NOBODY KNOWS THE TROUBLES I'VE SEEN 1/1 TTR, TDF, marginally the author's Peri arc by Paul Gadzikowski DOCTOR WHO series characters and concepts copyright BBC tv DC Comics characters and concepts copyright Time-Warner (AOL bought them out yet?) THIS TIME ROUND concept by Tyler Dion, after Kielle This is a sequel to Doug Killings' WAFFy "A TDF Christmas" [http://www.enteract.com/~detroyes/teotp/TDFChristmas.txt], and for its lesser length may or may not achieve an even denser WAFF. "Will this night never end?" Doctor Two moaned. The evening before, the Doctors had been reminded that the woman they had their eye on [http://members.iglou.com/scarfman/round31.htm] was Queen to another man. Now they were gathered at their customary table at This Time Round, hoping she'd show up eventually, alternately hoping for and hoping against resolution, by an algorithm that seemed so complex to them as to be entirely random but which could actually be tracked by whether a majority of him had had an even or odd number of drinks from one moment to the next. The very nature of the phenomenon denied hims the power to observe it. "It seems to have gone on for weeks," said Doctor Eight, who at least had had his wait broken up by a short interview with Sir Lancelot of the Round Table Space Fleet. Every time the tavern entrance opened, all eight Doctors spun to look. This time it was Tegan, and a gentleman escort, but the Doctors' vision was too blurry for them to determine whether it was Turlough or Ryouga before it was blocked by Tegan's rapid approach to the Doctors' table. "Doctor," said Tegan, addressing Doctor Five of course (these girls all tended to think of their own as THE Doctor), "there's something I want to ...Are you drunk?" "What thinks you make so?" said Doctor Five, but perfectly straightfaced and without slurring. "Good. Listen, I was talking with Nyssa at the Christmas party ..." (Two a.dw.c authors at a nearby table overheard. ("Wait a minute," said one to the other. "Your arc's 'Forget Something?' was set while 'Meet the Parents' was in theaters, and this is a sequel to my 'A TDF Christmas' - but it's *still* only one night after 'Forget Something?'" ("I keep telling you," said the other author, "TTR is for not having continuity ...") "... a lot of us became TARDIS travelers as a result of losing all our family," Tegan wrapped up - failing to notice the exchange of pained glances that passed between the Doctors when she said it - "but Nyssa's the only one here whose whole planet is gone." "That's true," Doctor One allowed. "Naturally we all want to be supportive for her," said Doctor Four, "but what makes it news?" "Well," said Tegan, "I just thought, maybe the magnitude of her loss is what makes her so unbalanced about Adric. By now I think we all know why she *really* does it. She's been hurt on such a scale, maybe *that's* why her denial is so violent." "Now that we know that, what do we do?" said Doctor Eight, inadvertently quoting PEANUTS. "Find her a support group?" suggested Doctor Six. "Do you think there are many support groups for sole survivors of a dead race?" Doctor Seven rebutted. "We've already established that her situation is singular, enough at least that there's no one else even here who shares it." The tavern entrance opened again, and the Doctors all swung around to look. The new entrant was one of TTR's crossover visitors, one of the first such, if not *the* first. In those crossovers he had a unique relationship with the Doctor, a very deep one, but he wasn't the person they were looking for right now. ...Or was he? "Tonight there is," Doctor Five answered Doctor Seven. He rose and greeted the newcomer, leading him out of the main room as the other Doctors thrashed out the rest of the plan with Tegan. When Nyssa arrived at the 'Round that evening (an armory that would've impressed a Tom Clancy hero hidden on her person in anticipation of the end of Adric's shift), Tegan bounded up to her rather than wait until Nyssa joined her at a table. "Nyssa!" Tegan gushed. "I have a surprise for you!" "Oh, Keeper," swore Nyssa, "not another attempt to 'cure' me, is it?" "Of course!" said Tegan, who knew Nyssa knew that too-cheerful tone and hadn't bothered trying to disguise it. Nyssa decided it had been so long since Tegan had tried this that whatever the new idea was must at least be worth a look. She allowed Tegan to lead her into one of the 'Round's back rooms. There were many chairs all facing one way as if in a classroom. Only one of the chairs was filled. Nyssa recognized the room's occupant, of course. As they entered he turned to them and asked Tegan, "Is the meeting ready to start?" "Meeting?" Nyssa asked. "I think everyone's here," said Tegan, scooting back out the door. "If you'll have a seat, miss," said the other, "we'll get started." Now curious beyond her capacity to resist, Nyssa assumed one of the chairs. When she was seated, the other rose, walked to the front of the room, turned to face Nyssa, and addressed the chairs as if they were all full. "Hello," he said. "My name is Kal-El, and I am the last survivor of Krypton." FIN