-Earth-
"Where've they all gone?" the Doctor asked running up a set of stone steps to look around the children's play area.
"Don't know."
"Play time's probably over." Amy told him.
"This has to be the real one." Mickey told Martha, wrapping an arm around her shoulders and placing one hand on her stomach to feel the baby, "It's so real. I just. I feel it. It's normal, we're happy."
"We're happy both places." Martha replied.
"It's so tranquil and relaxed." Mickey continued, ignoring the Doctor bouncing around with his sonic, "Nothing bad could ever happen here."
"Not really us, though, is it? Would either of us be happy settling down in a place with a pub, two shops and a really bad amateur dramatics society? That's a perk of being pregnant, I don't have to see them doing 'Oklahoma'." Martha giggled and Mickey grinned.
"What are you doing with Sean's lunch bag?" Amy said curiously as the Doctor picked it up gingerly.
"Play time's definitely over." he turned it to show them glowing red goo that slid down one side.
"Oh, my God." Martha whispered.
"What happened?" Mickey asked.
The Doctor turned, looking into the town. Coming down the path was a group of the children from the home along with a few older teens and young adults.
"I think they did."
"They're just children." Martha told him.
"No. They're very old people." the Doctor replied heading down the steps. "Sorry, Mickey, I don't think you're what's been keeping the crime down."
The children lined up along the path facing the park across from the Doctor and his friends.
The Doctor, Martha, Mickey, Amy and Yumo didn't make it far down the path before the Dream Lord appeared.
"Hello, peasants! What's this, attack of the children? Oooh, Children of the corn! Oh, that's just ridiculous. This has got to be the dream, hasn't it? What do you think, Amy? Let's all jump under a bus and wake up in the TARDIS!" the Dream Lord shot the Doctor an amused look, "You first."
"Leave her alone!" the Doctor growled.
"Do that again. I love it when he does that. Tall dark hero, 'Leave her alone.'"
"Just leave her!" Mickey yelled, stepping in front of his girls.
"Yeah, you're not quite so impressive. But you know what Doctor? I know where your hearts lie. I know how your hearts lie."
"Shut up!" Amy yelled, "Shut up and leave us alone!"
"Oooh, listen to you there. You know, he loves a redhead, our Doctor! Has he told you about Elizabeth the First? Well, she THOUGHT she was the first...oh, or Donna. Has he told you about what happened to dear old Donna?"
"Drop it." the Doctor demanded, so angry his voice was quiet, "Drop all of it. I know who you are."
"Course you don't." the Dream Lord stuttered a bit.
"Course I do. No idea how you can be here, but there's only one person in the universe who hates me as much as you do."
"Never mind me, " the Dream Lord waved his hand to dismiss the Doctors words, "Maybe you should worry about them.
The group began advancing on them slowly. The Doctor looked to the Dream Lord then back to the children.
"Hi?"
"Hello! We were wondering where you went. To get reinforcements! Are you all right? You look a bit tense?" the Doctor addressed the group with enthusiasm.
"Hello, Jacob." Mickey said to one of the boys.
"Mickey..." the Doctor said warningly.
"Jacob's older brother got into a bit of a mess a few years back, but I got him out of it."
Jacob walked forward, lifted Mickey up by his shirt front menacingly.
"Jacob, what-"
Jacob threw him backwards into the mud.
"How did he do that!" Mickey demanded scrambling to his feet and brushing mud off.
"I suspect he's not himself." the Doctor said calmly, "Don't get comfortable here. You may have to run. Fast."
"Can't we just talk to them?" Martha pleaded, really not wanting to do any running.
Suddenly the children's eyes began to glow a dark red colour, their hands clenched tight at their sides.
"What's wrong with their eyes?" Amy yelped.
"There's a whole creature inside of her." the Doctor said, scanning Carol with his sonic." Inside all of them. They've been there for years, living and waiting."
"That's disgusting." Mickey said before realizing the implications of that, "Wait, if they're inside, what happened to the children? The real children?"
Carol hissed and shot something violently red out of her mouth at them. Mickey pulled Martha backwards just in time to avoid it.
The Doctor leapt in front of them, "Run!"
Martha grabbed Amy's hand and the three of them ran leaving the Doctor behind; they knew from years of experience not to argue.
"OK, leave them. Talk to me. Talk to ME. You're Dygans aren't you?"
Carol nodded slightly.
"That's a proud, ancient race -you're better than this! Why are you hiding away here? Why aren't you at home?"
"You should know, Doctor. You drove us from our planet."
"What?" he whispered.
"You drove us from our planet. It was consumed by roaring flames." Jacob said.
"We've been living inside the bodies of these humans for...years."
"No wonder they live so long."
"We take them young and we shall live forever. We were humbled and destroyed. Now we will do the same to others!" Carol snarled.
"OK, makes sense, I suppose. Credible enough, could be real."
"Morning!" A man called out cheerfully, pushing his bike along the road, "Looks like a great d-"
Carol shot the red goo at him. As it impacted his chest he screamed as he started to dissolve before collapsing into nothing by a tiny bit of red goo.
"You need to leave this planet!" the Doctor yelled.
-Home-
Mickey raced along the path to their home, Martha at his side with their daughter running not far in front of them with her faithful corgi bouncing along with her.
"Wait! Stop!" Martha gasped for air and rested against a fence post near the door.
Mickey glared back behind them at the children, "After all you've done for the children of this community."
Martha straightened up again and they went towards the door, only to find a little girl waiting.
"Ok, this is crazy! She loves me," Mickey said, "I gave her a ride on my motorcycle, she's just a little girl."
Martha tried it Mickey's way, "Laura, we don't understand."
Laura's eyes began to glow red prompting the adults to back up.
"I'll deal with this one, Chubs...now..."
Mickey drew her attention away letting Martha reach the door and their daughter.
He picked up a stout piece of wood, but hesitated and backed up. "I can't hit her!" Mickey said finally.
"Whack her!" Amy yelled.
Mickey hesitated, made a face and instead tripped her, planting a boot on her bum as he passed to send her sprawling.
Mickey dashed into the house, slamming and bolting the door behind him.
"We just ran away." Martha said, fearful, "We just abandoned the Doctor. And don't you ever call me 'Chubs' again."
"We don't see him for years, and then he takes a bullet for us." Amy observed.
"Don't worry about the Doctor. He's 'Mr. Cool'." Mickey told his girls, barricading the door with a coffee table.
-Theta-
The Doctor ran down the street on wobbly legs. Stumbling over blocks, both real and imagined. He was being chased by the group of children, but as he ran he tried desperately to block out the birdsong and stay awake.
He looked around trying to find anywhere to hide but could only locate a butcher shop. He dashed inside, slammed the door behind him and locked it, flipping the sign to 'closed' as an afterthought. He didn't think they'd listen, but on the off chance they might...
The Doctor looked around and quite nearly groaned aloud as he saw the Dream Lord behind the counter dressed as a butcher looking smug.
"Oh, I love a good butcher's don't you? We've got to use these places or they'll shut down. But you're probably a vegetarian, you big flop-haired wuss."
The Doctor scowled and grabbed a key from a nearby shelf, trying to unlock a door, "Oh pipe down. I'm busy."
"Maybe you need a little sleep?" he suggested innocently.
The Birdsong returned louder than before.
The Doctor slumped to the ground, eyes closing.
"Oh, wait a moment," the Dream Lord leaned over the counter and the Doctor stood up quickly, "If you fall asleep here, several dozen angry munchkins will destroy you with their horrid goo shooting thing-ys." the Doctor ignored him, going into a hall behind the counters while stuffing his fingers in his ears.
"Really, fingers in the ear? Brilliant."
The Doctor slid to the ground sleepily.
"What's next, shouting boo?"
The crowd arrived outside finally and the Dream Lord grinned in anticipation, "Come in. Come in! Yes we've got lots at 'steak' here this week. Lots at steak. Get it?" The Doctor got up with a sudden burst of energy as the children entered looking around for him. He gripped the door and made his way into the second freezer. He slammed the door, but slid to the ground again before he could lock it.
"Wait, stop!" the Doctor said, digging into his pockets as the Children tried to open the doors.
"Oh, I can't watch." the Dream Lord covered his eyes.
The Doctor stood with great effort and used the screwdriver to close the door completely and lock it shut finally.
As it clicked shut his eyes rolled up in to the back of his head and he fell over backwards in a dead sleep.
-TARDIS-
The Doctor awoke, with Amelia lying next to him, curled at his side, Yumo on his chest and Martha and Mickey sprawled next to him.
Martha sat up, clutching her blanket closer. "Ah, it's colder."
"The four of us have to agree, NOW, which is the dream." the Doctor urged them as he buttoned his jacket up.
"This, here." Mickey said.
"He could be right; the science is all wrong here, burning ice?" Martha said.
"No, no, no! Ice can burn, sofas can read, Asteroids can get married; it's a BIG universe. WE have to agree which battle to lose. All of us, now."
"Okay, which world do you think is real?" Martha asked.
"This one." the Doctor said.
"The other one!" Mickey protested.
"Pond?" Martha asked.
Amelia frowned, not that they could see it through the scarf and mumbled something.
"Say that again with less scarf." Mickey said.
Amelia moved the scarf up some, "I said I feel it both places."
"What about you, Martha?" Mickey asked.
"I...don't know." Martha frowned, "I really...I think this one, but I don't know."
"Nine minutes till impact." the Doctor declared, checking his watch and leaping to his feet.
"What temperature is it?" Amelia asked.
"Outside? Brrrr. I think the thermometer broke… Inside? I don't know, but I can't feel my feet and ...other parts."
"I think all my parts are basically fine." Mickey told Martha.
"Oi, stop competing!" the Doctor scolded Mickey.
"Can't we call for help?" Amelia asked the Doctor, holding out the phone.
"Yeah," the Doctor took the phone, "The universe is really small - there's bound to be someone nearby!" he tapped her lightly on the head with it before hanging it back up.
"Put these on!" Martha tossed a blanket to the Doctor, one to Mickey and one to Amelia. Each blanket had a hole cut in it.
The Doctor looked at it interestedly and spun around in a circle to make it poof out.
"Oh, a poncho: the biggest crime against fashion since lederhosen." Mickey said sarcastically pulling it on anyway. "Just the sort of outfit Jack would love."
"Well, if we're going to die at least we'll go looking like a Peruvian folk band." Martha adjusted it and watched the screen, standing close to Mickey."And don't you dare suggest this as a style to Jack; he'd just wear it as a kilt."
"We're not going to die." Amelia told her.
"No, we're not." the Doctor checked his watch, "But our time's running out. If we fall asleep here, we're in trouble." he paced back and forth obviously upset, "If we could divide up, then we'd have an active presence in each world, but the Dream Lord is switching us between the worlds. Why, why, what's the logic?"
The Dream Lord appeared suddenly in a poncho, pacing next to the Doctor matching his stride. "Good idea, veggie, let's divide you four up so we can have a little chance. I'll keep you and they can have the tag-along for all eternity, should you lot ever manage to clamber above some sort of reality."
Birdsong began to fill the TARDIS affecting Martha, Mickey and Amelia noticeably.
"Can you hear that?" Mickey asked the Doctor sleepily.
"What? No!"
"Doctor?" Amelia whimpered as she nearly crashed down in sleep.
The Doctor caught her and lowered her to the floor.
"No, not alone." the Doctor whispered as the three fell into a deep sleep, "Don't leave me alone..."
[AN: Good news, I have net back ; my partner in crime is away on a family reunion. I have free reign of the keyboard…I think I like this..I've no doubt I'll be whining later, but while I've got free reign and no one to say no…Let's have a look ahead, shall we?]
"Look, Martha, It's my choice who I want to spend my time with and what they- hold on." Tish's voice sounded further away from the phone, "Oi! Stay out of my trousers, I'm on the phone. You can have your shirt back in a minute."
"Tish!" Martha yelped.
"What? Oh come on, you've done worse I'm sure and -" Tish's voice sounded far away again, "Hey! Those are mine thanks, you wouldn't look good in them...No it wasn't a challenge! Can I please call you back? I've got one person trying to get into my trousers and another trying to figure out how to get the other out of them."
[Just remember that everything you hear isn't always what it seems..."