It took a while to ready everything for this final observation in 1918. He wanted to assess the relationship between Allenby and Haig during a key battle in the Great War, and so he needed to be on the ground.
"This is the perfect chance for you to use the Time Ring that the Council supplied us with. We won't have to rematerialize the Tardis. And I can recall you whenever you want. Just press it here," Serena told him. "And say my name. Then I'll retrieve you."
"I've used it recently, actually," he said, as he took the device with a nod.
What he didn't tell her was that when The Council had had him use it before, it had been with less than spectacular results. The operator had gotten bored and walked off. The Doctor had been left hanging at a very inopportune point. He shivered a bit now thinking about it.
The Doctor noted that his interactions with Serena had become formal and awkward since the impromptu kiss that morning. Still, he didn't regret it. He wasn't the type for that. But he was betting she could stand some time away from him right now. He moved for the specially prepared corner of the console room. And he smiled lightly and nodded when he was ready for her to use the time device that would send him to his destination. Without a word from either of them then, he was gone.
###
Hours later, she was still waiting. She was sure he was enjoying himself. Meddling. Or whatever he found he could not help but do whenever he was on Earth.
She felt the call then as much as heard it when it came through. It must be the 97's bio-enhanced circuitry, she thought, as she moved quickly for the control to pull him back. She watched the dials which told her the retrieval had gone perfectly. But when she looked up, she didn't see him. He should be there, she thought with some aggravation, right there, on the far side of the console.
Rounding the machinery, she could see him now, lying on the floor. She looked him over quickly. He didn't seem profoundly injured, but his hands were bound behind him. And her hands found his clothing was sodden and cold.
"Doctor?" she called out, with stoic reserve, as she rolled him a bit.
"Hello," he managed, finally opening his eyes. "Could you untie me or get me up? Either will do to start." He sounded physically exhausted.
As she worked on the ropes at his back, she told him bluntly, "I will not understand why you are so fond of these people when they tie you up..."
"The ones with the ropes are not the ones I am so fond of," he explained with a weak smile. He groaned then and rubbed at his wrists.
With strong hands to his arms, she got him on his feet. And that was when she saw the bruise to his cheek bone. Her face changed, as he watched her. She gently pushed at the wet hair that was partially covering the mark, and her features softened even more. Her eyes went wide. "They hit you?!"
"No. The ground hit me. A few soldiers did help the process along though."
She hadn't taken her hands from him, he noticed. "Your regrettable sense of humor is wholly intact, however."
"It is that last bit of my sangfroid. Showing off," he suggested.
And she saw it in his eyes then, like ice. The trace of real fear. Just that faintest trace. "You'd better tell me," she instructed him, levelly.
"They were rather certain I needed to be shot when they found me outside Haig's command post. That's what they do with spies, you see. They were just forming the firing squad when you pulled me out."
"Why did you wait so long to call me?"
"I was having a little trouble thinking straight after I met with the ground. I didn't leave before then because there was someone else in Haig's compound who didn't belong there. Another person traveling in time. I wanted to get a little closer to him, if I could."
"A Time Lord?"
"I don't know. But I don't think so. He was up to something. Trying to change something. Perhaps he had keyed into the same event as being crucial to whatever he is up to. Right before he left, he said, 'Welcome to the game.' He introduced himself as 'Valmont' and then just disappeared after that. I am afraid we should expect to run into more of these interferers where we are going next. It's likely..."
She nodded and cut him off, "We'll talk about it more later. You're wet. Soaked through."
"They don't stop for the weather, dear. Just keep at it. The generals don't seem to mind if it's raining."
"Please try to stop talking and get this wet thing off!" she chastised him, as she pulled at his coat. "So, this is what you've been doing all these years? Tempting death? How utterly ironic!" she said, sternly as she pulled his wet garment from him with equal roughness. "The Council commutes your death sentence, but you seem determined to have the original punishment carried out!" She only stopped her railing when she realized he had sunk his head to her shoulder for a moment. It was not fatigue or injury, she quickly realized. He was chuckling.
"A lot of the time, it's enjoyable. Really," he said as he straightened up and then moved to rub at his arms. "There is the odd bit of running. I do enjoy a puzzle to solve. The firing squads are a rarity." She seemed to draw a little closer to him then. And her eyes seemed to shift to his wry smile. Then she touched his cheek near his bruise again.
He returned the touch then, passing his fingers over her cheek. And her eyes flew to his with surprise. "I'm sorry," he told her quickly as he withdrew his hand. "I mis .... Sometimes... Earth custom. The hero gets welcomed home. I thought...." But he wouldn't say the words out loud, I thought you meant to kiss me. He groaned and closed his eyes then, feeling the fool. He felt a pang of embarrassment in his chest.
She might only have been responding to the challenge she had picked up on. He would not have expected her to care about his embarrassment. But she leaned in quickly while his eyes were still closed and kissed him. His hands dug into her reflexively when she nipped at his lower lip as she finished.
"Where did you learn that?" he asked with more of a gasp than he had wanted to allow.
"Library. All manner of books in the library."
"I've been set up," he insisted. "You came here to practice all the things you've read about ... on me."
"Don't be ridiculous," she said, as she dropped her hands from him. She swung her robe off then and settled it around him. "It was just an opportune use of some rather arcane knowledge. I can tell how affected by the cold you are by testing your lip responses."
"Ha!" was all he managed, as he passed a hand over his mouth.
"I've also read books on fruit bat dissection. I don't think that is going to come up, however." She tried to look at him sternly, but was too worried by his color. "Get dry clothes on. Go to bed. Please. The world can wait." Not wanting to risk touching him again, she merely pointed at the interior door.
###
He sat on his stool in the console room. For the most part, he appeared lost in thought, which Serena supposed was a vote of confidence for her piloting. The sound of rematerialization made him raise his head. "We are here?"
"9 August, 1794. Fort Carre in Antibes," she said, checking the monitor. "This is where a young Napoleon is being held prisoner? What are we to do?" Her manner was quite schooled. She would not show him any effects from their earlier interactions or from their kiss. And he seemed inclined to forget the whole thing as well, she decided, noticing the way his eyes avoided her.
"Well, we will make sure the time line goes ahead without any problems," he said vaguely. "Now, since the chameleon circuit on this TARDIS works, we can blend in. Did you set a form before we landed?" He asked a finger to his lips.
"We look like a lovely ornamental fountain," she said. "I hope." And she smiled at him. She was quite relieved when it was returned.
Without a word, he dashed through the interior door with quick nervous steps. He returned 3 minutes later in a tailored shirt and trousers with period appropriate coat. "I wouldn't want to embarrass you," he explained. And then he held out the cloak he was carrying for her to put on, "My Lady," he said with a slight bow of his head.
She walked to him slowly, not understanding what was happening. Only knowing that as much as things had changed, they were not done changing. Neither time, nor people, nor worlds, nor knowledge being fix marks evidently, she mused.
This was not a safe thing they were about to embark on, she knew. This was a time of hostilities on Earth and to be mistaken for anyone's enemy would be dire. And more, there were those unknown forces that were at the heart of altering the time line. Certainly, those individuals were likely to be dangerous. But she saw no fear in this fellow who held her cloak, even after what he had been through earlier. Likely, she thought with admiration, he has managed this sort of thing a hundred times before.
"Allons y?" she said.
"You have been studying, I see. You know, I like that. Allons y."
...
Walking about the compound at Antibes, they soon came across a man named Citizen-Representative Latour who had just arrived bearing orders for Napoleon's immediate execution.
The Doctor and Serena quickly moved to interject themselves into the conversation when Latour confronted the prison governor outside.
"You can't execute him, Monsieur Governor," the Doctor stated with authority.
"How can I not with these orders in hand?"
"Those orders are forged," the Doctor insisted with a harsh whisper, as he turns the Governor away from Latour.
"Who are you to suggest such a thing?" Latour angrily demanded.
"I am Citizen-Representative Henri Dupont," the Doctor announced, "and this is my aide, Marie Lebrun." All eyes turn to Serena, and she froze for a moment before curtseying quickly.
"We've brought orders for Napoleon's release," the Doctor announced, and he produced a document from his coat.
"These cannot both be correct," the Governor lamented as he scanned both letters side by side. "This makes a choice of action quite difficult."
"Not at all, Governor," Serena said, quite confidently. Everyone was watching her now, but she did not allow so much as a tremble. "Surely," she continued, "you would agree that it would be far easier to just kill him at a later date than it would be to try to bring him back to life."
The Doctor nearly laughed with satisfaction at the words that Serena had spoken. He enjoyed being the spectator then and watching how the others responded. He saw the Governor was swayed, not only by what she had said, but by the Time Lady's bearing and her air of authority. Unconsciously, the Doctor found himself stepping in a wide circle around her, as if he wanted to capture the moment in his mind from every angle. His eyes were thoughtful and full of approval.
"Your logic, dear lady, is as undeniable as your beauty," the Governor finally said with a deferential nod of his head.
She nodded briefly in return to the graying official as a flush crept across her chest and face. The Doctor lowered his head a bit too, as if bowing to her authority. And his hand came to his mouth in a pensive gesture for just a moment as he watched her. He waited for her to find his eyes. To see his admiration. Then he passed from her view until she sensed him behind her.
She heard the Doctor's furtive, whispered praise then, "Quite undeniable, My Lady. Hear, hear!"
She worked to ignore the shiver she felt and calmly thanked the Governor for his words. Keenly aware of every step suddenly, Serena backed away from him to step closer to the Doctor. "What happens now, Doctor?" she whispered. "Is that all that was..."
And in that moment they missed it. A furious Latour pulled out a pistol and announced he would kill Napoleon himself, but it is the Governor he is threatening. With less than a moments t hought, the Doctor surmised that they were at too great a distance from the others to do anything but watch events unfold.
A shot rang out, and those gathered were shocked to see Latour fall to the ground. The Doctor scanned the horizon and then froze at the sight of a well dressed woman approaching.
"This is not a welcome circumstance," he said to no one in particular, as he squinted at the armed newcomer.
"Do you know her?" Serena asked as she leans in close to him.
"Unfortunately, yes," he hissed.
And the Doctor was then surprised to see the being he knows merely as 'the Countess' has herself brought orders for the release of Napoleon. He knows what side she is on, now, but her full motives escape him. Obviously, he thinks, as he looks down at Latour, there are other forces at work, too. Another side in this game. The Doctor understands now that the Countess is part of one of two groups that is playing with human history. That for her purposes, she needs Napoleon alive.
The Governor strode for the prison gate, calling for guards. And the Countess calmly walked over to the pair of Time Lords. "Doctor," she said with a thin smile. "Welcome to the game."
"I do wish you people would stop saying that," he told her, tartly.
"Well, that's what has happened, isn't it?" she asked slyly. "You are new Players in this game. The more the merrier. But I will win. Watch me," she bragged. "With a single stroke, I'll have victory by sea and land both." She backed away from them then, displaying a sickening smile. She turned and walked for the tree line, but never made it. With a wave of her hand, she simply disappeared.
"Sea and land ... both?" the Doctor mumbled, seeming more disturbed by what she had said than by her disappearance.
"What sort of person on Earth can manage THAT," Serena insisted still staring at the spot the Countess had lately occupied.
"No one that belongs here," the Doctor replied. "One of the Players, from a group of Immortals. I would like to see the back of them finally." And then he turned for the Tardis and continued to repeat, "Sea and land? Sea and land..."
"Yes," Serena replied. "She said that with a single stroke she would have victory by sea and land both."
Serena opened the door on the disguised Tardis and then stood aside. She watched the distracted Doctor walk through while drumming at his lip with a finger.
Once she had the door closed, she turned to see the Doctor's countenance had dramatically changed.
"Nelson and Wellington," he announced, clapping his hands together.
"Yes, that makes perfect sense. Nelson and Wellington. Sea and land," she said, sharing the Doctor's triumph.
"And somehow, she plans to get to them both at the same time."
"And we don't know when and where," Serena added, sounding less happy now.
"But we will," he promised with a smile.
#$%#$%#$%
Author's note. Thanks so much for reading! I really am no fan of the Time Ring. But it was in the book, so I used it here.