Okay, first off, a very huge thanks to katmar1994 for getting me hooked onto "Monster In My Pocket" from Hanna-Barbera. If you haven't seen the movie, you should. It's totally amazing! It's also on Youtube. :)

"Monster In My Pocket" belongs to Hanna-Barbera. I own nothing. Contains some movie spoilers.

Laughter Is Always Needed

Dr. Davenport had just written down a new note about laughter being part of the formula needed to make himself, Big Ed, Mummy, and Wolf-Mon big again when he paused a moment, remembering Carrie's laughter.

As far as he could remember, no one had ever laughed when seeing him and his friends before the shrinking incident. They had all run in fear. But Carrie hadn't when she first met them when they had been shrunk, and though she had been nervous when her laughter had first made them grow, she hadn't been afraid.

"If only more children were like her," he said to himself.

"Hi, Doc!" Carrie said in greeting.

Having not expected that, Dr. Davenport jumped in surprise, tripping over a bit of string and nearly falling off the table, but Carrie caught him just as he did so. "Carrie," he said, his voice sounding a bit stern. "You shouldn't scare a monster, you know."

She smiled. "Why not?" She asked. "You're reaction was priceless."

With that, she began laughing and the doctor grew to his normal size and as he did so, he had an idea. "So you thought my reaction to your sudden greeting was funny?" He asked.

Carrie laughed a bit more. "Yes," she said. "Who knew monsters could be startled?"

She laughed again and suddenly felt two arms wrap around her from behind and gloved fingers wiggled into her stomach, making her laugh harder as she saw the doctor had her trapped in a hug and was tickling her.

"DOC! AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! WHAT…HEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEEHEE!"

A warm chuckle sounded in her ear. "Your reaction to being tickled is amusing, Carrie," Dr. Davenport said. "Perhaps I should call the others to tickle you too."

Carrie shook her head rapidly at that as she kept laughing. "No, don't!" She pleaded through her giggles.

He chuckled again. "Perhaps another time," he said thoughtfully. "But for now…,"

He lifted up Carrie's shirt just a little to expose the girl's tender stomach and he continued tickling her, making Carrie squeal with giggles as her knees buckled and Dr. Davenport chuckled as he gently pinned her to the floor and kept tickling her stomach. "Do you still think my earlier reaction was hilarious?" He asked teasingly.

Carrie hadn't thought the doctor had a big soft spot, but he surprised her that he did and she kept laughing, realizing that while he was getting her back for startling him, her laughter was helping him stay his normal size so that he could properly tickle her to pieces. She then began having a hard time breathing, which Dr. Davenport noticed and stopped, lifting her up into his arms and gently stroking her hair.

She still giggled a bit, but got her breath back after a bit and smile. "I never would have guessed you were just a big old softy under that tough exterior, Doc," she said, giggling again.

She felt him gently poke her stomach. "You're asking for another tickle torture, little one, and I will call in the other monsters for help this time," Dr. Davenport said half-seriously, but half-teasingly.

She giggled and shook her head. "No thanks," she said as she suddenly hugged him and he returned her hug, just before he began shrinking again and was soon down to his shrunk size. Carrie picked him up. "Why did you tickle me, Doc? Besides trying to get me back for scaring you?" She asked curiously.

He chuckled. "Well, as I said, your laughter is one part of the formula we monsters need to grow to our normal sizes again," he said. "But also, you're the first child to laugh at us instead of screaming at us."

"I am?" Carrie asked in surprise.

"Yes, my dear," he said. "Being monsters, many just run as soon as they see us and scream. You didn't, even when we were small and then grew the first time you laughed. You were nervous, we could see that, but you weren't afraid."

"Well, you were still my friends, even when you were back to your normal sizes," she said honestly. "But, I kind of wish my laughter was a bit stronger."

"Why do you say that?" The doctor asked.

"So that you would stay bigger longer," she said. "My laugh only has a short-term effect."

Dr. Davenport chuckled. "Well, of course it only has a short-term effect, my dear," he said. "It's only one part of the formula, but laughter is always needed in many things."

"Yeah, but…,"

"Carrie, I'll tickle you again if I have to," he warned, a smile in his voice.

"But you're too small to do so," she said and laughed at her joke, which made Dr. Davenport grow again.

"I'm just the right size now," he said playfully as he grabbed her before she could get away and tickled her again. "Cootchie, cootchie, coo!"

Carrie laughed and squirmed again, making him chuckle as he tickled her to pieces once more.

I couldn't resist. :)

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GoldGaurdian2418