THE DOCTOR'S TRIPLE TROUBLE
Chapter Seven "Okay, what's going on here?" Donna asked as they sat down at a table nearest the back wall. The three of them hunched over the table and whispered so they wouldn't be overheard by the other patrons. "All I know is I've never been to this pub before and I've never seen that man in my life," the Doctor whispered. "And I certainly think I'd remember drinking one of these things," he added, gesturing to the drink in front of him. "Well, you are well known, aren't ya?" Rose whispered to him. "Lots of people know about the Doctor." "Yes, that's true but he didn't act like some star struck fan who wanted to buy me a drink. He acted like we were old friends." "You sure you haven't met him before?" Donna whispered. "Pretty sure. I can't be 100 percent certain, after all I'm a very old man but... I don't think I've ever seen him before and... " He trailed off when he noticed the stricken look on Rose's face. "Rose? What is it?" he asked, taking her hand. "Doctor, what if he isn't mistaken. What if he knows you but... it's not you he knows, it's the... other you." The Doctor turned ashen when the realization sank in. "Other you?" Donna said, confused. "What I told you about, Donna, the evil Doctor, the one that held us captive. He escaped and we had no idea where he went," Rose said to her. "What if he's been coming here, Doctor? What if that's the reason why that barkeep knows you or thinks he knows you." The Doctor sat back and thought about that. "That would make sense, especially if he drinks heavily enough that the barkeep knows what he likes and as for the whores..." Rose squeezed his hand when he swallowed hard. He looked back at the barkeep who was hunched over the bar, reading a magazine while he waited for someone to order something. The Doctor had a thought, stood up and walked over to him. Rose and Donna glanced at each other, got up and followed him. The barkeep smiled when the Doctor came up to him. "Another round, mate?" he said. "No, I was just wondering, when was the last time I was in here?" the Doctor asked as Rose and Donna came up beside him. "You don't remember?" the barkeep said. The Doctor thought quickly. "I was very drunk the last time," he said. He grunted when the barkeep clapped him on the back and laughed. "Got that right, mate; you were three sheets to the wind that night. I finally had to stop giving ya those double demons because you were on the verge of passing out!" "Yeah, yeah, yeah, when was that?" the Doctor said impatiently. "Oh, I'd say it's been about a month and a half, not that long," the barkeep said, scratching his chin thoughtfully. "You came in here like you did tonight, with two whores on your arms. You musta had a fine time with them. Everyone could hear you up and down the hallway. Speaking of, you want your usual room for the night." "Uh... yeah," the Doctor said, curious about what his double had been doing in the past month and a half. "All yours, mate," the barkeep said, reaching down under the bar for a key. "Want your usual toys in there as well." "Toys?" the Doctor said, frowning. The barkeep chuckled. "Yeah, right, better not let your "friends" know what they're in for, eh?" he said, giving him a playful punch in the arm. "Right," the Doctor said, playing along. "These whores don't know what's in store for them!" "Too right they don't!" the barkeep said eagerly. "You little ladies are in for one wild night with this bloke. Hope you're into bondage and whippings." The Doctor flinched and grabbed Rose's hand when he sensed her distress upon hearing that. "Listen, do you mind taking us up to my room. I wanna talk with you on the way," the Doctor said to him. "Sure. Room's ready now and I'll have Wurtzle deliver your usual trolley filled with goodies," he said as he walked over to a door in the side of the bar and stepped outside. "By the way, mate, I see the plastic surgery went well." The Doctor cocked an eyebrow. "Oh really?" he said, dreading that statement. "Yeah, no sign of acid scarring anywhere. You musta found one hell of a brilliant surgeon," he said as they walked towards a door in the back of the pub. He opened the door and they walked up a flight of wooden stairs. "D'ya ever find that blonde bitch that threw the acid?" the barkeep asked as they went up. "Um... no, no, I haven't found the bitch yet," the Doctor said as casually as he could. "But trust me, I'm still searching for her." "I bet. I know how much you wanna get revenge against her. Bitch deserves a slow, painful death for what she did to ya." "Yes, she does," the Doctor said as he suddenly decided to play a hunch. "And Rose does as well." "Oh yeah, still after her too?" Rose stifled a gasp as they reached the first floor and turned left into a corridor. "Yeah, I am. I wanna make that bitch suffer," the Doctor said, loathing the words as they came out of his mouth. "You haven't seen her, have you?" "Me? No, what makes you think I've seen her?" the barkeep said, glancing back at him. "Just checking," the Doctor said casually. The barkeep led them to the third door on the right. He unlocked it and they stepped into a tiny room with a wooden floor, a low wood ceiling and unadorned walls that were covered with white wallpaper. There was a full sized bed along the back wall with no headboard, a bedside table with a black iron lamp, a threadbare green rug on the right side of the bed and a chest of drawers with a mirror above it on the left side of the wall. "I'll go find Wurtzle and have her bring in the trolley. Enjoy your stay," the barkeep said before he walked out. Once he was gone, Rose sank onto the bed, her face ashen. The Doctor sat down beside her and took her hand. "I won't let him hurt you, Rose," he said. "I promise I'll protect you. He won't take you from me again. If he lays one finger on you, he'll regret it!" "Yeah, same here," Donna said. "If this bastard comes anywhere near ya, I'll bash his ugly face in!" "Oi!" the Doctor said as Rose laughed. "What?" Donna said, confused. "He's a bastard, isn't he? I mean, Rose told me all about him." "Yes, he is. I don't have any problem with you calling him a bastard, I do have a problem with you calling him ugly since the man is my duplicate from another universe so in effect you're calling me ugly." "Oh!" Donna said, embarrassed, while Rose laughed harder. "I'm sorry. I didn't think of it like that." "He's ugly on the inside, Donna, that's what you mean," Rose said, smiling warmly at her. "Yeah, that's what I meant, honestly," Donna said. "Okay, I can accept that," the Doctor replied as Donna gave Rose's shoulder a squeeze. They heard a knock on the door and when the Doctor yelled out to come in, the door opened and a slender blue alien woman entered the room wheeling in a large metal trolley that was covered with a long white cloth. The alien woman smiled and winked at the Doctor before turning around and shutting the door behind her as she left. "I s'pose these are the "toys," the Doctor said, getting up and walking over to the trolley. He pulled the cloth off and the women let out a gasp. There was an upper and lower shelf on the trolley. On the top shelf was a pair of handcuffs, a jar of clear liquid, a brass dildo, a long piece of cloth that the Doctor surmised was a gag of some kind, a scalpel and a white jar filled with cream. On the bottom shelf was a coiled whip and two lengths of coiled rope that had been covered in red velvet. "Nice to know my double has a hobby," the Doctor said as he examined the scalpel. He picked up the jar and examined it. On the front was a label with hieroglyphic alien writing on the front of it. Rose stared at the label and then glanced up at the Doctor who had now turned pale. "Doctor, what is it?" Rose asked. "This is hydrochloric acid, Rose," he said to her. "This acid is one of his sex toys." Rose stared at the jar in silent shock while the Doctor sighed angrily and sat it down on the trolley. He picked up the jar of cream, unscrewed the top and sniffed it. "Don't tell me you're gonna eat it," Rose said to him. "After seeing the acid, not a chance," the Doctor said. "But..." He sniffed it again. "I think this is Savos root cream and if I'm right, it's used for healing injuries. Which is nice of him considering he whips and beats and throws acid and apparently rams brass things up inside these so-called whores of his. Nice to know he's considerate enough to heal them after he's broken and nearly killed them," he said sarcastically. "This man is a sadistic maniac and he needs to be stopped." He looked at Rose and Donna. "But I won't endanger you, Rose, especially if he's still hunting for you, and I'll be damned if you ever meet him in person, Donna. However, I can't let him roam around and cause trouble and hurt others. So I need you both to go back to the TARDIS for a bit while I make inquiries. I wanna know if he has other pubs or hotels he goes to on this planet and them I'm gonna try to find him and when I do, that bastard is gonna finally be brought to justice."
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