Butterfly Effect

The

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This was Eleven. My Eleven. My Doctor, who shows me how much he loved me and never showed anything less.

“Morgan?” The Doctor asked.

The air rushed out from my lungs. I ran up to him, grabbing ahold of his arms. I looked deep into those green eyes, those gorgeous deep green eyes that were just so alive.

“Morgan, not that I’m not loving this.” The Doctor smirked, nervous. “Love the attention, really.”

Before he could say another word, I grabbed his purple tweed jacket. I pushed him back onto the console, pulling the Doctor down on my lips. He made a small startled noise, then quickly got the message. His hands stopped flapping about, reaching back to thread themselves into my hair to keep me as close to him as possible.

Storyline I loved his lips, I loved his tweed, his eyes. He was all Mine.

The word felt odd for a second, then almost seemed to fit into my mind like a puzzle piece. Mine. He was Mine. MineMineMineMineMine. Oh, I was turning into a Finding Nemo seagull and couldn’t find a fuck to give!

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“27.” I choked out.

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He pulled me closer to him. “My name is-” I gasped. The Doctor whispered one word in my ear.

I let myself fall into his shoulder.

He hugged me, holding me closer to him. “But I like it when you call me Theta.”

I smiled, kissing his shoulder. “Thank you.” I panted.

The Doctor chuckled. It rumbled in his chest and I felt like I was vibrating. Story, I missed Eleven. “Later. You need some sleep first.”

“I have found a ship.” A robotic voice said.

My eyes widened. I pulled myself off the Doctor, seeing Handles worked into the TARDIS console. “Handles.”

“Ah. I see you’ve met him!” The Doctor said, not even trying to move away. “Found him in a-”

“That’s not fair.” I whimpered, hugging the Doctor. “That is not fair.” I buried my face into his tweed jacket.

“Hey, hey, what’s not fair?” The Doctor asked me, pushing me away if only to look me in the eyes.

“I just lost Ten. I didn’t want to be brought here just so I could lose you too!” I whimpered. “That’s not fair.”

The Doctor brushed the hair out of my face. “Hey. You’re not going to lose me.”

I shook my head, gripping his tweed tighter. “Please, I can’t do this again. I only just got a second heart, it can’t stand a heartbreak like this. This is my first time seeing you since-” My sentence choked in my throat, making me push my face into his shoulder of only to keep him from seeing my tears.

There was a pause before he hugged me back. “Since the Ponds.”

My response was another sob. “Please. Please don't make me lose you! I just got you back!” I cried.

The Doctor held me tighter, rubbing his hand over my back. “Terra, you never lost me.”

“But-But I killed them! I killed them!” I cried. “You have to hate me for that!”

“I could never hate my Mate.” The Time Lord said.

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“Mate?” My eyes widened at the term.

“That was how you described it, yes.” The Doctor kissed my forehead. I was stunned. “Apparently it is a Traveller power you picked up some decades ago. Your soul bonding with mine after you attacked Dominic.”

The word came out as a growl. Subconsciously, he gripped my hand tighter. I pressed my head into his chest in an effort to calm him down, feeling his duel heartbeats against my cheek. It seemed to work. His grip on my hand lessened, the other hand petting my head.

Oh, if I could purr I would be.

“It weakened your manipulator, letting your Traveller magic loose.” It was so weird hearing the Doctor talk about magic. Yet as his deep British voice flew into my ears, I couldn’t find myself caring. “It allowed you to find your Mate.” He kissed my head. “To make it me.”

I hummed. ‘That sounds really nice.’

The Doctor let go of my hand and head, using both of his hands to cup my face. He pulled me up for a deep kiss, so deep I had to grab his shoulders for support.

‘It is.’ The Doctor’s voice floated in my head.

My eyes widened. I pulled myself off him, much to his displeasure. “Did you just hear my thoughts?” The Doctor pressed his forehead on mine. “Did I just hear your’s?”

He kissed me again, holding me against him so I wouldn’t pull away again.

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==BE==

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The Doctor: “Every ship I go on, they just shoot at me. Handles, I said, put me on a ship. I didn’t say, put me on a Dalek ship.”

(The Doctor is talking to a damaged Cyberman’s head attached to a stand on the console.)

The Doctor: “Don’t put me on a Dalek ship when I’m holding a broken bit of Dalek!” (The Doctor hits the head with the eye-stalk.) The Doctor: “Ow!”

Handles: “You did not indicate a preference.”

The Doctor: “Use your head.” (He takes it off the stand and paces with it.) The Doctor: “It’s not like you’ve got a lot of alternatives. They’re all here. Daleks, Sontarans, Terileptils, Slitheen. And they’re not even fighting, they’re just parked. Why?”

Handles: “The message was received throughout the universe.”

The Doctor: “Yes, yes, the message, the message. Even I can’t translate it. I mean, why is everyone here if they don’t understand it?”

“We’re here.” I reminded him,

The Doctor: “Well, you know, we’re OCD. What’s their excuse? What does this message mean?”

(The emergency phone outside rings. He puts the head back on its stand.)

The Doctor: “Oh, no. And remind me I’ve got to patch the telephone back through the console unit. This is getting ridiculous.”

Handles: “Attention. Information available.”

The Doctor: “Okay?”

Handles: “You must patch the telephone device back through the console unit.”

The Doctor: “No, no. No, no, no, no. No, not now. Remind me later.”

Handles: “When?”

The Doctor: “I don’t know. Just later. Just pick a time.”

Handles: “When?”

The Doctor: “I don’t know. Just any old time. When you think I’ve forgotten.”

Handles: “When?”

The Doctor: “Just pick a random number, express that number as a quantity of minutes, and when that time has elapsed, remind me to patch the telephone back through the console unit.”

Handles: “Affirmative.”

The Doctor: “How those Cyber-evenings must fly.”

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The Doctor: “Hello, the TARDIS.” There was a pause, and then his eyes widened. He looked to me, almost worriedly. “Uh. No. Sorry. Married. And she is none-too eager with sharing.” He visibly relaxed. I took a few steps towards him. “Oh. Well that’s a relief. I actually don’t like getting hit by my wife, for future reference.”

He shook his head. I rolled my eyes. Dang it. He didn’t say the rollercoaster line! That was one of my favorites. “Well, I hope the next one isn’t married.” “So?” “Yeah, I did that once and there’s no easy way to get rid of an android.” “Yeah.”

The scanner began to beep. (The scanner has picked up an unidentified new vessel in orbit. The Doctor drops the telephone receiver.)

The Doctor: “Handles, that’s a new ship. Okay, we’ll take the TARDIS this time.”

“Tell me she asked you to be her Christmas boyfriend.” I said, trying to sound angry. It was impossible. It was too funny to see him struggle. He was just so adorable, sometimes.

The Doctor picked up the phone. “Sorry, missed that last bit. Got to dash.” He pointed at me, just after hanging up the phone. “And yes, yes she did! You heard me say no!”

The Doctor: “Okay, don’t be alarmed, I come in”

(And sees Cybermen.)

CYBERMAN: “Alert. Alert.”

The Doctor: “Peace. No.”

CYBERMAN: “Intruder detected. The intruder will be upgraded.”

(Lots of Cybermen leave their cubicles and start shooting. Really bad shots again.)

The Doctor: “Argh! Sorry.”

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Clara: “I need you. I’m cooking Christmas dinner!”

The Doctor: “I’m being shot at by Cybermen!”

Clara: “Well, can’t we do both?”

The Doctor: “Argh! Yeah, why not?”

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==BE==

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“Wha...what?” I gaped.

The Doctor smiled, taking off the bowtie. “We both have to be naked when we go to Church. Come on.”

Despite it being almost a year since then, I still had harsh memories of Dominic’s bar. I refused to go into Tasha Lem’s Church naked.

“N-No.” I started shaking my head, cradling my arms around me. “No. I can’t. No.”

The Doctor took of his coat, tossing it onto the bed. He eyed me curiously, then it clicked. “Oh. Right. You, you’ve just had Ha-” He stopped himself from saying my baby’s name.

Either way, I still ended up crying. I fell to the floor, bursting out in tears again. The Doctor came up to my side, pulling me into his arms.

“Morgan, Morgan, I’m sorry.” He comforted. “I’m such an idiot. You can stay on the TARDIS while Clara and I go in.” The Doctor said, holding me while we sat on his bedroom floor. I, personally, loved how his body fit against mine. “I know it’s still sore for you.”

I didn’t reply, sobbing onto his chest. ‘Harry. Oh Story, I killed Harry. I killed the Doctors, and the Master, and Harry. Why? Why do I kill everyone I care about?’

The Doctor pulled me in his lap, draping my legs over his. My arms were still wrapped around me, my face pushing into his shoulder. He slowly began rocking me, almost like a child. His hand brushed down on my hair soothingly.

‘Morgan. Please. I love you. You don’t kill everyone you care about.’ The Doctor thought. ‘You’ll be perfectly safe. No one will have to see you without clothes but me.’

His comforting promise had helped, though I was still petrified at the idea of being in front an entire religious group, the Silence, and be naked. They were the people that put this thing on me, they took away Melody and turned her into a killer.

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==BE==

Clara: “Doctor, I so need you.”

(The Doctor is without any clothing. Clara has to turn her back.)

The Doctor: “Clara!”

Clara yelped, turning her back on the Doctor. I almost laughed. “No, stop, stop, don’t move. Don’t do anything.”

The Doctor: “Why? What is it? What’s wrong?”

Clara: “You’re naked.”

The Doctor: “Yes, I am naked. I wondered if you’d notice.”

“Don’t complain. You’re the one that wanted a Christmas boyfriend.” I teased her, adding a small smile.

Clara: “Doctor, why are you naked?” Her eyes widened in disgust. “Please tell me I did not just walk into you and Terra-”

The Doctor: “Because I’m going to church.” He was fully clothed, though only to Clara. He winked brazenly at me, making me smile slyly. (Zap! and he is fully clothed again.) The Doctor: “Better?”

Clara: “Oh, that was quick.”

The Doctor: “Hologram clothes, projected directly onto your visual cortex.”

Clara: “So you’re still naked underneath?”

The Doctor: “Everybody’s naked underneath.”

Clara and I both scrunched up our faces in disgust. “Story, did you have to say that?”

Clara: “Urgh, don’t say things like that. It’s Christmas. Come and meet my family.”

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==BE==

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Clara: “Hello, so, er, here he is.”

The Doctor: “Hello, the Oswalds. Hello! Merry Christmas. Hello, hello.”

(Handshakes for Linda and Dad, air kisses for Gran, who is the only one to look directly at him.)

The Doctor: “Hello, handsome. Anyone for Twister?”

Clara: “So, this is the Doctor. My boyfriend. Isn’t anyone going to say hello?”

Gran: “Hello.”

(Her glass is empty again.)

The Doctor: “Excuse me a moment. Listen, I’ve got an idea to break the ice. Why don’t I project my clothes hologram onto their visual cortexes too?”

Clara: “So, to be clear, no one except Terra and me can see your clothes?”

“Terra and I.” I corrected. “And, I can’t see his clothes either.”

The Doctor: “Yes, and I’m starting to think it may be causing tension.”

Gran: “Are we playing Twister now?”

Clara: “Get in the kitchen.”

The Doctor: “Eh? Sorry.”

Clara: “Sorry. He’s Swedish.”

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Clara “Doctor, please.”

(He looks at the anaemic fowl in the over.)

The Doctor “Oh, that’s never going to work, is it?”

Clara “What’s wrong? Do you think it’s not done yet?”

The Doctor “I think a decent vet would give it an even chance.”

Clara “Okay. Well, use an app.”

The Doctor “An app?”

Clara “On your screwdriver. App it.”

The Doctor “Most certainly not. It doesn’t do turkey. Nothing does turkey. You’d need a time machine. What?”

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==BE==

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The Doctor “You can’t keep using the TARDIS like this.”

Clara “Like what?” (She is carrying the poor uncooked bird.)

The Doctor “Missed birthdays, restaurant bookings. And please, just learn how to use iPlayer.”

Clara “Ooo, vortex cooking?” (She lays the carcass in the workings below the console.)

The Doctor “Yep, exposure to the time winds. It’ll either come up a treat, or just possibly lay some eggs.”

Handles “Information available.”

Clara “What’s that?”

The Doctor “Oh, just a bit of a Cyberman. He’ll get us to the church on time.”

Handles “I have developed a fault.”

The Doctor “The organics are all gone, but there’s still a full set of data banks. Found it at the Maldovar market.”

Handles “Planet identified from analysis of message.”

The Doctor “Right, cool. Go on then. Okay, tell us, what is the planet? Go on.”

Handles “Processing official designation. Processing.”

The Doctor “Okay, in your own time, dear. Don’t rush.”

Clara “So why haven’t you just gone down there and had a look?”

The Doctor “It’s shielded. Even the TARDIS can’t break through it.”

Handles “Gallifrey.”

The Doctor “What did you say?”

Handles “Gallifrey.”

The Doctor “What are you talking about? Gallifrey? What do you mean?”

Handles “Confirmed. Planet designation, Gallifrey.”

(The Doctor grabs Handles and takes it to the scanner.) The Doctor “You see that? Gallifrey is my home. I know it when I see it. That is not Gallifrey.”

Clara “Doctor, are you okay?”

The Doctor “It’s not Gallifrey. Gallifrey is gone.”

Clara “Unless, unless you saved it. You thought you might have.”

(They look out of the TARDIS doors down at the white planet.)

The Doctor “Even if it survived, it’s gone from this universe. That is not my home.” (They go back inside.) The Doctor “It can’t be.”

(There is a big fog horn blast outside.)

Clara “What’s that?”

(They look out of the door again, at a big square Borg-style spaceship.) The Doctor “Papal Mainframe. It’s like a great big flying church. The first ship to arrive. They are the ones who shielded the planet. They can get us down there.”

(The Doctor bows to a large holographic face.)

Clara “A friend of yours?”

The Doctor “Tasha Lem, the Mother Superious.”

(The hologram beckons to them.)

The Doctor “Oh, she’s inviting us aboard.”

Clara “Why?”

The Doctor “Because I asked her. Swallow this.”

Clara “What is it?”

The Doctor “Your hologram projector. You can’t go to church with your clothes on.”

“Terra’s wearing clothes!” Clara argued. “And she’s coming!”

The Doctor and I exchanged a worried look. “Nah. She’s watching the TARDIS for us.”

“Making sure some idiot doesn’t come in and take her away.” I teased him, leaning against the console.

Clara pouted. “Why does she get to stay behind?”

I walked over to her, still leaning on the console. “Look. Manboy is just showing off to you. Let him.”

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==BE==

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“Am I being silly?” I asked the TARDIS. “I am just doing this for attention?”

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They faded back in, a reverse landing. The Doctor had taken off his wig revealing the egg head underneath. Clara was staring at him with wide eyes.

The Doctor: “The old key in the quiff routine. Classic.”

(He puts his wig on Handles.)

The Doctor: “Okay, homing in on the mysterious message. Ooo yes, I like that. The mysterious message.”

Clara: “You’ve shaved your head?”

The Doctor: “Yep. Clever plan to get us past the shield.”

Clara: “You got bored one night, didn’t you?”

The Doctor: “Yeah, tiny bit bored.”

Clara: “Is that what happened to your eyebrows?”

The Doctor: “No, they’re just delicate. Right, setting us down near the signal source. I’m going to turn the engines on silent. Don’t want to make a fuss.”

Clara: “Put it back on.”

The Doctor: “Why?”

Clara: “Your ears are like rocket fins.”

The Doctor: “I know.”

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==BE==

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Clara: “Oh, it’s good to be wearing clothes again. That’s so much better, don’t you think?”

(They are dressed for the weather. The Doctor scans everything with his screwdriver. The trees are decorated with lights so the village has electricity at least.)

The Doctor: “Now, what do we make of this place? It’s two o’clock in the afternoon. Must be very short days here. The message is coming from that tower.”

(Two residents walk towards them.)

The Doctor: “Hello! Hello, there. Right, we’re a couple and their friend from the next town. My name’s probably Hank or Rock, something like that.”

Clara: “Or Manboy?”

The Doctor: “Shut up. Hello, good to meet you. Nice snow.”

ABRAMAL: “Most pleasant to meet you too.”

MARTA: “Most pleasant. Most pleasant.”

The Doctor: “I’m the Doctor. I’m a Time Lord from the planet Gallifrey. I stole a time machine and ran away and I’ve been flouting the principal law of my own people every since. That wasn’t quite what I was meant to say!”

(Everyone laughs.)

“I’m a Queen from another reality and now I’m stuck-”

Clara: “I’m an English teacher from planet Earth, and I’ve run off with a woman and a man from space because I really fancy-”

MARTA: “I think, perhaps, you should stop talking till you get used to it.”

The Doctor: “Used to what?”

MARTA: “What did you say your name was?”

Clara: “Bubbly personality masking bossy control freak.”

The Doctor: “I’m wearing a wig! No, ah, I see. Yes, of course. It’s a truth field. Oh, that is so quaint. I haven’t seen a truth field in years. I’m wearing a wig.”

ABRAMAL: “No one can lie in this town. Especially this close to the tower.”

(The couple walk on.)

The Doctor: “Doesn’t that make life a bit difficult?”

MARTA: “Not at all.”

ABRAMAL: “Yes.”

The Doctor: “This town, what’s it called?”

MARTA: “It’s Christmas.”

The Doctor: “It’s July.”

MARTA: “No, the town. The town is Christmas. That’s what it’s called.”

ABRAMAL: “Be happy here. Be well.”

Clara: “How can a town be called Christmas?”

The Doctor: “I don’t know. How can an island be called Easter? Maybe it’s just nice here. I almost hate to find out what’s wrong.”

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==BE==

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The Doctor: “There you are. What took you so long?”

Clara: “What’s wrong? It’s only a crack in the wall.”

The Doctor: “I knew. I always knew it wasn’t over.”

Clara: “What is it?”

The Doctor: “A split in the skin of reality.”

(As he touches it, he is remembers other times the crack was there.)

The Doctor: “A tiny sliver of the 26th of June, 2010. The day the universe blew up.”

Clara: “Missed that.”

The Doctor: “I rebooted it, put it all back together.”

Clara: “That’s good.”

The Doctor: “Well, it was my TARDIS that blew it up in the first place. I felt a degree of responsibility. But the scar tissue remains. A structural weakness in the whole universe. Whoa! And someone’s trying to get through it from outside our universe, from somewhere else. Of course. Of course. It makes sense.”

Clara: “It does?”

The Doctor: “Yes. If you were trying to break through a wall, you’d choose the weakest spot. If you were trying to break into this universe, you’d choose this crack, because. No. If you were trying to break back into this universe. (to Handles) You said Gallifrey. Why did you say Gallifrey?”

Handles: “Analysis of message composition indicates Gallifreyan origin, according to TARDIS databanks.”

Clara: “You said Gallifrey was gone.”

The Doctor: “No. I said it was in another universe. The message is coming through here. The truth field is too, at a guess. If it’s the Time Lords. If it’s the Time Lords.”

(He takes a large round item from his trouser pocket.)

The Doctor: “Seal of the High Council of Gallifrey. Nicked it off the Master in the Death Zone. There is an algorithm imprinted in the atomic structure. Use it to decode the message.”

(He puts the Seal on Handle’s forehead.) Handles: “Message decoding. Message analysis proceeding. Information available. The message is a request for information.”

The Doctor: “It’s a question. Why can’t you just say it’s a question?”

I put a hand on his shoulder. “Doctor, calm down. Breathe.”

Handles: “It is being projected through all of time and space on a repeating cycle.”

The Doctor: “The oldest question in the universe, hidden in plain sight.”

Handles: “Warning. Translation will be available to all lifeforms in range. Translation follows. Doctor who? (slightly different voice each time.) Doctor who? Doctor who? Doctor who? Doctor who? Doctor who? Doctor who?”

The Doctor: “A question only I could answer. A truth field to make sure I’m not lying. If I give my name, they’ll know they’ve found the right place and that it’s safe to come through.”

Clara: “The Time Lords? Okay, so what then? If you answer the question and they come back, what happens?”

(The Doctor gives Clara a short round device.) The Doctor: “Er, you need to take this to the TARDIS and put it in the charger slot for the sonic.”

Clara: “Why?”

The Doctor: “Hell. All hell, that’s what happens if the Time Lords come back. There’s half a universe up there already, waiting to open fire. Now please, go to the TARDIS and just do as I say.”

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I held his hand.

“Terra, you should go.”

I shook my head, gripping his hand tighter. “I know you’ve done this with Amelia and Rory. I don’t forgive them for meeting the TARDIS without me, by the way.”

“We know.” The Doctor admitted sadly.

I reached a hand up, brushing his cheek with my hand. “Doc, I’ve told you once I’m following you around for all of your lives. I’m not leaving.”

“You’ll die.” He said, as if it was a mantra he had been telling himself.

I grabbed his other cheek, pulling him down to kiss me. My lips met his, and I showed him how determined I was to stay here with him. I stayed like that with him for a while. The Doctor grabbed my cheeks with his hands, pulling me just a little bit closer.

When we finally stopped a lifetime later, I spoke first. “We’re in a truth field.”

“You know that.” The Doctor said. “Now please go with Clara.”

“Do you want me to leave?” I asked him. He would either tell me the truth, or be quiet.

He didn’t say a word. I could see it in his eyes, though, that he needed me to stay. At the same time, he wanted me to go. The Doctor would just have to open his mouth and I would know.

“I know you want me to go.” I said. “But I know you need me to stay. All you have to do is open your mouth.”

The Doctor just kept looking at me with his sad, old, green eyes.

“Cause I told Clara to wait three minutes, then go.” I admitted. “If you don’t say anything in the next two minutes, I’ll leave, but you won’t see me for three hundred years.”

His eyes widened.

“And that’ll be for only one day.” I held up a finger. “Then, it’ll be centuries before you see me again. At least four, if I did the math right.”

The Doctor looked so close to talking.

“And then, on that day, that second day I return after I leave, you will die.” I said, still looking in his eyes. “You will die, in this very church, of old age, protecting the planet of Trenzalore and town of Christmas.”

I took steps back. “And you will have those days, if you don’t talk. Because Doctor, right now, I would do anything you wanted, if you asked.”

“I will never want you to go.” The Doctor blurted out. That made me reel back. It was a bit unexpected. Truth Field, you’re back on the good list. “I’ve never wanted you to go. Ever. Every time you left, I counted the seconds until I saw you again.” He kissed me. “I have loved you for so long, ever since you first showed up in our TARDIS.”

I sucked in my lips. He said ‘our’. The Doctor kissed me again.

“I have never wanted you to leave me. I can’t survive without you.” The Doctor kissed me. I almost started laughing happily. “You are Morgan Spencer. You’ve always kept my darkness away, simply by existing.” Another kiss. “Three centuries? How could I survive three minutes?”

The Doctor grabbed my cheeks, kissing me again.

“Clara’s left.” I said, pulling away from the kiss for a second.

==BE==

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“Doctor!”

(The Doctor goes up to the bell chamber above the clock face, which is very open to the elements and appears to house just the one bell.)

The Doctor: “Mother Superious, there is only one thing I need from you. This planet, what’s it called?”

Tasha: “Trenzalore.”

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Tasha: “If you speak your name, the Time Lords will return.”

The Doctor: “If they return, they will come in peace.”

Tasha: “It doesn’t matter. They will be met with a war that will never end. The Time War will begin anew. You know that, Doctor.”

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The Doctor: “They’re asking for my help!”

Tasha: “And if you give it, war will be the consequence. I will not let that happen, at any cost. Speak your name and this world will burn.”

The Doctor: “No, this planet is protected.”

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The Doctor: “So, you lot, a quick word, thank you. Spot of news. Christmas has a new sheriff. Hello, everyone. I’m the Doctor.”

“And I’m Terra, your deputy!” I held his arm in my own.

==BE==

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The Doctor looked against it. “Terra I-”

“Please.” I pleaded. “I want to know what happened.”

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“Get out of the way.”

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I gasped.

“See, Terra, I-” The Doctor began.

I cut him off with a deep kiss. “Have I ever mentioned that I love your speeches?”

==BE==

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“But, what happened to me?” I asked him. “Why am I a Time Lady now?”

The Doctor brushed his hand thru my hair. It felt really nice, and relaxing. It was keeping me calm. He let out a sigh. “I’m sorry. It’s in your future. I can’t tell you.”

“Yeah.” I sighed, not wanting to move my head. It just felt really nice, knowing it was the Doctor that was so close to me.

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As we were talking, the Doctor had been lifting me farther up his lap. Soon, we were face to face. He kissed my forehead, I smiled happily, but I still liked the Doctor’s fingers in my hair.

“Can you put your fingers in my hair?” I asked him. The Doctor looked a bit confused, reaching up to hold my cheeks.

“Why do you like that so much?” The Doctor asked.

My smile stayed on my face. I grabbed his hands, dragging them towards my hair. “It makes me feel safe.” I admitted. “It’s lets me know it’s you, that I’m totally safe. You could never thread your fingers in my hair if we were nearly dead, or surrounded by aliens. When you do that, it tells me you feel safe too.” I smiled at him, seeing him give me a proud grin back. “That’s why I love it.”

The Doctor put on a thoughtful face. His hand brushing through my hair. I let out a happy laugh. “I like it too.” I couldn’t help but giggle.

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“Darn you. Always taking shortcuts.”

“While you all take the slow path.” The Doctor said, let out a sad laugh. His regret laugh. “I guess it was my turn. Karma finally caught up with me.”

I frowned. “Hey. I am going to kick you if you do that again.”

The Doctor kept that regret filled look. “Do what?”

“You know what.” I scolded. “You know exactly what. Don’t play that game with me. I know how it looks.”

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@

I looked up at him. “Doctor, could you please lie down with me?”

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“I have nightmares.” I admitted. Truth fields, gotta love ‘um. “I don’t have them when you’re there.”

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The Doctor leaned in, gently kissing my forehead. “Mine go away too.”

==BE==

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I screamed, sitting up in the bed. The bed was empty, and cold. “Doctor!” I called out.

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The Doctor rushed to my side, holding my hand. “Hey. Hey. See? Right here. It’s okay.” He wrapped his arms around me, holding me close to his chest. I was practically shaking in his arms, starting to sob. “It’s all okay, promise.”

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“Tell me a story.” I pleaded. “Hearing you, being with you, I want to know more.”

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==BE==

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It had been months since we came here.

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The Doctor held my hands in his own. “I set out on a narrow way many years ago.” My eyes started watering. He was...he was singing to me? Holy crap he had a nice voice. “Hoping I would find true love along the broken road.”

The Time Lord walked me into the center of the room. He grabbed my hand, his arm resting at my hip. He kept his eyes on me, holding my gaze to his. I’m sure I had this dumbstruck look on my face. “But I got lost a time or two. Wiped my brow and kept pushing through. I couldn’t see how every sign pointed straight to you.”

My mind was drawing a blank. No wonder all those other chicks fell in love with him, he was too damn good at this! “You can sing.” Was what my brain spat out.

The Doctor kissed my forehead, starting to make us sway. I almost started laughing at how strange this all felt. Usually I was the one who serenaded him, singing any chance I got. How long had this been going on?

“Every long lost dream led me to where you are.” He lowered his head, brushing his lips on my forehead. My eyes closed at the content I felt. “Others who broke my heart they were like Northern stars, pointing me on my way into your loving arms. This much I know is true, that God blessed the broken road that led me straight to you.”

I looked up at him, smiling. “What did I do to deserve you?”

The Doctor let go of my hand, using it to brush some hair behind my ear. I giggled. He knew I loved that. “I ask myself the same thing every day.”

The two of us smiled at each other. I took his hand in mine, feeling a bit of pride as our fingers felt like they were molded for the other’s. “I think about the years I spent just passing through.” I sang, giving him a kiss on his cheek. “I’d like to have the time I lost and give it back to you, but you just smile and take my hand. You’ve been there you understand. It’s all part of a grander plan that is coming true.”

The two of us sang together, lightly swaying to the music playing in our heads. We kept holding our hands, eventually I paused to kiss his bowtie covered neck. The Doctor stuttered at that. In retaliation he held the back of my head, brushing my hair in his fingers.

At one point, we couldn’t hold in our feelings anymore. The kisses became closer together. He would start reaching up my shirt, his fingers lightly pressing on my skin. My hands made work to push his tweed jacket off of his shoulders.

(More)

==BE==

(More)

I thought over it. “I actually want some stuff.” I admitted.

The Doctor and Tasha turned to me. Tasha seemed a bit surprised. “What?”

“Off the top of my head, I would like a degree. I wanna be a professor, a real one.” I said. I thought it over. “I also need to know how to shield a planet.”

Tasha blinked. “Oh sweet Lord, you’re serious.”

“I don’t see a better opportunity.”

(More)

==BE==

(More)

“I’ve been here longer than anywhere else.”

(More)

“You aren’t married?” The woman asked.

“No.” I answered.

“I’m married to a future version of her.” The Doctor answered.

I nodded.

(More)

“Why not get married now?”

(More)

The Doctor kissed me.

(More)

==BE==

(More)

I looked down, seeing a silver necklace resting on my chest. It had a simple chain, and the charm was shaped in an infinity.

“Terra.” The Doctor breathed. “For as long as you will be my wife, wear this.” He tapped the necklace. “It has a perception filter, so none of my past selves can have with you what I have.”

I smiled. “And that is?”

He rested his hand over my hearts. “Your hearts.”

I blushed. “Manboy, you are so possessive.”

“You’re mine.” The Doctor stated. “Totally and completely.”

I giggled. I grabbed the ring I would get to use. “And Doctor.” I pushed the ring onto his finger. “As long as you are alive, as long as I am in your life, I am not leaving you. I will love you with all my heart, hearts.” I corrected. The Doctor grinned. “At this point, I can’t stop loving you. You make me feel stronger, more confident. You were there for me at a very low point of my life, and I want to be there for all of your’s.”

(More)

(More)

==BE==

(More)

The Doctor walked in, dropping his jaw.

I folded my legs, showing off skirt. “Hello Doctor.” I said, getting into my role. “You said you wanted to see me after class?”

The Doctor grinned, and his green eyes darkened just so. “Yes. I need to speak to you about your behavior in class.”

I bit my lip, smiling. He liked it. The Doctor marched over to the desk. “How long have you had that skirt?”

“How long have we been here?” I countered.

The Doctor laughed. “I suppose we should talk about that as well.”

“Oopsy.” I pouted.

“Oh. No pouts on the wedding night. I can fix that.” The Doctor promised.

I kept my pout. He marched up to me, giving me a deep kiss. It was gonna be a fun wedding night.

==BE==

Century Two

(More)

“That’s Professor Terra, to you.” I half scolded.

(More)

==BE==

(More)

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==BE==

Century Three

(More)

The fire had killed four people. I was hurt, but I could tell the Doctor was heartbroken. I had held his hand, letting him hold me tight, kissing me, loving me. I could see he was still hurt.

(More)

“Theta, it’ll be okay.”

(More)

“The way I see it.” I began. “They never truly die. A part of them lived on in their children, their friends, the community. That family will never truly be dead, so long as we remember them.”

(More)

“There was a survivor!”

The Doctor and I exchanged shocked glances. Someone survived?

(More)

I held the boy’s hand. “What’s your name sweetheart?”

The boy looked up at me, sadness in his brown eyes. “Barnable.”

(More)

“Happy Birthday, Barnable.” I said to my new son.

(More)

==BE==

(More)

Barnable: “There’s another one! Doctor, Doctor! There’s another one!”

CYBERMAN: “Incinerate. Incinerate.”

(An older Doctor, leaning on a cane, comes out of his Tower home.)

CYBERMAN: “The Doctor is required.”

(The Doctor throws a wooden rifle to Barnable.)

The Doctor: “There you go, Barnable.”

Barnable: “Thanks.”

The Doctor: “Working fine. Nice action. Don’t leave it out in the rain again.”

(A wheeled toy is tossed to another child.)

The Doctor: “Fixed the wheels and the antigrav.”

GIRL: “The anti what?”

The Doctor: “Yeah, may have gone a bit far. Now then, what do we have today? Don’t you move one step further. Wooden Cyberman. Nice. Like it.”

(He limps over to his foe.)

The Doctor: “Low tech, doesn’t set off the alarms upstairs.”

(There is a brief High Noon moment between the town sheriff and the newcomer, then the Doctor zaps it with his screwdriver before it manages to raise its creaky arm.)

The Doctor: “Only bit of tech allowed in. Got in before the truce. Now, I just sent an instruction to your firearm to reverse the polarity and fire out the back end. Now, as we’re standing in a truth field, you will understand I cannot be lying. If you like, you can scan my screwdriver, verify that’s the signal I sent.”

CYBERMAN: “Signal verified.”

(The Cyberman’s arm weapon turns around and fires its flamethrower through its chest.)

“Oh poor thing.” I poured. “Didn’t you hear? It doesn’t work on wood.”

The Doctor: “You send your friends up there a message from the Doctor. You tell them the Doctor stays.”

(He prods the Cyberman with his cane and it falls backwards.)

The Doctor: “Next.”

(More)

==BE==

(More)

The Doctor: “And there’s me arm-wrestling a Draconian. I remember that.”

The Doctor: “Christmas is defended.”

(He pins up children’s drawings of their defeated enemies in the Tower.)

The Doctor: “You’ve got to be the drunk giraffe. You’ve got to commit! Don’t be cool, guys. Cool is not cool.”

CHILDREN: “Cool is not cool!”

The Doctor: “And what’s the dance we’re doing?”

CHILDREN: “The drunk giraffe!”

The Doctor: “The drunk giraffe. Yeah, it is. Merry Christmas. Give me a hug. Bring it in.”

CHILDREN: “Yeah!”

(The Doctor mingles.)

The Doctor: “How’s the new barn?”

Barnable: “You’ve fixed the leak all right, but Mother says it’s bigger on the inside now.”

The Doctor: “Shush, they’ll all want one.”

(There is the sound of a wheezing time rotor.)

Barnable: “What is it? What’s that noise.”

(The TARDIS is trying to materialise.)

The Doctor: “Well. Where have you been for three hundred years? Ha!”

Barnable: “What’s that?”

The Doctor: “It’s my ship.”

Barnable: “Your what?”

The Doctor: “It’s my TARDIS. That’s how I got here in the first place.”

Barnable: “Does this mean you’re leaving?”

I held his hand, giving him an almost worried look. He could only stare at the TARDIS.

(More)

The Doctor: “What are you doing here?”

Clara: “I was in space.”

The Doctor: “Well, you were in the time vortex. She must have extended the force field. No wonder. No wonder she’s late, dragging you around.”

Clara: “You tricked me.”

The Doctor: “I saved you.”

Clara: “You didn’t even say goodbye!”

The Doctor: “I’m furious with you!”

Clara: “Well, I am not even talking to you!”

==BE==

(More)

Clara: “Ha.” (She looks at the drawings and his workbench.) Clara: “Oh, Doctor, Terra. Fixing toys and fighting monsters.”

The Doctor: “The turkey isn’t done yet.”

Clara: “Is it still asking the question?”

The Doctor: “Oh, never stops. Come upstairs. It’s almost time.”

Clara: “What for?”

The Doctor: “Dawn. The light here lasts only a few minutes. You don’t want to miss it.”

(More)

==BE==

(More)

The Doctor: “Well, it’s a standoff. They can’t attack in case I unleash the Time Lords, and I can’t run away, because they’ll burn this planet to stop the Time Lords. Hey, after all these years, I’ve finally found somewhere that needs me to stick around. A town called Christmas. Could’ve been worse. Right, there you go, buddy. Comfy?”

Handles: “Comfort is irrelevant.”

The Doctor: “How’s that, is that better?”

Handles: “Affirmative.”

The Doctor: “You just take it easy, buddy. He’s getting old. I do my best for him, but I just can’t get the parts, you know. Hey, I know the feeling.”

(He is roasting marshmallows on the open fire.)

Clara: “Where did you get those?”

The Doctor: “I have a supplier. The pink ones are best.”

Handles: “I have developed a fault.”

The Doctor: “Hey, don’t you worry, Handles. You’re just dreaming. The sun’s coming up very soon. You just hang on in there.”

Handles: “I have developed a fault. I, I have developed a fault.”

The Doctor: “Hey, Handles. Come on. Come on. One more dawn, you can do it. You’ve got it in you. Come on, just hang on in there.”

Handles: “Attention. Emergency. Attention.”

The Doctor: “Handles, what is it? What’s wrong?”

Handles: “Urgent action required. You must patch the telephone device back through the console unit.” (Handles’ lights go out.)

The Doctor: “Come back. Handles? Handles. Oh. Thank you, Handles, and well done. Well done, mate.”

(The sun rises between the mountains, and birds sing to greet it.)

The Doctor: “What do you think of my new place? I come up here once a day for a few minutes, to remind myself of what it is I’m protecting.”

Clara: “It’s beautiful. Why did you send me away?”

The Doctor: “Because if I hadn’t, I’d have buried you a long time ago.”

Clara: “No, you wouldn’t. I would never have let you get stuck here.”

The Doctor: “Ha! Everyone gets stuck somewhere eventually, Clara. Everything ends.”

Clara: “Except you.”

The Doctor: “Have you been paying attention? I’m an old man now.”

Clara: “But you don’t die. You change. You pop right back up with a new face.”

The Doctor: “No, not for ever. I can change twelve times. Thirteen versions of me. Thirteen silly Doctors.”

Clara: “Okay, so you’re number eleven, so-”

The Doctor: “Ha. Are we forgetting Captain Grumpy, eh? I didn’t call myself the Doctor during the Time War, but it was still a regeneration.”

Clara: “Okay, so you’re number twelve.”

The Doctor: “Well, number ten once regenerated and kept the same face. I had vanity issues at the time. Twelve regenerations, Clara. I can’t ever do it again. This is where I end up. This face, this version of me. We saw this planet in the future, remember? All those graves, one of them mine.”

(The sun is setting.)

Clara: “Change the future.”

The Doctor: “I can’t.”

Clara: “You’ve got your TARDIS back.”

The Doctor: “Ha! You think I’m just going to fly away, abandon everyone?”

Clara: “Of course not. But you’ve been protecting this town for over three hundred years. Do you not think it’s anybody else’s go yet?”

The Doctor: “There is no one else to protect it.”

Clara: “It’s not going to be you for ever. It’ll end the same way, whatever you do.”

The Doctor: “Every life I save is a victory. Every single one.”

Clara: “What about your life? Just for once, after all this time, have you not earned the right to think about that? Sorry. Wrong thing to say. We shouldn’t be having an argument.”

The Doctor: “Clara, I’ve been having that argument for the last three hundred years.”

Clara: “But you didn’t have your TARDIS.”

The Doctor: “Ah. Yes, well, that made it easier to stay. True.”

(Thunder in the darkening sky.) Tasha: “Doctor!”

The Doctor: “Ah. Look who’s woken up.”

(The holographic face is in the sky.) Tasha: “The Church of the Silence requests parlay. Your rights and safety are sanctified.”

The Doctor: “I’ll be right up.”

Tasha: “I’m sending a transporter.”

The Doctor: “Nah, don’t bother. I’ve got me motor back.”

Clara: “It’s gone dark.”

The Doctor: “Yeah, well, the sun’s gone down.”

Clara: “Already?”

The Doctor: “Everything ends, Clara. And sooner than you think.”

(More)

==BE==

(More)

The Doctor: “Hmm. Are you guarding my TARDIS, Barnable?”

Barnable: “Are you coming back?”

The Doctor: “Oh, come on. You know me.”

Barnable: “I’ll wait.”

I kissed my son’s head. “Hey. We’re not ever leaving you behind.” I promised, and was determined to make sure (in case this happened again) that I stayed with Barnable.

(More)

==BE==

(More)

Clara: “She hasn’t aged much.”

The Doctor: “No, she’s against ageing.”

Tasha: “Approach.”

SILENT: “Confess.”

Clara: “What are those things?”

SILENT: “Confess.”

The Doctor: “Confessional priests. Very popular. Genetically engineered so you forget everything you told them.”

Clara: “Told who?”

The Doctor: “There you go.”

(More)

==BE==

Tasha: “Satisfactory?”

The Doctor: “Where are the pink ones?”

“

Tasha: “E numbers. You’re hyper enough as it is.”

Clara: “So, this is sweet. Middle of a siege and you two have little chats?”

Tasha: “She’s right. This situation cannot continue.”

The Doctor: “It can’t end, either.”

(More)

Tasha: “Why did you ever come to Trenzalore?”

The Doctor: “Well, I did come to Trenzalore, and nothing can change that now. Didn’t stop you trying though, did it?”

Tasha: “Not me. The Kovarian Chapter broke away. They travelled back along your timeline and tried to prevent you ever reaching Trenzalore.”

The Doctor: “So that’s who blew up my TARDIS. I thought I’d left the bath running.”

Tasha: “They blew up your time capsule, created the very cracks in the universe through which the Time Lords are now calling.”

The Doctor: “The destiny trap. You can’t change history if you’re part of it.”

Tasha: “They found Terra’s vessel on a remote planet.” Tasha said, turning to look at me.

“Then they burned that manipulator onto her arm.” The Doctor seethed. “And if she ever takes it off, she’ll die.”

Tasha: “They engineered a psychopath to kill you.”

“Totally married her.” The Doctor and I cheered, adding a smirk.

The Doctor: “We’d never have made it here alive without River Song.”

“I’m not interested in changing history, Doctor. I want to change the future. The Daleks send for reinforcements daily. They are massing for war. Three days ago, they attacked the Mainframe itself.”

The Doctor: “They attacked here?”

Clara: “How did you stop them?”

Tasha: “Stop them? It was slaughter.”

The Doctor: “Why didn’t you call me? I could have helped.”

Tasha: “I tried. I died in this room, screaming your name.”

The Doctor: “No.”

Tasha: “Oh. I died. It’s funny the things that slip your mind. Ah!”

The Doctor: “No! No, no, no. Tasha, no, please, not Tasha. No. Fight it. Tash, fight it!”

(A Dalek eyestalk comes out of her forehead, then real Daleks enters.) Dalek: “Step away from the Dalek unit, Doctor.”

The Doctor: “You shouldn’t even know who I am.”

Dalek: “Information concerning the Doctor was harvested from the cadaver of Tasha Lem.”

The Doctor: “Bet she never told you how to break through the Trenzalore forcefield, though. She’d have died first.”

DALEK 2: “Several times.”

The Doctor: “Well, you’d better kill me, then. Go on. But before you do.” (He sonicks the message into the room.)”

VOICE: “Doctor who? Doctor who? Doctor who?”

The Doctor: “I’m a tough old bird. I’ll be ages dying. Way enough time to answer a question. And, oh dear, what happens then, boys?”

(Tasha grabs Clara’s neck from behind, and energy plays over her hands.)

Dalek: “You will die in silence, Doctor, or your associate will die.”

The Doctor: “Fine, go on, kill her. Kill her! See if I care. But tell me, what you are going to do next?”

Dalek: “See how the Time Lord betrays.”

Clara: “You’ll kill me anyway. What difference does it make? I’m not afraid. I’ll leave that to you.”

The Doctor: “You see, Tasha, that’s what I’m talking about. That is a woman! I always knew you were a bit spineless, you and your pointless church. Why did I ever rely on you? Never trust a nun to do a Doctor’s work.”

(Tasha turns on the Doctor, releasing Clara, and slaps him. Then she blasts the Daleks into flames.)

The Doctor: “And she’s back!” (The Doctor kisses Tasha’s forehead. The eyestalk goes back into her forehead leaving a scar.) The Doctor: “You never could resist a row.”

Tasha: “Kiss me when I ask.”

The Doctor: “Sorry. Married.”

The Doctor: “Right, get us back to the TARDIS. Can you do that?”

Tasha: “Yeah, but quickly, the Dalek inside me is waking.”

The Doctor: “Fight it.”

Tasha: “I can’t.”

The Doctor: “Listen to me. You have been fighting the psychopath inside you all your life. Shut up and win. That is an order, Tasha Lem.”

(The Doctor and Clara get into the confessional teleport booths.)

Tasha: “The forcefield will hold for a while, but it will decay, and there are breaches already.”

The Doctor: “Then this isn’t a siege any more, it’s a war. It’s all up to you now. Fight the Daleks, inside and out. You can do it, I know you can.”

Tasha: “Oh, I see. You’ve got your TARDIS back, haven’t you? Time to fly away.”

The Doctor: “Tasha, please. Please. Thank you.”

Tasha: “None of this was for you, you fatuous egotist. It was for the peace. Fly away, Doctor!”

(More)

==BE==

(More)

The Doctor: “It’s done.”

Clara: “What is?”

The Doctor: “Your turkey. Either that or its woken up.”

Clara: “Do you want some?”

The Doctor: “Go on, then.”

Clara: “Got any plates?”

The Doctor: “Do you know, I’ve even got Christmas crackers.”

Clara: “One thing. Give me those big sad eyes, look at me so I know you’re not lying, and tell me you will never send me away ever again.”

The Doctor: “Clara Oswald, I will never send you away again.”

(Clara kisses his cheek and goes down to get the turkey.) Clara: “Turkey smells good!”

The Doctor: “Yeah, smells great.” (The Doctor looks at young Barnable on the scanner.)

Clara: “Perfect.”

(He puts the device into the charger as Clara removes the well done turkey from the vortex cooker.)

Clara: “Merry Christmas.”

(When she comes back up the stairs -)

Clara: “Doctor?”

(More)

I felt a hand on my back, and soon, I was right behind Clara.

I snapped around, towards the fading TARDIS.

“No!” I screamed.

(More)

“I’m gonna kill him!” I screamed.

(More)

==BE==

(More)

TOY PENGUIN: “Merry Christmas, everyone. Merry Christmas, everyone.”

Linda: “Other fish in the sea, that’s what I’m saying.”

Dave: “Linda, I don’t think Terra wants to talk about it.”

Linda: “I’ve got a suggestion, that’s all. I’ve got a list of suggestions.”

Dave: “Linda.”

Linda: “You could make a boy band out of my list.”

“Boy bands are boring.” I grumbled. At least, I think they were. It was a little hard to remember boy bands.

Linda: “Of course you don’t, not at your age.”

Gran: “These crackers are rubbish.”

Linda: “I bought them.”

Gran: “I know.”

Linda: “They’re classy.”

Gran: “They don’t have jokes.”

Linda: “Exactly.”

Gran: “They’ve got poems.”

Linda: “They’re more dramatic crackers.”

Gran: “I like the jokes.”

Clara: “Tell us a joke, Gran. You know loads of jokes.”

Linda: “I think we’re probably talking about my list now.”

Clara: “Probably not.”

Dave: “Tell us how you met Dad. The thing about the pigeon.”

Gran: “I saw him on a pier on a rainy day.”

Dave: “No, no, not that one. The one about the pigeon.”

Gran: “I’d seen him before, lots of times, but he just looked so beautiful standing there.”

Dave: “The pigeon in the restaurant. You remember?”

Gran: “I wanted everything to stop. I wanted nothing to change ever again.”

(Clara starts crying.)

Gran: “If he could just keep standing there, so beautiful. A long time ago. Don’t hug me so tight, dear. You’ll break something.”

Linda: “Oh, that’s nice. Crying at Christmas.”

Clara: “Sorry.”

Gran: “I hope you made a wish.”

I stormed off towards the kitchen.

(More)

“Three hundred years with him, Clara.” I admitted. “He left me, I made him promise not to push me away, and he did.” Tears filled my eyes. “We got married, Clara. Married. My husband loves me, and sent me away so I wouldn’t have to fight that war.”

(More)

“We have a son.” I cried. “I didn’t even get to say goodbye. Now my boy is fighting in that war!”

(More)

@

“I’m not from this reality.” I said. “My people, we’re not normal humans. We have the ability to cross through realities, mainly TV shows.”

(More)

“I was raped.” I said. Clara’s was horrified at the news, covering her hand with her mouth. “Yeah. Had a baby because of it. He was born a few hours before we came to get you and you saw the Doctor naked.”

I winced, holding my hands together tightly. “He died, stillborn.” I half lied.

Clara hesitantly put a hand on my shoulder, but I was too emotional to shrug her away. “Terra, that’s awful.” I sucked my lips in, trying not to cry. “You were young, really young.”

“So were you, when you jumped into his Time Stream.” I said. “But I’m old, Clara, so very old. Five and a half centuries, I think. Still, not that old compared to others.”

(More)

The TARDIS had come back.

==BE==

Dave: “Clara? What’s wrong, Clara.”

Clara: “Everybody just stay put.”

I saw Clara grab a cracker from the table, before following after me.

(More)

Clara: “You can fly the TARDIS?”

Tasha: “Flying the TARDIS was always easy. It was flying the Doctor I never quite mastered.” She turned to me. “How did you do it?”

“A fez.” I answered. “He never says no to a fez.”

Clara: “What’s happened to him?”

(More)

Clara: “What am I supposed to do?”

Tasha: “He shouldn’t die alone. Go to him.”

(More)

==BE==

“Barnable?” The Doctor asked, turning towards me. His eyes widened.

I stood there, silent. Pissed. Let my bastard of a husband explain his sorry ass before I do the Dalek’s job and kill him myself.

He was so old now. He had thin white hair, making him look like Doc Brown. His favorite old purple tweed suit was over his body, worn with centuries of battle. His cane had been replaced some decades ago, but he still had the metal wolf figurehead I had made for him.

His breathtaking green eyes did their job. They were deeper, faded as if in a memory. He gazed at me, as if through me and at me.

“Oh, good job Doctor. You’ve finally lost it.” The Doctor grumbled. He shook his head at me, grinning. “You know what my wife would say?” I stayed silent. “Even in my imagination, you’re angry with me.” He remarked to himself. “My wife, would say that I was always loony.”

“Correction, I would say you were always mad.” I said the word with a British accent. “Mad as a hatter, why else wear a fez and a cowboy hat?”

The Doctor smiled, weakly. “Yes. That’s what she would say, and in that British accent she does. She loves those.”

“Yeah, it would be.” I couldn’t help but play in this game. He always made it too much fun. “What would she say next?”

The Doctor smiled fondly. “Threaten to murder me.”

“And just why would she do that?” I said, clasping my hands behind my back to keep from wringing his neck.

“I sent her away.” The Doctor said after a pause.

“Why?” I squeaked. “Why do that? She is your wife, your Mate. She would never do anything to hurt you. She loves you so much, after she felt like such a piece of shit. You made her feel so loved she forgot what hating herself felt like.”

The Doctor shook his head. “Yeah. She’d ask that too.” He commented, a wry smile on his face. It hurt to see it fall, changing to a thin line of determination. “But like I’ve told you, like I’ve been telling myself, because Terra.” The old man gripped his cane tightly, almost turning his knuckles white. Just saying my name did that, holy butterballs. “If she stayed, she would have to have fought in this war. I promised myself a long time ago that I would not force my wife into a war, if I had the chance.” The Doctor admitted. “I did what I did to keep her safe.”

I was still so mad, but I was nearly crying. He would totally make that kind of promise. The game stopped being fun when he made it personal. I couldn’t keep twisting around the truth field either. “And I promised myself I would never make you fight in another Time War.”

The Doctor frowned. He was confused by my change in character. “This isn’t that.”

“It’s still a ‘too long for you to be on your own’ war. I promised Amelia that I would never leave you alone if I could help it.” I explained. I let out an angered shout. “You sent me away. You sent Barney’s mother away!”

The Doctor frowned deeper. “It’s really you, isn’t it? Blimey.”

“Please, please just tell me, did my son ever think I abandoned him?” I went on my rant. “Did he know I would never have left him behind? He was my boy, our boy.”

“I told the truth.” The Doctor said. “I had to. I told Barney I sent you away.” He laughed, weakly. “He didn’t like that.”

“I should kill you.” I growled. “Screw the Daleks or the Cybermen. Screw how you actually die. I should kill you here and now.”

The Doctor smiled, faintly. “There’s that threat of death. I had missed how angry you would get at me.” He laughed, that regret filled laugh. “Were you always that beautiful?”

I growled. “If you think I’m beautiful now, I’m about to get gorgeous.” I seethed.

And just like that, I was enthralled by him all over again. He was smiling, that dazzling smile of unbridled joy. He couldn’t believe his old eyes. I had been dead to him for centuries, while he fought to make sure I stayed safe. The Doctor gave up any of our days so he wouldn’t need to see him as his warrior self, so I wouldn’t have to fight.

I walked up to his chair side, going for broke. I reached out to hold his hand. He didn’t flinch, not even a breadth. The Doctor stared down at our joining hands, letting out a pleased sigh.

The Doctor locked eyes with me, pulling our hands to his lips. “At least I could see you one more time.”

I pushed away a pained breath. “Clara.” I called back, eager to get the show moving along. The Doctor needed to be out of the room so I could save his ass and bring Twelve here.

The Doctor rolled his eyes. “Of course. Clara. You would have brought her along.”

“Technically Tasha brought us.” I corrected as the sound of Clara’s came into the room. “And Clara’s your friend, too.”

“You’re not my friend.” The Doctor said, a small smile on his face.

“I know.” I kissed his hand. “I’m your wife.”

@

(More)

The Doctor: “Barnable? We were just talking about you.”

“Clara.” Clara: “Hello, Doctor.”

The Doctor: “Were you always so young?”

Clara: “Nah, that was you.”

The Doctor: “Ah.”

(More)

Clara: “Merry Christmas.”

The Doctor: “Merry Christmas.”

(They try to pull the cracker, but his hand isn’t strong enough.)

Clara: “Hey, it’s okay. It’s all right, don’t worry.”

(She helps him make the cracker go bang.)

The Doctor: “Ah! Is there a joke? Ha?”

(Clara reads the slip of paper.) Clara: “Extract from Thoughts on a Clock by Eric Ritchie junior.”

The Doctor: “Is it a knock knock one? Those are best.”

Clara: “I don’t think so.”

The Doctor: “Well, read it. Go on.”

Clara: “And now it’s time for one last bow, like all your other selves. Eleven’s hour is over now. The clock is striking twelve’s.”

The Doctor: “I don’t get it.”

Dalek: “Doctor! The Doctor will be brought!”

(A huge Dalek Mothership hovers over the village.)

Dalek: “The Daleks demand the Doctor.”

(A young man runs in.) YOUNG MAN: “They’re here. The Daleks, we can’t stop them. They want you.”

The Doctor: “Oh, all right, Barnable. Are you Barnable?”

YOUNG MAN: “No, Doctor.”

The Doctor: “It’s okay, Barnable, don’t worry. I have got a plan. Off you pop.”

(The young man leaves to the sounds of explosions outside.)

The Doctor: “I haven’t got a plan, but people love it when I say that.”

Clara: “Doctor, what are you going to do?”

The Doctor: “Oh, I don’t know. Talk very fast, hope something good happens, take the credit. That’s generally how it works.”

Clara: “Doctor-”

The Doctor: “Not this time, though. This is it.”

Clara: “No!”

The Doctor: “Yes. We saw the future, Clara. This is how it ends.”

Clara: “Change it.”

The Doctor: “Ha.”

Clara: “Like Tasha said, change the future.”

The Doctor: “I could have once, when there were Time Lords. Not any more.”

(More)

==BE==

(More)

The Doctor: “No. You’re going to stay here. Promise me you both will.”

Clara: “Why?”

The Doctor: “I’ll be keeping you safe. One last victory. Allow me that. Give me that, my beautiful wife, and our impossible girl. Thank you. And goodbye.”

(He wipes away her tears and totters off up the stairs.)

The Doctor: “The trouble with Daleks is, they take so long to say anything. Probably die of boredom before they shoot me.”

Dalek: “The Doctor is required!”

Clara turned to me. “How do we stop it?” She asked.

“I don’t-”

“You said you knew the future, and the past. How do we stop them from killing him!” Clara shouted. “Please. Just tell me.”

My eyes wandered over to the crack. “If it’s always asking, then they’re always listening.”

(Clara goes to the crack in the wall.)

Clara: “Listen to me, you lot. Listen! Help him. Help him change the future. Do it. Do something.”

Dalek: “Doctor!”

Clara: “You’ve been asking a question, and it’s time someone told you you’ve been getting it wrong. His name, his name is the Doctor. All the name he needs. Everything you need to know about him. And if you love him, and you should, help him. Help him.”

(More)

Clara: “Get inside! Come on, quickly. Get inside, quick.”

(More)

==BE==

(More)

Clara: “Doctor?”

(More)

Clara: “Doctor!”

The Doctor: “Hello.”

Clara: “You’re young again. You’re okay. You didn’t even change your face.”

The Doctor: “Ha! It’s started. I can’t stop it now. This is just the reset. A whole new regeneration cycle. Ooo.”

(He finishes his custard.)

The Doctor: “Taking a bit longer. Just breaking it in. Oh. Oh. Gah.”

(He starts the TARDIS’ engines.)

The Doctor: “It all just disappears, doesn’t it? Everything you are, gone in a moment, like breath on a mirror. Any moment now, he’s a-coming.”

Clara: “Who’s coming?”

The Doctor: “The Doctor.”

Clara: “But you, you are the Doctor.”

The Doctor: “Yep, and I always will be.” (His hands are glowing.) The Doctor: “But times change, and so must I.”

(The Doctor sees a young Amy Pond run up the stairs, laughing.) The Doctor: “Amelia?”

Clara: “Who’s Amelia?”

The Doctor: “The first face this face saw. We all change, when you think about it. We’re all different people all through our lives. And that’s okay, that’s good, you’ve got to keep moving, so long as you remember all the people that you used to be. I will not forget one line of this. Not one day. I swear. I will always remember when the Doctor was me.”

(Then he sees a vision of a red-haired woman with black painted fingernails walk down the stairs to him.)

The Doctor turned to me, holding my hand. “Terra.”

“Manboy.” I said, holding back tears.

“You’ll be first this time, I swear.” The Doctor said. “You should have always been first.”

“Goodbye, Terra.” The Doctor said, cupping my cheeks in his hands.

“Goodnight, manboy.” I said, holding his hands.

The Doctor pulled me in, and I kissed him. I just loved him so much.

He looked his green eyes into mine. I didn’t want to see him go. “Terra, everything is gonna be okay.”

I nodded. He said it like he believed it, and that was all I needed. “Totally and completely okay.” I said.

The Doctor smiled. “Always is, with you around.”

I giggled, still feeling a bit sad. I was waiting for my manipulator to go off.

“Please don’t change.” Clara pleaded.

The Doctor suddenly reached out to me, almost as if to hold my arm in comfort. I looked at him in shock.

Then, he sneezed/regenerated.

When he popped back up, I was looking at Twelve’s face. The Doctor just stared at me with such wide eyes. Those new blue-gray eyes I hadn’t seen in so long.

He winced. “Kidneys! I don’t like the color.” He admitted.

“Of your kidneys.”

I Jumped away.