Lost In Time: A Doctor Who Fanfiction

Chapter 88 - A Chance Encounter

There was a box of gears in every single row of every single shelf in the front row. All twelve of them. Lyssa rolled her eyes and started from the left, methodically searching each of the shelves for a 'twisty, hammer-looking thing'. She had to stop two shelves in when the Doctor started the TARDIS to pick up Clara and the Ranger, holding onto the edge for support, but it was a fairly smooth trip, and she didn't go flying once. She let go once the shaking stopped and she heard two new voices enter the TARDIS and greet the Doctor. 

Continuing her search, she found what she was looking for on the second-to-last shelf, eleven shelves in. She rolled her eyes again, grabbing the device - which could, in fact, only be described as a 'twisty, hammer-looking thing' - and headed for the console room. 

"I got your stupid twisty thing, Doctor," she called, clattering down the stairs and waving the device in the air. "Only took forever, there's like a gazillion shelves in the front row alone! A little more description might have been nice!"

The TARDIS started to wheeze as the Doctor prepared to take off again, and he peeked his head around the time rotor, grinning when he saw what she was holding. "Ah, you found it!  Thank you, Lyssa, just set it on the jump seat! I'll grab it once we're no longer blocking the Maitland's front yard." He cranked a lever and set them off into the Time Vortex once more. 

Lyssa set off for the jump seat with a sigh, staggering slightly at one particularly strong lurch of the TARDIS and almost falling, caught at the last minute by a pair of hands that appeared out of nowhere as if by magic. She looked up in surprise, knowing that the Doctor was on the other side of the console piloting the TARDIS, and then relaxed when she realized it was the Ranger who had caught her.

He set her gently upright before releasing her, and she gave him a nod of thanks before tossing the tefnon-not-hammer-thing onto the jump seat. She turned back to him with a friendly smile, remembering how kind and gentle he'd been with her, how close he was with Clara, and the trust Twelve had had in him. Her face lit up as she realized what she'd just thought.

"I can remember you this time!" she exclaimed happily, thrusting out a hand for him to shake. "It's nice to actually meet you without being all confused for once." 

Now that she wasn't all dizzy or half blind, she eagerly took advantage of the opportunity to study him. He appeared virtually unchanged from his future self, wearing a brown jacket and porkpie hat, with his dark brown hair curling up under it. Even his paisley shirt looked the same - must be a favorite, then. In fact, only one thing really looked different from either time she'd seen him in the future.

His brown eyes looked far younger than she'd ever seen them, and lighter, as if his future self had seen a darkness he hadn't.

He looked both confused and amused, but took her hand willingly enough. "I want to ask what you mean, but something tells me that the answer will only confuse me even more."

She shrugged, releasing him with a smile. "Time travel's a lark, ain't it? Short answer, I was half blind the first time and the second time, I was trying to recover from a memory block and didn't know where I was." She tapped her lip with one finger thoughtfully. "Could've been worse, I suppose. At least the Doctor did it, and not one of those freaky worm things."

"Wait, I blocked your memory? What'd I go and do that for?" the Doctor exclaimed, popping around the console once more now that the TARDIS was safely in flight. "Wait, don't tell me, I already know the answer. Spoi-"

Lyssa cut him off, a mischievous smile growing on her face as she causally answered him, "To save my life, or something unimportant like that? Some old reason or another, I don't know. Don't really remember, funnily enough."