James Robert McCrimmon, son of Donald McCrimmon, piper for Clan McClaren, is walking through the moors of his beloved Scotland. As he walks through these swamps he broods.
See the Time Lord's had 'erased' his memories. At least they thought that they had. The Doctor, a Gallifreyan who had stolen a time/space machine, Jamie's good friend, had taught him a few tricks to retain his memories of his adventures with the impish, recorder playing man.
The reason the Highlander is brooding is because it's been three years since he had seen his alien friend as well as his big blue box. The Gallifreyan had promised he would come and visit the Scotsman
As he continues to brood whilst roaming the swampy, Scottish moors, he hears the beautiful, elephantine sound that he's been yearning, and listening, for these past few years. The Highlander runs straight toward where the sound originates.
As he rounds a large clump of trees he spies the blue box, resting comfortably on a spot of dry ground. Rushing for the doors, he bangs repeatedly on them, internally begging for the doors to open, or to hear the screeching sounds of a recorder.
As he raises his fists to once again bang at the doors, they open. Standing on the other sides of a door is a man who is dressed strangely like a magician the Doctor had brought him to see long ago, as he looks at this strange magicians face all he can see is the big, bushy eyebrows, and a frown. The stranger peaks his head through the door, and before Jamie can even begin to say anything the magician looking man says, "Shush!" before slamming the door in the pipers face.
"Doctor!" The Scottish Highlander yells, once again banging at the door, "It's me. It's Jamie, please open the doors!"
The doors once again open, and Jamie is looking into the eyes that sit below the eyebrows. These eyes look familiar to the Highlander. They look older, but they are, without question, the eyes of the Doctor.
"Doctor, where have you been? You promised me you'd come and visit. You told me you'd come and get me, so we could go back to travelling. I've been waiting three years. Did the Time Lord's keep you from coming?"
The Doctor continues to stare into the eyes of the Highlander. As he scrutinizes him, Jamie feels vaguely uncomfortable under the eyes of his friend. Finally the Time Lord opens his mouth and says, "Jamie. I'm sorry its taken me so long. I had thought the Time Lord's had succeeded at the memory wipe. I've come to see you before, but I cannae exactly stroll into your village. Your people donnae take to kindly to strangers, and you were never around."
What surprises Jamie most about his friend isn't the new face, (he knows Time Lord's can change their faces). It isn't the eyebrows, (although they can be very intimidating). It isn't even how much older his eyes look, (Jamie knew him for so long, he knows his eyes look older). No, what shocks the piper most is the thick Scottish brouge he speaks with. "Doctor, you're Scottish!" he declares, the shock quite evident in his voice.
The Gallifreyan rolls his eyes, stepping away from the doors of the TARDIS, gesturing for the kilted Scotsman to enter, "Come in." Once Jamie is inside the bigger-on-the-inside box, the Doctor shuts the doors. "I am Scottish. I cannae control what I change too, but I cannae say I'm surprised."
"I'd like your new face more if you didnae sound like you're from Glasgow, you know how I feel about Glasgow!"
"Yes, Jamie," the Gallifreyan brushes off, studying the TARDIS screens, "I've followed something here, I'm not sure what, but I know it's nae nice."
"Nothing's changed then?" Jamie laughs.
"Do you even understand what I said?"
"I verra ken, thank you." The Time Lord raises an eyebrow, not believing the piper. "You followed the timorous beastie here with something on the TARDIS."
"My sonic screwdriver?"
"Aye, that," Jamie suddenly realized that if the Gallifreyan followed an alien, then it's here, near his village. "Wait, those are my people out there, you've gotta stop this, whatever it is."
"That's the plan, my dear Jamie, do you want to lend a hand, like old times?"
Jamie pulls his sgian duph from his hose, twirling it between his fingers, "T'would be my pleasure."
The Doctor puts some more information into the scanner, trying to discern what type of alien he's followed here, and as he does this he asks Jamie what's been happening in the Highlands since the Time Lord's deposited him there.
Jamie answers the Gallifreyan question, but also watches as he flutters around the time machine. He seems as if he's the same old Doctor, and yet he also seems so different from the old, impish man he was so used too. Not to mention the changes of the interior of the ship.
Instead of the bright lights sprouting from every wall, filling the control room with lights, it's much darker, more moody. The kilted man would also like to know why a chalkboard sits on the walkway which surrounds the spherical room. Before Jamie can ask the Gallifreyan why he changed the TARDIS, the Time Lord yells out a shout of triumph.
"Aha! Gotcha." The Gallifreyan says, waving Jamie over. "Look, see that?" he's pointing to a tall, greenish creature, crouching in a bush.
"That's nae a beastie a recognize, Doctor, not one I've seen before. Do you know what it is?"
"It's a Uftavian. It hails from the planet Ufta, which is currently in the middle of a great civil war. They are a highly militaristic species."
"Right, how do we take care of it? Or at least get it out of Scotland?"
The Doctor barges from his TARDIS, Jamie following right behind. The piper heads straight into Clan McClaren. His goal is to gather the clan members, in case the Doctor needs back-up.
Meanwhile, the Gallifreyan is going to confront the Uftavian face to face. When the Time Lord had told the Highlander his plan, Jamie had protested, not wanting to leave his friend without protection. He realized, though, that he was the best person to rally the clan.
"You," the Oncoming Storm shouts, "What's your name?" He's pointing at the creature in the bush.
"Moji," it snarls, "Who are you, and how did you see me?"
"I'm the Doctor, the Oncoming Storm, and this planet is under my protection! What do want with this planet?"
Moji stands up, walking menacingly toward the Time Lord, reaching for the blaster hanging off his belt. "I want this planet! I want to bring the Uftavians here, repopulate with a superior species!"
The Gallifreyan rolls his eyes, "I think the people of Earth are going to have something to say about that." He gestures for Moji to look behind him.
The Uftavian turns around to find a gathering of angry Scots. From the middle of the group a shout erupts, "Creag Au Tuire!" As the people rush forward, towards Moji, the sound of bagpipes fill the air.
The Doctor walks away from Moji and leans against a tree. Moji looks back at Clan McClaren in fear, before fiddling with his bracelet, and disappearing.
The Scotsmen freeze, looking around in confusion. Jamie stops puffing on his bagpipes, rushing in front of the Scots. "You did it. He fled from fear."
The people blink in confusion at their piper, before a cheer takes up. The Scots congratulate each other, heading back to the village for celebration.
Jamie declines returning to his village, opting to walk the Doctor back to his box.
As the two Scots head back to the box, they discuss their old adventures. The Doctor shares stories of his various adventures after Jamie's forced departure from the TARDIS.
Once the two arrive at the blue box, the Time Lord faces the Highlander, "Jamie, do you want to come with me? Fly through the stars, explore new planets, go on adventures?"
"As much as I want to say yes. I'll have to decline. They need me here, otherwise, I'd come with you without hesitation."
The Doctor sadly nods, turning back to his box. "Doctor, even though I'm not coming with you, don't travel alone. You need someone." Before the Gallifreyan can protest, the Highlander pulls the Doctor into a hug, before turning around, heading back to his village.
The Time Lord sighs, opening his space/time ship to once again soar through the stars, on his own. One day he'll come and visit Jamie again. One day he'll find another person to travel with, but Clara has just died, he can't have the weight of more death upon his shoulders. He sets his TARDIS in motion, leaving the Scottish moors, and his friend, behind.
The Scottish piper watches as the TARDIS, and the Doctor disappear from his life once again. He knows, deep within his bones, that he will see the Time Lord again, one day. He turns back to the village, as the sun slowly dips below the horizon.