Listen to Stand and Deliver by Adam and the Ants (for giggles)
Meanwhile back at the mansion, Hindley was at first taken in by Francis Marcel's performance. He believed the man he was holding in his arms was his Francis and not Francis Marcel, because he was so alarmed that he'd been hurt. He wanted to take care of him and make sure he was alright. He took him into the lounge and laid him on the sofa.
"Oh… the pain ….C'est terrible… uhhh…" uttered Francis Marcel putting on a performance. "What are we to do Hindley?"
"Don't worry darling…" Hindley said and held him, stroking his hair with such tenderness, even Francis Marcel liked it. It was very strange but he couldn't help but love the way England was taking care of him. It was surprising. "We have to just deny everything they accuse us of, and say that we are friends only… it is none of anyone's business what we get up to in the bedroom. You know I love you deeper than any stupid law or convention in this world…" Hindley said as he kissed Francis' fingers. "We will never split up ever…." He said softly "You're the only person I've ever been able to open up to about Alice, and the only person who truly understands me… and I won't just give up on us…" he said "You wait here, I'll go and get you something to drink…" He whispered gently and then left him lying on the sofa. Francis Marcel loved it. He had started off with his usual hatred of England but didn't realise how tender Hindley could be, and found himself falling for him. "Mon Dieu! He uttered "Zis is not right…" he said to himself and tried to shake off the feeling. Was he really falling for England? This was crazy. As he was going to the kitchen Hindley tripped up over something that had appeared out of nowhere and in his path. He recognised it, he'd seen it before. It was the backpack that Arthur from the future had converted into a smaller version of the time machine. Why in the world was it in the hallway? He had no idea. "Cursed thing! Who left this here?" He said throwing it to one side. "He's not coming back future Arthur!" He said shaking his fist in the air in some vain attempt to convey that Francis would not be using the machine to go back to where he'd come from. That was obviously why Arthur had sent it, there could be no other reason.
Hindley returned with a warm cup of tea and set it down beside who he thought was his injured Francis. He then kissed him on the cheek and the neck and stroked his hair again. "My poor love, they must have hurt you so badly and scared you." He said softly, as he took in the smell of Francis' perfume that he was wearing. He'd never worn perfume before, so it was unusual.
"Ahhh but surely… uhh…" Francis Marcel uttered, not understanding why he loved the way England was touching him and kissing him. "er…um…" he mumbled "surely our relationship is wrong…" he said "Everyone will mock us and we might be imprisoned or hanged…"
"No one is going to do such a thing…" Hindley replied. As he sat with him, Hindley had an inkling that something just wasn't right. That familiar fluttering he would normally feel in his chest whenever he was in Francis' company, just wasn't there. That had never happened before and he couldn't understand why it wasn't happening now. He pulled away from him and sat there feeling quite strange.
"What's wrong Hindley?" Francis Marcel asked as he sipped the tea.
"I don't know." He replied. "There's…there's something different about you…." He said and turned to him. "Francis never wears perfume…" he uttered. "Francis would never suggest we break up, even if he'd been threatened I know he wouldn't …"
"Hindley how can you say such things?" He said and swooned in some vain attempt to make him believe again.
"Francis also wouldn't swoon like that… you're not him…" He said angrily and as Francis Marcel went to take another sip of tea, Hindley reached forward and tipped it up all over him. "You bloody Frog!" he roared "What have you done with him?"
Marcel stood up, screaming because scalding hot tea had been tipped all over his chest. "Tu est un imbecile Angleterre!" he cried "I hate you!"
"What was your plan hm? Break us up? Hurt me in some way? Hmm? Did you think I wouldn't be able to tell?"
"But he is identical to me in every way!" yelled Marcel "How did you know?"
"Because he is not identical to you… he's softer… kinder… " he uttered "And you're a git!" he roared pushing him back. "What have you done with him?"
Marcel laughed and pushed him back. "You will never know. And it is only what you deserve… for you 'ave made a fool of the Great nation of France…with your unsavoury relationship with this synthetic twin of mine…"
His words were cut short when Hindley punched him in the face unexpectedly, knocking him down. "Where is my Francis? What have you done with him?" he roared as he picked him up by the collar and threw him backwards into the wall. "Where is he?"
"Ugh.." Francis Marcel spluttered as he was thrown around. This reaction he hadn't expected. "You admit you are homosexual… in love with a man?"
"I am… and damn you Marcel!" he roared "You'll have to drag me screaming to your fucking guillotine!" he yelled and punched him hard again.
"Look at me Angleterre… I am his double… you see my eyes identical to his… you see that? You don't just love a man, he's just like me… that's like saying you're in love with me… isn't it?"
"No…no its not…" Hindley gasped. Yes Marcel and Francis were so alike you couldn't really tell them apart but for the look in their eyes, and the way they were as people. He paused for a moment, as something did make him hold back from hitting him. That pause was all Marcel needed, and he lashed out punching Hindley in the stomach hard and winding him. Hindley took a few steps backwards and doubled up in pain, giving Marcel more opportunity to hit him and he did just that, blow after blow rained down upon him, causing him cuts and bruises. Eventually he got his wind back and roared out, reaching up to Francis Marcel he grabbed him by the throat and started to strangle him. Marcel pulled at his fingers and released himself, staggering away from him he picked up a statue and threw it back at Hindley, he ducked and it smashed against the wall. "You Git! That was an expensive piece of medieval sculpture…"
"Fuck your sculpture!" Roared Marcel as he picked up a set of expensive crockery, throwing the plates one by one at Hindley. Dodging every plate, he ducked under the table reaching for the broom that was nearby, he came up behind Marcel and dug the handle of the broom into his back. "Take that Frog! Have at ye!"
Marcel turned around and grabbed the handle hard, dragging Hindley along as he whacked him through the door to the kitchen and he went crashing into some pots and pans and that. Grabbing a couple of pots he rushed at Marcel and started hitting him wherever he could. Marcel then picked up some as well and started hitting him back, and they ran all through the house chasing each other with the pots and pans really beating each other up. The servants were so terrified they had in their quarters away from the trouble.
"Where is my Francis? Speak up Frog or your life will not be worth living!"
"You will never know you limey! May you and your stupid future France boyfriend rot in hell!" He cried as he went crashing into the pantry. There he saw a big fresh fish, a sea bass and he picked it up. The next thing he knew England found himself being beaten half to death by a fish, and it really hurt, causing big bruises and whatever else. Luckily there was another fish in there so he grabbed it and started beating Marcel over the head with it. "Take that… and that… and that..!" he roared angrily. "I'll not let you get away with this!"
"AAAARGH!" Francis Marcel screamed as blows and blows of fish rained down on him. He couldn't fight back because every time he tried, England was right there smacking him with this enormous fish.
"Relent you Foppish French twit!" He yelled "Where have you taken him? Answer me or you'll smell like rotting sea bass for the rest of your miserable life!" he yelled, continuing to hit him.
"Aaaagh!" he cried "Stop hitting me with this fish.. Alright they have taken him to Spain… to Spain.. now for the love of God please stop hitting meeee!" cried Marcel now all dazed and confused.
Eventually Hindley stopped hitting him. "Never ever ever challenge an Englishman to a fish fight!" he yelled. "You will always lose."
"Urrrgh…" uttered a very dazed and confused Francis Marcel. "Where am I? Who am I? Who are you?" he mumbled, now having lost his mind and feeling a bit concussed.
"Now…what to do with you…" mumbled Hindley as he watched beaten up and injured Marcel stagger about. "Oh I know…" he said with a menacing grin. He went to the hallway and picked up the backpack he'd found earlier. "I'm sure that Arthur of the future will be happy to see you Marcel." He said as he strapped the backpack on to him. "When you wake up it will be 1946…Au Revoir Monsieur.." he said as he switched on the machine…
Meanwhile Francis was still in the carriage on the way to Spain, feeling quite miserable, and his head pounding because he'd been hit with a frying pan.
"My Hindley will know that's not me." He said as they approached the shore where a boat was waiting. "He won't love anyone else but me… your plans will fail."
"You know I personally don't think there's anything wrong with male sexual relationships." Prussia said unexpectedly. "Its just that you know… Francis Marcel, he felt all violated…" he chuckled. "It was very funny…" he said "He's only going to get a confession out of your Hindley and then we will have the proof we need…"
"Proof? What are you going to do?"
"Vell… I know is archaic but the law says you both must be put to death… is not fair I know.." Prussia laughed.
"If is any help Senor Bonnefoy, we personally do not care, we just wanted to help our friend you know?" Diego said.
"Then why don't you untie me and let me go?" Francis replied. "Why are you taking me …wherever you are taking me?"
"Well… we promised Marcel…" Diego said with a laugh.
Suddenly the carriage stopped, and the driver screamed, he got off and ran away into the woods, away from something or someone he found terrifying obviously. Diego and Gilbert looked out of the window only to be confronted by a masked man in a black hat and cloak, with a pistol, it was a highwayman, and he meant business.
"Right you lot out of the carriage now!" he said "Come on I haven't got all day!"
The three of them got out, hands in the air looking sheepish and terrified all at the same time, except Francis who was tied up, and scared.
"Stand and deliver, your money or your life!" the Highwayman said in a sinister tone, as he got out a dagger, slashing at their clothing so that their money and goods fell out on to the grass at their feet, also their weapons fell too and he picked them up and put them in his bag.
"Aaargh!" Yelled Prussia "Who are you? Why are you doing this?"
"The name… is Dick Turpin.." The highwayman said as he moved close to him. "Tell all your friends beware… for I am lying in wait… now fuck off… go on… unless you want to be killed."
Prussia took off and didn't look back. It would have been different had he been armed but of course the Highwayman had taken his gun. Next Diego made to run away, but the highwayman kept shooting after him and deliberately only just missing him so that he would run faster. "Take that senor… smarty pants… now fuck off… bloody Spaniards…and Krauts… what kind of world is this anyway?"
Francis knelt on the ground with his eyes closed, his hands still tied behind his back, scared half to death not knowing what to expect. Suddenly he felt his bonds cut and he was being pulled to his feet. The masked man laughed a little and hugged him. "Glad I got you before they took you away from me.." he said. At first Francis was confused, but then the masked man removed his mask only to reveal that he was Hindley.
Francis could have fainted on the spot, but he didn't, he threw his arms around him and held him for what felt like an eternity. "Mon Dieu you came after me!" You knew!"
"Of course I knew my love…" Hindley said softly "He might have looked like you in every way, but he wasn't you… I could tell…"
"Oh Hindley!" Gushed Francis. "But why do you smell like Sea bass?"
"It is … a long story…" He replied.