An Unexpected Reunion
Featuring: The Eighth Hatter and the Rani.
The Hatter stepped outside her TARDIS doors, taking in the change in scenery for a moment, the clear bright blue sky, and the sandy, rocky dirt under her boots with bits of shrubby looking plants that she couldn't quite identify. She thought for a brief moment about what her mother would say about that, her own daughter not being able to even recall a simple weedy shrubs name, what with her mother being a renowned botanist back at home, but she found that she simply couldn't bring herself to care in the slightest about what her mother might have said or thought, she couldn't even bring herself to feel amused.
Her mother had lied to her. She had sat there and smiled and acted as if everything was fine and dandy, acting as if nothing was wrong in the slightest when that couldn't be further from the truth. She could try to justify her actions all she wished but she would never forgive her, not for this because it was her right to know about her children and grandchildren's deaths.
She should have been told immediately, but no, she was dragged back to Gallifrey and told that she was expected to attend a Council meeting of great importance, and when she tried asking why, she was spoken to as if she was a child and all but ordered to go by her mother when she should have been told then and there. But no, she was sent off to the meeting, only to be dragged up to the very front of the entire Council and informed quite coldly and very businesslike about their deaths, and then when she broke down after attempting to deny what they were saying, even though she knew in her hearts that it was true, she was forcibly removed and literally dragged back to her parents home.
Now, the Hatter had always believe very deeply in forgiveness and that forgiveness was always possible, it simply may take a little longer but in this case, it was simply too much for her to even think about forgiving her parents for their actions. Perhaps, with time she would forgive them, after all, they were at war with the Daleks and it was more important than ever that they all stay reunited together if they were going to stand any chance...not that the Time Lords believed that, they all thought that the war would be over by the end of the week. Luckily, there were a select few people who actually thought that things could be a little bit more difficult than that, the Doctor, of course, and the Madame President, Romana.
These were dark times and with each passing day it only grew bleaker, and her children were only the very first who would die before this war ended. The Daleks were quickly starting to prove themselves to be a very dangerous threat to the ancient, dust covered race of Time Lords, and sooner or later the Time Lords would be forced to realise that they couldn't hid behind their ancient codes and symbols for much longer, and the Hatter only hoped that, that realisation came sooner than later.
The Hatter let out a heavy sigh as she closed her eyes tightly, taking a deep breath as she forced her mind to focus on the task of hand: to find and try to talk a Time Lord who had been playing hide and seek with the High Council to come back with her to Gallifrey.
It wasn't a task that she would have chosen to do, but Romana had asked her if she could do this favour for her, and she suspected that the Doctor might have asked her to do it just so that he could feel a little better about the Hatter actually doing something rather than moping around in her childhood bedroom, and so, she had reluctantly agreed. Besides, if there was anyone, aside from the Doctor, who could track someone who didn't want to be found down it would be her, and she had to admit to herself that it was nice to finally be off Gallifrey with a galaxy or two between herself and her parents.
The Hatter opened her eyes and took a glance around the empty, relevantly baron looking planet before setting off, keeping a sharp eye out for anything a little unusual that could point to someone else being there.
A hour and a half passed, and she had already searched half of the planet, she was quite grateful that the place was only a small little place, not the type of place that you would really suspect for a Time Lord to be hiding out, which was probably why any other Time Lord would have simply over looked it and moved on, and why it was the first place the Hatter had picked to search. Sometimes it really did amaze her how differently her mind worked compared to other Time Lords.
Suddenly, her eyes caught sight of a small gape in the rocky side of a cliff face, not very large, but certainly big enough for a person to slip through if they were trying to hide out somewhere, and there was probably a couple of other entrances. The cliff was probably riddled with tunnels, which could make her job a little harder as she couldn't exactly go searching about with her Time Lady senses in case the other Time Lord felt her searching for them and try to run. That would definitely not be a good thing.
"Ready or not, here I come," she murmured softly to herself, a spark of excitement jolting through her for the first time in a long time, making her almost feel giddy as she made her way over to the gape and slipped through, but not before she removed her black top hat and tucked it under her arm.
She quickly made her way down the darken tunnel, narrowing her eyes as she withdrew a small torch and used it to light her path, forcing herself to keep her knees slightly bent so she wouldn't end up knocking herself out, wincing ever so slightly as the top of her head brushed the rocky ceiling above. It certainly wasn't the best place to be if you have a frame of 5'10.
Finally, the tunnel started growing wider and she could distantly see the path ahead growing lighter. She clicked her torch off and tucked it away into the brown leather utility belt tied around the waist of her dress, trying to move as silently as she could as the rocky ceiling above started growing until she could finally stand up straight and put her hat back on quite comfortably.
She paused and draw back slightly as she came to the end of the tunnel were it brook off into a huge cave that was clearly being used as some sort of laboratory, a couple of books shelves were lining the uneven walls while there was a couple of different tables scattered around all over the place with lab equipment that was of Gallifreyan origan, some seeming to have been inventions of whoever the owner of them were. The Hatter couldn't help but feel the urge to run forward and start examining everything, but she forced herself not to.
"You can come out," a cold, female voice said suddenly from within the cave, causing the Hatter to jump as she took another look at the cave, searching until she spotted a woman on the short side, standing off to the side of the room, bent over a microscope as she worked at one of the tables, "I have already disabled the traps, it's quite safe".
"And I'm expected to believe that and trust you completely?" the Hatter raised her eyebrows as she stepped out of the shadows and into view, making sure not to step into the cave as she noticed a device that was set high onto the rocky wall with a small, barely visible blinking green dot on it.
The woman rolled her eyes, looking up from her microscope. She was quite pretty, with dark brown eyes, an olive skin tone, straight black hair that she had pulled back into a tight pony tail, and she was dressed in a pair of black boots that came to her knees, dark brown trousers, and an olive green tunic style shirt with a thick brown belt wrapped around her waist.
"If I wished to kill you, then I would have while you were out wondering around on the surface," she informed the other woman in a bored voice.
"Then why didn't you?" the Hatter asked her curiously, taking a careful step into the cave, preparing herself for something, anything to happen, but it didn't. Hmm, perhaps the woman was telling the truth, but you could never be too sure...or maybe that was just her more paranoid side of this regeneration poking through.
"Because you interested me," she replied, eyeing the other Time Lady as she walked closer to her, slowly circling her as the Hatter did the same to her, "Your the first person from the High Council to have managed to track me down," she continued.
"Let's just say that I've had my fair share of trying to hide from the High Council in my youth".
"Hmm," the other woman hummed, sounding almost thoughtful as continued her observation of the brunette, "You must be a renegade, then. A renegade who has turned back to Time Lord society...but that doesn't explain you clothing," she frowned slightly, eyeing the other woman's dress, boots, and lastly her eyes came to rest on her hat with a flash of something in her eyes. Recognition? Suspicion? "That's Earth material and design. A Time Lord who has returned to society would never wear Earth clothing".
"I prefer the team Time Lady," the Hatter told her with a small shrug, still eyeing the other woman as they stopped circling each other and simply watched one another, "And your quite right, a Time Lord returning to proper society would never be caught dead wearing anything but Time Lord clothing...unless, of course, they hadn't returned to society and were still classified as a renegade, which is the case here".
The other Time Lady frowned, "Then you couldn't possibly be a member of the High Council".
The Hatter laughed, shaking her head as she made a face, "Oh, believe me, being a member of the High Council is the last thing I wish to do ever again," she shivered at the thought, "Two centuries of it was bad enough, and I hadn't even wanted to do it in the first place. Politics and I do not get along, I'm afraid," she admitted.
"In that case, why are you here?"
"You already know why".
"But..." she the black haired woman frowned again, "But you're not a member of the High Council..."
The Hatter sighed, "It's a favour for the Madame President," she explained, "We're old friends and she asked me to help track you down, seeing as you had been very good at keeping yourself hidden," she cast the other woman a look, "I probably shouldn't say this but I'm impressed. Not many Time Lords or Lady's could do that for very long".
"I hardly did it to be impressive," the woman shook her head, crossing her arms, "And I can tell you that I have no intention of going back to Gallifrey with you. My work is all that matters to me, not some war".
"How can you say that this doesn't matter to you?" the Hatter asked her angrily, "This is your planet, this is your people who were talking about here! Probably even some of you own family members will end up fighting on the front line!"
The woman scoffed darkly, "Yes, probably the very same family member's who turned their backs on me once I was declared a renegade," she frowned darkly as she turned away and walked back over to her work bench that she had been working on before, "Let the Daleks have them, I don't care".
The Hatter opened and closed her mouth, staring at the woman's back in shock as how much hatred she held in her voice. Yes, she may not like her family, nor was she sure that she could ever forgive her parents, but she would never just turn her back on them like this woman was doing now with so much hatred and scorn. But...there was a part, a small part of her that understood what she was feeling.
She was betrayed and hurt, and by the sounds of it, it was all because of something that really hadn't been entirely her own fault when it came to being declared a renegade, and yes, the Hatter had made her choice when she left Gallifrey, fully aware of what would happen to her once she left, but she had still felt the hurt and betrayal when she had returned home for the very first time after leaving, she could still remember the looks that her own family had given her...and it had broken her hearts.
A long moment passed between them before the Hatter said softly, "You know, I wasn't even told your name," she commented quietly as she moved to stand on the other side of the work bench, "I was simply told that I was to search for a Time Lord and to bring them back to Gallifrey," she laughed, "I didn't even know that you would be a woman".
"How neglectful of them," the woman said in a bored voice, not looking up as she tinkered with a couple of microspore slides, holding them up to the light before placing them back down and moving on to the next one.
"Well, Romana has been terribly busy lately with the war," the Hatter shrugged it off, not bothered in the lack of information. Poor Romana had enough to deal with as it was, "Anyway, I should introduce myself," she smiled at her, holding out her hand, "I'm the Hatter".
The other woman froze at what she was doing for just a moment before she carefully placed the slide she was examining back down, and looked up to meet the other Time Lady's brown eyes, her own dark brown eyes hard and cold, "I should have known," she frowned darkly again, ignoring the Hatter's outstretched hand as her eyes drifted towards her top hat, "Of course it would be you that they sent. Let me guess, the Doctor's around here somewhere".
"You know me?" the Hatter asked curiously, dropping her arm back to her side as she frowned slightly at her cold tone and dark look that had appeared in her eyes, "And apparently the Doctor, as well," she shrugged and gave her a apologetic smile, "Well, I'm afraid that I can't say that I recognise you, have you regenerated since last we meet?"
The woman nodded, still looking anything but pleased, "Yes. Last time we meet I had curly brown hair and the Doctor was wearing that disaster he called a coat, and the Master was there, as well".
The Hatter's eyes widened as she breathed, "Rani?"
"So surprised, Hatter?" the Rani raised her eyebrows coldly at her.
"Too see you here?" she managed to shake herself out of her surprise and watched her carefully, "Yes, a just little, or though I'm not surprised in the slightest that you're not still stuck on the other side of the Universe with a useless TARDIS, and with the Master. I pity you for that experience, by the way. No, the Doctor told me all about how you tried to kidnap him and caused his regeneration back in his Sixth into his Seventh body".
"Oh, I'm sure he did," she rolled her eyes, "I'm sure he couldn't wait to tell you all about it. You know, the two of you haven't changed in the slightest bit since we left school, have you? Still the same goodie, goodie's that can't stand the idea of doing bad," she glared at her, saying sarcastically, "What are you going to do now, Hatter? Lecture me about how good I could be? Try to get through to my 'good' side like with the Master?"
"Well, its true, Rani," the Hatter replied stubbornly, "You're a pure genius and yet you waste all of that intelligence of doing evil deeds. There is so much that you could do, I've seen for myself just how amazing your mind is, and it sadness me to see you tucked away, hidden in a cave when you should be back on Gallifrey in a proper libratory, using that mind for good, to help people!"
"Like you have for all these centuries, you mean?" the Rani shot back coldly.
"I spent two hundred years in service to Gallifrey when they really didn't need my help, nor my skills, or knowledge," she shook her head, "They would have been just fine, and they have proven that in the centuries that I haven't been there," the Rani rolled her eyes, "No, I've spent all these centuries trying to use my knowledge and skills to actually help people and planets that do actually need my help, and don't merely think that they do because of the past. The time of the Gifted One has long since passed; they don't need me as they would have done thousands of years ago. Staying on Gallifrey would have been a waste, not to mention a misery for me personally".
"And you would wish for me to suffer a misery such as that? My, my, my, Hatter, I thought you were supposed to be nice and sweet, above all of that?"
"That was not what I saying at all," the Hatter frowned at her, shaking her head, "I would never wish for you or anyone to go through something that would make them miserable, I wouldn't even wish that for the Master".
"Aww, how sweet," the Rani said in a sickly sweet voice that really didn't suit her.
The Hatter sighed, running a hand over her face as she realised that if they continued going the way they were going, then nothing good would come of it, "Look, I don't wish to fight with you, Rani," she told her, holding up her hands in surrender, "I still remember that we were once friends, and I always hate to fight with old friends..." she paused before adding, "Unless there the Master, then I can't promise that I'll be able to keep myself from day dreaming about strangling him".
"So, you actually do have a dark side," the other Time Lady commented, almost sounding amused, but you couldn't tell that from the look that she had on her face.
"Of course I have a dark side, my dear, Rani, everyone has a dark side, the only difference between myself and people like the Master is that I don't act upon any of that. The dark side might have its certain appeals, of which I'm sure I'm not the best person to be asking what they maybe, but I prefer the advantages in the light side. For one thing, I actually have friends who I know I can trust without a doubt, what friends does the Master have that he can trust? I mean, he doesn't even have you as a friend".
"That's because the Master is an insufferable fool who would get dizzy if he had to walk in a straight line".
The Hatter tried to stop herself from smiling but couldn't help herself, "Indeed he would," she looked back at her and slowly lost her smile, sighing heavily, "I'm sorry, Rani, but I would love for this chat to continue, but I didn't exactly come here for a social call," she gave her a levelled look, "Please, you must come back to Gallifrey".
"Ah...no, I don't believe that I 'must,'" the Rani shot her a dark look, crossing her arm across her chest, "I have already told you, I have no interest in fighting in a war, Hatter".
"You don't have to fight in the war; you can help behind the scenes in a libratory somewhere," the other Time Lady tried to tell her, "You can put your skills and talent to good use for once," she ran a hand down her face before looking back at her, "Please, Rani, if I have to go back to Gallifrey without you, then they will be forced to have you arrested, and you will have no choice as to what you do after that. You'll probably end up being sent to the front line, perhaps it is not to bad at the moment, but this is only the start of the war. In a few months time, it could be like hell, epically with the Daleks".
"And why do you care if I get sent to the front line or not?" she demanded angrily, "We're enemies, remember? I've tried to kill both you and your darling Doctor!"
"Yes, you have," the Hatter nodded grimly, "But once upon a time, back when we were still children, you and I used to be friends...or at least something that was close to friendship, and it's because of that, that I still want to help you," the Rani scoffed loudly but she continued, "I understand that it probably does sound crazy, we're not friends, and nor will we ever be friends, ever again, but that doesn't mean that I've simply overlooked that we once were, and it's because of that, that I owe you to at least try to save your life just this once".
"You have a hero complex, Hatter," the Rani told her coldly, but there was something in her tone that didn't carry quite the same bite that it would have before, "Both you and the Doctor do".
"I wouldn't say that," the brunette Time Lady shook her head, "I'm merely trying to do the right thing, to try to stay as honourable as I can, and in this the honourable thing would be to try to save your life even when you would have taken mine, the Doctor's, and Peri Brown's life without hesitation before".
The Rani stared at her for a moment, shaking her head in disbelief, "I will never understand you, Hatter," she said quietly.
"Sometimes, I don't even understand myself," she admitted with a hint of amusement in her voice before turning serious, "Please, Rani, I'm asking you, not as the Hatter, but as Ariana to just let me do this one thing for you and then you can go back to hating me for the rest of your life, for reasons not even I know off," she smiled softly at her, "Let this be the very last act of whatever friendship we had as children and let me try to keep you alive".
The Rani frowned, looking thoughtful as she turned away and looked down at her microscope, "You say that I could work in a libratory?" she asked after a few minutes of silence, glancing up at her.
"I can almost guarantee you that you can," the Hatter smiled at her, "I can have a word with Romana, she's been busy putting teams of the very bests in their fields together and setting them up in labourite's all over Gallifrey."
"Well, then, the biochemistry team has been severely lacking without my expertise," the other Time Lady smirked as she straightened, dusting the front of her tunic down with a proud air about her. She really hadn't changed all that much from when she was still a child.
The Hatter's eyes brightened, "Does this mean that you will actually agree to come back with me to Gallifrey?" she asked her, trying not to sound too hopeful.
The Rani cast her a vaguely annoyed look, "Yes," she said after a moment, sounding reluctant about doing so before she pointed a stern finger at her, fixing her with a glare, "But if anyone asks, you threatened my life unless I complied with you. I can't have people thinking that I might actually have..." she made a disgusted face, "...given in to you out of..." she made another face, seeming to be struggling as she grumbled out, "Past friendship".
The Hatter laughed, shaking her head, "Do you really think that people are going to believe for a moment that I actually threatened to kill you?" she broke into another fit of giggles, "There's not going to be a single person who knows me who will believe that one, Rani".
"They will, because it's exactly what happened here," the other Time Lady glared at her, storming passed her as she heading towards the same tunnel way that the Hatter had entered via.
"Okay, whatever you say," the Hatter agreed, trying very hard not to start laughing all over again, but she couldn't seem to stop the grin from spreading across her face.
"Just hurry up and led the way back to your heap of junk that you call a TARDIS," the Rani hissed at her angrily, clearly none too pleased by any of what had just happened, "And wipe that idiotic grin off your face!"
They may still have been enemies and the Hatter was not fooled for a moment into thinking that if something happened and she was suddenly terribly injured that the Rani wouldn't simply smirk and probably keep going on her way, not looking back, but at least this showed that there was still something inside her, something that still kept a sense of warmth about her, be it lukewarm, but still, and that only gave the Hatter more hope that one day, perhaps, the Rani really would try to do something good for the Universe. And that spark of hope was enough...for now, anyway.
A big thank you to Ben10987654321, who asked about whether or not we would be seeing the Rani popping up. Hope you liked it.
Ah, it's the first chapter that we've had that the Doctor hadn't popped up. I did think of adding him to the end with him and Hatter discussing the Rani, but I thought better of it. This was sort of proof that the Hatter does actually do stuff without the Doctor hanging around her all the time :)
Okay, a small bit of a time line just to try and make sense. The Time War has only just started and the Hatter's children and Grandchildren died about three months ago, a month after the Time War first began.
If you have any suggestions for one-shots, I would love to see them. Please review and tell me what you thought :)