A/N: So after the night I've had going to and from the bathroom, I'm going to say I AM NEVER ORDERING FROM PIZZA HUT AGAIN :x

Chapter 21 – Bottom of the Toy Box

The Doctor awoke with a jerk, eyes snapping open to find a dark figure looming over him in the middle of the night. But before he could react, a hand clamped over his mouth and his father's face appeared in the little light.

"Father?" the Doctor croaked.

"Shush," was all Ulysses said, and suddenly the Doctor felt something on his throat. There was a click and a hiss.

"What are you doing?" he tried to say, but it only came out as a long breath, which startled him into coughing. But that didn't make a sound either...

His father had paralysed his voice box.

Why? Why would he...

Ulysses moved to the Doctor's legs, sonic in hand. The Doctor felt a rising panic in him and he tried to yell for Rose, who was sleeping on the bed next in the row, forgetting he couldn't speak...

"I wouldn't do that," Ulysses whispered gently. "I don't want to have to fake an accident for her again."

The words struck like daggers in the Doctor's heart, and suddenly he was absolutely terrified in a way he'd never felt before. His father – was it even his father? - was the one who had done all this. The car accident, the fire... How did he not remember?

"I didn't realise you had an osteo-regenerator," Ulysses whispered. "I'm so very sorry, Theta, but I need to know where you are at all times."

He sonicked the casts open, and took hold of the Doctor's right leg. Instantly the Doctor knew what he was going to do...

And seconds later, he did it.

The Doctor instinctively tried to scream in pain, but his voicebox wouldn't let him. It came out as a hard breath that choked out through soundless gasps. He flailed out his arms instead, catching the glass on the bedside table and sending it smashing to the floor.

"Mmm?" suddenly came a tired voice from the next bed, the shifting of bedsprings. The Doctor froze in terror. He couldn't let her find out, he couldn't let Ulysses hurt her...

'Sorry, me, go to sleep,' he said in his mind through the bond connection, hoping and praying that she'd hear, just this once...

"Mmmkay," Rose muttered, and very quickly soft snoring started up again.

"Well done," Ulysses whispered to him, and the Doctor felt incredibly sick at the fact he was actually smiling. But before the Doctor could react, his second leg re-broke in one swift movement.

The pain in his legs was complete agony, but he couldn't do anything, he was completely helpless. This man had broken his legs and left him for dead in a fire he had probably started, caused Rose to be in that car accident... He had probably made the TARDIS sick and slipped aspirin into Rose's drink as well to poison Alex... If Rose woke up he'd probably have her dead in seconds, but equally the Doctor couldn't run away on his broken legs... Which of course had been the intention of Ulysses all along.

'I know you can hear me!' the Doctor screamed in his mind, struggling to focus through the horrific pain. 'What do you want from me? Why can't I remember?'

Ulysses said nothing, just resealing the casts and moving back up to his head, placing a his fingers on the Doctor's temple. Then instantly he knew why he didn't remember.

'Get off!' the Doctor screamed in his mind, trying to pull his head away, but he couldn't exactly go far. Then everything started going fuzzy, the memory of this moment rippling and fading from his own head... And he couldn't do anything about it.

'I'll figure you out!' he yelled in his head. 'Then I'll destroy you!'

"Oh, I have no doubt about that," Ulysses whispered in reassurance. "I pray you do. Good night, Theta."

Then suddenly the Doctor realised his legs were screaming in pain, but he had no idea why. Oh well, he'd probably moved them and knocked them against something in his sleep, he reasoned. And he was pretty sleepy. He was just going to go back to sleep now...

He closed his eyes, and for some reason, he found it so easy to sleep despite his legs.

The next morning, Leah decided she was going to have to confront Bundy. Better sooner rather than later, as the longer she waited the more Bundy would probably build her rage...

"Bundy..." Leah began quietly to the the drawer that now had a chair wedged up against it. "I'm gonna let you out, okay? Please don't try and kill me."

There was only silence from the drawer. Leah took a deep affirming breath, Floppy and Francine watching from behind the toy box, peeking out the side. Floppy was hiding her eyes behind her paws.

Leah pulled away the chair, and pulled open the drawer. There was Bundy, lying on her clothes as a lifeless teddy bear. She took her out and held her at arm's length in both hands.

"Bundy..." she began.

"There's nothing you can say, Leah!" Bundy sobbed. "You broke my heart!"

Leah felt her own two hearts crack a little with those words. "Bundy, please, just hear me out. That's all I'm asking. Just lemme tell you what happened and then you can decide whether to try and kill me, promise."

Bundy stopped moving, and looked up at Leah with her big eyes.

"Okay, Bundy, I dunno quite how you came back from the dead, but I... I'm glad you have. Because now I can tell you why. I'm really sorry, but I had to blow you up. Uncle Koschei put the bomb in you and I had to use it to save my Mummy and Daddy and my brother. It's not that I didn't love you. I didn't replace you. I did love you, Bundy, we were great together, but I just love Mummy and Daddy more than I love any toy. When I knew I had to blow you up it wasn't easy... and if you loved me then you would understand too. Please forgive me, Bundy?"

Bundy sniffed. "I... don't think I can, Leah."

"Please, let's just start where we left off? I'll always play with you."

"I can't," the bear sobbed.

"You can never love me again?"

"I can't trust myself to do that," Bundy replied quietly. "You really hurt me, Leah."

Leah sighed. "I guess you'll be trying to kill me now then. Well, let's do this."

She set the bear down on the floor. But Bundy didn't move.

"Just leave me at the bottom of the toy box," Bundy said quietly. "I don't think I can play with you again."

Leah sighed again. "Okay," she said. "Are you sure?"

Bundy nodded. Leah took the bear and got to her feet, moving to the toy box and pushing the other toys aside to place Bundy at the bottom. Then with no words, she pushed the toys back over her and closed the lid of the toy box.

It took a few days for the Doctor's voice to return to normal and for him to feel like getting up. Martha had been to one to check if he was actually ready, but announced his legs were still healing and he was going to have to move around in a wheelchair for a while.

He wanted to have breakfast in the kitchen in an attempt to feel normal. Rose got him a t-shirt and loose fitting trousers, helping him to get dressed before he wheeled himself to the kitchen. He managed to make everything on his own, though Rose had to reach up for the teabags and sugar.

While they were in the middle of breakfast Leah walked in, looking a little lost in her thoughts.

"Leah," the Doctor called, giving her a smile. She only just seemed to notice him, then she grinned a broad grin and ran up to him, hugging him around the middle.

"Good morning!" she said happily.

He beamed back. "Morning. Miho'afa qe'gear? N-eon'piak?" he asked her gently, stroking her head.

Leah glanced at Rose. "Wi-naqu, Pohh. Afa'vivi-o."

"Piak-o, lo'manai-o."

Rose stared at them, trying to see if she could figure out what they were saying, but she couldn't get it at all.

"Tera eon'holah'lo-n!" Leah insisted.

The Doctor looked aghast. "Je'lei'eon'fami ye ei, Leah, wi-lera! Guijo eon'lei-o'oh'jinsho'mifa-n."

"You're purposely doing this so I can't understand you, aren't you?" Rose realised.

The Doctor ignored her, looking back at Leah. "Holah'bula'ei."

"Prea... n-ei'fami'ei'quara'qe," she told him quietly, scuffing her shoes.

"Eon'fami?" the Doctor repeated, look a little worried. Rose thought for a moment. That could mean something bad. Or confusing.

"Wi-naqu, Pohh, ei'i-o'holah'eon," Leah replied anxiously.

"Is someone dead?" Rose wondered seriously. She was ignored again.

"Ei'wi-irak'mifa, Leah, jhu eon'holah-o'ei?" the Doctor said in a rising inflection, so it had to be a question, Rose sussed.

"Qe'afa... Eee... Ianam," Leah muttered, looking at the floor.

The Doctor's face suddenly turned very serious and concerned. "Leah... Ei'wi-fami..."

"She's broken somethin', hasn't she?" Rose said in a triumphant tone, but still no one paid any attention to her.

"Lei-o'piak, Pohh! Ei'afa'shikla. Lera!" Leah insisted, and pulled away from him.

The Doctor sighed. "Ei'mina'eon, Leah. Ei'jikoa'eon, afa leichanoe-n."

"Ei'afa-n. Ei'mina'eon leir, Pohh. Ei'stara'ei'i'holah'eon-n, tera ei'i-o," she said, then open the cupboard door, took some chocolate and ran out of the kitchen.

"What was that about?" Rose asked seriously.

"Nothing," the Doctor said innocently, taking another bite of his breakfast.

"I knew you teaching her Gallifreyan would be a mistake," Rose muttered. "Now you've got your own little secret language to use and point and giggle at me so I don't understand."

He just beamed at that, and took another bite.

A week went by, and to Rose's absolute shock, the Doctor seemed to be getting worse and worse. His legs still weren't healed, he was becoming more and more lethargic and he kept complaining of headaches and pains. He'd since moved from the infirmary back to their bedroom, and it was a Thursday morning when Rose woke him, telling him breakfast was in the kitchen.

Two hours later, and the Doctor still wasn't getting up. Rose had taken his breakfast to him, but he hadn't eaten even a bite. He hadn't drank any tea. When Leah and Alex had tried to get him up he'd barely reacted that either.

"Doctor?" Rose coaxed softly to him a little later, trying to get him to eat some lunch but it clearly wasn't going to happen. He felt a little off through the bond. "I'm gettin' worried, here."

"Get my parents," he replied shortly in a weak murmur. "Don't feel well."

"He hasn't eaten breakfast or lunch, he's just been lyin' there half-asleep. He asked me to get you."

Ulysses nodded, moving forward with a stethoscope in his hand to check as Penelope hovered at the doorway. Once satisfied with his heartsbeat Ulysses leant forward, pulling up the Doctor's eyelids to check. Then he took his temperature with a device in his ear. It beeped and he checked the readout, and hummed. He peeled back one of the bandages on his arms that still covered a burn, and harred.

"I believe he has an infection," Ulysses summarised. "And he is not healing as fast as he should."

"He just seems to be getting worse," Rose muttered. "Should we move him back to the infirmary?"

Ulysses simply shook his head, and looked down at his son. "Theta? Talk to me, boy," he coaxed.

"What?" the Doctor murmured.

"How are you feeling?"

"Tired, headache, sick, hot," he muttered shortly, still keeping his eyes closed.

Penelope moved forward, kissing his cheek. "Don't worry, we will do the work, Theta," she told him, then turned to Rose. "If you could get some cold water and a couple of sponges, we'll try and cool him off. Ulysses, will you get something for his headache, some antibiotics for the infection and some fluids for him to drink?"

Ulysses gave one sharp nod, and left without another word. Rose ran to the bathroom and got what was needed, emerging back into the bedroom twenty seconds later before they began to try and bring down his temperature.

"God, this isn't fair," Rose muttered, dabbing the sponge over the Doctor's sweaty forehead as he lay there, seemingly lost in his own world.

"It's just an infection, we have effective antibiotics for it," Penelope assured her. "It will pass."

Translation

Miho'afa qe'gear? N-eon'piak? - How is that thing? You were worried?
Wi-naqu, Pohh. Afa'vivi-o. - Please, Daddy. Not here.
Piak-o, lo'manai-o. - Don't worry, she doesn't understand.
Tera eon'holah'lo-n! - But you will tell her!
Je'lei'eon'fami ye ei, Leah, wi-lera! Guijo eon'oh-o'jinsho'mifa-n. - What do you take me for, Leah? Really! Obviously you don't want people to know.
Holah bula ei. - Talk to me.
Prea... n-ei'fami'ei'quara'qe. - Well... I think I sorted it.
Eon'fami? - You think?
Wi-naqu, Pohh, ei'i-o'holah'eon. - Please, Daddy, I cannot tell you.
Ei'wi-irak'mifa, Leah, jhu eon'holah-o'ei? - I'm dying to know, Leah, why can't you tell me?
Qe'afa... Eee... Ianam. - It is... Umm... Complicated.
Leah... Ei'wi-fami... - Leah... I really think...

Lei-o'piak, Pohh! Ei'afa'shikla. Lera! - Do not worry, Daddy! I am okay. Really!
Ei'mina'eon, Leah. Ei'jikoa'eon, afa leichanoe-n. - I love you, Leah. I'm trusting you, so be careful.
Ei'afa-n. Ei'mina'eon leir, Pohh. Ei'stara'ei'i'holah'eon-n, tera ei'i-o. - I will. I love you too, Daddy. I wish I could tell you, but I cannot.