A New Beginning

Rating: T

Summary: Post War Games fic. After being forced to leave the Doctor, Jamie and Zoe manage to escape the fate destined for them by the Time Lords. A new world full of new, terrifying experiences awaits them, and all they've got is each other.

Genres: Angst, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Hurt/Comfort, Friendship, UST, Romance

Characters: Jamie McCrimmon, Zoe Heriot, Original Characters, 2nd Doctor

Pairings: Jamie McCrimmon/Zoe Heriot

Disclaimer: Not my characters, except for the original ones. This story is written for entertainment purposes only. No copyright infringement is intended. The idea for this fic came to me over 4 years ago, but I'd only just started writing Doctor Who fic and wasn't sure I could pull it off. A huge "Thank you" to my awesome friend, Concetta, for all the beta work and for encouraging me to finally write it!

Chapter 1

"There must be something we can do!" Zoe cried desperately.

"No, Zoe. Not this time." The Doctor's voice was quiet and thick with regret. He turned to Jamie, holding his hands out. "Well, goodbye, Jamie."

Jamie had briefly acknowledged the Time Lord standing sentry-like in front of one of the SIDRAT transporters before turning back to the Doctor in disbelief. "But Doctor, surely we could -"

The Doctor slowly shook his head, a sad smile on his face. "Goodbye, Jamie," he repeated.

The young Scot gazed in futility at the Doctor's outstretched hand before taking it. "I-I won' forget ye, ye know," he stammered, voice thick with emotion as he shook the Doctor's hands, looking as if he didn't want to let go.

"And I won't forget you," the Doctor replied fondly. "Don't go blundering into too much trouble, will you?"

Jamie uttered a quiet, ironic snort. "Ye're a fine one tae talk."

Zoe kept her head down, having heard the Doctor turn in her direction but reluctant to meet his gaze for fear that the dread festering in the pit of her stomach would consume her.

"Goodbye, Zoe."

His voice was quiet and gentle, giving her the little push she needed. She raised her head to meet his gaze. "Goodbye, Doctor. Will we ever meet again?"

A little twinkle emerged in his eyes and the corners of his mouth twitched into an almost knowing grin. "'Again'? Now, Zoe, you and I know time is relative. Isn't it?"

There seemed to be just an ounce of optimism in his voice. Zoe wished she could allow herself that small ray of hope but also knew she had to be realistic. From the way things looked now, it seemed virtually impossible they would meet him again.

Accepting the near inevitability of the situation, she dropped her gaze to her hands and felt the Doctor lay a hand on her shoulder, guiding her in the direction of the machine. She'd briefly shared a glum look with Jamie as he touched her arm and then took her hand.

Slowly they walked over to the SIDRAT and that wretched Time Lord. As they reached the machine, she separated from Jamie and turned to look back at the Doctor, his hand raised in a final wave. Zoe could feel the tears welling up in her eyes but tried hard for a brave smile as she waved back.

Knowing there was no going back, she reluctantly entered the machine along with Jamie. The door slid shut, the loud, mechanical noise punctuating the finality. Turning to gaze at Jamie, she noticed him flinching just a bit.

Having a look at their surroundings, she was reminded it was not the first time she'd been in one of these machines. That had occurred several days ago when she and the Doctor had entered it from the American Civil War zone. At the time she'd been filled with curiosity and wonder. Now? The only thing left to feel was dread.

Her gaze drifted to a pattern of control symbols affixed to the panel up on the wall. They must have had this pre-set to take them where they needed to go. An unwelcome feeling of alarm welled up within her, manifesting as a bile at the back of her throat.

From the way Jamie was looking at her, he seemed to sense it. "I'm tellin' ye, the Doctor will save us. He'll come through fer us just as he always has. I know it."

How she wished she could believe it. "He won't, Jamie," she told him, her throat feeling dry as a bone as she shook her head. "Not this time. You didn't notice how final his 'goodbye' sounded?"

For a split second, he appeared almost shocked by her assertion before he shook his head vehemently. "No," he insisted. "No, he's always one step aheid of everyone. He's jus' got a way of makin' it look as though he's down an' then, right when they least expect it …" He smacked his fist into his hand.

Zoe gazed up at him sadly. On one hand, she envied him for his optimism and unwavering faith in the Doctor; but on the other hand, such an attitude would only lead to more pain if he was proven wrong. Just this once, she wished she could make him see things more her way.

Before she could say anything else, the SIDRAT made a familiar wheezing noise, alerting them they had landed at … wherever the Time Lords wanted them. Zoe was surprised it hadn't taken long at all; in fact, it was almost instantaneous. It certainly seemed more efficient than the TARDIS in that respect. She groaned inwardly, finding the very thought disturbing at the moment.

The door opened, revealing another dour looking Time Lord on the other side. Zoe tried to see around him into the rest of the landing bay. From her vantage, it was nearly identical to the last one. Her gaze was back on the Time Lord, her mouth drawing into a deep frown which only eased slightly as she felt Jamie take her hand.

The alien smiled wanly at them before stepping aside and gesturing for them to join him.

"Where are we?" Jamie asked warily. Zoe squeezed his hand a bit tighter.

"You are still on the home planet of Gallifrey," the Time Lord replied evenly. "This is the Processing and Redistribution Center."

"An' wha's that?"

"It is where we process those who are to be redistributed to the location from whence they came."

Oh, how nice, Zoe thought sarcastically.

"So, what're ye gonna do tae us?"

"I was given instructions by the Time Lords who sent you. You are to have your memories of your time with the Doctor taken from you, and then sent back to your own times and places."

Zoe shared a look of horror with Jamie. "What? You can't do that!"

"We can and we must," he said, his tone arrogant. "Now, come with me." He led them a short distance away.

"The Doctor willnae let ye do it," Jamie spat, his jaw set as he glowered up at the Time Lord.

"The Doctor is no longer an issue," the alien countered, his tone irritatingly condescending. "He is currently undergoing his own sentencing."

"Aye, well, ye only think he's -"

"You shall wait here until we are ready to begin the processing," the Time Lord finished and then turned to walk away.

Zoe's heart plunged all the way to her toes. She wondered what kind of sentence they were going to foist upon the Doctor. The very thought made her nauseous.

Jamie was shaking his head. "I-I still cannae believe the Doctor doesnae have somethin' up his sleeve."

Zoe heaved a sigh. "Jamie, please, there's nothing he can do." The look on his face when he met her gaze shattered her heart. Feeling more defeated than she could ever remember at any time in her life, she dropped her gaze to her hands.

The gravity of the situation suddenly hit her and she felt her eyes flood with tears as she turned back to Jamie. "It's bad enough we're being forced apart from him and forced to forget about all the time we spent with him, but they're going to force us apart as well. We might as well be complete strangers to one another." Well, that wasn't completely true; she would probably have vague memories of the first time she met Jamie, but she would forget all she had learned from both him and the Doctor during her time with them. And Jamie certainly would not remember her. It was a horrifying thought.

"Well, we've got tae stop them, then," Jamie told her.

She gazed at him, lost. "What? But, how?"

She then noticed he seemed to be concealing something inside his balled-up hand. Slowly opening it, he uncovered a small object. Zoe's mouth opened, but no sound came out. It was an unused gas-filled diode, like the ones they had used to overpower the War Chief's guards when they took over the landing bay.

"Look, we cannae let them do this tae us," he said fiercely. "They can try tae force us away from the Doctor, but they'll have tae fight to force us away from each other."

"Come with us," the Time Lord said.

"Zoe, cover yer mouth an' run!" Jamie cried out at lightning speed.

She watched him launch the diode straight in the air in the direction of the Time Lords. It hit the ground close to their feet, resulting in a huge cloud of smoke. All she could make out of the Time Lords were sounds of alarm and violent coughing. Zoe quickly grabbed the scarf around her neck, covering her nose and mouth with it as she felt Jamie grab her arm and drag her with him

In the haze, she could barely make out a row of SIDRATS just sitting there, empty. Jamie had obviously noticed them as well, gesturing toward them while eyeing her desperately. "Come on, Zoe, there's one of those machines right over here!"

"But, Jamie -"

"Come on!" he urged, grabbing her arm and pulling her with him into the transport device.

"But we don't even know where it goes!"

"Wherever it goes, it's better than bein' here!"

"Oof!" Zoe exclaimed, landing roughly on her bottom. Jamie muttered a quick apology as he helped her up, then busied himself at the panel by the door. The mechanical door slid shut and a familiar wheezing sound filled the space in which they now found themselves.

"I set the emergency lock so they cannae get in," he blurted.

Zoe stood in shock, trying desperately to make sense of all that had happened in such a minute span of time. She vaguely heard him say something about 'emergency lock.' And he was now motioning her over to the panel by the door.

"Now, help me wi' these things." He held up the magnetic control symbol pieces.

Frustrated she was still unable to completely process what had just happened, she numbly made her way over to him.

"D'ye remember how the Doctor worked the things tae get them where we needed tae go?" he asked, his face a picture of desperation.

She stared blankly at the objects.

"Zoe!"

She tried hard to think, but came up empty and shook her head in frustration. "If you're asking if I know the parameters of distance governed by each symbol, then, no, I've got no idea."

Jamie grumbled in response.

"You think I know everything?" she spat angrily.

"Well, no' everything," he retorted. She stepped firmly on the toes of her other foot to keep from smacking him. "But ye must've paid at least some attention when the Doctor was movin' them around?"

"It doesn't matter, Jamie," she returned hotly. "These symbols are different to the ones the other SIDRAT had; obviously there is no way of telling where we'll land up." Frustrated, she exhaled a sharp breath. "I-I'm sorry, I— I saw the Doctor do it ... I'll try to remember." Zoe took the pieces from Jamie's hand and began to slowly arrange them.

Her eyes widened as a dreadful thought occurred to her. "It might not matter where we're headed, either. They've probably got some master control that would just bring the machine back to their planet."

"The Doctor has dealt wi' that before," he told her. "When we were tryin' tae escape the War Lord's planet wi' Lieutenant Carstairs. He'd said somethin' about … what did he call it? Oh, aye, 'overriding' it." He nodded as if for emphasis.

"Did you see how the Doctor had done it?" she asked him desperately, coming around to his side and spotting several controls along with a small screen.

Jamie's eyes narrowed in thought briefly before his expression went blank. "Er, no." He winced, as if expecting her to launch herself at him.

Zoe didn't have the energy to do so, and merely groaned. "Then I'll have to decipher it myself." She hoped the Time Lords were cocky enough not to assume someone would break into their controls. Quickly investigating, she found a large switch that looked like it could be a master control.

"Aye, that's it," Jamie said, nodding.

"Well, here goes," she said, pulling the switch down. She stood unmoving for what seemed like an eternity, waiting for some sign that maybe, just maybe, they had lucked out.

A panel suddenly lit up with large, red, blinking letters that read 'Override in Progress.'

Zoe shut her eyes, heaving a sigh of relief. She opened them as she felt Jamie lay a hand on her shoulder.

"Well done," he told her softly.

She barely managed a slight smile. "Don't speak too soon; we've no idea where we will end up." She sniffled to drive away the tears which threatened to surface once again. "I wish the Doctor was here."

"Aye, I know, lass. But it's just us now."

He held out his hand and she took it as they stood, waiting to see where the machine would take them.

Hopefully, somewhere away from the Time Lord's planet.