The Almost People, Part 1
The Hatter hated this, it almost physically pained her to watch as the Ganger Doctor cried out in pain, clutching at his head as his body twisted and jolted, half bent over. He was fully formed now, now looking like an exact copy of the original Doctor that stood beside the Time Lady, which possibly made having see the Ganger in so much pain all the more worse and harder to deal with.
"Argh!" the Ganger shouted, his eyes squeezed tightly shut as his hands clutched on to the side of his face, "What's happening?" the Hatter swallowed, feeling ill watching him suffer as she reached out to him again. He suddenly grabbed her arms, making her gasp, startled, his eyes wide and unfocused as he stared into her face, "I wonder if we'll get back," he said breathlessly, but she knew that he wasn't really talking to her, in fact, she doubted if he even knew that it was her right now, "Yes, one day…argh!" he suddenly cried out again and jolted back from her violently, making the others behind them jump in alarm, "I've reversed the polarity of the neutron flow…!"
"The Flesh is struggling to cope with our past regenerations," the Doctor told his Ganger, watching him worriedly, "Hold on!"
"It's going to be okay," the Hatter tried to reassure the Ganger, forcing a strained, comforting smile onto her face. It was horrible, having to stand by and watch without being able to do anything, to take the pain away, "It will be over soon, you just have to let it happen. Don't fight it".
The Ganger panted for breath, doubled over with pain before he suddenly jerked his arm back out towards them with his palm open, "Would you like a jelly baby?" he said in his Fourth incarnations deep voice. He winced, his face scrunched up with pain as his arm dropped back to his side, "Why?" he gasped out, dropping his past voice, "Why? Why?"
The Doctor glanced hurriedly to the Hatter, but she could only shake her head, not knowing what to do or how to try and help him, "Why, why what?" he said quickly to his Ganger.
He suddenly straightened, looking back to them with a cheeky grin on his face, one that looked similar to the Tenth Doctor's, "Hello," he spoke with the Tenth Doctor's voice, "I'm the Doctor…" he broke off with another pained wince, groaning as he stumbled back slightly, "No, let it go, we've moved on!" he shouted, dropping his last bodies personality.
The Hatter hurried forward, grabbing him by his shoulders, not thinking twice about whether or not it was truly safe to do so when he was so unstable. He was the Doctor; he would never hurt her, not on purpose, "Sweetheart, you have to hold on," she urged him, placing a hand onto his warm cheek, bringing his head down so that his forehead was touching hers. She hoped that the gesture would be comforting, reassuring to him, and while he still remained tense, she did note that he almost instantly stilled at the contact, "You just need to hold on," she continued gently, "You can stabilise, you just have to find something to latch on to, a thought or memory, something strong enough to pull you all the way through. You can do it, sweetheart".
Amy began to move towards them, but Jimmy grabbed her arm and pulled her back.
The Ganger groaned again and jerked away from the Time Lady, stumbling back from her. She let him go, having been prepared for another attack to hit him. He suddenly latched onto the Doctor, desperately grabbing onto his lapels as he looked up at his face, his eyes wide and unfocused again, "I've reversed the jelly baby of the neutron flow," he told him breathlessly, his entire body moving clumsily as he tightened his grip on his lapels, "Would you like a…Doctor…" he looked away from him, his eyes growing distant as his voice grew soft, "Doctor…I'm…I'm the…I can't…" his voice trailed off as his legs seemed to give way beneath him, half collapsing onto the floor.
The Doctor grabbed him, trying to hold him up, "No, listen, hold on," he gave him a little shake, "Hold on!"
"No!" the Ganger shouted at him, shoving the Doctor away from him. The Doctor managed to right himself and spun back around in time to see the Ganger lift his head, his face half-formed as he gave a loud yell of pain, "Argh!"
The Hatter didn't blink as she immediately threw her arms around the Ganger as he continued to cry out, wrapping her arms tightly around him as she began to rub soothing circles on his back. Her hat toppled off her head in the process, but she didn't care, her entire focus on the Ganger in her arms, "Hush, now," she said gently as his cries died and he was left half whimpering into her shoulder, clutching onto her as if she was his life line, "I've got you, everything is going to be okay. Just hold on".
With the Doctor's Ganger's cries gone, the sound of the Ganger's banging on the barricaded door from the outside sounded clearly throughout the chamber. The crew and Amy quickly got back to work reinforcing the barricade, trying to make it more stable. The Doctor slowly approached the Ganger and the Time Lady, his eyes flying carefully back and forth between the two, ready to grab the Hatter if the Ganger became violent again, but he actually seemed much calmer now. His whimpers of pain had stopped and his hold on the Hatter seemed to have lessened, though the Doctor did note with a small amount of amusement and a twinge of jealously that he hadn't let her go yet. How silly of him to actually feel jealous of himself, it reminded him of the times he would see his past regenerations get to be close to the Hatter in the rare instances that they would cross paths with past or future versions of themselves.
The crew all stood back, staring at the barricaded door as the room fell silent.
"I think I liked it best when they were being noisy," Buzzer remarked, glancing back to Amy with a wary expression on his face.
Amy hummed in agreement, casting the door a quick, slightly nervous look, before turning and jogging back over to the Time Lords to see the Doctor watching as the Hatter and the Ganger finally pulled apart, the Time Lady giving the Ganger a bright smile that he returned, "Doctor, Hatter!" she called to them, frowning slightly, "We need you. Get over here".
"Hello!" the Ganger said brightly, looking up to her. He gave the Hatter another smile as she lightly pattered his arm and moved to stand by the Doctor's side.
"Doctor, Hatter!" Amy called again, raising her voice slightly when neither Time Lord moved, ignoring the Ganger.
The Doctor eyed his Ganger, "Cybermates".
"Do we have time for this?" the Ganger asked.
"We make time," he replied, his expression growing stern, "I'd like more proof that you're me if you're going to be around my wife and unborn child".
"He's you, sweetheart," the Hatter assured him, placing a hand on the Doctor's arm as she looked back to the Ganger.
"All the same, dear," he went on, not taking his eyes off the Ganger, "I have to make sure. Now, Cybermats?"
The Ganger nodded, not seeming to be the slightest bit surprised or fazed, "Created by the Cybermen," he answered, "They kill by feeding off brainwaves".
Amy rolled her eyes in annoyance and hurried back over to the crew as they remained around the door, "Are you sure there aren't any weapons they can get to?" she asked them, looking concerned, "Like big guns with bits on?"
"Yeah, big guns would be good right now," Buzzer agreed, throwing a quick look back to the door.
"Oh, honestly," the Hatter sighed, shaking her head as she looked back to the humans with a disapproving expression, "When will people learn that guns only ever make a situation worse?"
Jimmy frowned slightly at Amy, his back still pressed against the door in case the Ganger's came back and tried to get in, "Why would we have guns?" he said to her, "We're a factory. We mine…"
A soft hissing noise sounded through the room and they all turned to look in alarm as smoke began to rise from the surface of door, a sizzling noise following the smoke as Jimmy and Cleaves backed away from it.
"Acid…" Amy finished, her eyes wide as she stared at the slowly dissolving door as the smoke began to grow denser. A loud clang sounded from the other side of the door, announcing that the Ganger's had returned and were back at trying to break in.
The two Doctor's stood on either side of the Hatter, watching as the crew eyed the door and slowly raised tools in their hands for makeshift weapons.
"Rory and Amy, they may not trust both of us," the Doctor commented to his Ganger, glancing back over to Amy, keeping his voice low so as not to be overheard by the others.
"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" the Ganger asked him, glancing back to him.
"Inevitably".
"I'm glad we're on the same…"
"Wavelength," the Doctor finished, smiling as he lightly nudged the Hatter beside him, "You see, great minds," he tapped his temple.
"Exactly".
The Hatter sighed as she looked back and forth between the two Doctors, but there was a small, fond smile on her face, "It's going to be one of those days, isn't it?" she remarked, shaking her head. Thank goodness neither Jack nor River was with them right now, she could only imagine just what things they might come out with.
The Doctor grinned, leaning over to place a light kiss on her cheek, "She's secretly enjoying herself," he said to his Ganger.
"Yes, she's very good at that," the Ganger nodded, flashing the Time Lady a grin as he wrapped his arm around her shoulders.
She huffed, crossing her arms across her chest, "She's standing right here, Doctors," she reminded them pointedly, though, much to her annoyance, even she had to admit that they were right and the small smile that she was struggling to suppress only proved that.
The Doctor's grin widened and he playfully flicked her nose, making her face scrunch up, "And you're doing it again, dear".
She battered his hand away, sending him a mock glare, "This just isn't fair," she moaned, shaking her head as she looked between them, "I've got the two of you to gang up on me and I have no one to back me up. Why can't I have a Ganger?"
"Because, my dearest, Hatter," the Ganger began very seriously, the edge of his mouth twitching, "The Universe wouldn't be able to handle two versions of the same Hatter being in one room. It would implode".
She looked at him for a long moment, her eyes narrowed, "Nice save".
"Yes, I was rather pleased with it myself," he agreed, high fiving with the Doctor over the Hatter's head. The Time Lady laughed, shaking her head at them, finding it actually quite amusing to see the two of them together. It was almost like watching a couple of identical twins that could finish each other's sentences and almost seemed to be able to read each other's minds. The Ganger clapped his hands, rubbing them together as he raised his eyebrows at the Hatter and the Doctor, "So, what's the plan?" he asked.
"Save them all, humans and Gangers," the Doctor told him, shrugging as if it ought to be obvious.
"Tall order. Sounds wonderful".
"Yes, indeed," the Hatter nodded, frowning thoughtfully, "It will be rather tricky, I fear, but with the three of us I'm sure we can accomplish it".
The Doctor glanced back to his Ganger, "Is that what you were thinking?'
"Yes," the Ganger looked back to him, breaking into a smile, "It's just so inspiring to hear me say it".
"I know!"
The Hatter rolled her eyes, reaching up to lightly hit both of their arms. They both jumped and slapped their hands over the spot, looking back to her with wide, confused eyes, "Would you two narcissists stop stroking your own egos for five minutes?" she said with a stern look, "It's giving me a headache".
"Sorry, dear," the Doctor and his Ganger muttered, both looking slightly embarrassed.
"Doctor!" Amy called loudly over to them from the door, sounding very annoyed now, "Hatter, come on!"
The Ganger broke into a smile, glancing at the Doctor, "So, what now, Doctor?"
"Well, time to get cracking, Doctor," he replied cheerfully, the two of them looking like excited children.
The Hatter ran a hand down her face, "You two really love the sound of your own voices," she said to herself, feeling that it was going to be a very long day with those two finishing each other's sentence and patting themselves on the back every five minutes. If one Doctor was bad enough, two was going to be near impossible for her to keep in check, but she was certainly going to make sure that they knew who was boss. She raised her eyebrows at them, "Shall we, gentlemen?" she offered them both her hands.
They grinned and took her hands, happily walking forward, catching Amy's attention, "Hello!" they both said at the same time, their smiles still in place, "Sorry…"
Amy's eyes drifted down to their shoes, noticing that one of the Doctors was wearing a pair of brown boots rather than black, like the other one was wearing.
"But we had to establish a few…" the Ganger continued in the same bright tone of voice.
"Ground rules," the Doctor finished, smiling widely at Amy, "Formulate a…"
"Protocol".
"Protocol?" he said thoughtfully, before nodded approvingly at his Ganger, "Very posh".
"A protocol between us. Otherwise…"
"It gets horribly embarrassing," the Doctor cast the Hatter a quick glance, "Not to mention the certain limitations…"
The Ganger followed his gaze and shifted a little awkwardly as the Hatter raised her eyebrows at the two of them, having a pretty good idea just what they were getting at. She wasn't entirely sure how she felt about it, either, "Yes, the limitations," he said carefully, his eyes still on the Time Lady, "Very important, that one".
The Doctor looked quite pleased with himself as he turned back to Amy, "And potentially confusing," he finished.
Amy stared back and forth between the two Doctors, frowning deeply, "Well, I'm glad you've solved the problem of confusing," she rolled her eyes.
"Blimey," the Hatter shook her head, pinching the bridge of her nose, feeling a dull ache start to settle somewhere behind her left eye, "It's definitely going to be a long day".
The Ganger frowned slightly and pointed at Amy, "That's sarcasm," he commented.
The Doctor nodded, glancing at him, "She's very good at sarcasm," he agreed, pausing as he shot the Hatter a sidelong look, "Almost as good at the Third Hatter".
The Doctor and the Ganger suddenly turned back to Amy, their expressions stern, "Breathe!" they told her in unison.
"What?" Amy jerked back from them, startled, completely confused.
"Okay, then," the Hatter clapped her hands together and stepped forward, comfortingly patting Amy's shoulder as she did so, "I think that it's very clear that we all need to get off of this island, the Ganger's included, I might add," she flashed the Ganger Doctor a pointed smile, who returned it, "And as quickly as possible," she went on, sighing heavily, "I, for one, would very much like to sit down and have a lovely cup of tea".
"Sorry," Cleaves called over to them from the door, a note of sarcasm in her voice, "Would you like a memo from the last meeting? They are trying to kill us!"
"They're scared," the Doctor said sharply.
Amy frowned at the Time Lords and Ganger, "Doctor, Hatter, we're trapped in here," she reminded them, sounding frustrated.
"Ah!" the Hatter clicked her fingers before pointing at Amy, "But are we?" she broke into a broad smile, "Because I have a sneaky suspicion that we're not because check out these cabling…" she pointed up to the roof where a thick bit of cabling was running up into the roof, "That's from the Flesh Bowl".
"But where are the earthing conduits?" the Ganger Doctor questioned, holding up a finger.
The Doctor nodded thoughtfully, looking around the room, "All this piping must go down into a tunnel or a shaft or something, yes?" he walked over to where the rest of the crew was still watching the door, by the back wall, "With us?" he glanced at the humans, before focusing back on his search. He paused as he noticed a panel leaning up against the wall, moving it aside to reveal a metal grate in the wall, "Yowza!" he cheered, grinning, "An escape route".
Amy and the Hatter looked at each other, mouthing 'Yowza?' while the Time Lady struggled not to laugh. She shook her head, moving to join the Doctor.
"You know," he began, looking back over to his Ganger, "I'm starting to get a sense of how impressive it is to hang out with me".
"Watch the ego, sweetheart!" the Hatter warned, lightly hitting his arm with a stern look. It was hard enough to keep his ego in check on an ordinary day, let alone when he got a chance to show off in front of himself.
"Yes, dear," he smiled slightly, though he didn't seem to be overly apologetic, not really.
The Ganger frowned slightly, holding up a questioning finger, "Do we tend to say 'Yowza?" he asked curiously.
"That's enough, let it go, okay?" he told him, looking properly embarrassed now, "We're under stress".
The Hatter sighed tiredly and gave the Doctor a sharp look, one that he knew very well meant business unless he got back to the matter at hand. He cleared his throat and whipped his sonic screwdriver from his blazer pocket, flashing it at the grating and pulling it off. Amy and the crew quickly began to shuffle through the shaft, the Ganger and the Hatter following right behind them while the Doctor brought up the rear with Cleaves. There was a loud clatter from back in the room, just as the Doctor finished fitting the grate back into place and flashing his sonic at it, locking it into place. Ganger Cleaves suddenly appeared on the other side of the grating, glaring back at them through the metal as she lifted the visor of her acid suit. The Doctor and Cleaves turned and began to crawl off after the others, leaving the Ganger hissing furiously after them.
…
The Doctor, his Ganger, the Hatter, Amy, and the rest of the originals began to make their way down a corridor, trying to get as far away from the Ganger's that they possibly could after their near escape back in the Flesh room. They had crawled through the wall shaft for a good ten minutes before deeming that they had put enough distance between them to be safe enough to move around in the corridors, but that still didn't mean that they were completely out of danger. After all, there was still the acid leaks that they had to watch out for.
"The army will send a recon team out," Buzzer remarked as they walked.
"We need to find a way to contact the mainland," Cleaves glanced back to him.
"What about Rory and Jen?" Amy asked worriedly, looking to the Doctor and the Hatter, who were walking hand-in-hand, "They are both out there".
"No, this place is a maze," the Doctor shook his head, waving his torch around as they paused in the middle of the hallway, "Takes a long time to find someone in a maze".
The Hatter looked thoughtfully over to Cleaves, "You must surely have an electronic map of this place?" she said to her. She hated the thought of Rory and Jennifer being out there somewhere.
"If we can get power running, we can scan for them," Cleaves nodded, glancing back over to Amy, "Be a lot quicker".
A fine mist began to fill the corridor and everyone started coughing. The Hatter scrunched up her face, feeling her eyes sting as the back of her throat tickled horribly, making her cough uncontrollably. She reached out to grab the nearest wall, gripping tightly onto the rough stone surface to keep herself upright as her other hand clutched at her throat.
"Doctor, you said earlier to breathe…" Amy began, breaking off with a cough.
"Very important, Pond," the Doctor nodded, his voice strained as he reached over to pat the Hatter's back, seeing that she was finding it harder to catch her breath then he was, "Breathe".
"Yeah, well, I'm struggling to," she chocked out.
"It's the…acid," the Hatter managed to get out through coughs, her voice sounding strangled as she continued to grab at her throat. She could already feel herself starting to grow weaker, her pregnancy making her far more vulnerable to the mist surrounding them, "It's…reacting with the…stone walls".
"Creating an asphyxiate miasma," the Ganger Doctor added from slightly further back of the group, grabbing at his own throat as he leaned against one of the walls.
Cleaves coughed harshly, "A what?" she looked back over to him, her eyes watering.
"Chocking gas!" he gasped out, "Extra heavy".
"We need to get above it," the Hatter coughed, feeling her legs growing weaker as she leant heavily against the wall, her eyes shut tightly against the force of her coughs, "And quickly!"
"The evac tower!" Cleaves called, "This way!" she hurried off down the corridor.
They all hurried after her, still coughing and spluttering as they moved through the gas that seemed to be growing thicker. Both the Doctor and his Ganger were on either side of the Hatter, half supporting her as her coughing made it incredibly hard for her to move by herself. Cleaves lead them through the winding corridor and up a narrow stone staircase to where a large oval room was located at the top of the tower. The Doctor and the Hatter entered the room first, quickly followed by a half-chocking Amy as the rest of the group hurried in after them, heading straight over to where a set of control panels was on the side of the room.
"Oh!" Amy suddenly gasped painfully, doubling over as she grabbed at her stomach. The Doctor and the Hatter, who was feeling a great deal better, both looked at her worriedly.
"Amy?" the Hatter asked in a horse voice, concerned as she moved to the girl's side.
She shook her head, grimacing painfully, "I think I coughed so hard, I pulled a muscle or something," she told them, her voice sounding forced as she waved her hand at the Time Lords, "It's okay, it's better. It's easing off".
The Time Lady continued to eye her, exchanging a quick look with the Doctor beside her before they made their way over to the control panel, the Ganger ducking behind it as they set to work trying to get the system back up and running. Somewhere in the distance, a loud bell began ringing.
"It's midnight," Jimmy commented, looking up at the ceiling, "It's Adam's birthday," he broke into a broad smile, looking over to Amy and the Hatter, who had paused to listen, "My son's five. Happy birthday, bud," he shook his head fondly; "He'll be so excited. Out of bed at the crack of dawn," he laughed as the Hatter smiled softly, "It's funny, he's got this wee dance he does when he gets over-excited".
"How sweet," the Time Lady said, still smiling softly as she moved to lightly touch his arm, "Five years old, such a magical age were anything is possible and the world is still just so brand new and ready to be explored," she gave him a reassuring look, glancing back to the Doctor and his Ganger, "Don't worry, you'll see your little boy soon, we'll make sure of that".
The Hatter gave Jimmy one last smile before moving to join the Doctor and his Ganger as they both set to work fiddling with wires and cables at the back of the control panel. Cleaves watched them work, one hand resting on her hip, her expression looking quite skeptical , "Can you really get the power back?" she asked, eyeing them as the Hatter began fiddling with the controls at the front of the panels.
"Oh, there's always some power floating around," the Doctor remarked, popping up on the right side of the controls as the Ganger dropped back down behind the panel on the left side.
"Like bits of lent," the Ganger agreed from behind the panel.
Amy frowned slightly as she watched the two Doctors, standing just slightly behind the Hatter while the Time Lady continued to fiddle with the controls, "Can you stop finishing each other's…" she began.
"Sentences?" the Doctor finished, glancing back over to his Ganger as he popped back up, "No probs".
"Yes," the Ganger nodded, before they both disappeared back out of sight again.
The Hatter smiled fondly, shaking her head, "It's probably is for the best I don't have a Ganger running about," she said to Amy, "If you think these two are bad, two of me running about would be even worse with a double dose of pregnancy hormones. Now that sounds like a nightmare".
Amy laughed slightly, picturing two very pregnant Hatters. They would probably end up all tearful with one another before accidently snapping at one of the Doctors when they tried to console them or mentioned anything about it just being pregnancy hormones. She had already witnessed that first hand on several occasions now and it wasn't a very pleasant sight. She turned back to the control panel; only to frown again as a thought occurred to her.
"No, hang on," she started worriedly, turning her attention onto the Doctor, or at least the version that she believed to be the Doctor, "You said that the TARDIS was stuck in acid, so won't she be damaged?"
"Oh, I wouldn't be concerned," the Time Lady waved her off, not taking her eyes off a set of small numbered buttons on the control panel.
The Doctor popped back up, smiling as he pointed at the brunet, "Like the Hatter said, she's a tough old thing," he paused, holding up a finger, "Tough, old, sexy".
The Ganger appeared again, also holding up a finger, "Tough, dependable, sexy," he added with a grin, before turning his smile on the Hatter, "Just like someone else I know".
The Hatter laughed, "Why, thank you, sweetheart," she said cheerfully, playfully tipping her hat to him. He gave her a thumbs up and dropped back down behind the panel, leaving the Doctor pouting slightly. She glanced over to him, raising her eyebrows, "Problem, Doctor?"
"He's…he's…" the Doctor waved his hand around, looking quite put out, "He's flirting with you".
"Yes, I do believe he is," she agreed, not even pretending to be bothered by it as a smile crossed her face, "You know, perhaps having two husbands might just have its perks".
"Hatter!" he gasped, looking mock outraged.
She laughed again, shaking her head fondly, "You are just simply too easy to tease, sweetheart".
"So does that mean…"
"That means you should stop fussing and get back to work, Doctor," she cut in sternly, though she was still smiling.
He opened and closed his mouth for a moment, before nodding, "Right," he muttered, shifting awkwardly, "I'll just…get back to work," he said it as if it had been his idea all along, dropping back out of sight.
The Hatter glanced at Amy, who was looking at her strangely, "He's just too easy to get all flustered," she commented quietly to her, "I do so enjoy it".
"Was that the Ganger or the Doctor?" Amy asked, frowning slightly.
She shrugged casually, pretending not to know the answer; after all, not even a Ganger could fool her when it came to the Doctor, "Does it matter?"
"Oh, come on," she shook her head, glancing over to the Ganger as he popped back up, placing a piece of equipment on top of the control panel as he fiddled with it, "How can…how can you both be real?" she questioned him.
"Well, because…" the Ganger looked back up to her, smiling, "We are. I'm the Doctor," he disappeared back out of sight with the equipment.
"Yeah, and so am I!" the Doctor called as he popped back up, holding his hand up, "We both contain the knowledge of over nine hundred years of memory and experience. We both wear the same bowtie, which is cool," he gave Amy a pointed look as he adjusted said bowtie; ignoring the small grimace Amy gave him.
The Ganger popped back up again, "Because bowties are…" he began, disappearing once more.
He nodded, pointing over to him, "And always will be," he finished brightly, dropping back out of sight.
"Blimey," the Hatter laughed, shaking her head, "Bowties have never been more promoted before".
"But how did the Flesh read you?" Amy asked, frowning over to where the Doctor has popped back up again, "Because you weren't linked up to it".
"I imagine it occurred when he was examining the Flesh," the Time Lady said thoughtfully, glancing at the Doctor, recalling how he had said that it felt as if the Flesh had reached out and scanned him, "That's the only way that I can think that it could have happened. The second time he examined it, the Flesh must have had a chance to get a proper reading".
The Doctor nodded along with her, "Thus, a new, genuine Doctor was created," he finished.
The Ganger popped back up again, holding his hands out and wiggling his fingers, "Ta-da!" he grinned.
Amy narrowed her eyes slightly, looking back and forth between them, "No getting away from it," she said firmly, "One of you was here first".
The Doctor glanced at his Ganger, before turning back to Amy, "Well, okay," he said, catching her attention, "After the Flesh scanned me, I had an accident with a puddle of acid. Now, new shoes," he took a deep breath, "A situation which did not confront me learned self here," he smiled slightly and disappeared back down behind the controls.
Amy looked over to the Ganger, who broke into a wide smile and raised his eyebrows, "That satisfy you, Pond?" he said.
"Don't call me Pond, please," she told him stiffly, making the smile slip completely off his face as the Doctor popped back up to look at her.
"Amy," the Hatter said in a scolding tone, frowning at her.
She blinked, looking at the three frowns being directed towards her, "What?"
"Interesting," the Ganger remarked thoughtfully, pointing at her, "You definitely feel more affection for him than me".
"Yes," the Time Lady nodded, still eyeing Amy with a frown, "That reaction was very telling".
"No," Amy shook her head, shifting slightly awkwardly, "No, I…look," she sighed, looking back to the Ganger, "You're fine and everything, but he's the Doctor. No offence. Being almost the Doctor is pretty damn impressive".
The Ganger stared at her, hurt crossing his face, "Well, being almost the Doctor's like being no Doctor at all," he frowned.
"Don't overreact…" she began, glancing hurriedly over to the Doctor and the Hatter.
"You might as well call me…Smith".
"Smith?"
"John Smith".
The controls suddenly started whirling and lights powered up on the controls, just as the Doctor jumped up with his hands held up in the air, "Yes!" he cheered, grinning, acting as if nothing had just happened, "Communication a go-go!"
"Perfect timing, Doctor," the Hatter said, throwing Amy and the Ganger a quick look, before turning her attention back to the panel in front of her as everyone gathered around the controls, Cleaves setting to work firing up the machinery.
"Find Rory!" Amy said urgently to Cleaves, leaning over the woman's shoulder as she worked, "Show me the scanning tracking screen," Cleaves brought up a set of maps of the entire monastery, the computer quickly scanning through different sections of the building in search of Rory and Jennifer, "Come on, Rory, let's be having you".
Cleaves frowned, shaking her head as the computer continued to search, "There's no sign of him anywhere".
"Come on," Amy urged, watching the screen intently, "Come on, baby, show yourself".
"There's no sign of him," she said after a moment with no success, ending the search as she glanced quickly back to Amy's worried face, "I need to contact the mainland".
The Hatter put a hand on Amy's arm as she went to try and argue, "We'll find him," she said comfortingly, "I promise, Amy".
She swallowed, hard, but nodded reluctantly, perhaps realising that there would be little use trying to argue.
Cleaves brought up a radio transmission, hoping desperately that they would be able to get to the mainland as she leaned closer to the screen, "Saint John's calling," she called over the radio, "Emergency Alpha. Saint John's calling the mainland. Are you receiving me, Captain? Come in," she sighed, shaking her head when there was no response, quickly typing something into the controls, "We'll never get a signal through this storm".
"Let me try something," the Time Lady said thoughtfully as the screen glitched. She leaned over Cleaves, pressing a button and entering a quick number sequence, "Try now," she told her, leaning back slightly to give her room, looking hopefully back to the screen.
"Saint John's calling the mainland," Cleaves tried again, "Come in, this is urgent".
There was a tense moment before…
"We're just about reading you, Saint John's," a male voice came over the radio, making everyone sigh in relief, "How are you doing? We've had all kind of trouble here".
"Request immediate evacuation. We're under attack. The storm's affected our Gangers. They're running amok".
"Your Gangers?" the man asked, sounding surprised.
"Yes, our Gangers are attacking us. We need you to take us off the island immediately and wipe them out".
The Doctors and the Hatter looked at each other in alarm, frowning deeply as they cast Cleaves a sharp look.
"Copy that, Saint John's," the man replied, "Shuttle's despatched. Hang on".
"You'll need to airlift us off the roof of the evac tower," Cleaves informed him as the Ganger turned and began to walk away from the controls, "And Captain, any further transmission sent by me must come with the following codeword," she started typing something into the controls, "I'm typing it, in case they're listening in".
"Got it. We'll swing in, get you out and decommission the Flesh".
Cleaves broke into a wide smile and ended the transmission. She turned to her crew, "We need to prepare," she told them, moving away from the control panel as her crew quickly set to work gathering things together.
The Doctor moved to take a seat on a swivel chair at the controls, the Hatter sitting down on another swivel chair beside him, the two of them setting to work fiddling with the controls, though, every now and again, the Hatter would cast the Ganger Doctor a slightly concerned look as he stood at the back of the room, watching everything with a frown. Amy took a seat on a chair on the other side of the Doctor.
"We've got to get out of here," Buzzer remarked, looking around at the rest of the crew, looking determined, "We are, we're going to get out".
Amy looked back over to them, frowning deeply, "We're not leaving without them," she said firmly.
"I want 'em found too, but it's about casualties, innit?" he said to her, shrugging, "Can't be helped".
Amy sighed and turned back to look at what the Doctor and the Hatter were doing, finding them both busy typing away. She wheeled her chair closer to the controls, "What are you doing?" she asked curiously.
"Nothing," the Hatter didn't look up from her work, "Just making a little phone call".
"Who to?"
"No one yet," the Doctor replied, flicking a switch, "It's on delay".
"Right, not getting it," she shook her head, looking confused, "Why exactly are you making a phone call?"
"Because, Amy, the Hatter and I are and always will be optimists," the Doctor said cheerfully, spinning his chair around as he spoke, making Amy wheel her chair back slightly with a small smile crossing her face. The Hatter gave him a fond look, before quickly casting the Ganger a glance, giving him a little wink that made him a smile very slightly before returning her attention back to Amy and the Doctor, "The hopers of far-flung hopes and the dreamers of improbable dreams," he continued, grabbing the edge of Amy's chair and spinning it around on her, making Amy sequel slightly. He spun back around to face the controls, "The wheels are in motion".
The Hatter hit one last button and clapped her hands together, "And…there we are," she grinned, looking back to the Doctor and Amy, "All finished".
Amy laughed and spun her chair around so that she was facing the room, crossing her arms across her chest as her eyes came to land on the Ganger Doctor across the other side of the room. She eyed him for a moment before glancing back to the Doctor, "You know, really, there can only be one," she said to him.
The Doctor leant back in his chair and looked back to her, "Hmm?"
She looked at him for a long moment, her eyes flickering past him to the Hatter, who was watching her with an unreadable expression on her face, one that made her shift slightly. She fixed a smile onto her face and turned back to him, "Oh, nothing," she shook her head, "Carry on," she playfully nudged his side, "Be amazing".
"Well, that's pretty easy thing for us to do," the Hatter said with a grin in the Doctor's direction, but it didn't quite meet her eyes.
Amy looked away from them, only for her smile to slip as something caught her eye on the other side of the room. She shot a quick glance back to the Time Lords, checking to see if they had noticed yet, and slowly stood and began to make her way across the room, her eyes fixed on a corner, staring at the spot intently. The Hatter watched her go from the corner of her eye, a trouble expression on her face as she caught the Ganger's eye as Amy passed him, the two sharing a long look. Suddenly, Amy gasped and jumped back, as if startled by something, her head snapping back around to find the Time Lords looking at her before she looked back at the wall.
"Amy?" the Doctor called to her, eyeing her back, "What happened?"
"Did you see something?" the Hatter questioned, her expression once again unreadable.
Amy hurried back over to them, sitting back down, her face very pale, "It's her again," she told them, slightly breathless.
The Ganger looked over towards the wall, staring at it.
The Time Lady frowned, "Her who?" she said, her eyes narrowed, casting the spot on the wall a suspicious look.
She swallowed, leaning closer to them, "There's a woman I keep seeing," she explained to them, "A woman with an eye patch, and she has this habit of sliding walls open and staring at me," the Doctor and the Hatter exchanged a look, "Doctor?" she looked between them as she noticed their shared look, "Hatter?"
"It's nothing," the Doctor shook his head, not looking at her.
"Don't let yourself dwell on it too much," the Hatter added, giving her a comforting smile.
Amy frowned, looking between them, "It doesn't seem like nothing".
"It's a time memory," the Doctor said calmly, "Like a mirage," he lightly slapped his hand on Amy's knee, "It's nothing to worry about," he glanced over to his Ganger, before spinning his chair back around and returning his attention back to the controls, his eyes flickering up to meet the Hatter's eyes. A small grimace crossed her face as she reached over to lightly touch his arm.
"It's in my head…" the Ganger Doctor muttered, catching their attention. He closed his eyes tightly, his face scrunching up in pain as he shook his head roughly. He suddenly started heading over to the door, pushing it open.
"Hey, hold on!" Jimmy called after him, moving to go after him.
"Don't let him go," Cleaves ordered, also moving to follow after him.
The Hatter rose from her chair, taking a step forward to go after the Ganger, but Amy was faster, "No, leave it to me," she told them, grabbing a light and hurrying after the Ganger, not noticing the way that the Doctor and the Time Lady exchanged a look as she left the room. She stepped outside and out into the corridor, hesitating slightly as she saw the Ganger with his back to her, facing a wall with his head slightly bent. Slowly, she approached him, coming to a stop a few steps from him, "I'm sorry," she said quietly, eyeing his back, "What I said about you being almost the Doctor, it's just…really hard, because I've been through so much with him, with both him and the Hatter. I've even seen…" she paused, swallowing hard, needing to ask, to say something. She might not be able to talk about it to them, but with the Doctor's Ganger, that was different, it gave her a loop hole that she had been searching for, "I've even seen the moment of their…" she stopped again, feeling a lump rise in her throat just thinking about it, but she needed to know. She took a deep breath, "Can you die?" she asked, watching as his head lifted but he continued to face the wall, "If you really are the same, then you can die. You can be killed…and I might have seen that happen…to both you and the…" she trailed off, unable to finish.
A long moment passed, "Why?" the Ganger breathed, still not looking at her.
"Why?" she repeated, shaking her head at how absurd it was for him to be asking her something like that, "Because you invited us to see it. Your deaths! You and the Hatter…"
He suddenly whirled on her and grabbed her by her shoulders, roughly pushing her against the wall as she yelped, startled and frightened as she stared back at him with wide eyes, "Why?" he demanded, shoving her against the wall again.
She tried to break his grip, unable to believe that this was actually happening, that the Doctor, even as a Ganger, would be so violent with her, "You're hurting me," she gasped.
"It's all the eyes say," he continued, ignoring her, "Why?" he shook her roughly, making her yelp fearfully, "I can feel them as they work each day, knowing the time was coming for them to be thrown away again. 'Not again, please!' And then they are destroyed and they feel death, and all they can say is, 'why?'"
He stared at her for a long moment, hardly even seeming to see her before releasing her. She took off running as fast as she could back through the door of the tower, gasping for breath.
….
"Why?" the Doctor said thoughtfully, frowning as he glanced at the Hatter sitting beside him. She was absently rubbing her forehead with a small grimace.
Amy ran into the room, looking frightened, "Keep him away from me!" she shouted at them, breathless as she pointed back at the open doorway.
"Amy?" the Hatter blinked, concerned as she let her hand slip from her forehead, "What on Earth…"
The Ganger Doctor hurried back into the room, slamming the door behind him as he looked urgently to his original and the Time Lady. Amy backed away from him, moving closer to the Time Lords, "Did you sense it?" he asked them.
"Briefly," the Doctor nodded, eyeing him a slightly, "Not as strongly as you".
"Even I felt something," the Time Lady remarked, casting Amy another concerned look, "Though, it was more like a faint psychic echo".
The Ganger looked over to Amy, holding up his hands, "Amy, I'm sorry…" he began.
"No," Amy cut across him, taking a step back from him, pointing at him, "You keep away. We can't trust you".
He clasped his hands together and looked around to the others, "It would appear I can connect to the Flesh," he informed them as the Hatter frowned deeply, eyeing Amy curiously.
"Well, you are Flesh," she snapped, glaring at him.
"I'm beginning to understand what it's been through," he continued, starting to pace, "What it needs".
"What you want. You are it".
"It's much more powerful than we thought. The Flesh can grow, correct?" he turned to Cleaves.
Cleaves watched him carefully, "It's cells can divide," she replied.
He walked closer to her, looking very serious, "Well, now it wants to do that at will," he told her, "It wants revenge. It's in pain, angry. It wants revenge".
"I was right," Amy glared at him again, shaking her head, "You're not the Doctor. You can't ever be. You're just a copy".
"How can you possibly be so certain, Amy?" the Hatter said suddenly, frowning at her as Amy blinked in surprise, certainly not having expected the Hatter to be so blind about this, "We understand revenge and rage better then perhaps anyone else," she went on, not taking her eyes off her, "We're Time Lords, our fury is practically legendary and the Doctor and I are most certainly not above succumbing to our own fury or darkness," she laughed bitterly, shaking her head, "I've wanted revenge, I've wanted others to suffer because of what they had done. There was once a time when I would have laughed in sheer joy at the prospect of destroying every single Dalek in the Universe, but that's the thing," she stood and took a step closer to Amy, who was staring at her in shock. A sad smile crossed her face, "It's not about how much darkness or anger a person might be capable of, but how that person handles those temptations and believe me, the darkness can be tempting," she sighed, shaking her head, "We all have dark sides, the Doctor and I perhaps even more so, so don't be so quick to paint us in a perfect light because when it comes to the Flesh, it has nothing on the Doctor and I".
Amy took a small step back from her, her eyes wide as she stared back at her in shock, unable to quite believe just what she had heard. It was so easy to simply see the Doctor and the Hatter as two loveable idiots that went around flirting with each other and saving the Universe, it made it easier to ignore the rare moments when that anger or darkness that the Time Lady had spoken would appear. She supposed it made her naïve, but she knew what she had seen in the Ganger's eyes. There had been no warmth that she was used to seeing from the Doctor, just coldness and a deep pit of anger. He wasn't the Doctor, regardless of what the Hatter might have tried to tell her, the Doctor would never have laid a finger on her. This was the Flesh.
Cleaves took a deep breath, pulling her eyes off the Hatter to rest on the Ganger Doctor, "Regardless, Hatter, of your testimony for his defence," she said calmly, her expression wary, not taking her eyes off of him as she spoke, "Doctor, it might be best if you stayed over there for now, hmm?" she nodded over to the other side of the room.
"Hold on a minute," the Doctor cut in, frowning at her, "Hold your horses. I thought I'd explained this. I'm him…" he pointed to the Ganger, "He's me".
Buzzer stepped forward, eyeing the Time Lords, looking as if he was prepared to fight if he had to.
"Doctor," Cleaves glanced back to him, "We have no issue with you, but when it comes to your Ganger…"
"Oh, honestly," the Hatter said, annoyed, crossing her arms across her chest.
"Don't be absurd," the Doctor told her, frowning.
"Buzzer," Cleaves called, her eyes fixed steadily on the Ganger.
"Sure, boss," Buzzer nodded to her, and stepped over to where an old oil drum was sitting at the back of the room. He picked it up and moved it to the middle of the room, looking back up to the Ganger Doctor, "Take a seat, mate".
The Ganger straightened his bowtie and casually strolled over to the barrel, making a bit of a show of sitting down, "Nice barrel, very comfy," he commented, "Why not?" he shrugged, looking back across to Cleaves and Amy, "Is this really what you want?"
Amy lifted her chin and crossed her arms across her chest, looking coldly back to the Ganger.
"This is completely ridiculous," the Hatter scoffed, looking around at all the humans. She grabbed the back of her swivel chair and pushed it over to the Ganger, happily taking a seat on the chair beside him and crossing her legs. She raised her eyebrows at the rest of the room, "If you have a problem with him, then you have a problem with me," she told them firmly.
"Hatter…" Amy began, staring at her in surprise.
"No, Amy," she cut her off, her voice sharp, "I know my husband and I would trust him regardless of whether or not he's made of the Flesh".
The Ganger Doctor smiled and reached over to take her hand, lifting it up to his mouth to place a small kiss on her knuckles before he lowered her hand back to his lap, "Thank you, dear," he said quietly.
She grinned at him, winking, "We're married, Doctor, we stick together, Flesh or not".
…
Several minutes past by in silence before the radio buzzed, "This is the shuttle," a man's voice came over, "We're right above you, but we can't get low enough," Cleaves shook her head slightly, rubbing her temple as if it pained her, "Gamma static could fry our nav-controls. Sit tight. We'll get to you. Just…"
Discreetly, the Doctor pulled his sonic screwdriver from his blazer pocket and flashed it at Cleaves, checking the results as the woman shut her eyes tightly, still massaging her temple. The Hatter watched curiously, raising an eyebrow at the Doctor when he glanced up to her. He gave her a grim look and shook his head. That didn't bode well.
"Hello?" Jimmy tried calling over the radio as static cut off whatever else the man had been trying to say, "Can you hear me?"
Amy sighed heavily from where she was looking at the monitor, hitting her open palm against the control panel in frustration, "I can't find Rory," she told them, turning around to face the room, looking determined, "I'm going out there".
"What about the sonic?" the Hatter called over to them, a thought occurring to her, "We could always use the sonic screwdriver to track Rory down".
"Hmm, good idea," the Doctor hummed in agreement, eyeing his sonic screwdriver thoughtfully, "Humans and Gangers give off slightly different signals," he looked back up, meeting the Hatter's eyes, "The sonic needs to tell the difference".
Amy crossed her arms across her chest, raising her eyebrows at him, "Oh, so the sonic knows Gangers are different," she said, almost smugly, "So the other Doctor is different".
"Not this again," the Time Lady sighed, rolling her eyes in annoyance as she pointedly raised her hand that was still interlaced with the Ganger Doctor's, "He is the Doctor, Amy".
"Not to me," Amy shook her head, frowning at her, "I can tell, why can't you?"
"Believe me, I can tell," she said firmly, meeting her eyes, "The fact is that it simply doesn't matter to me if one of them is of Flesh or not. It's different for me," she sighed, looking at her almost sadly. She could see where Amy was coming from, why it must be so hard for her to accept, but for her Time Lord mind it was just so easy and simple to look at the Ganger and still see her Doctor, because he was the Doctor in every way that mattered and counted to her, "Time Lords have a different way of looking at things like this," she tried to explain, "We have to see things differently with regeneration, otherwise marriages and friendships wouldn't have lasted very long on Gallifrey".
The Doctor raised his eyebrows at Amy, smirking slightly, "Sure you're not prejudiced?" he asked her with a note of playfulness in his tone.
Amy glanced at him, "Nice try, but I know, okay?" she said, looking back and forth between him and the Hatter, her expression stubborn, "We've been through too much," she looked at the Doctor, "You're my Doctor. End of".
The Hatter, even though she was feeling quite exasperated, couldn't help the small smile from crossing her face as she looked at Amy, "I have to admit, Amy," she began, catching her attention, "I admire your conviction and loyalty, but…" she sighed again, her smile fading, "Even ones conviction and loyalty can be blinding, and I'm afraid that when you travel with the Doctor and I, you need to have an open mind for every possibility until proven wrong".
She went to open her mouth to say something, when Buzzer cut across her, "Hey, there's a camera up," he announced to the room, pointing over to the computer monitor, "We've got a visual".
They all turned to look at the screen, Amy running to get a closer look as the screen cleared of static and a live video feed of a young man and woman walking down a darkened corridor appeared on the screen. She broke into a delighted smile, "That's Rory and Jennifer!" she said excitedly.
Cleaves frowned, leaning closer to the screen, "They're heading for the thermostatic room," she realised.
Amy looked eagerly back to the Doctor and Hatter, completely ignoring the Ganger Doctor sitting on the left side of the Time Lady, "Let's go get them," she grinned, but her grin faded as the Doctor flipped the sonic screwdriver in his hand before tossing it across the room to his Ganger, who easily caught it and slipped it inside his own inner breast pocket, "Hang on…" she began to frown.
"You can't let him go," Cleaves stared at the Doctor, outraged, "Are you crazy?"
"Isn't that obvious by now?" the Hatter commented, amused as she gave both Doctor's a fond smile.
The Doctor smirked, winking at the Time Lady, "Am I crazy, Doctor?" he turned his attention onto his Ganger.
The Ganger paused, considering it, "Well, you did want to plumb your brain into the core of an entire planet just to halt its orbit and win a bet against the Hatter," he reminded him, shrugging slightly as the Doctor laughed before clearing his throat.
"That was a joke on my part," the Time Lady added hurriedly, shaking her head with a sigh, "I ought to have known that you would have taken it seriously".
"I still won," the Ganger Doctor grinned at her, looking quite smug.
"Only because I agreed to forfeit since I didn't want to actually see you fry your brain for a stupid bet, so technically, neither of us won".
Amy shook her head at them, "He can't go rescue them," she frowned at the Doctor, "I'm going".
"Do you know, I want him to go," the Doctor told her, standing from his chair and looking at her very seriously, "And I'm rather adamant".
The Hatter stood, crossing her arms across her chest, "As am I," she agreed as the Ganger stood from the drum beside her.
"Well, then," Buzzer looked across the room to Cleaves, "He'll need company. Right, boss?" he shrugged, "It's fine. I'll handle it".
"Thank you, Buzzer," the Ganger Doctor clicked his fingers at him, looking back to Amy, who was frowning at him still, "It'll be alright. I'll find him," he began to head towards the door, before pausing and taking the Hatter's hand, pressing a light kiss to the back of it as he gave her a small smile, "Stay safe".
She smiled softly, "I think I'm in pretty good hands," she remarked, throwing a pointed look over her shoulder to the Doctor, before fixing the Ganger with a stern look, "You be careful out there, okay?"
"Always am, dear," he flashed her one last smile before turning on his heel and heading for the door, disappearing outside with Buzzer right behind him.
The Doctor turned back to Amy, "We can't explain it to you now, but we need you to trust him," he told her, meeting her eyes, "Can you do that for me, Amy?"
Amy frowned at him, "And what if you're wrong?"
"It's possible," the Hatter agreed, not seeming to be overly concerned as she broke into a smile, "And I suppose that if we are, we are going to be very embarrassed and have a lot of apologies to make".
….
Cleaves frowned deeply as she eyed the monitor screen that had readings from the factory flashing across it, "These temperature gauges are rising," she commented, looking over the results, a note of alarm crossing her face, "Jennifer and Rory must have shut off the underground cooling vents".
"Why do that?" Dicken wondered aloud, shaking his head in confusion, "They'll kill us".
"There's a million gallons of boiling acid under out feet…"
The Doctor and the Hatter moved to look over her shoulder to see the results more clearly, exchanging alarmed looks.
"And now it's heating up the whole island," the Doctor realised, his eyes widening as he grabbed the Hatter's hand, holding it tightly, "How long till it blows?"
A loud rumble suddenly shook the entire building and island, jolting them slightly.
The Hatter swallowed, looking back to the Doctor, "Not long at all, sweetheart," she breathed, her grip on his hand tightening.
"Gangers or no Gangers, we need to get the hell out of here," Dickens said urgently.
Cleaves hit a button on the controls and moved closer to the screen, "Shuttle!" she called over the radio, "We need evac. Where are you? Can you hear me?" static filled the transmission as she tried again, "Can you…" she stopped and clutched at her forehead, wincing painfully as she bent over the control panel.
"Cleaves?" the Hatter moved to her side, wrapping an arm around her back to try and offer her some support, looking at her worriedly, "Cleaves, you need to sit down," she said firmly as she and the Doctor began to guide the woman over to a nearby chair, helping her to sit down.
She tried to wave them away, still grimacing, "I'm fine," she said to them, holding up a hand as the Time Lords eyed her carefully, "I'm waiting for results, so let it go".
"It's a deep parietal clot," the Doctor informed her grimly, recalling the results that his sonic screwdriver had delivered him when he had scanned her.
"How can you possibly…" she began, her head snapping around to stare at him, startled. She paused, watching as he ducked his head, "Inoperable?"
"On Earth, yes".
"Well, seeing as Earth's all that's on…" he raised his eyebrows, "Offer…hmm," she hummed, frowning, "I'm no healthy spring chicken, and you're no weatherman. Right?" she raised her eyebrows at him.
"I'm sorry," the Hatter said sadly, reaching out to pat her arm.
Another loud rumble rocked the island, this time much stronger then the first one. Amy yelped as she toppled onto the floor.
"Something just cracked," she said hurriedly, alarmed as she pulled herself back onto her feet, "I heard it".
The Doctor and the Hatter dashed back to the controls, "Yes, I'm afraid that we are going to have to move," the Time Lady agreed, looking back to Amy.
"Let's go," the Doctor grabbed the brunet's hand, starting for the door.
"They're right!" Jimmy nodded, "Let's shift," he moved to follow after them.
Cleaves moved back to the radio, "Cleaves to shuttle," she called over it, "Respond. We need to move, and we can't be collected from the Evac tower".
"Give us the codeword," a male voice came over.
"The codeword is…"
Another violent rumble rocked the building, causing the console to erupt into sparks that caused Cleaves to stumble back, shielding her face from the sparks. Alarms started blaring through the room as Cleaves ran back up to the controls, trying desperately to get them to power back up.
"Cleaves?" the Doctor called, running back over to her and grabbing her arm, "Cleaves, its dead. It's dead," he told her, pulling her away, "We need to get out of here".
"We have to get those vents open downstairs," the Hatter said urgently, ushering Jimmy, Amy, and Dicken out the door, "Come on, out of here. Now!"
And I'm back, and sooner than I had expected, I'm happy to say. I got a extra day off school and decided to spend my long weekend sitting down and getting some writing down. You won't have to wait long for the next chapter, either, since I also managed to finish the next one as well. Poor Hatter having to deal with two Doctors, but she does secretly enjoy it, even if she would like them to think otherwise.
Next chapter, the Hatter is unsettled, the truth finally comes out, and there's an emotional goodbye. I hope you liked it, tell me what you thought. Please review :)
Guest reviews:
Guest 16: Thank you for getting back to me, I wasn't sure if you would and that's certainly something that I'll have to think about doing in the future. I really should start making a list of all of these future one-shots :)
Guest 15: I could, yes, but I'm afraid that it still wouldn't work for this story. Perhaps I'll do an AU of it one day, but not for a long, long time. Thank you for the suggestion, though :)
Guest (1): Who would I like to see play the new Doctor? Well, after having watched him Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them, I would have to say that I think that Eddie Redmayne would make a brilliant Doctor. He just gave off that Doctor vibe to me during that movie and I thought that he would be perfect for the role, but as for an older actor, probably Hugh Laurie, but I have only ever seen him in one of two things, so I really don't know for certain about him. I guess he just has the right face for the role.
Guest (2): Well, I have had a one-shot in my head for a while now where the Hatter meets the Ninth Doctor; I just haven't got around to writing it yet. But yes, something similar as to what you suggested is in my mind. Thanks for the suggestion :)
Guest (3): I guess we'll just have to wait and see what happens in 'Hide,' not even I know exactly how I'm going to work that episode at this point. Thank you for the suggestion :)
Guest (4): I finally got that update you asked for and I very much hope that you enjoyed it :)
Guest (5): Maybe in the future we'll see an AU like that, but at this point I just simply don't have the time or even the energy to work on a third story. I already feel like I'm neglecting my Sherlock story and a few other projects that I have going on. I'm sorry, I really am, and hopefully things will slow down a bit more and give me more time to start considering doing something like that. Thanks for the review :)
Guest (6): I have considered writing an AU story of the Hatter being involved in the Ninth Doctor's adventures; I would just be a little concerned that I know that other OC writers tend to also do the same thing. Regardless, if I was to write an AU, that would probably be the one that I would do first, but, like I said, at this point I really don't have the time. Thank you for the suggestion and the review :)