Notes: The characters aren't mine, and the story is! This is a fic I wrote as a prompt for the Classic Who Secret Santa exchange on tumblr. This piece takes place during early Season 6B.
The day began like any other—a brief morning meal at the TARDIS breakfast table, shared by one Gallifreyan and one Scot. The Doctor, with his alien metabolism, had no need for breakfast, but Jamie and his human metabolism did. The Doctor knew that it would make his human companion happy to share meals with him. And, come to think of it, sharing meals made the Doctor happy, as well.
There was a rather noticeable aura of happiness on the TARDIS that morning. For the moment, the Celestial Intervention Agency had no missions for them, and it was nearing Christmastime. The Doctor and Jamie had shared many Christmases together before, but that didn't lessen the joy and anticipation that this upcoming Christmas would bring. The Doctor was musing over what to plan when Jamie arrived at the breakfast table, carrying a book on the Renaissance.
"I'm pleased to see that you've taken initiative on your reading," the Doctor noted, always supportive whenever Jamie was seeking to expand his knowledge.
"Aye," Jamie said. "I was looking at a picture of this painting, ye know? They call it the Mona Lisa. No one e'er talked aboot this when I was a laddie, e'en though it was before my time."
"Ah, yes, the Mona Lisa," the Doctor mused. "It is, indeed, a masterpiece. Leonardo was truly a genius."
Jamie sat down at the table, staring at the Doctor in surprise.
"Ye mean this Leonardo chappie was real?"
"But of course!" the Doctor said, also looking surprised. "Why would you think that he didn't exist?"
"I di'n think there really was a giant turtle who used swords and lived with his brothers under the streets of New York," Jamie explained.
The Doctor gave Jamie a long look.
"…You've been watching those cartoons again, haven't you, Jamie?"
Jamie blushed.
"Aye, well… We di'n have those when I was a laddie, either… We just sat aroond the fire and told stories."
"Yes, and for the best, it would seem," the Doctor sighed, good-naturedly. "Well, I was referring to one of your species, actually—a genius among your kind, I should say. Leonardo da Vinci—who, in case you were wondering, was the one your beloved cartoon turtle was named after."
"Oh, aye."
"He lived in Italy in the Renaissance era…" the Doctor explained. "And he wasn't just an artist, you know; he was a scientist—a highly advanced one, considering the time! Why, do you know, he was even developing ways for mankind to fly?"
Jamie gave the Doctor a look.
"He was trying to invent those flying beasties—I mean, aeroplanes?" the piper asked, intrigued.
"Well, no, not aeroplanes. Leonardo's flying machines were gliders—wings that you could wear, allowing you to glide. If only I could show you…" The Doctor trailed off, a smirk playing about his lips.
A forkful of food paused on its way to Jamie's mouth as he caught sight of the Doctor's expression.
"I know that look," Jamie said. "Ye're going t' take us to this Leonardo chappie, aren't ye?"
"Well, what the point in having a craft that can travel through time and space if you can't meet the notable people?" the Doctor asked. "You finish your breakfast; I'll program the coordinates into the console."
To keep Jamie company, the Doctor quickly ate a slice of toast with marmalade and darted off to the console room. The piper just shook his head, and feasted on the breakfast spread until he'd had his fill. He also pocketed several oatcakes in his sporran for later, knowing from prior experience that when the Doctor was in his adventurous mood, mealtime tended to be forgotten.
Jamie joined the Doctor in the console room just as the Time Lord was throwing the switch. The central column rose and fell repeatedly as they traveled through the Time Vortex once again.
The Doctor gleefully opened the doors upon their rematerialization.
"Welcome to Renaissance-era Florence, Jamie."
The piper was about to look around, but the Doctor beckoned him to follow.
"This way, Jamie, this way. Leonardo's workshop is right around here," the Doctor said, leading the way. "We've met before, you see—actually, he's met another one of my people, the Meddling Monk—another renegade."
"Was he in yer group of school friends, too?"
"…Now really, Jamie; what makes you think that all of my school friends were renegades?" the Doctor huffed. But then, he sighed. "You're right, though. Mortimus—the Monk—was in our little gang of ten, along with Magnus—the War Chief—and Koschei. Though they didn't all become renegades; I should like to point that out."
"Just most of them did," Jamie teased.
"Yes—Jamie!" the Doctor chided. "You, of all people, should be more grateful about the fact that I did become a renegade!"
"Oh, I am, Doctor, I am," the Scot insisted.
"Hmph. Well, at any rate, Leonardo did get a bit of help from the Monk in regards to these wonderful flying machines. …Not to say, of course, that he couldn't have done it without his help."
"Of course…"
"Anyway, I expect we can have a nice, long chat with Leonardo about the topic. …Hello, what's this…?" The Doctor trailed off.
"It's some sort of notice," Jamie observed. "On the door of this Leonardo chappie's workshop."
"So it seems…" the Doctor said, frowning as the TARDIS translated the notice for them. "And I don't think I like it."
Visitors are not allowed upon these premises,
By order of Captain Tancredi.
Jamie let out a quiet sigh.
"That's it, then, aye? We're nae allowed in."
The Doctor's lined face furrowed into a deep scowl.
"Not allowed?" he scoffed. "Not allowed?! Who is this Captain Tancredi to forbid Leonardo's acquaintances from visiting him!?"
"Ye're his acquaintance, nae me."
"Yes, well, you're practically family."
"Aye, but the point is we shouldnae be here," Jamie said. "It's an order by someone in authority."
"Jamie, I am a Gallifreyan renegade. You are a Jacobite rebel. Defiance in the face of nonsensical or dictatorial orders is what we do best; now, come on!"
Jamie silently admitted that the Doctor had a good point; he followed the Doctor inside the workshop.
"Leonardo?" the Doctor asked. "Oh, he's not even in here! Must be out for a meal, I suppose…"
"This place is a mess," Jamie declared, looking at all of the contraptions, paintings, canvases, and charts and drawings everywhere. The piper looked again, pausing as the blank canvases caught his attention. "Doctor, look at these canvases."
"What about them?" the Doctor asked, paying attention elsewhere.
"Well, we're in Italy, aye? Someone has written 'This is a fake' on all of these blank canvases… in English."
"Well, it's probably just the TARDIS translating it again… Oh, my giddy aunt. You're right; that is written in English." The Doctor let out a deep sigh. "More than that, it's in my own handwriting."
"What!?" Jamie exclaimed.
"Well, I'd recognize it anywhere, wouldn't I?" the Doctor countered. "Oh, and look; I've left a note here for Leonardo. …Something very strange is going on here, Jamie. …Well, let's forget about it; it's clearly in my future, and not any of my concern now." He clapped his hands together. "Let's see, now; where are those glider wings?"
"Aren't ye the least bit curious as to what all this is aboot?" Jamie inquired.
"Well, certainly," the Doctor sighed. "But I'm content with the knowledge that I'll find out eventually. Perhaps it'll also explain why this Captain Tancredi wanted to forbid anyone from entering Leonardo's workshop. …Aha, look what we have here!"
Jamie walked over to where the Doctor was standing, seeing him lift some large glider wings.
"And there are two sets! Help me carry these outside, Jamie."
"Should we nae ask Leonardo's permission?" the piper asked, staring uneasily at the wings.
"Oh, don't fuss about that; Leonardo and I have an understanding. I'm welcome in his workshop at any time and can help myself to anything in it; that's why I know that this Captain Tancredi can't do anything about our being here."
Jamie shrugged and helped to carry a pair of wings outside.
"We shall have to find a hill of some sort," the Doctor said. "And I'm sure Leonardo has his sketches, on which he would have calculated the ideal height to use these wings from. Half a moment, Jamie; I'll be right back with the sketches."
The piper sighed as the Doctor headed back inside the workshop, idly digging the toe of his shoe into the ground. The sound of marching feet approaching him made him look up in time to see some soldiers being led by a man with long, gray hair—heading right for Leonardo's workshop, by the looks of it.
Jamie quickly darted back inside and began tugging on the Doctor's sleeve.
"Not now, Jamie!" he chided. "I need to go through the sketches until I find the ones I'm looking for!"
Jamie glanced towards the door; he could see the men coming closer. He continued to tug on the Doctor's sleeve.
"Jamie, I told you—"
The piper decided that he wasn't going to wait. He wrapped his strong arms around the little Time Lord—sketches and all—and balanced him over his right shoulder before bolting from the workshop.
The soldiers, seeing them flee, began to pursue them while the Doctor was both unaware and very annoyed.
"Jamie! James Robert McCrimmon, you put me down right now!" he scolded, before finally noticing the soldiers. "Oh, my word! Never mind, Jamie—keep running!"
But Jamie was forced to stop as reinforcements came from the opposite direction. He placed the Doctor down from his shoulder and then clung to him as they were quickly surrounded.
The Doctor gave their captors a sheepish grin as the man with the long hair now stepped forward.
"I would like to know what the two of you were doing in that workshop," he said. "After I had placed a notice that no one was to enter."
"Ah, so you're Captain Tancredi," the Doctor said. "We didn't mean any intrusion. I was just there to catch up with an old friend."
"Leonardo has been commissioned by myself on a highly important project and cannot be disturbed," Captain Tancredi said. "He is due to return to his workshop and begin for the day, and you are both trespassers. I would like to know how you got here." His eyes flickered towards Jamie. "…As your clothing is something of an anomaly…"
"Eh?" Jamie asked.
"I've never seen a Jacobite rebel wearing a jumper that appears to have been purchased at Harrods."
The Doctor's eyes widened.
"I beg your pardon?!"
"Your clothing, as well," Tancredi sneered. "You aren't the first temporal anomalies to vex me with your presence this morning; I had the misfortune of meeting a maddening fool with wide eyes and a scarf a mile long."
"Oh, no…" the Doctor said, wincing.
"I see you are familiar with the Doctor?" Tancredi asked.
"Familiar?" Jamie asked. "He—ow!"
The Doctor elbowed him in the ribs.
"We are well acquainted, yes," the Doctor said. "I only regret that I missed him this morning."
"I found out quite a lot about him while he was here," Tancredi said. "I found out that he is a Time Lord."
"Oh, really?" the Doctor asked, looking innocent as he could possibly be. "Did you hear that, Jamie?"
"Aye, incredible…"
"Don't tell me you didn't know," the captain sneered.
The Doctor shrugged.
"And you're going to tell me everything I need to know about the Time Lords right now," Tancredi insisted. "Their biological makeup, their weaknesses… everything."
"Oh, well, I'm not so sure I could give you much information on them at all," the Doctor bluffed, with a meek chuckle. "Why, Jamie and I have only met the Doctor on the odd occasion; isn't that right, Jamie?"
"Aye, John; he's certainly odd!"
The Doctor gave him a dark look for a moment before looking innocently up at Tancredi, who didn't look convinced.
"And where does he come from?" the Jagaroth-in-disguise inquired.
"Oh, goodness; there's no use asking me. I've never had a good head for names," the Doctor said.
"Or faces," Jamie added, flatly, and then yelped as the Doctor elbowed him in the ribs a second time.
"I believe it started with the letter G…" the Doctor continued. "What was it, now? Galvaniser! No, no—Galveston!"
"Galvantula?" Jamie offered, causing the Doctor to stare at him.
"What…?"
"I heard it someplace…" Jamie responded, with a shrug.
Tancredi was quickly growing frustrated.
"I can see that this line of questioning won't work for you any more than it did for the Doctor," he said. "Perhaps the thumbscrews will work for you, as well."
"The what!?" the Doctor yelped, as Jamie clung to him.
Tancredi responded with a satisfied smirk before turning to the two soldiers nearest to him.
"You, clap them in irons, and you, fetch the thumbscrews."
"Now wait just a minute!" the Doctor exclaimed. "We were only visiting an old friend of mine; there's no need to be nasty about this whole thing!"
"Captain?" the first soldier asked, quietly. "I only have one pair of irons…"
"Then chain them together," Tancredi responded, with a roll of his eyes.
"I protest this horrendous treatment!" the Doctor fumed, as the soldier chained his right wrist to Jamie's left.
"This treatment will end once you give me the information I've been seeking," Tancredi hissed.
"But we already told ye; we don' know the details aboot the Doctor!" the piper lied.
"Then let's move on to something else," Tancredi said. "How did you get here, in 1505?"
"Ah," the Doctor said. "Well… We managed to procure a vortex manipulator."
Jamie forced himself not to react in surprise to that response.
"I'm not familiar with that device," Tancredi said, arching an eyebrow. "…I must ask you, of course, to hand it over."
"Well, I don't carry it with me," the Doctor huffed. "It's hidden."
"Where is it hidden?"
"Well, I don't remember… My memory isn't what it used to be, you see. Oh, I'm not at all worried; it'll turn up eventually, and we'll be on our way soon enough…"
"Perhaps the Jacobite knows?" Tancredi asked.
"Och, don' ask me; he ne'er tells me anything…" Jamie said. "…I cannae understand most of that futuristic nonsense, anyway."
"I have a feeling you're both being deliberately deceptive," Tancredi frowned.
"Oh, Captain, you wound us!" the Doctor gasped.
"Aye," Jamie added, putting on a hurt expression.
"The true wounding will soon happen," Tancredi sneered, turning to receive the thumbscrews from the soldier.
And the Doctor seized his chance.
"Jamie, the ones behind us," he whispered. "Now!"
The piper and the Time Lord both synchronized their movements, taking the soldiers around them by surprise as they unleashed a one-handed version of Venusian Aikido. They both bolted, keen on putting as much distance as they could between themselves and Captain Tancredi.
"Back the way we came!" the Doctor instructed, as Tancredi and his soldiers gave chase. "We need to pick up the wings!"
"Why!?"
"Well, for one thing, they're Leonardo's property. I shan't be able to face him if anything happens to them!"
"Doctorrrrrrrrrrr…" Jamie groaned in exasperation.
"Just pick them up and run!"
Jamie decided not to question the instruction any further; seamlessly, the two of them gathered the wings on the run and continued. As they fled, a couple of the soldiers were marveling at how the duo didn't seem to be impeded at all in their retreat, despite being chained to each other.
"One would think they were used to running while in such constant, close proximity to each other…" one of them mused.
It transpired that the Doctor and Jamie were so used it, it hadn't been long before they had both forgotten completely that they were chained together. The duo assumed that the odd looks they were getting from passersby as they ran were entirely due to the glider wings they were carrying.
It was at that unfortunate moment that a donkey cart full of fruit ended up crossing their path.
"Jump, Jamie, jump!"
They used the wooden slats on the side of the cart to give them the boost they needed to clear it and continue running once they landed on solid ground. This feat earned them stunned silence from their pursuers, along with the applause of some civilians who had seen them perform it.
"Don't gawk!" Tancredi snapped at his soldiers. "After them!"
"Doctor, it didn't work," Jamie gasped, taking a quick glance behind them to see the soldiers still in pursuit. "They're still after us!"
"So I see…" the Doctor gasped.
"This way!" a third voice called to them.
The piper and the Time Lord paused, seeing a hand sticking out of an alleyway up ahead, beckoning them in.
"…This is suspiciously convenient…" Jamie murmured. "I don' think we should trust that hand, Doctor."
"It's alright Jamie," the Doctor said, with a resigned sigh. "I recognize that voice…"
The piper looked puzzled, but followed the Doctor into the alleyway. They ducked behind an abandoned, broken cart and clung to each other as the soldiers ran by them.
"It worked," Jamie breathed.
"Yes, wonderful thing, alleyways. Unfortunately, Captain Tancredi doesn't give up easily," said the third voice. "And there's more to him than meets the eye."
Both Jamie and the Doctor now turned to see a curly-haired man with a long scarf wrapped around him.
"Breaking the First Law of Time a little early this morning, aren't we?" Jamie's Doctor scoffed.
"Nothing you haven't done before," the Scarf Doctor responded. "I have some very unpleasant memories as the Dandy on those occasions when you showed up out of the blue…"
"It was a lucky thing for him that I did!"
"As it's a lucky thing for you that I'm here now…"
"Can one of ye explain what's going on?" Jamie said.
"Oh, hello, Jamie!" Scarf Doctor said, with a wide grin, taking a moment to glance at the piper. "Always a great pleasure to see you again. Pity it had to be like this, with you still chained to my former self."
"Chained? What do ye mean chained? Oh, aye; I'd forgotten…"
The Scarf Doctor chuckled for a moment before using his sonic screwdriver to unchain them.
"It's not that we're not grateful," Jamie's Doctor said, though his grumpy expression stated otherwise. "But what are you doing here after you clearly just escaped Tancredi not too long ago, from his perspective?"
"I'd just finished up some business in Paris in relation to this Tancredi business. I really cannot explain this to you without possibly creating a paradox as a nasty side-effect, and we don't want that, do we?"
"No, but I don't need to be bailed out by my future self!" Jamie's Doctor fumed.
"I think it's only fair; you got to run around with the others and stop Borusa to save me after I was stuck in the Time Vortex. …Salamander offers you his most sincere vows of revenge, by the way."
Jamie laughed aloud at that.
"I expect he would," Jamie's Doctor sighed.
"Indeed. Now, in regards to Tancredi, I had to move the Old Girl from where you'd left her—couldn't risk having her fall into Tancredi's hands, you see. He's desperate to get his hands on some method of time travel."
"Yes, I intuited that after he started questioning me about you," the younger Doctor grumped. "Where did you leave her?"
"In the Piazza del Duomo; you can't miss her."
"The Piazza del Duomo!?" Jamie's Doctor sputtered.
"Where is that?" Jamie asked.
"It's a bit of a walk," his Doctor responded. "Why there, for pity's sake?"
"Contradicting the Old Girl never accomplishes much, does it?" Scarf Doctor responded, with a shrug. "She chose the location."
"Can ye nae just let us go in yer TARDIS and go to our TARDIS that way?" Jamie asked, not looking forward to trying to sneak to the piazza while avoiding Tancredi's men.
"The TARDIS is a bit too temperamental for short hops; I've told you before, Jamie," his Doctor sighed. "We'll just have to walk, and find someone to give these wings back to Leonardo."
"Just leave them in the TARDIS; I'll bring them back when I visit again," the Scarf Doctor said. "Oh, and Jamie, before I go…"
The piper blinked as the older Doctor handed him a folded letter.
"Just a little Christmas present; but he's not to know about it," he said, tapping his nose with his index finger as Jamie's Doctor scowled. "Details about his future—my past—so he simply mustn't know. But it's something that will put your mind at ease, and I trust you with this knowledge. Read it once you're back in the TARDIS."
"Aye," Jamie promised, placing it in his sporran. "Thank ye."
"Yes, thank you," Jamie's Doctor grumbled.
The Scarf Doctor tipped his hat and darted off.
"He seems pleasant…" Jamie said.
"Well, of course you'd think so," his Doctor responded. "Now, come along; we have to get to the TARDIS before Tancredi does!"
"E'en if he gets to her first, he's nae going t' be going anywhere…" Jamie pointed out. "We have the keys."
"All the same, I'd rather not subject her to having his nasty hands on her," the Doctor insisted. He took a peek out around them to make sure that the coast was clear. "It's alright; let's go!"
"Do we take the wings?"
"Yes, of course we take the wings. My other self already said that he would take care of them! And I already told you—"
"Aye, I know, ye won't be able t' face Leonardo," the piper sighed, carrying one of the pairs of wings again. "Ye di'n say exactly how far this piazza was, Doctor. Just how long of a walk have we got?"
"Well, if my calculations are correct, we can divert our path here and take a back alley and save us a few minutes," the Doctor said, darting down another alley.
"Aye, but ye still di'n say how much—"
He was cut off as the Doctor screeched to a halt; Jamie just barely managed to avoid colliding with him.
"Oh dear…" the Time Lord murmured. "Oh dear, oh dear…"
Further down the new alley were a couple of Tancredi's men, asking some people nearby if they had seen two foreigners who were chained together.
"What do we do?" Jamie hissed.
"Well, we just walk right by them and act nonchalant."
"What?!"
"They're looking for two people chained together, aren't they?" the Doctor mused. "We're not chained. Just hold the wings so that they're blocking the view of your face, and we should have no problems."
Jamie wasn't so sure about this, but he decided to follow the Doctor anyway, convinced that even if they were found out, he'd be better off with the Doctor than separated from him.
The soldiers were still questioning some other civilians as the Doctor slipped by them, not even drawing a second glance. But one of them turned to Jamie as he walked by, aiming to ask him next.
Jamie panicked; his instincts told him to run, and so, he did, rushing past the Doctor with a quick shout. The Time Lord was only slightly vexed; he hadn't really expected his little ploy to work, anyway.
"The piazza, Doctor!" Jamie yelped. "Which way do I run?"
"Ah, yes… To the left! No! No, wait; don't go left!" The Doctor glanced at the wings in his hands. "…I've got a better idea."
"What do ye mean?"
"Go right, Jamie; if we go left, we'll only lead Tancredi's men right to the Old Girl, and we can't have that!"
"But what good does it do us to run the other way!?"
"Because I have a maneuver in mind that will get us there more quickly if we go the other way!"
Puzzled, Jamie just followed, with the soldiers right behind them. As they ran, it became clearer that the Doctor was heading for some sort of bell tower.
"What is that?" the piper asked.
"Giotto's Bell Tower!" the Doctor exclaimed. "Completed in 1359!"
"Why are we going to that old bell tower!?" Jamie asked.
"Just trust me, Jamie! We'll be back in the TARDIS in time for lunch!"
"Oh, aye; ye have the Stattenheim?"
"Not at all!" the Time Lord responded, cheerfully. "Now be sure to conserve your breath, Jamie; we shall be climbing the stairs—all 414 of them!"
Aye, so that's it; he wants to tire out the soldiers, the piper thought. It'll work, presuming I can last that long.
Jamie dug deep into his innate Highlander's stamina as they ascended the stairs; it lasted him for a while. Both he and the Doctor had to stop and rest every so often.
"I think… it's working…" Jamie gasped, at one of their rests. "They've… fallen behind."
"Good. Very good. We're nearly there, Jamie," the Doctor sighed, after taking a few more gasps of air and a few gulps of water from a canteen he had somehow pulled from one of his pockets. "Not much longer now."
He passed the canteen to Jamie, who drank greedily from it.
"Ye know, Doctor… I'm grateful I could spend this Christmas with ye in Florence," he said. "But I much prefer that time we went t' New York with Ben and Polly."
"…I still have that hat you gave me. And the card."
"Ye would," the piper mused, smiling in spite of himself. He drained the rest of the canteen and picked up the wings he had placed down as he heard footsteps coming from below. "Aye, let's go; they're catching up."
Once the two darted up the last of the 414 stairs, the Doctor led Jamie out onto the terrace.
"Now then, Jamie; there's only one last thing left to do…"
To the Scot's astonishment, the Doctor began to strap the wings to his own arms.
"Doctor… Doctor, no. Ye cannae be serious!"
"Down there is the piazza," the Time Lord explained, silently nodding at Jamie to put his own wings on. "Oh, don't worry, Jamie; I told you already that the Monk had his hand in the creation of these wings! I can assure you that they will work. And believe me, after that climb we had, gliding down will…" The Doctor trailed off as one man now stepped out onto the terrace.
"Captain Tancredi!?" Jamie exclaimed, as he tightened the straps on his own wings. "But I don' understand… How can he…?"
The Doctor's eyes narrowed, and he leaned towards Jamie.
"He can't be human," he murmured to the piper. "Be careful."
"I must say, you give the reputation of the Highlanders credit; I'm impressed with your stamina," Tancredi said, glancing at Jamie. He then looked at the Doctor. "Yours, as well—wherever you're from. …You're one of the Doctor's people, aren't you?"
"You don't seem to be human yourself," the Doctor countered. "Unless there's a lift in this tower that I don't know about."
"Don't turn this conversation away from you," Tancredi said, coldly.
"In all honestly, we're both quite finished with this conversation," the Doctor said. "And I'm confident with the knowledge that, wherever you're from, the gravitational force of this planet will still have the same effect on you! Now, Jamie!"
The Doctor leaped over the edge of the terrace, the wings allowing him to glide. Jamie followed. Tancredi scowled as they took the quick way down, but he fully expected that his men would be able to find them again.
The flight—if one could call it that—was brief, but enjoyable, though Jamie had to admit that he might have considered wearing something other than his kilt for it. Still, once his feet were on solid ground, and the Doctor, having unstrapped his wings, was looking up at Tancredi on the balcony through his spyglass, he decided that he might be willing to try it again… though not for a little while.
"Oh, he's furious—absolutely furious," the Doctor said, grinning from ear to ear.
"Aye, but, Doctor, the TARDIS is over there; we should probably get going…"
"Half a moment, Jamie; I want to enjoy this…"
The piper fidgeted as he unstrapped his own wings, and then froze as he saw Tancredi's soldiers enter the piazza and realized why the captain could afford to glare at them from the bell tower's balcony.
"Doctor!" Jamie exclaimed, grabbing onto the Time Lord's arm.
"Nearly finished, nearly finished…"
"Doctor," the piper said, suddenly taking on a serious tone. "Don' make me carry ye again."
This brought the Doctor around, who noticed Tancredi's men and let out a quick yelp of alarm. He, too, grabbed onto Jamie, and the both of them grabbed for their wings. In a tangled mess of arms and wings, they somehow made it to the interior of the TARDIS and dematerialized.
"Well, no doubt our departure will have helped Tancredi figure out that old Scarf-and-Hat and I are one and the same," the Doctor sighed. "As it is, I can forget about him for the next couple of centuries… And I can forget these wings, too. You'd best give me your wings, Jamie; I'll put them away in the wardrobe for now."
"Aye," the piper said, handing over his set. And as the Doctor walked off with them, Jamie pulled out the letter that the other Doctor had given him.
My dear Jamie,
It was a pleasure to see you again, though I do wish that our next encounter can be a bit longer. You'll see me again; we can have some friendly conversation when that happens. You'll like meeting Leela; she enjoyed meeting you, as well.
There is more to this letter than just pleasantries, of course. First, I want you to put Tancredi completely out of your mind. You needn't worry about him any further. True, he was about to prevent the existence of you and every other creature on Earth, but that threat is now over.
Another thing I wanted to tell you was to keep your chin up. If my memory serves me correctly, Goth is going to attempt to ruin your holiday with my former self by giving the both of you a mission to do. It's nothing you can't accomplish, and you'll complete it in time for Christmas; I should know. Goth's feelings towards you haven't changed, and they never will, I'm sorry to say. But it may satisfy you to know that Goth will eventually fall victim to his own thirst for ambition, and in my presence, and his name and everything he stood for will undoubtedly fall into the mists of time, and none shall ever praise him.
But you, Jamie… You've helped the people of so many worlds across time and space, and there is still so much in store for you and my former self. Believe me when I say that they will know your name—that you will be the stuff of legends across the galaxy. It's already started, and it's far from finished.
But even that is irrelevant to what I really wanted to say. During our first Christmas together, you wrote me a note on a card, thanking me for making you happy when you didn't think it was possible. I want you to know, Jamie, that you did the same for me countless times over—especially during this time when Goth had the upper hand on us. It is because of you that I can, amazingly, look back so very fondly upon this time of forced servitude to the Agency. So thank you, Jamie, for making me happy, and for giving me the opportunity to return the favor.
Happy Christmas.
Love,
The Doctor
The piper just smiled as he read and reread the letter before fondly placing it back in his sporran. Just as the Doctor had kept his note, Jamie fully intended to keep this one.
Jamie's Doctor now reentered the console room as Jamie put the letter away.
"That's taken care of the wings; we'll have to visit Leonardo some other time. I'd still like for you to meet this genius… What are you smiling at?"
"Nothing," Jamie mused. "…I did have fun in Florence, ye know, even with Tancredi chasing after us."
"Well, I am glad to hear that!" the Doctor said, with a grin. "Oh, I do wish you could have seen the look on Tancredi's face after we'd landed—the sourest expression you'd ever seen…"
The scanner screen flickered to life, interrupting the Doctor as Goth's image appeared on the screen.
"…Oh, what do you want?" the Doctor finished, as his lined face began to form into a deep frown. "It's nearly Christmas, for pity's sake!"
"As an emissary of the Celestial Intervention Agency, you have better things to do than indulge in decadent, primitive holidays!" Goth responded, with a smirk. "Unless you'd rather we impose your sentence of exile so that you may celebrate it at your leisure?"
"Ah, no, no; I can postpone whatever it was we had planned," the Doctor said, visibly frustrated.
"Good. There is a compact but highly dangerous weapon that is somewhere in the intergalactic black market. It needs to be retrieved and locked in the vault with the rest of the Omega Arsenal."
"And you trust me with this?" the Doctor asked.
"As long as you wish to travel with the ape, I trust that you'll comply completely, despite your inherent dislike of weaponry," Goth responded.
The Doctor exhaled, biting back the retort he wanted to unleash.
"Very well," he said, at last.
"Good," Goth said, a satisfied look on his face. "I'll send you the coordinates."
The screen went blank again, and the Doctor cursed in his own tongue.
"Trust him to ruin a perfectly lovely day!" he fumed, shaking a fist at the screen.
"It's alright, Doctor," Jamie said, gently clutching at the Time Lord's shoulder again. "Let's just get the wee gadget they want and then get back to our holiday."
"Yes," the Doctor sighed, looking back at Jamie with a softening expression. "You're taking this well."
"Aye, well, we had an unexpected adventure in Florence; I'm sure we can have a lot of adventures with this intergalactic black market. Besides, we can do our Christmas shopping there."
"I wouldn't recommend it," the Doctor said. "The quality of most of those hawkers' wears leaves much to be desired. The food is half-decent, though. And the drinks…" He chuckled. "Well, let's just say that there isn't anything quite like deep space whiskey with a slice of ginger in it."
As the TARDIS headed for the next destination, the Doctor and Jamie began to plan for some enjoyment amidst all their work. And it wasn't long before the unwillingness of their excursion was soon forgotten. If Goth had intended to make the pair miserable with this mission, then he would be sorely mistaken, for the Doctor and Jamie had found out long ago that it was impossible to remain miserable for long in each other's company—something for which they would eternally grateful.