Chapter 5

The Doctor and I picked our way through the crowded Champ de Mars together. I was being extremely tourist-y as I stopped to look at just about everything on our way. While the Doctor had initially shown some interest in the things I'd stopped to admire, I could tell he was growing impatient. I let out a sigh. "Alright, I'm done torturing you. Let's go see the film."

The Doctor's face lit up a bit, causing a slight smile to cross my face. In a flash, I was being whisked about by the Doctor tugging on my arm. Eventually he let go, but I practically had to jog to keep up with him. I giggled at the sight of this droll man. He was rushing about like a kid at Christmas, trying to locate Edison's exhibit.

After about ten minutes of wandering, a shout of triumph sounded from nearby. I craned my neck over a group of passersby to see the Doctor wave at me and point to the exhibit in front of him. I gave him a nod and scurried over to him. "Right then," the Doctor said, "shall we?"

"We shall." I replied, marching into the exhibit. I walked into a decently sized room occupied by about seven other people. There are several interesting objects in the room, including a phonograph. Such an interesting device, I thought to myself. I made my way over to it and inspected it further. I had only ever seen a phonograph in pictures and yet, here I was, standing right next to one.

"Dad would love this," I think to myself. A sad sort of smile crosses my lips as I think about my Dad, the history buff. "Do you like it?" a voice says, causing me to jump. "Oh!" I say, quickly smoothing my skirt and composing myself before turning to address the man behind me. "Yes, it's marvelous." I say, "In fact, I was just thinking about how much my father would love to see it." I look back at the phonograph and then shift my gaze back to the man, giving him a once-over as I do so. He's not that old, maybe in his thirties. His dark hair is slicked back in a very professional manner and his mustache gives him an air of importance. That is, if mustaches can be classified according to importance.

I shake my head a bit to clear my thoughts for the moment. "Oh, where are my manners," the man says, "I haven't introduced myself. I'm Thomas. Thomas Edison. And you are?" I can barely speak. I stumble back a bit but try to pass it off as shifting my weight from one foot to the other. It doesn't work as planned and I start tripping over myself. When I regain my balance, I try to spit out a coherent sentence. The end result is a few strings of semi-intelligible stammering. "I'm…umm….I'm. Williams. Victoria…Victoria Williams." I say, "Sorry, did you say your name was Edison? THOMAS EDISON? As in the inventor of the light bulb Thomas Edison?!" The man nods his head and gives a deep laugh. "Yes, that's me. The one and only. You seem shocked." I can only nod. "I learned about you in school. You were in my textbooks. You seemed like just a story but here you are! Right in front of me! HA!"

I must have been talking much louder than I thought because a few people look at me with disapproving expressions. The Doctor, who had been looking at some metallic contraption on the other side of the room, sauntered over. "TOMMY!" he shouts, clapping Mr. Edison across the back. "How are you, mate?" Edison smiles and gives the Doctor a friendly handshake. "Good to see you, Doctor! I've been busy, as you can see. How about you? Staying out of trouble?" he asks jokingly. "Me? Stay out of trouble? Never!" the Doctor laughs.

Meanwhile, I'd just been sitting around, watching them chit and chat like old friends, which they apparently were. I cleared my throat in an attempt to stop the Doctor from animatedly describing some ordeal he'd gotten mixed up in involving a fez and a rubber chicken. The Doctor shot me a sideways glance before exclaiming, "Oh! Introductions! Tom, this is-"

"Miss Williams, yes. We've already had the pleasure of introducing ourselves." Edison says, cutting him off. The Doctor claps his hands together. "Well," he says, "I would love to stay and chat but I've promised Victoria here that I'd show her the Imperial Diamond. So, off we go! Goodbye, Tom!" The Doctor grabbed my arm and steered me toward the exit. I had just enough time to call out a goodbye to Mr. Edison before I was back outside, blinking in the sunlight.

The Doctor and I leisurely walk to the exhibit housing the diamond. Well, when I say "leisurely walk" I really mean "practically jog". I manage to snap a few pics of the Champ de Mars and the Fair on my phone but quickly put it away to avoid any complications when I notice someone staring. The Doctor shoots me a sideways glance but I give him an innocent smile. He furrows his brow a bit and I mockingly furrow mine. This earns me a smile and a little chuckle.

"So," I say, making idle conversation as we walk, "you know Thomas Edison. Why doesn't that surprise me?" The Doctor shrugs as he says, "Well, I know lots of people. People might call me a 'people person'. Never understood that phrase: 'people person'." I giggle and push a strand of my hair behind my ear. I take to gazing at my feet as they click across the cobblestone street. I'd decided to wear a pair of heeled boots with my nineteenth century ensemble. While they looked great, they also hurt like hell. I mentally cursed myself for choosing them. Thankfully, my aching feet got a bit of a rest when we stopped for some food. I stuck with some palatable crepes whereas the Doctor snacked on oysters and cheese. Again.

"So, earlier you said I was from a different universe than yours. What exactly does that mean?" I ask, picking up a bit of crepe smothered in chocolate. The Doctor hesitates, thinking of a way to explain. Finally, he speaks. "The TARDIS was thrown off course a bit. I was trying to get to the-well, the- oh, it's not important. The TARDIS must've detected some kind of temporal distortion and wanted to check it out. I landed on your front door and now, here we are!"

"But what about the temporal distortion? Is it a threat?" I ask, popping another bit of crepe into my mouth.

The Doctor shrugs, "I'm not sure. Though, after we're done here, I'd like to go back and check it out."

We quickly finish off our food and make our way to the Imperial Diamond exhibit. A flurry of commotion surrounds the building. I shoot the Doctor a confused look and he shoots me one as well. The two of us approach a uniformed officer. His face is oddly calm considering the level of panic around him. I tap him on the shoulder to get his attention. "Umm, excuse me," I say, "what's all this about?"

"Haven't you heard? The Diamond is missing."

SORRY THIS TOOK SO LONG!

I was on vacation and I didn't have any wifi! But I used that time to write a longer chapter for you! I'm always open for suggestions, so feel free to send in a review. I love hearing from you! The next chapter won't take so long I promise!

Until next time,

ProfessorWhat823