The Doctor stood by the console, working on some small bits of wiring, trying to be quite and not cause an explosion as Thea was curled up asleep on the captain chair, his jacket over her.
He knew it wasn't the safest place for her to nap, but she did it so often, he usually let her be, especially if they weren't in flight, and even if they were in flight he knew the TARDIS wouldn't let her fall even with his terrible pilotting.
Thea face scrunched as a Childs cry reached out.
...please save me from the monsters...
And woke with a gasp.
The Doctor winced, feeling a sudden burning sensation in his pocket and pulling out the psychic paper to see a message, "please save me from the monsters." He read aloud, glancing at Thea, seeing her sitting up and rubbing her eyes. "Haven't done this in a while."
"Haven't done what?" Amy asked, seeing him moving around the console, getting them in flight, "What are you doing?"
"Making a house call!" He cheered, landing them as the Ponds rushed to the door to see where they were, "Wakey wakey!" He laughed at Thea as he pulled her to her feet following the Ponds outside.
"No offence, Doctor," Rory began as they stepped outside before a block of flats.
"Meaning the opposite." The Doctor commented.
"But we could get a bus somewhere like this."
"The exact opposite."
"Well, I suppose it can't all be planets and history and stuff, Rory." Amy remarked to her husband.
"Yes, it can." The Doctor defended, "Course it can. Planets and history and stuff. That's what we do."
"But not today." Thea sighed.
"No. Today, we're answering a cry for help from the scariest place in the universe."
"A child's bedroom!" Her eyes widened, "the creepy old clown toy an old aunt got you that in the darkness looks like its alive and feasting on you're dreams."
Rory blinked, not sure what to make of that, "you don't like clowns?"
"With their faces painted with the wide grins and their manic laughing, and kidnapping children, what's to like?" She walked off ahead to the complex.
"Do we want to know?" Amy asked the Doctor, really not sure if she wanted to know why Thea did not like clowns.
She could admit she wasn't half wrong with not liking clown toys, but clowns kidnapping children? What was that about?
"No, you dont." The Doctor shook his head.
Thea had told him about her time with Sarah Jane, how theyd met the shape-shifting clown, who kidnapped children and also was the reason for the story and legend of the Pied Piper. He also knew about Sarah Janes Coulrophobia, hating clowns and clown-like dolls.
"So, which room are we going to?" Rory asked as they caught up with Thea before the lift.
Thea rolled her eyes feeling all three pairs of eyes turn to her, "don't even..." They quickly looked away.
"That's what we're here to find out." The Doctor determined.
"Sounds like something a kid would say." Amy mused.
"It was." Thea replied, "a scared kid. So scared his cry for help reached us in the TARDIS."
"But you cant read the pyschic paper." Rory frowned at her.
"I cant, but if it can reach the psychic paper it can reach a psychic mind." She reasoned.
"Exactly." The Doctor nodded as the lift doors pinged open, "Ah. Going up."
Thea paused before following the others in, there was something about the lift she didn't like. She shook her head and stepped inside as the Doctor pushed the button for another floor.
~.~
Thea sighed as she finished checking on her level of flats, getting no useful information at all. They'd split up to cover more flats but so far it seemed none of them were having much look. She looked over to see Amy and Rory having met up a few floors below her, squinting as she saw the curtains move in the room they walked passed, seeing a kid peeking a look out.
That was him. She knew it.
"Think that's him?" The Doctor murmured as he joined her from his own level, having caught her staring.
"Yeah."
"Come on." He led her down the stairs to meet with Amy and Rory before the lift.
"Hey." Amy greeted, "Any luck?"
"Three old ladies, a traffic warden from Croatia and a man with ten cats." The Doctor told them.
"A very sweaty and nervous looking teenage boy." Thea said.
"What are we actually looking for?" Rory asked.
"Scared kid, remember?" The Doctor reminded him.
"I found scary kids." Amy commented, "Does that count?"
"Er, try the next floor down. Catch you later." The Doctor waved as he headed off.
"Do you really need to take the lift one floor down?" Thea frowned, pausing as she made to follow the Doctor but looked back at Rory pushed the button to summon the lift.
"You calling us lazy?" Amy joked.
"No just...it makes a bad noise." She offered before rushing after the Doctor.
Amy and Rory looked at each other for her words before shrugging and stepping in the lift.
"You alright?" The Doctor glanced at Thea as they made their way to the flat they had seen the kid, seeing her stop and looked back to the lift.
She shook her head and continued on, "Fine, just, I don't know, bad feeling about that lift, you know."
He nodded, not that he really did know but whatever bad feeling she probably had about the lift probably linked to the scared kid, which is why he knocked on the door to the flat and flashed the psychic paper at the young man who opened the door.
"Oh. Right." The man blinked, "That was quick."
"Was it?" The Doctor smiled.
"Claire said she'd phone someone. Social Services."
"Yes. Yes." The Doctor nodded, checking the paper himself, seeing it say 'Doctor John Smith, child psychologist.'
"It's not easy, you know," the man sighed, "admitting your kid's got a problem."
"You've got a problem. I've got a problem. I bet they're connected, I'm the Doctor." He introduced, "Call me Doctor. This is my daughter, Thea."
"Work experience." She offered a smile. Knowing with her appearance people were often confused why she apparently was working.
"What can we call you?"
"Alex." He reached out to shake the Doctors hand.
"Hello, Alex." The Doctor stepped inside the flat looking around, seeing a door with a small sign, like one a child one make, 'George's room,' "So, tell us about George."
~.~
The Time Lords sat on the sofa the Doctor flipping through a photo album as Alex explained the situation.
"Ever since he was born he's been a funny kid." Alex told them.
"Funny's good. We like funny, don't we?" He nudged Thea.
"Funnys the best." She agreed.
"He never cries." Alex cried, "Bottles it all up, I suppose. Tell him off, he just looks at you."
"And how old is he?" Thea asked, feeling like his age was important.
"He was eight in January. I mean, he should be growing out of stuff like this, shouldn't he?"
"Maybe." The Doctor murmured, handing the photo album to Thea to look though.
"It's gotten worse lately though, hasn't it?" Thea guessed, looking up at Alex.
"Yeah." he sighed, "We talked about getting help. You know, maybe sending him somewhere. He started getting these nervous tics. You know, funny little cough, blinking all the time. But now it's got completely out of hand. I mean, he's scared to death of everything."
"Pantaphobia." The Doctor stated.
"What?"
"That's what it's called. Pantaphobia. Not a fear of pants though, if that's what you're thinking. It's a fear of everything. Including pants, I suppose, in that case. Sorry. Go on."
"He hates clowns."
"Everyone should." Thea nodded, closing the album and setting it on the table.
"Old toys." Alex went on, "He thinks the old lady across the way is a witch. He hates having a bath in case there's something under the water. The lift sounds like someone breathing. Look, I don't know. I'm not an expert. Maybe you can get through to him."
The Doctor smiled, "we'll do our best."
Suddenly a crash sounded and Alex was on his feet in an instant, rushing to check on his son.
"George?" He called, opening the door to see his son sat on his bed, "you okay? What's the matter?" He was relieved to see that the lamp on the boys bedside had fallen over, "Oh. Never mind. Were you having a nightmare, son?"
"Wasn't a nightmare." He murmured, "I wasn't asleep..." he trailed off noticing the company standing in his doorway, a man in a bowtie and a girl with matching stripey arm warmers and socks, "Who are you?"
"I'm the Doctor." The Doctor smiled at him.
"A doctor?" He gasped, "Have you come to take me away?"
"No, George," Thea assured him, moving to sit down besides him on his bed, "I'm Thea, me and my old man just want to talk to you."
"What about?" He hesitated.
The Doctor followed Thea further into the boys room, really not wanting to scare him and wanting him to feel comfortable and safe around them, "About the monsters." He said, sitting down on George's other side and picking up a Rubiks cube from the floor, trying to solve it.
Alex started pacing, looking back at them as he tried to help them resolve what was wrong with his son, "Maybe it was things on the telly, you know?"
"Right." The Doctor nodded, distracted as he worked on the cube.
"Scary stuff, getting under his skin, frightening him."
"Mmm-hmm."
"We stopped letting him watch."
"Oh, you don't want to do that." The Doctor smiled at George.
"Then Claire thought it might have been something he was reading."
"Fairytales can be terrifying." Thea agreed.
She remembered the first time Maria showed her the human fairytale she had as a kid. Honestly, who in the right minds would actually cut of a bit of their foot to fit a shoe just to marry a Prince?
"Reading's great, though." the Doctor countered, "you like stories, George? Yeah? Me, too. When I was your age, about, oh, a thousand years ago, I loved a good bedtime story. The Three Little Sontarans. The Emperor Dalek's New Clothes. Thea loves Snow White And The Seven Keys To Doomsday. All the classics. Rubbish." he muttered, tossing the cube over his shoulder, "I hate those things." He frowned, seeing Thea frowning at the cupboard and followed her gaze as Alex picked up the cube, "better tidy it away, though, eh?" he took the cube back, "How about in here?" He looked at the cupboard, knowing if Thea was staring at it then it was important. George gasped, "No. Not in the cupboard. Why not in there, George?"
"It's a thing." Alex told them, "A thing we got him doing ages back. Anything that frightens him, we put it in the cupboard. Creepy toys, scary pictures, that sort of thing."
"You put the things that scare him most in a cupboard in his room where he sleeps." Thea deadpanned, "so all the scary things are literally behind a cupboard door?"
Alex startled at that. Not having thought about that. It was just a place they put them to put them out of George's sight. He hadn't thought about them still being in his room.
"So that's where the monsters go?" The Doctor murmured, eying the cupboard, "Yeah. There's nothing to be scared of, George. It's just a cupboard..."
"Door." Thea called.
"Yes, just a cupboard door."
"Funny." Thea rolled her eyes.
A moment later there was a knock on the door.
"Front door." Alex muttered glancing at Thea oddly. How had she known? Someone knocked again and he left to answer it.
"How did you know that?" George asked her, eyes wide, "Are you magic?"
"Oh she's much better than magic," the Doctor beamed, moving back to George's side, "She's psychic."
Thea rolled her eyes good naturally. She did still hate it when the Doctor announced her abilities to people, she really didn't want the entire universe to k ow, it was bad enough Kovarian and the Silence knew (even if that was her fault) But George wasn't going to go and tell the enemies about her and it did seem to cheer him up.
"Just call me your fairy godmother." She joked, sending him a wink.
He seemed to brighten at that, and anything was better than having him listening to the conversation by the front door Alex may have shut the door too, but their Time Lord hearing could easily eavesdrop.
The Doctor noticed George staring at the door, able to hear the conversation as well and pulled out the sonic, scanning it around.
George turned to him, "is that a torch?"
"Screwdriver." He huffed, "A sonic one. And other stuff."
"Please may I see the other stuff?"
The Doctor grinned, "You may." He flicked it on, causing the battery powered toys in the room to light up and move, "Ah, pretty cool, eh?"
"There's a smile!" Thea cheered, seeing George watching his toys in delight.
"That's better." The Doctor smiled, "No tears from George, that's what I've heard. Go on, give us a smile, there's a brave little soldier. Bit rusty at this."
He had never been the best at handling tears with his children. He hated to see them crying that he usually ignored it or left his wife to wipe away their tears. He children had been very much like him, never good at showing the negative emotions. He didn't mean to ignore them when they cried, he just really didn't know how to cheer them up at the time (he still didn't really know what he was doing) And he didn't want to try and comfort them and make everything worse. Usually he would just sneak them a piece of cake or other sweet snack to try and cheer them up.
It seemed to work well enough with Thea as well as the acknowledgement that he heard her usually got her to come out and talk.
"Anyway," he shook his head, "let's open this cupboard, eh?" He turned and faced the cupboard, "There's nothing to be..." the sonics pitch increased, "Off the scale." He breathed, "Off the scale. Off the scale. How?"
Thea turned to George, seeing his gaze back on the door, listening to his father and the landlord argue about rent.
"Right." Alex put on a smile as he returned, "Sorry about that. So, have we got this thing open yet?" He reached for the latch in the cupboard.
"No!" the Doctor shouted, "No, no, no, no, no. You don't want to do that."
Alex turned to him "Why?"
"Because George's monsters are real."
~.~
The Doctor stood in the kitchen searching the cupboards as Thea at on the sofa, skimming through the photo album, a frown on her face.
"You're supposed to be a professional." Alex glared at the Doctor, "I'll never get him to sleep now. It's so irresponsible."
"No, Alex." He countered, "Responsible. Very. Cupboard bad. Cupboard not bare. Stay away from cupboard. And there's something else. Something I've missed. Something staring me in the face..." He glanced over at Thea.
She had that look on her face, her brows furrowed as she looked through the photo album, staring at each photo with her tongue poking out. He noticed she did that occasionally when she was deeply concentrating. It was like she knew there was something important that they had missed. Something that would help George, and the photo album seemed to be the best place to start again.
"Look, I'd like you to leave, please." Alex shook his head, "you're just making things worse. Will you stop making tea." he reached out to take the teacups the Doctor had found, "I want you to leave."
The Doctor took the cups back and continued making tea, "No." And opened the fridge to continue making tea.
Tea was just what they needed to help George.
"What? What do you mean no?" Alex shut the fridge door, "Leave. Get out." But the Doctor opened it again and Alex shut it, "Now, please. Look, maybe this was a bad idea. We should sort out George ourselves."
"You need our help, Alex." Thea called as they looked over to see her standing in the doorway, the closed photo album to her chest something telling her that it would help them to help George, she just didn't know how yet.
"No one's going to tell us how to run our lives." Alex glared, "I don't care who you are or what wheels have been set in motion. We'll sort it."
"I'm not just a professional." The Doctor told him, "I'm the Doctor."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Alex shook his head.
"We came a very long way to get here." Thea said to him, "a very long way. George sent a psychic message across the universe to us. So whatever is scaring him in that cupboard amplified his fears across time and space."
"Eh?"
"Through crimson stars and silent stars and tumbling nebulas like oceans set on fire." the Doctor continued, "Through empires of glass and civilizations of pure thought, and a whole, terrible, wonderful universe of impossibilities. You see these eyes? They're old eyes." He warned the man, "And one thing I can tell you, Alex. Monsters are real."
"You're not from Social Services, are you?" Alex asked.
"What was the first clue?" Thea deadpanned.
"First things first." the Doctor turned to Alex, "You got any Jammie Dodgers? Thea works better when she isn't hungry."
And he knew she was hungry, even if she didn't say anything. She was always hungry when she woke up, usually he would have some biscuits set out for when she awoke from her naps but they'd been busy with George's distress call, they hadn't really had time.
~.~
The Doctor sat on the sofa besides Thea as she looked at the photos of Alex, Claire and George.
"There's something about these photos." She mumbled
He reached out and closed the photo album, seeing her getting frustrated and knowing the more frustrated she got, the more she tried to focus, the harder it was to figure out. He did notice she kept staring at the same page, a photo of Claire at Christmas time and then one with her and George not long after he was born, "Anyway! Good. Nice tea. Nothing like a cuppa, but, decision." He looked at Thea, "Should we open the cupboard?"
"What?" Alex startled.
"Should we?"
"Well..."
"Got to open the cupboard, haven't we. Course we have. Come on, Alex. Alex, come on. How else will we ever find out what's going on here?"
"All right, but you said..."
"Monsters. Yeah, well, that's what I do. Breakfast, dinner and tea. Fight the monsters. So this, this is just an average day at the office for me."
"Okay, yeah." Alex nodded, "You're right."
"I don't think we should." Thea spoke up, "we don't know what's in there that can scare George that much."
"We don't?" Alex shook his head confused.
"Come on, Alex." The Doctor continued, "Alex, come on. Are you crazy? We can't open the cupboard."
"God, no, no, we mustn't."
"Right." The Doctor jumped up, "That settles it."
"Settles what?"
The Doctor drained the rest of his tea as Thea sighed, "we're opening the cupboard."
The Doctor gave them both a grin and strode out of the room.
~.~
Thea stood before George's bed standing in front of him to protect him from whatever was lurking in his cupboard. The men stood before her, ready to open the cupboard, the Doctor cracking his neck and stretching his arms to prepare for what was inside. He reached forwards, releasing the latch and yanking the doors open only for his shoulders to sag.
There was nothing out of the ordinary about the cupboard, just a few clothes and some old toys tossed inside, along with a large Georgian dollhouse.
"Won't lie," Thea was the first to speak again, "little bit disappointed."
"I don't understand it." The Doctor shook his head, "It has to be the cupboard. The readings from the sonic screwdriver, they were..." He was cut off suddenly as Thea let out a loud gasp and ran from the room returning momentarily with the photo album.
"How could I have been so stupid!" She exclaimed, "its been staring us in the face this whole time! Look!" She thrusted the book in the Doctors arms, "you said George has just turned eight, right?" She asked Alex.
"Yes." Alex said, confused.
The Doctor frowned, confused, as he looked at the page Thea opened the book, the Christmas just before George was born, he flipped to the next page, seeing Claire holding the new born just after giving birth. His eyes widened at what they had missed.
"So you remember when he was born, then?" The Doctor asked quickly.
"Of course." Alex nodded.
"Course you do. How could you not? You and Claire." He showed him the photo, "Christmas Eve, 2002, right?"
"What? Er yeah."
"Couple of weeks before George was born. Tell me about the day he arrived. Must have been wonderful."
"Well, it was the best day of my," Alex trailed, looking at the Doctor, "life."
"Sure?"
"Yes."
"You don't sound sure." Thea pointed out.
"What are you trying to say? Look, I don't like this. I've told you before, I want you to go."
"What's the matter, Alex?" The Doctor eyed him.
"I can't. Oh, don't. Oh, this is scary."
"No, Alex, this is scary. Claire with baby George." He showed Alex the photo, "Newborn, yes?"
"Yes."
"Less than a month after Christmas."
"So?"
"So look. Look." he flipped back to the photo a month earlier at Christmas, "Claire's not pregnant." He pointed to her flat belly.
"What?"
"Not pregnant."
He knew it was possible for some people to be pregnant and never realise, sometimes the positioning of the child inside was at an odd angle and people just didn't show and didn't realise they were pregnant until the birth, but this, he knew it wasnt something as simple as this. The photos, the way Thea had been so intent on them, no, a perception filter had been blocking that out.
"Well, of course not! Claire can't have kids!" Alex's mouth dropped open as he realised what he said.
The Doctor closed the book, "Say that again."
"We tried everything. She was desperate. As much IVF as we could afford, but...Claire can't have kids. How? How can I have forgotten that?"
They all slowly turned to look at George, "Who are you, George?" The Doctor asked softly.
"It's not possible." Alex exclaimed, "This isn't..."
"You're scaring him." Thea murmured, slowly stepping closer to the boy, even as the Doctor reached out to stop her.
They didn't know who or what George was but she knew he wasn't a danger to them. Not really. Whatever he was this wasn't something trying to attack them, if it was then he would have revealed that by now. Removed the illusion or whatever, being caught out was usually when the evil smirks came out and they're evil plans were revealed.
But before she could reach him, offer any comfort, the room began to shake and a light shone under the cupboard doors. The lamp on the bedside table turned on and shone brightly as the cupboards swung open, a strong gust of wind pulling them back towards the cupboard.
"George?" Thea called, trying to fight against the wind as it pulled her back, but she had been so focused on him she hadn't had the time to try and brace herself as the wind pulled her back into the cupboard.
"Thea!" The Doctor cried, desperately trying to reach her but his fingers just grazed hers, "George, what's going on? Are you doing it?"
"What's happening?" Alex gasped, stumbling back to the side of the cupboard, managing to grab hold of the edge.
George tucked his legs up to his chest, as wrapped his arms around them, burying his face in his knees as he rocked back and forth, "Please save me from the monsters. Please save me from the monsters. Please save me from the monsters. Please save me from the monsters."
"George!" The Doctor called out but the wind pulled him further back to the cupboard.
"Please save me from the monsters." George continued muttering, "please save me from the monsters. Please save me from the monsters."
"George, no!" the Doctor cried as he was forced into the cupboard.
"George!" Alex shouted as he too, was sucked into cupboard.
The doors slammed shut behind them.
~.~
The Doctor woke up with a start feeling like he had been slapped, glancing to his side to see Thea was sat, legs crossed, besides him, "did you just slap me?" He demanded.
"It woke you up, didn't it?" she defended.
"You do not slap people awake." He told her, as she helped him to his feet.
"Not even a mental slap?"
"No." He pointed at her as she moved to help Alex up as the man slowly come around himself. "George!" The Doctor shouted, running over to the doors, but they didn't budge, "George, don't do this. We want to help you, George."
"We went," Alex fumbled over his words, trying to understand what was happening, "we went into the cupboard. We went into the cupboard. How can it be bigger in here?"
"More common than you'd think, actually." Thea remarked.
"Where are we?"
"Isn't it obvious?" She blinked.
"No." He shook his head.
She rolled her eyes, "we're inside the dollshouse."
"The dollhouse?"
"The dollhouse, in the cupboard, in Georges room, in your flat."
"No, no, just slow down, would you?"
"Look." The Doctor rushed over to the dining room table, "Wooden chicken," he tossed it at Alex, "Cups, saucers, plates, knives, forks, fruit, chickens. Wood. So, we're either inside the dolls' house or this is a refuge for dirty posh people who eat wooden food."
"Or termites." Thea suggested.
"Giant termites trying to get on the property ladder." He nodded before shaking his head, "No. That's possible. Is that possible?"
"Nothings impossible." Thea replied, following the Doctor as he headed down the hallway.
Alex dropped the items and followed them, "Look, will you stop?" He grabbed the Doctor spun him around, "What is he? What is George? And how could I forget that Claire can't have kids? How?"
"Perception filter." Thea stated. "I knew they're was something about those photos." She added in a huff.
"Some kind of hugely powerful perception filter." The Doctor agreed, "convinced you and Claire. Everyone. Made you change you're memories." He rolled his eyes seeing Thea before a mirror, "Well, almost everyone eh." He nudged Theas side, "you saw right through it."
She crinkled her nose, "eventually." she muttered.
The Doctor chuckled, rubbing her head before patting Alex on the back and walking off.
They walked on as Alex paused at the mirror, "just a mirror." He remarked and followed after them.
A life size wooden appeared in the reflection behind him.
Thea glanced back, frowning, swearing she had seen something moving in the darkness.
"So, Claire can't have kids and something responded to that." The Doctor continued questioning as they walked off, "Responded to that need. What could do that?"
"Tenza?" Thea suggested.
"Or Nestine Duplicate."
"Nestine don't like work like that. I'm betting Tenza."
"No," He shook his head, "I don't think so."
"Bet the last slice of chocolate cake, he's a Tenza!" She grinned, holding out her hand.
"You're on!" The Doctor agreed, shaking her hand.
"I thought you were the expert, fighting monsters all day long." Alex muttered, "You tell me."
"Oi!" The Doctor called, turning back to him, "Listen, mush. Old eyes, remember? I've been around the block a few times. More than a few. They've knocked down the blocks I've been round and re-built them as bigger blocks. Super blocks. And I've been round them as well. I can't remember everything."
"Doctor..." Alex started.
"It's like trying to remember the name of someone you met at a party when you were two."
"Doctor, the lift."
"And I can't just plump for 'Brian' like I normally do."
"Doctor, listen!"
"Shh," Thea hissed, covering her hand over the Doctors mouth able to hear the odd breathing noise that Alex was trying to get his attention about, "listen."
The Doctor frowned, "what is that?"
"It's the lift." Alex explained, "It's the sound that the lift makes. George is scared stiff of it." He trailed off, catching sight of five candles, each going out one by one. He stepped over as the turned back on, one at a time. "Five times."
"Eh?" Thea looked over at him.
"The lights. It's happening five times. It's like one of George's habits. We have to switch the lights on and off five times."
The Doctor grinned, clapping his back, "Now you're getting it."
"What do you mean?"
"What do you tell George to do, Alex, with everything that scares him?"
"Well, put it in the cupboard."
"Exactly." The Doctor nodded, "And George isn't just an ordinary little boy, we know that now, so anything scary he puts in here. Scary toys, like the dolls' house. Scary noises, like, like the lift. Even his little rituals have become part of it. A psychic repository for all his fears, but what is he?"
"Tenza." Thea half sang.
A door behind them flung open and the trio turned, gasping at the sight to see a life-size wooden doll standing there, laughing at them.
"Oh, my God." Alex breathed. The Doctor pulled out the sonic trying to get a scan, "A gun? You've got a gun?"
"It's not a gun." the Doctor argued.
"But that is a wooden doll." Thea pointed out, "and you still haven't gotten a wood setting."
The Doctor put the sonic away, huffing, "I've got to invent a setting for wood. It's embarrassing."
"In the mean time," Thea spun and grabbed a large pair of purple children's safety scissors, lunging at the doll with them, the dull tips knocking the doll back, as it continued to giggle. "Really don't want to find out what happens if they touch us."
"Come on." The Doctor pulled her off through the door seeing it was clear now the doll was out the way and didn't want to waste anytime for it to advance on them again.
"Don't run away." The doll called in a child-like voice, "We just want to play."
The Doctor slammed the door behind them, seeing they were in the main foyer, the grandstand case behind them, "Massive psychic field, perfect perception filter, and that need. That need of Claire's to, to. Stupid Doctor." He slapped his forehead "Ow..." and rubbed his head from the pain.
"Does this mean I get the last slice of cake?" Thea asked, handing the scissors to Alex.
"George is a Tenza." The Doctor realised, "Of course he is." He turned accusingly to Thea, "you cheated!"
"How did I cheat at guessing he was a Tenza?" She huffed at the accusation.
"You probably heard me say it!"
"Did not! I'm just clever."
Alex's eyes widened as he looked at them. That was not a human word, "He's a what?"
"A cuckoo. A cuckoo in the nest. A Tenza." He opened another door only to slam it shut seeing another doll behind it, "He's a Tenza. Millions of them hatch in space and then whoomph, off they drift, looking for a nest. The Tenza young can sense exactly what their foster parents want and then they assimilate perfectly."
Alex shoved back the dolls, "George is an alien?"
"Yep."
"But he's our child."
"Yeah." Thea nodded, running up the stairs.
"Of course he is." The Doctor agreed, "the child you always wanted. He sensed that instinctively and sought you out, but something scared him." He and Alex followed Thea up the stairs, Alex using the scissors to push the dolls back, "started this cycle of fear. It's all completely instinctive, subconscious. George isn't even aware that he's controlling it. So we have to make him aware. George!" He shouted, "George, you're the only one who can stop this. But you have to believe. You have to believe. You have to know you're safe. I can't save you from the monsters. Only you can. George, listen to me. George, listen to me."
"Rory!" Thea gasped, seeing the man working his way down the stairs, fending off two more dolls with a mop.
"Thea!" Rory shouted, "Doctor!"
"Wheres Amy?" Thea asked, seeing the woman wasn't nearby, which could only mean...
Rory answered by pointing at a red headed doll.
"Don't touch the dolls, got it."
"George!" The Doctor continued to shout, "George, you have to face your fears! You have to face them now. You have to open the cupboard, or we'll all be trapped here forever in a living death. George!" They were pushed to the back wall, the Doctor keeping Thea behind him, further away from the dolls surrounding them, "George, listen to me. George! George, listen to me. George! Please! George, you have to end this. End this. End it. End it now!"
Suddenly the dolls stopped.
The men looked around, confused as Thea shoved past them, spotting George in the middle of the foyer below, "George!" She smiled widely at him, "you did it, you brave boy!"
"George." The Doctor grinned, "George, you did it. You did it. Hey, it's okay. It's all okay now. Everything's going to be fine."
The dolls started moving again, but this time towards George.
The Doctors eyed widened, "No! No! No, no, no, no, no. George, you created this whole world. This whole thing. You can smash it. You can destroy it."
George shook his head, terrified.
"Something's holding him back." the Doctor muttered, "Something's holding him back. Something..."
"He was terrified that you were a doctor coming to take him away," Thea shook her head, turning to Alex, "he thought you were regretting him. That he wasn't wanted."
"Well, we, we talked about it." Alex fumbled.
"And he heard you. Kids hear a lot more than they let on."
"A Tenza's sole function is to fit in," the Doctor agreed, "to be wanted, and you were rejecting him."
"We just couldn't cope!" Alex exclaimed, "We needed help!"
"Yes, but George didn't know that. He thought you were rejecting him. He still thinks it."
"But how can we keep him? How can we? He's not..."
"Not what?"
Alex glanced over at his son, the dolls starting to surround him, "He's not human."
"No."
"Does that matter?" Rory asked. He knew what it was like to have a child which wasn't strictly human but it was his kid and despite everything he did love River and tried to be father to her nowadays.
"Dad!" George shouted.
And that was all that was needed for Alex to run down the stairs, pushing through the dolls to knee down and hug his son tightly, "Whatever you are, whatever you do, you're my son, and I will never, ever send you away." he promised quietly, "Oh, George. Oh, my little boy."
"Dad." George sobbed, clutching him tightly as a bright light began to shine through the windows.
"My little boy."
"Dad."
The light filled the room...
~.~
The Doctor leaned against the kitchen counter, watching with a soft smile as Thea played with George and his toys as the boy sat on the counter, laughing.
The front door opened and a woman called out from down the hall, "Hi!" Before the woman, Claire, entered the kitchen, seeming to surprised to see them all there.
"Hello." The Doctor greeted cheerfully, "You're Claire, I expect. Claire," he gave her two gallic air kisses, "how'd you feel about kippers?"
"Gross." Thea scrunched her face in disgust. "We want a ham and cheese sandwich, don't we George?" She asked him, who nodded eagerly.
"Er," Claire glanced at Alex, confused who the man and girl were, "who...?"
"They sent someone about George." Alex explained, "It's all sorted."
"Yeah, we had a great time, didn't we?" The Doctor asked with a smile.
"Yeah!" He cheered.
"See? He's fine."
"What, just like that?" Claire shook her head.
"Yes." The Doctor smiled, "trust me."
The Doctor and Thea stepped out of the flat, when Alex followed with a shout, "wait!"
"Sorry, yes." The Doctor turned around, "Bye." and shook Alexs hand.
"No, no, you can't just. I mean..."
"It's sorted. You sorted it. Good man, Alex. Proud of you."
"What, that's it?"
"Well, apart from making sure he eats his greens and getting him into a good school, yes."
"But is he going to, I don't know, sprout another head or three eyes or something?"
"He's a Tenza." Thea reminded him, "he'll adapt perfectly."
"Hey!" The Doctor pointed at George as he stepped out looking for his dad, "Be whatever you want him to be. I might pop back around puberty, mind you. Always a funny time."
"No kidding." Thea snorted.
She could remember when Luke started puberty, poor Sarah Jane had no idea how to deal with the hormones, he was the perfect made human alright, including the perfect hormones of an angsty teenage boy.
"Bye!" Thea waved as they headed off, hearing Claire calling from the kitchen, "you know what I think." She commented as they headed down the stairs.
"What?" The Doctor glanced at her.
"I think I'd be a pretty good big sister. Do you know what that means?"
"You are a big sister."
"Yeah, but Luke's my brother. I want a sister. So, I'm going to annoy River so much she's gonna blab where my little sister is."
"Of course you are." The Doctor shook his head at her as they reached Amy and Rory, the pair sat on a wall, waiting for them, "Come on, you two. Things to do, people to see, whole civilisations to save..."
"You feeling okay?" Thea sat down next to Amy, "what with being a doll and everything."
"Er, I think so." Amy replied.
"Well, it's good to be all back together again, in the flesh." The Doctor clapped his hands, "Come on." And pulled out his key, letting them in the TARDIS, "Now, did someone mention something about planets and history and stuff? Where do you want to go?" He grinned at them.
"Er..." Amy hesitated.
"Mind's gone blank."
"Well, I have just been turned into a wooden dolly." She defended.
"Excuses, excuses." The Doctor shook his head.
"It's tough, though." Rory agreed, "It's like being given three wishes. The whole universe?"
"Or universes." Thea grinned.
"Ohh, three wishes, like Ali Baba." the Doctor laughed, "How about that?"
"Sounds good to me!" Thea beamed, running up to the console and pulling the lever, sticking her tongue out at the Doctor as she got there before him.