Chapter Twenty-One: Where There's a Mob…

There was a knock at the doors to the TARDIS that sounded fierce – the fiercest that the Doctor ever heard come over them. He had been working as usual by the control console when the knocking occurred and was prompted to hurry over to the doors to see who was behind the intense knocking. Before he opened them, he heard a collection of angry shouts outside; it sounded to him like a mob. Slowly and cautiously, he opened the left door and was greeted by the furious face of the same man he encountered outside of Granny's the other day, once again meeting in the same area.

"Where is it?" The man asked.

The Doctor was dumbfounded. "Where's what?"

"That murderous creature you're hiding in this pathetic box of yours!" The man exclaimed, sounding a lot angrier than he looked. Behind him, the Doctor saw a crowd of armed Storybrooke citizens collected as a mob – all of them led by this one man. "We know she's here! And if we have to, we'll barge right in to get to her!"

The man's words only made the Doctor himself angry. Stepping out of the TARDIS and shutting the door behind him, he coldly stared into the eyes of the man and the mob he led. "Listen to me, all of you. That 'creature' you're so terrified of is a scared young woman. She's scared not because of what you'll do to her, but what she'll do to all of you if you go near her."

"All the better reason to kill her while there's still a chance!" The man exclaimed to the collective agreeable shouts of the mob. Turning to them, he said, "We won't cower in fear of this creature any longer! We know who she is. We know where she's hiding. So why is she still alive?"

"It's because of me she's alive!" The Doctor furiously yelled.

"And how many more people have to die because of you, Doctor?" The man rhetorically questioned. "Don't think for a second I've forgotten the massacre you and that thing brought to my castle in saving the prince. Because I'm very much looking forward to returning the favor right this second."

The man's accusation, delivered in such a threatening tone, only made the Doctor more curious about his identity. "Who are you?"

The man maliciously chuckled. "Let me in…and I'll show you who I really am." His cryptic response only managed to frustrate the Doctor more as he silently retreated back into the TARDIS. The mob leader yelled through the closed doors, "You leave us no choice then, Doctor! We're busting our way in whether you like it or not!" He then signaled to one member of his mob to walk up to the TARDIS doors and attempt to bash its doors down with the butt of his gun.

However, before the action could have been done, the mob heard strange noises that could only be connected to the TARDIS, which was beginning to disappear before their very eyes. The moment he saw it vanish, Albert Spencer – formerly King George and currently leader of the mob against Ruby – grinned. There's no escaping us, Doctor, he thought as he glared upon the unoccupied space.

Standing over the control console, the Doctor felt somewhat relieved to have avoided what could have certainly been a full-on attack inside the TARDIS. With just a few flicks of switches and a couple of turns of knobs, the Doctor brought the TARDIS out of its usual spot in front of Granny's Diner and into a more secluded area like the forest beyond the town, careful not to go outside the limit where residents forgot who they were. Once they were in the new location, he breathed with satisfaction.

"They were here for me."

He quickly turned his head as he heard Red's voice, finding her standing at the top of the upper staircase that led to the console platform. She looked heavily nervous in the eyes of the Doctor. "I took care of them," he assured her. "We're safe."

Red shook her head. "Nowhere is safe as long as I'm still alive."

"No, Ruby, listen…"

"They see me as a monster, and I am a monster, John. That's why I need to make sure I don't ever hurt anyone again."

Her words made the Doctor greatly concerned. "W-What're you thinking, Ruby?"

She walked down the staircase and moved in close to him, tears flowing from her eyes. "I love you so much. You're the last person I'd ever want to hurt."

The Doctor stood confused, not quite certain what she was thinking of doing. But he then got an idea once he felt something cold and metal clamp down tightly on his left wrist. Looking down, he found himself handcuffed to the control console, much to his chagrin. "No, no, no! Where the hell did you get handcuffs?"

"I took them from David in case something happened. I know they wouldn't have contained me, but what other choice would I have?"

"There is always a choice, Ruby! Let me out of these! I can take you away from here! I can take you with me to see the stars! I promised you, remember?"

Surprise registered over her face as she realized what he just said. "You…You remember?"

The Doctor realized himself what he said, and it surprised even him, bringing out a laugh and a smile. "I do! I do remember! I remember when we first met! I remember waking up in the forest and seeing you!"

This moment made Red's heart swell but, at the same time, she felt crushed because it happened during the worst situation of her life. "I'm sorry, John," she said while fighting back tears. "I'm sorry." She then rushed away from the console platform and out of the TARDIS, leaving behind the handcuffed Doctor, who frantically shouted for her to come back. Unfortunately, the pleas fell on deaf ears.