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The beast below - part one.

"Oh bloody hell that was a good night!" Rory cried, as we walked out of the small pub into the dimly lit street. Rory had invited me to his Stag do, and Amy wanted me to go and keep an eye on him.

I threw my head back and let out a laugh. "You can say that again!"

"I can't believe you fell off of that chair! What an intoxicated mess you are!" He chuckled.

"I didn't fall, Jimmy pulled it back so I missed it!" I corrected. It had been two years since I met Rory, and we were really good friends. I was also extremely close with Amy. It was unusual for me to get so friendly with people due to the fact that one day I would have to pack up and leave, and eventually drop all contact with them. I mean, I have 'old friends' that are in their eighties, some practically on their death beds.. Some actually dead now. I've lived through the great depression, seen the Titanic sink, been married to a soldier in the Hundred Years' War (everyone needed to love and be loved, right?) and even worked for Richard II! I'm not even sure how or why I let it evolve into such a good friendship, I shouldn't have... It was going to be hard to say goodbye whenever the time comes to leave, and I'm almost certain that it can't be too much further away. I've been here two years, soon enough people will start to notice that I'm not aging at all, and my brunette locks aren't starting to go grey now that I was 'reaching my thirties'.

"Are you sure that you don't want me to walk you home?" Rory had stopped chuckling and had paused at the turning I needed to go down.

"It's fine. We're in Leadworth, I'm not exactly going to get kidnapped by some strange man am I?"

"Well, you never know." Rory grinned. "I'll let you go then."

I smiled and we both leaned in for a hug. "Good night Rory."

"Night, Laura!" Rory pulled back and started to walk away. I pulled my phone out of my pocket and checked the time, 11.54.. Well, I had six minutes to try and get home before the lights go out. Perhaps wearing heels wasn't a good idea.

I started off down the road, sliding my phone back into my pocket as I did so. The further away from the center of the Village I walked, the darker it became as the lights were more spread apart. It was a fairly chilly night, and I couldn't wait to just hop into my nice warm bed. All of a sudden, a cold wind picked up, and I wrapped my coat around myself tighter and held it in place. I started to walk a bit quicker, when an odd, yet vaguely familiar sound filled my ears. My heart pounded as I quickly span around, forgetting about holding on to my coat, the cream cotton blowing about behind me. The blue Police box materialized in front of me, and I stared in astonishment. I froze on the spot and continued to stare, right up until the door swung open and the same raggedy doctor from two years ago stepped out.

He looked around.. almost like he was lost, then spotted me. "Oh, Laura! Oh..."

"Doctor?"

"I was headed to Amy's... But apparently the TARDIS had other ideas. She must have wanted to pick you up first!"

"Pick me up?" I questioned. He's just appeared from no where and told me that his police box wanted to pick me up? So much for not getting kidnapped by a strange man!

"Yep! Come on, get in!" He stepped to the side and held the door open for me.

"You're absolutely barmy! You know that right?"

"I'm completely bonkers, but the best people are!" He flashed me a grin and tilted his head to cue me to move, causing my heart pound and my stomach to fill will butterflies.

I hesitated for a moment, then slid past him into the blue box, and gasped at the sight in front of me. It was bigger on the inside.

"Yes, it's bigger on the inside." He chuckled and brushed past me, running up the steps. The door swung shut behind me and I slowly followed him up the steps.

How did he know what I was thinking? "Are you a mind reader as well as a man that has high knowledge in aliens and travels around in a big blue box?"

"Nope!" He cried. "I'm an alien that travels around the universe saving planets and alien colonies."

My mouth dropped open a little. "You're an alien?!"

"Yes, a nine-hundred and seven year old Time Lord from the planet Gallifrey." He started to press buttons on the large console that was directly in the middle of the room.

Nine-hundred and seven... I was almost as old as him... Of course I couldn't say anything about it though. But he might know why I'm like this! I sighed and leaned against the Console. It vibrated beneath my fingers, almost like a contented hum.

"Oh, she likes you!" The Doctor cried, sending me another one of his grins.

"She?" I raised an eyebrow. "Oh you boys and your toys!"

A few minutes later, the TARDIS materialized in Amy's garden. I had been sat on the steps as the Doctor fiddled with the console, neither of us speaking. I was mulling over whether I could say anything about my aging situation.

He rushed over to the door, and glanced over his shoulder at me. "You coming, Laura?"

I nodded. "Yeah." I got to my feet and followed him out of the door to find Amy legging it across the garden in her nightie.

"Sorry about running off earlier. Brand new TARDIS. Bit exciting. Just had a quick hop to the moon and back to run her in. She's ready for the big stuff now." The Doctor called out to her and patted the TARDIS a few times.

She paused under the arch and gaped at the Doctor. "It's you. You came back."

"Course I came back. I always come back. Something wrong with that?"

She took a few steps closer. "And you kept the clothes."

The Doctor looked down at what he was wearing. "Well, I just saved the world. The whole planet, for about the millionth time, no charge. Yeah, shoot me. I kept the clothes."

"Including the bow tie."

"Yeah, it's cool. Bow ties are cool." The Doctor fingered the tie.

Amy narrowed her eyes. "Are you from another planet?"

"Yeah."

"Okay."

"So what do you think?"

Amy frowned, confused. "Of what?"

"Other planets. Want to check some out?"

"What does that mean?"

"It means. Well," The Doctor shrugged. "it means come with me."

"Where?"

"Wherever you like." He answered.

Amy looked up at the TARDIS, her eyes wide. She still didn't appear to have noticed me. "All that stuff that happened. The hospital, the spaceships, Prisoner Zero."

"Oh, don't worry, that's just the beginning. There's loads more." He grinned.

"Yeah, but those things, those amazing things, all that stuff..." Amy took a step closer to the Doctor as a look of anger stormed across her face. "That was two years ago!"

"...Oh. Oops."

"Yeah."

"So that's-"

"Fourteen years!"

"Fourteen years since fish custard. Amy Pond, the girl who waited, you've waited long enough."

She looked up at the TARDIS again. "When I was a kid, you said there was a swimming pool and a library, and the swimming pool was in the library."

"Yeah. Not sure where it's got to now. It'll turn up.. So, coming?!"

"No."

"What?!" I cried.

"You wanted to come fourteen years ago."

"I grew up."

"Don't worry." The Doctor shook his head. "I'll soon fix that."

He clicked his fingers and the TARDIS door opened behind me. I turned around and watched it open, then glared at the Doctor.

"Why didn't you do anything cool like that when you picked me up?!"

He shrugged and slid past me. "Because you were easy."

I twisted and followed him into the box. "Oh you will regret saying that, Doctor!"

He chuckled.

I turned to look as Amy slowly made her way in behind us, taking in how big it was on the inside.

The Doctor turned and stood by her side. "Well? Anything you want to say? Any passing remarks? I've heard them all." He then hopped up the steps to the console.

"I'm in my nightie." She mumbled and took a few steps closer to me.

"Oh, don't worry. Plenty of clothes in the wardrobe. And possibly a swimming pool. So, all of time and space, everything that ever happened or ever will.. Where do you want to start?"

She narrowed her eyes and stomped up the steps. "You are so sure that I'm coming."

"Yeah, I am."

"Why?"

"Cause you're the Scottish girl in the English village, and I know how that feels."

Amy pressed something on the console, then quickly jumped back. "Oh, do you?"

"All these years living here, most of your life, and you've still got that accent. Yeah, you're coming!" The Doctor tapped a bell a few times.

"Can you get me back for tomorrow morning?" Amy questioned.

I hopped up the stairs, a huge smile on my face. "So you're coming?!"

"It's a time machine. I can get you back five minutes ago." The Doctor answered. "Why, what's tomorrow?"

"Nothing. Nothing. Just you know, stuff." Amy mumbled.

I shot her a look, wondering why she wasn't telling the Doctor that her 'stuff' was actually her wedding. She shot a look back as if to tell me to shut up, then looked back at the Doctor.

"All right, then. Back in time for stuff." He said. A screwdriver rose from a slot in the console and he quickly took hold of it. "Oh! A new one! Lovely. Thanks, dear." He pointed it across the room, like a child playing with a new toy.

I rolled my eyes, as he started to fiddle about with things on the console again.

Amy pressed another button and I quickly pulled her hand away. She twisted around and looked up at the ceiling, before snapping around to face the Doctor. "Why me? Why us?"

"Why not?"

"No, seriously. You are asking me to run away with you in the middle of the night. It's a fair question. Why me?"

"I don't know. Fun. Do I have to have a reason?"

"People always have a reason."

"Do I look like people?"

"Yes." Amy and I spoke simultaneously.

"Been knocking around on my own for a while." The Doctor lifted a phone and put it to his ear, then placed it back down again. "My choice, but I've started talking to myself all the time. It's giving me earache."

"You're lonely. That's it? Just that?"

"Just that. Promise."

"Okay." Amy turned around and walked around the console.

The Doctor grinned at me excitedly, and I returned it, then he played with a switch on a monitor. I wandered over to where Amy was leaning on the banister.

"So, are you okay, then?" The Doctor joined us moments later. "Because this place, sometimes it can make people feel a bit, you know."

"I'm fine. It's just, there's a whole world in here, just like you said." Amy looked up at the ceiling again. "It's all true. I thought. Well, I started to think that maybe you were just like a madman with a box."

"He still is.." I muttered. The Doctor softly nudged me.

"Amy Pond, there's something you'd better understand about me, because it's important... Laura learnt this one earlier, and one day your life may depend on it. I am definitely a madman with a box." He chuckled and ran over to the console. Amy and I ran after him. "Yeah. Goodbye Leadworth, hello everything!"

He pulled down a lever and the TARDIS shook to a start. Amy let out a squeal, and the Doctor turned to look at me, a smile set on his face.

"This is so exciting!" I cried. "We're going to see other planets and aliens and things that people say don't exist!"

The Doctor let out a laugh, causing Amy and I to laugh too.

This was the most amazing thing that had happened to me in my entire life!

I'd gone to explore to TARDIS, escaping the thousands of questions that Amy had to ask the Doctor.

Swimming pool in the library? I had to see this. Although, the Doctor did explain that they could be separate now.

I wandered through one of the many corridors, stopping to peek into rooms every now and again. I'd figured that if the TARDIS didn't want me to go into a room, it would be locked, or I'd hear the click of a lock as I got closer. I turned a corner and a door was on my right. I slowly walked towards it, wondering what I'd find, and pushed the door open to reveal a library. A very big, very full, library. I took a few steps into it and softly slid my fingers along one shelf, looking around in amazement. I crossed the room and read a few of the titles. The mystery of Edwin Drood, A house to let, Great expectations.. Well, the Doctor must be a Dickens fan.

"Laura?" I heard my name being called and walked back over to the Library door. "Laura?!"

I poked my head out of the door and shouted; "Library!" then waited for someone to find me.

A few seconds later, the Doctor appeared from around the corner. "Ah, Laura!"

"You called?"

"Yes, bedroom. I'll show you where your bedroom is." He said. I stepped out of the Library and let the door shut behind me. The Doctor led me back down the corridor. "I see you found the Library. Do you like it?"

I nodded. "It's huge! And you have so many books!"

"Feel free to borrow a book at any time. But please, take care of them, I've had a lot of them for centuries, don't want them broken now! Especially the Dickens' classics, I'll tell you the story about how I got them another time though!"

"Have you met him?"

"Dickens?"

"Yes."

"I have, lovely chap, I'll tell you that story another day too!" He paused outside a door. "And this is your room..."

I smiled at him excitedly, before pushing the door open. I gasped at the sight in front of me. It looked just like the room I'd had in the late 1800's. "Its beautiful..." I whispered, looking around. The walls were covered in a baby blue gloss, the floor was wooden with a black and gold flowered rug in the middle of the room. The furniture was white and gold and it all matched, the bed, the dresser, the candle holders, the mirror, the chair and table in the corner.

"The TARDIS likes to design the bedrooms in a way that she thinks the occupant will enjoy." The Doctor told me, taking a step closer to me, letting the door swing shut.

I gently patted the wall. "Thank you." I spoke, getting a hum in reply.

"See, I told you that she likes you!"

I grinned whilst I slowly crossed the room to the bed and took a seat. I slid my hand across the pale pink and gold, frilly bedding, before flopping backwards.

"I really didn't know you were into the whole vintage look, I definitely wouldn't have put you down as one to like the Classic's."

I quickly sat up again and narrowed my eyes. "And what is that supposed to mean?!"

"Oh, no, no, I di-" The Doctor spluttered. "I didn't mean to insult you."

I watched as he tried to find a better way to explain what he meant, trying to hide my giggle as he thought I really was insulted.

"I just meant that I thought you were more of a modern, sleek, square kind of person."

I finally let myself go and burst into a fit of laughter. "Oh, god! I've never seen you so speechless."

He rolled his eyes and crossed the room to sit down next to me. "Oh I see how it is! Taking this old Doctor for a ride! I could easily take you back home you know!"

I slowly stopped laughing and looked at him. "But you won't."

"Won't I?"

"Of course not..." I stood up and skipped over to the wall opposite the bed. I leaned back on it and stretched my arms out. "My good old friend the TARDIS wouldn't let you do that! She came to get me first, remember!"

He chuckled, causing me to laugh again and I covered my face as I did so.

When I was finally done with my little giggle fest, I moved my hands to see the Doctor just sat there watching me, a different look on his face. "What?" I asked, my eyebrows furrowing down into a frown.

He blinked a couple of times before answering. "Nothing.. I just, I don't know." He stood up. "I feel like I've seen you do that before."

"What? Stretch out across a wall?"

"No." He shook his head. "Laugh like that, and cover your face."

I hadn't done that in front of the doctor before.. Had I? When I met him two years ago, I hadn't laughed at all, I was too scared.. And I hadn't done it earlier? Oh god, had I met him before? Hundreds of years back or something?

"Oh, I don't know! I've met a lot of people, I get confused!" He shrugged and walked towards the door. "I'd better find Amy before she causes some kind of trouble."

I smiled. "Yeah... Make sure she's not drowning in the swimming pool or something!" I joked.

He chuckled and pulled the door open. "Come to the console room in about ten minutes?"

I nodded and he left, smiling at me. I stared at the door as it closed, before walking over to the bed. Surely I would remember if I'd met him before? I mean, he was a strange man.. An alien! I couldn't have forgotten that, could I?

I walked down the steps into the Console room to find it empty.. However I could hear the Doctor and Amy's voices. I looked around and spotted that the front doors were open, so I hopped down the steps to find the two of them.

I stepped out of the door to see Amy floating in the sky, the Doctor holding on to her ankle.

"Ah, Laura!" The Doctor twisted his head to look at me. "Care for a float?"

I looked up at Amy, then shook my head. "I'm fine, thank you."

The Doctor chuckled and started to pull Amy back in. "Come on, Pond!"

Amy clung onto him and burst out laughing.

"Now do you believe me?" He asked.

"Okay, your box is a spaceship. It's really, really a spaceship. We are in space!" Amy took in a large breath of air. "What are we breathing?"

"I've extended the air shell. We're fine." The Doctor knelt down and looked over the edge. There was a strange looking city beneath us. "Now that's interesting. Twenty ninth century. Solar flares roast the earth, and the entire human race packs its bags and moves out till the weather improves. Whole nations." He stood up and ran back over to the console. I followed him and the doors shut behind me.

"Doctor?" Amy called.

"Migrating to the stars!"

I turned to look for Amy... But she wasn't in sight. "Doctor?"

"Isn't that amazing?"

"Doctor!" Amy and I cried simultaneously. The Doctor looked at me, then noticed Amy wasn't there and rushed over to the doors. He opened it to reveal Amy hanging on to the roof.

"Well, come on. I've found us a spaceship!" He pulled her down and back into the TARDIS, then the three of us hopped up the steps to the Console. The Doctor pressed a few buttons before an image appeared on a monitor to my left. I took a step closer and looked at it. "This is the United Kingdom of Britain and Northern Ireland. All of it, bolted together and floating in the sky. Starship UK. It's Britain, but metal. That's not just a ship, that's an idea. That's a whole country, living and laughing and shopping. Searching the stars for a new home."

"Can we go out and see?" Amy asked excitedly.

"Course we can. But first, there's a thing." He turned and slide between Amy and I, walking around the Console.

"A thing?" I asked, confused.

"An important thing. In fact, Thing One." He held a looking glass over his eye. "We are observers only. That's the one rule I've always stuck to in all my travels. I never get involved in the affairs of other peoples or planets."

An video appeared on the screen next to the Doctor's head, and we all turned to look at it. There was a young girl crying.

"Ooo, that's interesting."

"So we're like a wildlife documentary, yeah? Because if they see a wounded little cub or something, they can't just save it, they've got to keep filming and let it die. It's got to be hard. I don't think I could do that." Amy said.

"Don't you find that hard, being all, like, detached and cold?" I asked, but there was no reply. We both looked around for him, then I spotted him on the screen and nudged Amy. She looked at me and I pointed to the screen, so we both watched it. The Doctor was talking to the weeping girl.

"Doctor?" Amy mumbled.

The Doctor looked up at the camera and gestured for us to join him.

"Well... Lets go then!" I cried, and skipped towards the door.