Out of Time

Chapter Six

CHAPTER SIX

 Anna Bailey threw her arms around her friend and held on tightly to her damp and slightly dishevelled Doctor for dear life. The Doctor was overcome by the vehemence of his friend’s affection; the force of her feeling quite simply took his breath away.

 “Oh mind the bow tie Anna!” The Doctor spluttered, disengaging himself tactfully.

 “Sorry got a bit carried away…Not so touchy feely as you used to be?” Anna blushed and then took a self-conscious step back, she hadn’t realised how desperate she was to see her friend. And then remembering where she had seen this incarnation of the Doctor before as she mumbled incoherently. “But I’m sure I saw you when I was with you before…”

 “Tea and crumpets that’s what we need after a big shock…”  For the time being the Doctor was reluctant to go into an explanation as he placed his arm around her but then paused, appraising Anna seriously for a moment and then raised a finger admonishing his former travelling companion. “Someone has been skipping their meals. We’ve got to feed you up and build your strength. Bailey you haven’t been looking after yourself… It’s alright I’m here now. But…”

 Anna giggled at the Doctor’s quaint turn of phrase but she liked this new way he had of addressing her by her surname and was very touched by his concern. Though she knew her friend too well and with her old instincts returning Anna knew the Doctor wasn’t here for an impromptu visit, something was wrong.

 “There’s always a but though isn’t there Doctor?”

 Anna prompted; pointing to her wrist watch and then with sudden perceptiveness towards the civic hall town clock, the hands on both clocks were jammed on eleven minutes past two. The Doctor whipped out his sonic screwdriver, the budlike head opened as he scanned the area with a look of abject concentration.

 “Oh very flash Doctor.” Anna observed, impressed by the Doctor’s new screwdriver, enjoying watching him in action. And as usual Anna didn’t have a clue what he was talking about but in the intervening three years since she last saw him the Doctor had grown even more eccentric if that was possible. And definitely more alien.

 “Excess time from Verdopolis it’s got to go somewhere. Like liposuction the fat always returns but somewhere else…Some of the time distortion must have followed me through the portal. But luckily it’s only localised.” The head of the sonic screwdriver closed up. The Doctor returned his full attention to Anna and smiled apologetically. “Things are going to get a bit strange from here on. But it should be harmless …” The Doctor gazed off vaguely into the distance with a not entirely convincing look on his face, it hardly inspired confidence. “Well mostly.” The Doctor shivered, it could have been his wet clothes but as his eyes met Anna’s they both knew that the plummeting temperature and the adverse weather conditions heralded the start of something which was very wrong indeed. 

 “Strange things happening? Well nothing new there…”Anna shrugged with a calm and stoicacceptance it was like the Doctor had never gone away. Once a companion of the Doctor,always a companion. Though she had to ask after all it was her job. “Things?”

 “Time, it’s being manipulated.” The Doctor replied breezily, Anna frowned; the Doctor still didn’t go out of his way to explain “things”.

 “You know Doctor what is it with time. Every time we meet it’s always something to do with time…” Anna’s voice rose excitedly, it was borderline hysterical her heart rate beginning to quicken at the thought of adventure though she didn’t want to forget the reason she wanted to see the Doctor in the first place. “Which coincidentally was the very thing I  wanted to have a word with you about…” Anna laughed nervously. “In fact, now don’t say this is a coincidence but the moment  you materialized out of thin air I was thinking of calling you...” Anna removed her shiny TARDIS mobile from her pocket though with each passing second she was being pulled back into the Doctor’s world; her own life would have to take a back seat. She peered into the fountain, expecting to see a shimmering gateway. “Is there some kind of portal down there? And by the way where’s your TARDIS?”