Counting with Fairies Ch 3

Chapter 3

They both walked out of Sally's office.  Sally turned to her secretary.  "Kathy, I'm going out, but I'll be back," she stopped and looked at the Doctor.

He understood her unspoken question: How long does time travel take?  "Within the hour," he finished her sentence.

"Within the hour," Sally repeated to her secretary.

"Yes, Dr. Armstrong," Kathy said.  She looked at the Doctor and he smiled at her.  As they walked out of the office, the Doctor noticed the secretary's face blush. 

Sally led the Doctor out a side door.  From there he took the lead.

"If I agreed to go with you, and we traveled somewhere in time, could you really have me back within the hour?"  Sally asked.

"Time machine," the Doctor said.

"So where is this time machine of yours?" Sally asked as they turned a corner onto the street where the TARDIS was parked.

The Doctor pointed at the blue box in front of them.  "Right there."

"I was expecting something different.  Something like the time machine in H.G. Well's book," Sally said.

"I love that book!" the Doctor said.  They reached the TARDIS and the Doctor pulled out his key.  He opened the door and allowed Sally to enter first.

Depending on the passenger and the circumstances they were brought into the TARDIS, he usually enjoyed the first time reactions of visitors upon seeing the TARDIS interiors.  Many were shocked and would run back outside to see the small dimensions of the box.  Others stood in shock, unable to form words to express their feelings.  Others would accept it with little issue.  Sally was one of the latter.  She was a scientist after all.  She walked right up to the console and began looking over the various knobs, switches, levers and displays.  She ran her hand alongside the console, but never touching the controls.  She finally turned to face him and noticed more of the room she was standing in.

"This is a beautiful place," she said.

The Doctor smiled.  "I don't know that anyone has ever called the TARDIS beautiful before, but you're right.  It is."

Sally looked around the room some more and turned back to gaze at the console.  "It isn't at all what I expected.  I thought it would be white and sterile looking.  Metal and hard, but this is beautifully decorated, ornate and comfortably furnished."

"This is my home.  It's been white and sterile looking before, but I finally decided to decorate it a bit and make it a comfortable place to live."

"Your home?  So you live in here?"

"Yes.  Down the hall is my bedroom, a kitchen, a library, a garden, a music room, medical bay, wardrobe, and sometimes there is even a swimming pool."  The Doctor casually walked over to the console.

Sally laughed.  "You're putting me on, Doctor.  And wait, all of this is inside the blue police box?"

The Doctor nodded.

"I see.  The box is a disguise, is it?"  Sally asked.

"Your right Sally," the Doctor used her first name, hoping she wouldn't bite his head off again.

She smiled, "Well Doctor, I'm impressed.  So, if you remember, I promised to come see your time machine, but I didn't promise to go with you."

The Doctor's hearts sank.

Sally saw the change in the Doctor's mood.  She smiled a bigger smile than before.  "However," she said, slowly dragging the word out, "it seems a shame to go now that I'm here.  Plus, I want to see if what you say is true.  Can you really travel in time?"

The Doctor smiled, "Just wait and see."  He flipped a few switches and sent the TARDIS into the vortex.  Sally felt the TARDIS move slightly and her eyes grew wide.  "Now, anywhere you want to go?  Anytime in history you wish to see?"

Sally thought for a few moments.  All of time was open to her.  She thought about asking him to take her to the summer 2012 Olympics, just to see if it was truly held in London, but she knew she would find that out eventually.  She would be alive for that event, older, but alive.  No, she knew what she wanted to see.  Her work at the Ides Scientific Institute was working on robots and computers.  Teaching robots to learn, think and retrieve data.  She wanted to see the beginning of the computer's life.  One of its earliest ancestors.  "France, 1642, the first mechanical calculator."

The Doctor raised an eyebrow at her, smiled, and set to work on the coordinates.  "You want to see Blaise Pascal?"

"Yes, or at least see that first calculator.  You know Doctor, we have a calculator at the ISI, but it is huge, takes up an entire room and cost us quite a bit of money.  Most of the money was from grants and donations.  The Pascaline was hand held.  Smaller than our own typewriters that we use every day.  It used hand crafted metal cogs and had to be hand cranked.  People worried then that the Pascaline would be the end of many jobs.  They were afraid that technology would out-source humans." 

"The first technophobes," the Doctor said.

She laughed.  "If only they knew the number of jobs computers would create and how much our lives would change for the better."

The Doctor was watching her intently.  Foreknowledge was dangerous.  It was always a risk he took when he traveled back in time.  "Sally, you mustn't let on that you know the future.  Time travel is as dangerous as it is wonderful.  We mingle and meet, but we cannot interfere with events.  No giving hints or suggestions on how to improve.  We observe only.  Do you understand?"

"I do, Doctor.  I have no wish to interfere, only to see the Pascaline." Sally thought for a moment about this time traveler and the things he might have seen.  "Doctor, you've been to the future, haven't you?"

"Many times," he answered.

"Then you know the future of the computer," she asked.

He nodded.

"It's probably beyond my imagination what computers will be able to do in 20 or 30 years," she hung her head sadly. "Am I right?"

Again, he nodded.

"Then is it worth my doing?"

"What do you mean, Sally?" he asked.

"The work I'm doing.  My computers and robots that I'm building.  Is it worth continuing when in just a few decades my work will probably be completely obsolete and irrelevant?"

"Sally, listen to me.  Your work is not irrelevant.  Do you think that the computers of the future will be able to be created without the discoveries you will help make with your work?  Just like Pascal paved the way for modern calculators, your work will help pave the way for the next generation of computers.  Your work is very important.  Keep it up and never for a moment think that it is irrelevant."

Sally looked at the Doctor.  Her eyes were moist, but his were intense and sincere.  She was surprised by the intensity of his gaze.  She felt relieved that she could perhaps make a difference in the creation of computers.  "Can we go see the Pascaline now?"  she asked.

"Let's go!" he smiled. 

Continue with Chapter 4

Paul and Nora: Part 6

Paul still knew the way to the Henry's home.  He had visited it many times when he had been dating Jessie.  It was his ex-in-law's house after all.  He wondered if it was still decorated the same or had they changed it in the last 17 years.

He parked the car in front of the house.  Nora got out.  Paul sat still for a moment and took a few deep breaths before he got out.  When he did get out of the car, Nora was waiting for him.  She took him by the hand and squeezed it.  "You ready?" she asked.

"I think so," Paul answered.

"It's going to be fine," she said.  She squeezed his hand again and they walked to the front door.  Paul knocked.

A man opened the door, "Paul, welcome," he said holding out his hand.

Paul shook his hand, "Mr. Henry, it's nice to see you again."

"Anthony, please."  Anthony Henry opened the door wider for Paul and Nora to step in.  He led them into the living room where an older woman and a teenage girl stood.  Anthony turned to Nora, "I'm Anthony Henry," he shook her hand.

"I'm Nora Wright."

"How do you do?  This is my wife, Sandra and our grand-daughter, Alexa."

Paul and Nora looked at the nervous teen for a second before Paul stepped forward.  "Hello, Alexa," he held out his hand.

Alexa took it and they shook.  "It's nice to meet you,"

Alexa, Nora, and Sandra took turns shaking hands and greeting each other.  After everyone had said hello, there was an awkward moment of silence.

"Can I get you something to drink?" Anthony stepped forward.

"Thank you," Nora answered, "A glass of water, please."

"Certainly, sit down and make yourself comfortable.  Paul, can I get you anything?"  Anthony asked.

"Nothing right now, thank you," Paul answered.  He sat down next to Nora.  Alexa sat down too.  She and Paul were looking each other over.

"Your home is lovely," Nora said to Sandra.

"Thank you," Sandra replied.  Anthony arrived with Nora's glass of water.

They sat awkwardly for a few moments.

Nora spoke up first, "Well, Alexa, are you getting settled in here?"

"I am, thank you."

"Are you in school?" Nora asked.

"Yeah, I'm a senior at Newman High School," Alexa answered.

"At Newman? Our oldest son goes there," Nora gestured at Paul and herself.  "He's a freshman, though.  Are you involved in any activities?  Band, sports, or anything?"

"I'm in choir."

"Oh, that's very nice.  Tristan, our son, he is in the band.  I don't guess your path's cross much." Nora said.

"No, probably not." Alexa replied.

Paul was grateful for Nora's conversation with Alexa.  It gave him time to study her and decide what he wanted to say.

"I was sorry to hear about your mom, Alexa," Paul said.

"Thank you," Alexa turned to face him.  "It was quite a shock."

"May I ask how it happened?" Paul asked.

"A car wreck.  Someone hit her," Alexa answered.  It was still a fresh wound for her.

"I'm so sorry." Paul hung his head for a moment.  "This is all very strange and I don't want to pretend to ignore the situation any longer.  We need to be adult and talk."

Everyone nodded their heads.  Anthony and Sandra sat down next to Alexa. 

"First of all, I need some straight answers from you guys," Paul looked into the faces of his ex-in-laws.  Seventeen years ago, he was intimidated by them and he couldn't have been so straight forward, but many years and many experiences had passed.  "Why did Jessie leave me and why did you never tell me she had a daughter?  All these times I've seen you over the years, and you never said anything.  Why not?"

"Paul," Sandra leaned in towards him, "we are sorry about the way things worked out.  Jessie didn't want us to tell you.  We respected her wishes.  We thought it was wrong for her not to let you know about your child and we told her so, but she didn't want to."

"Can you tell me now?" Paul asked.  His voice was pleading, not angry.

"We never quite understood why Jessie did what she did.  She never gave us a good explanation.  All she ever told us was she realized she didn't want to be married.  We don't think it had anything to do with you, Paul, it was Jessie, completely.

She knew this would upset you, so when she decided she no longer wanted to be married, she severed all contact.  Then, when she realized she was pregnant, she made the decision to not let you know.  This would only have forced contact with you that she did not want to have. You would have wanted to be involved in the baby's life.  She would have been forced to face you and she didn't want to do that."

"So I never got to be involved in Alexa's life or even know she existed just so Jessie could be spared an uncomfortable confrontation?"  Paul was upset.  Nora took his hand and squeezed it.

"Paul, we agree with the way you feel.  We told Jessie that, but she had made up her mind.  She was an adult, we could not force her to do anything.  It was not our place to interfere," Anthony explained.

"Paul, if it makes any difference, Jessie never told Alexa either, about you, that is," Sandra said.

Nora looked at Alexa.  She was looking very uncomfortable.

"Yes," Paul went on, "but Alexa knew she had a father, even if she didn't know who he was.  I, on the other hand, never knew I had a daughter.  I had no idea.  This doesn't just effect me, either, it also effects my wife and my children.  What she did was wrong."

Alexa jumped up, "My mom was a good mom!" she yelled.  "She loved me and now she's gone."  Alexa ran out of the room.

"Alexa!" Sandra yelled after her grand-daughter.  Everyone had jumped up after Alexa ran out of the room.  Sandra went after Alexa.  Paul sighed and sat back down.  He put his head into his hands.

Sandra walked back in.  "She's locked her door."

"I'm so sorry," Paul said. "Maybe we should leave."

Nora laid her hand on Paul's shoulder.  "No, you need to talk this out.  You all have had seventeen years worth of questions and pain.  You need to work through it.  You talk, I'll go see if I can talk to Alexa."

Nora didn't wait for an answer.  She left Paul, Anthony and Sandra and went down the hall.  One door was shut and Nora could hear a muffled crying on the other side.  She gently knocked on the door.

"Please go away!" Alexa cried from the other side of the door.

"Alexa, it's Nora.  Can we talk?" Nora asked.

Nora expected Alexa to yell 'no' from the other side of the door, but to her surprise the door was unlocked and opened.  Nora walked in.  The room was cream colored and plain, except for the deep purple bed spread and pictures Alexa had hung on the walls.

"Hey," Nora said and she sat down on the bed next to Alexa.  "I'm sorry things got out of hand back there."  Nora nodded her head towards the door.  "It wasn't very nice of them.  But, you have to understand, Paul loved your mother very much and his heart was broken when she left him.  He has had many long years of unanswered questions and wondering why.  He needs to work out those issues with your grandparents.  I hope you'll forgive him, because he really is a nice guy.  Had he known about you, he would have loved to have been a part of your life."

Alexa nodded and blew her nose into some tissue.  Nora looked at the photos on Alexa's dresser.

"Is this your mom?"  Nora reached over and pointed at a photo.

Alexa nodded again and picked the photo up off the dresser.  "Yes," she said.

"She looks like a lovely lady.  What kind of work did she do?  She is dressed very professionally."

"She was an accountant for a department store," Alexa answered.

"I see.  And are these pictures of your friends?"  Nora was trying to get Alexa to relax and open up a bit. 

"Yeah.  They're my friends from school.  That's Mia and Lindsay and my boyfriend, Rob."

"It must be hard to move away during your senior year," Nora said.

Alexa sighed, "Yeah, it is.  I miss them all so much.  I miss my friends, I miss my home, my room and my mom."  Alexa wiped away the fresh tears that had appeared in her eyes.

Nora reached over and put her arm around Alexa's shoulders.  She gently squeezed her.  "It was very brave of you to contact Paul.  I imagine it was scary to do that," Nora said.

"I was worried.  If mom never told me about him, I thought perhaps he was dangerous, but after mom died, Grandma and Grandpa told me about him.  They said he was kind and respectable.  They told me he had a good family and that they had always liked him.  After they told me all of that, I decided I wanted to meet him.  I'm almost an adult and I think I'm old enough to meet my father and decide for myself if I want to continue contact."

"That is a very adult thing to do.  You are mature for your age and capable of making good choices," Nora said.  She honestly felt that way about this young lady.  "Alexa, I know that we've only just met, but I want to tell you, I'm a friend and if you ever need to talk to someone, that isn't your grandma, I'm available."

"Thank you, Mrs. Wright."

"Call me Nora."

There was a knock on Alexa's door.  "Alexa, dear, it's Grandma.  Dinner's ready."

"Coming Grandma," Alexa said to the door.  She and Nora stood up.  They went out and into the dining room.  Paul and the Henry's stood around the table.  When Alexa walked in, Paul went to her.

"Alexa, I'm so sorry for my behavior and making you upset.  I hope you'll forgive me."

Alexa smiled and held out her hand.  "Of course I will," she said.

Paul took her hand shook it for a moment and then held it tenderly in his, "Thank you," he said.

Everyone sat down at the table.  Sandra and Anthony began to pass the food around.  Conversation was still a little strained, but it flowed more easily than before.  Alexa asked Paul and Nora about their work and their children.

Nora chuckled as she sat next to Paul and across from Alexa.  While it was obvious that Alexa had been born to and raised by someone else, once in a while she would see a mannerism or characteristic of Paul's in the young girl.

"What are you chuckling at?" Paul asked her.

"It's really remarkable, your eyes, Alexa.  They are so much like Paul's.  Once in a while, you'll make a face that is just like one Paul will make or our son Isaac," Nora said.

Paul and Alexa chuckled an identical laugh.

"So, your sons, Tristan, Blake and Isaac, they are my step-brothers?"

"Half-brothers," Paul corrected her.  "Yes, you've got three little brothers now."

"And I'm your wicked step-mother," Nora smiled, but twisting her hands in a melodramatically evil way.

Alexa laughed again.  "I don't think you're wicked.  I think you are very nice.  Thank you for coming to meet me."

"It's my pleasure," Nora smiled.

Alexa and Sandra cleared the dinner plates and brought out dessert, cheesecake.

"I'm a big fan of cheesecake," Paul said.

"I know," said Alexa, "Grandma told me."

"You remembered?" Paul asked, looking up at Sandra.

Sandra smiled and blushed slightly.  "How could I forget?  You and Jessie had me bake a dozen different kinds of cheesecakes so you could pick the perfect one for the wedding."

"Oh, that's right, we did."  Paul laughed.  "How could I have forgotten that?  You were so good to do it, too.  Your cheesecakes really were the best.  You know, the whole wedding cheesecake thing was my idea.  I just wanted to be able to eat your amazing cheesecakes."  Paul took a bite and smiled, "Oh Sandra, you haven't lost your touch.  This is amazing."

Everyone took a bit of their cheesecakes and 'mmmed' and 'ooohed' over it.  Nora had to agree with Paul.  It was the best cheesecake she had ever eaten.

After several bites, Alexa turned to Paul, "What do I call you?"

Paul looked at her, slightly surprised.  "Hmm, well, you can call me Dad or Paul.  Whatever you feel comfortable with."

"Well, then, I guess I'll try out both names to see how they work," Alexa smiled.  "Tonight, may I call you Paul?"

"Of course you can."

Paul and Alexa smiled at each other.  There was really no way of knowing how things would work out with Alexa, but Nora was happy to see them having gotten past the evening's previous misunderstanding.  Nora liked Alexa.  She and Paul had always hoped for a little girl, but pregnancy with Isaac had been difficult and after he was born, they had decided there would be no more babies.  She and Paul loved their sons and Nora was especially proud at how all the boys looked so much like Paul.  But still, they had been a little sad at never getting a daughter.  But now, they had Alexa.  She was half Paul and Nora liked her a lot.

As they were leaving, Nora pulled out a piece of paper and scribbled some phone numbers on them.  She handed the paper to Alexa.  "Here is the home phone number and my cell phone.  Feel free to call anytime."

"Thank you Nora," Alexa said.

"And you must come to have dinner with us sometime.  I know the boys want to meet you."

Alexa smiled, "I look forward to meeting them." 

She and Nora gave each other a hug.  They all said their goodbyes and Paul and Nora went down the driveway to their car.  The door behind them shut.  Nora took Paul's hand in hers.

Paul unlocked the door and held it open for Nora as she got in.  He closed the door, went to the driver's side and got in.

"That was a lovely evening.  How do you think it went?" Nora asked.

"Well the beginning was a little tough, but that was my fault.  Thanks for your help with Alexa."

"It was no problem," Nora replied.  "I like Alexa.  She seems to be an intelligent, sweet girl.  She's very pretty, too.  And the Henry's were very nice."

"Yes, they are nice people," Paul agreed.  "I always did like them."

"And what about Alexa?"

"Well, she is, like you said, pretty and smart.  I see a lot of Jessie in her, but she is her own person."

"Funny," Nora said, "I see a lot of you in her."

Paul and Nora: Part 5

Once everyone was sitting at dinner, their plates full and starting in on their food, Paul cleared his throat.  Nora looked up at him and smiled encouragingly.

"Kids, I need to talk to you," he started.

Tristan's head popped up.  "Dad, my grades are good.  I got an A on my test yesterday."

"I'm glad to hear it," Paul chuckled, "but grades aren't what I was going to talk to you about."

Tristan smiled sheepishly.

"I don't know if you all knew this, but I was married to someone else before I married Mom."

"What?" Tristan asked. "Is this bigamy?"

"Of course not!" Paul shouted.  "I was divorced by the time I met your mom.  Please, let me finish."  Paul took a deep breath.  "My first wife, her name was Jessie, and I weren't married very long.  When we did get divorced, she was pregnant, but I didn't know that.  I found out today that I have a seventeen year old daughter."

The room was silent for a moment.  The boys sat, staring at their father, forks of food suspended in the air.

"You have a daughter?" Tristan finally asked.

Paul nodded.  "She is your half-sister."

"I have a sister?"  Isaac asked.  Paul nodded again.

"Where does she live?" Blake asked.

"Well, she was living with her mom, but her mom just recently died, so she has moved in with her grandparents.  They live here, in this city," Paul explained.

Paul looked at Nora.  She smiled.  Despite the tricky subject, he was handling it well.   The boys were too, but then Nora figured their calmness about the situation could be due to shock.

"Will we get to meet her?" Blake asked.

"Sometime, yes.  Mom and I are going to meet her on Friday."

Isaac started to bounce in his seat.  "Do we get to go too?"  he asked.

"Not this first time," Nora spoke up, "but we will tell her all about you and you can meet her the next time."

"Oh boy!" Isaac cried out, "I've got a sister and I'm going to meet her."  Isaac seemed to take the idea very well.  Perhaps he didn't really understand what it all meant, but it didn't matter.  He had taken his new sister into his heart and accepted her immediately.

Blake and Tristan ate for a few minutes in silence.  They seemed to be considering what this all meant and how their lives would change.

Isaac rambled on about meeting his sister in between bites of food.  He was in the middle of a sentence about how he was going to take her to all his soccer games when he stopped and asked Paul, "What's her name?"

"Alexa," Paul answered.

"What happened?"  Tristan asked. "Why did you leave your first wife?"

Paul was surprised by Tristan's questions.  He didn't like talking about this part of his past.  He had spent years trying to bury that part of his life away.  He felt angry by Tristan's accusation and wanted to tell Tristan to mind his own business.  But then he realized this was Tristan's business.  He, Blake and Isaac had every right to know.

"I didn't leave her.  I loved her.  She left me and I don't know why.  I thought we were happy and in love, but one day, I came home to a letter from her.  She only said she didn't want to be married anymore.  I never saw her again,"  Paul sighed.

"Mom," Blake asked tentatively, "are you going to leave Dad now?"

"Of course not!" Nora said.  "I love him and I'm happy with him.  I would never leave him."

"Listen kids," Paul said.  All eyes turned to him.  "I know this is strange.  It's strange for me too, to learn that I have a daughter, but no matter what, you are my sons and I love you.  We love you," he pointed to Nora.  "We will never leave you and never stop loving you.  Things are going to change now, but generally, our lives will go on as normal.  We'll still go to soccer games and band concerts.  We'll still go to see movies, have five mile runs, and all of our normal activities.  I'm not exactly sure how adding Alexa to the family will change our lives, but we will carry on as normally as possible."

"Is she going to live with us?" Isaac asked.

"No dear," Nora answered, "she will live with her grandparents."

Blake and Tristan nodded.  They were fairly quiet through the rest of the meal.  Isaac, however, was not.  He spent the rest of the meal talking about how he and his best friend at school were plotting to scare the girls at recess and his soccer game on Saturday.

That night, Nora went to check on her sons before they went to bed.  She did this most nights, but felt tonight was especially important that she visit with them.  She couldn't imagine what they were feeling and how much of everything they truly understood.  She went to Tristan first.

"Are you OK, Tristan? You've been very quiet this evening."

"It's so weird, Mom," Tristan said.  "I've got a big sister.  I've always been the oldest and now I'm not."

Nora sat down on the edge of his bed.  "I know it's odd.  But, you are my oldest.  You will always be my oldest and I'm guessing Dad will always thing of you like that, too.  Don't worry, you are always the oldest in our family and you are Dad's oldest son.  You've not lost your place."

"Do you think she goes to my school?" Tristan asked.

"I don't know.  I suppose she might.  I'm guessing, though, that she is a senior.  So, even if she is at your school, you aren't likely to run into her," Nora answered.

"That would be really weird," Tristan said thoughtfully.

"Yeah," Nora agreed, "I suppose that would be very strange."  Nora looked at her son.  He had Paul's dark curly hair.  She stuck her fingers into his hair and ruffled it.  "Night Tris," she said.
"Night Mom,"

Nora left and closed his door behind her.  She checked on Blake.  He was sitting on his bed drawing.  Nora looked over the pad of paper at the picture.  It was a lovely landscape that he had been working on for several days.  He was working on a new part of the picture.  It was a lone pine tree set apart from the other trees.

"Is this the art you are going to enter in the contest?"  Nora asked him.

"No," Blake answered, "but it is an idea I might go with.   I've got several concepts in mind.  I'll show them to Mr. McDonald tomorrow and see what he says about the pictures."

"Well, I'm no expert on art, but I like this one a lot.  You do amazing work."

"Thanks," Blake said.  He flipped the pencil in his hand around and began erasing a part of the lone tree he had just drawn in.  He flipped the pencil around again and began to redraw the part he had just erased.  Nora couldn't see a difference, but Blake seemed happier with the newly drawn bit.  He defiantly had an eye for detail.

"OK, well, night Blake."  Nora backed up to the door.

"Night," Blake answered, but never took his eyes off the paper.

"Not too much longer, OK?" Nora said.  "Lights out soon."

"K," Blake answered.

Nora shut the door and went to Isaac's room.  It was empty.  Nora sighed.  She knew where he was and it was going to be hard to get him to bed.  She went back to the living room.  Paul and Isaac were sitting together on the couch watching sports.

"What are you doing up?"

"Mom, it's the highlights," Isaac answered.

Paul and Isaac were following a major worldwide soccer tournament in South America.  Every evening the scores and highlights were featured on the sports channel and they were watching that day's features.

"Paul, not too much longer, OK?"  Nora said.

"Yeah, Nora," he answered.

Nora smiled and went back to her chair with the murder mystery on the table next to the chair.  She picked up the book and settled back down into the soft chair.  Maybe now she could do some reading.

PART 6

Counting with Fairies Ch 2

Doctor Who fanfic: Counting with Fairies
For chapter 1, click here.

Chapter 2

Sally.  He would go see Sally.  She had wanted so much to go with the Doctor and experience time travel.  Of course, she wouldn't know the Doctor in this version of reality, but he was sure he would be able to convince her to join him for a little trip.

He absent-mindedly ran his fingers through the curls in his hair.  He had charmed many a human female with those curls and a winning smile.  Come to think of it, he had charmed a good number of human males too.  He had a way with people.

The Doctor gently folded Molly's letter.  He found a book in his vast library  about Ireland and stuck Molly's letter into it.  He then returned to the console and set the coordinates: Ides Scientific Institute, London, England, Earth, 1971.  Moments later the TARDIS landed and the glass bars in the console's central column came to a halt.  The Doctor checked the monitor, making sure he wasn't in the middle of a busy road, in the path of a bus, or in a dark alley with armed thugs.  Nope, everything seemed pretty normal. 

Absently, his hand touched the left side of his new leather jacket.  He felt the sonic screwdriver in his pocket.  He was ready for anything.  The Doctor opened the TARDIS door and walked out.  The sights, sounds and smells of London filled the Doctor's keen senses.  He saw a small warehouse building with a simple plaque on its door: ISI.  Taped to the door was a paper sign that instructed all visitors to see the receptionist at the front desk.

The Doctor opened the front door and walked in.  A middle aged woman with a beehive hair-do was sitting at a desk.  A large type writer was in the middle of the desk and the woman stopped her pecking at the keys of the typewriter to look at the stranger who had just walked in.

The Doctor put on a charming smile, "Good afternoon.  I would like to see Dr. Armstrong please."

The woman looked at him over her wire-framed glasses.  "Do you have an appointment?" she asked.

"No, I don't, but I was having a very interesting discussion with her recently on temporal physics and wanted to continue, if she is available."  Funny how he could lie and tell the truth at the exact same time.  He had indeed talked to Sally less than a week ago in his own time-line, but it was a year in Sally's future and in an alternate reality.  The beehive haired woman picked up a large clunky black telephone and dialed.  "Kathy, it's Peg.  Does Dr. Armstrong have any appointments today?  I see.  Well, there is a gentleman here to see her.  Oh, I didn't ask, just a moment.  Excuse me, sir?" she looked at him, holding one hand over the phone, "May I have your name please?"

"The Doctor," he answered.

"Doctor what?" she asked him.

He chuckled to himself.  He usually got asked 'Doctor who' not 'Doctor what.' Why couldn't humans just accept his name?  His mind flashed back to a moment when this current incarnation was less than one day old and Grace Holloway had introduced him to a colleague of hers as 'Dr. Bowman, from London'.

"Doctor Bowman," he answered the receptionist.

"Dr. Bowman," she said into the phone.  There was a few moments of silence.  "Fine, thank you."  She hung up the phone and looked at the Doctor again.  "Dr. Armstrong will see you.  Follow me, please."

The Doctor followed the woman through a door and down several halls before arriving at another door that said, 'Dr. Sally Armstrong.'

He opened the door and stepped through.  He was standing in front of another secretary sitting behind a desk.  He noticed the calendar on the desk.  It was October.  "Hello," he cheerfully said, "I'm the Doctor and I'm here to see Dr. Armstrong."

The pretty, young secretary smiled shyly at him.  His charm was working on her.  "Dr. Armstrong is waiting.  Go right in."

The Doctor flashed a smile at her and he went in.  He couldn't help but notice he was feeling happier than he had felt in a long time.  His time with Molly had done him some good.  With her, he had saved the girl, the universe, and his people, and while he still felt the pain of other recent losses, he felt some hope again.  Not everything in the universe was bad.  Molly had given him a shot in the arm of hope and he was feeling pretty good.

Dr. Armstrong was sitting behind a desk that was littered with papers and electronic bits and wires.  She was fiddling around with a circuit board. "Dr. Bowman, I was delighted to hear you had come to see," she looked up and saw the Doctor.  "Wait a moment, you're not Dr. Bowman."

"I'm the Doctor," he said closing the door behind him.  "Dr. Armstrong, it's a pleasure to see you alive."

"Alive?  Of course I'm alive.  And who are you again?"

Oops, the Doctor thought.  Time shifts, time lines, alternate realities.  It could be so difficult to keep it all straight some times, even for a Time Lord.  "I'm the Doctor," he repeated.  He noticed several things hanging on the wall behind Dr. Armstrong's desk.  A newspaper clipping showed a primitive Earth spaceship, the Apollo 14, and its crew.  Another newspaper clipping hanging on the wall was about the newest invention out of the American company Texas Instruments - a pocket calculator.  Next to that article was a small glossy black and white photo of ex-Beatle John Lennon.

"I'm sorry Doctor," Sally said, "but do we know each other?"

The Doctor's blue eyes darted about the rest of the room.  His Time Lord brain took in every detail in a flash.  One thing he noticed was a small box on Sally's desk.  The outside was stamped 'Intel.'

"Oh!" the Doctor said.  He walked to her desk and picked up the box.  He peered inside and saw on a small foam bed, a small piece of metal with eight metal legs on either side. "Is this the 4001?" he asked.

"No, it is the 4004, the very latest microprocessor." Sally Armstrong carefully snatched the box back from the Doctor.  She  gently placed it back on her desk.  "You haven't answered my question.  Who are you?"

"I have answered your question.  But I'll answer it once more.  I'm the Doctor.  We met once and discussed temporal physics."

"Temporal physics?  As in what it would take to time travel?"  Sally scoffed, "It is impossible, even if it is fun to think about."

"Nothing is impossible," the Doctor said.

"This 4-bit processor is a huge step for us scientist, but I doubt it is quite what we need for time travel," Sally said.  She peered into the box at the processor on its foam bed.

"Your right there," the Doctor said under his breath.  If Sally had heard his remark on the 4-bit processor, she didn't let on that she had.

"Who sent you here?" she asked.  "Are you from Busicom?"

The Doctor leaned back in his chair, "No, I'm not from Busicom."

"Then who are you spying for?" Sally's eyes grew dark.

"I'm not a spy.  Look Sally, I came here," the Doctor began, but Sally interrupted him.

"That's Dr. Armstrong, mister," Sally said.

The Doctor took a deep breath and kept his voice calm, but he was getting irritated by Sally's behavior.  "I'm sorry, Dr. Armstrong.  May I start again?"

Sally nodded.  She motioned to the chair behind the Doctor and invited him to sit down.  He sat down.  "Dr. Armstrong, my name is the Doctor.  I'm an independent scientist.  You and I have discussed time travel before, but I'm afraid you don't remember because it was in your future."

Her voice was quiet.  Barely above a whisper. "What do you mean we talked in my future?"  Sally asked. 

"I mean, Dr. Sally Armstrong, that I am a time traveler and I've returned from your future to see you."

Sally seemed temporarily dumb-struck, but then her scientific mind kicked in and she regained her composure.   "How far into my future?"

"Oh, about eight months, I'd say," the Doctor answered.

"So why come back now, to this point, eight months before our previous meeting?" she asked him.

The Doctor sighed.  It was so difficult to explain these things to humans.  "It's complicated and you're not ready for the truth, yet.  What I came here today for, was to ask you Dr. Sally Armstrong, if you would like to go on a little trip though time?"

Sally sat back in her chair and watched the Doctor.  "You can travel though time?"

The Doctor nodded.

"Tell me something then, about the future," she said.

The Doctor sighed, "I can't do that.  Telling you something about the future could be dangerous.  It could even change future events.  Can't you just trust me?"

"Come now, Doctor," Sally laughed, "I'm sure that there are many things about the future that you could tell me that would not destroy the whole of reality."

He smiled.  She was right, of course.  Smart, this one is, he thought.  Of course she is. She would have to be as the director of the Ides Scientific Institute. "Alright.  If I tell you one thing, will you come with me to see my time machine?"

"Yes, I'll come to see your time machine, but I'm not promising I'll go with you."

"Fair enough," the Doctor said.  He knew if he could get her to the TARDIS, he would be able to convince her to go with him.  The TARDIS was extremely impressive and it's magnificence alone could convince anyone.  What future tid-bit could he give her?  Oh yes, he thought of a good one.  "In the year 2012, London will host the Summer Olympics."

Sally's eyes grew wide.

"Now," the Doctor stood up, "are you ready to go see my time machine?"  He smiled at her.

Sally stood up, "How do I know what you just told me is true?"

"Well, you'll just have to wait until 2005 when they make the announcement."  He was being a bit cheeky.  Molly wouldn't have put up with that.  He wasn't sure Sally would either, judging by the look she was giving him.  After a moment, she smiled.

"I guess you're right.  Lead the way," she walked to the office door and opened it. 

Continue with Chapter 3