-1851-
-London-
It had been a week and nothing had changed. Well, that wasn't quite right, everything had changed. But it hadn't changed back to the way she expected it. She thought, surely, once she had spent some time with the Doctor, that he would start to remember. Or at least recognize her name was Calypso. She had corrected him several times now, and each time it was like a new reminder. What was worse was when he did try to remember, there was always an invisible battle that he struggled with internally. Memories that refused to surface peacefully, or at all. She had finally given up, growing accustomed to responding to Rosita and she tried not to let on that it upset her. In truth, it seemed to upset him as well. Not just her name, but also the missing gaps in his mind that lingered on. That was what frightened her the most. Something was wrong with the Doctor. Had an accident occurred with the last regeneration? Was this the man that would follow the floppy haired Doctor she had seen last?
She was starting to secretly hope that he wasn't.
For her part, it wasn't just the absent memories, or the inability to remember her name. He seemed different. She supposed that was unfair, after all, the two men she had met were also different from each other. And yet, after the initial surprise of a completely new face, she had at least recognized similarities. This man seemed to have many of the same strange words, and certainly the bravery, but he wasn't right. So while this had been the longest stretch of time she had spent with the man, she was still missing the Doctor. As strange as that sounded.
He was actively hunting the cybermen, and their beastly creatures. So she had endeavored to help him, hoping, somewhat in vain, that he would remember her. It was nice to know some things didn't change. Like the Doctor's penchant for finding trouble wherever he went. They had yet to find the cybermen, but they had found several of the beasts. Along with mysterious cases of people vanishing from the streets, never to be seen again. The Doctor suspected it was the cybermen who murdered these victims, and it all started with Jackson Lake. They camped in an old stable house with the dead man's luggage, though the Doctor never mentioned if he had found any clues among the bags.
Making herself useful had made things at least comfortable between the two of them, but she still felt like a stranger. She found herself, more than once, wishing that her Doctor was there. At the very least, to explain what was going on. But wishing had certainly never helped her in the past, and she doubted it was going to help this time either. This man seemed so sad, so broken sometimes; and at night his dreams turned to nightmares; she feared what kind of life he had lived to have demons haunt him even in his sleep. When she roused him, all he could speak of was the thing they had stolen from him, so precious, and yet he could never remember what it was. She realized that they had taken something from her as well, but she never admitted that aloud.
They had just tracked one of the creatures to an empty warehouse along the water. Their plan was to capture this one, as opposed to destroy it outright. And if they could find nothing of use there, they hoped to gain some information by snooping around the recently vacated home of another of the cybermen's mysterious victims.
It was just as well that they discovered the trouble sooner rather than later, not only for the benefit of London, but also for her sanity. If the Doctor quoted that her help wasn't needed because it was 'no work for a woman' again, she was probably going to have to kill him. She had gotten used to it enough over the years from other people, but never from the Doctor. She hadn't realized how refreshing it had been until he had started. She wondered absently if Donna had met this new Doctor, certain that the fiery redhead would have a thing or two to say about it.
She had to remind herself that he had saved her that night on the wharf, and he was a decent man. It was just getting harder to do. Especially when he ran off and left her behind to 'sound the alarm' like he had only a moment ago to pursue a cyber beast into the warehouse. But then, just when she was nearly ready to slap him, something would trigger his fragmented recollections and he would stare off into space. Seeking the past that eluded him at every opportunity, desperately close to finding the thing that had torn his soul asunder. His eyes grew so filled with sorrow in those moments that her heart ached for him. Those times, she almost wished he never would remember whatever darkness plagued him.
The doors of the warehouse shook before her, startling her from her somber thoughts. She heard the mangled cry of the creature inside as it threw itself against the barricade once more. She jumped back, feeling her heart leap wildly in her chest.
"Doctor!" She called out, unprepared to take on the animal herself. They had been relying on their wits to destroy the beasts so far, and they hoped that snagging one would work similarly. Of course, that didn't mean she shouldn't have brought something with which to defend herself, a choice she was having some regrets about. "Doctor!" She shouted more urgently as the creature charged the door once more, causing the dusty timbers to shudder as if they would buckle.
"Don't worry! Don't worry!" He ran up alongside her. She was too terrified to tear her gaze away from the ever-weakening door, but something about his arrival nagged at her. "Stand back," He warned, she had no intention of doing otherwise. "What have we got here?" He seemed very curious for something he should have been familiar with. "Okay, I've got it. And whatever's behind that door, I think you should get out of here." He gently ushered her back from the door with his hand and she stared at him curiously. He hadn't finished with his customary 'this is no work for a woman' or any other condescending nonsense. Not only that, but his voice was different, lighter somehow. And so was his clothing. A long brown coat covered a dark suit, not what she had seen him in this morning and she doubted he'd had the time to change.
"Doctor?" She said a little uncertainly, his hair was stuck up at odd angles as well.
"Yes? Hello?" He turned to wave at her when his brown eyes caught hers and broke into a broad grin.
"Calypso!" He rushed forward and picked her up in his arms for a hug. "Oh, it is so good to see you." He laughed.
"How…how can there be two of you?" She asked, bewildered. Though that didn't stop the smile from her face and she couldn't deny that she was pleased to see him.
"What?"
"Don't worry!" The new Doctor, or at least, the least familiar Doctor, came running up as the doors trembled again. "I've got it, stand back! This is no place for a lady!" If looks could kill, Calypso imagined her glare might have turned the man stone dead.
"Hold on." The Doctor said with a frown, returning Calypso to the ground and letting his hands slide down her arms. "Who are you?"
"I'm the Doctor." He said with a triumphant smile. "Simply, the Doctor. The one, the only. And the best." He looked to Calypso with his hand outstretched. "Rosita, get me the sonic screwdriver." With a sigh, Calypso retrieved the screwdriver from her pocket. It was certainly nothing special, as far as she could tell. But the Doctor seemed to rely on it quite a bit for a rusty piece of junk.
"Ros- the sonic what?" The Doctor asked with a confused scowl.
"Now quickly! Back to the TARDIS!" He ordered her.
"Back to the what?" The Doctor's voice raised an octave as he grew more perplexed. His eyes flickered between the new Doctor and Calypso, but she only shrugged. She had hoped he would have the answers for her, not the other way around.
"If you could stand back sir. This is a job for a time lord." The new Doctor squared his shoulders and faced the warehouse, screwdriver in hand, as the door started to splinter against the assault.
"Job for what-lord?" The Doctor just had time to spit out one last remark before the door smashed open. Calypso stifled a surprised shout as she jumped back from the commotion.
"Oh that's different." The Doctor commented with a shrug, pushing his own confusion aside for the moment. Both of the men pointed their chosen weapons at the door, the Doctor with the sonic screwdriver she had come to recognize, glowing with its blue light.
"Allons-y!" They said in unison, shooting each other a strange look as they did so.
The raggedy creature howled at them, looking as though it might rush at them. But it found itself grossly outnumbered, so it leapt up to the wall, looking to escape its torment. The new Doctor ran for the coil of rope he had left nearby and tied the end into a loop.
"Now then," He started to swing the rope over his head with a confident smirk. "Let's pull this timorous beastie down to earth!" He snagged the creature on his first attempt, pulling the line tight and readying himself to yank the animal down. He wrapped his hands in the thick cord and gave a great heave. Instead of the intended effect, he was launched upward with an unexpected lurch. The face of the new Doctor was one of alarmed surprise, and then his feet left the ground as he became airborne.
"Or not." The Doctor shrugged.
"I might be in a bit of trouble!" The new Doctor called from his rapidly increasing altitude.
"Nothing changes." The Doctor said with a grin as he winked at Calypso. "I've got you!" He called out.
"No wait-!" Calypso reached out to stop him, but he had already snatched the end of the rope with both hands.
"Oi!" He grunted as the creature proved stronger than either of them had suspected, they were both now flying through the air. The end of the rope shortly followed the Doctor's white trainers, so even if Calypso had been foolhardy enough to try to grab hold, and she wasn't sure if she would have been, it was too late anyway.
"You idiots!" She yelled up at them, her hands clenched into fists at her side. What exactly was she supposed to do now? Searching along the wall above them, she saw there was only one open window before the roof. If she was lucky, that's where the beast was headed. Of course, she had noticed of late that her luck didn't seem to be particularly great, but she pushed the thought aside. She took off at a run for the stairs through the shattered remains of the door, still hearing the men arguing as they dangled from the rope.
"Perhaps if you could pull-" The new Doctor suggested hopefully. The pitch of his usually low voice indicated that he wasn't particularly fond of heights.
"I am pulling! In this position I couldn't not pull, could I?" The Doctor shouted back.
Idiots. She fumed as she took the stairs two at a time, only pausing long enough to grab a rusted and forgotten axe. This time she would definitely need something to defend herself. Or to hit those two blockheads with, she hadn't yet decided.
"Back to the TARDIS. This is no work for a woman." The new Doctor nodded his dismissal as they watched the house empty of all its occupants.
"Oh? Saving your life? Cleaning up your messes? Is that work for a woman?" She asked, her hands on her hips. She was equally angry with him as she was with the Doctor for mysteriously disappearing.
"The Doctor's companion does as the Doctor says; now off you go." He told her sternly. She briefly imagined the satisfaction of not having cut the rope that was poised to drag him out the window. Only briefly. He ducked around the fence and disappeared behind the home itself. She took a deep calming breath and started to make her way back to the stables.
"Not really a team player anymore?" The familiar voice caught her by surprise as she stormed down the road. The Doctor leaned against the fence, watching them, apparently.
"Have you ever been?" She asked in a hostile manner, continuing to walk past him as though she wouldn't stop.
"Oh, now that's not fair." He pulled a face as he caught her hand, bringing her to a halt. "You're right, I shouldn't have popped off like that. I didn't want to make him suspicious though, he doesn't seem to understand who I am."
"So he is you?" She asked, slightly disappointed to have it confirmed.
"Of course," He watched her strangely. "Are you saying you weren't sure?"
"I don't know." She shook her head; it was hard to communicate what exactly made her think he wasn't. But, here was the Doctor, her Doctor, telling her it was true. Still. "He seems so strange. It's not like when I met you, I mean, after you-" The involuntary tightening of the Doctor's features caused her to pause. "It's just different." She finished quietly, avoiding his gaze. Maybe speaking about his other incarnation wasn't something she was supposed to bring up.
"It's alright." He shook it off with a forced smile. "We all have our time, don't we?" She wasn't so sure she could face the knowledge of her own death so casually. "But you're right. There does seem to be something a bit off with him. Something in his memories…" He frowned thoughtfully.
"He doesn't know me either. He recognizes my face, but still calls me 'Rosita'. If I try and correct him, he just gets upset." She added.
"I did wonder about that, thought maybe he'd given you a pet name." He smirked teasingly.
"And he doesn't-" She stopped herself, feeling a little embarrassed. There was no way to say that he didn't appear to have any feelings for her without her turning bright red.
"What?" The Doctor gave her his undivided attention, which made the thought even more unbearable.
"He doesn't have a sonic screwdriver." She thanked the stars she was quick on her feet. "Or a TARDIS."
"But he just said-" He frowned.
"It's not what you think." Calypso sighed, still unsure of what to make of the thing he had built in the courtyard. "There's no life in it. I don't know exactly what it is. He also doesn't have-" She swallowed, forcing herself to say it; after all, it was what really nagged at her the most. "His necklace."
"Oh," The Doctor drawled with an understanding smile. "That doesn't mean anything." He pulled his own from his pocket. "See? I've still got it right here."
"Yes, but…he's from your future." She didn't elaborate on what that might mean, or why it bothered her. It was easy enough to read in her eyes, perhaps he had cast her aside, or she had died. Neither prospect was very comforting, but she knew the thought of him having grown tired of her cut the deepest.
"Sure he is, but," He said very pointedly. "He remembers you. He knows your face. He doesn't even remember me. And he was me. At some point." He brought a hand up to her cheek and smiled encouragingly. "Calypso, you're always going to be important to me. Always." Her heart warmed slightly under his intense gaze. "Don't you doubt that for a second."
"Sure," She nodded with a smile, she felt reassured for the first time in days.
"Now," He said with a sigh, letting his hand fall. "I'm going to see what he's up to. Seems to have a bit of a knack for stirring up trouble." He said with a wink.
"Sounds like someone I know." She said quietly to his retreating form.
