Faces From the Past
The landing from the vortex was an oddly soft one, hardly pleasant, but the Eleventh Hatter had anticipated something a little harder then what she got, but then again, landing on a pile of dry leaves in the middle of what seemed to be a rather handy forest clearing did tend to be a little softer then landing on grass would be. It still knocked the air from her lungs, even though she had attempted to prepare herself for the landing, a small groan escaping her lips as she automatically closed hers eyes. The scent of wet earth and dry leaf matter hit her nose as she remained briefly dazed, lying with her face pressed into the ground. She heard rustling of clothing from beside her and felt a hand reach out and grasp her own hand, the Doctor's familiar, strong fingers entwining with her own as he seemed to be gathering himself from his own impact.
"You alright, dear?" he asked her, his voice faintly muffled, probably by the ground.
She opened her eyes and turned her head, only to freeze, her eyebrows immediately shooting up. She could see the toes of a pair of brown, laced up boots standing just a few feet away from her. Beside them, a pair of white, slightly dirty and scuffed looking Converses stood. Her hearts leaped in her chest...she would recognise those shoes anywhere, her eyes slowly travelling upwards. The boots were tucked into a pair of familiar, tight leather, military green trousers, while a white shirt with a military green vest and trench coat covered the rest of the figure, a woman with straight blonde hair and a small side fringe that lightly brushed above baby blue eyes, peering down at her with a slightly startled frown, her head tilted to the side. Blimey...she looked just like Jen, save for those rather sharp cheekbones. Next to her, the owner of the Converses was just as familiar in his tight, brown pinstriped suit and dark brown tie with white flowers, spiky brown hair hidden beneath the fez, his brown eyes wide with shock as he stared down at the two intruders. She had forgotten just how pretty the last Doctor had been, not that she would ever tell him or her Doctor that. It would only boost his ego.
"Yeah..." she mumbled absently in a rather delayed response to her Doctor, her lips lowly curving into a disbelieving smile, "No harm done...but we do have company, sweetheart..."
He tensed at that and she felt his head snap up, before his hand jerked in her own. She followed his own sudden motion to rise, swiftly pulling herself up onto her own feet alongside the Eleventh Doctor to face their past selves, who stared at them with suspicious, baffled expressions. The Eleventh Hatter, for her own part, just couldn't seem to look away from them, feeling a grin growing across her lips, a delighted, almost giddy sense of excitement whooshing through her, because it wasn't every day that you got to see your past self and hang out with them...well, you would hope not. It had been an age since she had last had the chance, it was usually always a good laugh...save for when it wasn't, because, well, you always had to have that moment of almost competing against each other to be the 'Better' Hatter, but even that was fun. She almost failed to notice the two Elizabeth's standing behind the couple, positively gaping at them.
"Who are these people?" one of the Elizabeth's gasped.
The Tenth Doctor narrowed his eyes, eyeing his future self and Time Lady closely, "That's just what I was wondering," he muttered warily.
"I think I can possibly guess..." the Tenth Hatter said slowly, sighing heavily, almost looking exasperated. She bent down and picked up the two tone, black and bright pink hat that had landed at her feet, when the other two had fallen through the portal, eyeing it with a very knowing, though not entirely pleased frown.
The Eleventh Hatter grinned, laughing slightly, "Blimey, I love being me, sometimes," she commented brightly, glancing sideways to her Doctor, "My brain just works so quickly, it's a delight to watch".
"Ah, modesty," the blonde mock sighed again, briefly rolling her eyes skywards, "Not just the Doctor's downfall. What a pity".
"I don't..." the Tenth Doctor began with an utterly confused look in the blonde's direction, seemingly completely failing to catch on to what was going on, even though she evidently had.
"Oh, that is skinny!" the Eleventh Doctor cut him off sharply, staring at his past self with a look of almost wonder on his face. He frowned very slightly and glanced down at himself, turning himself sideways as he glanced back over to Ten, eyeing him critically again, "That is proper skinny," he grinned, his eyes lighting up with excitement as he looked back to the Eleventh Hatter, who was watching him with amusement, "I've never seen it from the outside, dear. It's like a special effect".
"Oh, it's very real, sweetheart," the Eleventh Hatter laughed, turning her own gaze onto the Tenth Doctor, who was blinking slightly, looking rather taken aback by the sudden interest in his appearance, casting a subconscious look down his own front, "Trust me," her smile grew very slightly cheeky, winking at the past Doctor...his eyes instantly widened and his cheeks warmed, while the Tenth Hatter rolled her eyes, "I know".
"Seriously?" the Tenth Hatter shot her a look, "Standing right here".
"Technically, I was flirting with both of them," she said with a grin, shrugging lightly.
"I...what?" the Tenth Doctor's head snapped around sharply to almost gap at the brunet, before he looked quickly to his own Hatter, giving her a bewildered stare, as if utterly confused about why she seemed to simply roll her eyes at another woman admitting to flirting with him in front of her.
"Never mind that, matchstick man," the Eleventh Doctor cut in cheerfully, giving him a grin as he moved forward, "Gimme that fez!" he darted forward and knocked the fez clean off his head, causing the Tenth Doctor to flinch backwards slightly, his eyes widening.
"Oi!" the Tenth Hatter exclaimed, looking briefly outraged.
"That's no way to treat a fez!" the Eleventh Hatter huffed, fixing her Doctor with a stern glare.
The Tenth Doctor blinked and looked to the Tenth Hatter, before glancing at the Eleventh Hatter, his eyes narrowing slightly...before he gasped, turning sharply back to face the Eleventh Doctor, eyeing him briefly, before edging slightly closer to him, "You're not..." he said slowly, realisation dawning on him, at long last, his eyes darting back to the Eleventh Hatter, staring at her with a look of almost wonder, "And you're...she's..."
The Eleventh Doctor smirked and reached up towards his pocket, just as his own past self moved to do the same thing, both hesitating briefly, eyeing one another, as if startled by how similar their own thinking was...the Eleventh Hatter almost laughed aloud, watching them. Slowly, they both reached into their inner breast pockets and withdrew their sonic screwdrivers, holding them up for them both to see clearly. The Eleventh Doctor, looking rather smug and prideful, flicked his larger sonic screwdriver, causing it to start whirring gently, while Ten paused to eye it, frowning as he extended his own sonic, giving it an extra inch...the Eleventh Doctor lifted his eyebrows, eyeing it dubiously.
The Tenth Hatter looked to her future self, "I suppose boys will always be boys," she muttered to her, watching the display with a shake of her head.
"I'm just glad Captain Jack isn't here to see this, personally," the Eleventh Hatter laughed softly, making her grin.
"He'd have a field day with this".
"Almost a shame he isn't here. I do love to watch the Doctor blush".
"Compensating?" the Tenth Doctor eyed his future self's sonic with a slightly narrow eyed look.
The Eleventh Doctor blinked, giving him a startled look, "For what?"
"Regeneration," he replied, lowering his own sonic, his future self doing the same, "It's a lottery".
"Well, I happen to think that you won this round, sweetheart," the Eleventh Hatter cut in, moving to press a kiss against her Doctor's cheek, instantly making him smile. She pulled away, winking playfully at him as she reached up to lightly brush his hair off his forehead.
The Eleventh Doctor gave her a positively beaming smile, "Actually, I think I won the lottery having you in my life," he said instantly, wrapping his arm around her waist, tugging her closer to his side.
She laughed, rolling her eyes fondly, "Very smooth, sweetheart".
"So this is what it's like to hang out with us," the Tenth Hatter remarked to her Doctor, eyeing the lovey-dovey Time Lords in front of them with an amused, if slightly exasperated expression. She shook her head, glancing sideways at her Doctor, "I have a lot of apologising to do to poor Martha when we see her next..."
The Tenth Doctor smiled, "At least we know we haven't lost our...spark," he waggled his eyebrows slightly at her, making her blush as he reached out to take her hand, lifting it up to his lips to press a tender kiss to her knuckles. He looked back over to the other pair, his gaze lingering on the Eleventh Hatter, curiosity in his eyes, "Not that it isn't nice to see you..." he cleared his throat, giving her a smile, which faded rather quickly the second he glanced over towards his past self, a frown crossing his features, "But we are a little busy here..." he gestured pointedly back over his shoulder to the two Queens.
"Oh, busy," the Eleventh Doctor immediately focused on him, his eyebrows lifting as he looked past them to the two Queens, "I see," he dropped his arm from around his Hatter and moved around to grab his fez from off the forest floor, placing it on his head as he moved, "Is that what we're calling it, eh?" he straightened to throw him a look, before moving to bow before them, "Hello, ladies!"
"Don't start," the Tenth Doctor rolled his eyes, turning around to give him a flat look, "I'm very..." he looked pointedly back to the blonde Time Lady, his gaze lingering heavily on her, "...very happily married".
"So am I!" he turned to throw him an almost offended look, while the Eleventh Hatter ducked her head, hiding a grin. She could practically see the teasing glint in his eyes from here, he was just trying to annoy Ten, get under his skin, "But, like I was saying..." he flashed him a wide, bright grin, "What you get up to in the privacy of your own regeneration is your business..."
"Nothing is going on, I'm on my honeymoon!"
"And one of them is a Zygon," the Tenth Hatter cut in, giving the Eleventh Doctor a small, amused smile, evidently catching on to his playful teasing.
"Urgh!" the Eleventh Doctor cringed, pulling a disgusted face. He winked at the blonde Time Lady as he turned to fix his past self with a look, full of sincerity, "I'm not judging you..." he paused, frowning slightly, "Actually, no, totally am judging. You've got the Hatter!"
"I told you, nothing is going on!"
"Doctor..." the Eleventh Hatter hastily stepped around the Tenth Doctor, moving to place a hand on her Doctor's arm, giving him a slightly warning, though amused grin, "Perhaps you'd best drop this teasing, before you break your past self. I am rather fond of him still".
Suddenly, a loud crackle, like thunder broke through the air and they all turned to look up sharply, finding that the time portal had opened up again, shimmering through the air. The Eleventh Hatter eyed it closely, half-expecting another version of herself and the Doctor to possibly come tumbling out from it, it seemed fairly likely, at this point. Beside her, the two Doctors instantly moved to slip their glasses from their pockets, slipping them on...only to pause and exchange delighted grins when they caught sight of their little twinning moment.
"Ooh, lovely!" the Eleventh Doctor cheered, pointing at his past self.
"Ooh!" the Tenth Doctor cooed at the same, grinning as he pointed back to him, gesturing to his glasses.
The Eleventh Hatter laughed, shaking her head fondly, catching her own past self smiling widely as she watched the pair have their moment, "Your two are just adorable," the brunet commented, before spinning on her heel and walking back over towards the Elizabeth's, giving them a brilliant, warm smile, "Hello, your Majesty's, perhaps now would be a wise time to run, if you would be so kind as to indulge us," she finished with a small, quick dip of her knees.
"But what about the creature?" the Queens asked in unison, both looking quite panicked and alarmed.
"Ah, easy fix..." the Tenth Hatter strolled forward, giving them a smile, "Run in the opposite direction as each other, one Elizabeth can go off to one side of the forest, the other in the opposite direction. We can sort out the true Elizabeth later".
"Of course, my Lady Hattie," they both agreed instantly.
One of them dashed forward, moving to grab the Tenth Doctor's arm, peering up into his face with big, soft eyes, "Stay alive, my love," she told him, making him freeze, "I am not done with you yet.." she reached up and pressed her lips to his, kissing him rather passionately.
The Eleventh Doctor grimaced in distaste, looking rather horrified as he stared at the display, an almost haunted look in his eyes...as if recalling the moment. The Eleventh Hatter's eyebrows rose, watching with a slightly more curious expression, while her past self sighed and closed her eyes, reaching up to rub the bridge of her nose. The Queen pulled away with a gasp of air, giving him one last look of love before she turned on her heel and took off running into the trees.
"Thanks," the Tenth Doctor grimaced, looking almost physically pained, his body held rigidly. He reached up to forcibly wipe his lips, "Lovely".
"I understand," the second Elizabeth rushed forward, latching herself onto him, too, making his eyes widen and a look of slight dread fill his eyes, "Live for me, my darling. We shall be together again!" and she kissed him, very firmly, his hands briefly flying up on either side of her, evidently not knowing what to do.
"So..." the Eleventh Hatter began slowly, clearing her throat as the kiss went on, glancing sideways to her past self, who held her head in her hands, "How's the honeymoon been going?"
"Shut up," the blonde groaned, lifting her head to spare her a glare, "As if you don't already know..."
Elizabeth pulled back from the kiss and turned to take off running into the trees, in the opposite direction as the other Elizabeth had gone, as per the plan. There was a brief pause as the Tenth Doctor, grimacing and looking physically pained, screwed up his face, watching flatly as her skirts disappeared through the trees.
"Well, won't that be nice?" he groaned, pulling a face as he looked at the Tenth Hatter. She sighed and reached up to pat his arm, making him lean into her, his arm wrapping around her waist instantly. He did look horribly miserable.
The Eleventh Doctor looked thoughtfully off into the trees, "One of those was a Zygon," he commented lightly, glancing sideways to his past self.
"Yeah".
"Big red rubbery thing, covered in suckers".
"Yeah".
The Eleven Hatter cleared her throat, a cheeky smirk crossing her face, "Not to forget the venom sacs on the tongue..." she practically sung, enjoying it far too much seeing the Tenth Doctor blush...even if it came at the price of seeing him getting snogged by two other women. Against his will, which did rather take away most of her amusement, but hey, it wasn't her honeymoon, she was going to try and enjoy this, like her past self ought to have.
"Yeah, I'm getting the point, thank you," the Tenth Doctor groaned, giving her a mock exasperated look, which only made her laugh. His expression instantly softened, eyeing her, almost curiously, "You really are the Hatter".
"Yep," she said cheerfully, and lifted her hand up to wiggle her fingers at him, "Hello! It's been such a long time; I have missed this face..."
"Hatter," the Eleventh Doctor cut in with a pout, turning to give her a look.
She rolled her eyes, "You're still my Doctor, sweetheart," she rolled her eyes.
"Thank you," he grinned, moving to closer to her again to press a kiss to her cheek, making her shake her head fondly.
"Doctor, Hatter..." a voice called from the vortex, then, sounding slightly like an echo, "Is that you?"
"Mum?" another voice called, sounding just a little more worried, "Dad?"
The Tenth Doctor and Hatter looked at each other sharply.
"Ah, hello, Clara, Jen-Jen!" the Eleventh Doctor called brightly up toward the vortex, smiling widely, even though they couldn't see the girls, "Can you hear me?"
"I do hope you're behaving yourselves up there, young ladies!" the Eleventh Hatter added in a rather motherly, stern tone, though she was smiling as she peered up at the portal, her smile seeping into her words, "That includes you, too, Astra!"
"I don't understand..." the Tenth Hatter frowned deeply.
"Of course we're behaving ourselves, Mum," Jen's voice came back, sounding as if she was rolling her eyes. It made the Eleventh Doctor and Hatter grin at each other, "You've literally only been gone a few minutes, and, yeah, we can hear your guys just fine".
"More than enough time to get into trouble, then," the Eleventh Doctor laughed, a look of pride in his eyes as he pulled the Hatter closer to his side, the two exchanging a proud look, utterly ignoring the way that the Tenth Doctor and Hatter had almost seemed to have turned to stone, the Time Lady gaping at them, while the Tenth Doctor seemed to be muttering 'What?' under his breath.
"Where are you?" Clara asked, her voice echoing again.
"Where are we?" the Eleventh Doctor glanced over to his past self and Hatter...only to wince, seeing the blonde opening and closing her mouth, while his past self turned to look at him blankly.
"What?" he demanded, seemingly to stunned to even say anything else.
"Oh, dear..." he sighed heavily, looking warily to the Eleventh Hatter, wincing, "I think we might have broken them, Hatter".
The Eleven Hatter looked back to them; too, eyeing them with a small, resigned frown, "Maybe a tiny bit, yeah..." she nodded slowly. She shook her head and sniffed the air, briefly closing her eyes, "We're in...the year 1562".
"Um, what's going on?" Jen called through the vortex, sounding worried.
"Nothing, darling!" the brunet hurriedly shouted back, turning her gaze hastily back to her past self, eyeing her worriedly. She wasn't quite so concerned about the Tenth Doctor, but her past self...this past version of herself, she should have remembered. Kids were a delicate subject to her, she would either react incredibly poorly to this information, or surprise them all, but she suspected the worst. This was the version of her that was still grieving for Jen, after all.
"I don't..." the Tenth Hatter swallowed, thickly, her voice barely above a whisper as she stared at her future self, big blue eyes wide and almost frightened, "I don't...I don't understand..."
"Mummy, Daddy!" Astra's voice little voice came through the vortex, making the Tenth Hatter, stumble backwards slightly, the Tenth Doctor having enough presence of mind left to grab her arm, steadying her, "Mummy, Daddy, I wanna see you! Why can't I see you?"
The Eleventh Doctor gave the Tenth Hatter a slightly worried frown, "We'll be back with you very soon, my little star!" he assured her hastily, still shooting the blonde Time Lady a concerned look, no doubt knowing, just as the Eleventh Hatter did, how delicate this subject would be..., "You just be a good little girl and listen to Jen-Jen and Clara".
"Who are they?" the Tenth Doctor stared between his future self and the Hatter, eyeing them closely, his eyes darting worriedly from the portal to his Hatter, "Tell me, who they are?"
"Well..." the Eleventh Hatter began slowly, sighing heavily. She edged closer to them, glancing at her past self, who was looking back at her with a wild, frightened look in her eyes...it alarmed her to see it, reminded her of a glimpse of what she had looked like during the Time War. It was still so fresh to them, she realised, then, all of it, "Clara is our companion," she explained carefully, "And then there's Astra and Jen...well, to put it simply, their our, your, daughters".
Breaking it to them was much harder then she imagined and for a moment, they simply gaped at her, as if they had never imagined anything like that could be possible...until the Tenth Hatter began laughing. It sounded borderline hysterical. It wasn't a pleasant sound, and it made them all wince, the Tenth Doctor eyeing her with obvious alarm as he half-hugged her to his side, the Eleventh Doctor sighed and briefly glanced down. The Eleventh Hatter, however, wasn't surprised, this was the version of her who couldn't even talk about any possibility of having kids, without getting tongue tied, and she was still grieving Jen's death...Oh, blimey. Jen. What she going to do when she saw Jen?
"I know it's a lot," she went on hastily, as the laughter finally began to die down, leaving her past self red cheeked and her eyes looking suspiciously glassy, "Believe me...I know," she gave her a gentle, soothing smile, "I remember how it was, back when I was you, but they are the most precious girls in the Universe to me, to us..." she reached back behind her, taking the her Doctor's hand, squeezing it as she kept her gaze on her past self, who stared back at her, almost blankly, "Astra isn't even three years old now, but she's already such an incredibly bright, intuitive little girl, and Jen...well, you already had a glimpse of her for yourself".
The Tenth Hatter's eyes widened, "Wait, Jen..." she gasped, her head snapping around to look at her Doctor, "Jen, as in...our Jenny?"
"She's alive?" the Tenth Doctor looked sharply back to his future self and Hatter, hope flaring in his eyes.
"Alive, and just as brilliant as her mother," the Eleventh Doctor nodded proudly, giving them a gentle smile of his own as they turned to gap at one another, looking possibly even more stunned.
"Um, Doctor, Hatter..." Clara's voice broke through the air, and the Eleventh Hatter almost sighed in relief, since it gave her a reason to turn away from her past self to look back up to the vortex, "Who are you talking to?"
"Ourselves," they all replied, the Tenth Hatter slightly more absently then the others. Still, she smiled as she realised what she had done, just like the others all did, she even high fived her future self, who still eyed her with a worried frown, while the Doctors exchanged a delighted look and pointed at one another.
"Can you come back through?" another female voice came through the portal, Kate, this time, sounding rather alarmed.
"Ooh, that is a good question..." the Eleventh Hatter frowned slightly, glancing sideways at her Doctor, "Possibly, but then again, it may not work in both directions. We ought to test it, before we do anything..."
The Eleventh Doctor suddenly held up his finger, his eyes lighting up, "Ah!" he glanced back up towards the portal, "Hang on, and apologises in advance, dear..." he flashed both Hatters a hasty, sheepish grin as he reached up to snatch his fez off his head, "Fez incoming!"
And he tossed it straight up into the vortex, where it disappeared instantly. The Hatters looked at him, both looking caught between exasperation and fondness.
"Um..." he winced, holding up his hands, under their glares, "I did say I was sorry...right?"
The Eleventh Hatter sighed and turned her gaze back up to the portal, "Anything, girls?"
"Nothing here," Clara called back, after a brief moment.
"I guess that's a 'No' on the coming back thing, then," Jen sighed, sounding rather disappointed.
The Tenth Doctor frowned deeply, glancing at the others, "So where did it go?" he asked them, looking confused.
...
The Warrior slowly bent down to pick up the bright red fez that had landed at his feet, toppling out of the vortex. He lightly brushed some dirt off it with the cuff of his coat, eyeing it thoughtfully. The Hatter would have once have been outraged by witnessing the poor treatment of a hat, he remembered how he once would have purposely bent or tossed his own hats around, just to get a rise out of her, how he would laugh at how she would lecture him, how she would scold him...He missed it so much, it caused his chest to actually hurt. But then the War happened and she lost her children, and with that even her love for hats had utterly disappeared. From now on, hats would be forever a reminder of her to him; this would be the last time he likely held one.
"Who's he talking to?" a woman asked, her voice drifting from the portal.
"They said themselves," another woman replied, sounding younger, her voice full of energy, "Whatever that means, I guess..."
"Regeneration," a bright, cheerful voice spoke next, and he got the impression of someone who was much younger then she looked, "It sounded like more than one version of them there, didn't it? I guess something with the portal..."
"It would only happen to your folks, wouldn't it?"
He slowly rose from the box he sat on, staring curiously up at the portal...should he dare? That was supposed to be idea, wasn't it? But...could he?
...
"Okay," the Tenth Doctor folded his arms across his chest, peering thoughtfully up towards the vortex, before glancing sideways to his future self and Hatter, "You two used to be us..." he nodded to the blonde Time Lady as he spoke, raising his eyebrows at them, "You've done all this before. What happens next?"
"I don't remember," the Eleventh Doctor shook his head.
"Yeah, same," the Eleventh Hatter added with a small sigh, peering thoughtfully up at the vortex...until she felt the sharp, disbelieving eyes of their past selves staring at them, her own past self with her eyebrows raised high. She frowned slightly, "What?"
"How can you forget this?" the Tenth Doctor almost demanded, looking almost personally offended by the whole fact that they seemed to have forgotten, pointing between himself and his Hatter.
"Hey, hang on!" the Eleventh Doctor gave him a deep frown, turning to huff at him, "It's not our fault! You two obviously aren't paying enough attention".
"Or we've been forced to forget," the Tenth Hatter cut in with a pointed look at her Doctor and the future one, smiling very slightly in amusement, "Wouldn't be the first time, now, would it? When have we ever remembered when we've met our past and future versions of ourselves, until we catch up?"
"True," the Eleventh Hatter nodded in agreement, her gaze drifting back up towards the portal, "But that's something to consider later, for now we really ought to concentrate on that portal. I, for one, would very much like to see the girls again..." her eyes suddenly lit up and she grinned, looking brightly back to her Doctor, "Of course! Reverse the polarity, sweetheart!"
The Eleventh Doctor gave her the biggest, most brilliant smile, and clapped his hands excitedly, "That's my girl!" he laughed, moving to press a kiss to her cheek as she rolled her eyes fondly at him, laughing softly at him. He pulled away and reached for his sonic in his pocket, nudging his past self pointedly.
Ten blinked, having been watching the pair with a far away, soft smile on his lips, and hastily fished his own sonic out of his pocket. They aimed them up towards the portal and activated them...nothing happened, nothing at all. They simply stood there with their sonic's raised, waiting, but still, utterly nothing happened at all, looking very slightly comical, or so the Eleventh Hatter thought.
"It's not working," the Eleventh Doctor commented slowly, glancing out of the corner of his eye at his Hatter.
"That's because you're both reversing the polarity," the Tenth Hatter sighed slightly, watching them with a slight shake of her head.
"Yes, dear...er, Hatter," he quickly corrected himself with a slightly apologetic smile towards his past self, who gave him a dark look at addressing his Hatter with the endearment. Evidently, the Tenth Doctor was rather possessive over his own version of the Time Lady, even with his future self. Blimey, confusing, "I know that".
"And there's two versions of the same sonic device being used," she went on with a slightly pointed look, "Both attempting to reverse it...only for the other to reverse it back again, making it completely pointless".
"Oh," he blinked slowly, before lowering his sonic and turning to give his Hatter an accusing glare, only to find the Eleventh Hatter biting back a smirk, "Hatter, why didn't you warn us?"
The Eleventh Hatter laughed, looking from him to the Tenth Doctor, "It was funny," she said cheerfully, playfully nudging his side, his mock glare instantly dropping as he smiled faintly back at her, "I have to admit, when I made the suggestion it was only directed towards you, my Doctor..." she gave the Eleventh Doctor a pointed look, shrugging with another giggle, "But then you both started doing it and...well, you just looked so brave and dashing. I didn't have the hearts to tell you to stop".
Suddenly, there was a very loud clap of almost thunder that sounded and the portal flared briefly, bright white light filling the sky. They all jumped and flinched, before the sound of something landing on the leaf strewn ground before them crunched and they straightened, only to stop short. All the humour that had once been in the air, all the lightness, disappeared in a second at the sight of the man that had seemingly jumped through the portal. He was an older man, seemingly in either his sixties or seventies, with white-grey hair and brown hazel eyes, slightly hooded with skin from age, while the rest of his skin was mapped with lines. He had a little bit of white facial hair that made him look rather scruffy, though likely not on purpose, while he was draped in a brown, well-worn leather trench coat, knee high boots tucked into dark brown trousers, and a slightly charred in places looking vest. A light brown scarf was knotted around his throat. He smiled pleasantly at them, holding the fez in his hands.
"Anyone lose a fez?" he asked them politely, seemingly oblivious to the way that every single one of them stared at him in varying degrees of emotion.
The Doctors looked horrified by the mere sight of him, their eyes wide and their cheeks drained of colour. Ten had even hastily stepped forward, as if to attempt to shield his Hatter from the man, as if he posed a threat to them, though the Tenth Hatter, even in her shock as she gaped at the Warrior, easily moved around him. The Eleventh Hatter, however, eyed the Warrior with a grim, wary frown, reaching out to grasp her Doctor's hand, grasping it firmly.
"You," the Tenth Doctor breathed in horror, "How can you be here?"
"And why?" the Tenth Hatter asked with a rather stunned, slightly tense tone, staring at the grey haired man with wonder and apprehension, "Of all the people that may have come through, all the different versions...it's you? Why? How?"
"Isn't the how rather obvious?" the Eleventh Hatter lifted her eyebrows, though her gaze remained steady and firmly planted on the War Doctor, slightly narrowed with thoughtfulness as she took in his clothing, his worn and tired features, his heavy, utterly despondent eyes..., "I mean, come on. You're making us look bad here, not being able to figure that out..."
The Tenth Hatter frowned deeply and turned to look at her sharply, a look of offence and surprise filling her face, but the other Time Lady shot her a quick glance. The blonde paused and eyed her for a moment longer, before slowly turning back to regard the War Doctor, seemingly taking him in slightly more closely then she had before, now that some of her astonishment and horror had faded.
"Good afternoon," the War Doctor greeted them warmly; smiling pleasantly...but there was a light missing from his eyes. The Eleventh Hatter could see it, his shoulders were slumped slightly, far from befitting the solider that this version of him was supposed to be, his eyes heavy with age, age that seemed far more weighty and deep then one could even begin to fathom, but there was also a deep rooted sense of sadness that seemed to linger in the air around him, in his very presence. She could practically see it...she knew, from that alone, when this version of the Doctor was from. What he had just walked away from. He looked politely around at them all, "I'm looking for the Doctor".
There was yet another long pause, a pause that grew almost comical to the Eleventh Hatter the longer it stretched on. Slowly, the Tenth Doctor blinked.
"Well..." he dragged out the word slightly, eyeing the other man with a slightly resigned sigh, "You've certainly come to the right place".
"Good," he nodded, smiling faintly still as he clasped his hands behind his back, "Right. Well, who are you four?" he asked with a curious glance over them, causing the Doctors to exchange slightly exasperated looks, while the Tenth Hatter smiled very slightly. The Eleventh Hatter didn't even attempt to conceal her amused grin, when his eyes suddenly brightened with understanding, "Oh, of course. Are you his companions? He must be very busy..."
"Oh, he is, I assure you," the Eleventh Hatter laughed, winking cheekily at him. The War Doctor looked her in surprise, his grey, bushy eyebrows lifting slightly as his gaze lingered on her curiously, though there wasn't any indication that he had a clue who she was at all. It only made her giggle.
The others, however, were slightly less amused, though the Tenth Hatter's smile did grow and she ducked her head as she shot a glance towards her Doctor. His eyes had widened slightly before he sighed, puffing out his cheeks slightly, almost as if he was struggling to know if he wanted to laugh in disbelief or roll his eyes in exasperation, while the Eleventh Doctor, instead, chose to stare at the grey haired man incredulously.
"His companions?" the Eleventh Doctor repeated, his voice actually growing slightly higher in his disbelief.
"They get younger all the time," he laughed, almost fondly, though it sounded almost forced and it faded very quickly, giving them another polite smile, "Well, if you could point me in the general direction of the Doctor?"
The Eleventh Hatter smirked slyly, glancing sideways at the Eleventh and Tenth Doctors, "Things are about to get awkward..." she practically sung, probably enjoying this whole thing far too much, considering that for them all to be meeting up with each other like this, it could only mean something bad was happening...but she just couldn't help herself. She was chaotically good for a reason...
"Not helping, dear," the Eleventh Doctor sighed, though he shot her an amused glance full of affection that said quite the opposite. He glanced at his past self, who caught his eye before slowly turning back to face the War Doctor...slowly, they both reached into their pockets and withdrew their sonic screwdrivers, holding them up for the old man to see them clearly.
Slowly, the War Doctor's smile dropped and his eyes widened, "Really?" he frowned deeply, his eyes darting between them in alarm.
"Yeah," the Eleventh Doctor simply nodded, giving him a rather flat look.
"Really," the Tenth Doctor confirmed, lowering his sonic.
"You're me? Both of you?"
"Yep," the Tenth Doctor agreed instantly, popping the 'P' loudly, giving him a very faintly amused, resigned look.
The War Doctor eyed them for a moment, rather dubiously, before glancing pointedly at the Eleventh Doctor, "Even that one?" he frowned, making the Tenth Doctor nod, though with a slight grimace, as if the idea of having to admit to that was rather unfortunate to him, too.
The Eleventh Doctor's eyes widened with indignation, "Yes!" he exclaimed, glaring at the old man with offence, while the Tenth and Eleventh Hatter exchanged grins.
He continued to eye them suspiciously, "You're my future selves?"
"Yes!" both Doctors insisted firmly, giving him a rather pointed look.
"Oh, this is even better then I was expecting!" the Eleventh Hatter laughed in delight, grinning widely as she watched on, eyes darting from each version of the Doctor with an almost excited glint in her eyes.
"Is this really the time to be getting a thrill out of this?" the Tenth Hatter glanced at her future self with a raised eyebrow...though her lips, which were lifted, rather gave away her own amusement.
"Oh, shut up and give me your bag of jelly babies, a moment like this calls for snacks! Preferably not the bag you have stashed in your left boot heel, though..."
The War Doctor slowly shook his head in disbelief, almost gaping at his future selves, "Am I having a midlife crisis?" he demanded in complete and utter disbelief, beginning to walk towards them...the Doctors reacted immediately, both instantly throwing themselves in front of their respective Hatter and aiming their sonic screwdrivers at the War Doctor, as if they were swords or something. He paused sharply to stare at them in bafflement, while the Tenth Hatter shot her Doctor a frown from behind, crossing her arms over her chest with an eye roll. The Eleventh Hatter, calmly, stepped around her own Doctor to stand by his side, gaze on the grey haired man curiously, "Why are you pointing your screwdrivers like that?" he huffed slightly in annoyance at the Doctors, "They're scientific instruments, not water pistols! Look like you've seen a ghost..."
"He's right," the Eleventh Hatter commented lightly, earning herself a startled look from the Tenth and Eleventh Doctor, while the War Doctor also looked over to her quickly, his eyebrows immediately rising as he regarded her, again, rather curiously. She gave them all a rather flat look, though slightly more pointedly aimed more so towards the younger pair, ignoring how her own past self was looking at her with a slight frown, "Well, he is," she insisted, more firmly, her tone taking on a brisk, sharp edge as she gave both men a glare, "There's no need to be brandishing sonic screwdrivers around like swords. He's harmless".
"Harmless!" the Tenth Doctor exclaimed in shock, his eyes widening as he threw the grey haired man a slightly horrified glance.
"Dear, you know who he is..." the Eleventh Doctor cringed slightly, his gaze fixed on her with obvious worry and alarm.
"Yes, I do," she cut him off sharply, her tone growing very nearly icy, making him instantly blink and lean back slightly from her, as if she had taken a swing at him. He almost gaped at her in disbelief, because that was not a tone that she typically used on him, that was the tone she reserved for people like the Master, people who had truly prickled her very last nerve. She didn't blink, but her expression did soften very slightly, her eyes flickering over towards the War Doctor, openly watching the exchange with a puzzled, though intrigued frown on his lined features. She didn't smile at him, but her lips did lift very faintly into a warmer, if sympathetic curl at the corners, "I know exactly who he is. I'd trust him with my life".
The silence that followed in the clearing was heavy, full of shock and disbelief, though that mainly seemed to be radiating from the Tenth Doctor, who was positively gaping at the Eleventh Hatter with a look of horror written plainly across his handsome features, while the Tenth Hatter stepped around him to stand by her Doctor, peering between the War Doctor and her future self with a thoughtful frown, sharp, baby blue eyes seemingly trying to piece together something. The Eleventh Doctor eyed his own Hatter with a deep frown, looking deeply unsettled by the idea that the person he treasured the most in the Universe would place such faith in a man of the War Doctor's character...but he respected and trusted in her instincts. He knew she didn't just place her trust in anyone, not now days, not since such trust also placed their family at risk, too. He didn't understand it, he couldn't possibly see what she saw, but he had absolute faith in her and if she claimed to trust the War Doctor with such conviction, he would not argue her. He would simply stand by her side all the more protectively and watchful, making sure that such trust didn't end up truly costing her.
"That is...quite the declaration, Miss," the War Doctor said slowly, seemingly gathering himself from his own shock, blinking slightly as he stared at the Eleventh Hatter with very slightly wide eyes. He seemed truly taken aback and it made her smile, inclining her head towards him and briefly bopping her knees in a mock curtsy.
"Well, I do love to make a good declaration," the brunet said brightly as she rose, smiling brightly at him, "Especially ones that leave a room...or rather, Elizabethan forest clearing, silent. I'm a sucker for dramatics, I confess," her smile grew softer and her tone a touch sad, her eyes on his, "But that makes my words no less true, Doctor".
He flinched at the name, his expression instantly darkening and he looked away from her, "I am not the Doctor," he said quietly, if rather gruffly.
The Eleventh Hatter stepped forward towards him and her Doctor immediately moved to reach for her hand, as if to pull her back...but she gave him a smile and shook her head firmly, and he stilled his hand, watching her with a troubled frown and a tense jaw, his green eyes sharp and full of caution, but he still let her walk closer to the War Doctor. The Tenth Doctor also moved forward to step in front of her, too, but he stilled with a confused look when the Eleventh Doctor shot him a sharp glare. She didn't stop until she stood but a foot away from the old man, peering into his aged face with a look of sadness on her own youthful features, her gaze roaming his face as she sighed.
"You are the Doctor," she told him, her voice firm, full of confidence and certainty, but also gentle. The War Doctor stared back at her, his eyes widening slightly.
"Forgive me, Miss," the War Doctor said slowly, but his tone was rough and his eyes...the weight of sadness and grief in them was almost overwhelming to witness, "But you don't know me, what I have done..."
She laughed, instantly cutting him off as his lips parted and he gaped at her, "I know you better than anyone else in the Universe," she said with an almost dismissive air, still grinning, once her laughter had faded, eyes sparkling knowingly at him, "I know what drives you, what you fear, what you have lost...what you love..." she nodded slowly as he inhaled sharply and took a step back from her, his cheeks paling. Her lips lifted in a sad smile, "Which is why I imagine this will be a most bittersweet, startling revelation for you, my dear, dear, Doctor...but you must know that what you think you have lost, is not truly lost. She'll come back to you, eventually. You may think you have lost everything, everyone...including yourself, but not everything lost never returns to us".
Riddles, she knew she was speaking in riddles, dragging things out, but she wanted to break it to him slowly, gently, make him come to the realisation himself that the Hatter had lived. She didn't want to just smack him in the face with who she was, she was liable to end up killing the bloke...well, that might be a bit dramatic, but he'd possibly faint. Was it a bit weird that she kind of wanted him to react that way, anyway? Time Lady or not, she was a woman, she would be rather disappointed not to inspire at least a fairly strong reaction of the sort from the man.
"That's not possible..." the War Doctor breathed, then, staring at her with wide eyes, full of fear and hope and sorrow, so much pain that it was almost painful to look at.
"And yet, it is".
He swallowed, thickly, his eyes not leaving her face as the very faint wind in even the trees around them seemed to still and fall silent, "Hatter?" he asked carefully, barely above a whisper, with such a quiet lacing of hopefulness and fear in his words, as if the idea of it being true or untrue, terrified him.
The Eleventh Hatter smiled gently at him, reaching out to take his hand...he inhaled sharply at the contact and she allowed her consciousness to reach out, gently brushing against his own. It was the equivalent of a hug, but the Time Lord version. She squeezed his hand as his eyes filled with tears.
"Not everything lost, never returns, Doctor," she repeated softly.
"How?" he shook his head in amazement, his voice suddenly horse with emotion, blinking rapidly, trying to push back tears, she suspected, before they could fall. He gripped her hand tighter, "How?"
"Now probably isn't the best moment," the Tenth Hatter spoke up, then, causing the two to instantly turn towards her. She was giving the War Doctor a warm smile, though there was still a hint of apprehension in her eyes as she regarded him. But the Tenth Doctor seemed to have settled slightly, watching on with a look of empathy on his face, which only made sense. He'd know just how the War Doctor was feeling, even if he might not like his counterpart; while the Eleventh Doctor had lowered his head slightly, his gaze on the leaf strewn ground, seemingly trying to give the moment a sense of privacy, almost.
The War Doctor seemed to take her in properly, this time, his eyes darting up to her hat and then to the Tenth Doctor, standing close to her side, one hand on her lower back, an intimate gesture..., "You're one of them, too..." he said slowly, staring at the fair haired woman, taking her in curiously and hopefully, "You're a Hatter".
The Tenth Hatter gave him a small, if very slightly awkward grin, "It's been a while," she said quietly, though she still seemed slightly reserved to approach him,
He opened his mouth, a look of wonder on his aged face, when quite suddenly the sound of metal clinking sounded in the air and loud voices rang out through the trees, causing them all to look up sharply. A group of soldiers were running towards them with very sharp pikes and swords in their hands, a battle cry on their lips as they neared them. A man dressed in fine fabric of an Elizabethan noble stepped forward amongst them, giving the four of them a dark, threatening glare. The Doctors immediately lifted their sonics up before them once more, moving to position themselves protectively before their Hatters, forming something of a circle around them.
"Encircle them!" the noble man ordered the men, stopping just on the edge of the circle that the troops formed around the Time Lords, pikes pointed towards the Time Lords threateningly...the Tenth and Eleventh Doctor's looked around warily, while the Warrior Doctor simply looked calmly around, almost seeming curious. The Eleventh Hatter sighed heavily...they were going to get arrested, weren't they? The man glared at the five of them, "Which one of you is the Doctor and Lady Hattie?" he demanded, eyes narrowing, "The Queen of England is bewitched. I would have the Doctor and Lady Hattie's heads!"
"Well," the War Doctor smiled faintly, looking, for perhaps the first time since his dramatic entrance, rather cheerful, "This has all the makings of your lucky day".
"Lovely," the Eleventh Hatter threw her past self a slightly pointed glare, "I just love getting mixed up with my past selves affairs. It can never be something as simple as helping you pick out a hat, can it? Got to be getting arrested for something that I did centuries ago..."
"This is not my fault," the Tenth Hatter muttered from the corner of her mouth, huffing slightly.
"I think there's three Doctors now..." Clara's voice came through the still open rift above their heads, her voice echoing through the clearing, sounding rather startled.
"There's a precedent for that," Kate spoke, sounding oddly flat and completely unruffled by it...the Eleventh Hatter frowned faintly and glanced back up towards the spinning portal, eyeing it thoughtfully. Even Kate ought to be a little more...interested by this development, humans typically didn't just let that sort of thing fly, even when perfectly used to the idea of regeneration and the occasional idea of incarnations of the same Time Lord meeting one another. Or maybe she was just reading way too much into things.
"Three dads and two mums..." Jen commented slowly, sounding very slightly bewildered, "This is going to get confusing real fast".
"What is that?" the noble man demanded, staring fearfully up towards the portal.
The Eleventh Doctor moved forward with a warning glare, while the Tenth Doctor flicked his sonic screwdriver threateningly...or as threateningly as one could flick a device that could do hardly any damage to any of them. Unless, of course, he decided to throw it at the man. It might make for a lame distraction, maybe.
"Oh, the pointing again!" the War Doctor complained in annoyance, turning to look at his future selves with a rather disappointed frown. They glanced at him without lowering their poses, making him roll his eyes, "They're screwdrivers! What are you going to do, assemble a cabinet at them?"
Slowly, they lowered their sonic screwdrivers and straightened, exchanging slightly disgruntled looks behind the War Doctor's back as he turned away from them with a shake of his head. The Tenth Hatter grinned and slipped her hand into her Doctor's hand, while the Eleventh Hatter laughed, eyeing the War Doctor with a fond grin.
"I had no idea this version of you was so sassy, sweetheart," she playfully nudged the Eleventh Doctor's side, smirking cheekily, "I kind of love it".
"Traitor," the Eleventh Doctor gave her a mock glare.
She calmly pattered his arm, "You're still my favourite..." his eyes brightened and he grinned, throwing the Tenth Doctor a rather arrogant smirk, making the other man narrow his eyes at him...until she grinned, taking his hand, "But I am rather forced to say that, aren't I? You are my Doctor, after all".
The arrogant smirk positively fall from his face and he pouted, looking back to her sharply with a huff, "You're not funny, dear," he mumbled, though with little feeling.
"Nonsense," she laughed, squeezing his hand and briefly leaning into his side, making his lips lift, reluctantly, "You find me adorably hilarious and irresistibly cheeky".
"That thing!" the noble man suddenly cried out, looking warily up towards the portal, before turning to glare at the Time Lords, "What witchcraft is it?"
The Eleventh Doctor hastily cleared his throat and forced himself, with some difficulty, to drag his eyes from off the Eleventh Hatter and her very distracting, teasing smirk that she had playing on her lips, hazel green eyes bright and full of that irresistible cheekiness she had very accurately described herself to boast. She was terribly, perfectly, one-hundred perfectly correct about that description, though he might have added 'Brilliant' and 'Breathtakingly beautiful' to his own description of her, but that went without saying in his eyes. He grinned brightly as he turned towards the human man.
"Ah, yes!" he nodded quickly, smiling as the War Doctor shot him a glance, "Now that you mention it, that is witchcraft," he pointed up towards the portal, stepped around his past self, ignoring the sharp, pointy tips of the pikes as he looked mock dangerously around at the soldiers, some of them backing back very slightly from him. He almost smirked, "Yes, yes, yes. Witchy witchcraft. Hello?" he called up towards the portal, throwing a quick glance back towards the humans, making sure he had their attention...they all looked rather worried and alarmed, good, "Hello in there! Excuse me. Hello?"
The Eleventh Hatter cleared her throat, slightly pointedly, "This is the wicked witches in the well, yes?" she asked up at the portal, rising her voice slightly, catching on to what he was trying to do. She just hoped they would get it, too, but when there was a pause, she began worrying very slightly, "Hello!"
"They mean you," Kate said hastily, though her voice was rather hard to hear, due to her speaking rather lowly.
"Why am I the witch?" Clara huffed quietly.
"Maybe they got you mixed up with a pixie," Jen said with a cheeky grin lacing her words, sounding close to laughing, "You look more suited to being one of those, shortie".
"Oi! Who are you calling short, we're the same height!"
"Girls!" the Eleventh Doctor cut in quickly, looking very slightly alarmed...being held at pike point by a bunch of humans thinking a witch had bewitched their Queen, he could handle perfectly, but Clara and Jen getting into a squabble, light hearted as it was, was not something he liked the idea of dealing with.
"Yeah, yeah, Dad," Jen called back, sounding as if she was just holding back an eye roll, "We heard you," she cleared her throat, then, and the Eleventh Hatter grinned when she suddenly spoke in a rather loud, cold voice, "What is it that you would have of us, you...you...um..."
The Eleventh Hatter barely held back the urge to laugh as Jen obviously began floundering, her voice losing confidence and trailing off. She'd have to give her some tips of how to improvise later; it could prove to be a useful skill for her to learn, but for now a bit of gentle leading in the right direction would have to do.
"Oh, witches in the well!" she stepped forward dramatically; raising her voice loudly, full of respect and mock fear. She even made a show of bowing deeply up towards the portal, one eye darting to look at the humans. It seemed to be working..., "We beseech you in our hour of need, give unto us your great, wicked power and tell these prattling mortals to leave us in peace!"
"What...she said," Clara said slowly, after a pause. She seemed rather taken aback.
The Eleventh Hatter sighed and closed her eyes, as if pained, "Am I the only one with a flair for the dramatics around here?" she muttered, shaking her head slowly in disappointment.
The Eleventh Doctor seemed to agree, giving the portal a rather flat, mildly exasperated look, "Yes, tiny bit more colour," he told the portal pointedly.
"All yours," Jen said quickly, then, and the Eleventh Hatter lifted an eyebrow. She assumed Clara must have looked helplessly to Jen, from that response.
"Fine," Clara groaned slightly, "Right..." she cleared her throat, sounding rather uncomfortable, if even a little subconscious, "Prattling mortals, off you pop, or I'll...turn you all into frogs!" she warned in a high pitched, very slightly halting tone.
Still, it had the desired impact, much to the Eleventh Hatter's relief, instantly fixing a very grave expression to her face as she looked around at the humans. The noble man actually flinched at the threat, while his men exchanged frightened looks, some moving to lower their pikes, even. It was a great effort on all of the Time Lords parts not to burst out laughing. The Tenth Hatter was actually biting her lip to stop herself from laughing, unable to quite stop smirking, while the Tenth Doctor nodded with a very serious frown and pointed warningly at some of the soldiers. The War Doctor didn't even bother to conceal his amused expression, peering around the clearing with deep interest.
"Ooh, frogs!" the Eleventh Doctor looked quickly around at the men, "Nice," he pointed at the noble man, giving him a pointed, mock glare, "You heard her".
"Yes, indeed," the Eleventh Hatter jumped in quickly, attempting to put on an air of fear...it was something of a struggle, but she imagined that was how this lot would expect a woman to behave, "Frogs! Oh...the horror!"
The Tenth Hatter shot her a small grimace, "That might be laying it on a bit thick..." she hissed to her.
She gave her a dark look from the corner of her eye, "Says the woman barely containing giggles," she shot back in a whisper.
"Doctor, Hatter..." Clara sighed, dropping the act, "What's going on?"
"It's...a timey-wimey thing," the Eleventh Doctor replied with a slight grimace as he looked back over to his past selves and the past Hatter, eyeing them briefly, seemingly giving up completely even attempting to explain the mess they had found themselves in...twice and thrice over, it would seem.
"Timey what?" the War Doctor looked at him sharply, staring at him in confusion...the Tenth Doctor suddenly became curiously shifty, his eyes darting warily between the two, "Timey-wimey?"
The Tenth Doctor cleared his throat, "I've...I've no idea where he picks that stuff up..." he said hastily, trying and failing to seem perfectly innocent as he shook his head.
The Tenth Hatter fixed him with a knowing smirk, while the Eleventh Hatter didn't even attempt to cover up her laugh, "More innocent then snow, this one," the blonde commented with a fond shake of her head, nodding to her Doctor...who blushed faintly and shot her a mock glare.
The sound of light footsteps moving through the trees sounded, then, and they all looked up to see Queen Elizabeth walking calmly through the trees towards them. She was even smiling faintly.
"The Queen!" the soldiers gasped, and immediately fell to their knees, bowing their heads, "The Queen!"
"You don't seem to be kneeling," Elizabeth fixed her sights on the Time Lords, still smiling pleasantly, though there was a slightly cool edge to her eyes as she calmly neared them, "How tremendously brave of you".
"Which one are you?" the Tenth Doctor eyed her suspiciously, frowning, not the least bit concerned by her thinly veiled threat, "What happened to the other one?"
"Indisposed. Long live the Queen".
"Long live the Queen!" all of the soldiers and the noble man shouted in unison.
"Now that's an ego boost right there," the Eleventh Hatter muttered with a slight grimace, glancing around at all the soldiers with their heads still bowed, kneeling on the forest floor. It was oddly disconcerting.
"Arrest these men and women," Elizabeth ordered the soldiers calmly, looking to the noble man, who rose from his bow to face her, "Take them to the Tower".
"That is not the Queen of England!" the Tenth Doctor suddenly shouted, stepping forward and pointing at the Queen, looking rather mad, "That's an alien duplicate!"
"And you can take it from him, 'cos he's really checked," the Eleventh Doctor added with an amused smirk, pointing at his past self...the Eleventh Hatter laughed, while the Tenth Hatter smiled.
His past self shot him a glare, "Oh, shut up!"
He simply grinned, "Venom sacs in the tongue..." he reminded him.
"Seriously, stop it".
The Eleventh Hatter cleared her throat and stepped forward, looking suddenly thoughtful, "The Tower of London, hey?" she said with a lift in her eyebrows, her eyes brightening as she looked quickly back to her Doctor, giving him a pointed look when he stared at her blankly, "The Tower, sweetheart! Perfect, excellent..." she grinned, then, winking at him when his eyes widened in realisation, while the others simply looked between them in confusion, "Couldn't have planned it better myself, actually".
"The Tower!" the Eleventh Doctor practically cheered, grabbing her hand and pulling her back to his side in order to wrap his arm around her waist, smiling brightly, "Ah, brilliant! Love the Tower," he paused to glance at his wristwatch, throwing Elizabeth and her men, who stared at them in disbelief, a grin, "Breakfast at eight, please. Will there be Wi-fi?"
The War Doctor observed him with a deep, almost disproving frown, "Are you capable of speaking without flapping your hands around?" he asked him, having been watching how the man had been waving his hand not wrapped around the Hatter about the place with many flourishes of his wrists as he spoke. It was rather distracting.
"Yes," he replied instantly, utterly disproving himself by flinging his hand out...he quickly shook his head, forcing his hand down, "No..."
"He's very expressive," the Eleventh Hatter remarked fondly, giving her Doctor an affectionate look.
The Eleventh Doctor pressed a quick kiss to her cheek, before turning sharply back to Elizabeth, "I demand to be incarcerated in the Tower immediately..." he told her, before glancing back towards the others, all of them staring at him in disbelief, save for his Hatter, who was smiling happily, "With my co-conspirators Sandshoes, Granddad, Rainbow, and Yellow".
"Granddad?" the War Doctor gave him an offended look, while the Eleventh Hatter smiled and looked down at her bright yellow shoes.
The Tenth Doctor rolled his eyes in exasperation, "They're not sandshoes!"
"Yes, they are," the Eleventh Doctor gave him a look, glancing down at his shoes.
"Silence!" Elizabeth shouted, narrowing her eyes on them as they all fell silent, "The Tower is not to be taken lightly. Very few emerge again".
The Eleventh Hatter smiled cheerfully, "Sounds positively delightful," she said brightly; earning herself a rather curious look from everyone, save for the Eleventh Doctor, her own past self looking at her rather suspiciously. She ignored it and gave Elizabeth a small curtsy, "Lead on, your Grace".
I apologise for how long this had taken to get up, I'm afraid I've been pulled into the world of Lord of the Rings and the Hobbit, and have become quite obsessed with the whole series. I'm seriously struggling not to give into the temptation to write an OC for either the Hobbit or Lord of the Rings. I've got two OC's in mind...it's a struggle, I tell you. But I did get back to this, short as it might be.
I hope you guys liked it, let me know what you thought. Please review! :)
Guest Reviews:
Guest 13: Oh, interesting. I do find the Valeyard a curious character; I'd like to know more about him so I could write about him for a one-shot, actually. I don't suppose you have any suggestions on his character?
Reviews for 'The End Is Where We Start From':
Guest (3): Oh, did they? No, I didn't know that about the Fifth Doctor. I rather liked the story line of the Key to Time during the Fourth Doctor's era. Very interesting.
Guest (4): Probably, it would be a little like Classic Who and I do love referencing that, whenever possible.
Guest (5): I'd love it if Chris came back, I think it is possible, but I'm also very unsure about it actually happening. He sounds like he had a pretty horrible time back in his day, I'm not sure I'd want to go back, myself, having heard some of the stuff he's said.
Guest 9: The audio adventures of Doctor Who is a very vast world, indeed. I feel like it would take me a decade to ever listen to all of them.
Guest 15: Seven's scary, he really is. Out of all of the Doctor's, he's probably the most sadistic, from what I've heard. What a terrifying idea.
Guest (6): Harry Potter is, by far, my favourite book series. I know it's probably a bit kiddie to say that and, to be fair, the first book isn't the best, but I love the series so very dearly. It inspired me to read. I struggled with reading and writing, and it took me until I found Harry Potter before I discovered my love and ability to read. I owe the series a lot.
Guest (7): I don't think I have a least favourite book series, though, I suppose Fifty Shades of Grey is a series I hate. I haven't read or seen the movies, though I have read parts of it and what I have read and watched, I felt was just very abusive and toxic.
Guest (8): I have many, many shows that I like, aside from Doctor Who and Sherlock. Game of Thrones is a favourite, I ignore the last season. I love Downton Abbey and Outlander, big fans of both; I also watch Legacies and have followed all of the previous series that tie from that show. The Blacklist, Big Bang Theory, Young Sheldon, Vienna Blood (Amazing series, highly recommend), True Blood...and many others I've likely forgotten to add here. I used to be a fan of the DC TV series, but I don't watch any of them anymore.
Guest (9): Worst movie might be the Buffy the Vampire Slayer movie. It was just so terrible. It's probably not to the worst I've watched, but it's the one that came to mind first.
Guest (10): No, I haven't come up with a name for the next book in this series, I've got an idea...and then I forgot it. It'll come back to me, or else I'll search for inspiration on the internet. That's what I did with 'Emend'.