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MAD MAN IN A BOX
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The Doctor tossed the phone to Hollie before he walked out of one of the wards. "Where are you going?" Amy asked.

"The roof." He answered before spotting the sign 'locker room'. He grinned and headed through the doors. "No, hang on." He replied.

"What's in here?" Amy asked.

"I'm saving the world - I need a decent shirt." He called over his shoulder. "To hell with the raggedy. Time to put on a show."

"You just summoned aliens back to Earth. Actual aliens, deadly aliens, aliens of death," Hollie's eyes widened as the Doctor undid the buttons on his shirt before slipping the old tie off. "And now you're taking your clothes off." Hollie quickly covered her eyes while Amy just stared. "Amy, he's taking his clothes off."

"Turn your back if it embarrasses you." He told them.

Hollie quickly spun around, wishing to give the Doctor his privacy while Amy just kept staring.

"Are you stealing clothes now?" Rory asked. "Those clothes belong to people, you know." He looked at Amy. "Are you not going to turn your back?"

"No." She grinned.

After the embarrassment of the Doctor stripping all his clothes off and getting a new pink shirt, trousers and picking up several different ties the four-headed to the roof of the hospital.

"Was this a good ide Doctor?" Hollie asked. "Because they were leaving and did stop cooking the planet.

The Doctor nodded. "Leaving is good. Never coming back is better." He stepped forward, the ties hanging loosely around his neck. "Come on, then! The Doctor will see you now."

Hollie rolled her eyes and laughed slightly at his comment before her eyes widened and she stepped back as a large eyeball dropped onto the roof and scanned the Doctor.

"You are not of this world." The Atraxi stated.

The Doctor nodded in agreement. "No, but I've put a lot of work into it." He looked at his selection of ties and held a few up. "Oh, hmm, I don't know. What do you think?" He asked the eyeball before shaking his head and muttering something about the eye before looking at Hollie and Amy. "Thoughts?"

"Don't like the colour." Hollie shook her head at a tie the Doctor held up. The Doctor nodded and tossed the tie to her and grinned as she easily caught it.

"Is this world important?" The Atraxi asked.

"Important?" The Doctor repeated. "What's that mean, important?" He questioned. "Six billion people live here. Is that important? Here's a better question. Is this world a threat to the Atraxi?" Hollie raised an eyebrow wondering what the Doctor was doing. "Well, come on. You're monitoring the whole planet. Is this world a threat?"

A projection of the world appeared between the Doctor and the Atraxi before it disappeared and was replaced by tanks, people with guns and explosives. "No."

"Are the peoples of this world guilty of any crime by the laws of the Atraxi?"

"No."

"Okay." The Doctor nodded while tossing a couple of ties in the direction of the humans, Hollie and Amy both giggled when a tie hit Rory right in the face. "One more. Just one. Is this world protected? Because you're not the first lot to come here. Oh, there have been so many." They watched as projections of different aliens showed up. Hollie's eyes widened seeing the Daleks, she looked over at Amy and frowned, how could she not bat an eyelid at them? They were half scared to death when the metal salt shakers appeared in the sky. "And what you've got to ask is, what happened to them?"

The projection then switched and Hollie and Amy both frowned as ten different faces appeared on screen, each of different men before the image stopped and the Doctor stepped through the projection and smiled when the projection disappeared. Hollie blinked not even noticing that he had placed on a tweed jacket he had bought up. She glanced at Amy as the ginger looked over at her and they both smiled before looking back at the Doctor who just stood there, staring at the eyeball, he didn't even look scared.

"Hello." He greeted. "I'm the Doctor." He chuckled slightly. "Basically, run."

The humans watched with the Doctor as the eyeball returned back to its ship before it quickly disappeared.

Hollie frowned and looked up at the sky not even able to see it any more while Amy looked over to the Doctor, or rather where the Doctor was before he disappeared off the roof. "Doctor?" She frowned. Hollie looked over at Amy and Rory before spinning around, he had gone. "He's gone." She looked over at Hollie.

The blonde shook her head. "No." She swallowed hard and ran to the fire exit. "No, no, no!" She shouted, running down the stairs, hoping that she could catch up to him and stop him from leaving. "Doctor she shouted as she heard a wheezing sound grow louder the closer she got to Amy's house. The blonde froze when she saw what looked like a ghost of the blue box disappear. "No." She whispered and sunk to her knees in front of the mark the box left behind in the grass.

Amy swallowed hard and stopped, seeing Hollie, slowly she walked up to her friend and pulled her up to stand, tightly hugging her. Hollie refused to give up the Doctor, she lost so many friends, jobs and a few boyfriends after they found out she believed in an 'imaginary man' she lost practically everything. The only thing she had left with her art and Amy and Rory, no one else believed her, why should they believe a 19-year-olds seven-year-old selves story against the hard cold reality, to them, time and space travel wasn't real so neither could the 'Raggedy Doctor'.

×××

Two years later Hollie and Amy sat on the Scottish gingers bed laughing at a joke Amy had just said before the ginger sighed and looked up at the dress hanging from her wardrobe. "I can't believe it's tomorrow." She mumbled before looking at Hollie. "I don't know if I'm ready for it."

The blonde smiled and stared at the dress for a moment before looking at her friend. "You love Rory don't you?"

"Of course I do." Amy frowned. "Why would you say that?"

"Why are you worrying if you love him then?" Hollie asked and tilted her head ever so slightly.

"I'm just scared." She admitted. "It's just been the four of us for so long now." She shrugged. "You, me, Mels and Rory and from tomorrow it's just me and Rory."

"And I'll be at the wedding." Hollie laughed.

"It's a shame Mels can't have a prison furlough."

"Well, she did steal a police car after being on her last furlough for the engagement party." Hollie shrugged.

"You stole a fire engine with the Doctor!" Amy protested.

"No." Hollie shook her head. "I didn't the Doctor did and it was borrowing, not stealing."

"Did you return it?"

"Well no-"

"Stealing."

Hollie huffed before looking down at her hands. "I miss him, Ames."

Amy sighed and took her friend's hand. "I know Hollie, I miss him too."

"No." Hollie smiled slightly. "Not like you, not an 'Amy missing' someone. I miss him differently. After he saved the world I couldn't stop thinking..."

Hollies best friends eyes widened. "You like him!"

"I don't!"

"Admit it!" Amy pointed at her.

"No!" Hollie replied.

"Because you like him." She laughed. "Hollie and the Doctor sitting-"

"Okay, okay." Hollie cut her off. "Maybe. I don't know, I'm still mad he left and didn't come back. I thought he would you know, he promised us."

"Twelve years before seeing us again. He probably changed his mind."

Hollie shrugged and Amy smiled. "Maybe though?" She lightly nudged her friend with her shoulder. "Maybe what?"

"Maybe I do like him." She rolled her eyes.

"I knew it!" Amy laughed and jumped up from her bed, skipping around her room. "I knew it, you like the Doctor."

"Only a little bit." Hollie protested, now standing up as well. "It's nothing though, he isn't coming back."

"He might do." Amy shrugged.

"He's going to be off somewhere saving a planet like in our stories we made up when we were kids-"

Amys' eyes grew wide when she heard a faint wheezing noise. "Or not." She grinned.

"Or what?" Hollie frowned, staring at her friend who ran towards the window and moved the curtain slightly.

"Amy if this is some trick." Hollie said to her friend as she rubbed her eyes to check that she wasn't dreaming."

"No!" Amy shouted happily and ran down the stairs. "Not a trick, this is real Hollie, he's here, he's back!"

Hollie grinned and grabbed the light pink dressing gown from Amy's bed before she ran down the stairs, forcing her arms in the dressing gown in the process. Hollie stopped behind Amy who had stopped and was staring at the Doctor who stood in front of his box, looking at it. "Sorry about running off earlier." The Doctor called to them. "Brand new Tardis. Bit exciting. Just had a quick hop to the moon and back to run her in. She's ready for the big stuff now."

"It's you," Hollie said, walking up to him with Amy. "It's actually you, you're back."

"Course I came back." He frowned. "I always come back. Something wrong with that?"

Amy looked him up and down. "And you kept the clothes."

"Well, I just saved the world." He shrugged. "The whole planet, for about the millionth time, no charge. Yeah, shoot me. I kept the clothes."

"Including the bow tie." Amy eyed it.

"Yeah, it's cool." He smiled and fixed his bow tie. "Bow ties are cool."

Hollie smiled. "I like it." She announced before shaking her head and frowning. "Doctor, are you from another planet?"

"Yeah."

Amy looked at Hollie who shrugged, they both then looked back at him. "Okay."

"So what do you think?"

"Of what?" Amy asked.

"Other planets. Want to check some out?"

Hollie frowned as Amy asked him: "What does that mean?"

"It means, Hollie, Amy come with me."

"Where?"

"Wherever you like."

"All that stuff that happened. The hospital, the spaceships, Prisoner Zero." Hollie began, only to get cut off by the Doctor.

"Oh, don't worry, that's just the beginning." He waved a hand. "There's loads more."

"Yeah, but those things, those amazing things, all that stuff." Hollie started to ramble before she narrowed her eyes and she pointed at him.

Without thinking, Amy slapped him across the cheek. "That was two years ago!" Her eyes widened in horror and she pulled her hand back realising what she had done.

The Doctor jumped back and his eyes widened. "Ow!" He cried and cradled his cheek in his hand. "Guess it isn't just mothers who slap me." He grumbled. "Angry redheads slap me as well."

"That's 'angry Scottish redhead' to you." Amy crossed her eyes.

The Doctor swallowed hard and took in Amy's words. "So that's..."

"Fourteen years!" Both Amy and Hollie shouted at him.

"Fourteen years since fish custard." He sighed. "Amy, and Hollie, the girls who waited, you've waited long enough."

Amy frowned and crossed her arms. "When we were kids, you said there were a swimming pool and a library, and the swimming pool was in the library."

"Yeah. Not sure where it's got to now. It'll turn up. So, coming?"

Hollie opened her mouth to answer but Amy cut in: "No."

"You wanted to come fourteen years ago."

"I grew up," Amy replied.

"Hollie?" The Doctor looked at her.

The blonde looked at Amy before she turned to the Doctor and slowly shook her head. "I'm sorry but I can't." She admitted. "Like Amy said, we grew up."

The Doctor smiled. "Don't worry. I'll soon fix that." He clicked his fingers and the TARDIS door opened.

Amy and Hollie's eyes widened as they stepped into the TARDIS, the orange glow hit their faces as they looked around the large console room.

"Well?" The Doctor asked following them in. "Anything you want to say? Any passing remarks? I've heard them all." He then jumped up the stairs and grinned at the console.

Amy looked down. "I'm in my nightie." She stated.

Hollie laughed and nodded at her friend who was indeed in her 'nightie'. "Knew I was glad to put my dressing gown on."

"Oh, don't worry." The Doctor waved an arm. "Plenty of clothes in the wardrobe. And possibly a swimming pool." He hummed. "So, all of time and space, everything that ever happened or ever will." He looked at them. "Where do you two want to start?"

"You are so sure that we're coming." Amy crossed her arms at him.

"Yeah, I am." He nodded.

Hollie frowned and looked between them as Amy looked at the Doctor. "Why?"

"Cause, Amy you're the Scottish girl in the English village, I know how that feels and you Hollie." He looked at the blonde, "When I met you, you had curls, you may not have them anymore but apart from that you're almost the same, Holls you stayed the same, wanted to come fourteen years ago."

Amy crossed her arms and looked at him through the glass time rotor. "You feel the same?"

"All these years living here, most of your life, and you've still got that accent. Yeah, you're coming." He pointed at her.

"Can you get me back for tomorrow morning?" Amy asked.

"It's a time machine." The Doctor replied and frowned at her. "I can get you back five minutes ago. Why, what's tomorrow?"

Hollie looked over at Amy who quickly answered: "Nothing." She shrugged. "Nothing. Just you know, stuff."

"All right, then." He nodded. "Back in time for stuff." The Doctor looked at Hollie who was still stood by the doors. "You coming with us Holls?"

The blonde smiled and slowly walked up the stairs to the console. The TARDIS hummed and Hollie the Doctor laughed.

"She likes you."

"She?" Hollie asked.

"The TARDIS." He answered." "So coming?"

Hollie nodded. "Course I am, I'm Amy's my best friend and you're right." She sighed. "I still want to come, even after fourteen years."

The Doctor laughed and pointed at her. "Ha!" He then looked at the console as the TARDIS hummed again before the Doctor grinned and snapped up the new, bronze and green sonic screwdriver that popped out of the console. "Oh! A new one! Lovely." He grinned and popped it in his pocket before leaning in and whispering to the console. "Thanks, dear."

Hollie wondered around the console before she frowned and stood beside the Doctor as he started to type on the computer that looked a lot like a typewriter. "Why us?"

"Why not?" The Doctor shrugged.

"No, seriously." Amy cut in. "You are asking us to run away with you in the middle of the night. It's a fair question. Why us?"

"I don't know." He shrugged. "Fun. Do I have to have a reason?"

"People always have a reason." Hollie raised a brow and crossed her arms.

"Do I look like people?"

"Yes." Amy and Hollie both said at the same time.

The Doctor sighed. "Been knocking around on my own for a while. My choice, but I've started talking to myself all the time." He shrugged. "It's giving me earache, plus I feel bad for you two, I made you wait way too long."

"You're lonely and sorry." Amy tilted her head slightly at him. "That's it? Just that?"

"Just that." He nodded. "Promise."

Amy and Hollie looked at each other before they both nodded. "Okay."

"So, are you okay, then?" He asked them. "Because this place, sometimes it can make people feel a bit, you know..."

"I'm fine," Amy answered. "It's just, there's a whole world in here, just like you said. It's all true. I thought. Well, I don't know about Hollie but I started to think that maybe you were just like a madman with a box."

Hollie laughed and nodded. "I'm glad I wasn't the only one thinking that after what happened two years ago."

"Well, Amy Pond, Hollie Aria, there's something you'd better understand about me, because it's important, and one day your life may depend on it." He turned to them. "I am definitely a madman with a box."

The Scottish ginger and the English blonde slowly smiled and the Doctor smiled as well. "Haha! Yeah." He spun around and gripped onto the console. Hollie and Amy followed, grabbing on as well. "Goodbye Leadworth, hello everything." He pulled a lever down. Amy and Hollie both looked up and watched the time rotor go up and down as the Doctor ran around the console.

He was definitely a mad man in a box.