Chapter 13 – Cuddly World!

"Well, this is weird," Rose pointed out as the Doctor came into the bedroom carrying a tray of food for her and depositing it on the bedside table the next afternoon.

"What?" the Doctor asked, pulling up the covers over her to check she was comfortable.

"You're takin' care of me," Rose pointed out. "Isn't it always the other way around?"

He grinned and kissed her. "Come on, eat up before you forget and I'll fix the TV."

She nodded, consuming the sandwich as the Doctor moved over to the wall, tapped a small button and a wide-screen TV moved out. He climbed around behind it, whipping out his sonic and buzzing the sockets behind. After a few minutes of fumbling the picture sprang up to reveal Jeremy Kyle having a go at a chav.

"There," the Doctor said, handing her the remote. "It gets most of the Universal channels, so there are about a million and five, so don't try and tell me there's nothing on," he said seriously.

She giggled as she finished her sandwich. "Thank you."

"You're welcome," he replied with a smile. "Right, no getting up for 24 hours, Doctor's orders."

She nodded with a grin, beginning to flick through the channels. "What d'you recommend?"

"Try the channel Uniflux," he said. "It's full of sitcoms."

She nodded. "Okay."

"Do you need anything else?"

"I'm kinda hungry."

"You just ate," the Doctor told her patiently, grinning.

"Did I?" Rose asked with a furrowed brow. "Oh, sorry."

"Don't worry. If you need anything just yell my name."

"Will do," Rose assured him, and he left.

The Doctor made towards the TARDIS console to run a diagnostic check to see if she'd recovered yet, though he was already assuming she hadn't from the way he was currently feeling. But no sooner had he reached the console did the door explode open and Jackie appeared, striding towards the Doctor with Tony a few paces behind her as always.

"Doctor!" she yelled.

"Jackie!" the Doctor exclaimed, and smiled as broadly as he could. "How are you?"

Jackie ignored his question. "Where the bloody hell is my daughter?"

The Doctor glanced at Tony, who was just staring between the two adults looking slightly awkward.

"In our room," he told her. "If you'd like a cup of tea or something..."

She strolled right past him and into the depths of the TARDIS, a mother on a mission. He sighed and ran a hand through his hair, looking at Tony again.

"I dunno, I try and be polite, but I get nothing back," he told the boy, smiling sheepishly. "You want something to eat?"

Tony looked at him, then nodded.

"C'mon then," the Doctor said, beckoning him towards the kitchen.

When they arrived the Doctor found Leah sitting at the table still munching on her lunch, Floppy sitting on the table next to her. She caught sight of Tony, and instantly made a big show of ignoring him.

"C'mon, Leah," the Doctor told her sternly, moving to the cupboard for some crisps. "Say hello to Tony."

"Hello, Tony," she mumbled reluctantly.

"Hello, Leah," Tony mumbled back.

"Conversational, aren't we," the Doctor said somewhat sarcastically as he opened the cupboard door... and was instantly met with the sight of Alex sitting in amongst the food with jam smeared all over his face. The instant he saw his father he giggled and reached up his arms to be taken.

The Doctor just rolled his eyes, getting very used to this by now before picking up his son and sitting him in the crook of one arm. He took a packet of crisps and a chocolate bar and gave them to Tony. Then he realised that Tony hadn't really met Alex yet.

"Tony, this is Alex, Alex, this is Tony," he said, gesturing to each in turn. "Be nice to each other, I don't like people not being nice."

"Hello, Alex," Tony mumbled again.

Alex waved enthusiastically, his hand covered in jam. The Doctor just kissed his head where he wasn't covered with jam and made to the door.

"Going to clean him up and put him back to bed, remember, be nice you two," he told them seriously, and left out the door.

Leah's and Tony's eyes connected. Tony pulled a face at Leah, who ignored him. Then he pulled another face, which Leah again ignored. Then Leah looked at Floppy sitting next to her and leant in to the rabbit. Then Leah giggled, looking at Tony and giggling some more.

Tony felt the fury building. His eyes narrowed. "What are you laughin' about?" he demanded to know, stomping forwards.

Leah simply took Floppy in one hand, jumping off of the chair. "Excuse me," she said, and went for the door. But Tony darted out instantly, blocking her way. "Could you please move?" Leah asked politely.

"No!" Tony yelled as he dived forward and grabbed Floppy, holding her up in triumph. "Yeah, got your dumb rabbit!"

"Give her back, Tony!" Leah demanded, absolutely panicking as she tried to get to him, reaching up desperately to Floppy but she was too short.

"Baby, baby! Playin' with toys!" he mocked, and with that, he took Floppy's head in one hand, her body in the other, and ripped the rabbit clean in two.

The howl that erupted from Leah was nothing like Tony anticipated. It tore from her throat, a scream of utter anguish and heartbreak as tears instantly erupted from the corners of her eyes.

"NO!" she screamed and dived forward, fists flying to try and hurt Tony, punching him repeatedly with tears now streaming down her face.

The door burst open and the Doctor flew in instantly, eyes widening as he caught sight of what was happening.

"Leah!" he yelled, diving forward to grab the four-year-old, pulling her off of a very surprised-looking Tony. She continued to scream and flail in his arms, crying so hard it was breaking his hearts. "Leah, what..."

Then he realised as Tony stood in front of him looking incredibly guilty, with Floppy lying in two pieces on the floor.

The Doctor swallowed, holding Leah as tightly as he could. "I think we need a word with your mum, Tony," was he said, stooping to pick up the ripped rabbit.

"I didn't do it," Tony told him instantly.

The Doctor didn't even bother to contemplate this, Leah crying and screaming in his arms, clinging onto him tightly. He just looked at Tony, eyebrows lowered. "Follow me, Tony," he grated.

Tony moved to follow instantly, knowing what he had done was very serious. The Doctor led him out of Leah's room with the girl still crying in his arms, taking Tony straight to where Jackie and Rose were chatting, pushing open the door.

"Jackie," the Doctor began, interrupting the flow of conversation instantly with just the tone of his voice. "I think you need to have a word with your son."

He held up the destroyed rabbit. Leah caught a glance of it, and wailed even louder. Rose's eyes widened as Jackie's face turned to utter fury.

"C'mere, Tony!" she yelled, moving forward and grabbing his collar, dragging him out of the room.

"Did he rip up Floppy?" Rose asked in a gasp.

The Doctor nodded. "Emergency first aid, please," he told her, giving her Floppy before diverting his attention to Leah, who was still sobbing. "Don't cry, please stop crying," he told her gently, feeling as though he might cry too just from the sight of her.

"What if she's dead?" Leah gasped between sobs.

"She's not dead, Mummy's going to fix her," he assured her, placing her to sit down on the bed. She instantly curled up into a ball and continued to cry.

"But what if she's dead?" she yelled this time, utterly distraught. He kissed her, holding her tightly.

"She's not dead, I promise," he told her seriously. "Please don't cry, you're breaking my hearts."

She looked up at him through teary eyes, still sobbing and gasping words through her tears. "Daddy, please, please, I don't want Floppy to be dead!"

"She's not dead," the Doctor repeated patiently. "Mummy's going to fix her and she'll be absolutely fine, okay? Chin up," he said, kissing her again.

She sniffed, now holding onto him in a death grip. He wasn't about to let go, just resigning to the situation and dropping to sit on the bed beside Rose, who was already in the midst of fixing Floppy, wincing as she worked with the stings of her broken arm.

"Do you want me to do that?" the Doctor asked her, noticing her pain.

She looked at him, raising an eyebrow. "You've got no idea how."

He had to concede. "Okay, fair point."

"I'm fine, it's not bad," Rose assured him.

He nodded in reply, just as the door opened and Jackie marched in, dragging Tony behind her.

"Have you got somethin' to say to Leah, Tony?" Jackie demanded.

"I... I... umm..." he began in a mutter, staring at the floor.

"Spit it out!" Jackie yelled.

"I'm sorry!" he squeaked.

"Sorry for what?" Jackie prompted.

"Sorry for rippin' up your rabbit," Tony mumbled.

"Now say it like you mean it!" Jackie roared.

"I'm sorry for rippin' up your rabbit, Leah!" he burst out quickly.

"That's better," Jackie said approvingly. "Don't think this is the end of it, neither!"

"I'm sorry I hit you, Tony," Leah suddenly said in a mumble, surprising everyone in the room.

"Don't you go apologisin', Leah," Jackie told her. "It's this one who enjoys makin' people miserable these days, and now he can go and stand outside the TARDIS and wait until we're done."

Tony was gone in an instant.

"And what are you doin' lettin' Rose do that?" Jackie asked the Doctor, looking at her daughter trying to sow back on a rabbit head with a fractured arm.

"Mum, I'm fine," Rose assured her, but Jackie had already taken Floppy out of her hands.

"Rubbish, let me do that," she told her, sitting on the end of the bed and setting to work. "God, I'm sorry about him, he's been a right little so-and-so lately."

Rose nodded as Leah finally let go of the Doctor, and crawled over to hug her instead. "Most boys get like that at his age," she supposed. "Except Alex, of course. He'll be perfect."

They all laughed, and then the Doctor suddenly froze.

"Alex!" he realised, and ran out the door in a flash.

"And they get like that at his age," Rose completed, looking at Leah and smiling as she held her.

Leah was sat back in her room a twenty minutes later, staring at Floppy in her hands. Her gran had mended her, but Floppy hadn't talked to her since, just lying there limply. Leah was positive Tony had killed her and she'd never talk to her again...

She sniffed slightly and sat Floppy against her pillow. She turned to get up and find her Daddy,

"Gosh, my neck feels a bit stiff!" a voice suddenly said from the bed at Leah turned back instantly, jaw agape.

"Floppy!" she yelled in delight, grabbing the rabbit and hugging her tightly.

"Ooof... ahh... Le... Leah!" Floppy protested, before Leah finally relented her grip somewhat.

"I thought you were dead!" Leah told her.

"Cuddlies never die," Floppy assured her. "Well, except for exceptional circumstances, of course."

"I'm really sorry... Did it hurt?"

"Cuddlies don't feel pain either!"

"Good," Leah said happily, hugging her again.

"Oof..."

"Sorry!" Leah apologised, sitting her down again.

"I remember that nasty boy," Floppy began thoughtfully. "He threatened to rip me up before, didn't he?"

"Yeah..." Leah replied quietly.

"Oh, don't be so miserable!" Floppy reprimanded her. "I think it's time I took you to Cuddly World."

"Cuddly World?" Leah asked, frowning. "What's Cuddly World?"

If Floppy could've winked, she probably would have. "You'll have to wait and see! Hold on."

And with that, she jumped off of the bed and onto the floor, walking over to the toy box, then dived inside.

There was a knock on the door. "Come in," Leah said happily.

Her Daddy appeared, smiling at her. "You all right?" he asked.

Leah nodded, beaming. "Floppy's alive again!"

"Oh, good," the Doctor replied, moving to the bed. "Mind if I take a seat?" he asked.

She shifted position to let him sit down next to her. He did so, facing her.

"Me, your Mum and your Gran have had a bit of a talk, and we've kind of sussed that you and Tony don't really get on. So from now on you really don't have to talk to him or be around him until he can be a lot more mature. How's that?"

Leah nodded happily, and dived forward to hug him. "Thank you," she said.

"You're very welcome," he told her. "Now d'you need anything before I leave?"

She shook her head.

"Okay," he said, kissing her. "I'll yell when dinner's ready."

She nodded happily before he left out the door. She sighed contentedly and moved over to the toy box just as the lid lifted up and Floppy popped out.

"Come on!" Floppy said happily, took Leah's hand and pulled her inside the toy box.

Leah was expecting to land rather awkwardly face first into the toys, but to her complete surprise she suddenly found herself falling through complete darkness, all her toys flying up around her glowing and sparkling. She thought about being afraid at that fact she seemed to be falling at an incredibly fast speed into seemingly nowhere, but with Floppy holding her hand she somehow knew that nothing bad was going to happen.

She landed with a springy bounce on something soft, and opened her eyes. Instantly she was met with the sight of a brand new world, bright, colourful and inviting. Above her was... a very large Floppy.

Leah shrieked in surprise, and Floppy just giggled at her expense.

"Every cuddly is bigger in Cuddly World," Floppy explained.

Leah was beginning to wonder whether she'd eaten something bad and she was having some kind of strange dream... No wonder her Gran had told her to lay off of the cheese.

"Is this real?" Leah wondered seriously.

"Of course it is, silly!" Floppy reprimanded. "This is where we cuddlies go when we're not being being played with!"

"Good afternoon, Leah!" Francine the bear said as she passed, waving at the girl.

"Oh, this is strange," Leah muttered. Then thought some more. "Wait till I tell Daddy!"

Instantly the entirety of Cuddly World seemed to fall completely silent in unison, looking at her with wide eyes.

Leah blinked as Floppy leant in slightly.

"No adult can know of Cuddly World, every time an adult discovers about Cuddly World, a cuddly dies!" she hissed.

"Oh," Leah muttered. "Sorry."

Then as quick as before, everyone stopped looking at Leah and resumed their business as though nothing had happened.

"Is this normal?" was Leah's next question. "I mean, do a lot of people like me visit Cuddly World?"

"Oh, gosh, no!" Floppy told her seriously. "Many of them are far too... immature for us to be comfortable with them in Cuddly World. We call people like you our 'friends', and you have to get special permission from the King and Queen of Cuddly World to bring your friend here! They have been watching you for sometime Leah, they find you very special! Now come, let me show you around Cuddly World!"

And with that, Leah and the oversized Floppy linked arms, and strode happily down the brightly-coloured path to the intriguing new world beyond.

A/N: Cuddly world exists! I swear! It EXISTS! :o

(Nod and smile. Just nod and smile.)