belle, doctor who

twenty-six

Susan and the Beauty walked into the TARDIS. The Beauty gave the Doctor a big smile as he stood there at the tiny console in the middle of the room.

"Hi Grandfather," Susan greeted. "The Beauty wanted you to examine her. She tells me that she can only remember your name, my name, and her name. She also said that..."

"Good. Good. Susan, why don't you, ah –"

"Yes, I'll go do my school work while I wait," Susan gives a smile. The Beauty smiles back and Susan is off.

"So you can only remember our names?" the old man asks. The Beauty nods. "And nothing else."

"Nothing else, you say? Not a single memory planted in your brain?" the Time Lord says.

"Yes. I just know my name is 'the Beauty' and that I ended up in the classroom with Susan."

"Hm. Well, let me explain," the Doctor says. "I believe someone has wiped your memory."

"Someone? Who?" the Beauty asks.

"Someone who messed with time," the Doctor says, "and changed Susan and I's memories so that we would remember you as if you were our friend."

"Er..." the Beauty says, "where did you come up with that?"

"The moment you woke up, I felt a spark come into my brain," the Doctor says. "It was odd."

"Oh?" the Beauty asks. "That spark... what did it do?"

"Gave me memories of you," the Doctor says, "fake ones. Susan would go crazy if she knew this was all fake. I know in these memories how you were her best friend."

"Oh," the Beauty frowns as the Doctor gets out his stethoscope. "Well, when Susan said my normal name, Belle, my head started to ring with chanting."

"Chanting?" the Time Lord asks. "How?"

"Just repeating my name. Four times," the Beauty says, "over and over and over..."

"Two hearts," the Time Lord says to the Beauty as he examines her. "That's not possible."

"Two hearts, you say?" the Beauty asks. The Time Lord nods.

"My species has two hearts, you see," the Doctor says, "and I thought you were human. You would go on adventures with us, and you created your name after the title 'Beauty and the Beast' because your normal name is Belle."

Belle. Belle. Belle. Belle, there goes that chant again.

"Oh," the Beauty groans. She sways, almost falling backwards. The Doctor helps her up.

"Oh, Beauty! Are you alright?" Susan rushes over to help her.

"I'm... I'm okay," she says as the ringing stops.

After a while, the Doctor goes out for a bit. The Beauty hears voices outside the TARDIS, but doesn't go out yet because she knew the Doctor would be mad if she did. She stayed.

"Susan! Beauty!" She hears shouting. "It's Mr Chesterton and Miss Wright, Susan. Beauty."

A few seconds later after a bit of rambling, the Beauty backs away because she hears and sees the door open. Susan was standing at the console and Beauty rushed to her.

"Close the door, Susan. I believe these people are known to you two," the Doctor says. He notices the Beauty's panicked state.

"They're two of our schoolteachers. What are you doing here?"

"Why are you here?" The Beauty asks after Susan.

"Where are we?" Miss Wright asks.

"They must have followed you. That ridiculous school. I knew something like this would happen if we stayed in one place too long," the Doctor says.