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It was winter. Snow was drifting down as Yaz trekked it from her car to the bakery at 3 a.m. She wrapped her coat tighter against her body, although the chilly breeze seemed to go straight through her. She drew her gloved hand out of her pocket to retrieve the keys, managing to fumble with the key ring and ultimately dropping them. Damn her stiff fingers! Just as she bent to pick them up she heard a strange wooshing and groaning coming from nearby. Yaz didn't want to brave the cold anymore, and she could hardly see, so she ignored it and opened up the shop. Just as she was about to close and lock the door behind her she noticed the sound of her name faintly in the distance.
“Yaz! Hey!”
“Doctor?” Yaz called out into the foggy morning.
“Oh good! I'm glad I caught up to you,” The Doctor puffed once she was standing in front of the young woman - she was still wearing the same outfit as all the other times she'd come to visit, how wasn't she freezing to death? “Wasn't sure if you'd be here yet.”
“Believe me, I wish I wasn't here. Get in before you catch your death! Aren't you cold?” Yaz shepherded the ever enigmatic woman into the building.
“Oh, erm, sort of? To be honest I don't really notice temperature changes on Earth,” She responded.
Yaz was always fascinated by the tall tales that seemed to slip out of the Doctor's mouth so easily. It was quite impressive, really. She shrugged and moved to the kitchen to get the ovens running, acting as her heater too. She removed her gloves, coat and beanie before grabbing out things she needed to begin her morning routine.
“So, what brings you here at this hour then, eh?” Yaz asked as she took out some dough that had been proofing from the day before.
“I was in the area, decided to take my chances and see if you were here. Guess I got lucky,” The Doctor said as she stepped into the kitchen.
Yaz was kneading some of the dough and kept her eye on the blonde woman as she wandered around, inspecting cupboards and machines.
“Yeah, it was almost perfect timing,” Yaz mused as she set the dough into a loaf tin. “Surely you didn't come this early in the morning just to try and see me.”
“And why is that so hard to believe? Well, it's also partially because I'm letting the boys rest. We had a long day yesterday running around and fixing a giant bug problem.”
“What is it that you do, exactly, Doctor?”
“Oh, just odd jobs here and there. Think of me as a bit of a freelancer!”
Yaz didn't really believe the Doctor. From all her visits to the bakery and the odd things she says, the young woman wasn't convinced it was that simple of an answer. But she wasn't going to make the Doctor explain herself if she didn't want to.
“You travel a lot from the sounds of it. Do you get to see much of the world then?”
“Yeah! Of course! Although I do get to traverse the stars. Perks of being me,” The Doctor grinned.
Yaz really couldn't figure this woman out. She was lovely, of course, but she also seemed a little batty.
“Right,” Yaz smiled indulgently. “So, you're here to hang out with me because you've got some down time, and you didn't want to disturb the boys. What about you? Don't you need to sleep?”
“Nope, didn't feel like it.”
“O-kay…” Yaz nodded. “Are you sure you don't need a pick-me-up or something? A coffee or a pastry?”
“Well, if you're offering…” The Doctor looked all too excited at the prospect of a baked good. “How about one of your cinnamon swirls?”
Yaz laughed and nodded, she should have expected that. The only thing the Doctor ever ordered was the famous cinnamon swirls.
“All right, all right. I need to make a few batches anyway, do you think you can wait?” Yaz said as she loaded the oven with trays full of bread tins.
“I'll be on my best behaviour, I promise!” The Doctor grabbed a nearby stool and took a seat near Yaz's workbench. Now that she was working in close proximity to the ovens, she was working up a bit of a sweat mixing and kneading things - the biting cold outside completely forgotten. By the time Yaz was slathering the delicious cinnamon mixture on to the dough and shaping them into their snail shell pattern, the Doctor was practically vibrating on her seat. Yaz swapped out the bread for the swirls, letting the freshly baked bread cool in their tins for a few minutes before taking them out and arranging them in the wooden boxes behind the service counter. The Doctor was glued by the oven, watching through the window as minutes went by and the dough began to puff out and brown. The sight made Yaz giggle as she prepared the glaze for later as it was still rather early for them to be put out in the display cabinet.
“Are they done yet?” The Doctor asked, not taking her eyes away from the buns in the oven.
“No, Doctor. Wait until the timer goes off,” Yaz answered - she was now occupying herself with wholemeal and seed breads.
“Okay… What about now?”
“Did the timer go off?”
“No…”
“There's your answer.”
Lucky the Doctor waited patiently for the timer after that, allowing Yaz to prepare more of the baked goods in silence. The harsh, sudden ringing of the timer made Yaz jump so she stopped what she was doing to open the oven.
“They're ready!” The Doctor could hardly contain her excitement.
“Stand back, I don't want to accidentally burn you with the trays,” Yaz said as she transported the trays to the bench top where cooling racks were stationed nearby.
“Please, can I just have one now fresh from the oven?” The Doctor looked like a puppy with those pretty eyes and that adorable pout.
“Oh jeez, all right. But only one! I'll pack another one up for you once they've all cooled down.”
“Yes! Thanks Yaz!”
And so, Yaz continued her morning routine of preparing various baked goods while the strange but endlessly entertaining woman sat obediently on her stool, nibbling away at her cinnamon swirl. It was nice having someone keep her company in the morning, although she knew this would be a one off. If her boss found out she had a customer in with her this early she'd probably get an earful about professionalism. By 7 a.m. the shop was ready to open and Yaz had to say goodbye to the Doctor.
“Thanks for hanging around. It was nice having someone to talk to,” Yaz said as she packed up a cinnamon swirl (glazed this time) for her friend.
“Thanks for having me. It was fun watching you work! Do you think I could come by again sometime?”
“I don't see why not.”
“Great! I'll see you around, Yaz!” The Doctor said as she took the bag from the young woman, leaving something in her hand in exchange.
“See you later, Doctor,” And with that, the mysterious blonde woman was off.
Yaz turned the close sign to open and went behind the counter before opening her hand. In it was a £20 note! Yaz shook her head and smiled before slipping the note into the charity jar that sat on the counter.
Honestly, that woman was unbelievable.