It's all AU.

Methos sprawled on a chair in an outdoor cafe, watching the locals, though he was rather hoping someone else would come along. It was nice to have mortals around, but he wanted a real conversation. Or at least, someone who was real, rather than the simulacrums that populated the city. It would seem, however, the population of real people had been thinned out.

Godric found his way back to Eric's bar.

He'd wandered, to the ends of the city, every nook and cranny until he knew it, until he could find any bolt hole, leave no hiding spot unchecked.

At least, he'd hoped. The city kept changing on him and, eventually, he'd come to accept that.


He sat on a stool in the bar, comfortable inside his own skin and strangely at peace here. He smiled at the person next to him, inquiring politely, "May I buy you a drink?"

Romana stumbled out a blue police box, and into the street, looking and feeling very dazed. Not anyone not a Time Lord or who didn't know her mental presence would know who they were looking at. They would see a women in a white cloak, with long dark brown hair and eyes that cleared from hazy blue grey to sharp and bright blue. She opened her pretty little mouth and spit out:

"Fuck."

Methos had found his way back to the old town, the more fluid surroundings allowing him to relax some, spending several days finding his former haunts when he'd been there, and enjoying the beer and the quiet. ( Cut for length )

Corwen had gotten braver. She was sitting in a park, feet up on a bench, reading intently a large history book. As she felt someone watching her, she asked out loud, "How many New York's have there  *actually* been then?"

One of the benefits of there being no monetary system was that you could afford anything you liked. Including pretty little shimmering silver and gold tablets.

Which went some way to explain why John was splayed out, face down on the bank of what seemed to be grass on the side of the river, investigating intently a small, bumbling, irridescent beetle.

"You've got something to work on!" the Doctor said, sounding rather desperate. "You've got you to work on! Us!"

The Master flicked his fingers impatiently, pacing restlessly up and down the carpet of the TARDIS library. "I need more than that. I've done weeks – months – of talking and theorizing and I need to put it into practice. I need to find a good problem to solve and do it on my own. I'll never know if I can until I try!" He reached a bank of bookshelves and turned sharply back towards the Doctor and said cuttingly, "And I need my own space. I can't stay here with you forever. It's frustrating both of us."

The Doctor was uncharacteristically silent, which probably meant he agreed, but just didn't want to admit it.

The Master nodded abruptly. "Right then. Find somewhere to land and just let me be by myself for a bit. I need to be by myself, Theta. I need to try!"

"All right, if you insist," the Doctor said miserably, setting co-ordinates. "But I really don't think it's the right decision."

"Well, it's my decision," the Master said. He knew he was being cruel to the Doctor but right now he didn't care. He needed to get out!

He felt the TARDIS materialise and crossed impatiently to the door. "I'll keep in touch," he said shortly, pushing the door open and glancing back. "I've got my mobile. I promise I'll call you if I need you."

And he walked out the door. He didn't even really care where the Doctor had landed. Just as long as it was out. He could feel pressure releasing just at the thought of not being cooped up with the TARDIS and with the Doctor.

He didn't, however, expect to end up in the lobby of a hotel. He glanced around, puzzled, and even more so when the TARDIS seemed to have disappeared behind him without making a sound.

Then memories started too flood back into his brain and his eyes widened. "Oh! Well, that makes a lot more sense!"

Methos glanced over his shoulder at Sarah as he stepped out the door, expecting his foot to land on ground soggy with melt-water. Instead, he felt pavement beneath his feet, and turned to look with a frown. A disorienting moment later, he groaned, bringing a hand up to pinch at the bridge of his nose.

"This is not going to be a good day," he muttered, torn between laughing and banging his head against the nearest building. At least, if nothing else, whatever those creatures that had shown up near the end of winter were, they wouldn't be here. He hoped.

John was busy poking through a jumbled pile of food on his plate, coming up in triumph eventually with a croissant and some jam. He ripped the croissant apart and started liberally spreading jam on it, all the while swinging back on his chair.

That was never going to end well, and sure enough, John soon fell backwards, sending him flying onto the floor outside the cafe. He lay back on the floor giggling, before rolling to one side, and coming face to face with a pair of shoes.

"Ah, hi, you seem to have me at a disadvantage," he laughed, before looking up.

Koschei peered over the shoulder of the server he'd coaxed out to the lake, nodding to himself at the charcoal, and the plates of meats waiting to grill to the demands of party guests. He grinned as he turned away, watching the path leading towards town for anyone who'd come down for the party.

The Doctor slid down next to the Master on a couch in the lobby, and rested his chin on his shoulder, "Whatcha reading?"

( cut for length )
"You are not winning," the Master informed him, firmly.

"I so, so am," the Doctor taunted sumgly, walking backwards away from the couch. And then he took off.

Methos stepped out of the library with a book on physics and dimensions beyond the three the average lay-person considered, making a bee-line for the nearest cafe. Ordering a beer and a basket of fish and chips, he settled into a chair, propping his feet on the table.

After talking with Jack, Corwen had set about finding somewhere to stay. Walking slightly out from town, she'd come across a small house in a clearing in the woods. Experimenting a bit with it's contents, she'd finally got it in a state where she felt safe and secure. It was nice to be able to flex her psychic muscles without worrying unduly what people would think. 

When she was happy with it, she strode out into the early evening, and headed towards town. She walked by the hotel, and found a small cafe that was open. She'd just ordered some sandwiches, and a coffee from the server, when she looked up to see someone looking over at her. "Hi, I'm Corwen," she offered, smiling at the stranger.

Reinette was wandering through the park in a pretty pink dress and carrying a pretty pink parasol, pretending to be a grown-up young lady.

And keeping a sharp eye out for Jacks (wearing the coat = good, not wearing the coat = bad), blonds in black suits, and men with little beards.

Not that she was particularly scared of any of them. She was more curious than anything.

The Doctor was tearing around town with a frantic, stunned air. Clearly looking for someone. Those who had experience with long term relationships of a certain tumultuous type might recognize his particular "Oh, god, I can't believe I did that" look.

He'd thought he was doing fairly well keeping his mind together, but when a stuffed bear in a coat and hat walked through the hotel lobby he was forced to reassess. He put his newspaper down, got up and went out into the hall. It was gone. He came back in and demanded, of whoever happened to be handy, "Did you see that?"

"I'll just be a minute," Buffy called over her shoulder to Spike as she fled through the crowds in the Bronze, heading for the Ladies. She was starting to react to the fact that she'd just been kissing Spike - again - and she needed a moment. Possibly several moments.

She was through the door and leaning back against it before she realised that she wasn't in the Ladies.

She was standing in the corridor of a hotel she'd stayed in once, long ago. Three years ago.

She tipped her head back against the door and raised her eyes to the ceiling. "Perfect. Just perfect."

Shoving his hands in his pockets, Methos drew in a deep breath, looking up at the sky a moment. Clear, pale sky, like every day he'd been here last time. Not particularly appealing, in his current mood. He snorted, walking away from the little Egytian beer-house that he'd ducked into again that morning for a nearly-forgotten breakfast and beer.

He wandered down the street, humming a little ditty to himself, peering into the shops as he went. Nothing interesting... well, unless you counted people reflected in the window. He raised an eyebrow slightly, turning around slowly, hands still in his pockets.

"Captain Harkness," he said evenly, a small half-smile on his face.

Ianto chewed his bottom lip slowly as he read the newspaper. A newspaper dated 2012, detailing a meteor strike.

There were a stack of newspapers from various years and centuries- all post 2009- and a pad of paper with Ianto's neat handwriting covering pages on pages beside Ianto.

Romana had, in all honesty, been hiding out a bit. Reading in the library. Poking around shops. Enjoying the pleasant days outside. Eating lots of food. But not being sociable. This was a forced vacation, and she was allowed to hide a bit. Besides, most of the conversations she'd had here were a little on the upsetting side, no matter who they were with, it seemed.

She was beginning to get bored now. She didn't want anything too daring, or exciting - she knew she'd get plenty of that when she went back home. But she was certainly willing to give being sociable another go.

She sat in chair in the hotel lobby, a mug of tea in hand, planning on making conversation with the next person who walked past.