((Texas: Part: I))

~~OO~~II~~OO~~

I breathed in deeply as I stepped out of the TARDIS and into the familiar heat of Texas, an excited smile spreading across my face as I scanned the area around me. Nothing out of the ordinary, just…home! I was home! Finally! After Canziar, old London, and dropping Jack off in present London, I was home!

The Doctor made a face as he ducked out of the TARDIS after me, having taken my warning to heart and abandoned his trench coat in the time machine. I couldn't help but laugh at the mix of his suit, tie, and converse. Who wears those together? The Doctor frowned at me. "What?" he complained.

"Nothing," I gasped, forcing myself not to laugh. "You just have a…interesting way of dressing, that's all." I fought back a giggle as he looked down at his clothes and shoes in confusion. "Never mind," I said with a smile. "Who cares? I'm sure everyone won't. They'll all like you."

"Just who is everyone," he asked as we started down the street.

I tapped my chin thoughtfully. "I know for sure you're going to meet Mandy. Catie, possibly, and Drevan, definitely. Drevan lives about two miles from Mandy, so I'm going to go visit him even if you don't and want to leave." A thought suddenly flashed through my mind when the Doctor didn't object to leaving. I whirled on him. "You're not going to leave me here, are you?!"

His eyes widened. "No, of course not!" he cried. Then he paused. "Well," he said slowly and I felt myself begin to panic until he said, "Just for a tick. I'll be back. I need to find the nearest place where the Rift is slightly open so that I can fuel up the TARDIS. I think maybe it'll help with the trouble she's been giving us lately…"

I sighed in relief. "Good," I mumbled in response, then grinned, dragging him in the direction of Mandy's home, grimacing as we walked down the street, massive spaces between each house. She was going to kill me. I hadn't called her in quite some time, and somehow, without the money to do so, I was suddenly showing up with a strange man that she'd never even heard of. Yep, she was going to kill me.

I hesitated when I passed an older house that obviously hadn't been cared for in many years. Windows were shattered, shutters and doors barely hanging on. The roof was missing patches of it. My eyes softened and I gently released his arm in favor of touching a once white piece of picket fence. "Ali?" the Doctor questioned gently.

I smiled. "This place," I said softly, "Is very important to me." That said, I easily grabbed his hand and started down the street again. He didn't question it, instead reassuringly squeezing my hand as we twined fingers. I took comfort in the gesture, shuddering at the memory that filled my mind.

Finally, we reached the house I had once lived in. I grinned as a chicken squawked, recognizing the sound of horses. The front yard was covered in animals and pens, but they weren't messy as one would've expected. Instead, they were all neat and clean, separated. There were chickens, ducks, quails, bunnies, chinchillas, turtles, snakes, any animal you could think off. Behind the house, I saw the old goat rubbing his head against a post, the cow mooing softly as it chewed its cud.

The Doctor looked astonished, and even more so when a small pot belly pig came tearing across the yard, squealing and announcing our arrival, followed by its ever faithful terrier friend. I laughed. "You're still here, you oldie?" I teased, scratching the pig's ears. It snorted, leaning against me.

"Is that a pig?" he questioned.

I burst into laughter. "You bet," I replied with a grin. "Mandy has an animal rescue. All of these animals were going to be put down and she took them in. Some of them would be in dog food if it wasn't for her."

The Doctor leaned down to hesitantly run his fingers through the clean fur of the terrier, looking slightly unnerved by the way the dog's one eye swiveled around. Yes, the dog only had one eye and three legs. Problem?

"Alissa Levine, just when did you get here?"

I lifted my head at the familiar voice, grinning and darting over to its owner. Throwing my arms around the petite red haired woman, I squealed, "Mandy!"

She smiled warmly, her southern accent obvious as she hugged me back. "You should've told me you were coming. You should've called me period, young lady!"

I grimaced at the reminder, reaching down and picking up the terrier as it started spinning in circles near my feet. "Sorry, I've been busy. Traveling with a friend and all."

Taking this chance to clear his throat, the Doctor stepped forward, holding his hand out to introduce himself with the usual charming smile. "Hello there, you must be-"

Mandy stiffened, immediately crossing her arms. My smile faded as I recognized the cold look from her, the one she put on when speaking with someone she never had, does, or would like in the entirety of all time and space. "I'm Mandy, and just who the hell do you think you are, dragging my daughter off, hm?" She turned a glare on me. "And you!"

I grimaced, exchanging nervous looks with the Doctor. He sucked in a breath, running his hand through his already mussed hair. "Ah, yes, well…"

"I wanted to go with him, Mandy," I piped up. "He didn't drag me off to do anything, I promise!"

Mandy continued to glare at the two of us before huffing, somehow scooping the potbelly pig off the ground. It snorted happily, nuzzling at her cheek before relaxing. "Fine. I won't ask you about your travels or what you've been up to on them. Now come on inside, I'd like to talk to this friend of yours while you go feed the cows."

I groaned softly, pleading, "Please don't kill him. I kind of need the guy." Then I asked, "Who's in the pen?"

"Twist," Mandy answered cheerfully, smiling scarily at the Doctor, who eyed her nervously as if she was some kind of alien he hadn't met. "I've trained him, so he should be fine now."

I grimaced at the idea of riding the horse. Yes, in order to get to the back of the property in less than three hours, I suggest taking a horse. But not Twist. Twist was the worst horse I had ever come into contact to, the only animal that had ever not liked me. I patted the Doctor's arm, saying with a teasing look at Mandy, "If you need to make a fast get away, I'll tell you her weakness. It sounds stupid, but grab the pig. That's all you have to do."

The Doctor chuckled, affectionately ruffling my hair with sparkling eyes. "I doubt I'll need to do that, but thanks for the tip. You go…feed the cows. I'll wait until you're back to leave, promise."

"Thanks," I replied, smiling in relief. I playfully pushed at him, and then grabbed a lead rope from a peg near the backdoor. "Is Tex still hanging around out here?" She nodded and I beamed, immediately greeting the dog as the Australian Shepherd wildly greeted me, attempting to climb up my body to kiss my face. I giggled, herding him out the door. As he ran in circles, my gaze immediately went to the horse pen that was right outside the door.

I beamed. "Dany!" I cried. The massive black Clydesdale swung his head around to look at me, and then nickered. I scrambled over to hug the horse that had been mine for years before I'd moved to England, hugging his large head. "Hey there, big guy."

He nickered happily, and I clipped the lead rope to his halter, leading him over to where the tack always was.

After tacking him up, I gently tapped his shoulder. As I had trained him to do, the giant horse folded his front legs under him, allowing me to be able to climb on without any struggle. I tapped his shoulder again and he stood the ground quite far away. "Good boy," I told him, twisting the reins.

The horse snorted softly, his ears pricked as he started to walk in the direction of the cow shed.

Remind me why Mandy had put the cow shed all the way at the back of the property? Because I had no idea.

As Tex darted ahead, sniffing, then doubled back to check on Dany and I, I hummed quietly to myself, enjoying the warm Texas air. I'd missed it compared to the sometimes cold air in England. I still loved England, don't get me wrong. But it wasn't the same as home.

Finally, we arrived at the cow shed. I tapped Dany's shoulder, and the massive horse lowered himself, allowing me to climb off. He climbed back to his feet and snorted softly, lipping at my shoulder. I giggled, stroking his nose before leaving him where he was to duck into the cow shed.

I frowned. There was always a cow in here, even just a calf for shade. But there wasn't a single cow in here. There was just darkness, cool shade, and a soft hissing…I immediately became wary. If there was rattlesnake in here, that could be bad. Especially since a certain someone had shattered my phone…

I took a deep breath, running my fingers through my thick hair as I did so. I'd just poke everywhere with the pitchfork I had grabbed to distribute the hay outside, where I could hear Dany along with a cow or two already waiting. I expertly crawled up the ladder and onto the roof of the cowshed, where Mandy had always stored the hay. What? It was the perfect place.

As I began to throw hay down for the cows, the soft hissing picked up again. Immediately suspicious, I stopped. Below, Tex was barking, spinning desperately in circles, annoying the hell out of one of the cows, which snorted and glared at him before returning to eating its hay.

I poked at the hay with the pitchfork and couldn't help but snicker. I felt like one of those people in the movies.

Something suddenly brushed against my ankles and I shrieked, jumping away. I cursed as I felt one boot-clad food slip over the edge of the roof, sending me tumbling off. I landed in the hay I had thrown down, the breath leaving me in a whoosh. Pain flared through my side and I cursed quietly, grimacing as I touched the once again bleeding wound.

A hissing sounded again, and then something sharp pricked my arms as a weight settled over my chest. My eyes snapped wide. "Oh my-" Tex interrupted me, barreling over and snarling. The cows went scattering away and Dany reared up with a shriek, whirling away and galloping off. The creature on my chest reared its head back, shrieking at Tex, who yelped, recoiling back.

The creature then blinked gently at me, purring and nuzzling its face against mine.

I froze my eyes wide with surprise. "Oh my gosh," I muttered.

The creature had light tan scales and heavy dark brown plating along its spine and face, like a dragon with spikes, but with no wings. It had two dark talons on each foot, and had to be at least three and a half feet long, its body short and stocky compared to its long and slender neck and tail. Its bright amber eyes stared at me with an intense and intelligent look, and it flicked its tongue out.

It nudged my hand and I hesitantly stroked the heavy plating along its nose. It purred, leaning its head into my hand. "Hello, there," I whispered.

It sniffed, nuzzling my head again before suddenly turning to sniff at my side. I grimaced at the blood. Great, Mandy was going to kill the Doctor. Just what I needed. But the thing suddenly flicked its tongue out, licking at my wound. I yelped, immediately going to push it away, but it clung to me. When it finally pulled back, my eyes widened.

The wound was gone.

I sat up, gently moving the thing from my chest to my lap as Tex trotted over again to sniff at the creature curiously. "Be nice," I muttered to the dog when he curled his lips back into an angry snarl. The creature hissed, and Tex yelped, ducking his head.

It was obviously an alien, I decided. Because there was no way it wasn't. Not with that healing ability it had just used. I stroked its head, startled as it curled up in a ball in my lap. And it appeared to be a peaceful alien at that.

"Ali!"

I raised my head, startled at the sound of Mandy's voice. The creature in my lap stiffened, tensed to run as Mandy appeared on Twist, the Doctor surprisingly not far behind on Dany, his sonic screwdriver in hand. Huh, there was something new. The Doctor knew how to ride a horse. I waved, smiling reassuringly as I continued to stroke the creature's plated head. "I'm right here! Don't worry, I'm fine."

Mandy practically threw herself from Twist's back, darting over to me. "What happened?"

I grimaced, pointing up at the roof of the cow shed. "I just fell off, don't worry, I'm fine." I repeated, smiling brightly. I waved at the small creature, giggling as it licked my hand playfully. "This guy was hiding in the hay up there and scared me, that's all."

She sighed in relief, peering curiously at the creature as the Doctor easily swung down from Dany's back, moving over to inspect the creature. His eyes widened. "Brilliant you are, you little thing." He reached over and plucked it out of my lap with ease, examining it. "One of the rarest creatures in the entirety of space and time, Alissa Levine. So rare that they're considered just as mythological as werewolves and vampires."

"You told me you met a werewolf," I mused.

He grinned at me, winking. "Exactly. Just rare enough to be considered mythological. Beautiful healing abilities…ah, see you've already figured that out," he muttered, seeing my once again bloodied side. "Some of the most intelligent, too, they just don't have the ability to speak."

The creature hissed irritably. Cranky, it snapped at the Doctor's fingers. The Doctor yelped, dropping it and it scrambled back over to me, crawling onto my shoulders and curling around my neck. I giggled. "I guess he doesn't like you."

Mandy pursed her lips, staring at the creature. "What exactly is it?"

"It's so rare it doesn't have a name," he answered.

I smiled, patting its head. "Then I'm going to call him Clave. Is that okay with you, little guy?"

Clave purred in response, rubbing his cheek against mine with a happy sound.

The Doctor offered me a hand, helping me up. I brushed the loose hay off of me, smiling gratefully at him. "Good thing you didn't leave, hm?" He chuckled, murmuring an agreement. Mandy watched us closely, suspicious. "So I fed the cows," I told her. "Can I…?"

Her eyes softened. "Go right ahead," she told me. "Why don't you take Mr. Smith with you, Ali? And get Drevan while you're at it. Tex and I can walk back, so why don't you take Twist? I promise he's trained now. He's not into the rearing thing anymore."

I blinked in surprise. "You sure he doesn't?"

Mandy smiled warmly. "I'm sure. Go on."

I gave Mandy a hug, whispering a thanks in her ear. After making sure Clave was still around my shoulders and holding on, I expertly swung up into the stallion's saddle. Twist flattened his ears unhappily, side stepping. I glanced at the Doctor, smiling as I waved at Dany. "Come on, you, let's get going."

He raised an eyebrow, but swung onto the massive horse's back. "Why are we riding horses? Where are we going?"

I gave a faint smile. "You'll see," I murmured. I clicked my tongue urging Twist into a trot. The Doctor did the same, Dany doing more of a fast walk then a trot, heavy hooves slamming into the ground. "It's where I grew up."

"Miss Evenson mentioned that you were adopted," the Doctor mused. "What happened to your parents?" When I made a face, he quickly added, "Don't tell me if you don't want to, I'm merely curious is all."

I sighed. "I was adopted. When I was four years old, my family was killed. Nobody knows what killed them, let alone me, but they're dead, that's for sure." I bit my lip to bite back a shaky sigh. "I watched it happen. I was four, like I said, so I don't really remember it, but…"

"Interesting," the Doctor murmured.

We made good timing on the horses. I was surprised at how cheerful and in a good mood the Doctor was in, considering he'd just been left alone with Mandy. Clave was happily hissing from his spot around my shoulders, nuzzling my cheek every now and then. We even raced the two horses, Dany easily pulling ahead of the nervous Twist.

Panting for breath and laughing, we finally arrived at our destination: my old home, the very place I had purposely not visited for over a decade. I felt Clave hiss irritably at it, hiding his face in my hair. Instead of getting off of my horse and going to check out the place as everyone else would have done, I sat there. I sat there on my horse, staring at the house, not even noticing as the Doctor moved Dany closer, gently touching my shoulder in reassurance in an attempt to get my attention.

Memories blazed through my mind as I studied the house. I could remember flames in the kitchen, screaming coming from the house. I could remember warm arms wrapping around me, tears soaking my hair as I just stood there and watched, stunned. And then there was a strange creature, smashing through the hole in the side of the house. I swallowed nervously, my hands tightening around the reins. Twist nervously sidestepped.

"This is where my family died," I finally whispered, turning my gaze to the Doctor. I winced as he pulled his sonic screwdriver out and scanned it over the house, furrowing his brow in thought, running his fingers through his hair. I tilted my head curiously, and he rapidly explained in a fast toned voice to where I could barely understand, "Searching for any alien technology, with how every alien we come across has been acting and calling you whatever they've been calling you, it wouldn't surprise me if an alien was the one to do it."

I blinked. I'd never considered that. "Are you getting any readings?"

He shook his head, examining his sonic before tucking it back into the pocket of his suit. His dark eyes studied the house before he glanced at me, saying, "Where does this friend of yours live?"

"Drevan?" I asked, immediately distracted. "Drevan lives another mile down the road. If we keep going, we'll be there soon. Why?"

He gave a dry smile, pulling something out of his pocket and holding it out for me to inspect. I carefully leaned in Twist's saddle to peer at it, startled to see none other than the key to the TARDIS. It was giving off a soft glow, and was turning the skin of my friend's hand red. "It's burning you?!"

He nodded, tucking it away. "I need to get back to the TARDIS and get it fueled up. This is its way of telling me what it needs."

I bit my lip, sighing disappointedly. "Alright," I muttered. I clicked my tongue, kicking Twist into a walk. The Doctor copied me, his eyes gentle as he reminded me, "I'll be back in the next two days, I promise. Take the time to enjoy your friends and family." His gaze darkened. "You don't know what might happen when traveling with me."

I blinked in surprise at the bitterness in his words. "Are you talking about Rose again?" I asked gently.

"Her among others," the Doctor answered warily. "There was another woman I was friends with. Donna Noble. I…ah, that's a story for another time." He shook his head. "But don't worry, I'll be back. I swear."

I allowed him to switch the subject, sensing the sadness, something that was obvious in his slouching corm. "Good. Because I'll hunt you down somehow. Jack seems to have a knack at doing that, and I know where to find him and how to contact him."

The Doctor groaned, and I laughed. "Here," he said, suddenly, holding out his hand. I blinked, doing the same, curious as he pressed something into my hand. I pulled it back to examine what he'd given me. My jaw dropped.

He'd given me his sonic screwdriver.

"You're allowing me to hold onto this?" I stated weakly.

"I don't give it to just anyone," he warned. "Don't go abusing it. Just keep it until I come back, and I'll want it as soon as I do. It's so that you don't think I'm running around abandoning you. I'll be back in two days, just like I promised."

We reached the TARDIS a few moments later, and we both climbed off of our respected horses. I quickly moved over and gave him a tight hug, warning, "If you don't come back for me, I'm going to kill you. Got it? I don't think I can go back to just sitting around drawing. I'll try and remember what that thing was if you don't just leave me."

The Doctor gave a grim smile, returning the hug for a moment. Despite an annoyed hiss coming from Clave as he leaped from my shoulders and sat patiently on the ground, I enjoyed the warmth, leaning into him until he pulled back, hands on my shoulders. "Don't try too hard. If you want, I can search your memories myself when we're off in the time vortex."

My eyes lit up. "That'd be great," I said eagerly.

He chuckled, ruffling my hair before turning to unlock the TARDIS doors. I glowered playfully at him, fixing my hair and patting the TARDIS doors. I'll see you in a few days, you old police box!

"Be careful, my Girl," the TARDIS cooed back, wary. "My Thief has entrusted his most prized tool to you. Take care."

Turning my attention off of the TARDIS, I stepped back, scooping Clave back up. The Doctor winked. "See you in two days! Allons-y, Ali!" he said cheerfully before closing the doors.

Hugging Clave, sonic screwdriver clutched tightly in my hand, I gave a sad sigh, watching as the TARDIS disappeared before my eyes, the familiar soft sound fading into silence. Dany snorted softly as I grabbed his reins, allowing Clave to climb back onto my shoulders before tapping the Clydesdale's shoulder so that I could climb on.

As excited as I was, I had a feeling it was going to be a long two days of normalness.

And in my world now, normalness was no fun.

~~OO~~II~~OO~~

A/N: So the Doctor left his sonic with Ali! ^_^ Something that's never really happened with any companion for any reason. ;) What did you think of Mandy? I love Mandy, and Clave, too, don't know why…and next chapter we meet Drevan and Catie and perhaps…something else. o.o

Thanks to my precious two reviewers! You made my day!

Guest: Thanks, glad you love it! :3 Something sort of happened, as you can see, so. XD And the conversations between Ali and the TARDIS are so much fun to write. XD

crimsonlove4evr: You'll love it and hate it. o.o Best show ever. And I'm glad you think this will help you with getting into the fandom, I feel seriously privileged that you said that…