The Idiot's Lantern, Part Two.
The Doctor parked the moped at the side of the alley and together he and the Hatter crept around the building, looking for a way in. Finally, they came to a small gate in the side of the wall.
"I thought you just finished your sonic screwdriver," the Doctor remarked, taking out his own sonic to open the gate.
"Left it in my coat," the Hatter shrugged, slipping through the now open gate as he stepped slightly to let her through first, "I thought about bringing a bag but couldn't be bothered carrying it everywhere".
"No, that would be my job," the Doctor replied, shaking his head as he followed after her, "Come on, I think I can see some lights".
It was some sort of warehouse. Two police men were outside it locking a cage-like gate. They waited until they had gone inside before the Doctor and the Hatter ran, quietly as they could, over to the dark cage. From the outside, it looked like there were several dozen people inside, but strangely, not one of them was moving.
The Doctor flashed the sonic at the lock, quietly opened the door, slipping inside with the Hatter.
"Looks like we found where there keeping all the people they kidnapped," the Time Lady whispered to the Doctor, glancing around at all the people, taking note of how they were all like Tommy's Grandmother, missing their faces. They were just standing straight, clutching and un-clutching their fists.
The Doctor nodded, "I didn't realise how many people had been affected," he frowned slightly, looking concerned as he exchanged looks with her.
"Doctor, look," the Hatter said after a moment of silence. He turned to see all the people slowly shuffling towards them. The Doctor and the Hatter stepped back, the Doctor tried to stand in front of the Hatter when a bright light from behind them flared, making the Time Lady jump slightly. They looked over their shoulders, squinting though the bright light to see the three men from earlier standing next to a car with the headlights on.
"Stay where you are!" one of the men wearing a hat ordered.
"What are we going to do?" the Hatter rolled her eyes, "Run out of the cage door and think where not going to be caught or shot. I don't know about you, Doctor, but I'm ready".
...
"Start from the beginning, tell me everything you know," the man wearing the hat said, standing over the Doctor and the Hatter, who were both sitting on the other side of the hat mans desk.
"Well..." the Doctor began, "For starters...I know I can't wrap your hand around your elbow and make your fingers meet".
"And not to forget that you can't tickle yourself," the Hatter added, struggling not to smile.
The hat man pointed at the two of them, looking annoyed, "Don't get clever with me. You were there today at Florizel Street, and now breaking into this establishment. You're connected with this. Make no mistake".
"Well, the thing is, Detective Inspector Bishop..." the Doctor began only to be cut off.
"How do you know my name?" Bishop asked, looking in-between them both.
"It's...written inside your collar," the Hatter nodded to Bishops collar.
Bishop looked embarrassed and slightly put out, adjusting his collar.
"Bless you mum," the Hatter and Doctor said in unison, smirking before the Doctor went on, "But, I can't help thinking, Detective Inspector, you're not exactly doing much detective inspecting. Are you?"
"I'm doing everything in my power," Bishop defended himself.
"All you're doing is grabbing those poor faceless people and hiding them as fast as you can," the Hatter argued, going to stand but being pushed back down in her seat, "Hand's off, please," she shot a look at the second police officer who had pushed her down, turning back to Bishop, "As I was saying, Orders from above? Coronation Day...the eyes of the world are on London Town...so any sort of problem just gets swept out of sight".
Bishop looked over at her, irritation clearly written all over his face. The Doctor on the other hand coved his laughter with a cough.
"The nation has an image to maintain," Bishop stated.
"Doesn't it drive you mad?" the Hatter asked, cutting in, "Doing nothing? Don't you want to get out there and investigate?"
"Course I do but..." Bishop sat down wearily, "With all the crowds expected, we haven't got the manpower. Even if we did...this is...beyond anything we've ever seen," he sighed, "I just don't know anymore. Twenty years on the force..." the Doctor and the Hatter glanced at each other, "...I don't even know where to start. We haven't the faintest clue what's going on".
"Well...that could change..." the Doctor trailed off.
"How?" Bishop asked, looking at him.
The Doctor stood, now looking down at Bishop, "My brilliant friend here...let's call her the Hatter," he grinned down at the Hatter, who shook her head before looking back at Bishop, "Is the most brilliant person at working out things. Call it a party trick if you will but if there is anyone I know she is the one that will solve this," he pretend not to notices the look the Hatter were giving him, "Hatter, have anything to say?"
The Hatter rolled her eyes turning to face Bishop, "Start from the beginning. Tell me everything you know".
...
The Doctor, the Hatter, and Bishop were standing around a large map on a stand, "We started finding them about a month ago," Bishop explained to the Hatter, "Persons left sans visage. Heads just...blank".
"Not much also going on inside either," the Hatter sighed.
"Is there any sort of pattern?" the Doctor asked as the Hatter picked up a file.
"Yes, spreading out from North London," Bishop nodded, "All over the city. Men, woman, kids...grannies...only real lead is there's been quite a large number..."
"Florizel Street," the Hatter finished, not looking up from the file, "Thought as much".
There was knock on the door and they all looked up to see a policemen entire, "Found another one, sir," he opened the door wider, moving a blanket coved person inside the room. The Hatter looked up from the file, dropping it on the floor when she realised who it was under the blanket, recognising the bottom of the pink skirt that was peeking under the blanket.
"Oh, er, good man, Crabtree," Bishop nodded, frowning slightly at the Hatter as he noticed the look on her face, "Here we are, Hatter..." the Hatter watched as the Doctor walked slowly over to the figure, the Hatter followed just behind him, "Take a good look. See what you can deduce".
The police man removed the blanket, revelling Rose's blank face. The Doctor and the Hatter eyes winded in horror, "Rose".
"We should never have left her," the Hatter said quietly, staring at Rose, not being able to look away, "Oh, Rose..."
"Do you know her?" Bishop frowned, looking in-between them.
"Know her?" the Doctor shook his head, "She..." he stopped, swallowing hard, looking straight at Rose's featureless face.
"They found her in the street, apparently," Crabtree told Bishop, "Over at Master Square, abandoned".
"That's unusual, that's the first one out in the open," Bishop said, making the Hatter wince. She could just about feel the argue rolling off the Doctor, "Heaven help us if something happens in public tomorrow for the big day, we'll have Torchwood on our back, make no mistake," he went on.
"They did what?" the Doctor asked, suddenly unable to hold his arguer back.
"I'm sorry?" Bishop asked, looking over at the Doctor's back.
"They left her where?" the Doctor demanded again, trying not lose his temper even more.
"Just...in the street".
"In the street," the Doctor repeated, sounding far too calm, "They left her in the street. They took her face and just chucked her out and left her in the street and as a result that makes things...simple, very, very, very, simple," he took off his glass, looking over his shoulder, "Do you know why?"
"No," Bishop said, glancing at the Hatter.
"Because now, Detective Inspector Bishop, there is no power on this Earth that could stop me!" the Doctor shouted, making the Hatter jump.
"Doctor," the Hatter moved forward, making the Doctor turn, "Please calm down. I swear to you on our friendship that we will find who or what did this to Rose, but you are going to need to calm down. Please".
The Doctor seemed to pause a moment, looking surprised at the Hatter before storming out of the room.
"I thought you of all people would have been able to get through to him," Bishop said, following the Hatter as she walked out of the door after the Doctor.
"I did," the Hatter replied, sighing, "Trust me; the Doctor would be even angrier right now. The thing about the Doctor is that you have to be forceful but truthful when he's angry and you're trying to get him to see reason. I just hope that Rose is un-harmed because if Rose is in anyway hurt..." her tone turned cold, "They won't just have the Doctor to deal with".
...
When they arrived at the Connolly's house, the Doctor rang the doorbell and Tommy opened the door moments later.
"Tommy, great to see you again, how's the mum and dad?" not waiting for an answer, the Hatter jumped right to the point, "Look, I need to know exactly happened inside your house".
Tommy nodded, stepping outside, shutting the door behind him only for his father to yank the door back open, "What the blazes do you think you're doing?" he demanded.
"Talk about flash back to Harry Potter," the Hatter remarked quietly, thinking about the scended movie with Uncle Vernon.
"I wonna help, dad," Tommy told him.
"Mr. Connolly..." the Doctor said.
"Shut your face, you," Mr. Connolly rounded on the Doctor but the Doctor didn't even blink, "Whoever you are we can handle this ourselves," he turned back to Tommy, glaring down at him, "Listen you, little twerp. You're hardly out of the bloomin' cradle, so I don't expect you to understand. But I've got a position to maintain. People round her respect me. It MATTERS what people THINK!"
"Is that why you did it, dad?" Tommy asked, frowning.
Mr. Connolly looked taken aback for a moment, "What'd you mean? Did what?"
"You ratted on Gran," Tommy said, "How else would the police know where to look? Unless some coward told them..."
"How DARE you?" Mr. Connolly shouted, but also looking a little put out about being caught, "You think I fought a war just so a mouthy little scum like you could call me a coward?"
"Mr. Connolly…" the Hatter started to say, but Tommy cut her off.
"You don't get it, do you?" Tommy shook his head, "You fought AGAINST fascism, remember? People telling you how to live, who you could be friends with, who you could fall in love with, who could live and who had to die. Don't you get it? You were fighting so that little twerps like me could DO what we want. SAY what we want. Now you've become just like them. You've been informing on everyone, haven't you? Even Gran. All to protect you precious reputation".
"Eddie...is that true?" Rita asked, coming outside.
"I did it for US, Rita!" Mr. Connolly turned to her, "She was FLITHY. A filthy, disgusting THING!"
"She's my mother," Rita shook her head, "All the others, you informed on all the people in our street, out friends".
"I had to," Mr. Connolly said, "I did the right thing..."
"The right thing for us? Or for you, Eddie?" Rita asked shaking her head turning to Tommy, "You go, Tommy. You go with the Hatter and the Doctor, do some good. Get away from this house. It's poison. We had ruddy monster under this roof, alright, but it weren't my mother!"
She turned back around, walking inside, slamming the door shut on Mr. Connolly's face.
"Rita?" Mr. Connolly called through the door.
"Mr. Connolly?" the Hatter stepped forward as Mr. Connolly turned around, "I have something to say. Usually I hate all types of violence...but today I think I can over look that little thing," she said before punching him in the face. Mr. Connolly stumbled backwards into the door as the Hatter shock her wrist turning back around to face three very stunned men, "You have no idea how long I have been waiting to do that. That was well worth a sore wrist any day".
"You...you...you..." Tommy said staring at the Hatter completely shocked and amazed.
"Just punched your father, yes I did," the Hatter said, looking her hand, wincing slightly, "I don't know why you're so surprised, Tommy, I'm sure it's not the first time nor do I think it will be the last," she looked up at Tommy, "Believe me, Tommy".
She glanced back at Mr. Connolly, who was still sitting on the ground, looking slightly dazed before walking past the still shocked Doctor and Bishop and on to the street.
"Tommy, tell us about that night," the Doctor said, shacking himself out of his shook and following the Hatter, "The night she changed".
"She was just watching the telly," Tommy shrugged, still looking shocked.
"Rose said it," the Hatter recalled, stopping suddenly and face palming herself, "This is last time I don't sleep for a week. She guessed it straight away. All those aerials in one little street, why? Oh, it's been staring us right in the face".
"Bloke up the street," Tommy answered as he realised what they were getting at, "Mr Magpie, he's selling them cheap".
The Doctor and the Hatter looked at each other before running down the street, the Hatter at a slightly slower pace then what she would usually with her heels and dress. Bishop and Tommy followed right behind them.
"We need to get in," the Hatter sighed, looking in the window of Magpie's shop, "Doctor, sonic".
The Doctor flashed the sonic and the door opened.
"Hey, you can't do that..." Bishop began.
"Just watch us," the Hatter said, walking through the door with the Doctor.
"Shop?" the Doctor yelled, pressing a bell on the counter so many times that the Hatter was surprised it didn't break, "If you're here, come out and talk to us! MAGPIE!"
"Maybe he's out?" Tommy suggested.
"I don't know...it looks like it..." the Hatter trailed off, walking around the counter, looking through all the paperwork, the Doctor did the same on the other end. After a moment the Doctor pulled out a device that looked like a portable radio and a TV.
He looked at it frowning, "This isn't right. This is very much not right..." he picked it up, licking it, "Iron? No...Bakelite," he placed it back on the counter, "Put together with human hands, yes, but the design it's self..." he started to sonic it, "Oh, beautiful work...that is so simple..."
"Very impressive," the Hatter agreed, looking down at the device.
"That's incredible," Bishop remarked, staring at the device, "It's like a television, but portable. A portable television!"
"Wait until you get portable telephones," the Hatter commented, smiling slightly, "Hang on, Doctor give me the sonic," he passed her the sonic and she lifted it up, making all the in the room become static, "It's not the only power source in here..." she changed the setting and the static cleared on the , revealing a different face on each screen, mouthing pleas for help. They walked over to the screens looking at them all.
"Gran?" Tommy breathed, stopping in front of an old woman's face.
"Doctor..." the Hatter gasped, looking at a screen, "I found her...face".
The Doctor looked over to see the Hatter kneeling next a screen at the bottom row, where Rose's face was calling 'Doctor' over and over. He knelt down next to the Hatter, unable to take his eyes away from the screen.
"We're on our way," the Doctor promised but it didn't seem like Rose could hear him.
"What do you think you're doing?" someone shouted, making the Hatter jump. They looked up to see Mr. Magpie walking into the room from somewhere in the back.
"I want my friend restored," the Doctor demanded, standing up and storming over to Magpie.
"You see Mr. Magpie, this is all beyond a little backstreet electrician," the Hatter said, walking over to the Doctor and Magpie a little more calmly then the Doctor, "Who's really in charge here? Hmmm? Don't worry, you can tell me, I promise not to tell on you and I always keep my promises".
Magpie flinched as one of the switched from a face to the face of middle age woman, "Yoo hoo!" she called sweetly, "I think that must be me," they all turned to look at the screen, "Ooh, these two are smart as paint!"
"What colour would you say we are?" the Hatter asked, moving to walk over but the Doctor stopped her, "This body seems to be found of purple but I do love burnt orange or ruby red. The Doctor's the same but without purple".
"Just once, Hatter, could you not provoke the bad guy?" the Doctor whispered in the Hatter's ear.
"I could try but where's the fun in that?" the Hatter whispered back.
"Is she talking to us?" Bishop asked, pointing at the screen.
"Sorry ladies and gentlemen," Magpie sighed, looking unhappy, "I'm...I'm afraid you've brought this on yourselves. May I introduce you to my new...friend".
"Jolly nice to meet you," the woman smiled at them.
"I would say the same but…" the Hatter started to say but the Doctor put his hand over her mouth, already guessing that she was going to finish with, '...but I would be lying'.
"Oh my God, it's her, that woman off the telly," Bishop gasped, his eyes widening as he pointed at the screen.
"No," the Doctor shook his head, "It's just using her image".
"What...what are you?" Tommy asked the woman.
"I'm the Wire," the Wire smirked, "And I will gobble you up, pretty boy. Every last morsel. And when I have feasted, I shall regain the corporeal body, which my fellow-kind denied me".
The screen suddenly turned technicolour.
"Good lord...colour television!" Bishop gasped in amazement.
"So your own people tried to stop you?" the Hatter asked, eyeing her.
"They executed me," the Wire told them, "But I escaped, in this form, and fled across the stairs".
"And now you're trapped in the television," the Hatter nodded slowly as the Wire faded, turning herself back to black and white, "I once knew a Time Lord called Morbius who was also executed and got away," she pretend to look thoughtful, "Until he meet the Doctor and I that is, and our friend, Sarah Jane Smith".
"Not for much longer," the Wire said, ignoring the Hatter's last comments.
"Is this what got my Gran?" Tommy asked, frowning.
"I'm sorry, Tommy, yes," the Hatter nodded, looking over at the boy, "It feeds off the electrical activity of the brain, but it can't stop there. She takes people's faces, their essences. It stuffs itself, like an overfed pig".
"And you let her do it, Magpie?" Bishop asked turning to the man.
"I had to!" Magpie exclaimed, "She allowed me my face! She's promised to release me at the time of manifestation".
"What does that mean?" Tommy asked, looking confused.
"The appointed time," the Wire smiled sweetly, "My crowning glory".
"The Coronation!" Bishop gasped.
"For the first time in history, millions gathered around a television set," the Hatter said, "But she's not strong enough yet. She can't do it all from here. It's why she needs this," she pointed at the small television in the Doctors hands, "Something more powerful that can turn a big transmitter into a big receiver".
"What a clever thing you are!" the Wire smiled at the Hatter and the Doctor moved to stand in front of her, hiding her from view, "But why fret about it? Why not just relax? Kick off your shoes and enjoy the coronation. Believe me; you'll be glued to the screen".
Red lines started coming around the screen of the TV, shooting out at the Doctor, Tommy, and Bishops faces, before they hit the Doctor, he had pushed the Hatter on to the floor before she knew what he was doing.
"Doctor! Hatter!" Tommy and Bishop shouted as their faces where hit.
"Stop her, Magpie!" the Hatter shouted, jumping to her feet, looking back to Magpie and then to the Wire, "Can't you see that once she has what she wants it won't matter if she lets you live!"
"Hungry !" the Wire moaned, closer her eyes, "Hungry! The Wire is hungry! Ah! This one is tasty!" the red light become brighter attached to the Doctor, "Oh! I'll have lashings of him! Delicious! Ah!"
"The Doctor and I are close but that's one thing that I really didn't need to know!" the Hatter called, trying to distract the Wire, but the Wire was too busy feeding to hear.
That's when the Hatter had a sudden idea. She ducked her arm under the red light attached to the Doctor's face and pulled his sonic screwdriver out of his pocket, pointing it at the Wire's screen.
"Let them go, Wire!" the Hatter shouted, pointing the sonic but not using it, "Or I will use this!"
"She's armed," the Wire gasped, eyeing the Hatter, "Armed and clever. Withdraw, withdraw!"
The light pulled away, the Doctor, Bishop, and Tommy fall to the floor, unconscious. The force of the power being withdrawal hit the Hatter, forcing her to the floor next to the unconscious Doctor, dazed and slightly confused.
"The box, Magpie!" the Wire ordered, "The box!" Magpie rushed forward, grabbing the portable TV from next to the Doctor and the Hatter who were still on the floor. Magpie picket the device up holding it up to the Wire, "Hold tight..."
"No...Magpie...please...listen..." the Hatter gasped slowly coming back to what was happing, "...Magpie...you...don't...have...too..."
But Magpie wasn't listing.
The Wire jumped from her TV and into the portable one, "Conduct me to my victory, Magpie!"
"You're a fool Wire if you think you're going to get away!" the Hatter shouted as Magpie ran out of the door. She stopped, taking a deep breath, holding her head before turning on her side, facing the Doctor, lightly slapping his face, "Doctor!" she shouted, slowly sitting up, still slapping his face, "Doctor, wake up! You're not going to believe it! Tommy and Mr. Bishop are dancing around the room singing!"
The Doctor jerked awake, looking around, slightly dazed before rolling to his feet, helping the Hatter as he did. They both looked over to see Bishop on the floor missing his face but thankfully Tommy was alright, "Tommy, wake up!" the Doctor called, leaning over him, "Tommy! Come on!"
"What happened?" Tommy asked, dazed.
"Where's Magpie?" the Doctor asked the Hatter.
"He took off with the Wire," the Hatter shook her head; "I tried to tell him that he had a choice but he's too scared".
The Doctor nodded, running out of the door with Tommy and the Hatter following him. From where they were standing, they could see Magpies van already half why down the street.
"We don't even know where to start looking, it's too late," Tommy sighed, looking helpless.
"It's never too late, a wise person once said," the Doctor quoted, looking around for something.
"Good old Kylie," the Hatter laughed before turning to Tommy, "Remember that quote, Tommy. Also, nothing is impossible, just a bit unlikely".
"But the Wire got a plan...so it'll need-" the Doctor started to say, but the Hatter cut him off.
"It's got to harness half the population, millions and millions of people..." she trailed off, looking around before sporting it, "There!" she pointed at it, "Alexander Palace, biggest TV transmitter in North London!"
"What are you going to do?" Tommy asked as the Hatter ran past him.
"Oh, you know this that but first, shopping!" the Hatter poked her out, grinning before running back inside, "Doctor, come on!"
...
The Hatter ran around the back of Magpies shop, picking up things, and passing them to the Doctor who was doing the same thing.
"Is this what you want?" Tommy asked, holding up a device to the Hatter and the Doctor.
"Brilliant!" the Hatter grinned, running over taking the device, "Perfect, Right, we need one more thing..." she lifted all the equipment with the help of the Doctor before running out side.
...
The Doctor, the Hatter, and Tommy ran down the street towards Alexander Palace.
"There!" Tommy shouted, pointing at the figure of Magpie, climbing the pylon.
"Don't just stand around, Tommy," the Hatter said, running off, again.
"Come on!" the Doctor shouted, running after the Hatter with Tommy following.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" a guard called, seeing them coming, "Where do you think..." the Doctor flashed his psychic paper at him, "Oh! Sorry sir, madam! Shouldn't you be at the coronation?"
"They're saving us a seat," the Doctor called over his shoulder as they ran around the corner.
"Who did they think you were?" Tommy asked the Doctor.
"The King and Queen of Belgium, apparently," the Doctor replied.
"Great, I'm married to you," the Hatter joked, laughing slightly.
They ran into the control room. As soon as they were in their, the Hatter and the Doctor ran around, picking up more equipment while Tommy stood back, watching.
"Keep it switched on!" the Doctor told Tommy, "Don't let anyone stop you, Tommy. Everything depends on it, understand?"
Tommy nodded to show he understood.
"Don't worry, Tommy," the Hatter called to him as she ran out with the Doctor, "You're going to do brilliantly!"
The Doctor and the Hatter dashed back outside, past the guard, trailing the stream of recoding tap behind them from the reel in the Doctors hand. They ran up the metal stairs towards the pylon, stopping at the base of it.
"Let me do it," the Hatter nodded to the reel.
"No," the Doctor shook his head, "You stay right here".
"Doctor," the Hatter hugged him before he could argue further, "I know that you think that you can keep me safe for ever but I'm a Time Lady, I can't just stand around watching you do everything. That's not me and it never has been. You may not see it but you need to see that I can take care of myself," she stepped away, slipping her heels off, taking the reel from the Doctor and putting it around herself.
"Hatter…" the Doctor tried to say but the Hatter interrupted him.
"Please, Doctor," the Hatter kissed him on the cheek before dashing off after Magpie, "And don't you dare look up my dress!"
"That was years ago, not to mention an accident!" the Doctor called up to her only to get a laugh.
"Sure, sure," the Hatter laughed, still climbing.
"You'll get yourself killed up there!" the guard shouted, seeing the Hatter climbing, "Your Majesty!"
The Hatter had climbed halfway up the tower when the whole thing started crackling with red energy. She glanced up to see Magpie up the top but she kept on climbing.
"Feasting..." she could hear the Wire shouting as she got closer, "The Wire...is feasting!"
"It's too late!" Magpie shouted to the Hatter as she climbed, "It's too late for all of us!"
"It's never too late, Magpie!" the Hatter shouted as she climbed faster. For a moment, one of her stocking coved foot slipped and she only just managed to hold on, "Oh, no you don't, I have already been killed from falling from a tower I am not going to again!"
"I shall consume you...Hatter!" the Wire shouted from above her.
The Hatter cried out as she was hit with the red light, almost falling again, "I won't let you do this, Wire!" she shouted as she started climbing.
"Help me Hatter!" Magpie cried from pain, "It burns! It took my face...my soul!"
"You cannot stop the Wire," the Wire laughed, "Soon I shall become manifest".
The Hatter winced when she was blasted again and she could feel the Doctor trying to talk to her telepathy but she blocked him out, focusing on what she was supposed to do.
"No more of this!" Magpie pleaded with the Wire, "You promised me peace!"
"And peace you shall have," the Wire said, sending a red bolt at Magpie, blowing him to bits in a shower of particles. The Wire laughed as he screamed as he died.
The Hatter reached out, trying to touch the potable TV only to get zapped with another red spark. She took a deep breath and picked up the TV once more, getting shocked again. She grabbed the switch, trying to ignore the pain but nothing happened to the TV, it remanded on.
"Oh dear!" the Wire laughed, clearly enjoying herself, "Has your little plan gone horribly wrong, Hatter?"
"Come on, Tommy," the Hatter breathed, closing her eyes, "You're going to save me in the future, what a better time to start then now".
Just as the Hatter said that, the light retreated from the pylon, back to the Wire's TV. The Hatter looked down at the Wire feeling a little sadness as the Wire screamed and writhed in pain. With one last scream, the television switched its self-off, leaving a blank screen. The Hatter took a deep breath, closer her eyes, leaning her head against the cold metal, un-blocking the Doctor.
"You did it!" the Hatter laughed as the Doctor cheered inside her head, "Come on down, Tommy's probably waiting to see what happened".
"I'm coming, be down in a sec".
...
When they arrived back in the control room, Tommy was watching the coronation on one of the screens. The Doctor told the Hatter that she was never going anywhere without him again, to which she had replied that things where back to normal then. Not that she was happy about the Doctor still being overprotected of her, but she knew that it would take time for the Doctor to see that she could look after herself.
"What have we missed?" the Doctor asked, making Tommy jump.
"Doctor! Hatter!" Tommy spun around, "What happened?"
"Sorted! Electrical creature, TV technology, clever alien life form…" the Doctor started to say, but the Hatter cut him off, knowing that he was going to say that she was the clever life form.
"Doctor," she shook her head, "I turned the receiver back into transmitting and trapped the Wire in here," she pointed a device that the Doctor popped open to show a videotape inside, "I just invented the home video 30 years earlier".
"Betamax," the Doctor finished, "Still you could have invented a laptop in the medieval era, oh wait you did!"
"Hey look! God save the Queen," the Hatter said, pointing at the screen as the Doctor laughed at her change of subject.
...
They walked back to the Connolly house to find people all over the street, hugging, talking with the once faceless loved ones.
"Gran!" Tommy shouted, running over to an old lady.
"Look, it's my grandson!" the woman beamed at Tommy, "Oh son!"
"You still haven't told me how you know Tommy?" the Doctor remained the Hatter in a whisper.
"I travailed with him in my Third and for a short while in my Fourth bodies," she whispered back, smiling slightly, "I didn't recognise him at first, not until I heard his last name. I thought I had seen him before but it didn't click until later. I now understand why he didn't blink when I told him that I was a Time Lady. Or ask what my real name is. At first it was just us and then we met Michael and Katie this was before April came along. Tommy left a little while later, said that he thought it was time he left. I missed him".
"Did he ever tell you about all of this?" the Doctor asked, still whispering.
"No," the Hatter shook her head, "But he did mention that he met a pretty, young woman with red hair who taught him so much more than anyone did in one day," she laughed quietly, "Also, that she punched his father and from that moment she was his hero".
They both laughed as Rose spotted them and ran over to the Doctor, who hadn't seen her and hugged him causing him to stubble slightly before righting himself.
The Hatter hid her smile at the slightly shocked look on the Doctors face as he hugged Rose; the Hatter walked over to Rita Connolly and started talking with her so the Doctor and Rose could have some time together.
...
You could really feel the 50's vibe in the air as music played and people danced, talked, and enjoyed everything going on around them. There was a huge line's of tables in the middle of street piled with food and drink. Rose, the Hatter, and the Doctor walked next to each other down the street.
"We could go down the mall, join in with the crowd," Rose suggested as the Hatter ate her slice of Victoria sponge cake.
"Nah, that's just pomp and circumstance," the Doctor said, also eating sponge cake, "This is history right here".
"Sort of like the domestic approach," the Hatter suggested, smiling.
"Exactly!" the Doctor grinned at her.
"Will it..." Rose said, "That thing...is it trapped for good, on video?"
"Hope so," the Doctor nodded tacking a bit.
"Just to be on the safe side though," the Hatter said, seeing that Doctor was too busy eating, "He'll use his unrivalled knowledge of trans-temporal extirpation methods to neutralize the residual electronic pattern".
"You what?" Rose asked, not understanding a word.
"I'm going to tape over it," the Doctor clarified, swallowing.
Rose laughed, "Just leave it to me, I'm always doing that!"
They spotted Tommy standing next one of the tables and walked over, "Tell you what Tommy," the Doctor said, "You can have the scooter. Little present. Best...um...keep it in the garage for a few years thought, eh?"
The Hatter gasped, "It was you. I thought it was a little odd that it was the same colour as your TARDIS but I just shrugged it off".
Tommy smiled at them before something over the Doctor's shoulder caught his eye, "Good riddance".
They looked over to see Mr. Connolly walking down the street with a bruised nose and carrying a suitcase.
"Is that right then, Tommy?" the Doctor asked, turning back to Tommy, "New monarch, new age, new would, no room for a man like Eddie Connolly".
"That's right," Tommy nodded, still watching his dad, "He deserves it".
Rose nudged him, "Tommy, go after him".
Tommy looked at her, "What for?"
"He's your dad," Rose said.
"He's an idiot," Tommy shrugged.
"Coues he is," Rose smiled at him, "Like I said, he's your dad. But you're clever. Clever enough to save the world so don't stop there. Go on!"
Rose smiled again, giving him another nudge, but Tommy shook his head.
"Tommy," the Hatter said, making everyone look at her but she was focused Tommy, "I may not like you're father very much..." Tommy smiled, remembering the Hatter punched him, "But I once knew a man very much like you who had a dad that was like yours. In fact his dad was also kicked out. That man told me that the best thing he ever did when it came to his dad, was to forgive him. It started a new chapter in their lives. A much happier one and I think that's what you two need. To get to know each other. So, are you ready?"
Tommy looked at her a few minutes before running over to his dad, taking his suitcase and walking off together.
"That man you where talking about..." the Doctor said.
"Eddie Connolly and Tommy Connolly," the Hatter nodded, smiling, "I knew that Tommy just need a little push so I thought, as long as I don't use any names, everything should be fine".
The Doctor grinned at her, picking up three glass of orange juice, handing them to the Hatter and Rose, holding them up in a toast to the Connolly's. They clicked glass, smiling at each other.
Editor: 24/7/2014
I hope you liked it, as you can guess that April's Jones death had a great impact on the Hatter life. A little bit like the Doctor and Andric's death for the fifth Doctor. About Tommy being one of the Hatter's companies, I all ways thought that he would have made a good companion if he had only been older. Anyway, hope you liked it, please review :)