Surprise! :)
I thought I'd surprise you all with a quick surprise update. Especially it being the one adventure I think many of you have been waiting for a long while now. ;) Hope you enjoy! Really nervous of what you all think of it.
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Chapter 65: No More
Winds swept through the barren lands of the desert. The rust coloured sand shifted with the wind and under the feet of the lone man who walked through the desert. He adjusted the large, burlap sack which he carried over his shoulder. A square lump could be seen in the sack. Obvious signs of the man carrying something rather large and bulky. But the weight of the item was not what made him feel so worn and miserable. No. It was the weight in his hearts which did that. He was just so tired and worn, having enough of the life he had lived. He just wanted it all to end now. He just wanted . . . no more.
Four hundred years. That was how long this war had lasted. Four hundred long and horrifying years. So many had died. So much had been ravaged and lost. Nothing seemed to end the suffering of the world. Nothing seemed to be slowing down the evil that wished to sweep through and create havoc on everything. Even his own people had plans to put an end of it all, just to save themselves. He had found out this terrible truth not too long ago. Something he still wished was not true. But he knew it was. And with heavy hearts, he knew he had a choice now. Save his own people or save the universe. That was his choice. Only he could make that now. Only he must carry this burden.
He would die after this was all over. That much he knew he would do. After he made this . . . abysmal decision, he would die. He wanted that more than anything after it was all over. There was no reason to live on after his world, his people, were gone. No reason at all. So, he continued his walk towards the distance barn. A place which had been slowly falling apart through the years. He was surprised to see it still standing at all. But, like him, it seemed to refuse after all this time. He wondered if it would eventually let itself fall into the nothingness like he would someday.
When he opened the door and stepped into the shade within the barn, he took in the sight of it. The floor laid scattered of fallen debris of leaves and wood chippings. All of which crunched under the man's feet as he walked into the barn. Slowly, he shut the wooden door behind him. He took in the rest of the barn as he walked towards the centre. Leftover farming supplies could be seen scattered throughout. Not that any would be of much use during this time. The planet had been ravaged far too much now. Hardly any plants of any sorts grew here. He glanced up briefly, seeing the loft was still there. Funny that it had been left so intact over the years.
Soon, he sat his burlap sack down and took out the item from within. It was a large box. Or, what looked like a box if any other person were gazing upon it. A very strange box, with Gallifreyan markings along the edges of the chestnut brown wood and centrepieces of gears all along the sides of it. The box could be heard churning from within. Whatever mechanisms which were placed inside were suddenly active and running. The elderly man turned the box in different ways, trying to see how to work it more properly. He touched what he thought was the interface of it. The metal plates on top moved when his fingers brushed the gears. He pulled his hand away, frowning as he heard the gears within picking up speed.
"Now, how do you work?" he murmured quietly to himself as he inspected the box more. Nothing seemed to show of the box's function. It was the same on all ends. This only frustrated the man more. "Why is there never a big red button?"
His attention was drawn when hearing something scuffling outside. It sounded like someone walking around swiftly, darting about in the sand away from the door. He even noticed how the door had creaked open a little. As though he had been watched for a moment. Which was strange, seeing how he had locked it earlier. He went over to the door, opening it more to look outside. The only thing that greeted him was the empty, barren land. No sign of anyone in sight. It still made him wary, though. He did not wish for anyone to follow him or to be present of the dreadful, terrible, deplorable thing he would have to do.
"Hello?" he called out loudly. "Is somebody there?"
"It's nothing," came a young female voice from behind him. The old man tensed, whipping around in shock to see a young female sitting on the large box he had brought in. Immediately, the very sight of her spoke of such strangeness. Her blonde hair was a mess around her head, as though she had not bothered to brush it in a very long while. A piece of it was braided, with a dangling leather thread holding a metal decorative. She had on a vest that was light-tan, a ripped-up, long sleeve, white shirt underneath, a tan skirt which barely hung around her waist, and black leggings with holes. All tied together with a pair of battered, tan boots. Her eyes were what made him a bit wary of the sight of her. Her gaze was very careful in how she took him in. Hazel-brown eyes that stared at him with such an intense way. Unwavering in even the slightest.
"It's just a wolf," she finished, still gazing at him as steady as ever.
"Don't sit on that!" he scolded, marching over to her and pulling her up by the arm.
"Why not?" she asked lightly, not seeming bothered by him yanking her to the door.
"Because it's not a chair, it's the most dangerous weapon in the universe," he told her as he pushed her outside of the barn. Once she was out of the barn, he shut the door and placed the wooden bar into place, hoping to lock it to keep her outside, though he feared that it might not be a good enough lock to keep anyone out. He wondered if he should take some of the larger farming equipment in the barn and barricade the door.
"It's not, by the way," said the young woman's voice once again. Once more making him turn sharply to stare in shock at the young female. There she was, sitting on top of the box and staring at him steadily with her legs crossed.
"It's not what?" he questioned slowly, realizing there was something more to this girl than meets the eye. He frowned as he looked her up and down, trying to make her out.
"It's not the most dangerous weapon in the universe," she replied smoothly, standing up to walk away from the box. "That title goes to someone else."
"Then, I hope never to come across that person." He saw how she was not exactly keeping him away from the box, nor trying to stop him. Instead, it appeared as though she was merely observing him. So, he did not let her bother him. Fine, if she wanted to stay present for this, then she could. He would not stop her. He was too tired to care anymore.
The girl hummed, frowning now. "You won't get your wish with that." She stared at him curiously now, looking him up and down as if trying to analyze him. "Why did you park so far away? Didn't you want her to see it?"
"Want who to see?"
"The TARDIS," she whispered, staring at him more intently. "No, I suppose you didn't want her to see. You didn't want to break her heart by forcing her to watch all her Sisters die. You wanted to spare her of that. How kind of you." She did not say this cruelly nor with any sarcasm. More of just an out loud observation. "I wonder if that kindness will be enough for convincing the wolf."
He ignored her, walking over to the box. He noticed curiously how it no longer made any noise like it had earlier. Perhaps it was still working on powering up? Then, he heard it. The gears twisting inside and clicking. "It's activated," he said as he crouched to inspect it. "Get out of here."
"Is that more kindness? Trying to not make me a killer like you're about to be?" the young woman asked him carefully.
". . . I'm already a killer," the man answered gravely, sounding hoarse in his words in just how tired he felt of it all.
"No, you're a soldier. There's a difference," countered the woman easily as she walked around to stare down at him. "But doing this will make you a killer. Most certainly." She tilted her head, her hazel eyes looking down at him as though staring into his very soul. "Why don't you go back to what you were before?"
"What?" he responded, confused on what she was going on about.
"Being a Doctor?" she questioned curiously. Then, she seemed to think better of that. "No, no, no. Sorry, that's your name, isn't it? You call yourself 'The Doctor.' Suppose I should have known that. Alpha talked about you almost every night. Suppose I forgot."
"You know me?" he asked her carefully, squinting as he tried to get a better look at her. Was she someone he met before? He did not think so. He remembered almost every face he met, and he was certain he would remember one like hers.
"I hear you. All of you, jangling around in that dusty old head of yours. Though, I have been hearing a lot more since the day I died." She smiled, tilting her head again as she looked at him. "This face I've chosen is actually one from your past. No, wait, sorry, I meant your future. Most definitely your future. Sorry, I get those two mixed up sometimes. Still getting used to my new form and abilities."
"I don't have a future," the man said gruffly, gravely. Still making certain that he would never move on after this day. He stared at her, seeing how she gazed back at him in pity now. He wondered if she knew what he was planning after he used the box before him. The weapon, the Moment. "Who are you?"
"They must have told you the Moment had a conscience," the girl replied, smiling lightly now.
"You're the interface?" he blurted out in disbelief.
"No, but she's helping me have a form so you can see me. So I could exist outside of my new plain," responded the girl with a shrug. "I struck a deal with her. She helps me, and I help her. Win-win for us both."
"Then who are you?" he questioned carefully, finding this entire situation ridiculous now. He was beginning to think he was hallucinating the girl. Maybe he had already activated the Moment and was now dead?
"I'm Bad Wolf," she answered, sounding grim this time. As she looked at him, he saw the golden glow appear in her irises. "Are you afraid of the big bad wolf, Doctor?"
He did not let her words bother him. Nor the strange glow in her eyes. "Stop calling me 'Doctor.'"
"That's the name in your head," Bad Wolf stated easily.
"It shouldn't be." He looked away, staring distantly with deep sadness in his eyes. "I've been fighting this war for a long time. I've lost the right to be the Doctor."
Bad Wolf stared at him for a long moment, taking everything in before her. She then slowly smiled as though she saw something wonderful. "Then you're the one to save us all."
The scuffling came once more by the door of the barn. The man shifted his gaze up, seeing the door creak open again. Just like before. Like someone had been peeking in to watch him. He stood up, staring at the door warily. "Someone's been watching us."
"Yes, I suppose they have," Bad Wolf sighed, nodding gravely.
"Who is it? Do you know?" the man asked her, frowning as he wondered what sort of powers the Moment had. Then again, Bad Wolf said she was not the Moment. If she was not the interface, then who or what was she?
"Still just the wolf, trying to decide whether or not to trust you," Bad Wolf answered carefully, staring at him with earnest now. "It took me quite a lot to convince her to come this far. She promised she would not do anything rash today. But she is still wary on the rest. Though, I think you'll do the job on that part." She sucked in a breath, shrugging again. "Or you'll mess it all up and we will all die. It's all on you now."
"What are you talking about?" he asked, trying to see where she was going in her words. Soon, he decided against wanting to understand her. He was too tired of this. The more he stood here the greater the chances of things becoming worse for the universe in that way the war went on. He stepped towards her somberly, wishing now to convey his dire need and the urgency of the situation at hand. "If you have been inside my head, then you know what I have seen. The suffering. Every moment in time and space is burning. It must end. And I intend to end it the only way I can." She said nothing, merely holding his gaze evenly. "So, please, help me end it."
"Things are much more dire here than you can ever imagine," Bad Wolf whispered grimly, shaking her head as though he understood nothing. "The Time War is the least of our problems at the moment."
"Time and space burning up is the least of our problems?" he countered, mistrusting what she was saying to him. "Tell me, what is more important than stopping this war?" Again came the noise from the front of the barn. This time sounding as though the person standing just there was no longer retreating and scuttling away. This time, they merely shifted their stance in the sand outside the doorway, just waiting to enter now.
Bad Wolf glanced towards the creaking door before looking back at the man once again. "The Universe's Weapon is about to activate. She has declared the same as you. 'No more.' I've halted her activation for now. But she's still deciding on where she should go from here. She sees no point in the universe. So, you will be the one to show her there is another way. Just as I hope she will help you see the same with the Moment." She tilted her head, looking curious now as she gazed at him. "Though . . . I'm beginning to think it will take more than one of you."
A frown formed on his face as he looked at her. "'The Universe's Weapon'?"
Bad Wolf smiled humourlessly. "I did say there was another weapon greater than the Moment. The universe's most powerful weapon. And she's standing right outside that door, waiting to enter."
"No person could ever have that much power," the man said quietly. "And if they do, then I pity them."
"Pity? Why?" Bad Wolf tilted her head again, very curious by this statement.
"Because power like that can only bring madness. The weight of such power resting on their shoulders . . ." The man trailed off, not really wishing to finish that thought.
Bad Wolf's smile returned, seeming very pleased now. "Then, you understand the situation that we're in." Both looked to the door when hearing it creak open more. Still, no sign of a person on the other side. Bad Wolf looked back to the man, appearing grimmer now. "Doctor, or whatever you wish to call yourself, I'd like you to meet someone who needs your help. Who needs to see past the madness. Perhaps you don't consider yourself a Doctor anymore. But a Doctor is what we need. What the entire universe needs."
The man looked up when hearing the door opening more. This time, he saw a hand on the edge of the wooden door. A slim hand, with long narrow fingers and light tone skin. He could see the sleeve of raggedy robes on the arm that pushed the door open. Robes that looked as though they had once been the same red as what a Time Lord wore, but now appeared almost brown from years of wear and tear. There was a moment of hesitation from the person standing at the doorway. Still wary of entering. But, finally, they did, coming to stand just there at the entrance of the barn with the light of the harsh sunlight outside beaming around their body and making them look almost as though they were glowing. Bad Wolf looked at the man, seeing how he stared at newcomer just as cautious as they did towards him.
"Doctor, let me introduce you to the wolf," she said politely with a smile. "Best we get comfortable with one another. It's going to be a long day."
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Wanda sat on a hilltop on a chilly English day. She stared off towards the distant hills in the surrounding area, taking in the sights. The sound of the flag flapping in the wind behind her kept the reminder to her of the lush tent set up for the royal person she was accompanying. A large blanket and pillow get up with goblets of drinks, fruits, cheeses, and other such things were next to where she currently sat. The Wanderer shifted on the spot, tucking a strand of blonde hair back as the wind tried to blow it around her face. She should probably tie it back at some point. It was very windy on this hilltop. She wondered if it was always this windy in the year 1562. Could just be this hill, though.
She glanced over when hearing the galloping of horse's feet going across the grass. Coming up the hill was Ten and Queen Elizabeth I, riding on a white horse and laughing together. Wanda raised a brow at the two. She knew the Doctor was investigating the signs of Zygons present in this time period, but he seemed to be enjoying himself a little too much. Then again, at this point in time Ten was trying to avoid the consequences of his actions which would lead to his last regeneration. He was trying to do everything and anything that would delight him and take his mind off of what was to come very soon for him. It reminded her of Eleven, doing the very same thing in trying to avoid his seeming final death from Lake Silencio. It was always funny to her that, no matter which face, nothing changed when it came to the Doctor's way of avoiding things.
Wanda stood up, going over to the horse as they rode up to the hilltop. She smiled lightly at them, finding their laughter humourous. It was nice seeing the Doctor enjoy himself so much. Even if it was with a suspected alien invading Zygon. Though, the painting he had been sort of forced into with the Queen a while ago had not been on the top of his list of enjoyments. It had been very enjoyable for Wanda however, seeing how much he pouted and itched at the outfit Queen Elizabeth had practically ordered him to wear. The blonde snickered under her breath when recalling this as she came up to them on the horse.
"Enjoy the TARDIS, my Queen?" Wanda asked Elizabeth politely, holding out a hand to help the Queen down from the white horse.
"Oh, it was splendid!" Elizabeth laughed merrily once she hopped down, smiling at the blonde gracefully as she adjusted her golden dress from all the horse riding. The ginger Queen then smiled slyly at the Doctor as he hopped down from the horse. "That, and other things." The Doctor glanced at Wanda when seeing the blonde raise an interested brow at him. He cleared his throat nervously.
"Picnic time!" he declared in cheer, taking Elizabeth's hand and steering her over to the blankets and pillow get up. "I'm certain you're famished, your majesty." Wanda trailed behind, sitting down beside them while Elizabeth got cosy laying across the Doctor's lap. She hummed so merrily while the Time Lord fed her grapes from the fruit arrangement. Wanda knew how Elizabeth thought of Wanda as nothing more than a companion to the Doctor. It had been what the Time Lord had introduced Wanda as from the very beginning so that way he could make Elizabeth feel she could get friendlier with him. Something that the Time Lord insisted would help him get closer to discovering the Zygon's plans. If there were more Zygons around, he knew he did not wish to alert them that he realized the alien shapeshifters were around. So, of course—with the Doctor being who he was—the Queen was falling for him. Wanda suspected Elizabeth might have even gotten the Time Lord cornered for a good kiss when they had been in the TARDIS. It sort of reminded her of Reinette in a funny way. Though, instead of where Reinette had grown fond of seeing the Doctor and Wanda get closer together, it seemed as if Elizabeth was quite happy having the Time Lord all to herself and keeping Wanda around later as a servant to them both. Not that the Queen had been rude by it. It was just . . . well, she was royalty from the 1500s, after all. Getting things her way was the norm in this age. Well, one might argue it's the norm in any age when it came to those in royalty, but Wanda was not one to get into political debates.
"Tell me, Doctor, why I'm wasting my time on you," Elizabeth spoke up after a moment, smiling lightly at the Time Lord from where her head rested on his lap. "I have wars to plan."
"You have a picnic to eat," countered the Doctor offhandedly, grabbing a goblet and taking a sip of wine. He offered some to Wanda, but she shook her head to decline. He seemed to smile for a moment, thinking she was declining because of her pregnancy. Though, she had not said anything to mention being pregnant yet, so he assumed she either might not know or was still waiting for the right time to tell him. He did not want to ask her around present company. Had to focus on the Zygon first. His and his Wanderer's future would have to wait for now.
"You could help me," Elizabeth offered him playfully.
"Well, I'm helping you eat the picnic," said the Doctor, trying to redirect the conversation. He popped another grape into the woman's mouth, hoping to keep her from trying to get him into any sort of wars. He had enough of that in his past.
Elizabeth shifted after finishing the grape in her mouth, staring at him intently now. "But you have a stomach for war. This face has seen conflict. It's clear as day." She stroked the side of his face with a finger, gazing into his old eyes.
"Oh, I've seen conflict like you wouldn't believe. But it wasn't with this face." He said this somberly, staring away from her and off distantly over the hill. Regret swirling in his hearts as his mind began to shift through the memories of the Time War. Memories that have been surfacing quite often lately for him. Ever since leaving Mars . . . He yanked himself away from these thoughts, trying to simply focus on what he had been working on here in 1562. He saw the soft look from Wanda, knowing what he was feeling. He felt her gentle brush in his mind, trying to help him ease and feel better. She had been doing that since wandering back to him a month ago. And he appreciated it every time.
He smiled at her lovingly, wishing it was just them at the moment cuddled up in a picnic. Hell, it could be if he just hurry things up. Well . . . sure, why not? If he could just speed things up in getting that Zygon to reveal itself, then he could finally get some alone time with his Wanderer like he had been wanting to do for weeks now. But there was only one way to speed things up, however. Hmm . . . Probably was not the best idea he ever had, but what could go wrong, eh?
"But never mind that, You Majesty! Up on your feet. Up, up!" the Doctor exclaimed quite suddenly, moving away so quickly to stand that the Queen had almost fell back into the grass. Elizabeth turned to him in irritation, annoyed with him in not being more courteous towards her.
"How dare you? I'm the Queen of England," she all but scolded him.
"I'm not English," the Doctor said offhandedly to counter her annoyance, taking her hand to help her up. He then, very suddenly and out of nowhere, dropped down to his knee before her. "Elizabeth, will you marry me?" Wanda's eyebrows arched high as she stared at him, still holding the same position as before of her chin rested in the palm of her hand and elbow on her knee.
"Oh, my dear sweet love, of course I will," Elizabeth replied happily, looking as though she had been waiting for him to ask that question since the moment they had met.
"Ah! Gotcha!" the Doctor yelled triumphantly as he shot up back to his feet, stopping her before she had a chance to grab him for another kiss.
"My love?" Elizabeth responded in confusion, blinking he pointed a finger at her.
"One: the real Elizabeth would never have accepted my marriage proposal," he began to say confidently. "Two: the real Elizabeth would be smart enough to pick up on me and Wanda already being together, therefore, again, never accepting my proposal. And, coming in a big three: the real Elizabeth would notice when I just casually mention having a different face." He said all of this while having his hands in his pockets and moving a little to the side from her. He wanted to smirk at the dumbfounded look on the fake Queen's face. "But then, the real Elizabeth isn't a shape-shifting alien from outer space. And . . .," he pulled out a strange handheld device from his pocket that only made the fake Elizabeth even more confused, "ding." Just then, the ticking device with a spinning top went ding. Like that of a bell.
"What's that?" Elizabeth blurted out, appearing even more bewildered now.
"It's a machine that goes 'ding,'" the Doctor clarified. Though this did not help at all in explaining what it was. Especially to someone from the 1500s. "Made it myself. Lights up in the presence of shapeshifted DNA." He pulled out a very long, metal antenna from it, glancing at the device offhandedly. "Also, it can microwave frozen dinners from up to twenty feet, and download comics from the future. I never know when to stop."
"No, you really don't," came the voice from Wanda. The Doctor glanced over, seeing her standing now beside the picnic blanket with her arms crossed tightly. She looked as calm as before, but something about the tone in her voice sounded to him as though she might not be pleased at the moment.
"My love, I do not understand," Elizabeth said, earning the Time Lord's attention once more. He saw how she tried smiling lightly as though hoping he was jesting her.
"I'm not your love, and yes, you do. You're a Zygon," he retorted gruffly, smirking as he knew he had caught the Zygon. He had it right where he wanted it now.
"A Zygon?" Elizabeth questioned, still as confused as ever.
"A shape-shifting creature, Your Majesty," Wanda offered kindly, nodding her head in respect to the Queen. "It's what he's after."
"But I am not such creature!" exclaimed Elizabeth.
"Oh, stop it, it's over," scoffed the Doctor, rolling his eyes at the woman. He pushed back down the antenna, placing the device back into his pocket. "A Zygon, yes. Big red rubbery thing, covered in suckers. Somewhat of a good kisser." He glanced to Wanda, now looking in apology at his fiancée. "Sorry, she caught me off guard in the TARDIS." He then diverted his gaze back to what he knew was the fake Elizabeth. "Do you think the real Queen of England would just decide to share her throne with any old handsome bloke in a tight suit, just 'cause he's got amazing hair and a nice horse . . ." He stopped when Wanda cleared her throat carefully.
"Oh, Spaceman," she said lightly, pointing a finger off over his shoulder. He turned, seeing the Zygon standing where the horse had been, gurgling in its roar at them. The Doctor slowly looked back at his Wanderer, seeing stern gaze. "Wrong one."
"Oh," he uttered, "it was the horse." His eyes slowly widened in alarm. "I—I—I just messed up royally, didn't I?"
"Mmm, I'll say," Wanda sighed, shaking her head in exasperation. "So much of the Virgin Queen." She grabbed Elizabeth's hand, yanking the woman into a run. The Queen let out a yelp, trying to keep up with the blonde woman beside her. The Doctor came up in the rear, holding a hand to the ginger woman's back to push her into a faster gate.
"What's happening?!" shouted Elizabeth.
"Zygon, shapeshifter, big suckers, angry alien from outer space, very much wants to kill us. Any questions?" Wanda said rambling, leading them into a broken up brick building down the hill as they heard the Zygon coming after them in rage.
"Yes, what does all that mean?" responded Elizabeth.
"It means we're going to need a new horse!" shouted the Doctor over the roar of the Zygon. They ducked behind the arched walls from whatever was left over by the building which had once stood there. The Doctor and the Queen went to one side, and Wanda to the other. Each of them pressed their backs into the moss-covered bricks, holding their breaths in fear of the Zygon finding them. The shapeshifter seemed to have other ideas about where to go, however, as it verged off and went into the woods instead. Wanda raised a brow at this, finding the action very suspicious. She heard the Doctor convincing Elizabeth to run the other way to safety. Though not before the Queen gave the Time Lord a very hard kiss, still declaring them to be married soon. The ginger then took off, holding the skirts of her dress as she ducked into the woods.
The Doctor turned, seeing Wanda going around the other side of the ruined building towards where the Zygon was last seen heading. He sighed, rubbing a hand through his hair before following after his Wanderer. This was not how he imagined that going. Not in a million years. Brilliant. Just bloody brilliant. Well, it was not as though he would ever actually marry Elizabeth. Blah! Just thinking about it gave him the shivers. And Wanda knew he was just doing that for finding the Zygon . . . Right? It did not look as though she had been angry about it. Rather, she had been . . . very calm. Maybe . . . a little too calm. Which was never a good thing, now that he thought about it.
The device that he had pulled out while running through the woods went ding. He stopped, slowly on the spot while he searched for the source. There sat a large, fluffy, brown rabbit on a stump. It chewed a bit on some leaves as it sat there very contently. He glared at it, walking aggressively towards the creature.
"Oh, very clever," he said gruffly at the seemingly innocent creature. The rabbit stopped munching, sniffing its nose at him as he got closer to it. But it seemed to not care much of him as it went right back to munching on a patch of growing moss on the stump. The Doctor glared down at the creature. "Whatever you got planned, forget it. I'm the Doctor. I'm nine hundred-four years old. I'm from the planet Gallifrey in the constellation of Kasterborous. I am the Oncoming Storm, the Bringer of Darkness, and—."
"The Universe's Biggest Idiot," came the voice of Wanda. The Doctor blinked as she walked over some fallen branches and came over to him. She placed her hands on her hips, raising a brow at him. "The fact that you got it wrong twice in a row is astounding."
The Time Lord blinked again, looking back down at the rabbit. A red tint slowly formed on his face. "Oh . . . that's—that's just a rabbit, isn't it?" He tugged on his earlobe in embarrassment, frowning down at the device in hand. "Maybe I should have calibrated this with a little less side features." He gave it a few whacks in frustration.
"Hmm. Probably."
He glanced up, seeing how Wanda still stared at him calmly. But her voice and the way she had her hands on her hips said otherwise. His expression grew sheepish as he swallowed nervously. "Yeah . . . I'm in big trouble, aren't I?"
"Oh, you think?" Wanda retorted, narrowing her eyes at him. "You proposed to Queen Elizabeth I."
"Yeah . . . I just thought—."
"You proposed to Queen Elizabeth I in 1562."
"Yes, but I—."
"You proposed, to marriage, to the bloody Queen of England, and not once did you think to consult me about it?!" Wanda stomped her foot crossly. Her left eye twitching like mad and her face heating up as she glared at him.
The Doctor rubbed a hand on the back of his head, feeling flustered now. "Well, I mean . . . It was just sort of an idea that popped into my head. Seemed good at the time. In hindsight, should have thought that a bit through."
"You think?!" Wanda threw her hands up into the air in aggravation. "Ugh! I can't believe you!" She stomped around him, going deeper in the woods.
Quickly, the Doctor got up to her, looking very guilty now. "It doesn't mean that I'm actually going to marry her. You know that. I'm sorry I made you upset in proposing to someone else."
Wanda scoffed, shaking her head as she rolled her eyes. "I'm not upset with you proposing to another woman. I'm cross with you because you didn't tell me what you had planned first."
"If I had that planned . . . would you have gone along with it?"
"Well, of course. I go along with any of your plans. But with as big of a leap as that, you should have consulted me on that first. I could have looked into a possibility for us and found out where the Zygon actually was, for one thing. Would have saved us a load of trouble."
"Ah . . . yeah, that would have been the better plan, wouldn't it? Could you do that now for me? Would save me a lot of trouble in—." He saw the sharp glance from Wanda, making him shut his mouth with a snap. He then smiled weakly. "Ah . . . Just think, this will be a funny story to tell the kids someday, eh?"
"Don't push your luck, Doctor. I still feel like punching someone, and it might be you." They stopped when they heard the scream from Elizabeth echoing in the woods. An exasperated sigh came from Wanda. "Great. Now we have to go save the Queen of England. Again. How many Queens is that now?"
"Oh, I lost count," the Doctor sighed along with her as they sped up in pace and ran towards the sound. They ran through the woods, ducking under the many low-hanging branches from the moss-covered trees and jumping over laying logs and rocks. Eventually, they came into a clearing where Elizabeth could be seen slowly sitting up from the ground. She turned to them with wide eyes.
"That thing, explain what it is," she ordered them, wanting to know everything that she must to protect herself and her people. "What does it want of us?"
"That's what Wanda and I are trying to find out," the Doctor explained casually, as he and Wanda helped the woman to her feet. "Probably just your planet."
"Doctor!" came the cry from the woods. They all looked to see another Elizabeth stomp through the woods towards them rather crossly.
"Oh, dear," Wanda sighed, feeling even more exasperated than ever.
"Hmm?" the Doctor responded. Wanda shot him a look.
"Not you," she scoffed, hitting him in the arm lightly.
"Step away from her, Doctor. That's not me. That's the creature," the new Elizabeth told them confidently.
"How is that possible? She's me!" gasped the other Elizabeth in shock, appearing astonished by what she was seeing. "Doctor, she's me!"
"I am indeed 'me,'" stated the new Elizabeth boldly. "A compliment that cannot be extended to yourself." The Doctor extended the antenna on his device, waving it around the two women. The thing merely whirled, just as bewildered as he felt of what to do about the situation. Well, it was no help. He gave it a few whacks to vent his frustration. All the while the two Elizabeth's circled one another, throwing retorts at each other.
"We're really in a pickle this time around, Doctor," Wanda told the Time Lord casually, shaking her head in bemusement as she watched the two Queens having tense remarks at each other. The two time travellers looked up when they heard a noise coming from the air. Each looked up to see a swirling vortex, like an upside-down tornado, suddenly appear out of thin air, twisting and churning in the air almost at eye level but just a hair above their heads. Wanda blinked for a moment before slowly growing a bright smile. "Oh, it's this day, is it? Eccellente!"
"Back! All of you, now!" shouted the Doctor as he waved each female to be back behind him. But of course, while the Elizabeths retreated in fear at the sight, Wanda just walked right alongside her Time Lord towards the swirling vortex. The Doctor glanced at her when seeing her right there at the ready by him. "One day you'll actually listen to me when I tell you to stay back."
"Never gonna happen," Wanda replied cheekily, grinning at him playfully. He smiled brightly return for a moment before growing serious once more. They then looked at the vortex once more. "And here I bet you thought this day couldn't get any crazier."
"That's a time fissure. What's it doing here?" the Doctor wondered aloud, staring at the sight warily. "With a tear in the fabric of reality, anything could happen." A noise came from the vortex and out popped a red fez right at their feet. Blinking, the Time Lord could only stare at the hat. He then jumped when Wanda let out a large gasp.
"Fez!" she cried, laughing as she ran to the fez and scooped it up. She giggled joyfully as she placed it on her head and began to jump up and down in excitement. Stopping suddenly, an almost dead serious expression was given to the Doctor as she turned to him. She then rushed over to him. "Quick, give me your head."
"What?" he stuttered, blinking rapidly as she made him duck a bit so she could place the fez on his head. She beamed, clapping her hands together as she bounced on her feet.
"I knew it! You'll always look good in a fez!" she exclaimed, throwing her arms around him as she gave him a big smacking kiss.
"I thought it was Stetsons you liked on me?" the Doctor asked in bemusement, but grinned at her as he was simply happy in sharing a kiss with his Wanderer.
"I like a lot of things on you," she whispered huskily, winking slyly at him. They stiffened when hearing a loud, happy shout come from the vortex. Next thing they knew, out popped a man with floppy hair and a large chin. He landed face first, flat on the ground. The new arrival then let out a grunt as he lifted himself back onto his feet. He stood up, blinking as though adjusting his eyesight for a moment before grinning right at Wanda.
"Hello, beautiful," he replied smoothly.
"Hello, handsome," Wanda responded just as smoothly. Each grinned at one another. The Doctor pouted, glancing between the two.
"Who is this man?" they heard an Elizabeth ask from behind them.
"That's just what I was wondering," muttered the Doctor as he and the man stepped towards each other. Wanda began to snicker as Ten and Eleven stepped right up to one another, obviously about to do a Doctor inspection of each other's faces.
"Oh, that is skinny. That is proper skinny," Eleven muttered as he looked his past self up and down. "Wanda was never kidding with the skinniness. I could cut paper! I've never seen it from the outside. It's like a special effect." He looked at his own body as if to do a comparison. Ten's heavy frown seemed to deepen as he took in the future man before him.
"Yeah, well . . . Wanda was never kidding about that obnoxious chin of yours," Ten retorted. Hurriedly, both he and his future face got out their sonic screwdrivers, ready to do another comparison. Each held them in hand, making the devices pulse. Eleven flicked his out, extending it to its full size. Ten frowned for a moment, sliding his up all the way. Though his future self's was still bigger by a long shot. "Compensating?" he remarked sarcastically.
"For what?" Eleven asked in return, unsure of where he was going with this.
"Regeneration. It's a lottery," Ten responded slickly, trying not to show his smirk.
"Trust me, he doesn't need to compensate for anything," Wanda spoke up smoothly, giving a very sly and cheeky grin to her future husband. Eleven winked in return.
"Oi! No flirting with future faces. Not in front of me, at least," Ten said, pouting at his Wanderer. Wanda merely snickered, covering her mouth to try and hold in bursts of laughter. Only the Doctor would get jealous of himself. Ten turned back to Eleven, frowning at him. "What are you doing here? I'm busy."
"Oh, busy? I see," retorted Eleven as he looked over Ten's shoulders towards the two Elizabeths. "Is that what we're calling it, eh? Eh? Oh, he's cool. Isn't he cool? 'I'm the Doctor and I'm all cool. Oops, I'm wearing sandshoes.'" Eleven knocked the fez off of Ten's head, placing it on himself instead as he waggled his fingers at the Elizabeths. "Hello, ladies."
"Don't start," grumbled Ten at his future self.
"You started it, if I remember right," retorted Eleven as he waved a finger at Ten. "You didn't even consult Wanda, our wife, on that stupid marriage plan!"
"Thank you!" Wanda exclaimed, throwing her hands up in appreciation. "At least one husband gets it!"
"Wife?! Husband?!" Elizabeth exclaimed crossly, finally seeming to snap herself out of the daze she had been in about the situation and glared in outrage at Ten.
"You're already married?! To the childish blonde?!" said the other Elizabeth, looking just as furious. Both appeared ready to order Ten executed.
"Oi, don't call her childish!" both Doctors said together, throwing similar cross looks at the two Elizabeths. The three time travellers turned their full attention now on the vortex which still swirled in the air. The two Doctors frowned as they pondered on what to do about it while Wanda tilted her head, trying to remember if there was something she was supposed to do at this moment. The two Doctors placed their glasses on, only to grin briefly at each other when noticing the other wearing spectacles.
"Your Majesties? Probably a good time to run," Eleven suggested once he took his glasses off and placed them back into his inner pocket, looking back to the two Elizabeths still behind them.
"But what about the creature?" they both asked together in perfect sync. Ten took off his own glasses and placed them away.
"Elizabeth, whichever one of you is the real one, turn and run in the opposite direction of the other one," he instructed them, pointing in two different ways for them to go.
"Of course, my love," the two said. The first Elizabeth stepped forward, still looking cross, but seeming to let the whole secret marriage thing slide for now.
"Stay alive, my love. I am not done with you yet," she said before pulling him down for a hard kiss. Once done, she took off to their left. Next one came up, appearing to look just in the same state of angry yet letting the matter slide at the moment.
"I understand. Live for me, my darling. We shall be together again," said the ginger woman. She repeated the actions as her counterpart before heading off to the right. Ten looked flustered while Eleven rolled his eyes.
"One of those was a Zygon, and the other the Queen of England from 1562," Eleven muttered to his past self. "And you let them kiss you in front of our wife?"
"You let a companion kiss you in front of her if I recall correctly," Ten threw back at him in irritation as he wiped at his mouth in disgust.
"I tried fighting her off!" Eleven tried defending himself, appeared embarrassed now.
"With your mouth?" scoffed Ten. Wanda sighed as the two went right back at it in comparing 'sonic' sizes. Not literally, of course. But it felt like a big show they were putting on in front of her. Wanda tilted her head again as she pondered over the day as she stared at the vortex swirling overhead. Still trying to remember how the day went. It was all vague memories because of the paradoxes, but . . . No, wait! Now she remembered! Wanda smiled, bouncing up closer to the time fissure.
"Oi, girlie! Get your butt through the time fissure already!" she shouted into the vortex brightly.
"Who, me?" she heard a distorted Clara asked in surprise. "Wait, is that . . .?"
"No, not you, Clara. The other girlie next to you," Wanda replied, waving a hand as if pointing in the Under Gallery (a place made underground in the National Gallery for keeping art too dangerous) where she knew the people on the other side were standing. This being Clara, Kate Lethbridge-Stewart, and—
"Oi! Who you calling girlie, . . . girlie!" came a sassy retort from the other person in the gallery.
Wanda rolled her eyes. "Oh, just get here already. You know you don't want to miss this." It was only at the moment she heard someone yelling coming in through the portal that she realized she should probably move. Unfortunately, she came to this thought too late as the person came flying through and knocked her back. Both females fell to the ground in a grunt, groaning in pain as their heads had knocked together.
"Could you have moved at least?" grumbled the older-looking woman as she moved away from the blonde underneath her.
The woman sat back on the ground, rubbing a hand through short raven hair as grey eyes looked the shorter woman up and down carefully, taking in everything about her. The blonde rubbed her own head, taking in the raven-haired woman as well, seeing the long, sage military coat, tan cargo pants, and black combat boots. As well as the round face and rather curvy body. Both slowly stood up, giving the other interested looks as they started to circle one another. It was strange that, in all the years of either one travelling, neither Second nor Third Wanda had ever run into another version of themselves until now. The two Doctors standing a bit away from the two glanced at each other warily. Each fearing on what would happen next.
"So . . . you're rather on the short side," Second Wanda finally decided to address, stopping with her arms crossed as she stared steadily as possible at her counterpart. "Did someone leave you in the dryer too long?"
"Don't know, has someone ever thought to give you a slap for being so naïve?" Third Wanda said just as sarcastically as her other self. "Been about as dumb in your brashness as ever, too, I bet." The blonde smirked coyly while the raven-haired narrowed her eyes.
"At least I'm tall enough so I can be brash. As skinny and tiny as you, I bet you'd just blow away in the wind if you tried any plan of action," sassed Second Wanda.
"At least I'm not as oblivious to romance and flirting as you are," Third Wanda countered easily.
Second Wanda waved a finger at the other crossly. "Well, you're just . . . short!"
Third Wanda and the other blinked for a moment, before finally the blonde burst out into giggles. "Really? Is my height the biggest thing you can pick on? You're really stuck on our height difference."
Second Wanda waved a hand about, looking disappointed at herself. "Oh, come on, I don't have much material to work with here! Besides, I mean . . . just look at you! Why are you so short?!" The raven-haired woman smiled, laughing along with her future self. They then met together for a large hug, with Second Wanda picking her shorter counterpart up, spinning Third Wanda around as both laughed. Once Second Wanda sat her down, the two looked each other up more merrily. "I love it, though. Especially the hair. Sucks we didn't come out ginger, but at least it's a nice colour."
"Aww, but yours is nice, too! I always loved the raven hair!" Third Wanda said happily, bouncing up and down on her feet as the two held hands.
"Aww, you're too sweet. No wonder you look so young and cute." Second Wanda pinched Third's cheeks, making the blonde giggle in delight.
The two Doctors watched this whole scene play out with a roller coaster of emotions. At first, they had been standing there stiffly, tense to see how the two Wandas would react in meeting each other. Things could always go wrong when it came to crossing one's own time stream. Then when the two had started to lay into each other, each Doctor feared for the worst, glancing at each other in wondering if they should hurriedly go break up whatever fight the two females were about to have. But then seeing the two Wandas suddenly laughing and chatting away like old friends catching up, it just confused the two Time Lords. Stunned them, really.
"Wanda?" Ten carefully asked.
"Yes?" the two females responded, looking curiously as one at the two Time Lords.
"Are you both . . . okay?" Eleven questioned, looking more interested in the situation of the two than wary like his past self.
"Of course!" Third Wanda replied merrily, beaming brightly as she bounced on the balls of her feet.
"Why wouldn't we be?" Second Wanda responded, crossing her arms and raising a brow at the Time Lords.
"I mean . . . ," Eleven mumbled.
"It was just . . ." Ten muttered, indicating between the two.
"What? Our back and forth?" replied Second Wanda with a smirk.
"We promised ourselves when we first travelled with you that if we ever ran into each other—," Third Wanda began to explain.
"—that we'd tease each other to pieces for all our flaws and fun things to poke at," Second Wanda continued.
"But not First Wanda," said Third Wanda.
"Oh, never First Wanda," agreed Second Wanda. "Too innocent and sweet for that. We'd just let her tease us as much as she wanted."
"Let her have her fun in it."
"You think just because we're meeting like you—."
"—that we'd be just as 'my sonic is bigger than your sonic' as you two are?" Third Wanda finished for her other self.
"Did they do that already?" asked Second Wanda her future self curiously.
"Oh, yes. They did the whole spiel," said Third Wanda with a shrug. "You know how these two are. Speaking of, remember Queen Elizabeth I?"
"Yeah?"
"Guess who proposed to her." Third Wanda waved a hand towards Ten, who began to look sheepish once again.
Second Wanda frowned curiously. "So?"
"And didn't consult me on it before doing so."
Second Wanda gasped, eyes going wide in disbelief. "What?! No!"
In sync, the two Wandas turned with stern gazes at Ten. With Second Wanda having her arms crossed tightly and Third Wanda having her hands on her hips. Ten gulped and Eleven edged away from his other self as if to avoid the heated gazes. All turned their gazes back to the time fissure behind them when the vortex began to make noises. The Doctors and Wandas lined up in a row. Each future and past selves standing beside one another as they took in the sight of the fissure.
"So . . . what now?" Second Wanda asked her other self. "Any ideas? 'Cause it's all fuzzy from here for me."
"Yeah, I looked into the possibilities, too," Third Wanda replied with a nod. "Nothing to go on. Looks like we're going in as blind as the Doctors."
"Well, that's lovely," Second Wanda said sarcastically, rolling her eyes.
"But before we do anything else," Third Wanda spoke up, walking over to Eleven and taking the fez from his head, "we need to let them know we're here and ready for them." She threw the fez in the vortex, watching as it disappeared in a flash. She brushed her hands together, going back over to join the group. "There. Shouldn't be long now."
"Who are you signalling?" Ten asked her curiously.
"Was it Clara?" Eleven wondered aloud.
"Nope, someone else," Third Wanda explained smoothly as she looked at the vortex.
"You'll see soon enough. Trust us," Second Wanda stated, giving the Time Lords a side glance.
"So where did it go?" Ten asked as he and Eleven stared back at the vortex in wonderment. He glanced at the Wandas before looking to Eleven. Since he heard the Wandas saying they were only getting fuzzy possibilities, the only one now to give any hints of what was to come would be his future face. "Okay. You used to be me. You've done all this before. What happens next?"
"I don't remember," Eleven told him with a shake of his head.
"It's the paradoxes at work, remember?" Second Wanda told Ten, nodding lightly at him. "Time Lord safety measures in our minds. Neither one of us is going to remember a thing the moment we ran into our future selves." She smirked, punching him playfully in the arm. "I'm surprised you have forgotten about that."
"It's been a while since I've run into other faces. Give me a break," mumbled Ten, practically grumbling as he frowned at the time fissure.
"And you're obviously not paying enough attention. Reverse the polarity," Eleven threw in a scold to his younger self, pulling out his sonic screwdriver and aimed it at the time fissure. Ten did the same, making his sonic buzz as it sent pulses at the vortex. After a moment of nothing changing, Eleven leaned towards Ten. "It's not working."
Ten let go of the button on his sonic, frowning as he realized what they were doing. "We're both reversing the polarity."
Eleven also frowned as he looked to his other self. "Yes, I know that."
"There's two us. I'm reversing it, and you're reversing it back again. We're confusing the polarity."
Beside the Time Lords, the two Wandas snorted and snickered. Each one finding it so great and amusing to have two Doctors being around one another. Each of them secretly wished it would happen more often. Moments like these were just too good to pass up on. Suddenly the vortex made a swooshing sound and out came a newcomer. Unlike others who had jumped through the time fissure, this man landed with ease on his feet. An older man, with short white hair, white facial hair around his upper lip and chin, and grey eyes that looked so weary and tired. He wore a worn, leather brown coat, rust-red, short scarf around his neck, a dark-coloured vest with golden buttons lining down the front, brown trousers, and brown boots. In the man's hands was the fez which Third Wanda had thrown into the time fissure.
"Anyone lose a fez?" the man asked politely, though with a bit of curiosity in his tone as well. The two Doctors stared at the man in complete awe and disbelief. Their jaws slack and eyes wide, trying to piece together why a man each of them had tried to forget over the years was suddenly there. Anger was slow to build within their eyes. But it was there and growing. Anger towards a man that, to them, had nothing to do what they stood for as the Doctor. Meanwhile, the two Wandas held much different gazes. Second Wanda looked happy to finally be meeting a Doctor whom she had only ever seen from the television show once. Third Wanda smiled tenderly, happy to finally meet another face of her husband and to love him just as much as she loved all other Doctors. Each of them also happy to know what this day would bring for their Doctors.
"You," Ten breathed as he gazed at the man before them. His tone then changed as he teeth all but gritted together. "How can you be here? Why, to the point, why are you here?"
"Good afternoon. I'm looking for the Doctor," the man said politely once more. Ten and Eleven glanced at each other with raised brows before looking back at the man once more.
"Well, you've certainly come to the right place," muttered Ten.
"Good. Right. Well, then, who are you boys?" asked the man curiously. He then looked to the two Wandas standing to the right to the Doctors. "Ah. Two of you, then? I see. So that means you boys are the companions, correct?" Both Wandas raised their brows high in shock before each burst out into laughter. Third Wanda leaned against her younger self, holding her stomach in the fit of giggles while Second Wanda shook her head and chuckled uncontrollably.
"Companions?!" Eleven and Ten both exclaimed, equally offended by this.
"Oi, nothing wrong with being companions, Spaceman," Second Wanda suddenly sassed, crossing her arms at them. "I'm a companion, you know. And proud of it."
"You're the companions?" the man questioned in surprise. He then looked at the two Doctors. "Really? You're me?"
"We're his wife, actually," Third Wanda said once she was able to get control over her giggles. Though she did keep snickering, rubbing away tears of laughter from her eyes. "But, yes, these are your future faces. Ten and Eleven." She waved a hand to the Doctors as she introduced them.
"His what?!" Second Wanda exclaimed, eyes wide and staring in utter shock. "We're his what?!"
"Wanda, dear, that's spoilers," Eleven said carefully, looking flustered as Second Wanda stared back at him as though she were about to faint.
"It's not like she's going to remember any of this," Third Wanda said with a shrug. "This is the one day I can give away all the spoilers I want. Let me have this." The Doctor, or the man who did not wish to be called such a name anymore, furrowed his brows at the four of them. Unsure of what to think of what was coming for him in this so-called future. He then turned when hearing footsteps slowly coming towards them.
"I thought you said you weren't coming through the time fissure?" the man asked the newcomer curiously. "Did you change your mind after all?"
The two Doctors and Wandas looked to see who the man was talking to. Each of them had their own reaction when seeing the slow-moving person coming towards the clearing in the woods. Eleven was stunned, feeling a mixture of emotions. Ten looked ready for a fight, tightening his hand on his sonic with cautious eyes locked onto the newcomer. Second Wanda appeared even more confused now than the earlier reveal of her future marriage. Third Wanda smiled, giving the new arrival a kind gaze as if to let them know that everything would be okay.
Finally, the person stopped beside the Doctor from the Time War, and the white glowing eyes of the Alpha Wolf glared sinisterly at them all.
XxXxXxXx
Well? Was it good? I hope that it was worth such a long wait for the 50th anniversary adventure. I cannot wait to see what you all thought of it. :)
Also, I promise to reply to all reviews from this chapter and the last one in the next update. Until we meet again!
~Tinker~