Disclaimer: 'Doctor Who' and all characters etc. related to it belong to the BBC. I am just borrowing them for a while.

Doctor Who: The Vault of Days

A Multi-Doctor Adventure

Chapter 1: The Three Doctors

The TARDIS was gone. Amy stood and stared, disbelieving, at the space between the trees where it had stood.

"That's… not good, is it?" said Rory softly.

"No. No it is not," said the Doctor. Amy and Rory watched as he paced back and forth on the spot where the TARDIS had disappeared. He made passes at the surroundings with his sonic screwdriver, occasionally pausing to shake it with frustration.

It had all happened in a few seconds. Amy, Rory and the Doctor had been approaching the glade when they heard the unique 'vwoosh vwoosh' of the TARDIS engine. They had begun to run and reached the glade just in time to see the blue box fade away.

Amy took Rory's hand. The surrounding pine trees had seemed magical when she arrived yesterday. Now they seemed wild, even alien; things from a distant past that she did not belong to. She called over to the Doctor:

"So… we're stranded then?"

"Yes," he said, still scanning the trees.

"In the nineteenth century? In Bavaria?"

"Yes."

"So we're reallystranded?"

"Yes, Pond we are!" cried the Doctor, turning to face her at last, "Now be quiet. I'm trying to think…"

"Haven't you got a way to bring it back?" asked Rory, "Like a recall button or something?"

"Yes, but whoever has taken the TARDIS has deactivated it," said the Doctor, dismissing the suggestion with a wave of his hand.

"Someone's taken it?" said Amy, "But who…?"

"I don't know!" snapped the Doctor, "Just let me think for a moment!

"Let's see… Eighteen eighty five: no wireless communication, no microchips, no heavier than air flight, no Ginster's pasties, although that's probably a good thing... Never mind! Where was I? Ah yes, eighteen eighty five… It's going to be at least fifty years before UNIT or NASA, and Torchwood won't be any help. No useful allies of any kind, although Jules Verne should still be kicking around Paris. I wonder if…? No, he said he'd never forgive me for that business with the balloon."

Amy and Rory waited with practiced patience for the Doctor's train of thought to reach its conclusion.

"So that leaves us with two options: stay here and ride out history the boring way or…" The Doctor paused to violently tousle his hair, "I swore I'd never use this," he muttered. Reached into his jacket, he drew out a small octagonal box made of a dark green metal. Holding it between his forefinger and thumb he depressed a button hidden on top of the box and threw it straight up into the air. The box reached the top of its arc and vanished in a flash of red light.

"What was that?" asked Amy.

"Temporal distress flare." The Doctor was pacing nervously up and down again. "It beams a call for help to every point in time and space simultaneously. Time Lord technology; used to contact them in emergencies."

"But the Time Lords are gone," said Amy, "That's what you said: the Time Lords were wiped out."

"They were."

"So who do you expect to answer?"

Amy froze. She could hear a familiar sound rising behind her.

Vwoosh vwoosh. Vwoosh vwoosh.

Slowly, Amy and Rory turned. The TARDIS was reappearing on the far side of the glade. Except, Amy realised, it was not the same TARDIS. It still resembled a big blue police box, but there were differences. Subtle differences but they leapt out at Amy, who had lived in the TARDIS for many months. The St. John's Ambulance sticker on the door was missing. The lamp on the roof was a different shape. The windows were white, not grey. This was the TARDIS but it was not herTARDIS.

The familiar noise faded as the new TARDIS settled in time and space. For a moment there was silence in the glade. The door opened. A man wearing a dark leather jacket stepped out. Amy did not recognise him. He looked older than Rory or the Doctor, with a receding hairline and a careworn face dominated by his prominent ears and long nose. He folded his arms and stared hard at the Doctor.

"This better be important," he said, in a strong northern accent.

"Of course it is," said the Doctor irritably, "You don't think I called you up for a social chat, do you?" The man in the leather jacket looked like he was about to reply when a voice behind him said:

"Doctor? What's goin' on?"

A girl stepped cautiously out of the TARDIS. She was young, probably not even twenty one. Her face was pretty, if slightly toothy, framed by straight blonde hair that fell to her shoulders.

"Doctor?" said Amy, "Do you know her?"

The girl frowned, and spoke to the man in the leather jacket. "Doctor? Who are they?"

"Them I don't know," the man in the leather jacket said, indicating Amy and Rory, "But he," he turned to the Doctor, "is the Doctor."

"And so," said the Doctor to Amy and Rory, "is he." He pointed to the man in the leather jacket. There was a long, confused pause.

"Doctor," said Amy slowly, still addressing the young man wearing a bowtie, "What are you talking about?"

"Put it this way," said bowtie, "I am he…"

"As he is me," said leather jacket.

"And we are all together, coo coo cachoo!" said a third voice, gleefully.

Everybody turned. A young man wearing a long brown overcoat was entering the glade from the forest path. He was distinctly handsome, with a strong jaw line, high cheekbones and large, dark eyes. He grinned at the small group gathered before the TARDIS.

"Hello!" he said, "Sorry I'm late. Had to find a parking… Rose?" He was staring intently at the blonde girl. The Doctor in a bowtie stepped between them.

"No," he said firmly, "No, no, no. She's with him," he pointed to the Doctor in the leather jacket, "She doesn't know you. She's never met you. Just leave it, okay?" For a moment anger shone in the newcomer's eyes, a look as dangerous as it was fleeting, but he nodded stiffly and said nothing.

"Let me guess," said Amy, addressing the newcomer, "you'rethe Doctor too?"

"One of me," said bowtie, "My predecessor, if you like."

"But you're… you're all…" Rory murmured, turning between the three Doctors with a look of total bemusement.

"It's like this," said leather jacket, "I am a Time Lord. I don't die. I… change. It's called regeneration. I get a new face; new voice; new quirks. Same me inside just… different bodywork."

"So," said Rose, "they're like you…but new you, from the future?"

"Can you do that?" said Rory, "Meet yourself, I mean?"

"We're doing it, aren't we?" said leather jacket with a shrug.

"But it takes a lot of power," said the Doctor in the brown overcoat, "We're standing in the middle of a spaghetti junction of timey-wimey… stuff. The only thing keeping the universe from imploding is the Paradox Circuit in the TARDIS. Or TARDISes."

"So we don't want to waste any time," said leather jacket brusquely, "Why'd you call us?" he asked bowtie.

"Wait a second," said Amy, holding up her hands, "If you're going to stick around we need to decide what to call you. We can't keep saying 'Doctor' and have the three of you say, 'Yes?' You," she pointed to leather jacket, "You're the first, right?"

"Ninth, technically" he replied.

"Okay then, you can be Nine. You," she pointed to brown overcoat, "are Ten. And that makes you," she pointed to bowtie, "Eleven. Clear?"

"Why does it have to be numbers?" said Eleven, "It's so… impersonal."

"This from a man who introduces himself as 'The Doctor'," said Rory.

"What about Charles?" suggested Ten, "I could be a Charles. Charlie! Charlie the Doctor…"

"I've always liked the name Bill. Or Billy? What do you think of Billy?" Nine asked the blonde girl. He smiled impishly; his expression suddenly full of warmth and good-natured mischief.

"Oh for goodness sake," said Amy, loudly, "You're having numbers, okay? It's simple. You," she turned to Eleven, "tell them what happened."

"Yes, well," he said, scowling at her, "I was taking the Ponds here to visit Ludwig II…" Nine interrupted him:

"Ludwig of Bavaria? Ludwig the Mad?"

"Yeah, old Ludwig!" Ten cut in, "Great bloke. You're going to love him. Trust me."

"We spent the night in his new castle," Eleven continued, "Reminiscing about our travels, toasting marshmallows; that sort of thing. We were on our way back to the TARDIS when we saw it take off."

"Homing beacon?" said Ten. Eleven shook his head.

"I can still track it," he replied, "but whoever's taken it deactivated the recall function."

The three Doctors fell to discussing who might have taken the TARDIS, where they might have gone and the best way to retrieve it. Their companions, forgotten in the excitement, drifted together at the edge of the glade and introduced themselves.

"Rose Tyler."

"Amy and Rory Pond."

"You're married?" Rose beamed at them, "Were you married before you met him or…?"

"Long story," said Amy, "Have you got someone waiting for you?" Rose gave her an awkward look.

"Sort'a… It's a long story."

"Sounds familiar," Rory muttered, with only a hint of bitterness. Amy pretended not to hear him.

"So, you're two Doctors ahead o' me," said Rose, "Does he… has he ever said anythin' about me?"

"No, not really. But don't take it personally," Amy added quickly, "Ours doesn't talk about his past much."

"Yeah, mine too," said Rose. She smiled as she said it but she sounded worried.

The three companions turned to watch the Doctors, who were now arguing loudly.

"We should take mine," said Nine vehemently, "It's got the lowest mileage."

"Okay," said Eleven, "but I'm the pilot."

"Not a chance," said Nine.

"I'm the most experienced…"

"It's my TARDIS!"

"Okay, okay!" Eleven threw up his hands, "As long as it's not him." He looked pointedly at Ten.

"What?" said Ten.

"I remember your flying. You crashed into the Titanic!"

"Honestly," said Ten, rolling his eyes, "you hit one space liner…"

The Doctors headed towards Nine's TARDIS, arguing as they went.

"Keep up Ponds," Eleven called over his shoulder as he disappeared inside.

"He doesn't change that much, does he?" said Rose dryly as the companions followed the Doctors.

Unlike the exterior, the interior of this TARDIS was remarkably different to the one Amy knew. Everything was soft brown or green. The sloping walls made her feel like she was inside a giant plant or shell, as did the curving, arboreal pillars that supported the roof and central platform. Nine was already busy at the console, pulling levers and pushing numerous buttons.

"Screwdriver," he said. Eleven reluctantly handed his over sonic screwdriver. Nine inserted it into a socket on the console.

"Is that what I'm wearing now?" he asked.

"Bowties are cool," said Eleven defensively, "I mean, if you want to look like everyone else..." He looked over at Ten "Really though? Converse?"

"What's wrong with them?" demanded Ten.

"One word: boring!" Eleven swept over to the far side of the console, away from the other Doctors. Amy followed him.

"What's up with you, grumpy face?"

"Them," said Eleven, not looking at her.

"What's wrong with 'them'? They seem alright to me." More than alright, Amy added silently. Ten had discarded his overcoat to reveal his blue pinstripe suit and, she noticed, rather splendid bottom.

"We don't work well together," Eleven explained, "We're Time Lords, not a Time Committee. Lords, Pond. We're not used to co-operating."

"Ah!"

"Ah?"

"Just… ah."

"Ah what?"

"Ah as in, 'ah, I understand'" said Amy, with a mischievous smile, "You like to be the cleverest one in the room; the one with the plan; the one with all the answers. Now you've got to work with someone who is just as good as you; just as brave; just as brilliant. And you can't stand it."

"Nonsense," said Eleven, avoiding her eyes.

"Just try to play nice with the other Doctors, eh? There's a good boy," said Amy, patting him on the head. Eleven scowled and turned away.

"Hold on!" cried Nine as the column above the console began to pulsate with a blue light, "We're off!"

The TARDIS gave a sudden lurch, sending Amy stumbling across the platform. Ten darted forward and caught her arm, steadying her.

"Thanks," she said, blushing. He was even better looking close up.

"Don't mention it." They staggered over to the handrail and held on tight as the floor shuddered and jolted beneath them.

"So…" said Amy, "are you travelling with somebody?"

Ten stared blankly into the distance. "No," he said softly. Then he focused on Amy and said in a stronger voice: "No. I don't. Did, but don't. Not anymore."

"So you did have someone"?

"Yes."

"Recently?"

"Yes."

Amy wanted to ask what had happened to Ten's companion but it was clearly a painful subject: his expression spoke of loss, recent and painful. She fell silent.

Ten recovered himself and grinned at Amy.

"Sorry. It's Amy, isn't it? Amy Pond? Great name! And you're ginger! I always wanted…"

The TARDIS gave another tremendous lurch, throwing them against the rail. Ten said something but his voice was drowned out by a chorus of screeching, electronic voices:

"EXTERMINATE! EXTERMINATE! EXTERMINATE!"

Author's note: In case you are wondering, this is where the three Doctors and their companions are in their respective timelines during this story –

- Nine and Rose are between 'Father's Day' and 'The Empty Child'

- Ten is between 'Journey's End' and 'The Next Doctor'

- Eleven, Amy and Rory are between 'A Christmas Carol' and 'The Impossible Astronaut'