Watching the Doctor

Hell Bent

Music is playing as the waiter greets 12 - it's Clara

"Wait, no. What?" Rose gawped. If the room had been confused beforehand then they were utterly bewildered now. The Doctor pushed down the urge to let lose a manic laugh, instead focussing on the group and doing her best not to look at Clara. She wasn't sure she could handle seeing how Clara was reacting to this.

The Doctor sighed but tried to answer without giving too much away. They'd just have to watch for the full story. "Like I said time jump. I think we mentioned that I forgot Clara – these are the events leading up to that." Several people looked like they wanted to ask more questions but they weren't given the chance.

"Just watch please." Clara asked quietly. The group settled at that, hearing the underlying tension in Clara's tone – this was going to be painful enough, she didn't want to drag it out.

12 doesn't have any money but offers to play the guitar

"You never have any money." Martha snorted with a pointed look at the Doctor. She was never going to forget her time as a shop girl when they'd been sent back in time by the Angels. Clara just gave her a sheepish smile.

Clara agrees as 12 sits down. He uses the sonic sunglasses to power the electric guitar

"Of course, you use the sonic device for your guitar. If it wasn't Clara, you'd utterly confuse any poor humans nearby." River sighed, shaking her head in fond exasperation.

"Nah, they'd come up with some sort of rational explanation like they normally do. Rarely phased that lot." The Doctor brushed off the comment. It was very true and River knew it. The human race seemed to collectively forget they got invaded by aliens every time it happened. Plus, she'd gotten up to some antics during her time at St Luke's University – Bill had shown her an online site (What was it? Maybe Rabbit – no that was a cuddly human pet. Or was it Red Bat? – no maybe that was one of those comic book characters Bill liked. Ribbit? No that was what frogs said according to human toddlers. She was sure it was Red something, oh well) that some of her students has started, documenting said antics.

The humans of the group (aka the majority of the room) seemed stuck between being proud of their species' collective ability to forget/deny aliens and offense about her faith in said ability.

12 realises Clara is English and asks how she got out there. Clara returns that 12 isn't English and first replies with magic before suggesting she took a plane

"You did not do that." The Doctor pointed out, finally looking at Clara for the first time since the start of the video. It was weird seeing this conversation, knowing that it was Clara and what Clara knew.

"Technically I didn't actually say I did, I just implied it." Clara argued, smiling slightly. She seemed to know exactly what the Doctor was thinking, offering a small smile of reassurance. They both knew this video was going to be bad, they really needed to stop trying to apologise to each other for the minute otherwise they'd never get anywhere.

12 came by magic

"You came in a truck." Donna snorted. "That's not exactly magic, Martian." She was a nit unsettled by the whole idea of this episode – seeing the Doctor in so much pain in the last video was horrible. She'd only ever seen him/her/them like that after the fiasco on Midnight – and that still haunted her (when she had memories of it anyway). But the confession dial was infinitely worst and this whole thing with Clara forgetting him? It hit far too many triggers – she honestly was stuck between wanting to understand and see what happened and not wanting to know at all.

The Doctor offered a small smile, far too aware of where Donna's thoughts were drifting. "How do you think I ended up in America in the first place." She pointed out, not willing to admit she didn't quite know. She was pretty sure Clara had dropped her off and the truck had picked him up and taken him to the diner. Then when Clara had left, he'd found the Tardis and not thought twice about what he was missing. Or rather she'd thought about it a lot but (obviously) couldn't remember.