The Doctor and Frank followed Dan and Phil through more crowds of people, still, until they were out of the arena. The taller two of the group lead the way.

"So, Frank, you're american?" Phil asked.

"Yea, Jersey boy." Frank grinned.

"Like the Jersey shore show?"

"Dear lord, no."

"Way to go, Phil, you've just insulted the first people we've really interacted with that haven't tried to mug us." Dan groaned, shaking his head.

"I'm sorry!"

Frank laughed, "It's fine, dude."

The group wandered on, soon finding themselves at a small restaurant. Somehow, compared to every place they had passed on the way here, there was no line out the door. This lead to the group quickly getting seated at a nice location near the window.

"Food here takes awhile to get to you, but it's so worth it. I needed a moment after just one bite, honestly." Dan rambled as he passed the menus around the table, "Of only it wasn't a half a day's flight 'round the world."

Frank leaned against the Doctor as he looked over his menu. It seemed to be a mixture of local cuisine, as well as, some dishes that Frank recognized. A burger sounded really good right now... Or, maybe something more fitting to the region they were in... Now, his stomach was going nuts over all the options in front of him.

"I'm feeling adventurous, I think I'll try something to really get into the culture around these Olympic games." Phil declared, raising his hand just to bring it down with the slow closing of his fist.

Dan rolled his eyes as the Doctor peaked over his menu at Phil. "What do you recommend?"

Phil reached across the table and pointed to a spot on the menu for the Doctor. "The feijã tropeiro," as he said it, he spoke with a slight shift in his accent in order to pronounce it correctly, "is what I got last time and it's like someone put eggs and bacon in beans!"

"Oh! That's neato, I think I'll try it." The Doctor grinned, looking at the photo of the dish he had been recommended. "Can't go wrong with bacon. Everyone loves that stuff, don't they?"

"A lot of them do..." Frank replied with a nod. He was still looking over all of his options. His eyes finally landed on a photo of a dish with what looked like empanadas, but went by a different name.

"I just want those cheese bread things again, sweet baby Jesus." Dan spoke lowly before leaning back in his seat.

"You can have them." Phil muttered, waving his arm in the air for a server to come over.

A petit woman with red hair hurried over with a smile. She whipped a pen and notepad from the apron around her waist just before she got to the table. "Hiya! I'm Hayley and I'll be your server today. What can I getchya?"

Frank squinted at the girl. She looked familiar to him. She definitely didn't sound like she was from around here. She was looking around the table, but stopped when her eyes landed on Frank. She squinted back at him before her eyes widened.

"Frank! What the hell are you doing here!?" She laughed, "Band buddy!"

"Hayley!" Frank exclaimed, grinning at her as he remembered the high school class periods where they hung out talked music. "What the hell are you doing here!?"

She grinned. "My internship brought me down here. Working to be a chief, but the Olympics brought a lot of job opportunities and guess who got chosen to be shipped down!" She laughed, tapping her pen against her notepad. "Where have you been? Haven't heard word from you in months."

"Ah, well, I've been out traveling." Frank shrugged, "Not much reception."

"Good for you." She nodded, "You look happier than you were. Anyway, what can I get for you fine gentlemen?"

The group placed their orders and Hayley scribbled them down accordingly. She smiled once she was done, leaning down to give Frank a hug before walking off towards the kitchen, yelling for someone named "Jaime".

"Who was that?" The Doctor asked as Frank smiled after her.

"She was one of my best friends in school." He said, turning to the time lord. "Damn, I didn't really think about how time goes on here while I'm with you."

A knowing grin passed over the Doctor's face. "I have that effect on people."

"You two are cute, aren't you?" Dan asked, looking between the two of them. "Have you been traveling long?"

"Awhile." Frank replied, glossing over the first comment due to a lack of real response to it. Was cute the word he wanted to use about himself and the Doctor?

"How'd you meet?" Phil asked as Dan scooted closer to him, "We met online before meeting up to go to an anime convention back home."

Dan giggled, causing his eyes to crinkle at their corners from his small grin that came with the soft noise. Phil held back his own giggles, but reached under the table as if to grab Dan's hand.

"It was a rather sudden introduction..." Frank laughed a bit unsurely. He's an alien who's ship landed in my bathtub. That sounded like something that could happen to anyone.

"I was having engine troubles by his building and I happened to run into him." The Doctor smiled, looking at Frank with a quick wink.

Frank nodded, feeling his cheeks heat up. It wasn't exactly a lie, but it was far more believable than the bathtub thing.

Dan looked like he was going to ask something else when his gaze drifted to the window and his eyes grew wide. "Oh my god, it's him!" He hissed, swatting at the air next to Phil to get his attention. By the time everyone turned, a man with green hair was entering the restaurant.

The runner they had been watching race earlier was now in a dark hoodie that he pulled down upon entering. He was looking around the room as if he was searching for someone, not stopping until his eyes landed on the booth that Dan, Phil, Frank, and the Doctor were sitting at. He rushed over with a grin on his face, but it quickly faded.

"Oh... I'm sorry. I though yer friend was someone else..." He apologized with an Irish accent as he rubbed the back of his head.

"No, no, that's fine!" Dan said, shaking his head. He gestured to the end of the table, "Would you care to join us? We just saw you race, awesome by the way."

"Sure." A small smile reappeared on the athlete's face, "Thanks." He grabbed a chair from a nearby table and slid it up to the table before sitting down. "You guys fans?"

"If I had tits I'd ask you to sign them."

"DAN!"

"That's fucking awesome!" Jack laughed, leaning back and clapping his hands together. His hearty laughter fell to giggles as he readjusted upright in his chair. "I really hope ya don't think I'm intrudin'. I honestly thought you were my friend." He turned to the Doctor as he said it, gesturing to his hair. "I just saw the red."

"I may not be your friend yet, but I'd love to become a friend of yours." He stuck out his hand. "I'm the Doctor."

"Call me Jack." The Irishman grinned, sticking out his as well. "Nice t' meet ya."

They went around the table with introductions, finishing just as Hayley came back to the table with drinks and an appetizer of small balls of cheese bread. She quickly jotted down Jack's order and promised to return.

"So, when's your next race?" Dan asked, tossing one of the bread balls at Phil then at Jack.

Jack sighed, catching the piece of food and ripping it into smaller pieces. "Depends on when they get through all the qualifiers. Might not even happen 'til tomorrow because they want to get in the other categories as well."

"How's it feel to be moving on in a freaking Olympic event?" Frank asked, rolling his own bread ball along the table. "I could never be in your shoes... Unless they make sleeping an Olympic event."

The Doctor nodded, "Oh yea, you're good at that." He held a grin on his face as Frank shoved him playfully.

"It's friggin' incredible." Jack nodded, "Even if I hadn't of moved on, just being here with Mark is insane."

"Where is Mark? If you don't mind me asking, of course." Dan asked, slowly getting softer the longer he spoke.

Jack shrugged, pulling the bread into smaller pieces still. "Someone wanted t' talk to him after our race. Some dude in a long coat in the middle of summer?" He looked up, perplexed by the concept of the person's outfit. "Said he'd meet me at a restaurant in town. Then I saw the Doctor's red hair and thought he was here."

"Sorry about that, it hasn't been like this for that long." The Doctor apologized with a sheepish smile.

"Yer fine." Jack waved away his worry. He reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone. "I just hope Mark is..."

"Why?" Frank asked as he threw a bread ball up into the air, catching it in his mouth. He chewed his food and swallowed before continuing, "Bad vibes from the dark coat dude?"

Jack made an unsure noise as he slid his thumb over his phone screen. "Kinda? I dunno... Usually sponcers approach ya after a bigger victory than that. I mean, it's big, but not as big as it could be, if that makes sense." He shrugged, frowning down at his phone.

The table grew quiet. Frank grabbed another bread to throw into the air, but the Doctor caught it. He popped it into his own mouth, giving Frank a side look and a slight grin.

"That's weird..." Jack mumbled, furrowing his eyebrows. "Mark's back at the hotel..."

"Thought he was meeting you here." Dan said from where he was swiping at Phil, who was trying to poke him.

"Thought so too..." Jack trailed off, setting his phone on the table. He sighed as Hayley came back to the table, holding trays of food. That seemed to cheer him a bit, as well as everyone else at the table.

They ate with very little conversation between them. It only really restarted once the food was gone from the plates and the bill was paid.

"Looks like I don't race again until tomorrow." Jack grinned at his phone. He looked up at the four surrounding him. "You guys were real nice to let me enjoy the meal with you. Would ya like t' come hang out? There's video games in my hotel room."

"Yes." Dan answered almost immediately, making the rest of the group giggle. He cleared his throat, "Uh, I mean, that sounds cool, yea."

"Cool." Jack grinned. He gestured for the group to follow him.

Dan and Phil took lead, just behind Jack, as Frank fell back to walk alongside the Doctor. "So, Olympics..." He spoke lowly as the others began to get into a deep conversation about video games.

"Yes, Olympics." The Doctor nodded.

"Dark coat guy at the Olympics?" Frank questioned, looking up at the Doctor.

"I've seen stranger." The Doctor shrugged.

Frank rolled his eyes. "Hardly any casual trips with you end with lack of alien interaction."

"Don't you know me so well." The Doctor laughed, looping his arm with Frank's.

"I know you like fish sticks and custard because of the memories it brings back." Frank said as they turned a corner, "I know you've tried to be a bit over protective because of loss in your past... What I don't know is why me."

The Doctor cocked an eyebrow at Frank. "Why you what?"

"Why me to travel with you?" Frank asked, looking down. "Your companions all sound important in their own way... Why would you pick someone as unimportant and just not special like me."

"Oh, Frankie." The Doctor shook his head, pulling the human closer to his side as they walked. "I've never met someone unimportant or uninteresting. Everyone is special in their own way." He smiled at Frank, "Don't think for a second you don't have significance to my journey."

Frank couldn't help the smile that found his lips. His Doctor really thought that much of him?

He felt a soft touch to the top of his head, not really fully registering what it was until the Doctor began to stand upright again. Had... Had the Doctor just kissed him? Even if it was just a head kiss, had that really just happened?

"MARK!"

Frank turned away from the Doctor for a moment at Jack's exclamation, despite the questions that were suddenly bursting through his head. Jack was running up to the man from the track, who had his back turned to the Irishman. Jack jumped on Mark's back, causing the red headed man to spin with a look of confusion on his face.

"What the fuck?!" Mark exclaimed, swatting at the man on his back.

Jack just laughed, dropping to the ground. "Sorry, Mark, I thought you were going to meet me-"

"Who are you?" Mark asked, raising an eyebrow to Jack with a quizzical look.

Jack's face fell as he looked back at Mark. "It... It's me, Mark. Your Jack-a-boy." His eyes had a look of desperation as he reached out for Mark's hand.

Mark jerked his hand back before Jack could fully grab hold of it. "I don't know any Jack's." He said, looking at Jack with a hint of disgust on his face. "Especially not any that challenge my chances of winning." He sneered.

Jack took a small step back, looking at Mark in disbelief. "My Mark never cared about that." He whispered, shaking his head. "I had to push him to try out!"

Mark shrugged, "People change."

Frank couldn't comprehend the scene in front of him. Down on the field, their exchanges had been so different. The affection between them had been impossible to miss.

"This doesn't seem right..." The Doctor muttered as Jack stepped back further from Mark.

Frank nodded, still watching the exchange but, noticing something off to the side of the scene. He shifted his gaze to see someone in a dark coat standing in the shadows. The figure seemed to be holding something in its hands as it seemed to watch Jack and Mark.

"Doctor." Frank nudged the time lord, jerking his head towards the figure.

The Doctor turned, catching sight of the shady figure. He stared for a moment, looking from the figure to Jack and Mark, then back again. "OI!" He yelled, causing the figure to look towards the Doctor and Frank.

The figure dropped what it was holding before sprinting off. The Doctor dropped his arm from around Frank's and began to sprint after him. While that happened, Jack cried out as Mark fell to the ground. Frank felt frozen for a moment. Did he follow the Doctor, or did he help his friends?

He finally decided to run towards the device that had been dropped to the ground. As Frank picked it up, he noticed that it was a small, rectangular tablet. Its screen was shattered, and it didn't appear to be working anymore.

"What the hell?.." Frank muttered as he turned it over in his hands. These things were so expensive... Who the hell would just drop it?

He heard panting to his side, turning to see the Doctor attempting to run over before doubling over and holding onto his knees.

"Running... Who invented running? I was not built for running, Frankie." He panted, trying to catch his breath.

"Doctor?" Frank hurried over, helping the time lord straighten. The time lord nodded, mumbling that he was alright but still choosing to lean against the human. "What happened?"

"He disappeared is what happened." The Doctor exclaimed in a single breath, shaking his head. "There one second, gone the next!"

"That's not possible, is it?" Frank asked, looking at the Doctor.

"Frankie, we travel through space and time, anything is possible."

Frank rolled his eyes as the Doctor stood upright, tugging at his suit sleeves. He looked over at the rest of their small group, seeing Dan and Phil holding an unconscious Mark on his feet. Jack simply looked panicked.

"C'mon, let's help, shall we?" The Doctor said, beginning to walk towards the group. Frank nodded, looking at the tablet in his hands curiously as he followed the Doctor.

---

A/N~ THIS UPDATE HAD SO MANY INTERRUPTIONS FUUUUUUUUUUUUUDGING HELL I'm sorry if it felt weak ugh I diverted a bit from my original concept I may just rewrite the whole thing later?.. Just don't mind me as I scream into the abyss ^.^

PS, Brazilian food looks so good I need it I'm my life

~Skittkes Out~