Epilogue

Twenty-two year old Beverley Gilmore walked down the London streets, heading to her flat from the shop she worked in, a bag of groceries in her arms. She gave a sigh as she turned onto her block, but was suddenly sent to the ground, her groceries tumbling all around her, as she winced at the pain in her bum.

"Oi! Watch where you're goin' ya idiot!" the tall, burly man she'd rammed into barked as Beverley hurried to pick up her things.

"I'm so sorry, Sir," she mumbled, concentrating on picking up her things.

"You should apologize to me!" he snarled, looming over her.

"I just did, Sir," she replied. "I'm really sorry."

"Look at me when I'm talkin' to you!" he snapped, leaning toward her and she gave a small cry when his hand clamped painfully onto her arm and dragged her to feet. "You listening to me, Ginger?"

"I'd let her go if I were you, Sir."

Beverley gasped as she looked over her assailant's shoulder to see another, tall, slimmer man with crazy brunette hair and glaring brown eyes. The man still holding Beverley's arm whirled around to face him, making her wince in pain as he took her with him.

"Or what?" the burly man taunted. "I could break you in half, and you think you can take me?"

"Possibly," the slim man nearly growled, making Beverley swallow at the look in his eyes. "Let go of her and you won't have to find out."

The burly man scoffed and looked at Beverley to growl, "You know this guy?" He looked back at the slim man and demanded, "You're a pathetic excuse for a body guard. Or maybe you're the boyfriend? Either way, it's pathetic."

He started laughing, maliciously and the slim man looked to Beverley with a slight smirk and wink before reaching into his long, brown over coat and pulled out a black, leather wallet. He stepped closer to the man as he opened the wallet with one hand, his other hand setting itself on his shoulder away from Beverley. He leaned next to the man and murmured something into his ear, showing off the wallet and the man's face went pale before he looked to the slim man with wide eyes and let go of Beverley as if burned.

"S-Sorry, mate," he muttered, kneeling to pick up Beverley's things.

"Sorry? Didn't catch that," the slim man called, casually.

"I'm sorry," the burly man said a little more clearly, still picking up her things.

Beverley frowned between them before looking to the slim man who only grinned and shrugged before she turned back to the burly man as he handed her the bag of groceries she'd dropped.

"I'm really, really sorry, Your Grace," he sputtered before continuously bowing as he walked away and around the corner.

Beverley continued to frown at him until he disappeared then she turned to the slim brunette man as he only grinned at her.

"I don't understand," she frowned in wonder. "What did you tell him?"

"Oh, just that you were the Duchess of York, I was your body guard and if he didn't take his hand off you I'd have to plant his face into the concrete," he shrugged, making Beverley's eyes shoot wide at him in disbelief.

"And he believed you?" she laughed, starting to head down the street and he walked with her.

"Well, this helped," he smiled, holding the wallet up to show her what it said.

"It's blank," she frowned in wonder at him still as they walked.

"Ah, yes," he nodded in understanding before he pulled it back and tucked it away. "Well, it said that I was part of your security detail, but since you're far too intelligent to be fooled by psychic paper, it appears blank to you."

"Wait, I am very confused," she frowned deeply, shaking her head as if to clear it as they stopped on the sidewalk. "Never mind the other stuff you just said for a moment. Who are you?"

"Oh, sorry," he grinned, holding out a hand and introducing himself. "I'm the Doctor."

"The Doctor?" Beverley frowned in wonder, taking his hand to shake it.

"Right," he nodded hugely, releasing her hand.

"That's it?"

"Yes."

"The Doctor?"

"Yes."

"Well, that's an…odd name to say the least," she smiled. "I'm Beverley Gilmore. Now, what about all the other stuff about the psychic paper and things? Did you make all that up or are you smoking something?"

"Not smoking anything, never smoked anything…that I can remember, and psychic paper is something you use if you want to fool people," the Doctor replied.

"How's it work?" she wondered as they continued down the street.

"Oh, it's quite simple, really," he shrugged, leaning toward her to take her bag of groceries. "Pardon me. I'll carry that for you. Anyway, with the psychic paper, you think about what you want the person you're showing it to see and that's what appears. Incredibly intelligent people, such as yourself, can see right through the illusion though."

"Thank you for the compliment," she smiled. "And thank you for helping me, and thank you for carrying my bag for me. My flat is just at the end of the block."

"Right," he nodded. "Glad to help you, Beverley Gilmore." He grinned as they continued walking. "That's a brilliant name. Beverley Gilmore. Never change it."

"Thank you, Doctor," she laughed, reaching into one of her jeans pockets for her keys. "You are…an extraordinary man. I just have one more question for you."

"Fire away, Beverley Gilmore," he grinned with a wag of his head.

"Why did you help me?" she wondered as they stopped at the bottom of the front steps of a block of flats, she and the Doctor facing each other.

"Well…" the Doctor shrugged, "I can't resist a damsel in distress."

Beverley couldn't help but smile sweetly, lifting a hand to sweep some of her hair behind her ear as she fiddled with her keys and he only smiled warmly at her.

"Well, thank you, again," she nodded. "I wish there was something I could do to repay you."

"I've got an idea, but why don't we get these groceries up to your flat first, eh?" the Doctor suggested, holding out the bag for a split second toward her.

"Oh, of course!" Beverley chirped before hurrying up the steps, the Doctor following her calmly. "So what's this idea of yours?"

"Well, I was thinking we could go out…on a date," he shrugged, stopping behind her as she shoved the key into the lock. She hesitated for a second, her heart skipping before she shoved the door open.

"A date, yeah?" she wondered, holding the door open for him to get in before leading him toward a set of stairs. "And…hypothetically, if I were to yes…where would we go?"

"Oh, I'd think of something," the Doctor smirked as they stopped at a door and she fiddled with her keys again. "What d'ya say, Beverley Gilmore? Fancy an adventure with a strapping bloke in an overcoat?"

Beverley couldn't help but giggle as she opened the door then turned to take the bag from him. But when she went to pull the bag away, he didn't let it go, causing her to frown up at him.

"Bev, please say yes," he murmured, desperately.

Her frown deepened, wondering if she'd made a mistake in letting this man all the way up to her flat door. But, even though she doubted her judgment, she couldn't help but feel a certain aura of trust around him, and the look in his eyes was so…sad.

"Yes," she breathed. "I'd…I'd like to have an adventure. My life is far to dull."

"Brilliant," the Doctor grinned, instantly cheering up as he stepped past her and through her flat door, making her frown and turn to him in the confusion as he set down the bag of groceries on her small kitchen counter. "Quaint place, this. Right, so, you go get changed. Bring a jacket and wear those nice pair of Converse you've got. I'll be back to get you in a half hour."

"Wait!" Beverley called as he sailed past her and back out the door, but he stopped and turned to her in the hall. "How do you know I have a pair of Converse?"

"I'll explain later," the Doctor assured her, stepping back toward her to set his hands on her shoulders, looking her in the eye. "I promise, everything will be clear soon."

"Why are we going now?" she wondered in a whisper, keeping his gaze.

"Because tomorrow your life is going to change for the better," he smiled warmly, almost in sorrow. "Now get changed. I'll be back in a bit."

Beverley had no time to ask any more questions before he planted a kiss to her forehead and turned to head out of the building. She frowned in utter confusion before shutting the door and leaning back against it, her heart racing so fast, she thought she might have a heart attack. Still, she couldn't get that man out of her head, and her curiosity urged her to follow his instructions.

"Damn your curiosity, Bev!" she snapped at her before hurrying to put her groceries away and heading toward her room to change out of her uniform, into some play clothes…and her dark red Converse.

Half Hour Later...

The Doctor nearly fell down the stairs as he scrambled up the flight to Beverley's door. He knew this wasn't ethical. He knew this was wrong on so many levels, but he couldn't help it. It was worth it to help her…to see her smile…to say good bye to her properly. His twin hearts thudded in his chest and ears as he lifted a hand to knock on her door. He knew he'd been a bit rude earlier, but she would forgive him once she saw what he had planned.

He straightened as the door opened and Beverley stood before him in an aqua green, slinky silk tank top, blue jeans and Converse as she pulled on a denim jacket. He couldn't help but swallow and lift a hand to his purple tie and tug at it, suddenly feeling himself start to sweat. Her hair was loose and settled around her shoulders when she pulled it out from under the collar of her jacket, and the blouse was low enough to draw his gaze.

"Alright, Doctor," she began, shaking her hair to loosen it up and he swallowed as she did, restraining himself from grabbing her to kiss her. "I agreed to go on this date, but I have one condition."

"Al-Alright," he nodded as she stepped out of the flat to shut and lock the door behind her.

"You will answer every question I put to you promptly and honesty, or you are bringing me back here, am I clear?" she said, firmly just as she turned to face him. She gasped when she found him only inches away from her, nearly pinning her to the door and their gazes met as she swallowed in nervousness.

"Understood," he murmured with a nod.

Before she could say anything else, he gripped her hand and pulled her close to plant his lips to hers, making her squeak in surprise, her sea-green eyes huge in shock. It took her exactly one second to melt into the kiss and grip the lapels of his suit jacket to pull him closer. She gave a small moan when his tongue slipped past her lips and her back hit the door behind her. They finally pulled away for air, slowly and Beverley frowned at him as he set his forehead against hers, his eyes still closed, her hands still in his.

"Sorry," he sighed then licked his lips. "That'll…be explained later as well. Bear with me a little longer."

His eyes shot open before he gripped her hand a little tighter and pulled her toward the stairs. They said nothing more as he led her out of the building and across the street toward a blue Police Box.

"What is that?" she instantly asked with a frown as they stopped in front of it.

"It's my TARDIS," he replied, as if it were common knowledge, then let go of her hand to dig a hand into his pants pocket. "Time and Relative Dimensions in Space…machine."

"That is a time machine?" she frowned.

"It travels through time and space, yes, keep up, darling," he retorted, unlocking one of the doors.

"A bit…small for a space ship, isn't it?" she wondered, and the Doctor smirked as he pushed the door open gently, then stood to the side to tuck his hands into his pockets.

"Why don't you have a look inside, eh?" he smirked, nodding toward the door.

Beverley gave him a sideways glance before looking to the open door, frowning at what she could see. She cautiously stepped toward the door and her eyes went wider when she was past the threshold.

"Oh, my…god," she breathed as the Doctor stepped in behind her, shutting the door behind him as Beverley stared around the control room of the TARDIS. "It's…It's bigger on the inside."

"That she is," the Doctor grinned with a wag of his head as he headed toward the console. "Now, I've got some place special lined up for you Beverley Gilmore, but before we go…" He leaned forward on the console as she looked to him in wide-eyed wonder when he asked, "Any more questions for me?"

That seemed to bring her out of her awed trance because she cleared her throat and stepped toward him, eyeing him suspiciously.

"Where are you gonna take me?" she asked first, making him frown subtly in confusion. He thought for sure she would ask why he kissed her.

"Well, I'll tell you, Beverley Gilmore," he smiled, moving toward the console and starting to press buttons and flip switches. "We're going to the Medusa Cascade."

"And why's that?" Beverley asked, crossing her arms over her chest as she lifted a brow at him and he glanced up at her, not being able to help the smile that formed over his lips.

"Because you wanted to see it," he replied honestly. Beverley gave a frown and was about to ask another question but the Doctor gripped one of the levers and grinned, "Allons-y!"

He slammed the lever into place, causing the TARDIS to shake and thrash. Beverley screamed and grabbed a hold of the console as she felt the room spinning. The Doctor moved around the room as if it were nothing, flipping more switches and pressing more buttons until the finally stopped spinning and Beverley hesitantly stood tall.

"What in the world—?"

"Have a look outside," the Doctor suggested, still smiling and Beverley frowned at him.

"Where are we?" she asked cautiously.

"Have a look," he only replied, nodding toward the door.

Beverley turned and stepped down the ramp to open the door. All she needed to see were stars against a black sky and she slammed it shut again to lean against it, facing the Doctor who frowned and headed toward her.

"That's space out there!" she breathed as he approached. "Space! And you want me to open that door?"

"Oh, Bev, you think I'm that daft?" he groaned as he leaned forward to open the door again, and she gripped his hand to stop him, drawing his gaze to her sincerely frightened one. "There's a force field…like…thing around the TARDIS. As long as we don't float out of its range, we'll live."

He took her shoulders into his hands, standing behind her and guiding her into position.

"Just stand here in the doorway and you'll be able to enjoy the lovely view without being frozen or suffocated," he assured her. Beverley couldn't help but giggle at that and he grinned down at her. "There's that smile! Now, open the door."

She sighed and cautiously reached for the handle to pull it open, bracing for…whatever might come with opening the door. Nothing happened, and when she realized she was still alive, the Doctor still behind her and holding gently onto her shoulders, she concentrated on the view.

Beverley felt her breath had been taken away by the beautiful sight before her. Serpent-like clouds of purple formed around trails and constellations of stars, the lights and colors contrasting gorgeously against the inky black of space.

"Oh," she breathed. "This is so beautiful."

"I knew you'd like it," the Doctor smirked, chancing to slide his hands down her arms and wrap them around her, setting his chin on her shoulder. She didn't look away from the view, or shrug him away, so he remained there, closing his eyes to savor the feeling of having her in his arms again.

"Doctor?"

"Hm?"

"You're…from the future, aren't you?"

His eyes opened, his expression solemn as he didn't move, and Beverley didn't move to look at him either.

"Yes, I am."

"That's how you knew about my Converse, isn't it?" she continued questioning, not looking away from the view before her. "Why you said my life would change tomorrow and why you…kissed me. You meet me in the future, don't you?"

The Doctor sighed, unmoving as he answered, "Yes."

Beverley finally looked away from the view and slowly turned to face him, making him stand tall to meet his gaze.

"Are you in love with me, Doctor?" she wondered.

He smirked and scoffed before bowing his head and taking her hands into his then looking back at her to say, "Oh, Beverley Gilmore, you are brilliant." His smile dropped slightly before he nodded, answering, "Yes. I love you."

Beverley swallowed as she felt her heart thud in her chest. This handsome, time traveler loved her! How was that even possible? More importantly…

"And…does my future love you in return?" she couldn't help but ask.

"Well I should hope so," he replied casually, shoving a hand into one of his pockets and turning her hand to face her palm up. "Otherwise marrying you was a horrible idea, if you didn't."

Beverley's eyes shot wide in disbelief before she looked to her hand when he placed something into it and let her go. In the center of her palm was a silver ring with two amber colored gems set into it. She lifted it higher to examine it before taking it into one hand to slip it onto her left ring finger. It fit perfectly.

"It's gorgeous," she breathed as the Doctor watched her closely and she looked up to meet his gaze. "If we're married, why did you come back in time to see me? And why are you telling me all of this? Won't there be some sort of paradox or something?"

"No," the Doctor replied, his warm gaze becoming a bit colder. "All of this was meant to happen, trust me."

Beverley nodded before looking back at the ring in thought, then over her shoulder at the view before meeting his gaze again.

"I want to go back, if that's alright?" she murmured.

He felt a twinge of pain stab both his hearts but he nodded, not hinting at his true feelings. She shut the door as he turned to the console and flew them back to her time and place. They landed right where they had been when they left, but instead of heading out the door, Beverley stepped toward him as he stood on the opposite side of the console.

"You never answered my other question," she recalled as he kept his gaze on the console, fiddling with dials and buttons.

"Which one?" the Doctor muttered, not looking at her.

"If we're married, why did you come back here to see me?" she asked again.

He sighed and leaned forward on the console, staring at the engine in the center for a moment before looking to Beverley with an expressionless gaze.

"You died."

Her eyes grew wide and she felt the blood drain out of her face as her stomach flipped, her heart nearly stopping.

"We thought we had beaten someone we were fighting, but we hadn't," he continued. "You were killed saving me."

The Doctor looked back at the console to set new coordinates as Beverley tried to wrap her head around what he'd just told her. A light bulb went off in her head and she slowly stepped closer to him as he still operated the console. One of his hands moved closer toward her and she set one of her hands onto it, catching his attention and making him freeze to look at her and meet her gaze.

"You came back to say good bye," she realized with a warm smile and he only nodded. "That is the most romantic thing I've ever heard of."

He swallowed before looking back to the console, but she wouldn't move her hand from his, making him frown at her as she still stared at him.

"Fancy coming up for a cup of tea?" she hoped, still smiling and he gave a sly smirk at the look in her deep, sea-green eyes. He'd seen that look before.

Beverley's Flat...

The slam of the door didn't phase either of them when the Doctor shoved Beverley against it once they were inside her flat, his mouth planted firmly to hers in a passionate kiss. Her keys thunked with a slight jingle to the floor when he gripped her hands and pulled them above her head to pin her firmly with his body against the door, making her moan when he used one hand to hold her wrists and the other to lock the door she was pinned to. His mouth finally moved from hers to trail hot kisses to her neck, and she arched her back, tilting her head to give him more access to her skin.

"I agree," she panted. "Let's skip tea."

"Where's the bedroom?" he growled against her ear before he nibbled at it.

"All the way down the hall, to the left," she breathed.

Without another word his hands had left hers and he gripped her thighs to lift her up, making her squeak in surprise and throw her arms around his neck as her legs reflexively wrapped around his waist. Making sure he had a good grip on her, she stripped off her jacket, letting it fall onto the hallway floor before he turned into the bedroom where he let himself fall on top of her onto the bed, his lips capturing hers again.

Beverley instantly began pulling at his over coat, making him spring into action and stand to strip it off, along with his suit jacket, her legs still wrapped around his waist. She smiled, slyly and lifted a hand to grip his tie and pull him back onto her with a grunt, their lips meeting again. Her fingers curled around the tie to loosen it and as she pulled it off, he broke the kiss to grip her hand just before she threw it away.

"Oh, no, no, no…don't, don't, don't do that," he muttered, slipping the tie slowly from her grasp between her fingers as he smirked. "I have something special in mind that I think you'll quite like."

"And what would that be, Doctor?" she practically moaned back, then smirked, "Should I be afraid?"

The Doctor smirked, widely before leaning his mouth next to her ear and whispering, "Not at all, darling. Trust me…" He lowered one hand to stroke her thigh, slowly, whispering, "I'm the Doctor."

Midnight...

He stared at her as they lay tangled in the sheets with his arms around her, one hand stroking her cheek, soothingly. He hadn't planned on doing it, but with Beverley Gilmore, things seemed to not go according to plan. He knew it would harder now to tear himself away from this, but he knew it was time to move on. He had to leave before his past showed up tomorrow morning and then the real paradox would ensue.

The Doctor swept a strand of hair from her forehead and tenderly kissed it before slowly and carefully shifting to move her and get out of the bed. He slipped off the mattress and made sure to cover her up before setting to work on getting dressed. A moment later he was picking up his red Converse and setting them next to the door, then stepping back toward the bed.

She didn't remember me when I first met her, he recalled. And those doors in her mind were put there by me.

He swallowed, feeling tears well up in his eyes again but he fought them, unlike the pain in his hearts. Leaning onto the mattress he gently turned Beverley onto her back and sat next to her, gazing at her for a long time to memorize every single feature about her face before he did what needed to be done. He knew this would most likely be the last time he saw her again.

Leaning forward he placed his hands on either side of her head as she still slept and entered her mind to seal away all memories of him and locked them away behind labeled doors that read, 'Doctor, Do Not Open.' That done, he planted a small memory of where she'd 'found' the ring she still wore on her finger. If she had anything, he wanted it to be that.

All of it was a distant dream, if anything, by the time he was done. He slid his hands down her face before leaning toward her and pressing a kiss to her cheek, slipping the ring from her finger and standing. As he stepped away from the bed he placed the ring on the nightstand next to it, and after picking up his shoes he glanced one last time at her sleeping, angelic form, then left the flat quickly and quietly into the night.

"Good bye, my love."

The Next Morning...

Beverley hurried across the street as she looked at her watch again. If she was late one more time she'd be fired. She couldn't believe she'd slept in so late, and for the life of her she couldn't remember what she'd done that night but didn't dwell on it too much.

She began heading through the field, her usual shortcut she took when she was running late, but something stopped her. She frowned when she caught a strange sound then looked ahead to watch with wide, sea-green eyes as a brilliant gust blew back her fire red hair, but she couldn't take her eyes off the thing appearing…materializing in front of her. Right in front of her. It was a tall, blue box making a strange sound, like an engine, a light sitting on top, fading on and off. The sound and light finally stopped so she could read 'Police Box' on top of the doors.

"I'm dreamin'," she breathed, shaking her head in disbelief and taking a step back. "I've got to be dreamin'! That thing did not just appear out of thin air in front of me!"

"I'm afraid it did."

"Who said that?" Beverley shouted into the morning air, whipping her head around to find the man who'd spoken.

"I did."

She turned back to the blue box to see a man standing in the doorway, leaning casually against the frame, his hands tucked into the pockets of his suit pants. A brown overcoat hung over his slim frame, a pair of white Converse on his feet, and she was too shocked to even giggle at seeing his outrageously styled brown hair. She stared at him, still unbelieving what she was seeing and he only grinned daftly at her, his brown eyes glittering with excitement. She couldn't help but frown for a split second when At Last by Etta James started playing in her head, but she shook it off.

"Who are you?" she instantly demanded. "What is that thing? How did you just…appear?"

"I'm the Doctor," he began, calmly. "This is the TARDIS, and…well, that last bit's hard to explain."

Meanwhile…

The Doctor sighed as he leaned on the console of the TARDIS, flying high above the Earth, and wishing he could have Beverley by his side again. He glanced around before shaking his head violently, as if to try shaking Beverley from his mind altogether, but it didn't work.

"Right-ah!" he called, slapping a lever into place. "Let's see if I can get Easter this time. A proper Easter in…" He looked at his screen to choose place on the Earth and grinned, "Cardiff. Nothing like a good Easter in Cardiff to get your mind off things!"

He ran around the console, hitting buttons and pumping levers, the engine making her beautiful sound before it stopped and he grunted when his gut rammed into the console.

"Alright then," he nodded, standing and dusting himself off before shoving his hands into his pockets and sauntering toward the door. He stopped and spun on his heel back toward the console with a frown at hearing a beeping coming from it. He marched back toward the screen and read it intently. "Oh, now that can't be good."

The Doctor suddenly ducked under the console to pull out a box and rummage through it.

"Where is it?" he muttered. "No. No. No. Ah! There it is!"

He grinned as he pulled a strange controller from the box, a tiny satellite looking dish on it and stood as he shoved the thing into his pocket and headed back toward the door. He stepped out into the dark streets of Cardiff of a busy street and glanced around with a big smile, every once in a while checking the device in his pocket.

"Oi, Mister?"

The Doctor stopped and looked around with a frown of wonder at hearing the small voice before he looked ahead of him and down at a young boy holding a box.

"Would ya like to buy some chocolate, on account 'o it bein' Easter?" the boy asked, and the Doctor couldn't help but grin.

"I don't have any money on me, lad," he confessed. "Sorry. Wish I could."

The boy glanced around, making the Doctor frown before he stepped closer and whispered, "I've only got a couple left, Mister. I'm freezin' me bum off as it is. You can have 'em free if ya like."

He smiled warmly at the boy before ruffling the boy's hair and taking the chocolates from the box with the other.

"Go on home, then, lad," he smiled, stuffing his hands in his pockets and nodding down the street.

"Thanks a lot, Mister!" the boy grinned, hurrying to gather his things and head home as the Doctor continued down the street.

He pulled one of the small chocolates from his pocket and unwrapped it to start eating it, ignoring his device pinging for just a moment as he took a bite. He hummed in satisfaction before pulling the device from his other pocket and looking at it, letting it lead him to whatever it was detecting.

Just then a bus pulled up and the thing went wild for a split second before going off again. The Doctor frowned and pocketed the device again, taking another bite of chocolate before pulling out his Psychic Paper and following a woman with long black hair dressed completely in black hurrying onto the bus. He flashed the paper onto the scanner and it read it as an oyster card, the driver telling him he'd better hurry on. He sat right next to the girl that had hurried on, a bag in her lap and she clutched it as she stared at him with wide, confused blue eyes.

"Hello," he grinned. "I'm the Doctor." He offered the chocolates to her and greeted, "Happy Easter."

A/N: aaaaaaaand we came full circle then went into Planet of the Dead. for those of you who've read this all the way through, i aded the last bit to have it somewhere in the Doctor Who timeline. for those of you just joining us, thank you to all who have stuck with this story all the way through, and to all of you who left reviews. i hope you all had as much fun as i did with the Doctor and Beverley Gilmore. more Doctor Who fun is coming, and I encourage you all to read my other works as well. now, for the last time for this story, i ask...reviews?