"What in the-?!" the Doctor exclaimed as he stood up from the carpet. He walked over to the young boys and looked both of them over, observing that their hair and clothes were messy and damp. "Who are you two?"
"Why do ye care?" the older boy snapped, rising to his feet. His partner did the same, but instead of standing in a battle stance, he stood normally and put a hand on his friend's shoulder.
"Calm down, Jamie," he said. "He might be able to help us," he added in a whisper. The younger boy gave a friendly smile, but his eyes twinkled with mischievousness. "Hello. I'm 2 and this is my friend Jamie McCrimmon."
10 climbed down from the top of the Story Chair and looked from the window to the boys. "Why did you use the window? We have a door. It works quite well, you know, opening and... closing."
"We were in a bit of a hurry," Jamie huffed.
"What for?" the Doctor asked, immediately suspicious.
"Um, excuse me," 2 interrupted. "Are you the caretaker here? I think this is a daycare center."
"Yes, it is."
"Well, Jamie and I are a bit cold from outside. If you don't mind, can you please get us something warm to drink?"
The Doctor was about to question the scruffy kid more, but 2's kind look and warm smile made him nod and start for the kitchen.
"Alright, but I expect a few answers from you two when I get back!"
Once the door closed, 2 nudged Jamie and said, "Nailed it."
By now, all of the kids had gotten up from the carpet and surrounded the newcomers.
"Where did you guys come from?" asked Amy.
"Well, I live near here, and Jamie's my best friend," said 2, looking fondly at Jamie.
"Aye, we were on a playdate when we were attacked."
"Attacked?" said Rose. "By what?"
"Well," 2 began, taking off his fur coat and hanging it in a cubby, "as you know, it snowed a while ago. We were playing outside..."
Around ten minutes ago...
"That the best ye got, 2?"
2 and Jamie were playing in a snow-filled backyard, and the latter was chasing the former.
"Jamie, maybe we can take a brea-" He was cut off by his friend pelting him with a snowball. "Great jumping gobstoppers, that's cold!"
The young lad laughed as he gained on 2, but the younger boy reached a large tree and put his hand on the trunk.
"Base! I'm on base!"
2 smiled triumphantly as Jamie went over to the tree, kicked it, then ran away.
"Jamie, what are you-"
He was cut off again by the snow on the branches falling on top of him. Jamie howled with laughter and fell onto the ground, clutching his stomach.
"V-v-v-very funny," 2 shivered sarcastically. "Everyone's l-laughing."
"S-sorry!" he choked between giggles. "Sorry!" He stood up, then stiffened when a snowball hit him square in the back of the neck. "Ah! Hey, I said sorry!"
"Jamie, I'm in front of you," said 2. "I didn't throw that."
Jamie looked behind him and saw three older boys, all of them around eight years old. They were standing menacingly outside the backyard's fence, and all of them wore green jackets, pants, and green helmets with red visors. They carried plastic snowball makers with them that could scoop up snow instantly and make it into the perfect projectile.
"Varga. Slaar. Azaxyr," 2 greeted calmly while brushing snow off of himself.
"Quiet, 2," Varga hissed behind his helmet.
"Is somethin' wrong with yer voice?" asked Jamie. "It's really... whispery."
"None of your buisness."
"Sore throat," Azaxyr whispered before Slaar elbowed him. "Ow!"
"Don't reveal our illnesses to the enemy!"
"Why won't ye let it go already?" Jamie complained. "2 threw a snowball, his aim was terrible, it went over the fence, then hit ye. It was an accident!"
"I don't think so!" spat Varga. "It was an attack, and you know our motto: Attack one of us..."
"... attack all of us," the other two said in unison.
"If you didn't spend so much time in the snow trying to get back at us, you wouldn't have gotten those sore throats," said 2.
"Silence!" Varga rasped. "Now, it's time for our revenge plan!" He opened the gate door, and the three bullies went into the yard. "Ice Warriors, attack!"
"Creag an-" Jamie began to yell before 2 pulled his arm.
"Jamie, we can't match them. They're more than two years older than us! Now, when I say run, run!"
The three boys started to run at Jamie and 2, but they stayed put.
"Wait for it..."
"2, they're gettin' closer-"
"Wait for it!"
Soon, the bullies were only a few steps away.
"Run!"
The two shot off, going through the other fence's doorway. Varga, Slaar, and Azaxyr ran through the now empty space and into the tree, which made the remaining snow on the branches fall on them. Varga shook the snow off his helmet and glared at the duo behind his red visor.
"After them!"
A wild chase ensued, which involved the three boys who called themselves the "Ice Warriors" chasing 2 and Jamie through the snow-covered streets. Snowballs occasionally pelted their backs, but they kept running until they turned a corner, and the "Ice Warriors" ran past them unknowingly.
"We... we need a place... to hide," Jamie said between gasps.
"That window over there is unlocked," 2 said, pointing at a building on another street. "We have to risk it."
They quietly made their way to the window and 2 got down on his hands and knees.
"Quick, Jamie. On my back."
The young Scot stepped on the younger boy's back and started to push the window open. He heard screaming, but before he could look around the room, he was falling into it and landed atop a soft, bright carpet. Before he could lift his head up, 2 had fallen on top of him after getting to the window by climbing the gutter. The furry-coated kid looked around the room and saw the frightened and curious faces of kids... and a grown-up.
"Oh, crumbs."
"What in the-?!" the grown-up wearing a bowtie exclaimed as he made his way over to the new arrivals. He looked them over and said, "Who are you two?"
"Why do ye care?" spat Jamie. He got up in case of another fight, but 2 tried to calm him down by putting a hand on his shoulder.
"Calm down, Jamie," he said. "He might be able to help us," he secretly whispered. After flashing one of his most winning smiles, he said, "Hello. I'm 2 and this is-"
"Okay, we've heard enough of the story!"
Back in the present...
Rory had just interrupted 2 and Jamie's explanation of what happened. The remaining children looked at them in awe.
"You ran away from a bunch of bullies?" asked Rose. "That must have been really scary."
"Aye, it was," said Jamie. "But they're no match for us. 2's more clever than all o' them put together!" He slapped his friend on the back, causing him to groan and lose his breath for a moment.
"'Ice Warriors'?" 10 muttered. "Hey, I've heard of them before. They're supposed to be really dangerous. Why didn't you tell me you were on their bad side?"
"I didn't want to bother you," 2 admitted.
"Wait," said Amy, "do know these guys, 10?"
"Of course! 2's my cousin."
"And you didn't think to mention this sooner?" said River.
"Nobody asked," he said simply. "Somebody just did."
"Wait a minute!" yelled Jack. Silence fell and everybody looked at him. "I have a lot of questions, but I'll start with this one. Why is he wearing a skirt?" He pointed at Jamie, who instantly looked offended.
"It's no' a skirt! It's a kilt!"
"Looks like a skirt to me," he said with a sly grin.
"Creag an turie!"
Before 2 could stop him, Jamie had pounced angrily on Jack.
Outside the daycare...
The "Ice Warriors" had stopped running now that they knew they lost the kids they were chasing after. They angrily walked back towards their secret base, which was really just Varga's house. Suddenly, Varga stopped his two cronies and pointed to something laying in the snow.
It was a small, wooden recorder next to a set of tracks leading to a daycare center.
Hello, readers. Just to warn you, the only episode of Doctor Who I've seen with Ice Warriors in it is "Cold War". This mean that the "Ice Warrior" bullies in the story are probably not going to act like real Ice Warriors even though they have Ice Warrior names.
