Chapter 2- The Doctor undercover

The Doctor stepped out of the TARDIS and looked around; he'd landed in a park. It was quite a beautiful scene, the sun was shining brightly on lush green grass, complimented by the hustle of people all doing different things- running their different lives. He broke from his trance remembering the task at hand. He walked through the exit of the park and spotted the hotel, it wasn't that grand, it was just a small as the other houses around but with two floors worth of extensions upwards, he assumed that this is where John Watson would be.

He walked into the hotel and asked for which room John Watson was in, when they showed him to the way and left him there. The Doctor smiled, waiting for the man who had taken him there to leave and then sonicked the door with his favourite tool, he then opened it very slightly, to find the room empty. He found Doctor Watson's coat on a chair and quickly slipped his hand into it and took out his wallet and phone, in which were credentials, as he knew the unknown sender of the message he had received wouldn't have told him to take someone else's identity if he could get away with using his sonic and psychic paper. He then noticed a note on the bed, explaining the absence of the man:

'I know you won't want to, so I've taken care of the real Dr Watson, leave as soon as you have enough items to be able to enforce a disguise. Don't worry about looks, you look incredibly similar to him, just flatten the hair down a bit though, sadly there's nothing anyone can do about the chin. Take care my love. XXX'

He took the note and pocketed it, full of guilt he looked through Doctor Watson's drawers for essential possessions, once again reminded of the fact that if he didn't do this the universe would fall. That fact made him feel so bitter, that he saved planets and in return he had no control over his life, he just had to keep going, keep moving on and saving himself. He ripped the note up in anger. He wouldn't go through this man's stuff anymore. He closed the door and left. Still feeling slightly enraged he stomped across the park to the TARDIS, he was interrupted by a voice calling the dead man's name.

"John! John Watson!" He turned around in curiosity, wondering whether this was the Doctor that he was supposed to protect, there was a man who looked about the same age as he did in appearance.

"Stamford, Mike Stamford. We were at Bart's together." The Doctor didn't understand what he meant by Bart's and was therefore unsure what to do, but he pretended to recognise him. As the unknown sender had said, he had to act natural, if there was something he had to do which he wouldn't do when he is himself, the sender of the message would have written so.

"Mike!" he shouted at the top his voice, rich with surprise. The Doctor congratulated himself on his brilliant acting, even the people around him were staring at him, totally fooled. "Oh it feels like I haven't seen you for ages! How've you been?" He grabbed the man by the shoulders and greeted him like they did in Paris, making kissing noises as he moved his head from one side of Mike Stamford's head to the other.

"I'm err fine thanks. How about you?" He seemed a bit weirded out but the Doctor didn't find that unusual, it's just the way most people looked at him, so it had to be a normal thing.

"Oh I've been doing the usual… you know…" He then started making gun noises to make sure that Mike understood that he was indicating that he'd been fighting in the war. I'm nailing it today! The Doctor thought to himself and he couldn't help but grin at his newfound talent. "But I'm back now, so that's good."

"Right… you seem a bit different… but I guess life does that to a person, eh?" he replied, trying to get at a point. The Doctor, however, took a different line of reply."

"Different? How?" he asked.

"Well, you have a lot more energy and… you look a bit different too."

"Ah well. I realised I was missing some spirit. You can't survive times like the war without it."

"Right… so, are you sticking around in London then?"

"Oh, well, I'm not sure, I don't think I can stay in hotel for the rest of my life."

"I agree." Stamford replied.

"Do you have any recommendations?"

"Well what about Harry?"

"Who?" When the Doctor asked this Stamford's face morphed into an expression of concern but then he chuckles lightly.

"Oh you're playing with me! You're sister of course." At this reply from Mr Stamford the Doctor decided it was best to play along and get his information this way.

"Ha ha. Did I get you for a minute there?"

"You know… there is one guy I know who's looking for someone to share a flat with, you could try him." As Mr Stamford said this the Doctor's eyes lit up, realising that this must be the person the anonymous person was talking about in their first message.

"Really? Who?" The Doctor said a little too keenly.

"Ah, well, I wouldn't get your hopes up, I don't think you'd like him." Perfect! The Doctor thought to himself, this had to be him, because the Doctor knew from experience that no one liked themselves, he did not realise that this was a polite way of saying that nobody liked him.

"Oh I'm sure I will, old friend!" He said to Mike and patted him on the shoulder to emphasise that he was Mike's good old mate. Stamford winced in pain but didn't mention to the Doctor that he was hitting him just a little hard.