Chapter 7 Part 1 - Expansion

A/N - So, it ended up being longer than I expected and I was forced to cut it up. This is part 1 of 4(maybe 5). So just a heads up, it's the beginning of the end, which might or might not involve tragic character death and/or smutty bits. Should I or shouldn't I? You let me know and maybe I'll reconsider
Without further ado, chapter 7 - part 1, enjoy!

As soon as the whirring of the TARDIS stopped, I turned to the Doctor so he could inform me as to where we'd landed.
"Go look for yourself." He grinned. I excitedly ran up to the doors and burst through them, letting out a yell as I tumbled forward, unable to find any ground for my feet to land on. Instead of ground, I soon realized, there was a vast water mass underneath us. A vast water mass I'd just dived right in. The Doctor poked his head out the doors just as I surfaced again, spewing out the water. He frowned.
"This isn't the Ood-Sphere…" He whispered as he went back inside, probably to check the coordinates. I reached up to grab the doorstep and hauled myself back into the ship.
"Isn't this the ocean planet of Verizion Nine?" I remembered liking the pictures I'd seen of it. He looked up in surprise.
"Very good." He complimented. "But this wasn't the destination I picked." I squeezed the water out of my hair and sighed, looking outside over my shoulder. The sky was a mix of dark blue and purple and I spotted two moons, one vastly bigger than the other. The water stretched out far beyond my sight and looked rather inviting. As far as I could remember, there were no hostile creatures on the planet either.
"Why not stay? Go for a swim?" I made my way to the wardrobe and took the first swimming gear that I saw, quickly changing into it before making my way back to the control room.
"Hey," He still had his eyes locked onto the screen, "maybe we shouldn't-" I'd already ran past him to properly dive out of the open doors. The underwater world looked absolutely beautiful and I wondered whether there was any scuba equipment on board.
"You're not a good listener, are you?" The Doctor asked as I surfaced. He was leaning against the door post, grinning at me.
"I can be. But why shouldn't we? As far as I know, the Naga are a pea-" Just as I was about to say 'peaceful', something grabbed my ankle and pulled me downwards. Looking down, I saw the scaly reptilian snakes that were the Naga, taking me along. One came closer and pressed his lips onto mine without even the slightest warning. I tried to push him away, but he was so much stronger, I didn't even stand a chance. As soon as he parted I opened my mouth to scream at him and -much to my surprise- I could. The Naga grinned at my surprise before turning and joining his kin in the swim down. I could breathe perfectly fine, under water. He'd given me that ability. What was it? An air bubble of some sort? Or was this permanent?

I was gawking at the brilliant under water scenery when we suddenly stopped. I looked up and shrieked at the huge castle in front of us.
'How the hell did I miss that?!' I thought as I observed the architecture. It seemed to be made out of coral and natural things you find in the sea. It looked almost like a fairy tale, to be honest. The tail around my ankle was removed and I opted making a run… swim for it, when I realized that they'd probably catch up to me before I'd gotten anywhere near the surface. They beckoned me to follow them and I did as asked, curiosity being my main drive.
"You have no need to be afraid, human, we mean you no harm." One of them, the one that had granted me the breathing ability, said as he nodded. Being seen as a human could have advantages, so I decided it would be best not to correct him.
"Alright. And thanks for this, by the way." I pointed to my mouth, indicating the breathing. He blinked.
"You're welcome." He quickly swam ahead and I frowned for a moment, before coming to the conclusion that he'd misinterpreted.
'Flirting with reptiles. Lovely.' I thought sarcastically as I struggled to keep up with the rest.

I was completely exhausted by the time we'd reached the main hall and could only pant as I tried my best to stay close to the ground. Too bad that physics compelled me to rise again every single time. I sighed relieved when one of the Naga decided to keep me from drifting off by grabbing my shoulder.

After standing -or floating- around for what felt like five minutes, a door slammed open. (Don't ask me how a door can slam open under water, because apparently it can.) Through the door slithered a rather large female Naga with a headdress and fancy looking clothes.
'The Queen, I suppose.' I thought as I watched her take a seat on the throne. Now that I thought of it, this throne room looked much like the one on the Vatrena ship.
"Human..?" One of her servants asked after she raised her hand. I wondered whether honesty would be more beneficial in a situation as this one, then decided it wasn't before nodding at the Queen.
"Yes, m'am."
"How did you get here, human?" The servant asked.
"With a ship, m'am."
"Are there others?" I shook my head. Now the element of surprise would be on our side if we'd ever need it.
"Good." The Queen herself spoke.
"I don't mean to be rude, but what'll happen to me?" One of the Naga swam up to her and whispered something in her ear.
"You have been claimed." She smirked.
"Claimed?" I asked surprised.
"I have no doubt you'll be a great servant."
"Doubt would probably be very well grounded here." I murmured as they grabbed my arms and took me away.

"I'm not pleased about this. This is probably against the law too. Holding innocent humans captive. The law will catch up to you, mark my words." I started sounding like an old madman after only an hour in the room. Perhaps it was because I was alone and uncertain of the future. Or maybe just because I was bored out of my mind. There was a bed -I figured it was that as I could see no other purpose for it- and that was it. There was nothing else, not even a mirror on the wall. Not that I wanted to see my reflection in this underwater world, but it's the idea that counts.
"Someone listen to me, please." I whined. The door opened and the Naga who'd blatantly kissed me before came in.
"Don't tell me you're the one who claimed me." He seemed slightly hurt by that.
"Would I not suffice? I can give you anything your heart so desires." He slowly came closer, observing me.
"For the record, is that a bed?" I gestured at the pile of seaweed and frowned. Avoiding the subject of 'being sufficient for something' was best left alone in my opinion, at least for the time being.
"That is indeed a bed." He confirmed.
"Cool." He lowered himself beside me and just stared for a moment.
"You seem so familiar somehow." I blinked a few times.
"Familiar?"
"Yes, as if I've met you before."
"It's my first time here, so I don't think...' I trailed of when I spotted a chain coming from his vest pocket. That would explain it. I held up my hand and looked at him.
"May I?" I spotted a scaly blush as he nodded. I slowly reached for the chain and took it out. My heart jumped slightly and I let go, pulling back immediately.
"What is wrong?" He asked, frowning.
"I... Nothing, that's a pretty watch." I smiled. He returned the smile and nodded.
"I have had this thing for ever. It is my most precious item." Naga weren't very materialistic beings as far as I knew, so for one to hold onto something was strange. That only confirmed my theory.
"So, what's your name?"
"I am known as Anan. And your name?"
"I'm Haylee. Nice to meet you."
"Nice to meet you too." He smiled kindly.
"What'll you do to me though?" I asked cautiously.
"You needn't worry. We've brought your ship down. I can show you, if you wish." My breath caught.
"I'm not sure she's … waterproof." I'd never tested it and I knew that just assuming it would be foolish, Time Lords never had much with water to begin with.
"Again, please do not fret." He took my hands into his scaly ones, they were rough to the touch. "We have constructed an air bubble around it. It is completely safe." I sighed relieved and came up with an idea.
"Could you show me around? I'd love to see the palace." His eyes lit up and he got back up, taking me along.
"We have special boots that will keep you to the ground, let us get those first." He said as he pulled me along out of the room.

The boots were something else. They felt incredibly light, but managed to keep me from floating up all the time. I could now walk and run as if I was on dry land.
"This is so much better, thanks." I thanked my new friend. After having a casual talk with him, I discovered that he wasn't a bad guy at all. He was incredibly nice.
"You are most welcome." He smiled. "I can imagine you would like to see your ship now."
"I would, actually, if it's not too much trouble."
"Not at all. Please follow me."

After following him through the maze that was the underwater palace, we arrived at a storage room where the TARDIS was waiting in her bubble.
"I must admit, I have never seen a ship quite so…" He struggled to find the right word. "Blue." I nodded proudly as I walked up to her and scraped my throat.
"Would you mind if I go into my ship which harbors no one at this moment?" I said loudly, perfectly sure that the Doctor would hear.
"Not at all. Then you can show me around your ship in return." Anan smiled innocently and ignorantly. I entered the bubble and gasped as I sucked in the air. It was different from what I'd been breathing just now. I opened the door and walked in, hearing amazed gasps behind me.
"It is bigger on the inside."
"It is." I confirmed. "I shall now talk to the interface, which sounds like a man." The Doctor caught my drift and powered up the intercom from the hallway.
"TARDIS?"
"Yes." The Doctor's voice. Anan looked up in surprise.
"Amazing." He murmured.
'You have no idea.' I thought as I sighed.
"Anyway. TARDIS, how have you been?"
"Lonely."
"Aww." I heard Anan behind me.
"Well, TARDIS, I'd like you to meet Anan." I gestured at the Naga behind me. "Anan has a very nice watch." I turned to him. "Could you hold it up? The TARDIS really likes watches." Anan did as asked and took the watch from his pocket, holding it up and showing it around.
"Very nice indeed. Haylee, could you come to your bedroom? I'm afraid something's happened there."
"Oh dear. I better go check. Would you mind waiting here for a moment?" He put the watch back and nodded.
"Of course." I thanked him, smiled and took off.
"Don't touch anything!" I yelled just after I'd turned the corner.

I opened the door to my room, closed it behind me and leaned against it with a sigh. I was instantly taken into a hug by the Doctor.
"You scared the living daylights out of me!" He said accusingly.
"It's not like that was my fault." I said as I tapped his shoulder, signaling him to let me go. He reluctantly did and sighed. "He's-"
"I know, I saw, but I don't know how he got here. I've never heard of the method changing a Time Lord into a Naga." He sounded baffled. He looked up. "Could you get him to open it?"
"I'm not sure I want to… He seems kind of happy here." He just stared at me, before opening his mouth to say something, then closing it and opening it before closing it once more.
"So, what you're saying, is that we let the Time Lord, of which there are now two left, live happily as a Naga for the rest of his life?" I raised my shoulders.
"That's ridiculous! If there are more hidden Time Lords, then we should get as many of them back!" I sighed.
"And then what? Hoard them in the TARDIS?" He shrugged.
"It's big enough. At least until we've found a good planet." We sounded like a couple bickering over getting a new pet.
"Don't you want to fill that emptiness in your heart?" He asked hopefully as he grabbed my shoulders.
"I don't really feel that much emptiness… I can imagine it must be so much more difficult for you, but think of what it'd do to him. He might be incredibly unhappy."
"I don't believe that." With that he brushed past me and started sprinting down the hallway.
"Hey, wait!" I yelled after him as I followed.

I lost track of him after a while and figured he'd probably taken some shortcut only he knew of.
"Dammit, Doctor." I muttered as I turned the corner to the control room to find him talking to Anan.
"So, why don't you open it then?" I could hear Anan stammering a refusal, just as I had when I was in his position.
"Stop it right there!" I said as I leaned against the control panel, panting. Apparently, my stamina wasn't up to a Time Lord standard yet. Anan quickly slithered over to me and hid behind me.
"Who is that man?" He asked, sounding almost like a child.
"He's someone who can't listen." I threw the Doctor an angry glance before turning to Anan.
"Are you okay though?" He nodded.
"But what is it with the watch? You reacted to it before too…"
"Yeah… There's something I should tell you." He cautiously nodded.
"First things first." I had to confirm that his situation was similar to my own.
"You're an orphan?" He nodded, a surprised look on my face.
"How do you-"
"You can ask me later. And you've had that watch for as long as you can remember?" He nodded again. The Doctor was now standing beside me.
"And you have never opened that watch before?"
"Never…" He confirmed. I looked sideways at the Doctor, who was just staring at me. I let out a deep breath.
"Okay. There's no denying it now. Go ahead, Doctor, tell him."
"You started it, now you finish it." He sounded almost annoyed. I bit my lip, I didn't want to tell him.
"Fine… Anan, I'm not a human."
"You are not?" I shook my head.
"I'm a Time Lord." His eyes widened at the word.
"Our home planet, Gallifrey, was lost in a war and some of us escaped by changing our molecular structure to that of a different species. The Time Lord essence was then stored in a watch to wait until it would be opened, then we'd become a Time Lord once more. That happened to me." I took out my own watch and showed it to him.
"They are identical…" He concluded after watching it for a moment. I nodded.
"You're actually a Time Lord too and if you open that watch, you will once again become one. It's completely up to you whether you choose to do it or not." I explained. He frowned.
"This is…" He let out a nervous laugh. "This seems so surreal." He turned the watch over in his hands. "This may sound silly, but I have always felt slightly out of place here. Maybe that is because of… this."
"I know the feeling." I agreed.
"I think I should do it." He told me as he held his finger over the button, I could see how he was shaking.
"You're certain? There's no turning back after you click that button." I warned, I really didn't want him to make a choice he'd regret later.
"I am. If this is not who I am, then what is the point of living a lie?"
"Wise words." The Doctor whispered.
"Alright then. Good luck." We both took a step backwards and watched as he pressed the button.

I couldn't handle the bright light that followed and had to avert my eyes. The Doctor, however, kept his eyes fixed on Anan, determined to watch the expansion of his race, no matter how small.
"You must be happy now." I muttered to the Doctor once the light got less strong.
"Why? He made the choice, didn't he?" I shrugged.
"I wonder if he'll regret it."
"Do you?"
"No, no I don't, but I had nothing left back there. Maybe he had friends or his adoptive parents or whatever."
"Maybe."
"We should probably put him in a bed." I stared at Anan's unconscious body on the ground.
"We should, yeah." The Doctor agreed.

Once we'd hauled his body to a bed, we stepped back to actually take a good look at the changes that'd occurred.
"What do you think?"
"You know what I think." I grinned. "That's just plain handsomeness, right there in that bed."
"You were thinking of 'hotness', though."
"All comes down to the same thing, doesn't it?" Anan's newly found hair was a very dark brown, almost black and reached down to his ears. He was tall and well proportioned, with a fair amount of muscle spread across his body. His face had remained the same, except for the scales. He still had deep green eyes and a perfect jawline.
"You pay attention to someone's jaws?" The Doctor asked baffled.
"Will you stop reading my mind? It's getting annoying and yes, I appreciate a nice jawline on someone." I snickered when the Doctor turned his head in such a way that his jaw stuck out a little.
"Is it normal to pass out? I didn't."
"I didn't either."
"I wonder if he's going to be okay…"
"I wonder if we can go now."
"Where do you want to go?"
"I still want to show you the Ood-Sphere."
"I'm still looking forward to it." I smiled at the thought of foreign planets and adventures.
"You coming?" I looked up in surprise, seeing he was already at the door. I shook my head.
"I'll wait for him to come to. We can't have people getting lost in here, can we now?"
"Mhmm." He hesitantly took off.