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Disclaimer: Donna and the Doctor belong to somebody else, Thomas and Allan are mine. Ha!
.4. Trouble, as Usual
"Blimey, he's really beaten. He's got a plum sized bump here. Soak it in a puddle, will you, Thomas."
"What for? He's already soaked through."
The Doctor felt a cold compress being placed on his forehead. He was lying there for a few more seconds, not completely aware of his surroundings, before springing up to a sitting position.
"Ah!" Allan, crouching next to him, jumped back, lost his balance and slumped into a muddy puddle.
"Donna?" the Doctor asked. The compress slid from his forehead and fell on to the ground.
"Easy," Allan said. "Just calm down. Watch your head. They gave you a nasty bump. Can you see me alright? Can you hear me?"
"DonNA!" the Doctor yelled. He jumped up to his feet, swayed, and rested his hand on the wall, for support. "DONNA!"
"Yes. Right. We've been looking around, but she's nowhere to be seen," Allan said. "Those people... Those black clad people... They must have kidnapped her."
"Kidnapped? KIDNAPPED? But why? Where?"
"Maybe... maybe they've taken her to the castle?" Thomas chipped in. Both the Doctor and Allan goggled at him, confused.
"What? She's a handsome bird," Thomas murmured defensively. "Somebody must have fancied her."
"Yeaaah..." said the Doctor after a while and turned to Allan. "Did you see where they took her? Which way did they go?"
"I didn't see them taking her. When it got a bit nasty, we jumped under the cart, Thomas and I. That's what we always do. The best way to save your head is to get out of the way of trouble."
"I saw them picking Simon up," Thomas added.
"What did he get himself into again?" Allan gasped.
"Or maybe they've taken them to the harbour. On board of a ship," Thomas said bleakly. "They sail them across the see and that'll be the last we've ever seen of them."
"Stop talking rubbish!" Allan spat, upset.
"I'm sure he's got something to do with it," Thomas pointed his thumb at the Doctor, who was running around the square, calling Donna and accosting people in the thinning crowd.
"Donna! Donna! DONNA! Have you seen where the red-haired woman was taken? She was wearing a brown dress and a yellow tunic. No? DONNA! Have you seen a ginger woman? Tall, quite slim recently, powerful voice? I can't believe they do it every time... Every time... Ooooh, Donna, where did you go again?!"
"They were chasing Simon," said Allan.
"What would Simon have to do...?"
"Well I don't know! But you saw how he looked like. He's got himself in some serious trouble, I'm telling you."
"Oooh, it's nonsense!" Thomas shook his head angrily. "Simon? The most serious trouble he could get himself into would be a street fight. And that Donna Noble woman... Did you hear her talking to the Doctor? They're not from around here, that's for sure."
Allan looked back over his shoulder at the Doctor, still running frantically around the square, which by now emptied almost completely. There was something in the man's hand; something radiating a blue glow. Or it might have been just an illusion.
"Doctor, help us take the cart to Robert Cook's house," Allan said. "We'll leave our stuff there and then we'll look for your sister together. Those people kidnapped Simon as well, and he's our responsibility."
"No, there's no time..."
"Doctor, who do you want to ask in this downpour?"
It was just then, that the Doctor finally noticed a lashing rain, making his drenched clothes cling to his body. Almost all of Bristol inhabitants withdrew to a shelter of their homes, and those who remained outside were scurrying away, covering their heads with their hands or with pieces of cloth. Streets quickly turned into channels brimming with slippery mud. The downpour brought along an untimely dusk. Only a few candles twinkled in windows of nearby houses.
"Come on, it won't take long," Allan insisted. "We'll wait the rain through, we'll think what to do next... or... we'll run there..."
Because the Doctor was galloping up the street, still shouting out Donna's name and banging on the doors of homes he was passing on his way.
"Now what?" asked Thomas, looking at him from under the cloth he pulled over his head.
"Oh, take the cart to Angelica and Robert. I'll go with the Doctor."
"You'll just return empty handed, what with the rain and all."
"Tell it to him. They've kidnapped his sister, you know."
With a deep sigh, Allan adjusted his coat and followed the Doctor. Thomas was watching him for a while. He then shrugged and started pushing the cart in the opposite direction, towards the Cook's house.
Allan caught up with the Doctor in the middle of Wine Street. The man was standing in the pouring rain, bent down, his hands resting on his tights. He was gasping heavily. When Allan came closer, the Doctor straightened up and tilted his head, letting raindrops shower onto his face. He raised his hands and ran his fingers through the wet hair.
"Trouble," he said, "...as usual."
"I know the feeling," Allan answered.
"Those people... Those black clad people... They shouldn't even be here..."
"Do you know them?"
"No." The Doctor shook his head vigorously. "But I know they are not from around here."
"Are they from outside the town?"
"From... Oh, they're from far away. Very far away. But what do they want with Donna? Why did they kidnap her? Why her and not me? And why now? Why now?!"
"Now?" Allan repeated, uncertainly. "Does today's day have a special meaning?
"Ooooh, yes," the Doctor murmured, without looking at him. "Today's the day when I let her out of my sight."
The boy hesitantly patted his arm.
"Let's go, Doctor. Getting sick won't help us. I've got an idea anyway. Robert's kids will help us summon the Fellowship."
The man looked at him questioningly.
"The Hunters Fellowship," Allan explained. "Those kids know every nook and cranny of Bristol, they know it better then all of us taken together. Believe you me, if anybody can find your sister, it's them."
Slowly, the Doctor nodded.
"I have to find some dry and bright place to set up my screwdriver anyway," he said.
Allan lifted his eyebrows, but did not comment on the Doctor's last sentence. Thomas was right, that man was really weird. And he wasn't from around Bristol for sure. For one, his clothes were a dead giveaway. But, he had helped their little troupe out of trouble, and now he was in serious trouble himself. And finally, Allan wanted to find Simon just as much as the Doctor wanted to find Donna. So, they were rowing the same boat after all.
To be continued...
