TURNED TO STONE

Chapter Seven

Before leaving the TARDIS, the Doctor had everyone change for the climate. He had Rory show Jonathon and Rick where the men's wardrobe room was while Amy, Rose and Hannah showed Evie the woman's section. The TARDIS, per the Doctor's instructions, selected heavy pleated kilts made of linen while the women wore light linen dresses. Both sexes wore leather sandals and everyone applied kohl makeup around their eyes to fight the glare of the sun. Hannah admired herself in the mirror when her mother finished helping her get dressed and put the makeup around her eyes. She'd never worn makeup before and she thought her eyes were pretty.

When they met in the console room, Hannah started giggling at the kilt her father was wearing.

"You're wearing a skirt, Daddy," she said.

"Kilt, not skirt, this is a manly garment," the Doctor said before striking a manly pose for her.

"He's wearing a skirt, Mum," Hannah said in a loud whisper.

"She inherited my cheekiness as well, I see," the Doctor said to Rose while Hannah giggled.

When they went back outside with the camels, Hannah found she was more comfortable in her clothes. The men put the women onto the camels and Hannah was thrilled when she got to ride one with her mother while Amy and Evie rode the others. The Doctor guided their camel while he walked in front of it and Rick guided Evie's camel and Rory did the same with Amy's camel while Jonathon walked beside his sister's camel. They were heading towards the city which had a lot more activity now than it did before they went inside the pyramid.

They walked towards the Nile, going up a sandy pathway between the freshly plowed fields and noticed a man was standing on a large and wide wooden boat that was anchored to a long pole beside a small wooden dock. They walked up to him and asked to be taken across. The man asked for payment. The Doctor had tied a leather pouch around his waist to hold his sonic and other things and he reached inside it. The man's eyes boggled when he handed him a gold scarab ornament.

"Will this do?" the Doctor said.

"Uh…yeah," the man said, nodding while he stared at the ornament dumbfounded. "Get in."

They guided the camels onto the boat and stood with them while the man used a long wooden pole to guide the boat across the Nile. They noticed a few crocodiles were sunning themselves on the bank and a couple of miles downstream a herd of hippos were splashing in the water. While the man guided the boat, he looked back at his passengers.

"You're not Egyptian," the man said to them.

"No, we're visiting," the Doctor replied. "We're from the north."

The man nodded. He finished propelling the boat across the Nile to another dock. He tied the boat to another pole and let everyone get out. There were a few farmers in the fields on either side of the sandy path that led into the town but they gave them only a brief glance before they returned to their work. They led the camels in between the limestone brick houses and Hannah waved to some children who stopped playing to watch them go by.

"What're you laughing at?" Rose asked her daughter when she started giggling.

"The kids are naked, Mum," Hannah said.

"Well, nobody is making a fuss so that must be normal," Rose said. "But that doesn't mean you're going starkers so don't even think of it."

"Can I go starkers?" the Doctor asked, looking over his shoulder at Rose.

"No, you can keep your skirt on and keep your trap shut," Rose said with a posh accent.

"Yes, Your Majesty," the Doctor said with a salute.

While they passed by the villagers, Rose noticed that most of them were staring at her and commenting on her blonde hair. She felt a bit self-conscious and tried not to look at the people who were staring right at her. Hannah continued to wave and say hello and some people waved back but most of them just stood and stared.

Then suddenly she spied someone looking from behind the corner of one of the houses and her heart caught in her throat.

"Wait, stop!" she said to the Doctor.

The Doctor stopped and turned with a questioning look on her face.

"Mum?" Hannah said as Rose slid off the camel and ran towards the building. By now, the man had gone and when she ran around the building she couldn't see anyone. She ran to the next house but there was no one there either. She turned and gasped when the Doctor was behind her, a concerned look on her face.

"Rose, what's wrong? You look like you've seen a ghost," he said.

"I think I have. I just saw Jonathon, my Jonathon. He was peeking out from behind the corner of that house, watching me," Rose said, pointing to the house behind the Doctor.

The Doctor turned and walked over to it with Rose. He stopped short when he came to the corner and pointed down. In the sand were tracks but they weren't feet, they were the outlines of trainers.

"I don't think spirits would leave tracks like this," the Doctor said to Rose.

"I saw him, I swear I did," Rose said.

"I believe you because this is similar to the shoes I used to wear," the Doctor said, stooping down to examine the tracks.

He visually followed them and then physically followed them, running to the end of the house and then turning left while Hannah and the others came up to Rose.

"Mum, what's wrong?" Hannah said.

"I…I saw someone who looked like your dad, your first dad," Rose said. "And whoever was back here was wearing trainers, look."

Everyone looked down and saw where she was pointing.

"The Doctor's following the trail," she said. "I'm sorry everyone, it just freaked me out."

XOXOXOXOXOXO

The Doctor followed the trail and stopped when the plimsol tracks led to the open doorway of a house. There was a heavy white linen curtain over the door and the Doctor started to go inside.

"Stop!"

The Doctor froze when he heard his former voice coming from inside the doorway.

"Jonathon?" the Doctor said.

"No," the voice said.

The Doctor frowned for a moment in confusion and then a revelation hit him.

"You're me?" he said.

"Yes," Ten said.

"Why are you here?" the Doctor said.

"I'm here because of what will happen soon," Ten said from behind the curtain.

He drew back the curtain and poked his head out, looking around.

"Who's Jonathon?" he said to Eleven.

"Your clone," Eleven said.

"Oh. No, I'm not him, I'm the original," Ten said.

He didn't step outside and kept looking around as he kept his head outside the curtain.

"Sorry, I was going to get help and ran the wrong way. I hid behind the house but I couldn't resist a peek. Didn't expect Rose to see me and I didn't want her to see me but I couldn't help looking at her. Rassilon, she looks beautiful in that dress. Who's the kid though?"

"Jonathon's daughter and now she's mine."

Ten smiled at that.

"Nice to know I'll get a daughter eventually," he said. "But why isn't the clone taking care of her. Or is it one of those things I shouldn't know about?"

"It's one of those things you shouldn't know about," Eleven said.

"Right-o. I won't inquire further then."

"Why are you here?" Eleven said to his past self.

"I'm here to help. Can't say anything more but I eventually enter the picture, so to speak," Ten said. "As I said, I never meant for you lot to see me but I went the wrong way and I miss Rose so much, I had to take a peek at her. Stupid of me to do that but you understand I expect."

"I do," Eleven said.

"Doctor? What's going on?"

"Bugger," Ten said when they heard Rose's voice. "Listen, she can't see me yet. No one can. So…make up a story or something and distract everyone so I can get away."

The Doctor nodded. Ten quickly wished him luck and stuck his head back into the house while the Doctor ran to intercept Rose.

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