Chapter 10: How Different?
There is a long pause as the words linger in the air. They were cryptic, but at the same time, clearly stated. Those who originated from Storybrooke are again afraid that the secret of the town will be revealed to this alien and his human companions. While one would assume they'd be angry at Crystal for saying such scathing and revealing words, it was clear that The Doctor had heard their conversation before she'd even opened her mouth… making everything a moot point. Whether he'd believe that they were fairy tale characters or not didn't matter because he and the others needed to leave.
"That's rather interesting," the Doctor replies with a smile. "The moment we arrived here, I suspected that we were in for something rather unusual and so far, you lot have shown us just that. Just so you know, I've also seen far stranger things in my many lifetimes and whatever secrets you might be keeping from us could hardly phase me or Amy or Rory. After all, I've been to Gurn 3T, in which the entire world is upside down, gravity, morals etc. and I also saved a civilization known as Kobions, a race of creatures living underground that can scale walls and absorb nutrition from stalagmites…was it stalactites? Which one was it again Amy?"
The redhead just shakes her head. She knew the Doctor knew something was going on with this seemingly ordinary town and it annoyed her that he'd not told them and instead was blabbing along like a madman, no doubt getting them into more trouble. While the Doctor was able to talk his way out of a lot of situations, this didn't seem like one of them.
"Well, it doesn't matter. Now… Madam Mayor, my next question is, where are your nearest lodgings?"
"I'm sorry what?" Regina asks, still trying to catch up with the wave of information this alien had babbled on about so casually. This man… being... alien played gymnastics with his words and wasn't sorry if he confused the hell out of everyone.
"Your nearest lodgings, you know… accommodations… housings… rooming houses… spaces to rent."
"Your hotel or something like that," Amy clarifies, wanting the Doctor to stop his ridiculous ramblings for a moment.
"Why?" Emma asks.
"Why else? Don't small communities or towns often have strong degrees of hospitality, taking in weary travellers when they arrive… or is that only an English thing?"
No one responds. Sure, this might be what normal small towns do but…
Crystal leans into Belle and whispers. "How weary are we talking?"
"And how far?" the beauty wonders.
Regina and Emma look at each other, sharing the same look of dread on their faces. If it were up to the former Evil Queen, the three intruders would have already had their memories wiped and been pushed back over the town line as if nothing had happened, but she knew that any display of magic could cause the Doctor to become hostile and attack them. It would have been different if they were all humans, but this alien was highly intelligent to such a degree that he could use some kind of unknown weapon or technology to invade and take over the town. For the moment, they had to act like normal people.
"Well, in short, the Ponds and I have travelled a rather great distance to get here, and the circumstances were not quite the most stable or safe, so a nice night in this quaint little town might be just what we need."
"What happened to your… ship?" David blurts.
"Did it perhaps crash land?" Rumple muses.
"Not crash, stop working yes. You see she's in hibernation to repair herself."
"She?" Emma says in confusion.
Killian, while still a little lost with the extraterrestrial visitors, he had great respect for the one in the bowtie, calling his ship "she" like many captains before him. While travelling the skies rather than the seas, this alien cared for his vessel and relied on it to take him where he needed to be.
"Yes, it's a She. She's known as the TARDIS and sadly she'd not inhabitable when in stasis."
"TARDIS?" Belle says in interest. "What language is that? Is that an acronym of some kind? Does it stand for something?"
"I like her," the Time Lord beams and points at Belle. "Asking the right questions. It stands for Time And Relative Dimensions In Space."
"How many aliens name their spaceships?" Emma mutters.
"Only the best kind darling," Eleven smirks.
Killian glares at the man, a flash of jealousy over the flirty tone. Fortunately, Emma is having none of it.
"Don't call me that," she says firmly.
"All right, will do. Now… the lodgings."
"We won't stay long," Rory says. While both he and Amy want to leave now, they don't exactly have anywhere to go. It annoys him that the Doctor is not only inviting them into a place they are clearly not welcome in but also likely springing some kind of trap. What if these people were like the Saturnynians, those blood-drinking vampire fish people they encountered in Venice who tried to suck Amy's blood or the Luxsins that tried to sacrifice him to their goddess to ensure a good harvest? It's amazing how often they wind up in the centre of a dangerous situation. Like his wife, he knew that the Doctor knew something they didn't, and he wished that it didn't involve them risking their lives so the Time Lord could have the fun of investigating further. He knows they just need a place for one night and then they're leaving. "Just for one night."
Amy gazes at Rory in relief.
"Speak for yourself," Eleven says. "I…"
"One night!" Amy snaps sharply, keeping the Doctor from forcing them to overstay their welcome.
With the mention of only a single night, Regina hesitates. She looks over at Emma, but before they can say anything.
"There is Granny's Bed and Breakfast," Snow offers.
Regina and Emma shoot the fairest one of all an angry glance.
"Ah, a Bed and Breakfast. That's excellent. Breakfast at eight, please. Will there be Wifi?"
"Yes, there will be," Crystal says.
"Is there a taxi we can call?"
…
Amy, Rory, and the Doctor find themselves crammed into the back seat of a yellow Volkswagen beetle, heading towards downtown. The owner of the said vehicle sits in the front with her husband. It's lethally silent with not a sound to be heard except the roar of the engine.
Regina assigned Leroy and Happy to remain at the town line in case anyone else came through, which seemed unlikely.
Crystal opted to ride with her dad and Belle, with Regina driving her car and David and Snow driving in the truck.
"Nice… car," Rory says at one point, breaking the silence.
The two other passengers look at him in disbelief, but he shrugs, he likes cars.
"Thanks," Emma says.
"What year is it?"
"1972 I'm pretty sure... I got it second hand"
"Drives pretty well. Stick shift too."
"Not easy to master," the blonde replies and nothing more is said.
Once they are on Main Street, Emma pulls over in front of Granny's restaurant.
"Nice place," the Doctor comments. "Like a place out of time."
To say the walk through the restaurant was awkward was a vast understatement. The lights were still on and there were a few people still in the restaurant. The moment the three strangers enter, the bell above the door announcing their arrival, all eyes go to them. Many of the people's expressions are shocked and confused, and a few are even hostile. It was clear that the people of Storybrooke don't take kindly to strangers… probably because they don't get many strangers in the first place... at least from The Land Without Magic.
Emma comes in and takes the lead, guiding them through the place.
Gray and beige-coloured tiles are laid out in a pattern beneath their feet as they walk cautiously into this new environment. The place has an old 50's diner feel to it, which was quite comforting to the trio. The tables, chairs, and booths reflected the era as well, the chairs being set in gray leather, while the booths reflected the design of cushions and were in red leather like Emma's jacket. Black and white wallpaper, with an image of pine trees, surrounds the group too, giving an atmosphere of nature and forests. The wall from which they had entered was completely covered in windows, giving a view of the outdoor eating area with umbrellas and picnic tables too. There's a large counter to their right, with round stools for patrons to sit if they desired to. Above the counter is a clock lit up in blue neon lighting and beside it are items available on the menus.
Emma leads them through a door and into a very dimly lit, but well-decorated lobby. It was filled with all sorts of antiques and old-looking furniture. The blonde goes to the front desk and rings the bell to get Granny's attention.
The older woman appears, looking sternly at this new cast of characters over her round glasses on a chain. Her green eyes stare at them sternly as she wipes her hands on the flowered apron around her waist. Her short gray/white hair is styled in an updo and she wears a knitted sweater over a floral print blouse and a strangely shaped necklace. She glances at Emma and then the strangers before opening a leather-bound book on the desk.
"What do you want?" she says bluntly.
The woman's tone took Rory and Amy off-guard, assuming that she was a kindly old innkeeper who had gentle and grandmother-like tendencies.
"T-Two rooms please," Rory says.
"Two? Blimey, Rory, why waste the money on that?" Eleven asks.
"Doctor we've discussed this, Rory and I need our own space," the redhead says, extremely annoyed and embarrassed.
"Are you two married?" Granny interrogates the couple. "Because I run a respectable establishment here."
Both Amy and Rory hold up their hands to show their wedding rings. This evidence seems to placate the woman's grumpy demeanour for a brief moment.
"Names please?" she says sternly.
"Uh, Rory and Amelia Williams," Rory answers.
"And you?" she scowls at the one in the bowtie.
"The Doctor," he replies.
Granny glances over at Emma and gives her a "you've got to be kidding look" and the blonde nods while also rolling her eyes. The sheriff mouths "I'll explain later" which seems to be frustrating to the older woman.
"I need… something more feasible than the job title."
"All right, Doctor John Smith."
Both his companions roll their eyes in annoyance and the old woman mirrors their action before writing it down.
"And how long will you be staying?" Granny asks.
"Just the night," Rory replies.
"Breakfast is at eight, Welcome to Storybrooke," Granny says, handing them two fancy ornate keys.
…
Rory checks the narrow and dimly lit hallway before shutting the door to their room. After leaving the sheriff downstairs, they retired up to their assigned accommodations. They would allow the Doctor to talk to them, but then he'd be forced to sleep in his own room… if he chooses to sleep due to Time Lords not needing as much as humans.
"Doctor, what is happening?" Amy says, glad they are finally able to speak in private.
Rory rushes over to shut the ugly floral curtains in the room, hoping that they will not be seen by anyone on the outside. Amy sits on the bed with an even uglier floral comforter. The room itself looks extremely outdated including the wallpaper paper, the wicker furniture, and the old-looking writing desk. It all looked like it was stuck in the 1980s; something rather common for small towns and villages but does not bode well in terms of attraction or appeal. The double bed squeaks when she sits down but runs her hand through her red hair in anxiety. She knew that the three of them were in a precarious situation… not new for them… just another Tuesday, the problem is that their means of escaping this time and place is out of commission.
"Not entirely sure, but I doubt it's anything dangerous," the Time Lord says, examining a rather unusual picture on the wall. He then begins to scan the room with his screwdriver. Most of the room is made of wood, but nothing else to report.
"I take extreme issue with what you consider doubts and what we consider doubts," Rory says wearily, sitting down next to his wife. "Just tell us what's wrong with this place so we can get out of here."
"Nothing's really wrong, the town is just different that's all."
"HOW different," Amy snaps.
"Because the last small village we visited was orbiting a distant moon filled with flesh-eating plant life," Rory retorts.
"It is Earth, and it is 2019. The town is in Maine, U.S.A. It's just that it's populated by humans who have unusual energies,"
"What does that mean?" the redhead insists.
"Well…" the Time Lord struggles to put it into terms that they would understand. "Let me put it this way. You two are normal humans. If I scan you with the screwdriver, your vitals, body heat, brainwave patterns and so forth function normally. Typical of all humans. The folks here, their vitals and body heat are the same as yours… it's just that a lot of them radiate a different kind of energy. One that the screwdriver has difficulty with deciphering."
"But you're certain that they are human," Rory says, wanting it spelled out to ease his words.
The Doctor goes to a bookshelf and removes a volume. "Yes, they are human Rory, that I am certain of. And this is Earth, the normal Earth that you two live on most days. All planets and time periods have different tastes and smells associated with them." He opens the book a waft of dust flies into his face, causing him to cough and stumble back. Amy tries to hide her laugh at his antics.
"But you say that they believe in magic?" Rory continues.
"It's what they said in their little huddle."
While Amy would've scolded him for eavesdropping as it wasn't polite and the Doctor is not well known for his social skills, in this case, she'd let it go considering they might be in danger.
"Are they planning to do anything to us?" Amy asks. "Not harvest us for organs or anything?"
"No, and believe me, they're more worried about me doing that to them. What is it with humans and their idea of aliens wanting organs? They're not desirable for anything at all."
"Do keep in mind, we do run into hostile aliens more than they do," Rory reminds him.
"Point taken, Rory. Yes, their belief in magic is a little out of the left field for me… maybe…" he begins to go deep into thought.
"Doctor, what is it?" Amy asks.
The Time Lord does not respond as he continues pondering his thoughts.
"Doctor…" Rory says.
Finally, the couple says it together.
"DOCTOR!"
"Sorry Ponds. Perhaps a little tired. You should also get yourselves some rest. Nothing to worry about, but I would lock your door just in case… I'll be next door, see you in the morning."
"Doctor wait!" Amy says, but the alien leaves the couple alone in the room.
Rory flips backward in frustration on the bed with his hands over his eyes while Amy tries to follow Eleven, she opens the door to the hall but sees the Gallifreyan's door shut, proving that the Doctor was going where he said he was going (unusual for him). She knocks on the door but gets no response.
"DOCTOR!" she shouts and begins to pound on it.
Nothing.
Finally, she comes back into the room.
"I hate it when he does that," she growls.
"So do I. But we may as well try to get some sleep to make this night go faster," Rory says.
"How can anyone sleep when something is going on around here?" Amy murmurs.
"Let the Doctor figure it out. Ams, you know he'd never tell us to go to sleep unless he felt like it was safe."
"Rory, the Doctor always lies," she says, locking the room door.
"I know Amy, but you also can't stop him from doing what he wants. Like a bloody child or a cat that likes to wander. You're just going to stress yourself out if you worry about him. Let's just get some sleep and get out at first light."
The redhead sits on the bed next to her husband and kisses him.
"Tell you what, I'll stay awake and you try to get some sleep," he offers.
"Doesn't seem very fair, yer as tired as I am."
"Amy, I want you to feel safe and if you don't know me by now, I'll do whatever it takes to keep you safe."
"You're too good for me," she smiles, climbing under the ugly covers and pulling him into another kiss.
"So I've been told," he smiles.
"Good night."
"Good night," Rory says, before getting up to put a chair against the door as an extra precaution. He then turns out the lamp in the room, leaving them in the dark. He removes his shoes and gets into bed next to Amy. He wraps his arms around her and holds her close, waiting for the night to end.
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