Paris, Christmas 1999 - whilst a young couple from 30 years into the future celebrate their engagement, a deadly paradoxical loop is created. And for every loop, time runs ever thinner, even for the Lord of Time himself.
"Okay, this time I think I've got the right place," the Doctor says. He firmly pulls the dematerialisation lever to enable the TARDIS to land in the destination desired. "Sorry, she's absolutely dreadful at actually landing where I want her!"
An irritated Diana groans, as David rolls his eyes. "Doctor, we're dressed for a date in Paris, and so far you've managed to land in Antarctica, pre-war Germany and then on bloody Mars. I can fly this thing better than you," she says.
The Doctor is mightily offended. "I've definitely got it this time. And if not, prove to me you're better."
After, the wheezing sounds of the TARDIS landing cease. The Doctor leads the line and approaches the door before Diana and David.
"Hang fire," he says, putting his arms to block the pair, who he assumes has followed him to the door.
They haven't, though, and are still sat at the console on the chairs. Noticing, he turns around to face them.
"I promise we're on Paris. Now, red or blue?" the Doctor asks. He hasn't picked which colour jacket to wear today; ever since being with Diana and David, he's wore a red velvet jacket along with various coloured shirts and black trousers.
"Paris is the city of love, Doctor. Go for red, like usual," David chimes. "Just, don't ever wear a pink shirt again, like you did when I proposed to Di."
The fashion advice from David seems to help him make his mind up - except he picks the opposite of what he recommends.
"I think I'm gonna pick blue," he ponders. A light blue shirt is probably better fit with blue. Now this makes him see sense better, and he looks at David disgusted. "Are you trying to make me dress like a clown?"
David laughs. "We all know you wanted to pick blue, and anything either of us could've said would not have changed your mind."
With this, the Doctor reaches for the blue jacket, with a black trim on it. He gives David a sarcastic smile and proceeds to start rambling on about 1999 and Paris, adding to the list of things he's already said.
"The 1999 Coupe de la Ligue final," the Doctor begins, as he puts on the blue jacket. "Racing Club Lens won 1–0 against Metz. Not the best game though. The forwards were awful."
"Oh come on, I get enough football talk with this mug," Diana jokes, pulling at David's arm.
The Doctor is impressed - this incarnation quite enjoys the sport. "I assume you're a Portsmouth fan?"
David shakes his head. "No, Liverpool."
This, however, does not really impress him. "Support your local."
Rolling his eyes, David rebuffs the Doctor. "Oh yeah? Who do you support then?"
The Doctor exaggerates his jacket. "Blue jacket, for the Blues. Well, wrong shade," he says. David groans.
"Oh come on, not City?" he is absolutely disgusted.
The Doctor pumps his arms into the air. "I can take you to 2022 Manchester if you want, watch us win the league."
"You said support your local!" David spits back jokingly.
"Oi! I'm technically homeless!" he comedies back. "Besides, I've saved the Earth enough times to pick any team as 'my local'. Moron."
A friendly yet strong stare ensues between the Doctor and David, as a pissed off Diana just wants to go to Paris.
"Show me Paris!" a frustrated Diana shouts.
A startled Doctor nods, and turns back around to open the TARDIS door.
And finally, he's hit Paris on target!
"Welcome to..." he begins as he steps out the door, celebratory with arms out. "Paris! The city of love on the eve of the new millennium! Well, actually it's meant to be 2000, but who cares? Time is just a social construct! A wonderful place for an engagement celebration don't you think?"
All the Doctor can hear is the sound of kissing, as David and Diana stand behind him unable to keep their hands off each other. He turns around, only to be greeted by the sight, and he slaps his hand over his eyes in order to not see. "Public displays of affection still aren't liked, even in 20th century Paris..."
It's midnight on 24 December 1999 - the Doctor promised Diana and David a romantic day out in Paris at a special time in human history. Well, he took it so literally that he gave them the entire day. It's just over a week to 2000, and the third millennium. Not in the eyes of the Doctor, though, who insists that there is not a "year zero", but also doesn't really care - he enjoys the Millennium celebrations that have been in full swing all month. The Doctor very bluntly stated that the 31st is a no go, after what happened in San Francisco in his seventh and eighth incarnations. Diana and David are glad of the literal interpretation of the millennium and Christmas as a whole day to shop in 1999 Paris is perfect for them. It makes the Doctor feel like sort of a third wheel, helped out by Diana and David's infatuation and excitement.
Without noticing whatsoever, the pair cease and begin walking towards the town, hand in hand. Irritated, and crestfallen, the Doctor closes the TARDIS door. He looks on, upset and pondering if this is maybe their last adventure together. Now, he hasn't got a problem with the romantic pair kissing, getting married or whatever, but the fact he's increasingly getting ignored and how Diana and David are getting impatient makes the Doctor think they're thinking of moving on. Moreover, he also feels like they're a bit unappreciative. Not a thank you, and just simple nagging.
The Doctor's pondering is interrupted by the sound of a laugh, but not just any laugh. A laugh from a man that starts off slow, and seemingly speeds up and raises pitch out of nowhere. Skeptical, and leaving Diana and David to do what they want, the Doctor listens into the conversation the man was having, sensing signs of temporal disturbances.
He chuckles to himself. "I can never keep myself out of trouble at Christmas, can I?"
Rather awkwardly, the man's speech randomly changes in pace and pitch at intervals. This confirms the Doctor's suspicions. He's been around long enough - and even long enough to fight in the Last Great Time War - to notice the signs of a large scale temporal disturbance. Grabbing the sonic screwdriver, he silently scans the area.
"What on Earth..." he whispers to himself, grasping his first around the emitter to silence it. "Interesting..."
Being 24 December 1999, a lot of people are out on the streets at any point in the day, to celebrate the final days of the 20th century, and the 2nd millennium's final Christmas.
"Large amounts of people, and an easily messy point in human history? Perfect for someone trying to mess around," the Doctor speaks to himself.
Having not paid any attention, the Doctor hasn't noticed that a waitress has come up to him. He's stood in the middle of a restaurant, that he had walked into to listen to the man that was speaking at different speeds.
"Are you alright, Sir?" she asks. The Doctor turns to her and doesn't answer her question.
"Am I alright? Did you hear his voice?" the Doctor asks, surprised that nobody at all in the room is suspicious. The waitress shrugs her shoulders, so the Doctor uses the sonic screwdriver to temporarily edit her hearing, in order to hear what is going on.
The same man's speech fluctuates in speed again, as do other peoples'.
"What the hell is that thing?" the panicked waitress asks, referring to the sonic screwdriver.
The Doctor places it back into his pocket. "Magic wand, don't worry. Name?"
"Remy, and Sir, I'm going to have to ask you to leave," she adds.
"Not Sir, I'm the Doctor, call me Doctor," is his answer, beginning to walk out.
Remy looks around, and notices her boss is watching, so she follows him quickly.
"Doctor? Doctor Who?" Remy inquires with a whisper.
For a few second, the Doctor doesn't answer, thinking. Following his thought, he responds. "Doctor Who-cares? You won't be seeing me again anyway." He speeds up, now heading back to the TARDIS.
Remy groans and starts to walk faster to catch up with him too.
"Well, I heard what you did, and I thought I noticed something like that a few minutes before you turned up," she adds. "What is going on?"
The Doctor checks his wrist watch, which automatically tunes to local time provided he travels within the TARDIS.
"Twenty minutes past midnight," the Doctor informs his new friend. "Hang on, you said you heard this sort of thing before. When? And why didn't you seem suspicious?"
Remy shrugs her shoulders. "I thought I was just tired. I only arrived in Paris on the 23rd, and this is - well, was - my first shift at the restaurant. Owned by my aunt."
The fact she's only recently arrived is of particular note to the Doctor. "I've only just got here myself. Brought my friends, this couple. From southern England. Just got engaged in fact. We were here for the Christmas and New Years celebrations."
"Sounds like you're third wheeling," she jokes.
An offended Doctor disregards this point, and returns back to what he was thinking. "So, if you and I have just arrived in Paris, and we can hear people's voices changing pace and tone, what about people who actually live in Paris?" Immediately, this generates an idea for him. "Come on, back to the restaurant. We're going to ask."
"Doctor, you'll look a bit weird asking people if they've heard random voice changes all of a sudden," Remy points out.
"Yeah, and you're trusting a strange man in a blue jacket who calls himself the Doctor," the Doctor argues back. "I think either you're a bit weird yourself, or you're a very smart and skeptical person. So, your restaurant, Madame?"
Remy relents, rolling her eyes but smirking as she knows he's right. She offers her arm, and the Doctor takes it, and they head back to the restaurant to ask some questions.
"How about Galeries Lafayette?" Diana suggests, for a department store to shop at.
"Eh," David says. "We got enough money to shop there, eat, and get a hotel?"
"Hotel? Pffft, the Doctor will just let us stay in the TARDIS," she mentions. David reaches for her hands and swings them around gently.
"It's you, and me, in Paris, in 1999. Forget the Doctor, let's just have you and me," he asks. "And no Time Lord can interrupt us in a hotel."
"Behave!" she jokes. "I think so. We came with enough. And if not then he can.."
David groans and interrupts. "We don't half rely on him, do we? Like I get this is so much fun and that, but I remember you were the one who wanted that month break from the Doctor. Do you think we should be living on the TARDIS?"
Diana shakes her head gently. "Not really, I guess. But I saw him against the Daleks. On his own, I think he is very likely to do something stupid, or even worse, dangerous." She places her hand on her forehead for a second, before shaking her head. "Forget it. Hotel, yes. Shop now. It's nearly one o'clock, so we have two hours, until we should be snugged up. Understood?"
It's exactly what David wanted to hear. "Let's go."
Walking into the department store, Diana and David begin to excitedly scan the items. Imagine if they go back to their friends and family with all sorts of 20th century Parisian fabrics, rich in design and culture.
Diana strokes a wonderful blue dress, one that she ideally wants to buy. There isn't a price tag label on it, so she calls over the nearest assistant to ask.
"Excuse me, Sir. Do you have any idea how much this is?" she asks.
The assistant opens his mouth very briefly and a very hasty sentence comes out. Diana is bemused. Is the TARDIS translation circuit having a meltdown? Or is this assistant being an arse?
"Pardon?" Diana asks again. The man, seemingly quite offended, repeats exactly what he said, at an ever faster pace. That's so incredibly odd, she thinks. Instead of asking again, she simply smiles and thanks him and allows him to walk on.
Finding David, Diana confesses about the incident and how tired and confused she thinks she is.
"And he spoke so quickly, I think I need a coffee or to sleep early. I'm sorry," she pleads. David brings her in for a hug. "How long have we been in here?"
David checks his watch.
"Huh?" he says, before blinking a few times and checking again. "My watch says it's twenty past two..."
Diana scoffs. "We've barely been in here five minutes! Your watch is wrong again."
"No, that's not right. I specifically set it the second the Doctor landed us," David says. "It's not like I've got it set to the time on Mars in 2058 or something."
Disbelieving, Diana locks arms with David as they head to the exit of the store without buying anything. She notices a clock at the door, and is just as confused as her fiancé was.
"Hold on, you're right. That's say half past two," she cowers in true disbelief. "What on Earth..."
Diana and David look at each other.
"Usually, we would go have a look ourselves. But this seems a bit 'timey-wimey' or whatever the Doctor says. Give him a call," David instructs.
His fiancée looks at him, full of disappointment.
"His only phone is literally in a police telephone box. He's got some sonic tech that's millions of years ahead of humanity, but doesn't have a portable mobile phone," Diana reminds him.
David strokes his chin. "Been in Paris for about half an hour it feels like, and it's 02:30 in the morning."
"Why is there always something going on anywhere we go?" Diana groans, offended and clearly upset. David reaches for his fiancée's hands and holds them tight.
"What do you think?" he asks. Diana knows exactly what he's asking. "About us with the Doctor? And the future."
She avoids the question - it's one she knows she'll need to answer at some point or another but one she doesn't want to. Travelling with the Doctor and David is everything she wants. Her best friend and the love of her life. But it's taxing, and perhaps it's time for that normal life. Looking to avoid the question, Diana scans the area to look for another conversation subject.
"Doesn't matter right now. We should be focusing on figuring out what the hell is going on," she says, without even acknowledging what David has said. "Check your watch again, we've been talking for about a minute now."
He obliges, throwing his wrist up to check the time - and the look of confusion on his face is enough for Diana to realise the problem. David furiously taps his watch in disbelief.
"It says now it's 02:00 in the morning..." David gulps. "Maybe we might just need the Doctor after all." Diana smugly smiles at his change in opinion.
"Are you thick or something?" the Doctor complains, as one of the drunk men at the table.
"Doctor!" Remy interjects, pulling him away from the drunk man, who himself was beginning to grow wound up with the Doctor's repetitive and aggressive question asking. "Sorry for him, can I get you another drink?"
The man starts another order, but during his sentence, the words begin to reverse themselves. The Doctor has already moved on to continue investigating, but Remy grabs him to listen to this discovery. Remy apologises to the man, and asks him to repeat his order. The Doctor half-heartedly listens in, but notices as the man's words begin to reverse at exactly the mid-way point of the sentence. Amazed, the Doctor uses the sonic screwdriver to scan the drunk man, which delivers readings that seems to worry him. Scanning him again, much to the dismay of Remy as they might draw attention to themselves.
Studiously checking the readings from his screwdriver, the Doctor walks out of the restaurant hastily. Remy runs to catch up with him.
"Why are you always in such a rush?" she asks.
Whilst trying to get his sonic to work and continuing to aimlessly walk through the snowy streets of 1999 Paris, the Doctor responds. "I'm good at not wasting time."
"So am I," is her blunt and offended response, almost as if the Doctor seems to think she isn't very responsible with her time. Looking at him quite irritated, he returns the look with one of direness. Remy takes this as a note that the Doctor is a bit more than he seems on the face of it. "Hold up. You're just 'the Doctor' and you say I don't need to care because I'll never see you again, but it looks like you need my help," she begins. "I think I deserve more than just a title and the fact you plan your days. Most people do that anyway."
He takes a second to address her. "It's not a title, it's a name. The Doctor. And come on, a guy dressed in a blue jacket informal yet formal, and investigating time going wibbly wobbly? Am I 'most people'?"
The Doctor continues walking forward through Paris reading the Gallifreyan notes off of his sonic screwdriver. Remy, after taking a second to consider the revelations made by the Doctor, catches up to him.
"It's faster to go down through the subway," she recommends, and a little comment that can be as helpful as that lets the Doctor know that Remy is intent on helping him out.
Entering the subway, the Doctor decides to ask some questions. "So, Paris. Christmas '99. I get the New Year celebrations, they're pretty cool here. Been to them before." Remy notices he says he's been to them before, but disregards it. "But why Christmas? The city of love, the festival for love. Yet you're here alone?"
Remy goes quiet. "Like you, a wanderer. I don't really have anybody. I spend Christmas with everybody else, just kind of like I'm another person. Not much special." Confessing this to a stranger seems a bit odd, but the Doctor seems to just have 'one of those faces'. It's an emotional thing for her to talk about.
The Doctor stops still. She thinks it's because she mentioned the whole being alone, and spending the most wonderful time of year with everybody else.
"Any idea what the time is?" he asks, with an eyebrow raising.
She checks her watch. "2am. Why?"
The Doctor strokes his stubbled chin, where a beard is beginning to grow. "Then why is it day time outside?"
She looks at the Doctor, confused, and then moves her eyes to look up to where he is. And he's right - it's like it's midday, the sun gleaming as if it were the summer, when it's 2am on Christmas Eve.
"Messing around with time, either to send me a message or just for the sake of it. I think I have a good idea of who this might be. Going to need my motor, though," the Doctor announces. Grabbing Remy's hand, he smiles at her. "Well, we best get running whilst we have the time!"
Remy warmly smiles back to him, and they run to where the Doctor leads them.
It's a cold, early Parisian morning on Christmas Eve - trouble was always going to follow. For Diana and David, whilst now somewhat experienced spacetime travellers, they always seem out of their depth when the Doctor isn't around.
"Where the hell is he?" Diana complains, as they've been walking around the perimeter near the TARDIS looking for the Doctor.
David shrugs his shoulders. "We should just wait in the - we should just wait next to the TARDIS." Both of them noticed how creepy the repeat of the first half of the sentence was, and it worried David even more that he could be affected. "What if he doesn't come here? What if he's already investigating? He's probably already replaced us, you know. You saw Luke, Clyde, Rani and Sky when we were fighting the Daleks. Luke even told you he missed Sarah Jane's wedding because he couldn't face it. We're just next."
"Bloody hell, just stop David," his fiancée proclaims, grabbing his hands. "The Doctor always needs the TARDIS for something."
"Sounds about right!" a familiar voice shouts over. Of course, it was none other than the Doctor himself. With Remy, which seems to throw his companions and seemingly offends them, as they glare at her for a second. Remy returns the favour.
The Doctor, without even looking as he unlocks the TARDIS, senses the awkwardness and looks to alleviate it. "Ah, Diana and David, Remy. Remy, Diana and David. The couple I'm..."
"...third wheeling," Remy smugly says, drawing a chuckle from the Doctor and another glare from Diana and David.
The TARDIS doors unlock, and the Doctor opens the right hand one. "Can someone give her the rundown on what she's about to see?" he requests. Diana and David are still jealously glaring at her, as if the Doctor has already found their replacements, before they had even left. Met with silence, the Doctor pops his head back out the door, and claps his hands. "Hello? Rundown. Big box inside small box."
"She'll see," Diana bluntly responds, to which the Doctor groans.
Looking over at Remy, the Doctor tells her himself with a beaming grin. "You're gonna love this."
Stepping inside the TARDIS after the three time travellers, Remy's eyes widen in wonder.
"Woah," is her stunned response, underwhelming the Doctor.
"Woah?" he asks, slightly annoyed.
"I mean, this is cool and that, but I'm not exactly surprised something like this can exist with the day we're having, if you can even call it a day," Remy says.
"So, what's going on?" David worriedly asks. "Peoples' sentences are getting all weird now, just now mine repeated itself." His second statement was with a bit more conceited, as if the Doctor wouldn't have found out.
"Yeah, we know," Remy once again smugly responds. "We found out in the restaurant I work in." The smugness of Remy's responses was beginning to piss the soon-to-be-married couple off. But before they could say anything, the TARDIS cloister bells began ringing. Concerned by what this usually means, the Doctor frantically checks his hands for signs of regeneration - but there was nothing.
The big screen in the TARDIS console room starts to project something. The TARDIS tries in vain to cease the hacking of its screen, but to no avail. Bemoaning how it was easy for the Renegade to tap into the TARDIS com-set when Diana and David weren't present, the Doctor uses the sonic screwdriver to allow the attempted communication to come through.
"If it's who I think it is..." he begins.
"It depends on who you think it is, Doctor," a voice transmits, as the face comes onto the screen of a grey haired, rough looking man. This confirmed to the Doctor his identity, rather horrified at how another one of his own have returned. "Long time, no see. A bit like our home."
"Who is he?" Remy frantically inquires.
"I'm not human, sorry to break the news if you hadn't already figured out. I'm something called a Time Lord - I think - from a planet called Gallifrey, provided I actually know my life. And he is one of mine," the Doctor explains. "And our species kept in check the laws of time. Except for him. He meddled with it, it was part of his religion."
The man smiles.
"Good to see you, Mortimus," he nods, grinning with awareness that the use of his real name would get on his nerves.
"Mortimus died when I followed you off of Gallifrey! My name, it is the Monk!" he angrily declares.
"Why are you so boring, Mortimus?" the Doctor rather annoyingly asks. Pacing around the TARDIS interior, he continues his complaining. "I mean, all you do is pop from A to B messing around with time. For what? Just to wind up the Time Lords?"
The Monk laughs. "Why, it is sport! A challenge, a tour of all of time and space. You must see Doctor, you meddle with the establishment of time as well, what is the difference? You were even punished by our own for it, who knows how many times." The final statement questioning the Doctor's integrity and knowledge of his own life seemed to invoke his quiet ire.
Comparing the Doctor to the Monk was something even the new recruit couldn't understand. "Sorry, I've known the guy for about an hour now, but he doesn't seem like the sort of guy to go around places and mess with time for a bit of fun," Remy argues.
"It's quite funny too, been a while since I've seen you, regenerated over a dozen times since I last saw you. Yet you still look like an old hag. You might change face but you seem to look the same," the Doctor jests. "Sorry about the Time Lords. Seen one lately, none of the others. All gone for a run. Walked out on you. Happens a lot, sorry."
The confirmation of Gallifrey missing still seemed to upset the Monk for a brief moment, noticed and sympathised by the Doctor, who bows his head for the rudeness of his insults.
"Why here? Wouldn't New Years Eve 1999 be better? Everyone scared about technological bugs and you could easily do something there," Diana rightly notes.
"Ah, I can answer that one. Would probably avoid New Years Eve '99. Another one of our lot kicked up a bit of a fuss. Best not to have a time messing party there," the Doctor explains, stopping his pacing around the TARDIS to stand right in between Remy, and Diana and David. "He could never quite muster up the courage to take on the actual fabric of spacetime itself. Practically became my hobby, and I used it for good."
"Good is only subjective, Doctor. I have no interests in the other lesser races, below our own. Well, below my own," the Monk says, alienating the Doctor from the Time Lord race. The Doctor wasn't fussed by that, knowing it was a vein attempt to upset him like he did with the earlier comments about the Time Lords.
"Bored now, shut up. See you," the Doctor yawns, using the sonic screwdriver to scramble the signal and end the communication. Storming across to the screen attached to the console, the Doctor analyses the Gallifreyan symbols on the screen. "Started tracking him. Thought 'eh, might as well'. Could locate him. Remy, can you have a look in the third room from the bottom left corner down below the console for a big red box, and bring it up here?"
Remy looks blankly at Diana, shrugging her shoulders.
"I'll go with her," Diana offers, with the Doctor nodding along whilst keeping his eyes fixated on the screen. Diana and Remy walk off to go and collect what the Doctor wanted. David begins to walk with them, but as the Doctor relaxes his serious pose in reading the monitor, he walks back over.
"What are you playing at?" he asks, with a vexed face. The Doctor quietly chuckles, acknowledging David but continuing to read from the monitor. David storms over to him and gets into his face. "Doctor!"
"You want to go, I know it. I don't know about her, but I know you're done," the Doctor confesses, with David immediately understanding what the Doctor is referring to. "I'm not annoyed, and I'm honestly so happy for you two. Was meant to keep this surprise a secret, but I wanted to bring your wedding to a special planet, Darillium."
David rubs his face and moves out of the Doctor's personal space. "I'm sorry."
The Doctor ignores the apology. "I know you have some friction with me, because you're worried about Diana. There's no need. I'm not ignoring you out of spite, I'm trying to get Remy to join me to make Diana's conflict about staying easier. You really can't come with me if you're thinking about leaving. This can be too dangerous for no enthusiasm." The Doctor finally turns his face to look at David, who returns with a sombre and awkward glare.
The awkwardness is broken by the return of Diana and Remy to the console room, with the red box the Doctor was after.
"Here," Diana says, as she and Remy gently place the box to the Doctor's right. Crouching down, the Doctor rips open the box and starts throwing things out of it, looking for something. Nearly hitting Remy with a weird shaped sonic spanner, the Doctor shouts "ahah!" as he pulls out three watches. Standing back up, he sees that there are four people in the TARDIS, but only three watches.
"These things protect you from the effects time distortion, a game he likes to play and may end up resorting to," the Doctor explains. "Nicked them off the Daleks when they were friends with this guy. Except, there's only three of them. And I need one, so only two of you can come with me."
After a second where Diana and Remy look at each other, expecting the other to stand down and stay in the TARDIS, David breaks the silence.
"I'll stay around. I can tidy up after you, and monitor from here," David offers, sharing a look that he and the Doctor both understand following their brief chat. The Doctor hands one of the watches to Diana and the other one to Remy, and takes a pair of sonic sunglasses out of the left hand pocket of his blue jacket.
"Just in case the translation circuit doesn't translate Gallifreyan, use these," the Doctor says, throwing the sunglasses over to David. He gestures to the two women. "Come on!"
Remy follows, but Diana takes a few seconds to share a deep kiss with David, much to the Doctor's annoyance.
"Why can't you go instead of Remy? We are his companions after all," she whispers to her future husband.
The Doctor heard this, but Remy did not, thanks to his enhanced Time Lord hearing. David grabs her hands, and talks to her.
"She could be us. And you know what we want, and you know what he needs," he quietly tells her, and the Doctor can still hear them.
"Chop chop Diana!" the Time Lord interjects, hearing everything they are saying but making sure they aren't aware he does.
As the Doctor, Diana and Remy exit the TARDIS, the Doctor enables the locator on his sonic screwdriver, leading the trio to the coordinates of the Monk, intending on confronting him over his meddling of time.
The Monk growls at a replay of the Doctor mocking him about the loss of the Time Lords. Smashing the monitor on which he was playing it, he turns around to continue a conversation he was having with a hooded figure.
"You must've seen the Doctor with this face! Seems more childish than the past ones. He proclaims to have seen another Time Lord since his regeneration," the Monk confesses. "I know of no other surviving Time Lord than the three of us within the universe, with Gallifrey stuck in another dimension."
"The Renegade," the man says. "You don't know her. There is a reason, Mortimus. You are insignificant compared to the remaining known Time Lords."
Noting the way the man refers to the Time Lords as the 'remaining known' ones but disregarding it, the Monk rages at the use of his Gallifreyan born name, which he discarded when he departed from the planet only 50 years after the Doctor. "I could use your Gallifreyan name, or your title, couldn't I?"
"You are aware of the consequences, Monk. I need information regarding the Doctor. This incarnation seems different. I have not encountered it, and it concerns me. Investigate the Doctor, and inform me," the figure says. "You know what happens if you do not." The Monk gives the figure a defeated, yet furious look.
"You even said yourself, not much is yet known about this incarnation," the Monk interjects. "He is the Doctor. He is the most unpredictable person in the universe. There may be no mercy."
The figure tuts. "There have been instances on Earth against the Daleks, Ice Warriors and other species where this incarnation of the Doctor has shown a... ruthlessness, admittedly. Yet, I must know more. This conversation will be terminated."
The figure stays true to his word, and terminates the conversation. The Monk is infuriated, but aware that the Doctor will soon arrive, continues his operations with the meddling of time to lead him to interrogation.
Diana and Remy trail behind the Doctor, who is following a trail with his sonic screwdriver, to the location of the Monk. It provides a tense opportunity for the pair of women to talk in a civilised manner away from men, or Time Lords. Diana catches a small, blank glance from Remy.
"Problem?" Diana asks, unpleased with the passive aggressiveness. Remy looks back away, and down the floor, raising her hand closest to Diana as a symbol of apology. Sympathetic, Diana doesn't leave the conservation like so. "David and I have been with the Doctor for a few months now. It's a lot of fun. But, we're due to get married soon. And I don't know if this is the life I want us to live when married."
Remy realises what those words mean - and she understands the little sense of jealousy in Diana. "I don't want to replace you, if that's what you're worried about."
A chuckle follows from the girl from Portsmouth. "Stop it. I think you'd be brilliant with him. Granted, I don't think we're done just yet. Sorry about that, might have to third wheel."
"I'd be fine with that, don't worry," Remy smiled.
Diana gently taps her shoulder. "I meant we'd third wheel you and the moron in front of us!" She points to the Doctor, still engrossed in following the signal. Remy blushes but looks back to the floor in deep thought; she isn't sure travelling with the Doctor would be the best idea.
"Oh, changing direction!" the Doctor shouts out, pivoting 90 degrees. "Of course. Likes to play around doesn't he?" Looking up, the Doctor, Diana and Remy notice that they are facing the Eiffel Tower, where else?
"La Tour Eiffel!" Remy shouts out in excitement. "Wait, is he up there?"
"Afraid so," he confirms. "Well, that is if this stupid screwdriver is of any use." Immediately regretting his comments, the Doctor quietly apologises to his sonic screwdriver in private.
"Going up the Eiffel Tower, and David isn't with me. Damn it," Diana curses, wishing to spend a moment gazing over the City of Love with her own love.
The Doctor scoffs in humour. "It's fine, I'll take you up there in 2087. The King installed a zipwire there."
"France is a republic, Doctor," Remy complains, backed by Diana.
"And I have a time machine," he reminds the pair. "Come on, over to the tower!"
After a few minutes of walking to arrive to the Eiffel Tower, the Doctor uses the psychic paper to trick some guards who were in charge of keeping the tower empty for Christmas Eve. Looking up the spiral, the Doctor realises something.
"Remy, Diana, one of you check the time," he asks. As they labour to get their regular watches out, the Doctor complains to them. "Hurry up!"
Remy looks at her watch, before squinting her eyes in disbelief to validate that is actually what he is reading. "It says it's 11:50pm... how does he keep changing it? And is that even important?"
A look of panic arises on the Doctor's face. "Yeah, think about midnight. What does that usually mean?"
"Huh? Ohhh..." Diana catches on almost immediately, thanks to her long association with the Doctor, but Remy doesn't get it. "Let's be real. He's up to something big isn't he?"
"I don't know. But he's a Time Lord, probably jealous of me, and vengeful for how I stopped him a very long time ago. Well, a very long time ago in the future," the Doctor rambles. "Right, we've got work to do, hope you're up for some climbing now."
The Doctor, Diana and Remy begin their climbing up the stairs of the Eiffel Tower, determined to stop the Monk.
The Monk, near the apex of the Eiffel Tower, continues on the look out for the Doctor. A sense of fear prevails over his face. Fear that the man he was speaking to earlier may reprimand him, but more importantly that the Doctor may be more ruthless than before.
Playing around with his wrist watch, the Monk seats himself overlooking the city of Paris, ready to meditate and wait for the inevitable - the return of the Doctor.
After a moment or two of meditation, the Monk opens his eyes, and his watch glows - a distorted time field forms around the Eiffel Tower, as the guards the Doctor and his friends got past are aged to death in brutal fashion. Protected by the watches the Doctor found in the TARDIS, they and the surrounding civilians around the Eiffel Tower - twenty or so - are aged to death, but the trio march on to confront the Time Lord.
"Doctor! Something's happened, and I just saw a little gang of people get disintegrated," Diana says, worrying the Doctor and reminding him that he has seen this before, with Sara Kingdom in his first incarnation.
Remy notes the fact a considerable amount of people have just been brutally murdered, jarring her. Already doubting whether or not she wants to join the Doctor, this event certainly doesn't help his cause.
Finished tidying up the TARDIS console room after the Doctor's earlier antics, David now doesn't have anything to do, other than sit and wait for the trio to come back. Taking this moment to sit down, he looks around the TARDIS interior, feeling a large sense of sentimentality and attachment to the box they've called their second home for over half a year. An even more intense feeling of angst and sorrow washes away the sentimentality, as David realises that when he weds Diana, they both know that this lifestyle can't remain.
The cloister bells return - and David knows that when they go off, something serious is going on. Not knowing what to do, he pulls out his mobile phone, augmented by the Doctor a few weeks back, and dials his fiancée Diana.
Upon answering, he immediately takes charge of the conversation. "Di! Put me on speaker, and get the Doctor!"
She obliges, as the three of them are still walking up to meet the Monk.
"What is it?" the Doctor complains over the phone. David simply moves his phone closer to the TARDIS console, and this is enough for the Doctor to realise something's wrong. "Okay, that's not good."
"The cloisters, right? I swear to God, Doctor, if that means something bad is about to happen, you better make sure Diana is safe. I don't trust your race," David commands.
This is met by silence from the Doctor, David knowing that the Doctor already understands this.
"Do NOT leave the TARDIS under any circumstances. I don't know what's going on, but something is going to happen with time. The interior is another dimension, its own separate time field. So, stay inside," the Doctor says, with a sternness to his voice.
"Yep. Just as long as you make sure she's safe," is his return.
Diana scoffs. "Stop it. I'll see you soon. I love you."
"Yeah. Love you too," he says, hanging up the phone, and slumping into the seat as that is all he can do.
The Doctor and his friends reach the level of the Eiffel Tower where the Monk is preparing something. The Monk senses their arrival and rises from his meditation, and faces the trio.
"Roughly six foot, stubble, strong brown messy hair. Must be the Doctor, then," the Monk growls with a lingering sense of aggression.
"Roughly six foot, grey haired, wearing a really awful looking Prydonian robe. Must be Mortimus, then," the Doctor spits back, to the chagrin of his adversary. "You know, you really don't have to keep messing around with time for no reason whatsoever. Bet you wish you were me, stealing a TARDIS and running anywhen and anywhere."
The Monk ignores his fellow Time Lord, and walks to the edge of the tower to overlook Paris properly. Raising his arms, he has a declaration to make. "Time, Doctor, is subjective based on your planet. My my, should be some fun shouldn't it? You've already seen what I can do, I hope. Imagine that, globally."
The Doctor stands horrified, and bemused. "I just don't get you. It's Christmas! It might even snow soon. And for no reason, or 'sport' or whatever you say, you think you have the right to decimate a Level 5 civilisation and irrevocably change spacetime history. Lack of a personality, I reckon."
"It's the most wonderful time of the year!" the Monk declares, checking his watch. "And in five minutes, it will be the LAST time of the year."
Remy and Diana stand desperate and confused - there are five minutes for themselves and the Doctor to figure out and stop whatever the Monk is planning. But almost as if it were a Christmas miracle, the Doctor takes control of the situation with characteristic composure. A blatant and uncontrolled laugh suddenly emerges from him, leaving the Monk intimidated and confused, in one.
"What do you find funny, Doctor?" he enquires. The Doctor continues his laugh. "DOCTOR!" This loud scream encourages the Doctor to quieten his laugh, as he raises his wrist to eye level.
"Five minutes? Won't even need three. Just popping out, won't be long," he cheekily says, twisting the watch and dragging Remy and Diana next to him. "I'm sure you've got all the time in the world."
David sits twiddling his thumbs in the TARDIS console room, when suddenly, the dematerialisation lever switches, and the TARDIS enters flight mode. Fearing the worst but not having a clue how to fly the ship, David holds onto his seat for dear life, as the TARDIS materialises a few seconds later in a different position.
The different position is right on top of the Doctor, Diana and Remy, on top of the Eiffel Tower, and the trio are transferred into the TARDIS interior.
"Lovely! Thanks for tidying up David," the Doctor thanks, running around the console, patting him on the back, before stopping. "Oh, and for holding on. Would be embarrassing if you were left behind where she landed earlier."
"Right, we don't have long. And I need each of you. Four's a crowd, am I right? David, the box you tidied up earlier, I'm gonna need it again," the Doctor says. David hastily obliges and brings the box to the Doctor, who tips all the contents out onto the floor.
"Are you joking?" David asks, fuming. "I spent ten minutes tidying that up!"
"Time is the least of your worries right now, Redgrave," he responds, pulling out a long, black wire. Diana almost immediately catches on.
Rushing over to grab the right end of the wire, leaving the Doctor with the left, Diana and her best friend share a smile - they know what to do. "You want me in here or out there with you?"
The Doctor grins. "Oh out there with me. Nowhere else I'd want you. With David in here helping out!" David doesn't have a clue what his job is, but does know that the Doctor needs him, so shares the smile.
"Can someone tell me what the hell the plan is?" Remy shouts. "And we literally have about three minutes, so hurry up!"
The Doctor notes the two minutes having elapsed at a normal rate. "Okay, so simple and quick. Plug wire into TARDIS. Well, it's not a wire, but I don't have time. Take wire outside TARDIS. Distract Monk, I attach wire to watch, press a few buttons, reverse effects of time."
Diana seems to know where immediately to plug the 'wire' into the console unit, without the Doctor even needing to tell her. He walks over to David, instructing him on what buttons to press on command from the Doctor. David duly notes and the pair wish each other luck.
Remy stands in the console room, feeling overlooked and a tiny bit useless - her final decision made.
"...and Remy. I'm sorry, but this is a little too dangerous for a first time with me. But we wouldn't have got here without you," the Doctor grins, as Remy returns with a false smile.
The Doctor and Diana exit the TARDIS. One minute left.
"Sixty seconds, until a new age!" the Monk declares. "And it is too late to stop me now, Doctor!"
"Never tell me when it's too late. I'm the Doctor," he defiantly declares.
"And he's with Diana and David, in the TARDIS!" she adds on top.
And with that, the plan is in motion. The Doctor hands Diana his sonic screwdriver, and she activates it, interfering with the time field surrounding the Monk, and allowing the Doctor to enter unaffected. Suddenly aware of the threats, the Monk throws his arms up in physical defence against the Doctor, who scuffles to attach the wire to the Monk's watch.
Twenty seconds left.
"Hurry up, Doctor! We have twenty seconds!" David shouts from inside the TARDIS.
The Doctor pushes down firmly, and just about attaches the wire to the adjuster of the Monk's watch, causing the latter's eyes to open in fear.
"NOW DAVID, NOW!" the Doctor screams at the top of his lungs, and David hears. He duly presses the buttons he was instructed to, causing the time field the Monk was preparing to extend over Earth to instead retract, and entrap the Monk. Before it can activate - with just one second spare - the Doctor jumps out of the area surrounding the Monk, as time reaches zero.
The ageing device activates, ageing up the Monk excessively before he is even able to cancel the command. On the brink of regeneration as his body is aged to the point of death, the Doctor and the Monk exchange one last egregious, noticing look before the Monk labours to activate a stashed vortex manipulator, teleporting him away.
The Doctor takes a second to regain his breath, as the lights in Paris turn on - Christmas Day morning, 1999. Diana runs into the Doctor, embracing him as David and Remy exit the TARDIS. David joins in on the hug.
For a moment, Remy looks on at the TARDIS trio embracing, and considers joining them. Glancing at the TARDIS, with both her doors open, she had a lot to consider, but ultimately, this isn't a life she could live.
"Merry Christmas, guys," she quietly says, intending for no one to hear. She slips away and begins descending the Eiffel Tower, before any of the trio could notice.
"Remy! Come on, you're one of us now!" Diana cheers. No response. The lack of response causes the hug to break up, as the Doctor, Diana and David realise she's gone. David and Diana fear she has been taken, but the disappointed exhale from the Doctor makes them realise she knew what she was doing. Remy was a good help in defeating the Monk, but as the Doctor said earlier, without the enthusiasm to do this sort of thing often, you cannot travel with him in the TARDIS.
Poking his head into his ship to check for damage, as reversing the polarity of a time field is a difficult thing to do, the Doctor quickly assesses the situation.
"She looks a little weary. Might take a few hours. At least you've got a Christmas Day in Paris," he reveals. "Go have some fun. Not too much, and you better be back here by midnight."
"You're not coming?" David asks.
The Doctor shakes his head, and holds his hands up in jest. "You're the engaged couple. I'm not joining in what you're up to, in the City of Love on Christmas Day."
"Well, we're coming back for you for dinner," Diana announces, with the Doctor nodding with a smile. "Merry Christmas, Doctor."
"Yeah, and here's to many Happy New Years," David chirps.
Entering the TARDIS, the Doctor stands at the threshold between the dimensions of Earth and his oldest friend. He turns around to face his best friends, the soon to be wed.
"Merry Christmas to you morons as well," he grins.
The Monk's regeneration is completed, in the presence of the man he served.
"You failed, Mortimus. Again. How pathetic," he begins, picking up the unconscious Monk in his latest incarnation, and throwing him back to the floor. "But at least, I know that this Doctor will be a challenge."
The man grins. "Merry Christmas indeed."