Chapter Fifty-Six: The Doctor and John Smith

Storybrooke – 1983

Fish fingers and custard were all John ever ordered at Granny's, whether it was for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. He could not figure out why he loved the dish so much to eat it every single day and not get sick of it. But it made him feel happy while eating them – the happiest he could remember being, if he could remember that far back. It was fish fingers and custard that he had for the dinner after a bizarre day at the school – he still could not figure out what Mayor Mills wanted to talk to him about. He wanted to put the whole experience behind him with eating his favorite meal and reading "A Journal of Impossible Things" by Verity Newman at Granny's Diner.

"Now there's an interesting meal."

Just as John began reading Chapter Eight, he was interrupted by a man in a blue pinstripe suit and tie standing beside his booth and eyeing his dinner. He was definitely someone John had never seen or met before in town, which helped him to deduce that this is the same man Regina had warned him about. He could not understand why Regina wanted him to avoid the stranger; as far as he could tell, the guy was harmless.

"Um, y-yes…it is." John remarked to his conversation starter. "Have you tried fish fingers and custard before?"

The man shook his head, still eyeing John's dinner. "Nah. I'm a bit partial to bananas and tea, but I wouldn't have them together at the same time. Or maybe I should. Worth trying out one day, I suppose. Mind if I sit for a while? Waiting for a friend." He did so before John could even have a chance to permit him to. This man spoke rather fast – the fastest John ever heard a person speak. "What do they taste like?"

John chuckled, finding it to be a joy that someone had taken interest in his unique meal. "Like magic. Try one."

The man was hesitant at first, but he eventually brought himself to grab one of the fish fingers off John's plate and dab it into the bowl of custard it came with. He took one bite and gave a pleasant nod. "It's quite good. You eat this often?"

"More often than I care to admit." John bashfully said.

"Verity Newman, eh?" The man was also quick to change the subject, moving from fish fingers and custard to "A Journal of Impossible Things." "Never heard of her. What's it about?"

"Oh, just a story about a stranger from another world who only goes by the name 'Doctor.'"

John did not see it when it happened, due to looking at the book in his hands as he introduced it to his new "friend," but the man's face dropped at the moment he heard "Doctor."

"I'm on the eighth chapter, but it all sounds purely fictional to me, even though Verity claims that it all actually happened to her great grandmother."

"Who's her great grandmother?"

"Joan Redfern." The name made the man grow even more curious. John finally caught sight of how unnerved the man appeared to be and got concerned. "Are you alright? You seem a little…disturbed."

"It's…nothing."

"You know, I don't believe I've gotten your name."

The man again seemed hesitant. "John Smith."

John slightly chuckled. "You're joking, right? That's my name."

The man's face dropped even more.

"Who are you really?" John's question sounded more demanding than he wanted it to be, but he had become heavily suspicious of the stranger. He started to see why Regina was so wary of him.

"Doctor?" A young blonde suddenly approached their booth as their conversation became tense, addressing the man by the same name from the book that they discussed just a while ago. At least, from the way that the blonde addressed the man, it sounded like his name and not just his title. "Are we gonna eat or not?"

The moment that the blonde showed up, the man known as "Doctor" immediately got up from the booth and joined his companion's side. "Right. Yes. We'll have to take our order to go." He was talking really fast again, which clued John in on his attitude – this man was indeed disturbed over something. He gave Smith a quick glance and hurriedly said, "Pleasure meeting you." And with that, he rushed over to the counter with his friend, ordered their meals, and was out the door in a matter of minutes.

As they walked out, John noticed how they had almost bumped into Regina without even taking as much as a glimpse of her during their departure. Regina, on the other hand, watched them leave with just as much suspicion as John had. From the troubled look on the Storybrooke mayor's face, John could tell something was not right with this visitor of theirs.