The Eleventh Doctor

"So this is where you disappeared to," the Hatter remarked as she leaned against the side of the hall wall, the sound of music coming from within the building from Amy and Rory's wedding reception, drifting through the air as she smiled faintly, looking at the Doctor as he sat on a small stone bench, looking rather out of place within the small garden in his tuxedo tails and top hat, which he was toying with in his lap. He looked up at the sound of her voice, a small smile of his own spreading over his youthful face, "I started to get a little worried when I looked up and couldn't see you dancing," she continued, "I know how much you love dancing".

"I thought I'd take a breather," the Doctor replied with a small shrug.

She eyed him knowingly and pushed off from the wall, walking towards him, trying hard to ignore the way that her heels dug into the gravel and made it rather hard to walk properly without fearing that she might accidently twist her ankle. Oh yes, these shoes were so going to end up in a black hole by the end of this evening, she was very much looking forward to throwing them in, though at least the dark purple dress she was wearing wasn't too much of a pain, since it came to her knees, out of the way of tripping. She took a seat on the bench beside him, her side pressed against his on the small bench.

"Well, I suppose you are getting on, these days," she said teasingly, looking at him from the corner of her eye, "It's to be expected that one would struggle to dance all night like you used to".

"I'm not that old!" he exclaimed, giving her a startled look, "I can still dance and…you know…" he flapped his hands around, searching for the right word, "…get down with it," the Hatter burst out laughing, only making him splutter and blush even more, "Oh, shut up, you," he muttered, playfully nudging her knee with his leg.

"'Get down with it?'" she giggled, shaking her head in disbelief, "Did you honestly just say that?"

He sighed and looked steadily away from her, but he couldn't help smiling very slightly, "You're just mean".

"And you sound and dress like a grandfather who is desperately trying to seem cool to his grandkids, but failing miserably".

"I am cool!" he spluttered, trying hard to look offended as he straightened his bowtie proudly.

The Hatter watched the movement with amusement, "For what age group?" she asked innocently.

"So says the woman who gets around in a three foot scarf!"

"You used to wear a vegetable on your lapel!"

"For medicinal purposes! Explain to me the medicinal purpose of getting around with a tiara!"

"I was living on Gallifrey, it was ceremonial!"

For a brief moment they stared at each other, smiling widely and on the verge of laughing as they struggled to act as if they were annoyed, when the Hatter simply couldn't hold her laughter in any longer and started giggling. Instantly, the Doctor joined in, laughing as he threw his arm around her shoulders.

"I missed this," he said quietly, once his laughter as died down. The Hatter stopped giggling and cleared her throat, looking back to him with a gentle expression, "Just…the two of us, laughing and teasing each other".

"I'm sorry," the Hatter sighed, reaching out to place her hand over his knee, not noticing how he tensed slightly at the sudden gesture before forcing himself to relax, his hearts racing in his chest, "I know it will never be enough to apologise for what I did to you, but I need you to know that if I could change my actions on that night and leave with you when you asked me to, then I would, in a heartbeat".

He frowned at her, a lump forming in his throat, "Don't," he said firmly, shaking his head, "There's so many things I wish I could change, Hatter, but it happened and we're here. I don't need you to apologise because I already know".

She looked at him for a long moment before she sighed again, lowering her head, "Even still, Doctor," she said softly, taking a deep breath as she forced herself to look back up, meeting his gentle green eyes with her own bright green ones, "I am so sorry for all the pain and hurt that you went through over the last century, and I will never betray our friendship like that again".

"It was hardly a betrayal…"

"But it was!" she insisted at once, quite forcefully, even, "You are my best friend and I refused to be there when you needed me most, I will never forgive myself for that, regardless of what you say on the matter".

"Hatter," the Doctor cut in calmly, "We can't change what happened, but it's in the past. Please, can we just…leave it there," he sighed heavily, frowning as he looked away from her again, "I've spent so long with the Time War hanging over my head, now I just want to…forget".

She watched him closely, knowing that for him the Time War had happened over a century ago and that he had been through so much since then, so much that she was still just learning about even after having opened her fob watch several months ago, but it was harder for her to try and forget. It was still so fresh for her, but if the Doctor could find a way to put all of that behind him after all that he had witnessed and had been forced to do, then surely she could find a way, too. So, she swallowed hard and nodded in acceptance, patting his knee briefly before she let go of his leg to clasp her hands together in her lap, turning her eyes up towards the stars twinkling away in the cloudless night sky above their heads.

"What was it like, to be wiped from existence?" she asked after a long moment of silence stretched on between them, only broken by the noise of the music still going on within the wedding reception.

The Doctor took a moment to try and find a way to respond, looking at the side of her face, allowing himself the chance to just look at her when he knew she couldn't see him, "Lonely," he said eventually, making the Hatter turn back to him. He looked up towards the sky, but he wasn't really admiring the stars, "And…it was sad. It was a bit like looking back through an old photo album".

"How far back did you go?"

"Oh, you know me," he tried hard to give her a smile, but he knew it wouldn't fool her, "I hate repeats," she gave him a sad little smile at that, seeming to know already without needing to ask just what it was that he was referring to. Perhaps she did know, she had mentioned during their first adventure together with the Weeping Angels and River Song that she had seen something within the forest that had given her something to think about, he just hadn't realised that it was him that she was referring to when he had spoken to Amy. He cleared his throat, trying hard to lighten the mood a little bit as he lightly nudged her knee again, "So, what was it like being in a Universe without me?"

"Oh, you know…" she slowly began to smile, her eyes twinkling in that way that told him that she was about to tease him. That look instantly made his hearts beat faster and an excited fluttering sensation to fill his stomach, even after all these centuries, "Peaceful…" she shrugged lightly, "Quiet, calm…"

"Hey!"

"But completely dull and boring," she finished quickly, flashing him a large smile and giving him a little wink.

"Well…" he shifted slightly, reaching up to adjust his bowtie again, "That's a bit better," he glanced back to her and couldn't help smiling, not in the slightest bit offended.

She returned his smile, hers softening, "In all seriousness, Doctor," she went on, "For the very brief half a second that I didn't remember you and everything that had happened with the Pandorica and the Big Bang Two, everything just didn't feel right," she sighed, frowning faintly, "I felt like something was missing, like I had a void inside me that just didn't make sense…and then I remember what happened and everything fitted back into place again. My Universe made a bit more sense again".

He couldn't help staring at her, unable to look away from her bright green eyes, "Yeah," he murmured, swallowing, "I know the feeling…"

It was the same way he had felt about her when he had thought she was gone, only to find her alive, hidden inside that old fob watch while her human self walked around the streets of London, being a doctor and trying to help people. He still couldn't believe that he had found her, just walking through a park at night time in the middle of London. He had been trying to take Amy on her first trip to an alien planet after the business with Churchill and the Daleks, but the TARDIS apparently had other ideas and instead landed them in the middle of the park, and good thing too because that was where he found the Hatter after centuries of believing her gone, just like all the rest of Gallifrey.

"I wasn't the only one who remembered you, of course," she said as she looked up towards the stars, jolting him from his thoughts, "River remembered you. I caught a glimpse of her walking by one of the windows, just before Amy remembered you," her expression grew a bit tighter and she grasped her hands harder in her lap, "I can't say her attitude towards me has warmed, not going by the glare she gave me".

The Doctor frowned deeply, the gravel beneath his dress shoes clinking together as he shifted very slightly on the bench, "Do you ever wonder why she seems to dislike you so much?" he asked, only for her to laugh, much to his surprise.

"Oh, honestly, Doctor," she shook her head, pulling her gaze from off the sky and back to him, giving him a funny little smile that held no humour to it, "I know very well why she dislikes me. You're so oblivious…"

"Me? You think I'm the oblivious one?"

"About these matters, yes. You've always been clueless when it comes to girls liking you when we were at school…"

Inwardly, the Doctor couldn't help laughing at her in disbelief, the only reason for why he had been so oblivious about other girls liking him during their school days due to the fact that he had already fallen for the Hatter. No one else had come close to comparing to her in his eyes, back then or today.

"…I've always had to point out when someone has liked you, so it's hardly surprising that you wouldn't notice, I suppose…"

"Not notice what?" he cut in, barely concealing his amusement and disbelief that she could be so smart and yet, so very blind to what was right in front of her.

The Hatter rolled her eyes at him, "River Song is in love with you, Doctor," she told him, talking as if he was a child. The Doctor closed his mouth with a snap, blinking back at her slowly as she shook her head at him, "It's obvious, really. It also explains her dislike for me; she thinks I'm a threat due to our close friendship and long, shared history. It is a lot of history to try and compete against…not that she exactly needs to try and compete against it, does she?"

"River Song, in love with…me?" he said slowly, ignoring the last part, the thought never having even entered his head before now, not even after his first meeting with River in the Library with Donna Noble, when he still grieved for the Hatter.

"There's no need to look quite so startled by the idea, my dear, Doctor. When River's not glaring at me, she's really quite handsome. She certainly has the best hair I've seen in a long, long time and she's also rather clever and cheeky, so if she would stop glaring at me for five minutes, I do think I'd get along well with her".

"Me…and River?" he almost gaped at her in shock and mild horror at the thought of being with River Song, "She…you do remember that she's been in prison for murdering someone, don't you?"

"Ah, but we don't know all the facts about that yet, do we? Let's not pass judgment until we have all the facts, doing otherwise will make fools of us all".

"Hatter…!" he exclaimed in a strangled voice, making her blink and give him a slightly concerned look, "I…I don't even think about River like that, that's…" he pulled a face and stuck out his tongue, shivering at the thought. River Song was confusing enough as it was, let alone adding the possibility that she might be in love with him and what that might mean for his future.

The Hatter eyed him, her eyebrows raised, "Do you have any idea how childish you sound right now?"

"So? River and me…never, ever going to happen! No chance! Never."

"Okay," she sighed, rolling her eyes slightly, "I think you've made your point quite clear on the matter…"

"River Song?" he continued, jumping off the bench to start pacing, flapping his hands around as he went, "How could you even think I would like her? She's dangerous, Hatter, she's killed someone, someone who she apparently considered to be the best man she's known…"

"I know, I know," the Hatter rose from the bench and stepped into his path, grabbing his arms and forcing him to still, her heels making her easily another two inches taller than him, "Honestly, Doctor," she rolled her eyes, giving him an exasperated look, "You're acting as if I told you you're going to end up marrying her…" his mouth opened again and she quickly pressed her finger against his lips, silencing him, glaring at him, "Shut up and calm down before I knock you out because you're acting completely idiotic".

He gave her a startled look, waiting until she had lowered her finger from his lips, "You wouldn't".

"Oh, wouldn't I?" she said calmly, and he eyed her carefully, realising that yes, actually, she was being perfectly serious right now and not just making an ideal threat. Suddenly, she broke into a wide smile and released his arms, taking half a step back from him, "So…you're not interested in River, then?"

"Interested in River?" he repeated, frowning slightly, "Well, she is very interesting, I suppose. Confusing and a little annoying…" he trailed off slightly, noticing her still staring at him with an amused expression, "Oh, you mean…interested in a romantic sense…"

"Yeah," she nodded, giving him a smile, "Good thing you figured that out on your own, I wouldn't want you to embarrass yourself".

"Oh, shut up".

"Never," she laughed, playfully nudging his arm.

He couldn't help laughing slightly himself, smiling widely at her, "No, Hatter," he said firmly, though he was still smiling faintly, "I'm not interested in River like that, even if she might like me".

"Understood," she gave him a mock salute, making him roll his eyes good naturally at her antics. She turned to sit back down on the stone bench, her shoes annoying her, and the Doctor moved to join her, having to sit tightly beside one another to fit.

"Hatter," the Doctor began, looking slightly troubled as he looked down at his shoes. She hummed in acknowledgment and looked back across to him, "Would you really want me to be with River?"

The Hatter gave him a gentle smile, "If she made you happy, of course I would".

His frowned deepened and he lifted his head, but he still wasn't looking at her, his eyes fixed on the wall of the reception building ahead of him, "But…what about you?"

"Me?" she blinked, looking puzzled. He finally looked at her, his cheeks looking faintly pink in the dim lighting of the little corner of the garden.

"Would you really be happy for me to be with someone like River?"

"Doctor, I don't understand what you mean," she shook her head, looking even more confused, "Are you talking about the fact that she's seemingly killed someone? Like I said, we don't know all the facts yet…"

"That's not…" he sighed, closing his eyes tightly as he looked away from her again, "Never mind. Forget I said anything…"

She grabbed his arm tightly, slightly concerned that he might try to get up and leave, "No," she said sternly, making him look back to her in surprise, "Speak plainly, Doctor, it's obviously important".

He looked at her closely for a moment, very seriously considering his words, trying to figure out the best approach to what he wanted to try and ask her. He didn't know what he was thinking asking such a risky question as if she would really want him to be with River in the first place; why he thought he would be able to ask her something like that without her instantly wanting to know what it was that he was really asking. But the words had slipped out of his mouth before he could stop them and once they had, there was no way that he could take them back.

"Hatter, if I was…with someone, how would that make you feel?"

"That's a very funny question, Doctor," she said slowly, looking at him oddly.

"I'm being completely serious".

"Yes, I can tell," she nodded, watching him closely, looking a little worried. The way he was holding himself, full of tension and the expression on his face told her just how serious he was taking this whole thing, more so then she would have ever imagined. It was a little frightening, she almost felt like she was standing on a tipping point, "Well, I would obviously be thrilled for you," she told him sincerely, "You're my best friend, Doctor, your happiness means the Universe to me".

"Your best friend," he breathed, a sad smile twisting his lips as he nodded.

"Doctor, what has gotten into you? You're not making any sense".

He gave a hollow laugh and ran his hand down his face, tugging at his fringe as he did so, "Hatter, you have no idea, do you?" he said in a slightly strained voice, finally meeting her eyes again, "You haven't got a clue about how I feel about you".

The Hatter closed her mouth and swallowed, hard, not knowing what to say. She didn't understand what was happening, everything suddenly seemed to have become so serious and confusing and she didn't understand how it had happened. It frightened her, not being able to figure out what was going on because this was the Doctor, she usually knew exactly what he was thinking or feeling just from the way that he held himself, but this…the way he was looking at her, as if his Universe was crumbling down around him, she didn't know what to make of it when it didn't fit into context with what was going on between them right now.

Suddenly, the Doctor took her hands, gripping them gently as he absently ran his thumbs along the top of her knuckles, "I've always wanted to tell you," he said softly, "But…I'm a coward, I couldn't stand the idea that you might not feel the same way about me and so, I kept it to myself".

"Doctor, you're starting to scare me," she tried desperately to give him a weak smile, "Just tell me whatever it is, it surely can't be that terrible".

He returned her smile faintly, taking a deep breath, "Hatter…I love you".

The Hatter's mouth slipped open, positively gaping at him in stunned disbelief. If it had been any other time, the Doctor might have found it amusing and teased her for it, but given the fact that he was currently struggling to stay still and resist against the urge to start blabbing away in his nervousness, he decided to remain silent and wait for her to process what he had just said, his hearts hammering inside his chest so hard that it was actually physically painful and a lump had formed in his throat.

"You…" she stopped suddenly, jumping onto her feet, grabbing at her hair as she looked away from him. She barely even seemed to be aware of what she was doing, tugging at the end of her bright red hair to the point that the Doctor began to worry that she might end up causing herself harm, but then she blinked and inhaled a shaky breath, looking back down to him, "You must be joking," she said in a shaky voice, "You have to be".

"Why?" he asked instantly, rising from the bench, reaching out towards her, but she flinched away and he stopped, his hand left still in the air between them.

She squeezed her eyes shut, shaking her head, "Because…we're best friends…"

He laughed suddenly and her eyes snapped open, startled, "We've never just been that, not to me," he said with a soft smile, and this time, when he reached for her again, she didn't try to pull away, not even when he entwined his fingers with hers, "Hatter," he meet her eyes firmly, "I love you".

"You're actually mean it, don't you?"

"Yes".

She took a sharp breath and tightened her hold on his hand, looking back up to his face with a slightly nervous expression crossing her face, looking hesitate before, much to his shock, she moved closer to him, her eyes closing as she leaned forward and lightly pressed her bright red lips against his. It was a simple, light kiss but it spoke volumes to the Doctor and even though it barely lasted more than a second before she pulled back, her cheeks flushing bright red, it meant more to him then he could have possibly have put into words.

"I…" he cleared his throat, amazed that he could be so affected by a mere peak, "I take it you're not cross with me?"

She laughed and shook her head, "No, not at all," she said quietly, "Stunned, yes, still in a semi-state of disbelief and a little overwhelmed, perhaps, but cross?" her broke into a grin, "Never".

He grinned, unable to believe what had just happened between them, pulling her closer, wrapping his arm around her waist, kissing her again with far more passion then the first kiss had held. The kiss, sadly, was interrupted by the sound of someone wolf-whistling and clapping, and the Time Lords broke apart, blushing bright red as they found Amy and Rory standing in the doorway of the wedding reception, Amy smirking at them with a wicked glimmer in her eyes and Rory smiling faintly, his arm wrapped around his new wife's waist.

"Well, this part of the garden seems to be taken, Rory," Amy commented, looking far to amused as the Hatter's face matched her hair and the Doctor struggled not to glare at the newlyweds for ruining the moment. She ignored their embarrassment and annoyance, glancing back to Rory, "Looks like we'll have to get our own shrub to snog in…"

"Amy!" Rory, the Hatter, and the Doctor all exclaimed in unison.

"Do you mind?" the Doctor went on with a pointed glanced towards the Hatter, who completely missed it as she seemed to be trying to hide her burning face by looking down at her purple heels.

Amy smiled, "Don't do anything I wouldn't do!" she told them with a mock warning look, pointing a finger at them before she turned, heading back into the reception room.

Rory shifted a little embarrassedly, "Congratulations," he muttered, giving them a little smile, "About time…"

"Rory!"

Rory quickly turned to hurry back inside the reception after his wife, leaving the Time Lords looking terribly red and shifting awkwardly, neither of them quite meeting each other's eyes.

"So…" the Doctor trailed off, clearing his throat as he risked a glance at the Hatter.

"Yeah…" the Hatter looked up to him, smiling weakly.

He held out his hand, raising his eyebrows, "Do you want to dance?"

She gave him a slightly surprised look before grinning, accepting his hand with a relieved laugh, "I'd love to, Doctor".

He turned and began to lead the way back into the reception room, his hearts lightening again and some of the nervousness fading away. It didn't matter to him that she hadn't said the words back to him, personally, he had always felt that actions spoke louder than words, he didn't need her to say it aloud. He didn't know exactly what this all meant for them, not yet, but he knew that as long as he got to spend the rest of the evening dancing with the Hatter, he'd be beyond happy.

This chapter turned out completely differently from how I originally planned to write it, originally Amy would have had a bigger role, Rory wasn't in it, and River possibly would have had an appearance. But while I was writing this, like usual, the plan changed and I'm actually quite happy with how it turned out. I hope it doesn't feel like it all happened a little too quickly, I kind of figured that if I'd been writing it during the actual episode, then it would have been shortened quite a bit. Funnily enough, this was actually how I originally planned for the Doctor and the Hatter to end up together during the main story, but I ended up changing my mind as I was writing season three when I realised that it really was quite absurd that it would have taken them until Amy and Rory's wedding to admit their feelings for each other when there was such a massive gap between then and season three. I couldn't imagine that it would take that long for the Doctor not finally pluck up the courage or for the Hatter to realise his feelings for her, even she isn't that oblivious.

I tried to change things from how it happened within the main story, in which the Hatter wasn't with the Doctor when he wiped himself out of existence and River Song is in love with him but dislikes the Hatter. In this Universe, I see Amy and Rory's relationship with River being the same as it was, but with things very strained between River, the Hatter, and the Doctor. It was actually quite fun to tweaks things a little bit from how it was in the main story. I hope you liked it, tell me what you thought. Please review :)

Guest reviews:

Guest (1): Aww, I'm so happy to hear that you enjoyed it; it really was fun thinking of how I could twist the previous chapter slightly. Originally, it was going to follow the same plot as the start of the actual series went with Nine finding the Hatter in the park like Ten did, but I decided against it and I really loved writing how it might have been different. Thanks for the review :)

Guest (2): I'm glad you liked the chapter, and originally I did plan for the Hatter and Rose to have more of their relationship shown, but I ended up scrapping that idea while I was writing because the chapter was from the Doctor's point of view. In fact, I think the whole chapter was completely from his view point, rather than shifting between him and the Hatter. Plus, it was about him and the Hatter, I wasn't even sure if Rose would have any part to play in the chapter at first. But your review really helped me with this chapter, hence why I decided to write quite a bit about River's alternative relationship with the Time Lords, even though she didn't end up showing up in the chapter, so thank you for giving me that suggestion :)