Chapter 4: An Old Foe

Her fingers curled around her bunched up hair, tying the raggedy old bowtie within it before letting her locks fall over one shoulder. Ella leaned forward and checked her make up was decent, her lipstick still red and the black line that ran along the edge of her eyelids was still perfect. She ruffled her fringe a little, letting it curl against her forehead. A soft smile came to her lips as she turned to grasp her regular, floor length dress from the hanger. Grasping it in her hands, she tugged the dress on and slipped on a white cardigan. You could never be too sure if it was going to be warm or not and considering she was still processing her Gallifreyan DNA, she hadn't quite received the ability to be immune to the temperature like her father.

Finally all she needed to do was place her jewels on to complete the look. First, her wedding ring was checked to make sure it was secured on tight enough so that it didn't slip; secondly the Clarone Diamond necklace was placed around her necklace as Ella admired the alien gems glitter in the lighting of her room. The earrings went on next, ones that matched her necklace before she slipped on three square, blue gemmed encrusted bracelets onto her right wrist with the pearl and swallow bracelet while her silver watch sat on the left.

With a final check of herself in the mirror, Ella smiled slightly and turned to find her father in the door way. He had his arms folded across his chest, a stupid grin on his face as his fringe fell in his eyes as he leaned against the door frame. "You look so much like your mother when you dress up like this." He chuckled softly, he was so proud to see his daughter looking so beautiful. "Oh shush dad, you'll only make me blush," Ella laughed as she curled a strand of hair around her finger so it would sit right.

She glanced up at him and grinned brightly as before gesturing to the hallway to her father. "I see you are wearing the set that Narfi got you for Christmas." The Doctor pointed out, seeing the gems sparkle against his daughters red dress. "Yes, I still cannot believe you took him to Clarone just to pick up one of the rarest diamonds in the entire universe, must have cost a fortune!" Ella was still a little angered with this small fact considering she was never one for material items. "Forget how much it cost, just enjoy it Pond." Her father laughed as he turned to head back to the console room, his daughter trailing on after him.
She had noticed he was now in suit, a top hat and a cane to boot. It was nice to see him dress up like this from time to time as it made a difference from the deep purple jacket and the blue shirt.

Back in the console room, Ella leaned against the railings as she waited for her father to bring the TARDIS into land, the journey a tad rickety as he tried to steady the old girl out. A few curses were heard under the Doctor's breath as the blue box was lunged to its left before finally touching down and falling silent except for the low hums of the machine. Ella had sort of fallen into the railing she was against, her hair slipping a little from the bow so once the blue box had finally landed she was now instantly fixing her hair. An old habit that she had gained while working on Asgard, first impressions counted. "All under control!" Her father shouted out to her as he too slammed into a railing before getting to his feet, "It seems she wasn't too fond of that little landing!" He laughed, rushing to the console and hitting a few buttons. Finally the Doctor swung round to face his daughter and pointed to the door behind her. "Come along Pond!"

That was a phrase he wished he could say more often, he was just pleased he had his daughter in his life because it gave him reason to say it once more. On the other hand it was a tad painful, all those memories with his sweet Amy and now he had lost all of that. At least his daughter gave him back what he once lost. Ella chased him out the TARDIS, making sure her dress did not catch on her patent heels as she followed her father. "So this ball, where is it?" She questioned him as her father stepped out into what she thought was the sun beating down on them.

The Doctor glanced up at the street light above him and smiled a fraction before turning to his daughter and offering up his arm to her, "London at the Queen's palace. Victoria has the one or two parties and as seen as I have a different face than before, she won't know it is me and want to cut my head off." Ella raised a brow at him, mouth open a little, "Excuse me what?! And also... I thought we were going to the 20's?!"

Her father shrugged and tugged her towards the palace doors, "Long story, plus the TARDIS may have malfunctioned." The Doctor pouted a little as he glanced round. Bloody typical, guess this will do.

Inside the great palace, the sheer size of it shocked Ella, the stunning beauty that rained down upon her; the gold that embossed the walls glittered in the sun light that beamed in. For an era of dirt and grim, this place was perfect. Her arm tightened around her father's as they walked along, her father pulling out his psychic paper every now and then in order to keep their presence undetected. "So who are we acting as this time?" Ella queried as she fixed her dress slightly.

The Doctor couldn't help but grin such a stupid grin as he glanced at his daughter from the corner of his eye every now and then. She was simply stunning, hated the fact she was growing up and above all like any father would be, he was proud to show her off to the world. No matter how scarred she was, no matter her problems, her past or her future, the Doctor loved her to pieces. "We are…" He took a peek at his psychic paper and smirked, "… oh dear lord!" He rammed the paper into his pocket and huffed while Ella raised a brow at him, "Well?"
"Married. King of France and his lovely wife…" He rolled his eyes with great frustration.

Ella laughed at her father's reaction to the people they were impersonating, "Father you really should treat things with great care because seriously, they only end up making it harder for you." She lightly patted his arm lightly with a grin as they came to the huge ball room. The Doctor furrowed his brow and sighed, noting the Queen herself was now eyeing him with great curiosity. "I shall make you aware of it right now, we are speaking with French accents, thanks to the…"

"The TARDIS? Yes I know father." She laughed, as they made their way towards the throne where they were to bow before the Queen. "Alright show off," The Doctor smirked as he bowed, glancing at his daughter. "I take after my father," Ella replied in the most mischievous voice she had come to claim.

"And you may be?!" Victoria herself asked as the pair straightened up to look at the great Queen of Britain. "The King of France and this is my wife…" He gestured to his daughter on his arm, "… Princess Antoinette your majesty." Ella curtsied as well she could before her. This was the most awesome thing she had done in recent years.

Queen Victoria was suspicious of the Doctor the whole night, wondering if he really was who he claimed to be but then again it was the first time she had met the King of France since coming to the throne. "She's onto me…" The Doctor whispered as he passed Ella on the dance floor, twirling between partners as they made their way towards each other once more. "So paranoid sweetie," Ella couldn't help but wind her father up as they danced a beautiful waltz.

The Doctor scowled at her as he grasped her around the waist, the other hand grasping hers. "Look, all I am saying is if she finds me out then she'll cut my head off!" Oh how easily flustered he could get, of course though he had forgotten that the Queen now was a younger version of herself so she would not know of him just yet.

Ella spun on the spot as guided by her father before coming back into his grasp. "Are you going to complain all night because I will do a Cinderella on you and run away." A chuckled escaped them both at the thought, "And I will always come running to find you again." He tapped her on the nose lightly before pulling her close, "Because fathers don't abandon their little girls." If only he had kept to that.

Ella snuggled against her father as they danced, eyes scanning the crowd with nothing more than a few glances here and there. However something caught her eye, forcing her hearts to take a break in the beating pattern they owned. Her father noted her sudden change in pulse and glanced at her, "Everything ok?" He murmured softly in her ear, feeling her tense up.

Her eyes were set on a face in the crowd, the very one that haunted her dreams. How was he here, how was he haunting her life while she took her waking steps. Her head shook a little in response to her father's question. Her fingers tightened their grip on him, trying to force herself to speak, "Darcyl…" Her voice was ragged as she spoke, breathless in fact. The Doctor's jaw tightened, his eyes flittered down at her, "Where?" He murmured but it seemed his daughter was struggling to even breathe right now.

Darcyl smirked as he prowled through the crowd that resided on the dance floor. His eyes were latched onto the girl that had escaped him a thousand times and here she was, his for the taking. It seemed everything was falling into place for him and the people he had gone to for help. If he gave them the Doctor then he'd finally get Ella and bring back Pandora.

The Doctor twirled her daughter before pulling her close once more and turning to see if he could scan the crowd for Darcyl. He wasn't much of a fighter but if he could work alongside Ella, then they'd make the perfect team as always. He kept his hand in the small of Ella's back as he used his other hand to search around in his pockets for his sonic. "What are you doing?" Ella murmured, a little agitated at her father's actions. "Getting my sonic screwdriver, why?" he glanced at her with his stupid grin plastered across his face once more.

Ella side stepped, to hide what her father was doing from prying eyes as she noted Darcyl's every movement. "He's watching us, he knows we are here," She sounded incredibly worried, her hearts were racing and yet for the Doctor himself he seemed as calm as anything right now. He'd dealt with Darcyl countless times and in all honesty he wasn't giving up this time. He was here to give his daughter a life of smiles before she was to go to hell.

Darcyl circled the outskirts of the array of dancing couples; in fact he was already making his way towards the queen as she watched over the night's events. The Doctor wondered what Darcyl was up to; after all he was not of this time so what had he got up his sleeve this time? "He's heading towards the Queen," Ella kept her voice low and close to her father's ear as the Doctor in turn, tugged out his sonic and scanned Darcyl.

Thankfully these songs could last for a while, not like the modern stuff that his daughter occasionally enjoyed while they worked on the TARDIS. Ella suddenly grasped her father's jacket, she didn't want to swap partners for the next ten minutes but if she didn't want to look suspicious then she had no other choice. The Doctor on the other hand urged her to do what needed to be done, even if it meant a change of dance partners.

As Ella slipped into the arms of another man, a fake smile that hid his worry and fear behind bedazzling blue eyes, the Doctor began to work on studying the results of what he received back from his old enemy. As a woman was suddenly slung into his arms, the top of the sonic popped up which forced him to rest his had on the woman's shoulder so he could frantically read it. "A-ha!" He exclaimed as he noted the results.

It seemed that Mr Jones here was still from modern days, still from 2013 and still coated in those rather odd looking particles. It reminded him when U.N.I.T took him in and both Cybermen and Daleks were coated in similar particles. That was a thought he rammed to the back of his mind because that day he had lost someone he truly loved. "What the hell are you Darcyl?" He huffed as he pushed the woman to another free handed man and walked off the dance floor, his eyes glued to the sonic. Ella had noted this and took off after him, leaving a rather confused gentleman to stand there on his own.

"What is it?" She knew that look on her father's face all to well as his eyes glanced up and met his daughter's. "He seems to be travelling through some form of dimension; a lot of them all in one go. It's… odd." He narrowed his eyes at his sonic while Ella tilted her head a little, "Odd how?" The Doctor glanced up at his little Pond and grinned, "Odd as in he is everywhere and anywhere."

She glanced over her shoulder to see Darcyl pacing their way and honestly she didn't like how close he was getting. "He's not time travelling, you've already established that, he is also not alien or immortal…" Her eyes widened a little, "He's not another Clara is he?"
The Doctor slowly turned to Ella and grinned his maddest grin he had ever grinned before planting a kiss on her forehead, "He only knows his goal in life, to get us. Ella you maybe onto something!" He let go of her before running straight towards Darcyl.

Bizarre, the man was running towards him and in all honesty he had not expected that. His hand went for the sheathed sword on his hip and grasped it tightly. The Doctor skidded to a halt not far from the Hydra agent, "Do not unsheathe here, you want us then do it outside but there is just one thing I need to know before you go killing us." The Doctor spoke fast because one wrong move and Darcyl would become incredibly moody and he hated that.

Actually, the agent was far from angered, in all honesty he was confused and had no idea whether to slay him where he stood or let the Doctor talk. "I… what?"
"Do you remember anything from your past life?" Darcyl shook his head as he raised an eyebrow at the Doctor, "What has this to do with me getting Pandora? What are you even on about… past lives?!" God he wanted to just punch the Doctor in the face right now. "Yes past lives, you pop up all the time and honestly it is bugging me on how you do it. If you don't remember it then I have the advantage. Darcyl you Irish agent! I love it when you are such a ball of fun!" The Doctor laughed and lightly punched his arm, "Hey? Hey? Am I right?" Darcyl clenched his jaw as the Doctor punched his arm, "Advantage? You are unarmed… I am not."

Ella was making her way through the crowds of people, spotting the guards standing around where they were needed, guarding the Queen at all times. Maybe if she caused a distraction then they could break free and head back to the safety of the TARDIS. This proved to be easy though because Darcyl had drawn his sword that made people flee around them, leaving a rather awkward Doctor facing off at him. "Ah see now that isn't fair because all I have is my sonic screwdriver… it only puts cabinets together." He waggled the sonic in his hand as he watched the sword being drawn with rather panicked eyes. Darcyl clamped his other hand around the hilt of his weapon, preparing to swing once and slice the Doctor's head off in a flash.

This caught the attention of every guard in the room, forcing some to dive over to the Queen and demand she be removed from the room, others were guiding people out and the remaining few closing in on the pair of men that stood centre of the room. Ella on the other hand began to make her way round the edge of the room so she could be behind Darcyl. In moments she was tugging her dagger from under her dress and readying herself to fight him.

"You see Doctor, you should learn from your little girl," His arrogant Irish accent rung out in the halls, Darcyl had quite clearly noted that the guards were drawing nearer with each passing moment. "Carry a weapon because one day you might need it!" He swung down, the Doctor yelped and dived to one side, unaware that his daughter was ready to go in for the kill.

The Queen was wide eyed as she was tugged from the throne by four men, her guards, "Unhand me you fools! You should be stopping those two!" She pointed at Darcyl and the Doctor who had now picked a sword from the wall for protection. The swords chinked with each hit against each other, the Doctor trying to desperately hold him off while his eyes searched out his daughter's whereabouts because she would be handy round about now.

Ella was biding her time, waiting for the right moment when her father wasn't flailing about and Darcyl was clearly unaware of her presence but instead, delving into the fight by giving his whole attention to it. "Jones! You really should reconsider…" The Doctor was cut off mid sentence as his foe's sword came down and clanged against the marbled floor due the Doctor diving out of the way once more. On all his adventures, this was by far the only one that the action started moments after arriving.

"Reconsider Doctor?! Well it seems Miss Pandora herself has found she is recently struggling to do her job, thought I'd give a hand." Another swipe and the Doctor froze to the spot as his eyes slowly watched a snippet of his fringe gently flutter to the ground before him. Oh that was not on! "That was my hair!" The Doctor exclaimed with great frustration on his face. Darcyl smirked at the reaction he received but little did he know that by relishing in this minor thing, it made him vulnerable to Ella.

It took a while for anyone in the room to figure out what the sound of clicking was or even where it was coming from. In moments Ella had cleared the dance floor and grabbed Darcyl's throat before pressing the blade to his smooth skin. "Drop the knife buddy or I rip your throat open." Her hiss echoed out, all the men around them were wide eyed and in shock as they witnessed such speed and elegance from a lowly girl.

Oh Darcyl did yelp with great joy as he felt the cold hint of the blade pressed against his throat, daring to shred his jugular to pieces. "Wooo! Finally the little girl decides she wants to play. How is that broken little mind of yours, I really hope Pandora is enjoying her stay because soon she'll be walking this earth and you can't stop her." He struggled under Ella's grip but that was it, nothing more, it was just a simple show of his sudden excitement.

Ella snarled against the soft skin of his ear, teeth bared as she held him there, "You and I both know I am stronger, do not fight or I will cut you." Darcyl smirked, the evil glint flickering in his eyes as he grasped at Ella's arm. He had no intention in moving, just the want to wind up the pair of them with words. The Doctor raised his sonic and scanned him as his daughter had a hold of him. The sonic gave readings once more of those unusual particles, the sign of dimensional travel to a degree.

Darcyl narrowed his eyes at the Doctor, hearing the sonic whir out in its usual tone. He had a curious notion to what the Doctor was doing but daren't say a word in case they tried to get anything from him. "Ma'am put the knife down and step away from our lieutenant!" Ella's eyes widened at the command given by the guards. So Darcy boy here was working for the Queen? She didn't like the thought as she glanced at her father, "He's one of them?"
"You seem surprised darling," Darcyl responded in a flash because seriously, who could pass up the opportunity to wind them up even more so.

The swords were at a ready, every single one of them aimed at Ella. Her blue eyes darted around the room, figuring out tactics in seconds because no way was she going to fight all this stupid in one go. If she rammed Darcyl towards the men in front that would give her time to fight off the ones behind her. "I suggest you stand down! How dare you bring your French monarchy traditions and distasteful manners into my palace?!" Queen Victoria hissed with great anger on her face, her fingers grasping her skirt of her dress a little to prevent her tripping up. The Doctor spun to face her and grinned like the idiot he often chose to be, "Ah see now, ma'am, your majesty, your highness…." The Queen raised a finger to his lips and shushed him.