"Please, Jamie, don't. I can't stay long but there's so much I have to tell you."
The young highlander ignored her protests and turned to face her. He took her hand gently, staring into her dark eyes. It was Zoe.
"I dinnae understand," he said with a shake of his head. "The Doctor and I..." he trailed off. What was he supposed to say? That the Doctor had abandoned her? That the Doctor had chosen him over her?
"Oh, Jamie. It doesn't matter. Right now all that matters is that you're in danger," she told him.
"What kinda danger? The folks here seem friendly enough."
"It's the Doctor, Jamie," said Zoe. "He's not telling you everything, and he should. Oh, he should, but he thinks he knows best."
Jamie nodded. That was true enough, but he trusted the Doctor.
"But how did you get here?" asked Jamie, recalling with some pain the memories of what had happened on the Doctor's home planet.
"I was sent Jamie, like you. But you can't let the Doctor know I'm here, you simply can't," said Zoe sounding so worried that Jamie instantly agreed. She smiled then and they fell together in a hug. Jamie closed his eyes, realising how much he had missed her.
It has seemed like only moments had passed since from when he had said goodbye to the Doctor to finding himself back in the highlands of Scotland. He remembered his momentary confusion before he sighted a Redcoat and wrestled the unfortunate man to the ground. And he remembered not knowing - for those few minutes he had no memory of any of his travels in the TARDIS.
As he had stood over the body of his vanquished foe, the TARDIS had appeared and the Doctor had stepped out, though at the time Jamie had no idea who he was and had taken him for demon of some sort. It took only a second for the Doctor to point the strange instrument he was holding at Jamie, and activate it.
The next thing Jamie recalled was waking in the TARDIS, his memory restored. He was lying on the bed in his room, and the Doctor was nowhere to be seen. Nothing seemed to be amiss there, though he had something of a headache, and his memories...his brow furrowed as he tried to piece together the last few hours. Glimpses of faces appeared behind his eyes, a few disconnected words, but it didn't make sense. The last thing he clearly remembered was saying goodbye to the Doctor. And now he was here, back on the TARDIS.
Jamie had found his way to the console room easily enough and had been relieved to see the familiar sight of the Doctor leaning over the console.
"Doctor?"
The Time Lord's head had jerked up, the expression on his face had been caught somewhere between sadness and relief.
"Jamie. I didn't think you'd be awake for hours. Come on, sit down," the Doctor had said, guiding his friend to one of the chairs. "You must feel exhausted."
"Just a bit of a headache," Jamie had told him. "Did we get away from them then? Where's Zoe?"
"Ah, yes, well, let's see about getting you something to eat first, shall we?"
"Doctor, what's going on? Are we free?"
The Time Lord had turned back to him, hands in his pockets. "No, Jamie, we're not free."
"But the TARDIS!"
The Doctor had taken a deep breath, and sat down beside his young friend. There had been a weariness about him that Jamie had not seen before. The creases around his eyes had deepened, his shoulders seeming to sag, making him seem even smaller than he actually was. He had placed his clasped hands on the armrest of the chair.
"The TARDIS is under the control of the Time Lords, Jamie. Or I should say, a certain group of Time Lords." The Doctor had paused and Jamie very nearly asked one of the obvious questions that was on the tip of his tongue. But the Doctor looking so tired, so very...defeated. Yes, that was it. Something about his acceptance that he had finally lost made Jamie stay quiet and patiently wait for the Doctor to continue.
"Once they had taken you and Zoe away they had decided to force me to regenerate," and the Doctor had held up his hand as Jamie finally started to speak, saying, "I'll explain about regeneration later, Jamie. What is important is that they were planning to exile me to Earth, but I was snatched from the Vortex by a group called the Celestial Intervention Agency. You see, Jamie, my people will not involve themselves officially in the affairs of anyone in the universe."
"And this group is a bit unofficial then?"
"That's right. They tend to interfere discreetly and for the most part are answerable only to the President. Though even he doesn't always know what they're doing."
"I bet he doesnae know about you."
"Probably not, Jamie," the Doctor conceded. "But the Coordinator of the agency offered me a deal. If I worked for them, they would give me back my TARDIS, and some limited freedom."
"I take it you agreed," said Jamie, and he couldn't help but sound a little accusatory.
"I had no choice!" exclaimed the Doctor. "It was this or being stuck in one world! In one time!" He had slumped back in the chair then, putting his head in his hands. "This way I have a chance to escape. A chance. I couldn't just give up."
"I'm sorry, Doctor," said Jamie quietly.
"That's all right," said the Doctor, standing up. "We should be receiving our first co-ordinates any time now."
"Just coordinates?"
"Ah, yes, I'm afraid so. Not the most helpful lot, the CIA. I rather fancy they'll just pick a trouble spot and dump us there. Watch to see if we sink or swim."
"But I cannae swim, Doctor!"
"Yes, well, don't worry, Jamie. It's just a metaphor."
"So how come I'm here?" Jamie had asked suddenly.
"Ah," and the Doctor had fixed his eyes on the console. "Well, that was the first thing I did once they let me go. I went back to Culloden to pick you up."
"So are we going to get, Zoe then?"
"No, Jamie, we're not."
"What! Why? You cannae just leave her!"
"I have to, Jamie. They didn't want to let me have either of you back," said the Doctor. "You were a distraction; a reminder of what could go wrong. But I managed to persuade them..."
"To let you have one of us," finished Jamie.
The Doctor nodded miserably. "And there's something else you should know."
"Go on," said Jamie quietly.
"Do you remember what you felt like when you first arrived back on Earth?"
"Aye, there was something wrong with my memory. It didnae feel too good when I woke up just now either."
"You'll feel fine in a few hours. But, Jamie, the Time Lords erased your memory of me once, and...and they want to do it again. When this is over, they want to take it away and put you back in Culloden again."
Jamie was silent for a moment. Since he had met the Doctor he had led a more fantastic life than he could ever have imagined. All these experiences, all this knowledge, so many friendships and tragedies and hopes and nightmares leapt at him now from his adventures, and his hand gripped the chair tightly at the realisation he would lose it all. This was him, after all, this was who Jamie Robert McCrimmon was now and it was so much more than the piper for his clan, and losing that, he would lose himself.
"Doctor..." and his voice cracked.
"You don't have to do this," his friend told him. "You can go back now. But I had to tell you the truth, Jamie. I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry."
He didn't speak for a few minutes; instead watching as the Doctor fiddled with the console, pretending nothing was amiss.
"I'll come with you, Doctor," Jamie told him finally.
"Are you sure?"
"Aye," he said smiling. "After all, you needed someone to watch your back."
He'd thought about Zoe a few times since then, but never mentioned her to the Doctor again. He had certainly never brought the subject.
And now, here she was, standing in front of him, the same as ever.
"What's going on, Zoe?" he asked her again. "How did you get here?"
The knock at the door caught them both by surprise. Jamie and Zoe exchanged a glance and as he moved to block of the door she ducked down behind the bed.
"Jamie! Jamie, are you ready? Mr Burns has just told me that dinner is going to be served shortly," came the Doctor's distinctive voice.
"Just a minute Doctor!" Jamie called back. "I'll be back as soon as I can," he whispered to Zoe.
"Be careful," she whispered back.
When Jamie and the Doctor arrived at the dining room, it appeared to be almost full. A dark wooden table dominated the long room. A simple chandelier hung above the table, unlit, though there were several lit candles on the table itself. Portraits of men and women hung around the room, staring down at the diners and Jamie felt vaguely uneasy.
Vanya, sitting at the head of the table, looked up as they entered and smiled. "Doctor, Jamie, I hope you are feeling refreshed. Please, take a seat," she said and indicated the two empty chairs closest to her on her right.
They nodded their thanks and sat down. Whatever it was that was cooking smelt delicious to Jamie. He hadn't eaten for hours. It wasn't something that the Doctor made a lot of time for; especially since he was of the opinion that one meal a day was sufficient nourishment.
"I hope your son is doing well," said the Doctor.
"He's much better, thank you," replied Vanya. "Doctor Hamilton is of the opinion that he is in no danger if he is allowed sufficient rest." As she spoke she glanced down the table at a woman with dark hair, severely pulled back. Hawkish features and sharp eyes looked back.
"It's a good job you found him when you did," Doctor Hamilton told them.
"What was he doing all by himself so far away anyway?" asked Jamie suddenly.
"Now, Jamie..." the Doctor began.
"It's quite alright," said Vanya. "My son was quite distressed when he left the house this morning, a family argument, I'm afraid. Ah, dinner at last."
Jamie followed her look and saw that the door at the far end of the room had opened. Katie and another man that Jamie did not recognise carried covered dishes and placed them on the table. As they uncovered them Jamie saw that a few contained sliced beef, but most had a variety of vegetables.
"I don't think you've met my cook, Steven Inglis," said Vanya.
Once Steven and Katie had finished placing the food they sat down at the end of the table. There was a moment of silence before Vanya spoke again.
"This evening we have guests, the Doctor and Jamie," she said. "They will be staying here tonight. Now, please, help yourselves."
Dinner was quiet at first, and Jamie certainly didn't bother to try conversation. His mind was too occupied with Zoe. With what he had seen, he knew there were many ways she could have got here, but he couldn't think of why. Perhaps it had something to do with this shadowy CIA? The most obvious thing to do would be to tell the Doctor, and Jamie knew that he would want to know, but that was the one thing that Zoe had asked him not to do. And he had given his word.
He tried to push these thoughts to one side as he ate, enjoying the tender meat and well-cooked vegetables. Around the table, he could see other people were quietly conversing.
At the far end of the table Steven, Katie and a young man with sandy-coloured haired were talking about the wolf attacks in the nearby village. Doctor Hamilton, sitting next to Jamie appeared to be listening, though only occasionally interjecting a comment.
Opposite Jamie sat Robert, Vanya's other son, who was deep in conversation with Paul, whilst next to him the Doctor spoke enthusiastically with their hostess.
"I must say," the Doctor said, piercing a piece of carrot with his fork. "Some of these paintings are very impressive."
"Family heirlooms, Doctor. I'm afraid I don't share your enthusiasm for them."
"Aye," said Jamie. "It's like they're watching you."
Vanya laughed softly, a smile appearing on her face. "Indeed, though some might be comforted by their ancestor's watching over them."
"So they're family portraits?"
"Yes, Doctor. The most recent is the one behind me: my grandmother."
Jamie looked up to see a portrait of an attractive woman approaching middle age, ordinary enough save for the startling green eyes. It was a feature that Jamie quickly pointed out his discomfort with.
"Ah, a conceit of the artist, I believe. I've never seen anyone with that colour of eyes and I doubt I ever will. I suppose the artist thought he was adding to my grandmother's mystique," said Vanya.
"How so?" asked the Doctor, scooping some more vegetables onto his plate.
"She was a mystic. Able to read minds and see the future," said Vanya smiling, and when she caught Jamie's look of fright, she said, "There's no need to look so worried, young man, it was superstitious nonsense, nothing more."
"Aye, I know that," he said, feeling a little foolish.
"You're Scottish, aren't you?" asked Vanya as she cut a slice of beef.
"I lived here all my life, until I met the Doctor, anyway," Jamie told her. He began chewing on another forkful of vegetables.
"And how long have you been here, Vanya?" asked the Doctor.
"A few years," she told him. "I was born in Russia, but it got a little cold," she said with a smile.
"Well, the weather in the British Isle is hardly renowned for its warmth," the Doctor pointed out.
"You compare it with Siberia and then tell me it's not warm," replied Vanya.
Jamie continued to listen as they two became embroiled in a discussion of Russian culture, somehow managing to disagree about he effectiveness of an author named 'Tolstoy'. It was not a name Jamie was familiar with, and though he could now read, he'd not had the opportunity to tackle more than a few novels and those had been ones that Victoria had enjoyed.
He allowed a few more minutes for the sake of politeness before excusing himself from the table, and quickly making his way to his room, eager to find out what Zoe had to say. If there was something that the Doctor was hiding from him, he had to find out what it was.