Chapter 4- Needs

Horns blared from behind them and a stream of swears flowed from Leah's mouth. "Sorry!" she shouted at the line of traffic she had just cut off. Her fingers were wrapped around the wheel like eight little boa constrictors and her knuckles had never been whiter. Her passenger was pressed up against the back of his seat and digging his fingers into the cushion. At this point, it was a bloody wonder she hadn't hit anyone or anything yet.

Leah hated driving in the city.

The journey from Lakewood to Edmonton had gone fairly smoothly – driving in the country was no problem for her – but once she reached the city all Hell broke loose. Jack had offered to drive, having seen Leah behind the wheel before, but she insisted he stay home and cover for her when her mother showed up. The plan was to see Harry off and then get home as quickly as she could. They had cleaned him up a little bit, and Jack had given him some essentials for the trip as well as some clean clothes to wear. They were about the same size, though the style was a bit off. She was going to just drop him off so she wouldn't have to pay for parking, but there was every chance he wouldn't be able to get on the flight and she didn't want to leave him stranded. Then they could book him something proper for a time when it wasn't so crazy.

It had taken far longer and a lot more cursing than it should have, but they finally parked and made their way into the airport.

"You still need a ticket," Leah said as they burst through the doors. "It doesn't work like in the movies. Flying is a ludicrously inconvenient affair. Then we gotta go through security and stand in line at the gate. It's a nine hour flight, leaves at 7:00, so you'll have a bit of time, but by the time you get through everything on the other end, you should be back home by early afternoon on Christmas Eve."

He smiled but said nothing. Instead, he bounced on the balls of his feet, emanating an air of impatience. Leah still wasn't sure if he would be able to get on this flight. His confidence in the matter seemed to be waning as well, and it was causing him a bit of distress.

They reached the front of the line and Leah took a shaky breath. The moment of truth. "Do you have anything open for the 7:00 to London? It's kind of an emergency..."

The woman behind the desk sighed. The entire airport was always a disaster area at this time of year, and these people were far from the only ones trying to sneak a seat at the last minute on a flight. "I'll see what I can do, but I make you no promises." It was evident that the woman's patience was on the decline. There was a moment when the only sound came from the click of the mouse and the tapping of keys. Her eyes scanned the screen and it wasn't long before one of the woman's eyebrows twitched ever so slightly towards her hairline. "Well, I've got good news and bad news. Someone's just cancelled and a seat's opened up. The bad news is that we've got other people waiting for this flight. Now, I might be able to work something out for you with the proper motivation..."

Leah had never known airline workers to be the types to take bribes, but she was less concerned about that and more concerned about paying. She had a credit card in her purse, but she preferred not to use it. It was one of those "For Emergencies Only" sort of things, even though she was eighteen and could pay for the bills herself. She was about to ask the man if he had any money on him, but he quickly dug out that small leather wallet and flashed it at the woman.

Her eyes flickered over the piece of paper, growing wider as they read. "Oh, I'm so sorry sir, I didn't know who you were! I'll book you on that flight, right away. And how will you be paying?"

Harry looked over at Leah, who cringed and reached into her purse. She was buying an airplane ticket for a stranger. Well, it wasn't the strangest thing that had happened all day. Maybe he would pay her back? Or maybe she should start thinking about ways she would explain all of this to her mother.

"Two tickets to London, excellent," the woman said as she swiped the card.

"Wait!" Leah cried, but it was too late. Leah was going to London.

Now, I may have mentioned this already, but the universe works in very strange ways. Time is in flux, but for the most part the universe likes to find ways to right itself. There is a certain order to things, and the universe kind of likes itself the way it is.

Rassilon had, through the Time Lords, shaped much of causality and was largely responsible for the universe we know and love today. All of those accomplishments were achieved back when his brilliance still had predominance over his madness. Rassilon had always had his own sort of plan for the universe, and grand scheme to mould all of creation to his likeness and desires. But things had changed quite a lot in those long and many years since those initial glory days; by now, the universe had plans of its own. Rassilon, whose madness had now become nearly indistinguishable from true evil, was still plotting his own version of the universe's destiny, but the universe itself realized that these plans were not entirely benevolent and decided to fight back.

The universe is so large and so infinite that not even the Time Lords understand all of its intricacies and nuances. I'll say it again, because it is so very important, the universe works in mysterious ways, and sometimes things will happen for seemingly no reason. In actuality, the things that occur for no reason most likely occur for some reason in the grand scheme of things, but because one person is so very small compared to the grand scheme of things, most simply do not recognize the greater purpose. For this reason, there is no such thing as coincidence. Everything happens to you for a reason, even if it doesn't always pertain to you and even if you don't see the outcome come to fruition in your lifetime.

Now, that is not to say that there is no such thing as free will. The universe prefers to stay out of people's heads and not take the blame for the stupid decisions people made. Full credit for stupidity was given to the organism that made the choice to be stupid in the first place. The greater workings simply manipulate consequences, not the actions themselves. So you can go ahead and keep doing whatever you wish, just don't be surprised if it doesn't quite lead to the outcome you were expecting.

There is a greater plan, I think, but I'll be damned if I know what it is. I can see everything that happens but I don't know why it happens. I told you, that's all down to the Writer. I do, however, have a few theories on the matter. I have a lot of time to think about things like that, considering I exist outside of Time itself. My personal favourite explanation, and the most likely in my opinion, is the one where all of causality only exists for the entertainment of the powers that be. Why else would things be so difficult to explain?

Our heroes' time at the airport was remarkably smooth and painless, which very rarely happens with air travel, but it was only because The Universe needed them in London by Christmas Day.

He could still find a way out of this. He needed to find a way out of this. He was running out of time to find a way out of this.

OK, so the universe needed saving; he wouldn't be able to achieve any sort of peace until Rassilon was stopped. Was he really the one who needed to be doing the saving though? Yes, that was perfect! All he had to do was find the Doctor, tell him what was going on, and then get the fuck out of dodge. The Doctor would deal with Rassilon and then he could go off and do whatever the hell he felt like doing. It would have been the perfect plan except for that one little fly in the ointment.

The Doctor.

Oh, that infuriating Doctor would never let him just run off like that. The Doctor would find some way to stop him, to make him help, to hold him accountable. And then, when it was all over, the Doctor would doctor him up, fix him, help him, make him better like he always insisted on doing. How was he supposed to avoid that?

He supposed he could always stop Rassilon by himself. Really, it wasn't as though he depended on the Doctor and couldn't fend for himself. And oh, the satisfaction he would get from bringing down that wretched Time Lord himself, it would be so much more worth it than any time spent with the Doctor.

Except chances were that Rassilon would seek out the Doctor when he broke out of the Time Lock. He probably would encounter the Doctor at some point, so why not just seek him out first. The Doctor was good at foiling plans, so if they teamed up, they would be unstoppable.

All those years, all those battles and face offs... There was always a part of him that hated fighting the Doctor. They had been friends once and, deep down, he wanted them to be friends again someday. He knew the Doctor shared these desires, but their interests were just far too different. Both Time Lords wished to renew their friendship on their own terms. Both wished the other would simply see the light and come around to their way of thinking. Perhaps it wouldn't be such a bad thing to be fighting on the same side for once, battling side by side against a common enemy. Sure, he would have to deal with what came next, but perhaps it would all be worth it just to be friends again, if only briefly.

'OK,' thought Leah, trying to piece together the situation. 'OK. Alright. OK. So... On a plane. Good, right, got that bit down. On a plane to London. With a stranger. Right before Christmas. In First Class! But for nine hours. With a stranger. A British stranger. A handsome stranger. An old stranger. Ooh, no, that doesn't sound very good. Not so very good at all.'

She was sitting in a cushy seat on a non stop flight to London. Next to her sat Harry, occupying his own cushy seat. Couldn't she have gotten a refund on her ticket? Did she really have to go? Oh, but dealing with ticket refunds was much more of a hassle than a nine hour flight. Besides, she'd never been to London. She hadn't even been outside of Canada.

It had seemed like a very good idea at the time, and it had struck so very quickly. They paid for the tickets and Leah realized that she had her passport in her purse. She had almost forgotten that since her driver's licence had "mysteriously disappeared" after that party a few weeks ago she had been carrying her passport for ID. How convenient... Apparently it did work like in the movies. It was a whim, though, getting on this plane. She looked at the man, who had perked up considerably, and he shrugged at her. Hey, why the hell not? So they made their way through security and waited at the gate and Leah called Jack.

He had given her an earful, ready to drive down to the airport and keep her grounded if he had to, but Leah explained that haha, he couldn't, they were already past security. So he grumbled something about telling her mother, which caused Leah to freeze up. No, he couldn't do that. She begged and pleaded with him and managed to bargain a cover story out of him. He would make sure her mother never found out just where she was going, and he would find a way to pick up the car from the airport. Leah had only won because of her superior perseverance in arguments, and all he wanted in return was a couple of souvenirs. He was usually pretty easy to win over. So, hooray, she was going to London! Yes, that notion was so very thrilling.

Until she got on the plane.

Well shit. She really hadn't thought this through. For starters she had no luggage except her purse. She barely had any money and she had nowhere to stay. She would also be missing Christmas. She never missed Christmas. Every year Leah and her mother had their own little celebration. It was tradition, and this year she would be in London. There was also the fact that she was doing this for a stranger. She was going to London with a man she had met just a few hours ago and knew nothing about.

The funny thing was, though, that he didn't feel too much like a stranger. Now, Leah wasn't a big believer in destiny – that was more Jack's shtick than her own – but she did, every so often, get this feeling like maybe she was exactly where she needed to be. It felt like maybe she was supposed to be on this plane to London with this man she didn't know.

That wasn't to say she wasn't uncomfortable. No, this Harry guy didn't feel like a stranger, but it was still weird to be sitting on a plane next to a man she didn't know.

"So," she offered awkwardly, both making conversation and attempting to work out a course of action for when they landed. "Umm, yeah, I shouldn't be here. I've got nowhere to stay. Or any luggage. Are you going to just run off and do whatever you need when we get there? Because, and don't let me keep you or anything, but I'm kind of lost as to what I'll be doing when we land."

Harry gave her a funny look. "You're coming with me, of course! I thought that was obvious. You saved my life, it's the least I can do to repay you."

"Well, great then. Thanks. What are we doing exactly then?"

He frowned. "I'm not sure."

"Oh."

"No, don't worry though!" he added quickly. "I'll figure it out when we get there. My memories are slowly coming back and the gaps are starting to fill. I'm really glad you came along though. I seem to have some sort of mission I need to accomplish, and I will most likely need some help."

"What, you mean from me?" Leah asked incredulously.

Harry nodded, grinning. "Well of course! You can be my... Companion."

She wrinkled her nose. "That sounds... weird."

"Oh, you'll get used to it," Harry assured her. "Now, if you don't mind too terribly, I'm going t try and get some rest. It's an overnight flight and I'm absolute rubbish when I'm tired. Goodnight!"

He turned away from her and was out like a light. Leah, who could never sleep on planes, just sat there, more confused now than she had been before. Companion? That was an odd choice of word. He was an odd sort of fellow, she decided, and hoped that wouldn't pose too much of a problem. What sort of mission were they going on? This whole thing kept getting stranger and stranger, and she had to wonder what was wrong with her that she kept going along with it?

Wow he had fallen asleep fast. He hadn't closed his eyes five minutes ago and already he was snoring. It actually took a decent amount of skills to fall asleep that quickly on an airplane. They had only been flying for about an hour now. An hour of awkward attempts at conversation.

Somehow she trusted him. At least, she trusted that he knew what he was doing, even if he kept insisting that he didn't. It was a very difficult feeling to explain. Leah was, if nothing else, a perfect judge of character, and she had some interesting notions about this Harry Saxon. There was evidently more to him than he was revealing, or was even capable of revealing. He had, for now, good intentions and some semblance of a plan. However, she got the feeling that he was not a man she should mess with. It gave her chills.

Maybe... maybe she should just not think about it and watch a movie instead.

Jack was fuming. He paced about Leah's living room, trying to figure out what he was going to tell her mom, who was due home any minute now. "Hey, Mrs. H. Good day at work? Listen, your daughter ran off with this guy she dragged in off the streets. He's Britain's mysterious former Prime Minister and he's also experiencing memory loss. They're on a plane to London together! What's that? You're going to kill her? Ooh, goody, can I help?"

She could be such afucking idiot sometimes. Leah had always been a little bit impulsive, but this was just too much. Jack officially couldn't believe her.

When his phone had rang, he was expecting her to tell him that she would be a little bit late because she was caught in traffic, and to stall mom a few minutes longer. When she explained that she was going to London, he flipped. Jack had hear the phrase "flying off the handle" before, but he had never really known what it meant until now. She was getting on a plane. With a stranger. A stranger who he had said was dangerous and warned her to be careful around. He should have known how well she wouldn't listen, but this still came as a surprise. Of all the stupid things Leah had ever done, she had never managed anything this stupid.

And yet...

She had insisted that this man could, in no way, be who Jack claimed him to be. She insisted that she knew what she was doing and that she would be extra careful. Leah was an adult now, and not to worry, she would be back by Boxing Day. She knew that this was not a man to be trifled with, however sweet he seemed, and that she could handle herself; she didn't need Jack there to protect her.

Perhaps she was right. After all, there was no way the man who had recovered in their living room could be as evil as the internet claimed him to be. Besides, the internet liked to sensationalize things and blow them out of proportion. Still, he couldn't help but be worried.

Eventually he decided that Leah could, in fact, handle herself, and maybe he should worry a little bit more about what he was going to say to her mother.