Ending of the Hours (Book Four of the Bad Wolf Chronicles)

Prologue

"Who are you?" the Fifth demanded, looking back and forth between the Tenth and Jessie.

The Tenth was just grinning like an idiot. "Oh, brilliant!" he cheered. "I mean, totally wrong. Big emergency, universe goes bang in five minutes, but brilliant!"

"Only you," Jessie chuckled, standing up and dusting her hands off, walking back to his side.

"I'm the Doctor," the Fifth introduced, still staring at them suspiciously. "Who are you?"

"Johanna," she replied easily, crossing her arms and raising an eyebrow at the Tenth. "And you, dear?"

"Yes, you are," he said, nodding and beaming at the Fifth. "You are the Doctor."

"Yes, I am," the Fifth agreed slowly. "I'm the Doctor."

"Oh, good for you, Doctor! Good for brilliant old you!"

The Fifth scowled. "Is there something wrong with you?"

"I haven't noticed anything wrong," Jessie commented.

"Oh, there it goes, the frowny face," the Tenth added. "I remember that one. Mind you, it's a big saggier than I ought to be." He patted the Fifth's face, and Jessie shrugged when he looked at her. "Hair's a bit grayer. That's because of me, though. The two of us together has shorted out the time differential. Should all snap back in place when we get you home. Be able to close that coat again. But never mind that, look at you!"

"The coat, the crickety cricket stuff," Jessie agreed. "The stick of celery." She made a face, adjusting it. "Yeah. Brave choice, celery, but fair play to you. Not a lot of men can carry off a decorative vegetable. This boy behind me would use a banana, and that just wouldn't work."

"No, it wouldn't," the Tenth agreed.

"Shut up!" the Fifth shouted at them, and Jessie snickered, but mockingly zipped her lips when he glared at her. "There is something very wrong with my TARDIS, and I've got to do something about it very, very quickly, and it would help, it would really help if there wasn't some skinny idiot and his foreign lady friend ranting in my face about every single thing that happens to be in front of them!"

Jessie grinned, and the Tenth held up his hands. "Oh, OK. Sorry, Doctor."

"Thank you," the Fifth sighed, turning around.

"And here we go," Jessie sighed as the Tenth brightened.

"Oh, the back of my head!" the Tenth exclaimed.

"What?" the Fifth asked.

"Sorry, sorry," the Tenth apologized. "It's not something you see every day, is it, the back of your own head? Mind you, I can see why you wear a hat. I don't want to seem vain, but could you keep that on?"

"You just really like being rude, don't you?" Jessie asked.

"Well, I'm not ginger, am I?" the Tenth asked.

Jessie snorted loudly, and the Fifth looked at them in shock. "What?" he breathed.

The Tenth raised an eyebrow. "Oh, you sensed that, didn't you?" he asked.

"But that's impossible!" the Fifth gasped.

"Not quite," the Tenth replied, wrapping an arm around Jessie. "Just a little bit unlikely. I'm you from the future. This is your wife, the Bad Wolf. Blood bond and everything."

"Em, excuse me for making a big deal, but . . . " Jessie ducked under his arm and went to a monitor. "We've got a problem." She turned it around. "Paradox about the size of Belgium approaching."