Another chapter. Hoorah!

As always, I hope you enjoy. Some more of my Doctor will be explored here, and if you have any suggestions for development of him or any of my other characters please say. I have a rough idea of where I'm going, but I'd love to hear what you think.

Disclaimer: Doctor Who is not mine, unfortunately. Any characters, places or concepts that aren't original to this story are property of the BBC.

The Beast of Ridge Nook (part 3)

The Doctor awoke hours later, dazed and in panic.

"Ursaform!" He whispered, leaping to his feet and looking around him warily. Casting suspicious glances from side to side, looking out for his oversized enemy while he still had enough energy to fight it, he hadn't realised the change in his environment.

Whereas mere seconds ago he had been lying in a rather uncomfortable yard, the Doctor was now stood at attention in a bedroom, wrapped in blankets and pyjamas that certainly weren't his. He noted the room was rather plain with little furniture. Besides the bed, there was a wardrobe, a mirror, a few books and a pot of tea sitting on a bedside table.

That was good. Tea was good. Without thinking, he jumped down to the floor, took the tea pot and drank straight from it. It was cold, maybe slightly bitter, but it didn't matter. That would stabilise him for a good few hours. Maybe he'd even think clearly for some of it.

Next order of business; his face.

Stumbling to the mirror, he took his first look at this body properly. His hair was longer, lighter than it had been previously. The nose was a minor improvement. It was a Rory-nose. He'd be able to smell better. Teeth, teeth were fine. Still there. Mouth was smaller, but the motor functions were good. He thanked the stars he'd still be able to talk. Eyes, eyes, eyes. Brown, blue, brown, blue. They'd make their mind up eventually. And his ears; hidden under his hair. Weird. Very weird. Not completely rounded. But hidden, an upside to him.

"Not bad at all." He concluded. "Could get to like this."

Taking a step back, he looked more at his stance. He was definitely shorter than before. Much shorter. Or had the last one been a giant? Never spent much time with humans to compare. Correct number of limbs, bonus. Head, shoulders, knees, toes.

Good as new. All he needed now was to pop back to the TARDIS for some new clothes and that he'd be fine.

The TARDIS! Spinning around, the Doctor frantically searched his pockets, before moving on to the wardrobe when he realised that was pointless. The wardrobe was also a disappointment. His blazer, his blazer, his blazer. And his trousers, but most of his things were in his blazer, TARDIS key included. Where was it?

Still holding a blanket, he raced out of the room and onto a fairly well furnished landing. Lots of photos and dressers and more mirrors. He almost jumped in surprise every time he saw the new face. But still no sign of his blazer. Without the key, he had no hope of getting back in. No hope at all. Well he could always click, but the TARDIS possibly would not recognise him. She was as addled as he was, after all.

Growing increasingly worried, he ran down the stairs, finding his footing was a great deal softer on the wooden panels. It was near silent. Another bonus.

As he crossed the hallway, he sighed in relief upon spotting a familiar bottle green jacket hanging besides the front door. His pockets were still full, and the TARDIS key was glowing happily in recognition of completion. Now he could sneak out, back to his home and leave these people be. They didn't need the chaos he brought. They could live in peace; with their horses and dog and the Ursaform. As long as they left it alone, it wouldn't bother them. It would be too busy trying to hunt the Doctor, and he almost chuckled at the thought.

No one need know he was ever here.

"You're awake." Came a voice from a nearby doorway. "How are you feeling?"

The Doctor turned to face the source, immediately recognising her as the girl from earlier. She was remarkably calm for someone who had been attacked by an extra-terrestrial bear. Obviously the adventurous sort. She was small, even from his now shorter perspective, and couldn't have been older than twenty-five. Her hair was darker than his, although it probably would've been a similar shade had he met her two days ago. A much better nose than his.

The eyes though. The eyes were another story. Qualities he recognised shone in them; determination, bravery, a yearning for freedom. But a darkness lay there as well, an uncertainty. Fear. Pain. These were the eyes of a dreamer, someone who would break the chains of everyday life if given the chance. And it terrified him.

"Yes." The Doctor said, unsure of how to deal with her. "Very good, thank you."

She quirked her head, smiling at his puzzlement.

"No back injuries?" She asked. "You took one hell of a smack earlier."

Almost instinctively, he felt his back. He knew there would be no injury, but you could never be certain with regeneration. Cases of deformed skeletons were not unheard of, especially in later incarnations.

"No, no, not as such. Nothing of any concern." He replied, more for his benefit than hers.

"That's good, we were worried we'd have to take you to A&E. Don't know how well that would have gone given your whole two hearts deal." She commented, nonchalantly.

The Doctor snapped up at this, somewhere between a pleasant surprise and outright shock. The sudden need to run away surfaced. "How do you know about that?"

"We checked your heart after you collapsed. And after struggling to locate it, during which we thought you might be dead, we discovered your heartbeat comes from both sides of your chest." Her smile fell into mock seriousness. "Of course, you saying that only confirms it. May have to call the government in."

"In that case, I'll be off, thanks for the tea." He answered, shrugging on his blazer and heading to the door. "Wherever you found the Ursaform, avoid there. It'll just come after you again."

"Ursaform?" His soon to be ex-host repeated. "The big Werebear? You're going to leave it out there in the hills?"

"Yes, yes, yes." He answered, turning on the spot. "It won't be any harm to anyone, and it'll stay out of the way for the most part."

"But we have things to talk about." She insisted. "What is it? Where is it from? Who are you? What are you? Where are you from?"

"I'd suggest you breathe between questions." The Doctor commented, turning back to the door. "And tell you what, since you gave me tea, if I ever see you again I will answer. Thanks again, hope you have a long and prosperous life."

With that, the Doctor left the house, dropping the blanket and leaning more into the comically oversized blazer. He almost lamented over the fact it used to fit perfectly. Green may not have been his colour anymore, but he still really liked it.

As for his host, he was sorry for his rudeness. She'd been curious, and he couldn't blame her for wanting to know why he had two hearts. But he had indulged the curiosity of too many like her, and he regretted every single ending for them. Even the happy ones. They were all because of his intervention.

But he had never wanted to be alone when he regenerated.

A part of him hoped he would run into her again one day. Maybe when she was old. Return the pyjamas and explain himself. That would be a nice story.

Trudging across the yard, he felt the cold of night engulf him. Naturally, his body temperature would roughly match that of his surroundings, but his regeneration was still causing havoc. It would all be over soon. Back to gallivanting the cosmos.

"Excuse me?" A rough voice sounded from an even rougher man who waddled into the Doctor's path.

"Yes, yes. What is it?" The Doctor replied, wanting more and more to reach the TARDIS.

This man was stout and rather large towards the middle. Very thickset arms and legs, and the jaw of a bloke who enjoyed his food. He had a pair of cracking eyebrows; big, bushy and almost overly brown. And the Doctor didn't want to get started on the warts that speckled his face.

"Do you know what's made all this mess?" He questioned, waving his arms towards the carnage of the nearby fields. "My hedges have been torn from the roots, and I daren't speak about my crops."

"A very big thing, Mr…?" The Doctor enquired.

"Mr Grig. I'm the farmer of this here village." Mr Grig answered proudly. Almost overly proud.

"Yes, Mr Grig. A very big something, say a bear, has made its way through your land to attack some rather nice people." He elaborated for Grig's sake. "In fact, the people whose garden we're currently standing in."

"Pogwash!" Grig exclaimed, shifting his eye line nervously, like he expected a big something to attack him. "I doubt the Dennis' would tell me the same story if I asked them. The young lady, Kate, won't give anything as fact without the proof. And I was on my way when I ran into you! Who are you anyway?"

The Doctor sighed. "A person of no real significance here. I'm just passing through. Now I'm going to carry on my way, and you can ask the Dennis' if you so wish. Have a nice night Mr Grig."

"Nice pyjamas." Grig said as they parted ways.

Annoyance fumed through the Doctor, unwelcome to him. He was going to be an annoyed person now. It annoyed him when he was the easily annoyed type. And Mr Grig. He was annoying. Why would he stop a stranger when he could ask his neighbours? Sometimes humans escaped his understanding.

The TARDIS came into sight as he passed through the helpful gap in the hedge left by the Ursaform. He felt himself relax the closer he got to the doors. The Doctor in the TARDIS. Continuing the journey. Hopefully it wouldn't end before he wanted it to. These days, he was wondering just what to see next.

Slotting the key into the lock, he was unhappy to find it unwilling to move. No matter how much he twisted it, it wouldn't turn. With a huff of indignation, he stepped back and clicked his fingers, looking expectantly at the door. Still nothing. Obviously the TARDIS was trying to tell him something.

"What do you want?" The Doctor asked, feeling partly betrayed. "We can leave, vamoose. Come on."

The TARDIS just stood there, seemingly looming over him in disapproval.

"The Ursaform will be fine. We'll come back for it another time." He argued, starting to hop from foot to foot in an effort to stay warm. "I'd quite like to know who I am before I do any random acts of kindness."

Ridiculous as it was, he felt scolded by his home. There must have been something important if the TARDIS was willing to lock him out. In pyjamas of all things.

"What is it?" He insisted. "Is it the girl? Do you want me to apologise? I say, you're almost as infuriating as Grig."

Realisation hit the Doctor at the mention. Mr Grig was too weird looking to be human. Why it hadn't hit him sooner, he had no idea. It was all so obvious. The Ursaform, Grig, the entire farmer thing. The blatant oversize of the creature's muscles. It would take an idiot not to see it.

"Alright, I get it, but do I have to do it now?" he asked, knowing the answer. "Can't I have a change of clothes first?"

Before the words fully left his mouth, the doors swung open and a chest was flung into the Doctor. He fell back into the grass, hearing the slam of the doors. Apparently the TARDIS thought this urgent.

Getting back to his feet, he made a futile attempt to open the doors before turning to the chest that had been ejected. Opening the age worn lid, he smiled at the contents. He may not know himself yet, but the TARDIS had made a reasonable prediction to his tastes.

The Doctor changed his clothes quickly, feeling more comfortable than he had unknowingly been in his blazer. Leaving the chest besides the TARDIS, he strode confidently across the fields back to the Dennis'.

Entering the yard, he spent a moment hiding inside the open garage, taking refuge behind a surprisingly torn up and beaten car. He'd ask later.

Once he was happy Grig had gone another way, the Doctor slipped to the front door, rapping gently on the glass panes. The guilt of his earlier exit had caught up with him, and, feeling desire for making it up, he felt it was time he had a friend.

The girl came up to the door, opening it with a surprised look on her face as she took in his new clothing. Wasting no time, he carefully crossed the threshold, passed her, and into the hall.

"I never asked before. What's your name?" He asked, extending his hand.

Tentatively, she took it and shook as she answered: "Kate. Kate Dennis."

"Kate. Good." He repeated, waiting for her to close the door before going on. "That 'Werebear' is actually an Ursaform, a peaceful creature from Polaris VIII. I am the Doctor. No other name, before you ask. I am a Time Lord, from the planet Gallifrey. I live in a Police Box which is parked three fields over and I am in need of assistance. Preferably from you."

He paused, waiting for any response. Kate merely looked at him in mild amazement.

"I think that answers all your questions, but anything else before we begin tackling a Werebear?" He finished.

She stopped, seeming to think over anything she could say.

"Why did you come back?" She asked eventually.

"Why, for your startling company." The Doctor replied. "That and I realised your farmer neighbour is an Androgum."