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"Don't you dare," he said with a warning glance. As if on cue, the TARDIS hid the library deep within it's corridors. "Besides, we're almost there so keep your clothes on."

He twirled a knob and the TARDIS pierced through the time vortex. The Doctor grinned as if he were plotting something.

{Where do you wanna go? biggrin }

The TARDIS landed with a great big thunk. He checked the screens to make sure where they were before finally running towards the door.

"This is the planet Carroll 4, it's the fourth planet on a binary star system . Just imagine two stars one blue one red, just dancing through space and carrying along a troop of fifteen planets with it..." he opened it and stepped beside the doorway so Ally could see the scenery beyond the door frame.

The grass was a dark green with gigantic flowers the size of pine trees. Great big mushrooms dotted the landscape and far above a pale blue sun and a faint moon were shining a dim light down below.

"The sun was shining on the sea,
Shining with all his might:
He did his very best to make
The billows smooth and bright--
And this was odd, because it was
The middle of the night.

The moon was shining sulkily,
Because she thought the sun
Had got no business to be there
After the day was done--
"It's very rude of him," she said,
"To come and spoil the fun!"

He sang and and rushed out to climb atop a mushroom.

"Isn't this place just brilliant?!" he laughed as the blue sun cast an etheral glow over everything, "we made it just at the solstice! Sunlight in the middle of the night. That star there, is called the White Queen, and the star's sister of course, is called..."

He trailed off so she would finish the sentence.

"Don't be silly Allyce, that's just a story," he said punning her name with a smile, "this place was named after Alice in Wonderland... or was it the other way 'round?"

He thought about it for a moment before shaking his head and taking a seat on the mushroom.

"A while back I took Carroll out here for a trip. He had a terrible case of writer's block and had decided to give up and become a photographer. But one look at this place and BAM! He churned out Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass all in one night! He still had to flesh it out a bit of course, but Lewis had his story!" he said with an impish grin, "'Course, thousand of years into the future, explorer's from Earth find this place and call it Carroll 4 and the timey-wimey cycle is complete."

"Mind the cat..." he said as he stared up at the White Queen.

"So rude..." a disembodied voice grumbled and a cat appeared beside Ally. His bright green eyes scowled at Ally. She'd obviously disturbed his sleep with her jumping. "Oh no don't mind me, just continue JUMPING on my bed."

There was a puff of mist and he vanished once more before reappearing in mid air.

"A Cheshire cat I believe," the Doctor smiled like a maniac as said cat floated between the two travelers.

The Cheshire cat's ears flattened against its head and hissed at Ally.

"Madam if you touch me I will have your head," he growled.

"Oi, no need to be touchy, Yurik, she didn't know you were there," the Doctor called out.

"And I don't appreciate you barging into my bedroom at odd hours of the night, Doctor," the cat grumbled.

"It's the Solstice, man! No creature on Carroll sleeps on the solstice!" he grinned, "there's parties, and festivals, tea parties, and HATS! Ooh! Ally you must see the hats here! They're brilliant!"

"Doctor, you're either very stupid or very lost. There hasn't BEEN a festival in Carroll for going on 150 years not since you were here last anyway," the cat scowled and began licking his paw.

"What? That's rubbish! Why not?" the Doctor replied sitting up straight.

Yorik's eyes stared intently at the Doctor.

"After you left, Wonderland was invaded by the Trump King and his Queen," the cat stated icily. "We've had very little to celebrate... or eat."

"Ally..." the Doctor's voice held a warning as Yorik glared at her.

"Well I'm so terribly glad our misery pleases you so much," he frowned, "mayhaps we can torch a pair of kittens as a parting gift."

"Yorik, listen, she didn't mean..."

"No YOU listen Time Lord," the cat spat his eyes burning with seething anger, "you come into my home uninvited, you wake me up in the middle of a miserable night, not that you ever bother to knock, you bring another dim witted ape before me, and to top off the evening you insult my intelligence by comparing the Famine and War to something the OTHER dim-witted ape wrote!"

Yorik's shape had rippled and twisted until it looked more like a black and purple panther than a cat.

"GET OUT!" he roared angrily, "GET BACK IN YOUR MISERABLE BOX AND GET OUT!"

The Doctor slowly got to his feet and approached the panther-cat.

"Yurik, I'm sorry, we didn't mean to be disrespectful," he said giving Ally THE LOOK TM, "tell me, what's happening here?"

Yurik growled at him baring impressive fangs but eventually dissolved in a puff of mist.

"Why don't you take a look for yourself?" his disembodied voice stated coldly as a silver ladder appeared on the side of a large tree.

The Doctor frowned and climbed to the canopy of the trees. All around there was lush green foliage, until he looked southward. There like a great big disease was a vast charred wasteland as far as the eye could see. It curved around the greenery as if poised to engulf it. Broken trees and rotting carcasses dotted the charred expanse and the ground was cracked and parched.

"There's nothing left," Yurik said grimly as he appeared in the air beside him. "Every last leaf was burned to the ground."

"Why would anyone do this?" he said appalled at the destruction.

"To send a message... this is what happens when you fight back," the cat growled, "this is what happens when you rebel against the Trump King."

"Right then," the Doctor sighed, "where's the Trump King? We'll need to have a chat."

"How did I know you were going to say that?" Yurik said with half-lidded eyes, "You think you're the God's gift to the Universe. Well let me tell you one thing, Doctor, the Trump King does not hold audiences with anyone. You can't talk him out of staying and that's the facts. He's not a creature of reason."

"What is he?" the Doctor asked unfazed.

Yurik sneered and glanced at Ally down below.

"Why don't you ask her?" he growled under his breath, "She has the same stink as they do. Honestly Doctor, I always thought you a half-way decent chap, what are you doing traveling with the likes of her?"

"Who's company I keep is none of your business, Yurik."

"A name for a name, Theta. You'd do well to watch her. She smells of blood."

"Theta isn't my real name, and I think I know her well enough."

"Funny that you assume Yurik is mine. Or wait...? Did you think I trusted you? Well then you must be madder than the Hatter."

"Where is ol' T.R.?" the Doctor smirked.

"I did mention he was mad," the cat said with a distant look. "He led the first attack of the resistance. He failed. Tarrant is the Trumps' prisoner now, what's left of him anyway. I hope he's dead, for his sake."