Once Upon a Dream

[Jamie McCrimmon]

Scottish Highlands, July 1746

~~~

What must it be like for someone to have had wonderful adventures with good friends -- adventures (and friends) that broke the barriers of Time and Space -- and then, to have all of those memories of all those times, with all those people, wiped out, save for the first? Well, if all goes to plan and those memories remain securely tucked away in the deepest recesses of the mind, then… perhaps, not so bad. However, if even just a tiny bit of one of those memories was too strong to be repressed, then perhaps that person would become haunted by the ghost of what they’d forgotten.

In the case of Jamie McCrimmon, the Time Lords responsible for suppressing his memories misjudged him. They didn’t know who he was -- not really -- nor did they know about the incredibly deep connection he had made with one particular young lady who had traveled with him and the Doctor. They didn’t know that his subconsciousness wouldn’t let her go, no matter how effective their mind-wiping technology was.

She came to him in his dreams -- not every night, but often enough to be easily and wistfully remembered upon waking. Jamie couldn’t remember her, but he knew that he cared for her. Deeply. He knew her name was Victoria because that’s what he calls her in the dreams.

He’s pretty sure -- at least, in the dreams -- that he loves her, but he’s also pretty sure that she’s not Real. That he’s dreamed her up. That she’s an unattainable, fictional fantasy. And, why would he care a whit about her, anyway? She’s a damned Englishwoman!

And also, probably just a figment of his imagination..

In most of the dreams, the pair of them spend time together outdoors. Sometimes, they walk the Scottish moors arm-in-arm, smiling and laughing -- though, Jamie could never remember what they said to each other. It was probably all just dream-gibberish, anyway.

The only word Jamie could recall was her name: Victoria.

Also, Jamie was certain that he recognized some of the locations they visited in his dreams, and one of those places just so happened to be only a few hours’ walk from home…

He wanted to go there.

One day, Jamie finally chose to go check it out. He had no idea what he expected to find there -- certainly, not the girl. All he knew was that something inside was telling him that this was something he needed to do. And so, he packed lightly and set out across the misty morning heath.

[Thirteenth Doctor]

The Doctor hadn't truly been back to the Highlands in a while, especially in this face. It wasn't like she was trying to make a tour of it this regeneration, but somehow she was finding herself covering a lot of old hits and haunts for some reason. Was the universe trying to tell her something? Maybe. However, standing around wasn't going to get her answers. Nor was staying in the TARDIS all day and night either. She was going to have to face the music of life outside her comfortable walls sooner or later. Like a bandaid she was going to just have to rip those painful yet important parts off to get through everything.

Not to say that she was actually there in this particular time to meet anyone in particular, because she wasn't. Something else drew her there, but as always fate tends to have its ways as well and the fact that it so happened to cover a certain old companions time period, it was going to be something there to slap The Doctor in the face one way or another. Not that, that was a bad thing. She just knew that if she did come across them, she knew that their time together was a long time ago, and many many faces ago, back when she was a he. How would that even play out? There was the chance she was going to find out.

The Doctor had landed there on hunt of a alien artifact that had supposedly managed its way there. Of course it didn't help that she had, had to chase down the thief that had absconded with it to Earth. She'd lost track of where though it was, and only just got lucky at finding the right time period. Maybe not the right day, she didn't know, but at least the right timeframe to get started in searching. If that thing fell into the wrong hands, it could possibly end disastrously.

Sadly things were coming up fruitless. She was certain the alien had found a way to hide among the locals and hide the item in question. So no matter how many devices or readouts she had to her disposal, she was not able to find a link or signature to it thus far. However, she didn't have the luxury to give up. Having taken the horse she'd kept all these years, she took it out onto the Highlands to travel faster. It had been somehow on this fateful day though that something decided it was going to just coincidently spook the beast, which never had happened to her in her life before on a horse, especially this one. But here she was having nearly been thrown from the things back while she'd been trying to read her instrument and that. What was worse was she couldn't get the thing to calm down. Dangling upside down from the stirrup, The Doctor was fighting to get back up.

This was what she got for traveling alone. Why she'd convinced herself letting Ryan, Graham, and Yaz go home for a bit she didn't know. Because now she was in a pickle and with still no leads to any answers. As she was trying really hard to get her hand on the lead, her and the horse passed miraculously down the road that Jamie just so happened to be heading down himself. Oh how the universe hated her.

[Jamie McCrimmon]

As Jamie walked down the road, he heard the sound of a horse approaching, and so he stepped over to the very edge of the road to allow the rider room to pass; however, as the horse drew near, Jamie could see that the rider seemed to be experiencing some difficulty staying upright in the saddle. Thinking that he ought to try to help, Jamie turned around and approached the horse, saying very gently, ”Woah! Woah, there, lassie. Ye dinnae want ta dump yuir rider, now, do ye?”

The horse came to a stop, and Jamie gave its head a good pat and told her that she was a good girl before he turned his attention to the blonde woman who was trying to right herself.

But… What was she wearing? Trousers?! How very bizarre… Jamie assumed she must be British, for no decent Scottish lass would be allowed to have such shortly cropped hair, nor be allowed to be seen out in public in trousers, dressed like a man. Of course, all decent Scottish men would most likely be seen sporting a kilt in the tartan pattern of his clan.

”Hey, there. Are ye alright? D’ye need any help? he asked the interestingly dressed, probably British woman.

[Thirteenth Doctor]

"No, no I'm alrigh'." she stated, her voice clearly marking something that was actually more light Scottish in nature. She was able to finally pull herself up back on to the horse. Her hair fell wildly a bit into her face though, her blonde strands going every which way for a moment before she actually pressed her hair back down in to place and moved the strands out and away from her face. "Sorry to worry you there."

She then was able to get a very good look at Jamie. It didn't take long for her eyes to just go wide and her mouth drop open for just a few seconds in shocked wonder. "McCrimmon?! Jamie...Is that you?!"

She couldn't believe it. That wasn't something she expected in the cards for today. But one she wasn't quite opposed to. She put her hand on the neck of her horse though and patted its soft fur. It wasn't the horses fault for bolting. Sure her outfit stood out from the time period, but it always did usually. It was what made her, well her. Also more often than not it made it clear that she was The Doctor, no matter what face she had. Most humans wouldn't take any notice, but someone like Jamie that would be different. Perhaps he'd come to realize who she was after a sec of mental jogging. Unless of course this was before they ever did then that would be awkward as hell, but she was getting the impressionable feeling that it was post his travels with her earlier self, by gauging age.