble a sort of fungus. But not exactly."

Jamie regarded him curiously. This sort of thing usually went right over his head, but his mind had been preoccupied with thoughts of his evening out with his friends, which was already tomorrow.

"It's quite unlike like any fungus I've seen before," the Doctor continued. "It also seems to have characteristics akin to Lumbricina."

"Eh?"

The Doctor smiled apologetically. "Earthworm."

"Oh."

"Yes, they burrow into their surroundings and from observing these organisms, they appear to exhibit this same behavior." The Doctor's brows were drawn together in thought before his eyes lit up.

"What is it, Doctor?"

"I wonder if that is what's causing the victims to act this way. Perhaps they touch this substance and it gets absorbed into their skin. The organisms burrow into their systems, make their way inside their brains and do something to cause a rupture of some sort." He stopped and thought some more. "Either they would have to touch their temples or their ears for the organisms to have that point of entry. I don't know if they would survive a journey to the brain from some other vascular location. Unless..."

Jamie eyed him expectantly. It still went over his head a bit but it was starting to sound interesting and he liked seeing the Doctor in his element.

"Unless they were so strong they could survive almost anything. I've not seen anything like this on Earth before. They've got to be extraterrestrial. I wonder then how they got here? What are they doing and what do they want?" He seemed utterly perplexed.

"An' why would the victims all be shoutin' that 'Drix' word?"

"Precisely. It can't be just a coincidence. It's almost as if they are controlling the victims to some extent. Making them say that word. Could it be the name of their species?"

At a loss for words, Jamie gave a small shrug.

The Doctor had that lost-in-thought look again for a moment before a thin smile appeared on his face and he patted Jamie on the shoulder. "I'm glad you brought that up, my lad. It may help us get closer to finally solving the mystery."

Jamie returned his smile, glad that he could be of some help. He'd begun feeling a bit useless in this regard, and it'd only helped his mind wander so much and think about the impending night at the club.

"Oh, incidentally … are you alright?"

Jamie arched an eyebrow. He certainly wasn't expecting the Time Lord's question. He'd been so mired in figuring out this riddle, he hadn't really said very much to Jamie; not that Jamie had expected him to, anyway.

"Aye, Doctor. Why d'ye ask?"

"Oh, I just noticed you seemed rather preoccupied the past two days or so. I reckoned perhaps you were feeling a bit homesick."

Jamie shook his head. "No, it's no' that. Just been thinkin' more aboot what's goin' on with these strange deaths and wanting tae help save people."

The Doctor gave him a knowing look. "Come now, Jamie. You know you can't fool me."

Jamie chuckled sheepishly. If the Doctor was ever right about only one thing, that was it. "Well, I didnae want tae trouble ye with it. I know ye're busy tryin' tae figure this whole thing out. Ye see, I'm goin' out tomorrow with Victoria an' that lassie Kathryn, the one I'd told ye aboot? We've grown very close an' I want everythin' tae be perfect. I've no' been on a proper date before, ye know." Finding the Doctor's expression unreadable, he self-consciously dropped his gaze to his lap. "Well, I won' trouble ye with it any longer."

A smile that seemed gentle in nature spread across the Doctor's face. "Look, Jamie. I know I'm not 'your' Doctor, but please understand that you can talk to me about anything. You're not troubling me at all. And don't worry so much about that girl. Just be yourself and have a marvelous time. That's Doctor's orders." He then gave Jamie a little wink.

Jamie stopped himself from rolling his eyes at the attempt of a pun. Instead, he smiled gratefully at his friend. He was lucky to have him, no matter which version he was. "Thank ye, Doctor."

"Anytime, my lad. Now, let's get back to this and see if we can crack this case. I'd like to get my hands on another sample of this substance from one of the victims. Please ask the Brigadier to see to that. If he needs any acquisition papers I'm sure Jo can get you some."

Jamie nodded. "Of course, Doctor. I'm on it." With that, he left the laboratory and headed for the Brigadier's office. As he traversed the corridor, he smiled. He was glad to be able to help out more, as well as keep his mind focused on something else besides his plans tomorrow evening. Hopefully they would be close to finally resolving this whole thing and save lives.


Smiling, Jamie took Victoria and her fiancé's coats and hung them on the coat rack in the entry way before gesturing for them to follow him. They had arrived a bit early, for which Jamie was grateful as he needed Victoria's advice on something. She looked lovely, wearing a long-sleeved, salmon colored dress that fell to just above her knees with a Peter Pan type collar, several rows of buttons, and cinched at the waist with a thin belt. Her hair had been pulled back and fastened with a large, bejeweled clip.

Jamie had been pleased to meet Terrence as well. He was quite tall; Jamie guessed he had to be at least six foot, maybe an inch or two taller. At first Jamie had found his height a bit imposing, but the man turned out to be very warm and thoughtful. He had brown eyes and neat, side-parted black hair that was a bit wavy and stopped just above his shirt collar. His demeanor was a bit on the formal side, which Jamie assumed was one thing that must have attracted Victoria to him. From all he'd seen, he treated her very well and that was the important thing.

He couldn't believe the day had already arrived. Ben and Polly had gone out earlier to a party and from what they told him, it seemed they would be gone until quite late. Jamie almost wondered if they were staying out late on purpose for his and Kathryn's benefit, but again decided he was over-thinking it.

"So, this place we're going … what's it called again?"

He caught a shy, almost amused smile from Victoria before she turned to her back to him. "Kleptomania."

"Eh?"

"It means 'the art of stealing'."

"Oh. Um … why would anyone name a club somethin' like that? What would anyone be stealin' exactly?"

Terrence gave an amused, lighthearted chuckle as Victoria shrugged. "I don't know. They wanted to be unique and captivating, I suppose."

Jamie made a face, scrunching up his nose. He couldn't believe Victoria was so blasé about it. "Well, it doesnae sound 'captivating' tae me. Sounds stupid."

She laughed. "Jamie, really, it's not that important."

"Ye really feel at home in this century, eh?"

She apparently decided to ignore that. "Over the phone you told me you needed to talk to me about something. What is it?"

Jamie briefly gazed down at the tight, short-sleeved, white undershirt he had thrown over his kilt. "I, um ..." His throat felt quite dry and he cleared it. "I need yer advice on how tae … um … impress Kathryn." He suddenly felt his cheeks grow overwhelmingly warm.

Victoria seemed to notice and chuckled affectionately. "What, you mean you'd like lessons in etiquette and the like? Didn't I once teach you something like that back on the T ..." She stopped herself, obviously realizing Terrence was in the room. "...I mean, back at school?"

Jamie immediately caught on to her cover. "Aye, but no' so much that. I need some help on what tae wear an' a few other things."

Her eyes seemed to light up in understanding and she nodded. "Oh, of course."

He nodded back. "Thank ye." He turned to Terrence, finding the other man reading a magazine on the sofa. "Would ye excuse us fer a moment?"

Terrence looked up and nodded. "Of course."

Jamie smiled gratefully at him before leading Victoria into the guest room. Shutting the door behind him, he found several shirts laid out on the bed where he'd left them.

"I'm no' quite sure what tae wear," he confessed. "I'd only brought several shirts with me from my wardrobe on the TARDIS an' have no' had an opportunity tae buy any others. Ben has some shirts an' said I could borrow them, but there's nothin' I really like."

Victoria furrowed her brow in thought as she looked at his shirts until one seemed to catch her eye. She grabbed his black Jacobite shirt with the lace-up front and ties at the cuffs. "How about this one? I think it would be perfect for a night out."

Jamie blinked, gazing at the shirt. He had not even worn it once since he'd been here. He conceded he had been saving it for an occasion where he had to wear something dressier. This seemed like the perfect opportunity. Thanking Victoria, he headed for the bathroom to change into the shirt.

Once he'd come back into the room, he found Victoria eyeing him appreciatively. "Marvelous. It suits you quite well."

Jamie gave her a shy smile and nodded. He'd barely caught his reflection in the mirror and blushed upon discovering how disheveled his hair looked. Grabbing a comb from the dressing table, he tried to make himself look more presentable. His snorted softly as his fringe practically stabbed him in he eyes and he expelled a breath, blowing it upward. It only resulted in it looking even more askew.

Victoria giggled. "How long has it been since you'd had a haircut?"

"Ah ..." His gaze dropped to the floor. "I cannae remember." He looked back up at her, grinning sheepishly.

Victoria said not a word, but approached the dressing table herself and rummaged through the top drawer. She sighed and a triumphant smile spread across her face as grabbed a small pair of scissors. She turned and approached Jamie with them.

Jamie swallowed hard and tensed up, backing away from her slowly. "Och, yer no' gannae do what I think yer gannae do, are ye?"

She laughed. "Jamie, please. There's no reason to be afraid. I took a hairstyling class several years ago. I trim my own hair and even Terrence's on occasion. I would never dream of offering to do this if I thought I would ruin your hair. It looks fine otherwise; I'll just trim your fringe so it's not in your eyes so much. I reckon Kathryn would rather gaze into them and not find them covered up with hair, don't you?"

Jamie chuckled briefly. She had a point. It had been a while since he'd had it cut, not since the Doctor had rescued him from Culloden and brought him back to the TARDIS. Even if it wasn't much to his liking, his hair usually grew pretty fast so it would be back to the way it was in no time.

He sighed. "Well... Alright."

She smiled and instructed him to remove his nice shirt. He obliged and put the white undershirt back on. He sat on the edge of the bed, his eyes trained on her fingers as she deftly combed his hair and snipped it with the scissors. Tiny bits of hair fell on top of his nose and he scrunched up his face, fearing he'd sneeze and cause her to snip off more hair than she'd wanted, or, worse, the tip of his nose.

It took all of maybe two minutes. She gave his fringe a final comb and then led him back to the mirror. Gazing at his reflection, he felt silly for worrying in the first place. Victoria had done a good job and his fringe was only slightly shorter, long enough for him to push it off to the sides of his face if he wanted, but short enough to reveal his eyes.

He turned and found her gazing at him a bit nervously. "So, is it alright then?"

He laughed gently. "It's perfect, Victoria." He gave her a small hug. "Thank ye for yer help. Now if you'll excuse me, I need tae finish gettin' ready before Kathryn arrives."

"Of course," she nodded, making her way toward the door. She turned back once more and smiled at him. "And you're very welcome."

He nodded and smiled as she turned back around and closed the door behind her. Jamie removed the undershirt and put the black Jacobite shirt on again, carefully so as not to muss up Victoria's handiwork. Standing in front of the mirror, he combed his hair and then dabbed on a bit of the aftershave Ben had lent him. Sighing, he gave himself a final once over in the mirror. Yes, he thought he looked pretty good. He hoped Kathryn would agree. He was determined to show her a good time tonight and looking the part was only half the battle. He hoped he wouldn't do anything to embarrass himself or her.

He silently admonished himself before finally exiting the room and turning off the light. They would have a good time tonight. He would see to that.