Five by Five

[The Fifth Doctor]

"...Adric?" the Doctor opened his eyes and found himself in a place where all he could see was white. No, there was someone else there. Someone he knew. "Adric?" he asked, in disbelief. He's dead. This can't be 'heaven', can it? He'd need to do some apologising to Joan, if that was the case.

"No," she replied, amused. Ah, no, not Adric, a woman. But he knew her, he was sure. Any name slipped away, lost in the fugue of the harsh regeneration. "You're safe," she assured him.

That was all very good, but not what he was worried about. Who was she? He looked down at his hands. They were clean. But why wouldn't they be? The burns! "Peri!" he cried out, trying to get up.

The woman pushed him back down, gently if firmly. "She's fine. The antidote worked, and she continued with your next incarnation."

"My next...? How? If I'm here...?"

"It was a delicate process," she explained. "Made all the more difficult..." she trailed off. "I had to take you so the timeline wouldn't be effected. This seemed to be the only way."

"Never concerned the Timelords before," he replied, still not knowing who she was but recognised what she was, at any rate. That was progress, wasn't it?

Almost immediately after he said it, however, he found himself regretting it. The woman seemed hurt by the remark. "It concerns me," she replied. "Aside from the removal, I wish you to help your future, Doctor and my efforts should make that significantly less complicated."

"Help with what?" he asked.

The woman seemed distracted. "There's no time," she looked at him, showing him how helpless she felt. "You'll know," she added, before the Doctor felt compelled to close his eyes again.

When he opened them, he found that by and large, his fugue had disappeared. He looked around, seeing that he was in the TARDIS. No, actually, he wasn't. This was a TARDIS, not the TARDIS. Even as he felt disappointment in his hearts, he knew that it wasn't fair. The woman could hardly take the TARDIS from his next self and Peri and it was hardly this TARDIS's fault that he'd grown very much attached to the girl he'd stolen away all those years ago.

Jumping up off the floor, determined to not feel sorry for himself, he connected with this new companion. Hello. TARDIS almost recoiled from the direct greeting. The Doctor sighed.

That had been the beauty of the Old Girl, she had been so old that she'd a personality, despite growing up on a planet where the idea was almost seen as a defect in his case, and definitely so in hers. It was something they had in common. This one, however, had so obviously been broken by her Timelord taskmasters, so as to not have 'ideas' of her own.

She was young, though, he'd gathered that, so there was hope for her still. "We've a lot of work to do," he said, patting her console. He sensed her apprehension. "Don't worry, child. I'll take care of you. Promise."

He signalled a move on to the next subject with a clap of his hands. "Right! Let's see if we can't make a start, shall we? How about we try Earth, hmm? I go there a lot," he explained to her like a teacher. "Nice people, well, not nice, exactly, all the time, but they have a lot of potential, I assure you." The Doctor started setting the coordinates, and the TARDIS complied easy.

The Doctor almost found it alarming how smooth the landing turned out to be. He even double-checked the instruments and opened up the 'window' to the outside. "Ah. W... well done. Yes, very good." He hesitated, putting his hat on his head. "Right. I could do with some fresh air, so, if you will excuse me!"

Before he even moved to the lever for the door, the door opened. The Doctor glanced at the lever for a second, wonder what function it might serve now, before putting it out of his head. "Thank you," he told her, rushing out.

He stepped out onto the beech. It was a Normandy Beech, known for its part as the first step in the liberation of France. Swords, if the Doctor recalled correctly. Which he did.

He moved closer to where the waves met the shore and sat down. He dropped his hat onto his hands and just was. For a precious few seconds.

Then the Doctor took stock. His hands had been completely cleaned and he seemed in perfect shape. He wasn't sure whether he'd be able to regenerate, but he still felt like a Timelord.

He felt the absence of his TARDIS keenly. But he had a job to do, that involved his future self. Somehow. He sighed and got up, brushing off the sand. He headed back to the young TARDIS. Who now looked like a police box.

No doubt to cheer him up. He put a hand on the 'wood' of the box. "No, it's quite all right," he told her. "Don't be her. Be yourself. I'll get used to you. All right?" The Police Box turned into a parasol.

The Doctor smiled. "It's a start," he said, stepping inside. "We need to go find myself," he told her. The TARDIS signalled her readiness. "Well, uh, what's the fastest way to a Timelord's heart? Through his TARDIS!" he patted her console. Sending out the signal.

[The Tenth Doctor]

The Doctor could pretty much reckon that being classified as the most important woman in all of creation was a bit of a large pill to swallow...but then again if ever there was someone who could manage he had to figure Donna was more then right one for the job. After all it hadn;t stopped her from doing a laundry run...again. He wasn't rightly sure how one person could go trhough so many bloody pieces of clothes.

But once she had managed to get her laundry done the had been off; thank the stars as there really was only so much time The Doctor could spend watching the wash tumble about in teh dryer...maddening motion of it all.

The of course there was the TARDIS and the promise she held and the ability she had to make everything seemingly go back right to normal again...in the less then normal fashion in which life seemed to run. Items stored and TARDIS running The Doctor had been more hten pleased to leave London for the time and get back among the stars. Everything seemed right there; it was the one spot in very few these days which still seemed to be just as it should be.

A place for everything and everything in its place.

"Right then...how about we just wing it yeah?" He asked with a smile catching Donna's eye.

In truth he hoped he could do his best to make her forget as well.

"I'll even let you give it a spin to see where we end up?"

[Donna Noble]

The most important woman in all of creation. That's what the blonde woman had told her, wasn't it? Her memory was still a bit fuzzy on that bit. It was a bit intense, to be perfectly honest. Not that Donna planned on being perfectly honest. Not out loud at least. But really, she was a temp. From Chiswick. How on earth could she possibly be the most important woman in all of creation?

And Bad Wolf? What was that supposed to mean? The Doctor had looked all horrified and what not, but now he was back to being his cheerful old self. Which meant that either nothing was wrong... or everything was wrong.

"Right then...how about we just wing it yeah?"

Donna looked up from the small section of space she'd been staring into and looked at him questioningly. Right, of course, it was time to go somewhere. If he was talking about winging it, then maybe everything was fine after all. Donna smiled, she'd just go with that.

"I'll even let you give it a spin to see where we end up?"

"Oh really?" she said, voice almost mocking, but not quite. "You're trustin' me to pick a destination? Brave man, you are."

She walked over to him, looking at him expectantly. "Alright then, give us a go."

[The Tenth Doctor]

The Doctor's smile held firmly on his face as he seemed to have been able to cut through to Donna. Good thing to as he could have sworn she was intently staring a hole into the space outside of the TARDIS. He could sort it; he would sort it all out there was actually no room what so ever for it not to be sorted...he would just figure out how and then that would be that...simple enough. As long as it all appeared to be fine Donna would be well enough and the details could be sorted out when she was...doing the wash as seemed to be a recent activity of hers.

"Oh really?...You're trustin' me to pick a destination? Brave man, you are."

"As long as you don't crash us into anything important," The Doctor explained with a slight grimace...bloody Titanic had come out of bloody nowhere!

"Be gentle with her," he couldn't help but warn only half joking as he took a step back from the main panel. He knew it was more out of habbit since it was no secret that the TARDIS could handle her own; he wasn't the only time weathered traveler in the area that was for ertain.

"Alright then, give us a go."

"And where exactly are you..."

The Doctor's words cut off as a new alarm sounded through the TARDIS alerting them to the signal that had come through out of bloody well nowhere.

"Hold that thought..." The Doctor muttered absently shoving past Donna and make to the pnale as his hands expertely worked over the panel retrieving the signal that had been sent to his TARDIS.

"Right then...change of plan to the change of plan," The Doctor replied quickly working over the console as he programmed the destination that had come with teh signal.

The signal didn't make much sense but just the same it held a whisper of familarity with it and there was always a 50% chance that whatever it was calling out to them wouldn't want them dead...good odds as far as he was concerned.

But if his feeling was right...and he was very rarely wrong then this would be far more extrodinary then a simple trip.

The TARDIS stuttered for a moment and the Doctor grabbed the mallet and hit the console snapping the console back into semi order as the TARDIS hurteled through space towards where the signal had been sent out from. Moments later the world around them slammed to a halt as they landed at their destination.

"Normandy Beach," The Doctor explained with a wide grin as he made his way towards the door of the TARDIS and pulled it open motioning for Donna to follow.

The wind blew with enough force to freeze right through you as The Doctor scanned the immediate area his eyes landing on parasol on the beach and his smile widened.

"Bloody brilliant," he muttered to himself.

[Donna Noble]

"As long as you don't crash us into anything important,"

"What?" she said, putting a hand to her chest in mock hurt. "Just 'cause I almost dented the 1980's last time."

"Be gentle with her,"

"I know, I know." She waved her hand dismissively at him and moved to take control of the TARDIS. Now, where did she want to take them? She'd been to the past, the future, other planets. So where now?

"And where exactly are you..."

Well she hadn't quite gotten that far yet, but as soon as the alarm in the TARDIS went off it was clear she wouldn't get to pick where they would go. It seemed there was something a little more important waiting for them.

"Hold that thought..."

Donna huffed, and folded her arms across her chest. Not that she really minded. Sometimes important was really interesting... and as long as this important thing had nothing to do with her then it would all be completely fine.

"Right then...change of plan to the change of plan,"

"Why, what's goin' on?" she asked, moving to look over his shoulder at the console. Not that she understood a word of it... it was probably in 'Time Lord' or whatever his home language was.

The TARDIS shook and Donna nearly lost her footing and she knew that they were now flying through space on their way to some new epic advernture. She squeezed her eyes shut as she gripped onto the control deck for support and pleaded with whoever would listen that this would be nothing about her.

Suddenly everything stopped and Donna opened her eyes. She didn't think she'd ever get used to the sensation of falling through space even if she spent the rest of her life travelling with the Doctor... which she highly doubted would happen. Because that would just be weird.

"Normandy Beach,"

Normandy Beach? "Why the hell are we at Normandy Beach?" she asked following him outside. "No really, why?"

"Bloody brilliant,"

Frowning, Donna followed his gaze and her frown only deepened when she noticed that he was looking at a lone parasol on the beach. "Right, I'm completely lost."

[The Fifth Doctor]

He watched as the familiar Police Box emerged from the time vortex. He smiled when himself and a red head stepped out onto the beech.

"Right," he told the TARDIS. "Time we got something of an explanation." He stepped outside and smiled at his counterpart. "Good day, Doctor! We have a lot to talk about," he added, smiling at his own understatement.

[The Tenth Doctor]

"Why the hell are we at Normandy Beach?...No really, why?"

The Doctor heard Donna's voice carry her out and on to the beach along with him. But he simply held his silence as he continued to look at the parasol and the beach. This nearly made no sense at all yet he knew...or rather he was fairly certain he knew who had sent the signal...though that even added to the lack of sense but that was neither here nor there.

"Right, I'm completely lost."

Frowning ever so slightly before smiling once more he looked at Donna a slight glint in his eyes.

"Nope your in Normandy there is a vast difference," he explained.

"Just watch...I think," The Doctor explained as in a few seconds time he emerged or well the 5th version of himself emerged.

Bloody Brilliant!

He loved when this sort of thing happened; it was always rather informative and exciting to sit and chat with yourself...all be it for any time less then 5 minutes as holes in the universe needed to be avoided and what not. But there was something this time which seemed off...the most apparent being that the Doctor or well him...he had stepped out of a TARDIS; the same which had sent him then signal no doubt...but it wasn't his TARDIS...not by a long shot.

"Good day, Doctor! We have a lot to talk about."

"Indeed," The Doctor replied with a genuine look of intrigue.

If it was at all possible the smile which seemed rather permanently splayed across The Doctor's face widened as he turned to Donna just now only realizing he would be able to introduce her to well...himself. Oh but it was the very best version of himself aside from his current self of course!

"Right well; right quick Donna this is The Doctor...which would be me... well me about 5 regenerations ago. Doctor this would be Donna."

There; that was brilliant as well!

[Donna Noble]

"Nope your in Normandy there is a vast difference,"

"Oh, ha ha," she said, pulling a face at him. "Smart arse."

"Just watch...I think,"

Donna opened her mouth to argue but was immediately stunned into silence as somebody emerged from the parasole.

"He just walked out of a parasole," she whispered, unable to take her eyes off the new man. She'd seen strange things in her time with the Doctor. But she'd never seen someone walk out of a parasole... parasole's didn't even have doors.

"Good day, Doctor! We have a lot to talk about."

"Indeed,"

Well whoever it was clearly knew who the Doctor was, and judging by the way the Doctor was now grinning at her, he knew who this man was too.

"Will somebody please tell me, what the bloody hell is goin' on?"

"Right well; right quick Donna this is The Doctor...which would be me... well me about 5 regenerations ago. Doctor this would be Donna."

She blinked at him for several moments before turning to the other man... the other Doctor? "Wait... he's... you...? But he looks nothing like you. And you said you couldn't move through your own timeline... and what do you mean '5 regenerations ago'? What are you talking about?"

She would never get used to how fast everything turned to confusion hanging out with him.

[The Fifth Doctor]

"Right well; right quick Donna this is The Doctor...which would be me... well me about 5 regenerations ago. Doctor this would be Donna."

The Doctor raised his hat in greeting to the woman. "Donna."

"Wait... he's... you...? But he looks nothing like you. And you said you couldn't move through your own timeline... and what do you mean '5 regenerations ago'? What are you talking about?"

"Yes, I had a similar surprise," the Doctor confessed to Donna, subconsciously buttoning his coat as he approached the pair. "And while it's quite true that I can't go through my own timeline, I, that is the me that is speaking, am currently out of my timeline, in fact, after my timeline and so, as a result, no ill effects should ensue. In essence," he added to his counterpart. "Belgium is quite safe."

He turned back to Donna to answer her next question. "You see, Timelords have a unique way of perserving ourselves. When we are approaching death, unless we are interrupted," he glanced over at himself, because, in essence, that is how he happened to come here. "We can 'regenerate'. Change every cell in our bodies and become a whole new person, albeit with the experience and feelings of our previous selves. It can get... rather confusing, at first, as you can imagine.

"And, finally, as for what is going on... I was rather hoping you would tell me," he said to his elder self.

[The Tenth Doctor]

The Doctor rocked gently back on his heels as Donna stood staring at him; the grin still firmly placed on his face. He was rather certain that if he listened carefully enough he could hear the wheels in her head turning as she attempted to piece everything together.

"Wait... he's... you...? But he looks nothing like you. And you said you couldn't move through your own timeline... and what do you mean '5 regenerations ago'? What are you talking about?"

He was about to attempt an explanation for her when The Doctor...the other Doctor spoke up an dbegan to explain to her what would no doubt confuse anyone else into silence but knowing Donna he was rather certain it would only bring about more questions and less tiem fro answers as they only had about 5 minutes before holes began to appear in the universe the size of...

"...am currently out of my timeline, in fact, after my timeline and so, as a result, no ill effects should ensue. In essence," he added to his counterpart. "Belgium is quite safe."

That was entirely new to the Doctor and his rocking stopped as he attempted to put the pieces into place. He didn;t know this...didn;t know what had happened to pull himself out of his own timeline and back into his other timeline without him knowing what was going on. The last time had been completely different he had known what would happen and what had to be done...but this was...unexpected.

The Doctor knew his other self was explaing things to Donna which was fine as The Doctor had quickly found himself lost in his own thoughts attempting to figure out what exactly was what and what had bloody happened to land them all here in their current situation.

"And, finally, as for what is going on... I was rather hoping you would tell me."

The question pulled the Doctor back into the present and he looked at Donna for a second and then back at himself with nothing to say. It was rare that he didn;t have a comment or fact to share or answer...but now was that time.

"I don't know..."

The Doctor paused for a moment glancing back at his TARDIS and then across the small space at the other TARDIS. The very non police box looking TARDIS. As exciting as it had all been it had quickly become very maddening.

"I don't know this...I have not a clue as to what happened," The Doctor explained sincerely.

[Donna Noble]

"Yes, I had a similar surprise,"

Donna watched this supposed other Doctor closely, examining him for any resemblence to her Doctor. So far she hadn't found any.

"And while it's quite true that I can't go through my own timeline, I, that is the me that is speaking, am currently out of my timeline, in fact, after my timeline and so, as a result, no ill effects should ensue. In essence, Belgium is quite safe."

Belgium? What did bloody Belgium have anything to do with anything? Donna was beginning to get a head ache.

"You see, Timelords have a unique way of perserving ourselves. When we are approaching death, unless we are interrupted, we can 'regenerate'. Change every cell in our bodies and become a whole new person, albeit with the experience and feelings of our previous selves. It can get... rather confusing, at first, as you can imagine."

Donna blinked at him for a moment before turning back to the Doctor... the other Doctor... her Doctor. "So... this guy is you... but not. Right?"

"And, finally, as for what is going on... I was rather hoping you would tell me,"

"I don't know... I don't know this...I have not a clue as to what happened,"

"Hold on, say that again?" Donna said, prodding him in the arm lightly. "That doesn't happen often."

[The Fifth Doctor]

"I don't know... I don't know this...I have not a clue as to what happened."

This put a new spin on things. So the woman, whoever she was, wasn't directly coordinating with him. Even as several different scenarios for why this must be ran through his head, the Doctor determined that although he doubted that he'd lie to himself, his elder self did know what was going on, just hadn't connected the dots yet.

And to do that, he required more information. "All right," he began after Donna teased his otherself. "I was dying. With Peri," he sighed. "Companions... flashing before my eyes... but that's not important. I was about to regenerate when I... there was a white room and a woman. She was a Timelord, of that I am sure. And I knew her... but I don't remember from where. She was so familiar..." he frowned, not liking not having an answer.

He threw his hands up in frustration, giving up. "At any rate," he continued, starting to pace up and down the beech, his hands emphasising his point. "She told me that she took me out of the timeline in order to assist you. Obviously, that meant I could communicate with you without destroying the universe. So..." He shrugged.

"I had to have known her!" he continued, going on a different track, which was echoed by his turning around and walking back. "I mean, who would... who would go to that effort, to not only take me out of the timeline but at a time where taking me has no effect?" He threw his fingers up to his forehead, rubbing it. "A timelord, most certainly, but I doubt she was sanctioned. She seemed... wary. Frightened." He turned back and faced the Doctor. "What have they done now?" he demanded, angry, though not at himself. At them. Always they interfere!

[The Tenth Doctor]

The Doctor caught Donna's eyes as her question weighed in the space between the three of them.

"So... this guy is you... but not. Right?"

A nod was all he could manage though as with each passing moment this entire ordeal was becoming more and more...well just plain confusing and that was a sensation he was no fan of. After all it was a very rare occurrence when he wasn't for the most part sure of what was going on or at least with having a relative grasp on how to make things some what right no matter how poorly they seemed to be going out of control...for the most part.

"Hold on, say that again?...That doesn't happen often."

The Doctor looked from himself back to Donna and he still didn't have the answer and Donna was rather right in stating that it didn't happen often...it didn't and he was none to bloody happy about it starting now with this situation of all things as it seemed as if it was a rather important one since it involved himself...TWICE!

"All right, I was dying. With Peri. Companions... flashing before my eyes... but that's not important. I was about to regenerate when I..."

That was right; The Doctor remembered the spectrox rather well and the antidote that he had given Peri...it had been the first time that he had been rather uncertain that regineration would work. But it had and he had gone on...in theory because if he was understanding correctly...whcih he no doubtly was his 5th incarnation had obviously never regenerated otherwise he woudl ahve found himself talking to 6 and not 5.

"...there was a white room and a woman. She was a Timelord, of that I am sure. And I knew her... but I don't remember from where. She was so familiar..."

Nothing his other self was giving him information wise was doing him any sort of good it was only making the situation that much more frusturating because now it seemed as if neither one of them knew what was going on and that was a hole in time itself. He could hear well himself attempting to put the pieces together as he paced along the small patch of sand in front of the TARDIS...his TARDIS not the other TARDIS which was another fact that was confusing. He stopped pacing and stared at himself for a moment aside from the new TARDIS and the fact that he hadn't regenerated everything was in place...seemingly as it should be.

"The woman...The Time Lord did she do anything to you? Give you anything...aside from the new TARDIS? Tell you anything more?"

His pacing had led him directly of the new TARDIS and he stared at it for a moment; it wasn't his that much was apparent but he now figured it must have been his or well his 5th incarnation...but TARDIS' were the least fo their worries.

"Where is Peri?" The Doctor asked turning back to himself and thinking for just a moment that perhaps his old companion may have some answers to their current maddness.

[The Fifth Doctor]

"The woman...The Time Lord did she do anything to you? Give you anything...aside from the new TARDIS? Tell you anything more?"

"She didn't have time, at least, I don't think she did. It was a short conversation, I was rendered unconscious almost immediately." He sighed. "She wanted me to help and she said 'I'll know'," he added, sounding irritated.

"She's young," he remarked, as the Doctor looked at the young TARDIS. "Fresh out of training, I should think."

"Where is Peri?"

"Back with my sixth self, I expect. Apparently, great care was taken that the timeline not be altered. Was it?" he asked, angling himself to look into the Doctor's eyes. "Peri's all right, isn't she?"

[The Tenth Doctor]

"She didn't have time, at least, I don't think she did. It was a short conversation, I was rendered unconscious almost immediately. She wanted me to help and she said 'I'll know."

The Doctor shook his head slightly as the words from his younger self continued to explain the rather weird situation they had found themselves in. Usually the more a situation was dealt with it could and usually did become clear but this bloody time it only seemed to be becoming more and more of a mess. It was driving him rather mad that he had not the faintest idea as to who this mystery woman/Time Lord was and even more what she had meant be thinking he would possibly know.

"I'll know...I don't bloody well know," the Doctor muttered to himself as he paced momentarily forgetting his present company.

"She's young. Fresh out of training, I should think."

"Silver lining I suppose," he remarked looking at the new TARDIS. She was new indeed and still had a functioning cloaking system which was something he hadn't seen in what felt like a very long time. But just the same if you would have given him the choice between his TARDIS and a new one he would always go back to the one he felt drawn to over all those years. But that topic of TARDIS' was not what was currently important the topic of what was bloody well going on was what was at the forefront.

The Doctor cast a glance at Donna whom he was rather certain was confused beyond belief.

"You rendered speechless is a rather terryfing concept," The Doctor explained with a hint of a smirk as the wheels in his mind continued to turn as far as their current problem went.

"Back with my sixth self, I expect. Apparently, great care was taken that the time line not be altered. Was it?"

The Doctor's eyes focused on those of his younger self as he fell into his line of sight once more. He had enjoyed that time; the time in which he was the him who was currently standing in front of him but it seemed now that things weren't as simple as they used to be...or well as simple as the life of a time lord ever really was.

"As far as I have seen all seems to be..."

"Peri's all right, isn't she?"

The Doctor stared back at himself his own words dying on his lips. He had no idea where Peri was or if she was ok or not. It had been years since thoughts of her had passed through his mind and as to if she was currently fine or not was information he didn't have.

"I couldn't be certain...I have Donna I haven't seen Peri since I was you and then after you I suppose but whether or not she is safe now with this...whatever this is...I'm sure she is fine...unless we take into account that this woman. This mystery time lord isn't wanting to help at all. Then a thought struck him rather harshly as he stared back at himself.

"Where did you come from...just now?"