Tea With Moses: We Ran Like the Doctor

Chapter 2

It starts slow, stick with me for a little longer and you won't be disappointed!

Clara looked up from the TARDIS controls when the two Osgoods stepped inside, followed by a still speechless Ashildr. The first Osgood studied the control panel, Ashildr and the other Osgood shared a meaningful glance. Clara made a mental note to ask about that later on.
"Where are we headed?" Asked the Osgood who had abandoned looking at the controls, and was now watching the screen.
"Well! History lesson, during the war between Clom and Rexacoricofaliptorious, the Clom army decided to launch particle star-line bombs, and the Slitheen called it The Stars of Fire Rain, in later texts and mentions"
"How do they survive?" She asked, she was worried about getting back to earth, but curiousity about the new race took over, and she was flooded with questions.
"Tell me Osgood, you and UNIT have seen loads of alien races come through earth, it would be amazing to work for them-" she smiled at Ashildr, "what do you think happens?"
"I haven't heard of this type of weapon, and, sure we know some of their anatomy, but I couldn't begin to imagine how they could manage this"
"Exaxtly why we're going!" Clara stated, as though it were obvious. The TARDIS shook gently as she put it directed it's flight with the flip of a few switches. Osgood looked happy to see something new, and Ashildr, although the excitement was hard to read and cleverly disguised, it was there all the same. Now she could see Ashildr in action, running, seeing something new...
The TARDIS landed, bringing Clara out of her thoughts. She now understood how the Doctor felt, showing her all these worlds, although she longed to be back with him, the anticipation of opening the doors, she was enjoying her new point of view as well. The look on all their faces! How she must've looked back then, although Ashildr seemed older, even though her physical form still looked 16.
Clara stepped around the console and followed Ashildr, ushering the Osgoods along with her.
"What do we do while we're here?" Osgood asked.
"Oh you know, look at the markets, meet a new race, all interesting things to do" Clara replied excitedly. Opening the blinds in the diner room, the site before them was bloody, a battlefeild, not quite what any of them were expecting. Chunks of rock bulged up at random intervals, any trees still standing were disfigured, blown up, charred with their tops slashed off at random angles. It seemed to go on for miles to the left and right, but ahead, just a few kilometers was a town, it seemed run down, but on the brink of a battlefield, what wouldn't?
"It looks bloody human this place," the first Osgood commented "war torn and destute, and all the shops are still open."
"What shops would slitheen have?" Asked the second Osgood quietly, speaking for the first time in a while.
Ashildr stepped outside the TARDIS diner room doors, and bent down, inspecting the ground below. The charred remains turned to ash at her feet, covering her in dust. She held her hand a few feet from the ground, checking how much heat was still there.
Clara opened the door and looked over at Ashildr, damn.... Clara thought quietly. "Clara?" Ashildr looked up. Clara jumped, hoping she hadn't spoken out loud. "There's still a lot of heat in these ashes, want to put the perception filter? Recent battles.....army's like to control recently destroyed territory....." She drifted off into army tactics and weapons.
Clara nodded and slipped back into the TARDIS. One of the Osgoods cautiously stepped out, politely holding the door for the second Osgood to exit. They stood, observing the new planet, eyes wide.
Clara returned with a jacket thrown over her blue uniform as the TARDIS made a wheezing noise. "Would you fancy checking out the town?" She smiled, making Ashildr smile in turn.
* * *
It took a good hour of pointless searching and exploration to learn that the town was quite empty. The strange sun was starting to set, when the explotions began. They sat themselves on the edge of a talk building. The horizon lit up as somewhere, another place, another world to them, was burning, and the sky falling. A beautiful ending. Ashildr whished that Clara would rest her head on her shoulder, but instead, Clara did the opposit, she stood up and hurried back to the TARDIS, to return a few moments later, with a drink for each of them.
"I just want to warn you....I don't take alchohol well" Ashildr warned. Only one of the Osgoods would accept.

Ashildr was right though, she didn't take alchohol well. By the end of the night she was drunk, finishing Clara's drink and Osgoods, as well. As they stood up to go, she swayed, almost falling from the roof. Clara was there to steady her, and guide her toward the steps. "You stood on alien rock, you were bathed in their suns light, fancy staying on for a while longer? Seeing more, the universe is a vast place" Clara turned towards the Osgoods, who were smiling.
"I'm sorry, we have to stay, with UNIT, with the Zygons, the ceasefire, everything on earth has to be taken care of." The first Osgood shook her head, sadly.
"We told the doctor the same thing, maybe one day humans will travel the universe not it a TARDIS, but in technology of their own. Then we will leave" the second Osgood agreed.
"You two should get to know each other better too" the first Osgood said with a sly smile, or maybe that was her normal smile and Clara's eyes had deceived her.
"Back to present day then?" She asked, shaking off their last remark.
"Same hour, we were on board by accident, we have a job to get back to"
Clara missed her days at Coal Hill, only a little less than she missed the doctor. "That'll be a stretch though, with her like this-" she pointed to Ashildr who was staring intently at the ground as she walked. "I can't get so precise"
They reached the diner room door, Clara unlocked it quickly, Ashildr wandered in, sat down on a booth and promptly fell asleep.
"Billions upon billions of years of life, and she still can't handle a few drinks" Clara teased gently, tugging off her jacket and placing it over Ashildr shoulders.
Inside the console room, she set them off into flight with a wheezing sound. "You know" she told the Osgoods, "we can go out and sit, suspended in space, orbiting a star, watching a stars birth or death if you like"
"You're procrastinating our goodbye. You don't like endings as much as he does." The first Osgood replied "Alright, just one more trip"
"I'll think I'll go out there now, take a look around, check on Ashildr" the other Osgood started for the door.
"Wait" she turned "don't look into the time vortex for any reason" Osgood nodded and left the room. Clara new she was smart enough to handle that.
The remaining Osgood took a step toward her. "How are you doing without the doctor?" She asked, meeting Clara's eyes for a second
"Ashildr has seen a lot of the universe, especially of earths history, it's a little like having him on board" she smiled sadly "But I miss him and I wonder if he's got anyone else....and what he's been doing all this time"
The other Osgood nodded and left the subject. "Are you going to decorate in here?" She asked, teasing.
"Are you making fun of  my TARDIS?" Clara asked with mock hurt.
"It is a bit....plain, but it's bright too, dim the lights, Ashildr will appreciate it"
"Still not sure how she got that drunk in the first place." She said, confused "now I can tell how the doctor felt, when I was working, he would try to convince me, just to go on one last trip.... Maybe you could come back sometime"
"Maybe I will, I wish I could, more than anything else"
"Okay! We are suspended watching the birth of a star, wish to join them outside?" Clara opened the doors and headed out.
                 *           *         *
The other Osgood had stepped outside and sat down beside Ashildr. She tapped her shoulder gently, whispering to her. "I have a question Ashildr, Me, whatever you choose to use as your name"
"Hmmm?" She sat up slowly
"You're not this drunk from just this trip are you?"
"Well...no, I have to have something strong during the day to keep me from making a mistake" seeing the confused look on Osgoods face, she continued "traveling with Clara feels...." She broke off as Clara and the other other Osgood enter.
"The birth of a star" Clara said happily, opening a few of the blinds. Ashildr a head ached but Clara seemed happy enough, so she didn't object. But after admitting it to Osgood, the bottle in her TARDIS room was starting to call to her.
              *      *     *
The TARDIS landed back in London, they said goodbye to the osgoods, and invited them to come and travel any day.
"No" one of the Osgoods said, turning to her before she left the diner room door"
"No?" Clara asked, hopefully.
"From what we know, he hasn't found anyone else" Osgood stepped out before she or Clara could say any more. Ashildr, knowing what to do, guided her to a booth with one hand on her shoulder. Her mind buzzing.
They sat at a table, having tea, when Ashildr looked up "Clara I-" she blurted out but she didn't get to finish, some sort of explosion rocked the TARDIS. Both of them jumped and left for the console room quickly.
Clara was typing and looking up at the screen, back and forth. A diagram of earth came up, and Ashildr studied it.
"A alien command ship has entered the atmosphere, and the fleet is waiting above, in orbit" Clara looked up, worried.

Sorry for having such a slow chapter, don't worry, it really picks up after this, bear with it! Thanks to Sierra_the_taco help editing!