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Chapter 35 – Dinner with an Old Friend

The Doctor popped back into his closet. He looked down at the small USB drive in his hand that Tony had given him. He started to walk out of the closet, and then reconsidered. He rubbed his beard and listened. He could hear his stereo playing and someone kicking a ball. He could also hear water running in the sink in the bathroom on the other side of the door.

He opened his wallet and put the USB drive into it. He was just sliding it back in his pocket when Rose opened the closet door. He quickly hid in the back of the closet.

She walked in wearing her familiar blue robe. She was standing there looking at her dresses, trying to decide which one to put on when The Doctor jumped out and wrapped his arms round her waist. Rose reacted quickly and grabbed his hand, twisted his arm up his back and knocked him to the ground on his face.

"Ouch." The Doctor said simply.

Rose covered her mouth as she let go of him. "Oh my God! I'm so sorry. Are you alright?"

He rolled over and lay on the floor rubbing his shoulder. "I thought you could sense where I was? You mad woman!"

Rose knelt down next to him. "I wasn't thinking! I thought you were still with Tony. Are you alright?"

He looked up at her and laughed. "I'm alright. I should have known better. Sorry about that." He ran his thumb against his cheek that was red from being rubbed against the carpet. He stood up in front of her.

Rose still stood there shocked. "I'm so sorry. I can't believe I did that to you."

He rubbed his shoulder and grimaced. At the look on her face, he stopped and forced himself to stand up straight. He bit his bottom lip as he took her hand. "Really, don't worry about it. I'm fine. It was my fault." He kissed her quickly.

She looked at him, "Are you sure?"

He nodded his head. "Yep! I'm good!"

Rose turned around and pointed at her dresses. "Come help me pick out a dress, then."

He rubbed his shoulder, and closed his eyes tightly behind her back.

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The Doctor and Rose walked into a fancy restaurant in Manhattan with Sam and Exton flanking them. Tony turned around and spotted them first. "They just let anyone in here!"

The Doctor laughed as he shook Tony's hand. "Well, obliviously."

They all greeted one another. Then the waiter took them all to a small, private room which was decorated lavishly. It was the very definition of posh. They all sat around a small, round table that left two more seats available.

The waiter poured them all water; while another one poured them wine.

Rose smiled as she looked across the table and sipped her water. "Who is meeting us?"

Tony waved his hand. "Oh, no ma'am. It's a surprise. Someone I know that I think the good Doctor will enjoy meeting. He seems like he would be a huge fan of her work. Quite the historian. I, in fact, would like to see you challenge his knowledge as much as you can. Make him sweat a bit."

Pepper laughed, "Stop it. Gosh. Nevermind him, John. He's starved for entertainment, apparently."

The Doctor laughed at them. "Go ahead. That would be interesting."

Pepper and Rose excused themselves to go to the ladies' room. Exton went with them. As soon as they were gone, Tony, the Doctor and Sam remained. The Doctor held out a finger. "Alright. You're on the list."

Tony coughed his drink back into his glass. "Jesus, man! You don't waste any time! You've already done that? Today?"

The Doctor rolled his eyes as he pulled some bottles of pills out of his pocket and handed them to Tony. "Here. I won't tell you not to drink while you are on this, because I know you will anyway. But, I'll tell you to not take any of the pain medicine if you have been drinking a lot. I know, terrible advice from a Doctor. As your friend, I'll tell you to take two glasses of that scotch and take one. You'll feel….ace! But, don't go flying with that shit in your system. If I find out you are doing that, I'll come get the medicine."

Tony put the pills in his pocket. "Phhh…. Lame. Damn it."

"I've spoken to a doctor there who will keep it to himself what is going on. As soon as a heart is available, he'll call me and I'll bring you in to get it done. Stay on this other medication until then."

Tony looked surprised. "You will be there? In the operating room?"

The Doctor nodded his head. "I insisted. I've not done surgery in over ….. umm…. 150 years, but this is something I don't trust to just anyone. That generator will have to be handled carefully. I'm prepared to do that so I can give it back to you afterwards. Plus, they are going to need some reassurance that it's not Cyber technology. As the Director of Torchwood, I can demand the entire event classified and you shouldn't have anything to worry about."

Tony nodded his head. "Didn't think about that. Perfect. Thank you."

The Doctor sat up and drank his entire glass of wine. He poured himself another glass and looked at Sam and smiled. Then he looked at Tony. "Let me ask you something. I just heard of this today. Have you ever dated someone you couldn't speak their language?"

Sam closed his eyes and shook his head in disbelief. He mumbled something in Quauhtin.

Tony looked curiously. "You mean to tell me you have never done that?"

The Doctor sat back quickly, "You mean this is a thing? Really? Is it common?"

Tony shrugged his shoulders. "Well, I suppose. I mean, I've done it. Well…dating is too strong of a word. Hmmmm…. Just date, as in one, sounds more like it."

The Doctor laughed. "I don't believe this."

Tony smiled, "What? Has Rose talked about someone she used to date or something?"

"No! Although, I wonder if she's done that now that I'm finding out it's so common." The Doctor rubbed his chin. "I couldn't ask her though. She'd get pissed."

Tony tossed some bread in his mouth. "Oh, leave that to me then! It would be my pleasure! You've never done that? Just go make out with someone, take them home and bump uglies, and then leave before they wake up?"

The Doctor looked confused back at him. "I understood what you said, and I didn't understand what you said. That was strange!"

Tony laughed. "Oh, come on. You've had to have done that! As old as you are."

The Doctor shook his head and drank his wine. "Honestly, I never have. I've never even thought anyone would. I speak every language in the universe. Everything there is. I couldn't do that."

"Every language in the entire universe?" Tony looked at him, disbelieving.

The Doctor nodded his head. "Yes. I know that sounds mad. But, it's true."

"Then, why aren't you called a Language Lord?"

"Okay, that is a first." The Doctor admitted as the waiter walked into the room with a tall, man with grey hair and Sarah Jane Smith. The Doctor and Tony both stood up. Sarah Jane smiled, "Tony! It's nice to see you again! I was surprised when you called."

Tony held her hand and kissed it. "Doctor Sarah Jane Smith. It's always a pleasure. May I introduce my friend, Doctor Johnathon Smith? He's a big fan of your work."

Sarah Jane turned to The Doctor. He took her hand and smiled at her like a loon. "Wow! Doctor Sarah Jane Smith. It's wonderful to meet you!"

Sarah Jane seemed a bit overwhelmed. "Doctor Smith. Wow! I can't believe this! This is my husband, Edward."

The Doctor smiled and shook his hand. "It's my pleasure to meet you both!"

They all sat down at the table. Sarah Jane reached over and took Tony's hand. "How are you doing? I imagine it's been very hard."

Tony took a deep breath. "I'm alright. Better today than yesterday."

The Doctor looked confused. Tony looked back at him. "She worked with Rhodey. That's how I met her."

Sarah Jane smiled, "Yes. James Rhodes was always there with Tony. Tony would come out and do the presentations for his newest weapons for the military. Rhodes always asked me to go as an advisor."

Tony continued for her. "Sarah Jane was the professor that they all respected at the Academy. So, they have continued their relationship with her as their careers continued. They always pull her into help with decisions. She has security clearance high enough that it's not a problem. Even though Rhodey was a Marine, he ended up meeting Sarah Jane. Some admiral or someone brought her to a demonstration, where she left an impression. Rhodey always called her come out and put me in my place."

Sarah Jane smiled, "You make it sound terrible. I was just doing my job."

Tony smiled at her. "One of the few women who have ever told me 'no' and that I was… " He attempted a British accent. "Completely mad."

They all laughed.

Edward smiled, "She retired eight years ago and I think I see more uniformed officers now than I ever did when she taught at the Academy."

The Doctor smiled, "Fantastic."

Rose, Pepper and Exton walked back into the room. They all stood up and introduced one another. It was hard to judge who was more surprised to meet the other one. Rose or Sarah Jane.

Rose spoke in The Doctor's head, 'Sarah Jane Smith?! Are you kidding me?'

'She's a friend of Tony's. He put this together!' The Doctor told her in surprise.

Sarah Jane covered her face and laughed, "I'm so sorry! I never would have imagined Tony would have brought Rose Tyler and Doctor Smith to dinner. This is a bit, overwhelming."

The Doctor smiled, "Oh, we're just regular people."

Tony raised his eyebrow at the Doctor and laughed. He poured himself some more wine.

Pepper shook her head at Tony. "I'm not even going to ask."

The Doctor rolled his eyes. "I'd recommend you didn't."

Sarah Jane smiled, "I saw your interview last night. That was very interesting. May I congratulate you on your recent wedding?"

The Doctor looked at Rose and smiled, "Thank you."

"But, you're not changing your name Mrs… Tyler?"

Rose smiled, "Oh, that's just strange. Please call me Rose. No, I decided to hyphen it."

The Doctor rubbed his chin. "Smith is your maiden name. You didn't change your name when you married?"

Sarah Jane looked surprised. "Wow! I didn't know anyone knew that!"

Tony smiled, "I told you. Big fan of yours."

The Doctor rolled his eyes at Tony.

Sarah Jane smiled as she looked at her husband. "Edward's name is Edward Smith. He is an investment broker."

Edward smiled, "Yes. No relation, well, except through marriage. Sarah Jane lived in England for most of her life."

Sarah Jane smiled at Edward.

The Doctor smiled at them. "You've nearly lost your accent. But, I can still hear it in some things you say."

Edward laughed, "Get her mad and you will really hear it!"

They all laughed. Tony pointed at The Doctor. "If you want to be entertained, surprise him well enough and he'll start speaking different languages without realizing he's doing it. It's wild! He did that to me today."

Rose laughed at the surprised look on The Doctor's face. He turned to Rose. "I'm not that bad, am I?"

Rose nodded, "Oh, sometimes it's really bad. I don't even tell you half of the time."

"Phhh….. this has turned into 'picking on The Doctor' here." He complained.

Pepper shook her head. "I wish I had warned you. That's all it is with Tony. Sorry, John."

The Doctor smiled. "It's alright. Pepper told me you went to a concert last night."

Tony took a drink and nodded his head. "Yes! Sting! I sang 'Driven to Tears' with him. It's all over YouTube today. I think I did pretty well."

Sarah Jane rolled her eyes. "Rhodey always was so embarrassed you would do that. Have you ever been to a concert and not gotten on stage to sing?"

Tony pointed at Pepper. "She took me to an opera once and I didn't."

The Doctor laughed, "We're going to the ballet later. Want to come with us and dance on stage?"

Tony shook his head and put down his drink. "No. This man knows his limits."

Sarah Jane smiled. "Ballet. That sounds lovely."

Rose smiled, "You should join us."

Sarah Jane shook her head, "I wish I could, but I have another engagement after this. I did want to tell you though, how impressed I am that you are taking an interest in the children's homes. That is wonderful. You seem to be a very kind man."

The Doctor nodded his head. "It's a small thing."

Sarah Jane shook her head. "It's not a small thing at all. I grew up without my parents, but I was lucky enough to have my Aunt to take me in. Did I understand it right? You have adopted a daughter already?"

The Doctor looked at Rose. "Yes. Genie. She's back with our bodyguards having a concert of their own."

Rose laughed, "She plays the piano and our bodyguard, Legate, plays guitar. They were having a concert when we left. My brother, was directing them."

The Doctor drank all of his wine and smiled, "Yeah, they are having a great time together."

The waiters brought in the first course. The Doctor was surprised.

'I didn't tell them what I wanted to eat. This is strange.' He told Rose.

She smiled at him. 'This is a posh restaurant were you don't get a choice. Just go with it.'

He shook his head, "Strange."

Then he remembered Tony's trick from the White House. "Alright, Tony. Tell me what we're eating."

Tony was already putting stuff in his mouth. He rubbed his beard and held up a finger. "Hang on. Thinking."

Pepper rolled her eyes at him. "These guys are ridiculous. I apologize."

Tony sipped his wine. "The wine is Morlet "La Proportion Doree" 2011 from Napa. The first course is American Osetra Caviar, Fingerling Potato Veloute, Quail Eggs and Crisp Chive Potatoes."

Rose shook her head. "How do you do that?"

The Doctor poured himself some more wine. "He's reading from the menu, like he did back at the State Dinner."

Tony shook his head. "Nope. I'm really not. I wasn't then either. I wonder if you can figure it out, Doc'."

The Doctor sat down his fork and crossed his arms. "Huh."

Rose put her hand on his thigh. "Don't let him wind you up."

The Doctor smiled, "He's not. He's just stumped me. That's not easy to do."

Tony laughed under his breath. "Don't think about too hard, Doc'. It will just come to you. It's right in front of your eyes. You know, I wonder whoever thought this would be a good idea. Eating caviar?"

Rose took a bite and nodded her head. "I'm not sure, but it's nice. Here, try some."

Rose fed The Doctor some of the first course off of her fork. He ate it and uncrossed his arms. He picked back up his fork and started eating. "People have been eating caviar for a very long time. The first time it was written about someone eating it was in 1240. Batu Khan, Genghis Khan's grandson enjoyed it. Caviar wasn't available to most of the world until it could be shipped while refrigerated. That's the reason it was so rare."

Sarah Jane looked impressed. "Genghis Khan was the founder of the Mongol Empire."

The Doctor picked at his food and didn't look up. "Yep. Genghis Khan conquered nearly 12 million square miles of territory. More than any other individual ever has in history."

Sarah Jane smiled at him. "Genghis Khan wasn't his real name. Do you know what it was?"

The Doctor looked up at her. "Sure! It was Temujin. It means 'blacksmith' or 'iron.' He picked Genghis Khan because it meant 'supreme leader'. He was a fascinating individual. His most trusted generals were his former enemies. When he was in battle once, someone shot his horse with an arrow. Killed it. It threw Genghis Khan onto the ground. He rose up and went to the enemy to see who had shot his horse. When the young solider admitted it was him, Genghis Khan made him an officer in his army and nicknamed him 'jebe' or 'arrow' to remind him of how they met."

Sarah Jane smiled. "This is amazing. I do know that no one is certain how he died. Or where he is buried."

The Doctor smiled as he leaned into the table. "That's true. He also created one of the first international postal systems. That same service was used years later by Marco Polo and Plano Carpini."

Sarah Jane sat back. "Wow. I didn't know that! You are quite the historian, Doctor Smith."

Rose laid her hand on his thigh. He looked at her. He could sense she wasn't feeling good. He sat back and took her hand.

'Sick again?' he asked.

She closed her eyes tightly. 'Oh, please fix this. I don't want to spoil this.'

He wiped his mouth and turned to her. "Rose Tyler. Your hair has come down just here." He laid his hand on her head. 'Tell me when it gets better.' He ran finger from his other hand and tucked her hair behind her ear.

She smiled. 'Better.' She looked at him. "Thank you."

He smiled as he laid his hand in her lap. 'Drink some water. Slip it. Let me know if it gets worse.'

Sarah Jane smiled. "That's very sweet. You know you hear of famous people getting married. But, you think it's just a publicity stunt or something. I really think you two are the real thing."

The Doctor smiled. "Well, that's simple. I'm not famous."

Rose slipped her water and rolled her eyes. "Well, he wasn't. I wonder if he knows what he's gotten himself into."

Tony shook his head. "Oh, he's a smart guy. I'm sure he's figured it out. Shortest celebrity marriage was what, Doc'? Go!"

The Doctor didn't even look up as he drank his wine. "Brittany Spears and Jason Alexander. They were married for only 55 hours."

Pepper looked confused. "Okay, what are you doing?"

Tony chuckled. "Oh, this guy is amazing! You can ask him anything and he knows it! This is great! Sarah Jane. Ask him something. Anything!"

The second course was served. Tony held up his finger. "Hang on! Let me think about it."

The Doctor watched him. He mumbled to Rose. "I'm going to figure out how he's doing this."

Tony smiled and jumped back. "Ah! Got it. The wine is Chester – Kiddler Red Blend 2009 from Columbia Valley in Washington State. This is a 'Winter Green Salad' with petite mixed radish, baby carrots, Merlot Lettuce and Red Wine Vinegar. This means the Main Course is going to be Dry-Aged Beef with Jasper Hill Farm Goat Cheese, Charred Shallots, Oyster Mushrooms, Braised Chard. Want to put money on it?"

The Doctor shook his head. "No, thank you. I don't know how you have this strange super power, but I don't doubt you are right. I'll figure out how you are doing it."

Tony laughed as he started eating his salad. "Just give it a little time, Doc'. You will."

The Doctor felt a vibration in his pocket. He stood up and pulled Rose's phone out of his pocket. "Please excuse me. I need to take this."

He walked out of the room with Exton as he heard Thomas' voice on the other end of the line. "Just a quick word, Director. All of the ships are cleared. The Baumeisters just began construction."

The Doctor smiled. "Excellent. Thank you."

He ended the call and walked back into the room. He sat down and looked at Rose. 'Okay?'

She nodded as he laid his hand back in her lap.

Sarah Jane smiled. "Okay, I wonder if you would be up for a hypothetical historical conversation, Doctor Smith?"

The Doctor smiled and looked up at Sarah Jane. "Oh, I'd love to! This reminds me of the hypothetical science conversations Einstein used to have…. with his friends. Go on then."

Sarah Jane smiled, "What if… the Wright Brothers had gotten their glider to fly?"

The Doctor nodded his head. "Well, they did get it to fly. It was during a demonstration in Fort Myer when a propeller split and it sent the flyer out of control. Killed Orville and an Army lieutenant named Thomas Selfridge. So, what if Orville hadn't died in that crash? Is that what you are asking?"

Sarah Jane smiled as she looked up from her salad. "Yes. That's my question."

The Doctor looked back at Rose and smiled. "Well. Hmmm…. That's an interesting thought Doctor Sarah Jane Smith. I think a lot of things would have been different. And not in completely good ways, either."

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