Chapter One- Lexi's POV

This greasy looking pub snake was talking my ear off when I saw him walk in the front door of The Drowning Man Pub, the only good pub in town. I wasn’t sure why, but right then and there I just stopped listening to him. (I say “him” just because I don’t know his name because he just came up and starting rambling on about his car. I think I’ll call him Snakey.) Instead of listening to Snakey I just stared at the man.

I new it was rude to stare, but there was something about him that just kept my eyes glued to him. Maybe it was because he was wearing a soaking wet brown pinstripe suit in a pub, or maybe I was attracted to him. Maybe it was destiny. Whatever the reason was, I couldn’t look away and unfortunately Snakey noticed.

“Hey?” he said in an offended tone, “Am I boring you?” Well, frankly, yes, I thought.

“Sorry.” I said, “I was just distracted. You were saying?”

“I was saying,” he continued, inching his way closer to me, “That maybe I could take you out for a drive in my newest car sometime, yeh?” Somehow he had managed to get his hand up my skirt. I yanked it out and placed it on his lap.

“Excuse me?” I said backing away, “What kinda’ girl do you think I am?”

“One that needs some loving.”

“I have a boyfriend and it just so happens that I’m meeting him here.” Crap. Why did I say that? I quickly scanned the room for any single guys. There was just one, and he was wearing a pinstripe suit. I gulped and forced the words out.

“And there he is now. See ya.” I made a hasty retreat towards the bar and my “boyfriend”. I glanced over my shoulder and my fears were confirmed. Snakey was watching my like a hawk. Which is ironic because hawks eat snakes.

I knew what I had to do, so I walked right up to the mysterious pinstriped man and kissed him.

I pulled back to see his shocked expression and started to explain myself at about a thousand words a minute. “Please don’t freak out.” I begged him, “I just told that sleaze ball back there you were my boyfriend. Please do me a huge favor and play along.”

He looked over my shoulder to see if my story was verifiable. He obviously saw Snakey staring because he flashed me a huge smile before getting up from his seat and walking over to where I had just come from. Oh God, what’s he gunna do? I thought panicking slightly. From where I was I couldn’t see much but I did see the hilarious look on Snakey’s face when the mystery man pulled out a rectangle shaped….something…and showed it to him. I didn’t know what it was but snakey looked like he was going to have an accident. Eventually he turned and walked back to the bar and sat down again.

“What the hell did you say to him?” I asked, half afraid of the answer.

“I told him I was a police officer,” he said matter o’ factly, “And if he ever touches my girl again, I’d have him arrested for sexual abuse.” He grinned, “He won’t be bothering you again.”

I flushed red and mumbled, “Thanks, you really didn’t need to do that.” He nodded taking a swig of beer.

“I know.” He said, “I like to help people, makes me think I’m doing something important.”

“Are you really a cop?”

“No, but he doesn’t know that.” He grinned.

“I’m Lexi,” I said introducing myself to my savor, “Lexi Burke.”

His grin faded. It was as if he had forgotten his own name, or maybe he just didn’t want to tell it to me. “I’m J-” he started, and then broke off shaking his head. I thought that he just didn’t want to say and I blushed. Why did I have to ask such a personal question? I was about to tell him to forget I ever said anything when he surprised me.

“I’m the Doctor.”

“Doctor of what?” I asked and almost smacked my forehead. There I go asking personal questions again.

“Umm…Of nothing. That’sma’ name. I’m the Doctor.”

“Wow. Your parents must have had an odd sense of humor. So, is that all one word or is The your first name and Doctor your last? I asked with a small laugh. He looked up and glowered at me. My laugh caught in my throat. “Just Doctor, right, okay. Bad day?” I asked as he finished off his beer and motioned for another.

“You have no idea.” He said with a grimace.

“Me too.” I said remembering my day, “My cat died. What a great way to start my day, eh? Then my boss almost fired me because I screamed at a costumer when he started feeling me up. At lunch I get a phone call telling me my mum fractured her wrist. Oh, and then there was the slime ball from three minutes ago.” I motioned to the bar tender and said, “I’ll ‘ave what he’s having.”

“That’s a rubbish day,” He agreed, “but I win.”

“So what’s your sob story then?”

He gave me a slight grin and looked me straight in the eye and said something that rocked my world, “I’m a 904-year-old time traveling alien, and I’ve watched all my friends in the world die while I go on living. Just today a really good friend lost her entire memory of me and the girl I was in love with is now trapped in another dimension. Oh well, can’t be helped now.”

He rubbed at his eyes and went to take another sip of beer only to find that he had already completely drained it again, instead he let his head droop down until his forehead was pressed flat against the bar table.

I feel stupid - but I know it wont last for long
Ive been guessing - I coulda been guessin wrong
You dont know me now
I kinda thought that you should somehow
Does that whole mad season got ya down

An alien? You had to be bloody kidding me, he thought he was an alien. He was most likely completely crazy and I should have taken the silence as a chance to make my escape, but my curiosity got the better of me.

I decided to play along. “You look pretty good for someone over 900.”

His head snapped back up and he grinned. I had to suppress a laugh. The bar table had left a red mark on his forehead the size of Texas. “Why thank you, but that’s just this regeneration. You should have seen my last self. I had the largest ears.” He rambled slurring his words a bit in a drunken fashion, “My first self was sort of…grey, like a time traveling Einstein. In my fourth and sixth regenerations I looked somewhat like J.R.R. Tolkein’s description of a hobbit. And in my fifth self I wore a stalk of celery on my coat lapel.”

I feel stupid but its something that comes and goes
Ive been changin - think its funny how now one knows
We dont talk about - the little things that we do without
When that whole mad season comes around

I interrupted him, he was talking to himself at this point anyway, “How many beers have you had?”

“Oh, six or seven. Wait, might be eight.”

“You’re completely stone drunk.”

“Yes. Yes, I am, but I’ll get over it soon. What with being a Time Lord and all.”

“Is that what you are then?” I asked, “Your species, your race, your what ever? You’re a-a Time Lord. Is that right?”

“Yup. I’m about as pure blooded a Galifryen as you’ll ever meet. Not that you would. Maybe before the Time War,” His drunken smile faded, as if he had remembered something he would rather forget; something awful, “Yeah, maybe before the Time War, but not now.”

“Do you have a ride home?” I asked, this guy might be crazy but I didn’t want him driving drunk and getting himself killed.

“My home is my ride,” He replied making absolutely no sense, “I parked it with in walking distance don’t worry. Oh look, it stopped raining!” He reached into his pocket and, just to increase the weirdness up to level 14, pulled out an old looking pocket watch. Then, to my vast surprise spoke to it, “Time, London, England, Original Earth, October 27th, 2010.”

I pretty much freaked out as the previously harmless looking pocket watch started to emit a quite whirring noise. I looked around me, but everyone else seemed too drunk to notice.

“Woah!” he exclaimed still starring at his otherworldly watch, “It’s past midnight already. Time to head back, not that I need to worry about time.” He said with a grin as he paid his bill for the eight beers of the night. “It was lovely talking to you. Good night.”

“Wait,” I said halting his retreating form, “You don’t chug eight beers and walk about like your fine and dandy. You could hurt yourself. Let me walk with you.”

“No!” He said emphatically with a shake of his head, “That’s how it always starts. It’s something simple like, ‘Run!’, or ‘What the hell Am I doing here?’, or ‘Let me walk with you’,” He shot me a look before continuing his rant, “Or my personal favorite, ‘Is that the bloody moon?’ and next thing you know we’re hurtling through time and space together. Well, no more. No more I say! I’ve lost too many already.” He walked out the door.

I got up and followed him out. “Now hold up,” I said running to catch up with him. “Now just who said I would want to travel with you? I got a life too you know.”

“Good.” He replied simply.

“I just want to make sure you don’t get yourself arrested.”

“You have no idea how often that happens. Take my advice, don’t mess with any of the Queens of England or they will throw you in the hoosegow.”

I grinned and zipped up my jacket, “Well, come on then, you said you ‘parked’ close. Let’s see this space ship of yours.”

So why ya gotta stand there
Looking like the answer now
It seems to me - youd come around
I need you now
Do you think you can cope
You figured me out - Im lost and Im hopeless
Bleeding and broken - though Ive never spoken
I come undone - in this mad season

-Notes: Song: Mad Season By: Matchbox Twenty-