Doctor Who fic: Have TARDIS, Will Travel (1/1)

[locker_monster]

Title: Have TARDIS, Will Travel (1/1)
Rating: G
Word Count: 542
Characters: Victoria, Jamie
Timeline: Post-"The Tomb of the Cybermen" and post-"Fury from the Deep".
Summary: New worlds await no matter where you are in the universe.
Disclaimer: Doctor Who belongs to the BBC.
A/N: Written for who_contest's "Eyes" challenge.

A light breeze passed through the valley, rippling the surface of the lake. Victoria still could not fathom that the water was purple. She thought perhaps there were plants at the bottom of the lake, creating the illusion of colour, but when she had cupped a handful of the water her palms had turned a shade of lilac. It was just another reminder of how far from home she was.

Jamie sat next to her on the shore. He had laid out his large tartan plaid on the uneven pebbles, giving them something soft and dry to sit upon. For once, there were no villains or foul creatures trying to chase them or kill them. The stillness felt like an incredible gift that neither of them wanted to give up.

"Reminds me of the Highlands," Jamie said in a low voice. His expression of awe and disbelief probably mirrored her own.

It was the first time Jamie had mentioned his home since Victoria joined him and the Doctor in the TARDIS. "You can't mean you have purple lakes in Scotland."

Jamie broke out into an easy smile. "Not exactly. The heather, it grows everywhere in the moors. There are whole fields that stretch out for as far as the eye can see. When the wind blows, well..." He hesitated slightly over his next words. "I always thought it looked like the ocean."

Victoria tried to picture it in her mind; endless fields of purple flowers bowing gently in the breeze. "It sounds absolutely wonderful."

Jamie's smile grew wider. "The next time we're on Earth, I'll show ye in person. Assuming, of course, the Doctor can land us close to Scotland."

She smiled back. "I'll hold you to that promise, Jamie."

* * *

The vibrant purple flowers rustled slightly in the wind. It was indeed like watching the ocean waves swell and crest as they swept into shore. It was even better than Victoria had imagined. She was a fool to have put off this trip for so long.

Perhaps she had hoped that Jamie would show up on her doorstep one day, with the Doctor in tow, and they would have this one last adventure together. But he and the Doctor had never re-appeared, so here she was, 70 years old, and finally laying eyes on a part of the British Isles that was just a short flight away. It was still wonderful, but something nagged at her at the back of her mind.

"Are you all right, Mum?" Her youngest daughter touched her lightly on the arm, bringing Victoria back to the present. Edith regarded her with a slight tilt of her head.

"Was I staring off into space? I'm-"

Victoria wasn't fine.

Standing there in the Highlands, fulfilling a promise she and Jamie never got to, it had reawakened an old ache. That was the nagging feeling. She was homesick. The TARDIS had been the one place that had been the hardest to leave behind.

But if home was where the heart was, then she had truly never left. A part of her heart would always reside in the TARDIS with Jamie and the Doctor.

"I was just thinking about old friends," Victoria said to Edith. "They would have loved this."