The Two Doctors and Hatters
Country road
"Tell me," Shockeye began, his arm still interlocked with the Second Doctor as they made their way down the gravel road, "On this planet, do they ever eat their own?"
The Second Doctor looked thoughtful for a moment, "I believe in the Far Indies it has been known," he nodded before his eyes lit up eagerly, "But I remember a dish…shepherd's pie".
"'Shepherd's pie?'" he repeated greedily, growing excited as he looked across to him, "A shepherd?" he licked his lips, "Can't we walk quicker?"
They hurried their pace, turning a corner and disappearing as the Sixth Doctor, Fifth Hatter, Second Hatter, Jamie, and Peri ran down the road behind them, struggling to close the large gap, the harsh sun slowing the humans down.
Further down the road, Shockeye and the Second Doctor turned a corner to find a tarmac road just ahead, converging with their gravel road, surrounded by very tall trees, completely oblivious to the fact that they were being followed.
"Wait!" the Second Doctor called urgently, forcing Shockeye to stop, looking over towards the newer road, just as a small truck rounded a bend, and headed along the road towards them. He smiled slightly as an idea sparked, "There's a machine coming!"
He run up a small slope towards the side of the road, using one hand to keep his top hat on. He had the strangest feeling that the hat held a special meaning to him somehow…oh, of course, the Hatter. For a brief moment he felt a twang of concern for the blonde Time Lady, wondering what had happened to her, but any such thoughts soon vanished as he reached the edge of the road, holding his hands up and waving them around, trying to get the truck driver's attention.
The truck slowed down and the driver pulled over on the side of the road, making him grin broadly at himself, feeling quite smug that he had thought of such a thing. He removed his hat in greeting as the driver opened the door, standing on the edge of the truck's cabin to look over the door to the Doctor, asking something Spanish.
Shockeye suddenly snuck up behind the driver and hit the man in his back with a heavy tree branch, watching with a sickening smile as the driver cried out in pain and surprise, jolting backwards as he fell out of the truck's cabin and rolled down the small slope by the road, coming to a stop with his face pressed into the dirt.
He turned to the Second Doctor, excitedly grabbing his shoulder, "Can you drive this machine?" he asked quickly.
"Of course I can!" the Second Doctor replied, still smiling broadly, completely unfazed by what he had just witnessed Shockeye do to the driver, "Get in, my friend," he lightly pushed him around towards the other side of the truck, moving to climb into the driver's seat, throwing his hat into the cabin in the process, "We shall be in Seville in five minutes!" he announced, slamming his door shut as Shockeye climbed into the other side.
The Sixth Doctor, the Hatter's, Jamie, and Peri arrived just in time to see the truck driving off down the road, stopping short when they came across the driver lying by the side of the road. The Fifth Hatter hurried forward, kneeling beside the man, checking his pulse as the Second Hatter looked down at him worriedly.
The Fifth Hatter swallowed, looking back up to them, "He's dead," she said grimly, standing as the Second Hatter closed her eyes sadly. She looked back down to the man, "I would say blunt force trauma to his back, which would certainly have been enough to kill him with an Androgums strength".
Jamie paled, "I can't believe that was my Doctor just…just standing there, letting a man get killed!" he exclaimed, horrified as he pointed down to the man.
"He's not himself at the moment, though, Jamie," the Second Hatter tried to calm him, struggling to hold back her own horror at the thought. She could never imagine her Doctor, or really any of his past or future regenerations just letting an innocent person die without trying to help them.
"She's right," the Sixth Doctor nodded to the Second Hatter, looking grim, "I'm afraid he's eighty percent Adrogum," he sighed heavily, shaking his head, "By the time the effect reaches me it will be close to a hundred percent"
Peri's head snapped around to look at him, her eyes widening, "Reaches you?" she said panicky, glancing at the Fifth Hatter, who could only grimace at the thought.
"And it will, unless we can save him," he reached up to touch his forehead, frowning deeply as both Hatter's looked at him, very concerned, "I'm already beginning to feel…changes," he admitted, giving himself a shake.
"Eh?" Jamie blinked at him, growing alarmed, "Well, come on, then!"
"Jamie's right," the Fifth Hatter agreed, eyeing the Sixth Doctor closely, taking his hand, "We need to fix this, and quickly".
And with that, she took off after the truck, pulling the Sixth Doctor along with her as the others followed. Peri sighed heavily, already feeling exhausted from the heat and running, but Jamie urged her forward, just as the truck rounded a corner, the five of them in pursuit.
….Seville square….…..….
After a twenty minute jog, the five of them finally reached the city and set to work trying to locate the Second Doctor and Shockeye, having lost the truck that they had stolen long before reaching the city. Church bells rang in the distance as the five of them walked around a large fountain in the middle of the town square outside what appeared to be a very large stone cathedral, looking around as they went for any sign of the two, knowing that they shouldn't be too hard to spot with how they were dressed.
They paused by the fountain as Jamie sighed tiredly, "Ah, look, we'll never find 'em here," he remarked, looking around.
"It's too big," Peri agreed tiredly.
The Sixth Doctor ignored them both, scanning the area, "Look!" he suddenly called, pointing.
They followed his gaze across the square to see the truck that Shockeye and the Second Doctor had stolen parked across the road. They hurried over to it and began examining it closely, trying to find any clue to where they might have disappeared to.
The Fifth Hatter placed a hand on the bonnet, feeling it still warm to the touch, "It's still very warm," she commented, looking back to the others, before turning her attention back to the street around them, frowning, "They can't be too far ahead of us, only a few minutes, at the most".
The Doctor nodded, taking the Fifth Hatter's hand, "This way, I think," he started to lead them off down a street.
Peri gave him a confused look, "How do you know?" she asked, curious.
They paused, looking back to her as he rolled his eyes slightly, "Peri, this is me we're following," he reminded her, sounding mildly exasperated.
"Just go with it, Peri," the Fifth Hatter smiled at her, casting the Second Hatter a quick look, "Believe me, we know better than anyone just what our past selves are most likely to get up to".
"Hey!" the Second Hatter exclaimed, narrowing her eyes at her future self, looking offended, "I resent that!"
She sighed heavily, rolling her eyes, "Write a formal complaint and send it to me, you're very good at doing that, as I recall".
"Well, maybe I will!"
"Good! Looking forward to it!"
The Sixth Doctor ran a hand down his face, shaking his head at them, "If you are quite finished?" he cut in, raising his voice slightly, looking between them both. Goodness, was this what it was like when his Third and Second regenerations were in the same room together?
Both women huffed, looking annoyed, but they reluctantly nodded as they set off down the street, walking past small houses and shops, keeping their eyes out as they went for any sign of the Second Doctor and Shockeye.
"I still don't understand it," Jamie said after a while, looking very troubled.
"What?" the Sixth Doctor glanced over his shoulder to him.
"Well, you and the Doctor…" he continued, and the Time Lords paused, giving him their full attention, "Well, my Doctor are the same person…" he glanced at the two Hatter's, looking between them, "And so are you two".
"Of course we're the same people," the Fifth Hatter nodded, pausing as she thought about it, "Just…we're slightly different," she shrugged, glancing at her Second regenerations, "Each regeneration tends to bring out different personality traits in stronger and lesser lights, for instance, my Third regeneration was very sarcastic while my First regeneration was could be very naïve, and my Second…" the Second Hatter grinned excitedly, holding up a hand, "…was very childlike. Do you see what I mean?" she raised an eyebrow at Jamie and Peri, "We stay the same, really, it's just that certain traits might become a bit more prominent".
"And you only need to see how my sartorial taste has improved, for instance," the Sixth Doctor added, sounding smug as he waved a hand down his front.
The two Hatter's exchanged a quick look, quickly looking away from each other before they burst out laughing. The Second Hatter had only seen this version of the Doctor for a short period of time and even she had to admit that his taste in clothing was nothing like she had ever seen before.
Peri frowned, still seeming confused, "But how can two of you be together at the same point of space and time?" she asked, looking back and forth between the three Time Lords.
The Sixth Doctor shrugged slightly, exchanging a look with the Hatter's, "When you travel around as much as we do, it's almost inevitable that you'll run into yourself at some point," he replied, "Come on".
And with that, he turned and headed off down the street, forcing the others to follow.
….…Meanwhile, somewhere else in the city…..…..…
The Second Doctor and Shockeye strolled down a street, arms still interlocked as they went, hardly seeming to be bothered by the heat of the day, even in their heavy coats and top hats as they reached a plaza with a large fountain tricklingly away in the middle of the plaza.
"Personally, I have never seen the necessity for starting a meal with a…" Shockeye paused, glancing across to the Doctor beside him, "What was your word?"
"Hors d'oeuvres," the Second Doctor answered.
"Quite unnecessary, in my opinion," he nodded, walking over to the fountain, taking a seat on the edge of it beside the Second Doctor, "Eight, or nine, main dishes are quite enough in my opinion," he reached behind him and into the fountain, scooping up some of the water, using it to wash his face.
"But on this planet it is the custom," the Second Doctor tried to explain to him, "All the greatest chefs agree. Carema, Brillat Savaran, the noble Escoffier, they all agree that a meal should begin with a light dish, something to bring relish to the appetite," Shockeye sat back down beside him, listening carefully to every word he said, "Pate du foie gras de Strasburg on croute, for instance, or a serving of Beylon oysters," Shockeye moaned longing, just thinking about the dishes as he continued, "Even a, even a light salad with…artichoke hearts and country ham will suffice, it gets the digestive juices flowing!"
Shockeye looked at him eagerly, licking his lips hungrily, "How much further is this place?"
"It's just around the corner, if I remember rightly," he told him, standing as the two of them linked arms, setting off down the street.
…..….A narrow street….….
The Sixth Doctor, the two Hatter's, Jamie, and Peri walked down a narrow back street, still searching as they looked around, when the Sixth Doctor and Fifth Hatter caught sight of Chessene and Dastari walk into the street up ahead of them, pausing as they seemed to be looking around, too.
The Fifth Hatter grabbed her past selves arm, dragging her into a doorway, while Jamie, Peri, and the Sixth Doctor did the same. The Doctor motioned to Peri and Jamie to stay silent as they waited for a moment, listening for any approaching footsteps, but when none came, they slowly stepped out of their hiding place and jogged down the street, stopping short as they rounded a corner to see Chessene and Dastari outside a restaurant with people sitting outside at tables. Carefully, they peered around the corner of the building, watching them.
The Fifth Hatter suddenly gasped, her eyes widening in realisation, "Oh, we are so slow!" she shook her head at herself, looking at the others, "The restaurants, they're checking the restaurants!"
The Second Hatter paused, thinking about it, before it hit her, "Oh!" she breathed, nodding.
The Sixth Doctor sighed slightly, glancing over towards the restaurant, "Something we should have thought of a long while ago," he remarked, giving the Fifth Hatter a small smile, "Nicely done".
She grinned at him, winking, "Thank you, sweetheart".
He looked back to Jamie and Peri, "Come on," he said to them, waving a finger, "Let's find them before Chessene does".
They followed after him as he hurried down the next street before Dastari or Chessene could return and see them.
….Las Cadenas restaurant…
The Second Doctor led Shockeye into a small restaurant with a sign reading 'Las Cadenas' placed outside the front of the building. As they entered, he cast his eyes around the room, taking in the small space that had tables scattered around the room, most taken up with couples eating their lunch.
He removed his top hat in greeting as he approached a pretty, dark haired Spanish woman that stood at the reservation desk by the main door, giving her friendly smile, while Shockeye looked around the room curiously. The woman looked up, blinking slightly surprise as she noticed what they were wearing, but the Second Doctor hardly seemed to notice her reaction.
A blonde haired man in a black tuxedo walked over to them, "Welcome to Las Cadenas, senors," he welcomed them with a British accent, giving them a bright smile as his eyes drifted over their clothing, "Oh, how delightful to have some gentlemen of the 'old school,'" he commented, managing to cover up his own surprise of their outfits, chuckling slightly, "Er…may I enquire if you have a booking?" he asked.
"Booking?" Shockeye repeated, frowning at him deeply, "I want food!"
The man nodded, still giving them a bright smile, "No reservation," he glanced quickly over to the Spanish woman and back to them, "Well, come this way," he held out a hand and turned, leading them further into the restaurant, weaving through tables and seated guests, "Fortunately, I have an excellent table for you," he told them over his shoulder.
The man led them through the back of the restaurant, stepping through an archway as they did so, they reached a table with two seats at either end of the table, the Second Doctor taking one seat while Shockeye sniffed the air, narrowing his eyes as he turned to the man, "Do you serve humans here?" he questioned quietly.
"Most of the time, sir," the man replied, and Shockeye moaned greedily, sitting down on his chair. The man laughed slightly, thinking he was joking, leaning towards them, "Yes, I think I can venture say that most of our customers are certainly human, sir".
Shockeye suddenly grabbed his hand, glaring at him angrily, "I mean human meat, you fawning imbecile!" he snapped.
The man jumped slightly, "No, sir," he shook his head, his tone polite despite the situation, "I'm afraid the nouvelle cuisine has not yet penetrated this establishment," his mouth twitched slightly, quite pleased with his own little joke as Shockeye released him, snapping his head around to look at the Second Doctor, very disappointed by the information. The man looked across to a waiter serving a table a short distance away, "Juan?"
….…Streets of Seville….…..…..
Peri stepped out of the doorway of a large, yellow, four story hotel that she had been searching and onto the street, heading off down the street and into a narrow side street, meeting up with Jamie and the Sixth Doctor as they stepped out from another restaurant.
"No luck?" the Sixth Doctor asked as she jogged to catch up to them.
"No," she sighed heavily, shaking her head, "Just a load of tourists eating paella and chips".
"No, didn't look the sort of place," he nodded, not looking surprised, "They'd have gone for somewhere more elaborate".
The Fifth and Second Hatter rounded the corner, hurrying over to them as they caught sight of the three of them, "Any luck?" the brunet Time Lady questioned, looking at them hopefully.
"No," Peri and Jamie said.
"What about you two?" the Sixth Doctor turned to them.
"Well, I think I found the perfect place to take Max and Alice," the Second Hatter began rambling, looking quite excited as the Fifth Hatter ran a hand down her face, looking exasperated, "They would just love that restaurant, nice low lighting, that's supposed to be romantic, yes?" she looked at the others, unsure.
"He's not asking if we found any good restaurant," the Fifth Hatter groaned, rolling her eyes at her past self, "He's asking if we found the Second Doctor, you idiot".
"You do relies you just called yourself an idiot, don't you?"
"Believe me, it was worth it," she said dryly.
The Second Hatter huffed, crossing her arms across her chest, "Resorting to name calling doesn't suit us".
"When it's directed towards you it just might be".
"Ladies!" the Sixth Doctor cut in loudly, holding up a hand as the Second Hatter stepped closer to her future self, "I assume that this means you didn't find me…him?" he asked, quickly correcting himself.
"Sadly," the Fifth Hatter nodded tiredly.
He sighed heavily, looking resigned, "Let's go and…" he trailed off suddenly as his gaze became fixed on something ahead of them, transfixed, and an odd smile crossed his face.
Jamie frowned at him, wondering why he had stopped talking, "What?"
"Hmm," he hummed, still staring with the same strange smile as the others looked at him curiously, the Hatter's exchanging a slightly concerned look, "There's a cat," his smile grew wider.
They followed his gaze to see a cat in the street a short distance up from them, taking no notice of them as its tail wiped back and forth.
Peri smiled slightly bemused at the Sixth Doctor, "What about it?" she asked, trying to work out just what his point was, or why he had suddenly become so interested in an ordinary Earth cat?
"Well…" the Sixth Doctor licked his lips hungrily, his eyes still glued to the cat as he leaned closer to them, while the Hatter's eyed him, growing even more alarmed by his behaviour. He smiled greedily down at the cat, "They say there's more than one way to cook a cat…" he leaned down towards the cat, holding out a hand towards it as Jamie and Peri exchanged confused looks, "Here, pussy, pussy, puss-puss!" he called to it in a cooing voice, "Here, little puss!"
The cat, sensing danger, run away from them and off down the street, disappearing around a corner as the Fifth Hatter sighed in relief, very glad she wouldn't have to witness the Sixth Doctor try and capture a poor cat.
Peri frowned at the Doctor, putting a hand on his shoulder as she crouched beside him, "Doctor, what are you doing?" she questioned, confused.
"They can make quite good eating!" he told them, looking off in the direction that the cat had gone, looking disappointed, "Small mammals are quite flavoursome when baked!"
"What are you saying?" she stared at him, even more confused, "I don't understand…"
A look of horrified realisation crossed the Sixth Doctor's face as he looked back up to the Hatter's, "I knew it would happened," he breathed slowly, standing as the Hatter's nodded at him, both still watching him warily. He quickly reached up to his forehead, rubbing it as he tried to give himself a sharp shake, "I'm turning into an Androgum!"
Peri stood, too, her eyes widening as the Fifth Hatter pattered his back comfortingly, "You can't!" she exclaimed, panicking slightly.
"You're not an Androgum, you're a Time Lord!" Jamie tried to tell him, stepping closer to him as the Sixth Doctor continued to rub his forehead, "Pull yourself together, Doctor!"
"Exactly!" the Fifth Hatter added hurriedly, watching the Sixth Doctor, trying hard to hide her own concern with a comforting look. It was much harder to do when it was the Doctor she was trying to comfort, "You're a Time Lord, one of the most boring and least adventures races in the Universe!" the Sixth Doctor began nodding slowly as she went on, her voice growing stronger, "You are Lord Doctor of the House Lungbarrow, you are my best friend, and you can beat this!"
"Yes…" the Sixth Doctor mumbled, breathing heaver then normal as he reached forward and lightly cupped the Fifth Hatter's cheek, trying to steady himself, "Yes, that's right…" his voice grew determined, "I'm a Time Lord".
He dropped his hand from the Hatter's face and hurried past them, running over to where a fountain was trickling in the middle of plaza just ahead of them. Peri and Jamie exchanged an exasperated look, following after him with the Time Lady's. They watched as he ducked his head into the fountain, resting his head in the water for a moment, breathing loudly before lifting his head, giving his damp, curly hair a shake.
Jamie watched him, slightly nervously, "Are ya better now?" he asked.
"Yes…" he said slowly, frowning slightly as he looked up to the Fifth Hatter, "Yes…yes, I'm all right," she smiled broadly at him as the Second Hatter looked relieved, but his frown grew deeper as he continued, "For the moment," he finished grimly, making them lose their smiles.
And with that worrying thought in mind, they set off down another narrow street, walking down it and turning into a tunnelled walkway. They headed down it, only to stop short when they caught sight of Chessene and Dastari walking past the other end, forcing them to move back against the wall of the tunnel, hoping to hid in the shadows.
They watched tensely as Chessene and Dastari paused at the entrance of the tunnel, Chessene pointed across to something in the distance, before going on, completely oblivious to being watched.
The Sixth Doctor looked back to the others, "They've covered that way…" he nodded over to the street that Chessene and Dastari had disappeared down, "So we'll go this".
They turned back around and walked back the way they had just come, hurrying down a different street.
…Las Cadenas restaurant….…..
The Second Doctor sighed heavily, leaning back against his chair, while Shockeye continued to eat everything he could reach across from him. He had never eaten nor drunk so much in his entire life. He was amazed, really. Even his trousers and shirt, both of which having once been slightly too big for him felt tight and uncomfortable now after consuming several very large plates of food and a few bottles of wine, but even still, Shockeye, who had managed to eat more than he had, was still eating as if he had been starved. A part of him wasn't surprised, but another, much smaller part of him felt mildly disgusted just by how much food they had managed to consume.
He reached inside his pocket and withdrew a handkerchief, pressing it against his mouth, just as the fair haired man that had shown them to their table walked over them, holding a piece of paper in his hands, "I trust everything was to your satisfaction, gentlemen?" the man smiled at them, looking between them.
"Oh, tolerable, tolerable," Shockeye nodded, pulling meat off a bone, pleased with his meal despite his initial disappointment of the lack of human meat.
The man continued to smile at them, "May I say what a pleasure it has been to see two such…dedicated trenchermen, enjoying their food," his smile dimmed slightly as he held out the piece of paper towards them, growing more serious, "Unfortunately the reckoning is rather high…"
Shockeye took the paper, frowning down at in confusion, "What is this?" he asked, looking back up to the man.
"Well, it's the amount you owe, sir," he informed him.
He looked back down the paper, still very confused as he looked across to the Second Doctor, holding it out for him to see, "Do you understand this?"
The Second Doctor dapped at the corners of his mouth before lowering the handkerchief, "He is asking for money," he told him.
Still seeming confused, he glanced back to the paper, "Money?"
"Tokens of exchange," the Second Doctor clarified warily.
Shockeye turned back to the man, holding the paper out to him, "This is our tally?" he questioned, still trying to work out just what the other man expected.
"Yes, sir," the man replied, nodding with a quick glance at the Second Doctor.
"Ah," Shockeye sat the paper down the table top, reaching inside his coat pocket, and withdrew a single bank note, holding it out towards the man, "Here".
"Keep the change," the Second Doctor added, waving a lazy hand at the man.
The man took the note, frowning down at it, puzzled, "I'm sorry, sir…" he turned back to Shockeye, his friendly air starting to waver for the first time since they had entered the restaurant, "I mean, I can see you're a wit as well as a bon vivant, but this…" he remarked, shaking his head at the note in his hand, "….whatever it is, is not acceptable," he placed the note back down on the table, his voice stern.
Shockeye stared at him, surprise crossing his face before quickly being replaced by anger, "That is a twenty Narg note!" he exclaimed, waving his hands around, "You can change that anywhere in the Nine Planets!"
The man shook his head again, his smile tense, "Well, it's not acceptable here, sir".
The Second Doctor sighed, feeling suddenly very tired, and let himself slump onto the table before him, resting his head against the surface, slowly feeling himself drifting off as the man walked away and Shockeye went back his food, huffing in annoyance.
….Outside Las Cadenas restaurant…
The Sixth Doctor, the Hatter's, Peri, and Jamie rounded a corner and stepped into another street, pausing as they looked around.
"Las Cadenas," Peri suddenly said, pointing across to where a sign was hanging over the doorway of a building a short distance behind them, recognising the name.
The others followed her gaze, the Time Lady's both feeling quite hopeful that this time they might have found the right place. The Second Hatter was feeling quite warm from walking around in her tights and long sleeved, woollen dress, while the Fifth Hatter was quickly growing frustrated with not finding the Second Doctor. He certainly knew how to make things hard for them.
The Sixth Doctor turned back to Peri, "Las Cadenas," he corrected her, using his fingers to emphasise the word.
Peri rolled her eyes, slightly annoyed as the Fifth Hatter shook her head at him, "Not everyone is as gifted with languages as you are, sweetheart," she reminded him, having a feeling she was going to regret saying that. It wasn't as if his ego needed anymore inflating.
As she had expected, he smiled smugly at her and his eyes twinkled, "A pity," he commented, not sounding as if he really felt that it was.
Peri cleared her throat, seeing the Fifth Hatter narrow her eyes at him. She had quickly started picking up on the signs of when the Hatter and the Doctor were about to start bickering, and she knew very well that it was best to intervene before it started, otherwise they would just end up with a annoyed Time Lady and sulking Doctor, "Well, isn't it where Oscar worked?" she asked hurriedly.
"Aye, I think that was the name," Jamie agreed, nodding at her, sensing the same thing that Peri had about the Time Lords. He sighed slightly, "Mind you, there seems to be more places to eat in this town than you'd find fleas on a dog".
"A dog?" the Sixth Doctor's head snapped up eagerly, fixing Jamie with a very intent look, "Where?"
The Fifth Hatter eyed him worriedly, exchanging a quick look with her past self, "Come along, Doctor," she said firmly, taking his arm, "We have more important things to be doing".
She began to drag him over towards the restaurant, the others following close behind them, just as a loud woman's scream rang out from inside the restaurant, sounding horrified. They quickly flung the doors open and ran inside, narrowly avoiding colliding with Shockeye, who hardly seemed to even notice them as they dashed further back into the restaurant, only to stop short as they caught sight of Oscar leaning weakly back in a chair, looking shocked and pained as blood started staining the front of his white shirt.
The Time Lords hurried forward, barely noticing the Second Doctor slumped over a table close to them, appearing to be fast sleep, while the other guests around them watched the scene, stunned. Anita was talking to someone frantically on the phone, looking very pale and shaken.
"Oscar!" Peri cried, her eyes widening in alarm as she noticed the blood.
The Sixth Doctor and Fifth Hatter knelt in front of Oscar, the brunet taking his hand, trying to comfort him as the Second Hatter hung back slightly, realising that they had clearly meet the man before and not wishing to get in their way.
"What happened?" the Sixth Doctor asked urgently.
"Oh, officers," Oscar said weakly, "Promptly on the scene, as always".
The Fifth Hatter gave him a comforting smile, "I'm just going to take a quick look, okay?" she told him, carefully unbuttoning a couple of the buttons on his shirt.
"Ridiculous thing to happen…" he grimaced painfully, "Dissatisfied customers usually just don't leave a tip".
The Time Lady gently pulled his shirt back slightly to see the wound. A very deep, clean cut had been made in the middle of his stomach, and as she watched more blood trickled out of it. She swallowed grimly, shaking her head slightly at the Sixth Doctor, knowing that there was nothing more either of them could do without proper equipment and unless that got to them soon, he wasn't going to make it.
Peri looked over to the Time Lords as Jamie, catching sight of his Doctor, jogged over to make sure he was okay, "Doctor…Hatter?" she questioned, her voice sounding very quiet she noticed their expressions.
Anita hurried over to them, "You're going to be alright, Oscar," she assured him, taking his hand, holding it tightly as she tried to give him a smile, "I phoned for the ambulance and the Worthy of Seville".
"No, no," Oscar shook his head, starting to have trouble breathing. The Fifth Hatter stood and moved back, giving the two of them more room, "I'm afraid this is Botcherby's last curtain call".
"Oh, no," she breathed, tears brimming in her eyes.
"No one will ever see my definitive Hamlet now".
"We will!" Peri said quickly, trying to give him a bright smile through her own tears. The Fifth Hatter smiled sadly and nodded in agreement, even though she knew that they wouldn't. It was already too late, the ambulance wouldn't reach them in time, "We'll all be there on the first night, Oscar," she promised.
"Yes," Anita added tearfully, gripping his hand tighter.
Oscar looked back to them, "'To die…to sleep,'" he whispered, "'To sleep, perchance to dream…'" his voice grew louder and more panicked, "Where are you, Anita?" he called.
Anita grasped his hand tighter, holding it closer towards her chest as she moved closer to him, "I'm here!" she replied at once.
"Please…take care of my beautiful moths," he murmured, his mouth twitching, when his eyes widened and his head slump back against the chair, going limp as he died. Anita started sobbing, still holding his hand as Peri looked unsure what she do or say, upset.
The Fifth Hatter hung her head sadly as the Sixth Doctor took her hand, giving it a squiz, "'Good night, sweet prince,'" he remarked grimly.
Jamie hurried back over to them, "Doctor, Hatter!" he grabbed their shoulders, catching their attention as he looked back over towards the Second Doctor, the Second Hatter leaning over him, "Just look at the Doctor!" he told them, pointing over to him, "His face!"
They stepped over to them, looking down at the Second Doctor, and watched as the bright red, bushy eyebrows faded, replaced with his own and the warts disappeared, returning him back to his original appearance, no sign of ever having been almost turned into an Androgum, much to their relief.
"Oh, thank goodness," the Second Hatter breathed, breaking into a broad smile.
The Sixth Doctor grabbed his past selves shoulder and pulled him upright, just as the Second Doctor slowly blinked awake. He moved around to stand in front of him, giving him a stern look, "Can you walk?" he asked.
"Walk?" the Second Doctor repeated, frowning at him, still seeming quite groggy, "Of course I can walk".
"Right," he nodded, not looking entirely convinced. He moved forward and wrapped his arms around the Second Doctor's middle, struggling to haul him up as the two Hatter's tried to help, "Come on," he grunted slightly, managing to pull him up right and back onto his own feet, giving him a narrowed eyed look of annoyance.
"Someone certainly enjoyed themselves," the Second Hatter sighed, shaking her head at just how heavy the Second Doctor was as she wrapped an arm around his back. Even his trousers and shirt appeared to be tight on him. She was almost impressed.
"A little too much, I think," the Fifth Hatter grumbled, casting the man a small frown as she straightened her hat.
The Sixth Doctor couldn't help agreeing with the Fifth Hatter, but he gave himself a shake as he focused on the task at hand. He fixed the Second Doctor with a serious look, grabbing his hand, "I am a police officer, sir," he announced, casting a quick look around at the other dinners, trying to drag the Second Doctor towards the door, "Follow me".
"What is this?' the Second Doctor demanded indignantly.
"Anything you do say…" he continued, pulling him along, the Second Hatter trying very hard not to laugh the more worked up the Second Doctor got.
"Who do you think you are?" he glared at the Sixth Doctor.
"May be used in evidence against you…"
The three of them disappeared out the door, while the Fifth Hatter stepped over to Peri, Jamie, and Anita, who was still crying over Oscar. She gave them an apologetic look, "We need to go," she told Jamie and Peri quietly.
Jamie nodded, and hurried after his Time Lords and the Sixth Doctor, while Peri turned back to Anita, putting a sympathetic hand on her shoulder.
"I'm very sorry," the Fifth Hatter said sadly to Anita, also grasping her shoulder, "Truly".
"Thank you," Anita swallowed thickly through her tears, her attention going back to Oscar.
The Fifth Hatter and Peri exchanged a grim look before following after the others, still able to hear the two Doctor's shouting.
….…..Outside the restaurant, moments before….….
The Sixth Doctor dragged the Second Doctor outside into the bright sun, "Now you come with me!" he continued to call, feeling slightly amused, knowing just how annoyed he was making his past self.
"How dare you?" the Second Doctor snapped angrily, stopping short and slapping the other man's hands off him, managing to break his hold. The Second Hatter covered her mouth quickly, shaking with barely supressed laughter at the scene, "Let go of me!"
The Sixth Doctor spun around to face him, just as Jamie joined them, "This way!" he said firmly, pointing off down the street.
"No!" he narrowed his eyes at him, "This way!" and he pointed off to the opposite direction.
The other Doctor waved an accusing finger in the Second Doctor's face, "Now, look, you got me into this mess…!"
"Would you two stop bickering?" the Fifth Hatter cut in, giving them both an annoyed look as she and Peri stepped outside. She shot the Second Hatter a look, noticing her standing there with her mouth covered and shaking shoulders, "And your giggling isn't helping".
"You would have giggled to if you had witnessed my Doctor slapping at yours," the Second Hatter replied, uncovering her mouth, still looking highly amused.
Peri sighed heavily, still looking upset, "We'll go this way," she decided, pointing off in the direction that the Sixth Doctor had suggested.
The Sixth Doctor gave the Second Doctor one last glare, before they began walking off down the street, making their way through an archway with an open gate…
"No," Chessene's voice rang out behind them, making them whirl back around to find her and Dastari standing before them. She smirked at them as she aimed a gun at them, "You'll come this way. We have some unfinished business to attend to," she informed them.
The Second Doctor held up his hands in surrounded, high above his head, and the others quickly followed suit. The Sixth Doctor and the Fifth Hatter exchanged wary looks as Chessene made a dramatic sweeping gesture down the street behind her. The Sixth Doctor gave Peri an accusing look, as if it was all her fault that they had been caught, while they were forced to walk down the street at gun point.
I apologise for not updating last week. My youngest cat was hit and killed by a truck last Thursday, so I really haven't been in the writing mood lately. Onto a brighter note, we only have two more chapters left of this story and next chapter was possibly my favourite chapter to write of this entire story. I hope you liked it, tell me what you thought. Please review :)