Learning to Live

Chapter 119

"And you say Father's a bad pilot!" Loki yelled as he tried to get the TARDIS out of the dinosaur's throat

"It's not my fault!" Morgana defended herself "the Doctor and the TARDIS are connected! He's gone all wobbly so she's gone all wobbly!"

"Lovely scientific words, mother!" Thor drawled sarcastically before his face twisted in derision "Wobby! Ha!"

Morgana groaned in despair as the Doctor got involved, trying to help but ending up getting the TARDIS lodged in the throat of a dinosaur then dragging her along for the ride through time and space. Morgana breathed in relief as they were spat out, onto the riverbank, next to the Thames if she had it right.

Morgana glanced up as there was a knock on the door, before she could instruct someone else, The Doctor answered the door at the sound of Strax's demand.

"Hello? Exit the box and surrender to the glory of the Sontaran empire."

"Shush." The Doctor hushed him as smoke billowed out of the door before, he slammed the door shut.

"Doc-tor?" Strax asked in confusion, knocking again.

"I was being chased by a giant dinosaur, but I think I managed to give it the slip." The Doctor said before he shut the door again, he frowned at the wood before opening it slowly and staring at the potato in front of him.

"Sleepy?" The Doctor questioned

"Sir?" Strax replied

"Bashful? Sneezy? Dopey? Grumpy." He listed off other dwarfs before spotting the two women behind him and walking towards them, eyebrows furrowed in concentration

"Oh, you two. The green one and the not-green one. Or it could be the other way round, I mustn't prejudge." He reminded himself, that was important, wasn't it? Or was it the other way?

He spun around as others came falling out the TARDIS, thingy and the two boys- very important- then the blonde, the very, very important blond with honey hair and moonlight pale skin and...oh, no he was having a conversation, wasn't he?

"Oh, you remember, er. Thingy. The, er, the not-me one. The asking questions one. Names not my area." The Doctor declared as he tried to figure out where he was, investigating the area but his mind kept casting back to the blonde, she was very distracting but it was an instinct, an ingrained habit to constantly have part of his mind revolving around her...how curious.

"Clara," Clara spoke up casting an irate look at him while she tried to adjust her mussed hair

"Well, it might be Clara. Might not be. It's a lottery." The Doctor waved a hand, he was far more interest in learning the boys' names and the blonde. Or re-remembering? Ah, this was hard. Why was it hard?

"It is Clara." Clara insisted casting a commiserating look at Morgana who was also watching this insanity, but she seemed unaffected by what was happening, arms crossed as Morgana leant against the TARDIS, sharp green eyes on her husband.

"Well, I'm not ruling it out." The Doctor replied absently before focusing on the dinosaur when it let out a loud bellow

"Oi, big man, shut it. Oh, you've got a dinosaur too. Big woman, sorry." The Doctor apologised when she grumbled in annoyance at him, his mistake.

"Doctor, listen to me. You, you need to calm down." Clara tried to calm the Doctor down when she realised Morgana wasn't moving a muscle. Wasn't she worried?

") I'm not flirting, by the way." he paused and turned to Morgana "I do flirt, don't I? but to...to my... to my" he trailed off in confusion, a lost expression crossing his face. Important. So important but...what?

"To your sweetheart" Morgana smiled stepping closer as she saw the recognition in his eyes though it hadn't clicked totally for him yet.

His eyes lit up "yes, yes her...you? No...ah! You're important, very very important but I can't..."

"Don't push yourself Dearest" Morgana assured him; he'd get it eventually.

"I think something's gone wrong." Clara said nervously

"Wrong? What's gone wrong? Have you regenerated?" The Doctor asked Clara as he focused on her for a moment "I remember you. You're Handles. You used to be a little, a little robot head, and now you. You've really let yourself go." He then turned towards Loki and Thor "didn't you two used to be birds?"

"Great Mother gets compliment after compliment, but we get relegated to poultry!" Loki complained

"Reduce the frequency." The Doctor spoke up as he listened to the dinosaur bellowing again.

"I'm sorry?" Clara asked in confusion

The Doctor ignored the other one as he focused on the green one or the not green one "Your sonic lanterns, turn them down. You're giving her a headache."

"Giving who a headache?" Jenny asked

"My lady friend." He waved a hand at the dinosaur before adding "Just an expression, don't get any ideas."

"How do you know?" Strax asked

The Doctor rolled his eyes "Come on, Clara. You know that I speak dinosaur."

"He's not Clara. I'm Clara." Clara protested face creasing in annoyance from where she was stood next to Strax

"Well, you're very similar heights. Maybe you should wear labels? Why, why are you all doing that? Why are you? You're all going dark and wobbly. Stop that." The Doctor frowned as he tried to focus on the blonde, but she was going dark as well and it scared him. he didn't like it, not at all.

"I don't think we are." Clara said sharing a nervous look with Strax

"Never mind. Everyone take five." The Doctor declared loudly closing his eyes as his legs buckled underneath him and he fell unconscious.

Morgana flitted over to him and caught him around the waist as he swayed and fell over, she huffed gently and hoisted him into her arms.

"What do we do?" Clara asked as she hurried over to Morgana, eyes latched onto the Doctor.

"I don't understand. Who is he? Where's the Doctor?" Jenny questioned

"Ah, Jenny don't be slow" Morgana chastised her gently

"Well then, here we go again." Vastra said in amusement

"Sorry Vas" Morgana apologised "regeneration always makes him...wobbly"

"You've seen this before?" Clara asked her and Morgana nodded

"This is my third time seeing it" Morgana confirmed before looking over at Vastra "you don't mind if we impose do you? I could use a Mikaelson home but..."

"I understand" Vastra nodded "you are always more than welcome in our home."

Morgana watched her Dearest as he paced within the guest bedroom, having decided to avoid their room within the house as it might prove to be too overwhelming. It was night time now with a full moon, she had managed to get him dressed in a full-length night shirt but she would consider it a miracle if he actually slept.

"It's simply misunderstandable to me. I don't know what it is. Who invented this room?" the Doctor demanded as he paced over to the door and opened it causing Clara and Jenny to nearly tumble down at his feet.

"Doctor, please, you have to lie down." Clara pleaded as she moved closer to the Doctor.

"What do you think I've been attempting?" Morgana rolled her eyes, did Clara not understand that Morgana had been caring for her husband far longer than Clara had been alive? She grumbled in annoyance, slightly mollified when the Doctor cast a look at her and shuffled closer as if to reassure her before he was distracted once more.

"It doesn't make sense. Look, it's only got a bed in it. Why is there only a bed in it?" The Doctor asked

"Because it's a bed room. It's for sleeping in." Clara explained slowly.

"Sometimes" Morgana added with a smirk of amusement, snickering at the disgusted look her sons shared.

"Okay, what do you do when you're awake?" The Doctor carried on his interrogation, slotting away the tidbits the blonde was offering him, for some reason he valued her thoughts and opinions far above any others.

"You leave the room." Jenny pointed out dumbfounded by how stupid the Doctor was acting right now.

"So you've got a whole room for not being awake in. But what's the point? You're just missing the room. And don't look in that mirror. It's absolutely furious." The Doctor advised as he gestured towards the mirror, still confused by what was going on, where he had been and where he was supposed to be going.

"Dearest, that's just you" Morgana sighed "please, lie down hmm?"

"Doctor, please. You have to lie down. You keep passing out." Clara pleaded

"Well, of course I keep passing out. There's all these beds. Why do you keep talking like that? What's gone wrong with your accent? Why-" he stopped and frowned as a lance of pain raced through his brain and he stumbled, the blonde was immediately there and holding him up, he blinked in confusion.

"Nothing's wrong with her accent." Jenny said capturing his attention

"You sound the same. It's spreading. You all sound all English." The Doctor complained loudly as he gave up "Now you've all developed a fault."

How was he supposed to fix this? His brain wasn't working and there was that smell...

"Doctor, I need your help with something." Vastra piped in with a soft Scottish accent, smiling when Morgana looked a lot less stressed out

"Finally, someone who can talk properly." The Doctor cried out in relief, though he didn't mind how the blonde spoke, in fact, he found himself soothed by it, actually bothering to decode the words she spoke.

"I'm having difficulty sleeping." Vastra cooed to the Doctor, leading him over to the bed.

"Oh? Oh, well, I wouldn't bother with that, I never bother with sleep, and I just do standy-up catnaps." The Doctor advised her with an easy fix.

"Oh really, how interesting. And when do you do those?" Vastra asked as she led him over to the bed and coaxing him to sit down.

"Well, generally whenever anyone else starts talking. I like to skip ahead to my bits. It saves time." The Doctor said stealing a glance at the blonde, he didn't mind her talking...why didn't he mind her talking?

"Save me time, Doctor." Vastra pleaded gently, easily hitting on the Doctor's kindness, that never changed with him, forever kind "Project an image of perfect sleep into the centre of my mind."

"What, do you want a psychic link with me? The size of my brain, it would be like dropping a piano on you." The Doctor warned her though he shifted on the bed, he wished he could help the woman though.

"Be gentle, then." Vastra requested widening her eyes in faux innocence

The Doctor sighed but nodded "I'll try. Brace yourself. Piano." He warned as they put their fingers to the others temple. Morgana snickered as the Doctor's eyes rolled back into the back of his head and he fell back onto the bed, sound asleep. She walked over and gently began rearranging him under the blankets.

"I love monkeys. They're so funny." Vastra said in amusement, accent back to normal as she stared down at the Doctor.

"Thank you for the help Vas" Morgana thanked her sincerely, she was too emotional right now to be able to make such a link with her husband and likely to hurt him than help him

"Think nothing of it" Vastra waved off kindly

"Oh, I see. So people are monkeys now, are they?" Jenny asked sniffing in offence as she tucked the Doctor in on the other side of Morgana.

"No, dear. People are apes. Men are monkeys." Vastra glanced at her wife with mischief twinkling in her green eyes, ignoring her nephews sounds of offence.

"So, what now?" Clara asked nervously, watching Morgana who was perched next to the Doctor gently running her fingers through his grey hair.

"He needs rest." Morgana said

"So, what do we do? How do we fix him?" Clara asked wincing at the ferocious glare Morgana shot him

"Fix him?" Jenny asked in confusion.

"How do we change him back?" Clara questioned

"You don't" Morgana snapped angrily at Clara, eyes instinctively flaring gold at the perceived threat to her husband, there was nothing wrong with him.

"Jenny, I will be in my chamber. Would you be kind enough to fetch my veil?" Vastra asked coldly as she straightened her back.

"Why, are we expecting strangers?" Jenny asked as a crease appeared in-between her eyebrows

"It would seem there's already one here." Vastra spoke with a glacial tone as she sent a derisive look at Clara.

"I'll stay, Thor, Loki go rest if your rooms are still available?" Morgana glanced at Vastra.

"Always" Vastra assured, tone warming up "come along boys"

"Yes, auntie" they said before trooping after her, eager to get changed and relaxed after a horribly long day.

"What have I done wrong?" Clara asked in confusion as the sound of a sad dinosaur drifted into the room, capturing their attention.

"The dinosaur doesn't seem very happy." Jenny said as she remained in the room with Clara, waiting until she left to give Morgana and the Doctor privacy.

"What's wrong with it?" Clara asked as she looked out the window

"I dunno. The Doctor's the one that speaks dinosaur. Excuse me, ma'am. The wife doesn't like to be kept waiting." Jenny said seeing that Morgana had calmed down significantly.

"Where did he get that face? Why's it got lines on it? It's brand new. How can his hair be all grey? He only just got it." Clara asked as she questioned the regeneration process.

"I know where" Morgana smiled softly as she gently stroked her husband's cheek, remembering the fires of Pompeii and how he had saved just one family at the pleading of Donna, just one. And that Scottish accent reminiscent of a seven-year-old Amelia Pond with a fairytale name.

"Then where?" Clara pestered but Morgana clenched her jaw and grunted, not willing to give up her husband's secrets, they were hers to keep and protect and Clara had no right to them.

"It's still him, ma'am. You saw him change." Jenny pointed out quietly, casting a look at Morgana who was taking this both better and worse than Clara. Morgana had seen this process before, understanding what was going on but also her husband had changed, and the regeneration process was rough for both of them. The Doctor was finding himself and he was disorientated and vulnerable causing Morgana's instincts to go haywire.

"I know. I do. I, I know that." Clara defended herself weakly but she was clearly lying, trying to convince herself just as much as them.

"Good." Jenny nodded, turning to leave the room but halting as Clara called for her.

"It's just-"Clara cut herself off

"What?" Jenny asked

"Nothing. If. If Vastra changed, if she was different, if she wasn't the person that you liked?" Clara asked and Morgana looked at her with narrowed, suspicious eyes.

"I don't like her, ma'am." Jenny corrected "I love her. And as to different? Well, she's a lizard."

Jenny didn't think you'd get much different than that, well, unless you were a supernatural creature and a timelord. But The Doctor and Morgana fit so well together, just like Jenny and Vastra.

"I am alone. The world which shook at my feet, and the trees and the sky, have gone. And I am alone now. Alone." The Doctor murmured softly as he floated in unconsciousness.

"I know, Dearest, we'll deal with it once you're up and about" Morgana crooned at her husband gently adjusting the blankets.

"Are you translating?" Clara asked moving closer but halting at the golden eyes that Morgana pinned her with.

"The wind bites now, and the world is grey, and I am alone here. Can't see me. Doesn't see me. Can't see me." He murmured before falling back under, feeling comfort from a presence nearby.

"Who can't see it? I think all of London can see it." Clara frowned, not understanding what the Doctor was saying.

"Boy? Madame Vastra is waiting." Strax stood in the doorway of the guest room, staring at Clara

"Okay. Whatever." Clara huffed rolling her eyes, seeing that neither the Doctor nor Morgana were entertaining her.

"I will convey you to her chamber. May I take your coat?" Strax asked politely holding out his arm.

"Not wearing a coat." Clara pointed out

"What's all that?" Strax waved his hand up and down in front of Clara

"Clothes." Clara answered in confusion

"May I take your clothes?" Strax asked politely

"Probably not." Clara muttered underneath her breath, slapping away his prodding hand.

"Are you wearing a hat?" Strax asked

"It's hair." Clara called out

"No, I think it's a hat. Would you like me to check?" he offered easily

"Pair of you" Morgana captured their attention as her voice dropped into a threatening growl "leave. Now!"

The pair quickly scrambled out of the room as Morgana kept a vigil over her husband.

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Loki lounged silently in his aunts' chambers, a beautifully green conservatory, he sipped his chamomile tea, clutching to his patience with every fibre of his will power as he glared at the stupid monkey sat across from him. listening to the fountain of water nearby to centre himself.

"And then?" Vastra asked as she sat straight in her peacock chair, having decided to grill Clara instead of her beloved nephews who were both looking lost and tired, their eyes glancing occasionally upwards, ears tilting to catch their parents' steady heartbeats to reassure themselves.

"Why are you wearing your veil?" Clara asked after roughly clearing her throat.

"And then?" Vastra insisted disregarding Clara's question.

"And then we got swallowed by a big dinosaur. You probably noticed." Clara said sarcastically

"How did it happen?" Jenny asked

"I don't know. I don't know. We were crashing about everywhere. The Doctor was gone. The Tardis went haywire." Clara said tears welling in her brown eyes.

"He's not gone. He's upstairs." Jenny pointed out, keeping her voice gentle but insistent.

"Okay, he changed." Clara said

"He regenerated. Renewed himself." Vastra immediately corrected

"Renewed. Fine." Clara humoured Vastra, not truly understanding the difference.

Vastra hummed and spoke "Such a cynical smile."

"I'm not smiling." Clara denied

"Not outwardly. But I'm accustomed to seeing through a veil. How have I amused you?" Vastra asked

"You said renewed. He doesn't. He doesn't look renewed. He looks older." Clara said quietly

"You thought he was young?" Vastra asked with a scoff

"He looked young." Clara said weakly

"If father looked his true age, he'd be a pile of dust" Thor piped in gently turning over some stones in his hands, trying to find something to focus his mind on rather than worry for his father.

"He looked like your dashing young gentleman friend. Your lover, even, despite the impossibility" Vastra mocked

"Shut up." Clara snapped, her cheeks flushing, and Loki rolled his eyes, mortals.

"But he is the Doctor. He has walked this universe for centuries untold; he has seen stars fall to dust. All with Morgana by his side, and that Time Lord looks at her as if she was the answer to creation, to the universe and all its secrets. You might as well flirt with a mountain range." Vastra advised the woman, knowing the woman was in denial but still wanting to help. And stop her murder from occurring.

"I did not flirt with him." Clara defended herself

Vastra shrugged uncaring to the lies she told herself "He looked young. Who do you think that was for?"

"Morgana?" Clara asked

"Mother would never be so shallow, the first doctor she met was the war doctor, and he was hardly young" Thor pointed out irritably as Loki worked to untangle his hair, sending his own scathing glare at Clara, by the universe and it's Gods, Clara was making him loathe mortals even more.

"Me?" Clara asked

"Everyone. I wear a veil as he wore a face for the same reason." Vastra explained to her, the Doctor was a complex man and after all these years Vastra hardly knew his every depths but she knew more than others.

"What reason?" Clara asked leaning forward

"The oldest reason there is for anything. To be accepted." Vastra said, though the Doctor had been accepted entirely by the Mikaelson clan, humanity was very different. Judgemental in its majority with very few exceptions, Vastra knew this very well.

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Morgana watched cautiously as Dearest shot upwards, blue eyes snapping open as he sniffed the air, he scrambled out of bed and crawled around sniffing, Morgana sighed and decided to go along with it, even when he was insane, he usually had a point.

"Draw?" He mumbled, glancing up at her for help and who was she to deny those blue eyes seeking her help?

"Here, Dearest" Morgana sighed fondly as she handed him a piece of chalk, well used to how he behaved in these moods. He then went to the middle of the room and began making odd marks all over the floor while Morgana watched on, climbing onto a chair when he wanted the space, she was stood in.

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"Jenny and I are married. Yet for appearance's sake, we maintain a pretence, in public, that she is my maid." Vastra said as she broke the silence that had fallen in the room

"Doesn't exactly explain why I'm pouring tea in private." Jenny sassed her wife, though her eyes were fond.

"Hush now." Vastra ordered her wife playfully.

"Good pretence, isn't it?" Jenny asked the room, smiling when Thor and Loki snickered in amusement.

"I wear a veil to keep from view what many are pleased to call my disfigurement. I do not wear it as a courtesy to such people, but as a judgment on the quality of their hearts." Vastra explained to Clara, a note of derision in her voice.

"Are you judging me?" Clara asked sharply

"The Doctor regenerated in your presence. The young man disappeared; the veil lifted. He trusted you. Are you judging him?" Vastra retorted

"How dare you? How dare you?" Clara hissed in disbelief before lurching to her feet in anger.

"Watch it, that's our Auntie" Loki warned absently as he finished off his brother's braid, having fixed it back to its previous prestige.

"Oh, like you don't care?" Clara retorted sharply looking at them demandingly.

"No, why should we? It's the way of our people, should we experience a true death, we might change. Our father is our father. Different outside same inside" Thor spoke for himself and his brother.

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The Doctor finished his writing when he heard the dinosaur, running over to the door and opened it before grimacing.

"Door. Boring. Not me." He declared before spotting the window and rushing over to open it.

"Me." He declared clambering out

Morgana sighed "oh, dearest, the trouble you cause"

When she went to climb out the window, she jerked at the hand that was offered to her.

"Well, are you coming?" he asked her, wriggling his fingers playfully and she smiled at him, causing his hearts to skip a beat.

"Always" Morgana promised taking his hand and he carefully helped her out the window before leading her onto a path only he knew but Morgana wasn't worried, she had her Dearest by her side after all.

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"Marcus Aurelius, Roman emperor. Last of the five good 'uns. Stoic philosopher." Clara declared and Loki arched an eyebrow wondering what the hell the mortal was rambling on about now.

"Superlative bass guitarist. The Doctor really knows how to put a band together." Vastra retorted "though he almost got kicked out for flirting with his wife"

"And the only pin-up I ever had on my wall when I was fifteen. The only one I ever had. I am not sure who you think you're talking to right now, Madam Vastra, but I have never had the slightest interest in pretty young men. And for the record, if there ever was anybody who could flirt with a mountain range, she's probably standing in front of you right now. Just because my pretty face has turned your head, do not assume that I am so easily distracted." Clara ranted angrily, taking in a deep breath as she realised that Vastra was no longer wearing her breath and Jenny burst into applause.

"Whoo. Whoo. Sorry." Jenny apologised sheepishly

"Well, goodness me. The lake is ruffled at last. I often wondered what you'd be like when you lost your temper." Vastra said eyeing Clara up appreciatively

"Oi." Jenny chastised her wife with a smack to her head, causing Vastra to hiss in pain "Married."

"The Doctor needs us. He is lost in the ruin of himself, and we must bring him home. Morgana as always is by his side, but goodness knows that woman will need dragging out as well." Vastra spoke fondly

"When did you stop wearing your veil?" Clara asked in confusion

"When you stopped seeing it." Vastra replied simply

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Morgana was thankful for her night vision, as she kept up with her husband across the rooftops as he made his way towards the river with single minded determination.

"Oi. Oi. Oi, big, sexy woman. Oi. Sorry. Sorry, it's all my fault." The Doctor apologised "Our time machine got stuck in your throat. It happens. I brought you along by accident. That's mostly how I meet girls, but don't worry, I promise I will get you home. I swear. Whatever it takes, I will keep you safe. You will be at home again."

Morgana and the Doctor flinched back as the dinosaur suddenly burst into flames, roaring in pain before collapsing

"Stop that. Who's doing that? No, don't do that." The Doctor said in confusion, not understanding and looking at the blonde beside him for guidance

"Gods fucking damnit" Morgana hissed before softening at the look the Doctor gave her, "Dearest, come, we need to find out who's done this"

"Yes, yes, let's go" The Doctor nodded his head in agreement.

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"That came from the river." Vastra said in alarm at the roar of pain

"The dinosaur." Jenny breathed out

"Strax! Bring the carriage, now!" Vastra shouted her order as urgency hit her

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Morgana followed the Doctor over the roof without caution as she saw him fall through the upper boughs of a tree, straining under his weight.

"Argh. Argh. Oh." the Doctor grunted as he finished hanging upside down from the lowest branch by his knees. A hansom cab trotting into his view and he relaxed at the new mode of transport.

"Halt. Sorry, I'm going to have to relieve you of your pet." The Doctor shouted

"You're what?" Cabbie replied bewildered

"Shut up, I was talking to the horse." The Doctor snapped as he somersaulted on to the horse's back and uses his sonic screwdriver to sever the traces and reins.

"Well, are you coming?" The Doctor asked staring up at the woman who'd been following him, pretty as an exploding star turning into a supernova or a planetary nebula or a white dwarf. Prettier than any creation the universe could wrought.

She kept calling him 'dearest' treating him with untold care and affection and he felt it...almost instinctual to reply with the same devotion. How odd. How marvellous.

Here he was confused and disoriented but lucky enough to find out just why he was acting so prudently to this woman, was it like this the first-time round? This adventure wherever it may lead? How exciting.

Morgana felt her heart melt as he carefully, oh so carefully helped her off the branch and onto the horse, though she could have easily sorted herself out Morgana felt herself blush at the gentleness he was treating her with. Dearest had always treated her with the utmost respect, love and consideration...but there was something so achingly sweet about him treating her as if she wasn't the most dangerous creature in the universe. So different to the past Doctors, so unique and he had her heart beating rapidly like a schoolgirl on her first date.

"What are you doing?" The Cabbie called demandingly from behind them but the Doctor ignored him

"Forwards." The Doctor shouted and the horse reared back before racing off down the road.

"We're very appreciative" Morgana added as she wrapped her hands around her husband's waist, feeling the thrill of adventure rise up in her.

"Left. No, no. Right, right, right, right. Sorry, it's my new hands. I can't tell them apart." The Doctor apologised to the horse when it voiced its annoyance at the different directions give.

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"What do you think's happened?" Jenny asked her wife from where she was pressed up against her, the carriage being a tight fit for five of them, especially since Thor and Loki only shared their bench with each other.

"I don't know, but I fear devilment." Vatra replied

"Should we not have told the Doctor? Or Morgana?" Clara asked

"He's not ready to leave his bed and Morgana won't be moved from her husband's side" Jenny replied

"Watch it on the corners, it's a bit slippery up here." The Doctor warned the horse as he laid a hand over the two small hands that were wrapped around his waist, ensuring the blonde was secured against him.

"Strax." Vastra called up to the sontaran that was driving the horse.

"Come on, Strax." Vastra encouraged and he cracked the whip making the carriage go faster and Vastra sat back in satisfaction "That's better."

When they got to westminister bridge, the Doctor dismounted before helping Morgana down, taking her hand and heading to the parapet over the burning remains, muttering to himself

"Sorry, sorry. I'm sorry, sorry, sorry." He muttered heartbroken as he stared at the burning remains

"Not your fault Dearest, never yours" Morgana assured as she leapt up beside him, keeping an arm wrapped around his waist in case he collapsed

"You keep calling me Dearest instead of Doctor" he turned to her with a frown, those angry eyebrows of his merely amusing her rather than intimidate her.

"Because you're my Dearest" she answered simply "you'll understand soon"

He searched her green, green eyes before nodding acceptance "okay"

Morgana glanced over as Strax brough the carriage to a halt behind them, everyone getting out of the carriage.

"The Doctor and Morgana" Jenny said in exasperation

"What's he doing here?" Clara asked

"There's danger" Loki said flatly

"Where else would they be? just be thankful that mother didn't set the fire" Thor finished

"She was scared. She was scared and alone. I brought her here and look what they did." The Doctor said sadly

"Humanity is cruel at times, Dearest" Morgana said though it wasn't a comfort to her husband, it was the truth.

"Who or what could have done this thing?" Vastra asked with a frown

"No." the Doctor said softly

"I'm sorry?" Vastra asked in confusion

"No. That is not the question. That is not where we start." The Doctor corrected

"The question is how. The flesh itself has been combusted." Strax pointed out

"No, no, shut up. What do you all have for brains, pudding? Look at you. Why can't I meet a decent species? Planet of the pudding brains." The Doctor mocked them in derision. Idiots, the lot of them, monkeys. Oh, was ninth peeking through with this attitude? He didn't mind that. Sweet- she helped him with that, accepted him even when he was grouchy with an attitude problem, she found it funny.

"Doctor, I know you're upset, but you need to calm down and talk to us. What is the question?" Clara asked trying to handle the situation, a frown on her face.

"Have there been any similar occurrences?" Morgana piped up as she stared sadly into the flames, not sparing the mortals a look "someone who does this sort of thing...they don't start on something so blatantly obvious; they need to build up to that level of confidence"

"Finally, someone who has brains. You can't be human" The Doctor turned towards her with a grateful sparkle in his eyes despite how his head hurt and confusion kept washing over him, reality getting mixed up. She understood, the woman with flames dancing in her green eyes. How did she understand?

"I'm not" Morgana ginned at him "once upon a time, a long time ago but not anymore"

"A dinosaur is burning in the heart of London. Nothing left but smoke and flame. The question is, have there been any similar murders?" The Doctor asked

"Yes. Yes, by the Goddess, there have." Vastra said

"Look at them all, gawking." The Doctor spat in derision before his eyes picked out a suspect

"Question two. If all the pudding brains are gawking, then what is he?" he pointed towards one man who was walking away calmly.

"If you walk instead of run from the scene of your crime, you're less likely to get caught" Morgana added, she and her family learnt that lesson rather quickly when it came to hunting.

"He seems remarkably unmoved by the available spectacle." Vastra said calmly

"Do you think that is whoever-"Morgana didn't hear the rest of the question as she had leapt after her husband and into the river below, grimacing at the fact she was jumping into the Victorian river. Urgh, her husband owed her so much for this.

"What are they doing? They'll drown." Clara said in a panic.

"I very much doubt it." Vastra barely stopped herself from rolling her eyes

"Why?" Clara asked

"There has been a murder. The Doctor has taken up the case. If we are to see them again, we must do the same." Vastra concluded

"Mother and Father both know how to swim you know" Thor rolled his eyes "though they both learnt in rivers, they are capable of swimming"

The next day Clara poured wated into a bowl on her washstand, she'd managed to get some rest after being reassured by Vastra and derided by Loki when she wouldn't stop fretting about the Doctor. Her attention was caught from worrying when she heard Strax

"Come on, Earthling scum. Position it here. Easy now. That's it. Careful." He ordered as she opened the window onto the courtyard. A cart had brought the Tardis from the river bank and Clara felt relief run through her at the sight of the box.

"Don't get it scratched or you and all your bloodline will be obliterated from time and space." Strax threatened the footman

"Very good, sir." The man replied blandly as Clara leant out calling for Strax.

"Strax!"

Strax jerked and look upwards until he spotted Clara "Ah! Morning, Miss Clara. You're awake at last."

"You got the Tardis, then?" Clara asked

"Military tactics. The Doctor and Morgana are still missing, but they will always come looking for their box. By bringing it here, he will be lured from the dangers of London- with Morgana following- to this place of safety, and we will melt him with acid." Strax said relishing in his master plan

"Okay, that last part?" Clara asked with a raised eyebrow

"And we will not melt him with acid. Old habits. The Times. Shall I send it up?" Strax asked

"Yeah, why not?" Clara asked wanting to scan the news

"Hah!" Strax yelled as he threw the rolled-up newspaper, hitting her squarely between the eyes and knocking her down.

After Clara had read the newspaper, dressed and coiffured in the late Victorian style. She met Jenny coming up the stairs.

"Jenny." Clara greeted

"Ah, good morning, Clara." Jenny replied happily

"Morning. Er, so, what are we going to do? Are we looking for the Doctor?" Clara asked before adding "and Morgana?"

"We've got the Paternoster Irregulars out in force. We've also contacted some of the Mikaelson's sirelines to see if they can give us a hint though Morgana's very good at hiding as is the Doctor but If anyone can find them, they can. Meanwhile, Madam Vastra is slightly occupied by the Conk-Singleton forgery case, and is having the Camberwell child poisoner for dinner." Jenny explained the plan and the days schedule to Clara.

"For dinner?" Clara asked nervously

"After she's finished interrogating him. Probably best to stay out the larder. It'll get a bit noisy in there later." Jenny advised unruffled by her wife's eating habits.

"Oh." Clara blinked before heading down into the kitchens, planning to pursue the newspaper in more depth.

"Ah, Miss Clara. You look better now you're up." Strax called out to Clara and she moved closer

"Thank you, Strax." Clara smiled at him feeling her mood lift

"Oh, sorry. Trick of the light. You still look terrible. Can I get you anything?" Strax corrected himself, concern for the earth scum rising in him.

"Er, no, thanks." Clara declined with a scrunched nose "Maybe just some water."

"Of course." Strax nodded before putting the mop bucket on the table "Well, don't hold back. I've nearly finished anyway."

"Er." Clara blinked looking at the bucket in worry

"It's perfectly all right. I washed in it myself." Strax reassured her.

"All of a sudden, I'm not very thirsty." Clara admitted

"Really? Perhaps it is time, then." Strax said as he pulled out a monocle like device with three lenses and shined a green light into her eye as she tried to back away in concern.

"For your mandatory medical examination. Say ah." Strax ordered her

"Ah." Clara said going with it.

"You didn't move your lips." Strax said with a frown

"You're looking at my eye." Clara corrected

"Oh. Oh yes, there we are. Easy mistake." He said as he aimed the light at her forehead "Now that's interesting."

"What? What's interesting?" Clara asked worry rising in her

"Deflected narcissism. Traces of passive aggressive. And a lot of muscular young men doing sport." Strax listed off to Clara

"What are you looking at?" Clara asked in alarm

"Your subconscious. Is that sport? It could be sport." Strax said in confusion

"Well, stop looking." Clara ordered flicking down the lenses of the medical device

"Moving onto the thorax, such as it is." Strax said with a bit of derision towards her subpar anatomy as he sent the green light to Clara's ribcage making it visible. "Ah, excellent. Enviable spleen. Well done. Twenty seven years old, with a projected lifespan of exactly-"

"Stop right there." Clara ordered sharply.

"Oh, you're going to do quite well. But watch out for fluid retention later. It's going to be spectacular. Well, put your clothes back on." Strax instructed as he finished his examination.

"They are on." Clara pointed out

"Oh yes, so they are." Strax nodded as Clara took the scanner from him and put it on the table

"Why are you doing this?" Clara asked

"If we are to serve together, I need you in peak physical prowess, eh?" Strax said cheerily as he punched Clara's arm.

"Ow. Why would we be serving together? The Doctor's going to come back, isn't he?" Clara asked in worry

"It is to be hoped." Strax shrugged "though even if he does, he may always decide to go the long way around, he and his family are long-lived. It's always an option"

"He's not just going to abandon me here." Clara argued

"You must stop worrying about him, my boy. By now, he's almost certainly had his throat cut by the violent poor." Strax said as he tried to console her.

Strax wandered off leaving a gobsmacked Clara behind

"I don't know why you listen to him" Thor spoke up, startling Clara

"What? When did you get here?" Clara asked staring at the man who was leant against the doorway, he smiled and pushed off, moving into the room.

"For the medical evaluation, and Strax has a better understanding of Vastra or supernatural biology than he ever will human" Thor joked but saw how nervous Clara was

"He will come back, won't he?" Clara asked him

"Stop fretting" Thor frowned, noticing the lack of concern towards his mother, Thor happily admitted to being a Mama's boy but honestly, he'd learnt that at the feet of his father. To the Mikaelson's Morgana was the centre of the clan, it's heart.

"Mother is with him and those two survived eons together before you came along, they'll be fine. As for if you get abandoned here- in the highly unlikely event, both Loki and I are capable of piloting the TARDIS. Though I'm far more likely to take you home than my dearest triplet is" Thor said casually

"So, you know he hates me" Clara said flatly

"Know and understand" Thor nodded as he sat down "I take after my father with my love for humanity but...my love is more...abstract for the entire species than a single individual. Father is far more giving with his heart than anyone else. I admire that about him"

"why" Clara asked in curiosity, wanting to understand.

"You live such short lives, tell me Clara, do you hold any love for a single ant? Or the entire species of ant?" Thor asked "they're nothing to you, perhaps a passing curiosity or thought when you notice them...but they hardly change your entire worldview every time you see them"

"I'm not an Ant" Clara snapped as her throat tightened, she wasn't that insignificant, she wasn't!

"You might as well be" Thor shrugged his broad shoulders "sometimes, sometimes you find what you thought to be an ant but it's actually a butterfly and that's all very well and good, interesting for brief time but eventually...it's still just a bug. A ant to a human is the same scale of a human to us. We've been worshipped as Gods before and truly; we could be if we so desired...but father prefers travelling and Mother indulges him so"

"So, I'm an ant that's actually a butterfly" Clara frowned her hackles up at the casual disregard for her and the...arrogance Thor was showing about himself and his family.

Thor gave her a happy grin "Now you're getting it!" he then grabbed his coffee and newspaper and left the room. He heard Auntie was having a child poisoner for dinner, maybe he could get her to share? At least with her beloved nephew at least!

Morgana sighed as she watched her Dearest rummaging in the rubbish, they'd been all over London, not stopping for a moment all night long and they were somewhere close to the Clink and Southwark Cathedral. His nightshirt had been thoroughly dirtied, she watched a tramp in a thick coat, holding a beer bottle cautiously, prepared to step in if necessary.

The Doctor found a broken mirror on the ground, cleaning it away and staring at himself before turning at the sound of the tramp throwing away his bottle.

"Bitey. The air, it's bitey. It's wet, and bitey." The Doctor spoke in a lost tone, he had waved off the blonde when she had tried to help him, it had felt important to figure it out by himself but help from the pudding brains wouldn't be cheating would it? It was practically giving himself yet another handicap! Though anger helped to make his brain spark.

"Oh, it's cold." The tramp replied, providing the word he was looking for.

"That's right. It's cold. It's cold, I knew it was a thing. I need um, I need clothes. I need clothes, that's what I need. And a big, long scarf. No, no, move on from that. Looked stupid." The Doctor ranted at himself before focusing on the other man, ignoring his captive audience "Er, have you seen this face before?"

"No." the tramp denied

"Are you sure?" The Doctor double checked

"Sir, I have never seen that face." He insisted, feeling caution rise at this clear mad man, and the woman wasn't helping...how'd she get so far up and what on earth was she wearing?

"It's funny, because I'm sure that I have. You know, I never know where the faces come from. They just pop up. Zap. Faces like this one. Come on, look at it, have a look, come on, look, look, look." The Doctor insisted dragging the tramp over to look in the mirror on the ground, ignoring the monkey's protests.

"Look, it's covered in lines. But I didn't do the frowning. Who frowned me this face? Do you ever look in the mirror and think I've seen that face before?" the Doctor frowned as he tried to recall but it kept slipping through his fingers.

"Yes." The tramp nodded

"Really? When?" The Doctor asked in excitement, finally, answers!!

"Well, every time I look in the mirror." The tramp answered nervously

The Doctor paused tilting his head thoughtfully before nodding "Oh, yes, yes, yes. Fair enough. Good point. My face is fresh on, though."

"Er" the tramp said before moving away from the crazy man in the nightshirt watched over by some devil creature.

"Why this one? Why did I choose this face? It's like I'm trying to tell myself something. Like I'm trying to make a point. But what is so important that I can't just tell myself what I'm thinking?" the Doctor demanded in frustration.

"Er" the tramp flailed for the answer that wouldn't get him killed

"I'm not just being rhetorical here. You can join in." The Doctor encouraged

"I don't like it." The tramp admitted after shooting a cautious look at the demon blonde

"What?" The Doctor frowned don't like what? Books? Horses? Banana's? what!?

"Your face." He admitted roughly, just wanting to get out of there.

"Well, I don't like it either." The Doctor said "Well, it's all right up until the eyebrows. Then it just goes haywire. Look at the eyebrows. These are attack eyebrows. You could take bottle tops off with these."

"They are mighty eyebrows indeed, sir." The tamp blabbered, hoping it would help his situation.

"They're cross. They're crosser than the rest of my face. They're independently cross. They probably want to secede from the rest of my face and set up their own independent state of eyebrows. That's Scot. I am Scottish. I've gone Scottish?" the Doctor frowned as he rolled the words over in his head. Would she like that he's Scottish?

"Oh yes, you are. You are definitely Scots, sir. I, I 'ear it in your voice." The Tramp nodded relaxing cautiously as he hadn't been killed yet.

"Oh no, that's good. Oh." he rolled the long Scottish 'oh' sound, glancing up at the blonde feeling warm when she sent him a smile, blush across her cheeks that urged him on.

"It's good I'm Scottish. I'm Scottish. I am Scottish. I can complain about things, I can really complain about things. Now, give me your coat." The Doctor demanded

"No." the tramp denied, while he was terrified of both these people, living on the streets taught him to cling to all of his possessions.

"I am cold." The Doctor frowned, usually when he demanded something, he got it immediately, the blonde got him whatever he wanted didn't she? He peeked up at her and she was stood as if waiting for his request.

"I'm cold." The tramp argued

"I'm cold. There's no point in us both being cold. Give me your coat. Give me your coat. No, wait. Shut up, shut up. Shut up. I missed something. It was here, it was here. It was. What was it I saw? What did I see?" he scrambled around the ground before picking up an old newspaper.

"This is what I saw. Spontaneous combustion." The Doctor breathed out latching onto the information of a fourth case of spontaneous combustion. The death of Margaret Roberts occurred on Friday, outside her home address in London, in what the police are describing as a curious case of spontaneous combustion. She was aged 68 years. Born in Scotland.

"What devilry is this, sir?" The tramp questioned Morgana sighed and dropped some notes to the man, who quickly grabbed the cash and ran for it. Wise man.

"I don't know, but I probably blame the English." The Doctor frowned after the man then turned to his stalker, who- for some reason- he didn't mind being stalked by or being the centre of her attention with those bright green eyes and blonde hair, he wondered absently if it was as soft as it looked. Would she let him play with her hair? She was stood atop a windowsill on the second floor, leant casually against the wall without concern over her own safety as she looked down at him. occasionally scanning the area around them protectively.

He growled slightly at the lack of concern over her safety, she was precious, wasn't she? Yes, he needed to keep her safe, make sure she didn't get hurt. Would he get away with wrapping her in bubble wrap? Maybe if he asked nicely...he thinks he could do nice, for her at least.

"Do you know why I have this face? And what's with the accent...you don't, you're not British?" He frowned in confusion how did he know that? How could he tell? Maybe she could give him a hint?

"Yes, Dearest, I know why that face" Morgana smiled softly "and I agree totally with your sentiment and No, I'm not British, Norwegian actually"

"It hurts, it hurts, and it's all mixed up...but, but you'll stay with me, won't you?" The Doctor asked uncertainly feeling like a small child who'd lost their night light and was lost to wander in the dark but she...she was the guiding star or a beacon? A lighthouse in a raging storm...but she didn't look very lighthouse-y, too small.

Morgana leapt nimbly down to land in front of him, pleased when he didn't flinch away or look scared.

"Always and Forever, Dearest" she vowed, taking his hand "now, let's get you some clothes, hmm? Timelord or not you're begging for a cold at this point"

"Okay" The Doctor agreed, falling into step with this strange, beautiful woman he was fascinated by, holding her hand as if he'd done it a thousand times before.

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Loki and Thor lounged in a couch aside from Vastra who was working at a large wood backed panel on an easel while Jenny held an awkward pose in her corset and a shawl in front of the easel, no one bothered by Jenny's state of undress. She'd seen them both streaking naked through the house- far older and drunker than they should be.

"Hmm. Spontaneous combustion." Vastra mused thoughtfully as she stared at her wife, a bright conductor for her thoughts and ideas.

"Is that like love at first sight?" Jenny asked curiously, not moving a muscle.

"Hmm. A little. It is the theory that human beings can, with little or no inducement, simply explode." Vastra explained to Jenny

"I've seen them explode but that's usually Kai's doing" Loki snickered into his cup of tea, chamomile to help keep his nerves down. He loathed to admit even in his thoughts, but he was a bit of a drama Queen.

"Oh, don't forget Dad and his gizmo" Thor added with a smirk

"Ah, yes, The Doctor, murderer of chicken's everywhere" Loki laughed

"You don't need to flirt with me. We're already married." Jenny replied with an arched eyebrow

"It's scientific nonsense, of course." Vastra stated dismissively.

"Marriage?" Jenny checked knowing how her wife liked to tease her.

"Hush." Vastra chided gently "There have been nine reported incidents of people apparently exploding in the last month."

"And you think they weren't spontaneous." Jenny summarised

"I think whoever killed the dinosaur had at least nine previous victims. All of these perished in the same spectacular fashion." Vastra explained as she turned the easel to reveal newspaper cuttings, a map of London, and lines linking them up.

"I thought you were painting me." Jenny said in annoyance, she'd been standing here for ages! She shot a dirty look at her nephews who plastered an innocent look on their faces.

"I was working." Vastra defended herself

"Well, why am I posing then?" Jenny questioned

"Well, you brighten the room tremendously." Vastra flattered her wife before nudging her chin with her fingers "Chin up a little."

"Oh, I don't understand why I'm doing this." Jenny huffed not taking the bait.

"Art?" Vastra offered sheepishly with a little shrug before turning back to her work "Now, why destroy the victims so completely? It's difficult, it draws attention. What advantage is to be gained?"

"Well, tell us, then." Jenny encouraged her wife

"Concealment, perhaps." Vastra mused tilting her head at the work before her.

"Concealment?" Jenny frowned

"It's a fanciful theory, but it fits the facts. By destroying the body so completely, you conceal what is missing from it." Vastra explained

"Missing from the body?" Jenny wondered

"Madame Vastra!" Clara's voice came from outside the room before she burst in

"Clara, excellent. Pop your clothes on that chair there." Vastra said, happy to include another woman to stare at

"Look." Clara insisted as she showed Vastra the Times newspaper

Vastra decided to entertain Clara as if she was a toddler, and in comparison, to Vastra Clara was "Advertisements, yes. So many. It's a distressing modern trend."

"No, look. Look." Clara insisted showing one particular advert in the personal column saying- Impossible Girl. Lunch on the other side?

"Ma'am?" Jenny asked

"The game is afoot." Vastra said in excitement, declaring as she pulled a rope "We're going to need a lot of tea."

"There appears to be nothing of significance in the rest of the newspaper. Not even in the agony column." Vastra grumbled as she looked the newspaper over again, Loki and Thor having given up and were currently making pirate hats for each other. Honestly how old were they? One hundred or one thousand?

"We can't know it's from the Doctor." Jenny pointed out

"Of course, it's from the Doctor. The Impossible Girl, that's what he calls me." Clara said insistently, she'd figured it out and the Doctor was the one to give her that special name.

"The last Centurion, the girl who waited, the most important woman in the universe, the woman who walked the earth, defender of earth, the bad wolf" Loki listed off the titles of the other companions rolling his eyes

"What?" Clara asked with narrowed eyes

"Nothing!" Thor said cheerily, snickering to himself as he made some paper ducks to go with the paper boat he'd made.

"He says lunch, but not when or where?" Vastra said after swiftly kicking the boys in their shins in reprimand. That was a can of worms she had no desire to open.

"On the other side? The other side of London? Bit vague." Jenny frowned

"The other side of regeneration, perhaps, once he's recovered?" Vastra asked herself, honestly why did the man need to be so cryptic? Vastra wished Morgana added to the message.

"So, what am I supposed to do, guess where we're meeting?" Clara frowned in annoyance

"Perhaps that's the point. Perhaps you're supposed to prove that you still know him. Think what that must mean for a man who barely knows himself." Vastra advised

"It doesn't make sense. He doesn't do puzzles. He isn't complicated. Really doesn't have the attention span. So, keeping it dead simple. On the other side." Clara breathed in realisation as she held the page up to the light. There was another advert directly behind hers, so she turned it over to read it. Mancini's Family Restaurant, the Best Dinner in London.

Clara crossed the street as she looked up at the building, which is just as depicted in the advert. She went inside and sat by herself on a curved bench seat in a wall alcove, with a small round table in front of it. The restaurant had other customers but was very quiet. She nervously examined the advert again, then sniffed. Then she coughed as she fanned the air with the paper. The Doctor and Morgana slipping into seats in the alcove. Clearly, they hadn't gotten cleaned up since their trip in the river.

"What's wrong?" The Doctor asked focusing on her for a moment before getting distracted.

"I don't know. Maybe the smell?" Clara retorted

"We took a dip in Victorian rivers, and have been running around all night" Morgana grunted in annoyance "forgive us if we didn't stop off at some bath houses for a spa treatment"

"I know. It's everywhere." The Doctor nodded, not really following the conversation

"Where did you get that coat?" Clara asked

"Er, ahem, I bought it." The Doctor replied, at some point he been handed it by Morgana, so she'd gotten it for him, with money...probably.

"From where?" Clara asked in suspicion

"He got it from a shop, I compelled them to give up the coat" Morgana rolled her eyes

"Why not pay?" Clara asked her offended at the stealing.

"Gave money to a tramp and I didn't bloody feel like playing human" Morgana snapped in annoyance, she was tired, thirsty and emotionally strung out. Not a great combination.

"I think I gave my watch to the tramp" The Doctor announced suddenly, honestly, it'd all been a blur. He wasn't entirely sure what he'd been up to.

"No. That watch was beautiful." Clara said sadly

"It was my favourite." The Doctor agreed

"You gave your favourite watch to a random person. that's not smart" Clara huffed, did Morgana now see why she should be concerned?!

"Well, I was in a hurry. There was a terrible smell." The Doctor said blandly

"You still have that watch Dearest" Morgana sighed reaching into her pocket and pulling it out

"Can I have it back?" The Doctor asked reaching for it

"No" she denied with a shake of her head "you can have it back when you stop handing it out for no reason"

"But I needed a coat" he argued with a furrow of his eyebrows.

"And I got you a coat, and anything else you need" Morgana promised

"Okay." Clara broke back into the conversation, glaring at the Doctor when he smiled and laughed a bit

"No. No, don't. Don't. Don't. Don't smile. I will smile first and then you know it's safe to smile." She ordered

"Are you cross with me?" The Doctor wondered tilting his head, did her opinion matter? A bit perhaps but not as much as the blonde.

"I am not cross. But if I was cross it would be your fault and. Yes, I am cross." Clara admitted angrily, hackles raising when Morgana rolled her eyes.

"I guessed that." The Doctor said, he wasn't stupid

"I am extremely cross." Clara repeated

"And if I hadn't changed my face, would you be cross?" The Doctor asked tilting his head curiously, he didn't much care if this one cared about his face, but his eyes darted to the blonde next to him...did she care? She was very youthful looking- looking because it felt, felt as if she was closer to his age than the monkey over there but still, does she care about his wrinkles and grey hair? That thought pained his hearts to think about.

"I would be cross if I wasn't cross." Clara shot back

"Why?" The Doctor questioned

"Why? An ordinary person wants to meet someone that they know very well for lunch. What do they do?" Clara asked annoyed with how socially incompetent the Doctor was being.

"Well, they probably get in touch and suggest lunch." The Doctor replied simply

"Mmm hmm. Okay, so what sort of person would put a cryptic note in, in a newspaper advert?" Clara asked realising she was getting somewhere.

"Well, I wouldn't like to say." The Doctor deflected

"Oh, go on, do say." Clara encouraged

"Well, I would say that that person would be an egomaniac, needy, game-player sort of person." the Doctor said, wondering why she'd want her flaws pointed out but he was a good friend, so he did as she asked.

"Ah, thank you. Well, at least that hasn't changed." Clara said in satisfaction, leaning back.

"And I don't suppose it ever will." The Doctor nodded in agreement

"No, I don't suppose it will, either." Clara smiled, feeling like she was back on the same page with the Doctor.

"Clara, honestly, I don't want you to change. It was no bother, really. I saw your advert, I figured it out. I'm happy to play your game." The Doctor assured her, he didn't want to bring the blonde along but the thought of being without her made him incredibly uncomfortable. She was meant to be by his side.

"No. No, no. I didn't place the ad. You placed the ad." Clara retorted

"No, I didn't." The Doctor denied with a shake of his head

"Yes, you placed the ad, I figured it out. Impossible Girl, see? Lunch." Clara pointed at the newspaper

"No, look, the Impossible. That is a message from the Impossible Girl." The Doctor corrected

"For the Impossible Girl." Clara insisted

Morgana hissed interrupting their back and forth and glaring at Clara "Moron, do you really think Dearest capable of such things right now? He's not! I've been chasing him over London all night long! And he hasn't been anywhere close to a newspaper. And while, yes I'm a total egomaniac who loves to toy with their pray like hell am I needy for you" She sneered at Clara before glancing between the two idiots.

"Has it occurred to either one of you that this is a trap?" she sat back in satisfaction as her husbands' angry eyebrows danced up and down in thought, blue eyes sharpening.

"Well, if neither of us placed that ad, who placed that ad?" the Doctor asked chasing the idea the blonde had sparked in his mind.

"Hang on. Egomaniac, needy, game-player?" Clara questioned

"This could be a trap." The Doctor nodded sending a thankful look at the woman beside him

"That was me?" Clara asked

"If the shoe fits" Morgana batted her eyelashes innocently

"Never mind that." The Doctor waved off

"Yes, I am minding that. And what do you mean if the shoe fits?" Clara demanded

"I'm happy to relish in my own flaws, you should work on your own insecurity" Morgana advised

"Clara." The Doctor said flatly, catching Clara's attention away from the blonde, not liking the glare Clara was sending her way.

"You were talking about me?" Clara focused on him angrily. If anyone was the egomanic it was Morgana! But oh no, when Morgana acted that way or robbed shops or murdered innocents it was adorable! And made him love her more but Clara was the egomaniac?!

"Clara, what is happening right now in this restaurant to you and me is more important than your egomania." The Doctor waved her off, but his eyebrow winged up at the sound of the pretty blonde's bell-like laugher

"Oh, I like this new Doctor!" Morgana grinned relishing in his snappy attitude, what fun! How like Ninth! Though she doubted his big heart or kindness had changed all that much perhaps just buried down a little further? Oh, well, it didn't truly matter. Dearest was Dearest.

"Nothing is more important than my egomania." Clara hissed

The Doctor paused and pointed out "Right, you actually said that."

"You never mention that again." Clara threatened

"It's a vanity trap. You're so busy congratulating yourself on solving the puzzle, you don't notice that you're sticking your head in a noose." The Doctor mused as he ran his fingers through his hair.

"What are you doing?" Clara asked as the Doctor pulled a hair from his head "And that isn't the only grey one, if you are, er, having a cull."

"Why would he need to?" Morgana snapped angrily

"What, do you have a problem with the grey ones?" The Doctor mocked lightly but sent a slightly insecure glance at the blonde.

"If I got new hair and it was grey, I would have a problem." Clara muttered.

"I think you look like a silver fox" Morgana leered at her Dearest with a salacious wink.

"Yeah, I bet you would." The Doctor retorted to Clara, feeling his neck burn at the blonde's flirtations, his chest puffing out slightly.

"Meaning?" Clara demand

"It's too short." The Doctor said as he reached over and yanked a hair from Clara's head, ignoring her yelp of pain.

"Sorry, it was the only one out of place. I'm sure that you would want it killed." He snarked before turning to Morgana "Swee- ah, can, can I have one?"

Why was it necessary to ask? Why was he concerned about taking hair? Why did it seem sacrilegious to do so?

"Of course, Dearest" Morgana beamed, dimples on display as she happily handed over a hair, why'd she mind? He almost called her sweetheart!

"Ooo. Are you trying to tell me something?" Clara asked

"I'm trying to measure the air disturbance in the room." The Doctor replied shortly

"Right. Moments when you know you are boring." Clara grumbled looking down at the table

"You said it" Morgana shrugged as she watched Dearest hold the hair below the table edge before letting it go, watching keenly.

"There is something extremely wrong with everybody else in this room." The Doctor stated

"Mmm. Basically, don't you always think that?" Clara snarked

"Look at them." He ordered before retracting the order "Don't look."

"You just said to look." Clara protested

"Look without looking." He explained

"They look fine to me. They're just eating." Clara frowned in confusion

"Are they?" he asked cryptically

"Oh, I'm a fool" Morgana admitted with a blush, but she'd been so fixated on her Dearest and how he was handling his regeneration that she hadn't noticed the soup spoon is repeatedly brought up to a mouth and lowered again, still full. Knives and forks lifted and falling over empty plates. The sound of clockworks and no heartbeats.

"Okay, no. No, they're not eating." Clara said in realisation

"Something else they're not doing." The Doctor said as he dropped another hair "Breathing."

"What do we do?" Clara asked in a sotto

"Well, you don't want to eat, do you?" the Doctor asked, humans were so needy...

"Hmm. Slightly lost my appetite. Ahem. How long before they notice that we're different?" Clara asked a more pressing question.

"Not long." The Doctor replied

"Anything we can do?" Clara asked

"How long can you hold your breath?" he asked seriously

"hmm, a while" Morgana said thoughtfully, admittedly she'd eventually pass out but she'd be out of here first, though the speed she'd go would raise the alarm.

Clara cringed and suggested "We could just casually stroll out of here, like we've changed our minds."

"Happens all the time." The Doctor nodded

"Ha. Course it does." Clara agreed and they stood from the booth, the Doctor turning to help the blonde, she happily took his hand making him smile briefly, as they took a step the other diners stopped and stood with a clatter of clockwork. They took another step, and the diners moved towards them.

Morgana stepped in front of The Doctor and Clara, prepared to fight this out but the Doctor caught her jacket sleeve

"No, don't" he requested, and her eyes died down from a glowing gold to green as she actually stepped back to his side, hovering protectively but not attacking...interesting. He filed that away as well; his mind was starting to clear, and he was sure he'd hit upon the answer soon. He found himself eagerly anticipating the answer while savouring the journey of rediscovery.

"We could take another look at the menu." Clara suggested quietly and they sat back down, the diners returning to their tables

"What are they?" Clara asked in a whisper

"I don't know. But don't worry, because that's not the question. The question is, what is this restaurant?" the Doctor frowned

"Okay, what is this restaurant?" Clara repeated

"I don't know." he admitted as they looked at the small menus, a waiter appearing at their table.

"Er, no sausages? Do you? And there's no pictures either. Do you have a children's menu?" the Doctor asked nervously as he shined a green light at him from the tip of his pencil

"Any specials?" he carried on

"Liver." The waiter said

"I don't like liver." The Doctor denied instantly

"Spleen. Brain stem. Eyes." The waiter listed off

"Mmm. Is there a lot of demand for those?" Clara asked

"Popular in these times" Morgana agreed though she eyed up the waiter cautiously

"I don't think that's what's on the menu. I think we are the menu." The Doctor informed them

"Lungs. Skin." The waiter said moving onto Clara

"Excuse me." The Doctor requested as he reached up and pulled off the waiter's face. There was a metal mesh beneath with a flame behind it.

"Okay. Robot in a mask." Clara breathed out in shock

"It's a face." The Doctor said and Morgana came to the same realisation as the Doctor.

"Yeah, it's very convincing." Clara said and he made an annoyed sound before putting it over Clara's face

"No, it's a face." The Doctor repeated instantly

"Oh!" Clara shrieked and threw the mask away causing Morgana to cackle in morbid delight.

"Yes." The waiter piped up

"Yes, what?" the Doctor asked turning his attention back to him.

"Yes, we have a children's menu." The Waiter confirmed

"What?!" Morgana snarled any amusement lost in its entirety at the insinuation. Before she could attack, metal arms came out of the back of the bench and held them tightly around the arms and legs. Morgana carefully tested the strength of the metal, it creaked ominously but she halted when the bench descended into the floor.

"You've got to admire their efficiency." The Doctor said intrigued to where this was going.

"Is it okay if I don't?" Clara questioned crying out as the elevator thing jerked.

They stopped in a large steampunk circular place, all brass and rivets. There were several people standing still in small alcoves around the wall, and a half-face man was seated in a chair in the centre. Morgana frowned as she tried to think of who it was behind this; it was all very cyberman esque.

"Hello? Hello, are you the manager? I demand to speak to the manager." The Doctor shouted

"This is not a real restaurant, is it?" Clara asked nervously, not wanting to get eaten by aliens.

"Well now, it's more a sort of automated organ collection station for the unwary diner. Sweeney Todd without the pies." The Doctor rambled an explanation as his mind whirled.

"Kol was actually trying to be a decent barber...his customers just kept being rude!" Morgana defended her brother "he was all very excited about being a barber, I bought him those shears, pure silver you know"

Clara paused and stared at Morgana in fascinated horror "and was he also Jack the ripper?"

Morgana gave Clara a feral grin with golden eyes "More...Nik the ripper"

"Just how many serial killers, folklores and unsolved crimes have been done by your family?" Clara demanded

"A solid ninety percent most likely" Morgana answered after a moment's thought an unconcerned look on her face.

"So where are we now?" Clara decided to change the subject before she was traumatised further.

"Factually? An ancient spaceship, probably buried for centuries. Functionally? A larder." The Doctor explained to her

"So why hasn't somebody come for us?" Clara questioned, though she was happy to not have someone after her, she felt more jittery.

"We're alive." The Doctor said

"We're alive in a larder." Clara pointed out

"Exactly. It's cheaper than freezing us." He replied amiably

"Okay." Clara huffed out arching an eyebrow when the Doctor shook his sonic screwdriver out from under his coat.

"Are you ready?" he asked Clara, the blonde was too close to him, not that he minded that.

"Can't Morgana break us out?" Clara asked

"I could" Morgana agreed "but one, it would cause noise and two, the shrapnel might maim or kill one or both of you, my strength isn't exactly...gentle"

"Go for it." Clara agreed as Morgana made a valid point

"Don't let it roll away." The Doctor warned

"No." Clara agreed

"We've got one shot at this." He carried on

"Next time, make one that doesn't roll." Clara retorted

"Go." He said managing to shake the sonic screwdriver onto the floor near Clara's feet.

"Have you got it?" The Doctor asked urgently

"I can only just about reach it." Clara said as she wriggled closer to the sonic.

"Oh, it's at times like this I miss Amy." The Doctor said softly

"Hmm, legs for days" Morgana nodded in agreement "though R would be preferable"

"Ah yes, Beaky" The Doctor rolled his eyes

"I hate that loathsome nickname Dearest" Morgana narrowed her eyes

"Next time don't pick such a Beaky companion sweetheart!" He shot back immediately

"Who are you two on about?" Clara asked

"Nothing." The Doctor denied immediately as Clara got the sonic and aimed carefully

"Ready?" she asked

"Don't miss." He advised and she flicked the sonic into his lap causing him to wince and hiss lightly.

"Oh."

"Sorry, did I hit...something?" Clara asked nervously

"Oh, the symbolism." He drawled out sarcastically ignoring Sweethearts snickering, he'd show her later! He got the screwdriver into his hands and unfastens his bonds before turning to Sweetheart and then Clara.

"You should make that thing voice-activated. Oh, for God's sake, it is, isn't it?" Clara questioned

"I don't want to talk about it." The Doctor muttered rebelliously

"Dearest" Morgana called staring at a Chinese man who was stood in the nearest alcove.

"Dormant." The Doctor stated after taking a look at the man.

"How do you know?" Clara asked

"I don't. I'm just hoping." He replied quietly and they scurried away swiftly.

"So, is it these guys that killed the dinosaur?" Clara wondered

"Well, if they're harvesting organs, a dinosaur would have some great stuff." The Doctor explained

"Why would robots need organs? Burke and Hare from space?" Clara said incredulously.

Morgana hummed in amusement and Clara shot her a look "don't tell me..."

She shot the shorter woman a mischievous look "they were real, but Finn and Elijah were the ones to start that little trend. Didn't need the money but they lost the bet and Kol and Nik loved to see their older brothers skirting the laws and Elijah loathes getting dirty, grave digging is...dirty work"

The Doctor snickered before tilting his head in thought "No, but that's a good theory. Droids harvesting spare parts. That rings a bell."

"Cybermen" Morgana agreed quietly as the Doctor stared at the Half-Face Man in the chair in the middle.

"Captain, my Captain." The Doctor said in a quiet mocking voice

"Can he see us?" Clara questioned nervously stood further away than Morgana and the Doctor

"Dormant." The Doctor said

"Hoping?" Clara arched an eyebrow

"Yep. Oh, look. He's recharging. He's asleep. Doesn't even know we're here." The Doctor said in relief as he eyed the chair the man was sat in.

"Are you sure?" Clara double checked

"Sure. Not sure. One or the other" he waved off, what did she want from him?

"Okay. So, half-man, half-robot. A cyborg, yeah?" Clara asked

"Oh." he said

"Oh?" Clara wondered

"Oh." they all said together

"Look at the hands." The Doctor spoke softly

"What about them?" Clara wasn't getting it

"Look at them." He insisted why couldn't she see?

"I'm looking." Clara protested

"They don't match. These hands don't belong to the same body." Morgana explained as the Doctor showed the difference, one was large and fleshy, a workman's hand. The other was slim and dainty, never having worked a day in its life, no callouses.

"I don't understand." Clara frowned

"Well, I don't blame you." the Doctor snorted rolling his eyes, wasn't Clara usually NOT a pudding brain? Oh well, he'd just have to explain "See this, this is not your normal cyborg. This isn't a man turning himself into a robot. This is a robot turning himself into a man, piece by piece."

"That's what the restaurant's for." Clara breathed in realisation

"Well, it would need a constant supply of spare parts. You can tan skin, but organs rot. Some of that metalwork looks Roman. Wonder how long it's been around, how much of the original is even left? The eyeballs look very fresh, though." He moved forward before jumping back as the robots' arms moved.

"Ah." Clara said nervously as it took hold of the chair arms, and clockwork whirred loudly, Morgana fell into a defensive crouch, nails and teeth sharpening as a growl built up in the back of her throat.

"Is it awake?" Clara asked peeking over the Doctor's shoulders

"It's waking up. I think. Okay, let's go." He gently reached down and tugged on Morgana's sleeve, she allowed herself to be manhandled upright. They tiptoed away before running through a door into a brightly lit corridor, the Doctor pausing as a memory hit him.

"I've seen this before. I'm missing something." He grumbled angrily

"Doctor." Clara called

"It's the brand new head, rebooting." He rambled on

"Come on." Clara shouted

"I've seen this before." He glanced down at Sweetheart

"Damn it, come Dearest" Morgana called and he followed her immediately, she moved them through the doorway, turning to help Clara but the door came down between them and Clara. The Doctor then tried to sonic it open.

"Doctor. Quickly." Clara said in a panic, the door lifted a short way but his attention was caught by the Half-Face Man who was unplugging himself from his chair.

"Sorry, too slow. There's no point in them catching us all" the Doctor said flatly

"Well, give me the screwdriver." Clara insisted

"I might need it." He replied before closing the door and tugging Morgana away, ignoring the calls from behind.

"Now, Dearest I know you have a plan" Morgana spoke up as she observed her husband in curiosity

He turned and looked at her "and if I don't? if I want to leave her behind to die?" he evaluated her, looking for something that Morgana couldn't figure out.

Morgana shrugged and spoke callously "you truly expect me to pick a mere mortal over you? Goodness, this regeneration truly has shaken your head."

The Doctor paused and grinned "Of course I have a plan sweetheart" he then placed a hand on the small of her back and escorted her down another tunnel.

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"Where is the other one? There was another. Where is he? Where is the other? You will tell us, or you will be destroyed." Half-Face man threatened Clara

"What did you say?" Clara questioned from where she was laying on the floor

"You will tell us." The half-face man insisted

"Yeah, I know. Or what?" Clara demanded, finding some bravery though she was terrified.

"You will die." Half-face man threatened

"Go on, then. Do it." Clara challenged "I'm not going to answer any of your questions, so you have to do it. You have to kill me. Threats don't work unless you deliver."

"You will tell us where the other ones are." The Half-face man demanded

"Nope." Clara denied

"You will be destroyed." He warned

"Destroy me, then. And if you don't, then I'm not going to believe a single threat you make from now on. Of course, if I'm dead, then I can't tell you where the other one went then. You need to keep this place down here a secret, don't you? Never start with your final sanction. You've got nowhere to go but backwards." Clara ranted back at the clockwork man, her nerves causing her to shake but she was resolute.

"Humans feel pain." Half-Face man pointed out

"Ah. Bigger threat to smaller threat. See what I mean? Backwards." Clara said smugly

"The information can be extracted by means of your suffering." Half-face man changed tactics

"Are you trying to scare me?" Clara asked before barrelling on "Well, cos I'm already bloody terrified of dying. And I'll endure a lot of pain for a very long time before I give up the information that's keeping me alive. How long have you got?"

The clockwork whirred before the Half-Face Man stood up.

"All you can offer me is my life. What you can't do is threaten it. You can negotiate." Clara said in a slight panic as the Half-Face Man removed his big right hand and clamped it onto his lapel.

"Okay, okay, okay. Okay, yes, yes, yes, I'm crying and it's just because I am very frightened of you. If you know anything about human beings, that means you, you're in a lot of trouble." Clara threatened weakly as his arm became a massive flame-thrower, ready to go.

"We will not negotiate." Half-face man stated

"You don't have a choice. I tell you what. I'll answer your questions if you answer mine." Clara bargained trying to buy time

"We will not answer questions." He denied

"We'll take turns. I'll go first. Why did you kill the dinosaur?" Clara asked

"We will not answer questions." The half-face man repeated.

"Why'd you kill the dinosaur?" Clara repeated her question bravely

"We will not answer questions!" Half-Face man shouted

"Then you might as well kill me, because I'm not talking again till you do." Clara said stubbornly and after moments pause the half-face man spoke.

"Within the optic nerve of the dinosaur is material of use to our computer systems."

"You burned a whole dinosaur for a spare part? No. No, hang on. You know what's in a dinosaur's optic nerve, which means you've seen them before." Clara said in realisation

"Where are the other ones?" The Half-face man repeated his question

"How long have you been rebuilding yourselves? Look at the state of you. Is there any real you left? What's the point?" Clara asked

"We will reach the promised land." The half-face man murmured to himself reassuringly

"The what? The promised land? What's that?" Clara asked catching his mutter

"Where are the other ones?" Half-face man got back on track

"I don't know. But I know where he will be. Where he will always be. If the Doctor is still the Doctor, he will have my back." Clara reached behind her while muttering "I'm right, aren't I? Go on. Please, please, go on, say I'm right."

A hand grabbed hers squeezing once in reassurance before letting go.

"Ah. Hello, hello, rubbish robots from the dawn of time. Thank you for all the gratuitous information. Five foot one and crying. You never stood a chance. Stop it." The Doctor ordered

"Fantastic under the pressure of torture, Clara and wonderful negotiation skills" Morgana praised with a cheery grin, not offended that Clara thought Morgana would choose Dearest over her, before glancing at the half-face man "you on the other hand...suck at torture and interrogation. It's an insult to the Mikaelsons!"

Morgana grabbed his flame-thrower arm and crushed it with her strength as she sneered at the man with derision painted across her face. The Doctor placed his sonic screwdriver into the recharger in the chair. The lights blinking out.

"This is your power source. And feeble though it is, I can use it to blow this whole room if I see one thing that I don't like. And that includes karaoke and mime, so take no chances. See, Clara? That's how you disguise yourself as a droid." The Doctor said feeling smug

"Yeah, well, I didn't have a lot of time. I'd been suddenly abandoned." Clara snarked

"Yeah, sorry. Well no, actually, I'm not." he shrugged "You're brilliant on adrenaline. And you were out of your depth, sir. Never try and control a control freak."

"I am not a control freak!" Clara shrieked in denial

"Yes, ma'am." The Doctor agreed swiftly

"Oh." Clara breathed out

"Teacher, you're a total control freak" Morgana snarked

"And what are you then?" Clara snapped back eyes all fire at the rush she was on

"The Alpha" Morgana smirked, eyes flashing gold.

"Why are you here?" the Half-face man asked

"Why did you invite us? The message, in the paper. That was you, wasn't it? Oh." he paused for a moment before taking back his screwdriver "I hate being wrong in public. Everybody forget that happened. Clara, say the word."

"What word?" Clara asked in denial, but Morgana rolled her eyes

"They never sent you in here without a word." The Doctor stated, clicking his tongue in annoyance

"I don't want to say it." Clara huffed

"I've guessed already." The Doctor assured her, and Clara touched her top button, which glowed bright blue.

"Geronimo." They said together and two ladies in tight leather catsuits descend from the ceiling by means of long pieces of fabric wrapped around their waists, they then pulled large swords from the scabbard on their backs.

"Remain still and lay down your weapons in the name of the British Empire." Vastra demanded regally but rolled her eyes when Strax ruined it.

"Argh." He shouted as he fell to the ground with his massive gun.

"Strax." Vastra sighed

"Sorry." He apologised clambering to his feet

"I've told you before. Take the stairs." Jenny chided him

"Oh, look. The cavalry." He snarked but shut his mouth as two other figures fell down, landing in a light crouch, looking unruffled by the height of the fall

"Hello, Dad" They spoke together

"I burned an ancient, beautiful creature for one inch of optic nerve. What do you think you can accomplish, little man?" the Half-face man demanded angrily as he stalked forwards towards them, his arm fixed and spitting blue fire

"What do you? Vastra?" The Doctor called and she blocked the flame-thrower with her sword.

"The establishment upstairs has been disabled with maximum prejudice, and the authorities summoned." Vastra informed their group

"Hang on, she called the police? We never do that. We should start." Clara said

"We really shouldn't" Morgana replied "he has a nasty habbit of getting on the wrong side of authority, getting arrested, and sentenced to death"

"Not just me" He denied before glaring at the half face man "You see? Destroy us if you will, they're still going to close your restaurant. That was going to sound better."

"Then we will destroy you." Half-face man declared, and all the robots suddenly had swords for arms.

"No, you won't. You're logical. You have restraint. You killed to survive. You're not a murderer." The Doctor babbled as he tried to think a way out

"He's not a what? This is a slaughterhouse." Clara said in disgust

"And how does that make it different from any other restaurant? You weren't vegetarian the last time I checked." The Doctor retorted before turning to the half-face man "This is over. Killing us won't change that. What would be the point?"

While he appreciated and respected the food chain, this...there was no point.

"To find the promised land." The Half-face man said

"You're millions of years old. It's time you knew, there isn't one." The Doctor told him flatly.

"I am in search of paradise." The Half-face man declared.

"Yeah, well, me too." He paused and looked at Morgana "though, I found my promised land, my paradise...and I'm not sharing!" he added on fiercely with a glare, using his angry eyebrows. And in return the half-face man knocked him down.

"Dearest!" Morgana called out in worry rushing over to him.

"I will leave in the escape capsule. Destroy where necessary." The half-face man said

"Escape capsule? This ship is millions of years old. It'll never fly." Vastra argued

"It has been repaired." The half-face man retorted

"What with?" Clara asked cautiously

"You." He sneered

"Defensive positions, everyone." Strax called out

"Doctor. He's getting away." Clara called out in a panic as the Half-Face Man went up on the bench seat while the rest of the robots encircled them.

"Your friend is intelligent. He'll know better than to follow me." The Half-face man said but the Doctor was holding onto a brass handle on the underside of the seat.

"Darlings, go wild" Morgana called out as final instructions and both her sons gave blood thirsty grins as she chased after her reckless husband that she adored.

She helped him to sneak to a table where he pulled out a seat for her, pouring three glasses of whiskey for the group.

"What are you doing?" Half-face man asked

"I've got the horrible feeling I'm going to have to kill you. I thought you might appreciate a drink first. I know I would." The Doctor said with a determined sadness.

"Not as fine as my collection but passable" Morgana hummed as she took a sip, the half-face man turned his back to them as he focused on the control panel in the wall and pulled down a small lever. There was a grinding noise as something was set in motion.

"Fifty first century, right? Time travelling spaceship crashed in the past. You're trying to get home the long way round." The Doctor said conversationally

"I go to the promised land." The Half-face man said

"And what is that supposed to mean?" Morgana frowned

"So, you keep saying." The Doctor rolled his eyes "Okay, so your restaurant is made out of your old ship. But you're wasting your time. It can't ever fly." He then picked up a bunch of posies turning them over in his hands carefully.

"The escape pod is viable." The half-face man said.

"How? You can't patch up a spaceship with human remains. You know, this really is ringing a bell." He frowned thoughtfully as he plucked one of the posies and slid it behind Sweethearts ear, smiling softly at the sight but his attention was gripped when the room shook.

"Okay, that's clever. How are you powering it?" he asked

"Skin." The half0faced man answered simply

"How macabre, I applaud you" Morgana hummed as she arched an eyebrow the main room of the restaurant lifting high in the air, the Doctor removed a fuse from the board and read the inscription.

"SS Marie Antoinette. Out of control repair droids cannibalising human beings. I know that this is familiar, but I just can't seem to place it." The Doctor frowned and Morgana made a small noise of realisation.

"How would you kill me?" the half-face man wondered

"Sister ship of the Madame De Pompadour." Morgana said softly "where we got our horse? We went to Mardi gras afterwards"

"How would you kill me?" the half-face man repeated

"Why don't you have a drink first? It's only human." The Doctor teased tilting his glass of whiskey at the robot.

"I am not human." The Half-face man denied.

"Neither are we" The Doctor smiled wryly in amusement.

They floated over Saint Pauls Cathedral and Morgana glanced out the window in part interest.

"What do you think of the view?" The Doctor asked

"I do not think of it." Half-face man replied.

"I don't think of it. I don't. Droids and apostrophes, I could write a book." The Doctor said before tilting his head in interest "Except you are barely a droid anymore. There's more human in you than machine. So, tell me, what do you think of the view?"

The half-face man got up and drew back the net curtain. Seeing that they were heading towards Westminster.

"It is beautiful." The Half-face man declared

"No, it isn't. It's just far away. Everything looks too small. I prefer it down there. Everything is huge. Everything is so important. Every detail, every moment, every life clung to." He said, taking Sweethearts...his wife's hand underneath the table and staring at her reverently as it all clicked back into place, she gave him a small smile back, eyes twinkling knowingly.

"How could you kill me?" The Half-face man returned back to his original question

"For the same reason that you're asking me that question, because you don't really want to carry on. What'll happen to the other droids when you die? You're the control node, aren't you? Presumably they'll deactivate." The Doctor said but he already knew the answer

"I will not die. I will reach the promised land." The half-face man declared stubbornly

"My religion believes that to reach the promised land...you have to die" Morgana said absently

"There isn't any promised land. This is just. It's a superstition that you have picked up from all the humanity you've stuffed inside yourself." The Doctor spoke dismissively.

"I am not dead." The Half-face man said

"You are a broom. Question. You take a broom, you replace the handle, and then later you replace the brush, and you do that over and over again. Is it still the same broom? Answer? No, of course it isn't. But you can still sweep the floor. Which is not strictly relevant, skip that last part. You have replaced every piece of yourself, mechanical and organic, time and time again. There's not a trace of the original you left. You probably can't even remember where you got that face from." The Doctor ranted as he snatched and held up a silver plate between himself and the Half-Face Man. The droid took it, looked carefully, then dropped it, unable to look at himself.

"It cannot end." Desperation creeped into the half-face man's voice.

"It has to. You know it does. And there's only one way out." The Doctor answered as he moved past him and flung open the doors.

"Self-destruction is against my basic programme." The Half-face man said

"And murder is against mine." The Doctor said and the two lunged at eachother, struggling in the doorway, Morgana clenched her jaw but didn't intervene, too worried she might knock the Doctor over.

"You are stronger than you look." The Half-face man complimented as they fought

"And I'm hoping you are too. This is over. Are you capable of admitting that?" the Doctor questioned demandingly

"Do you have it in you to murder me?" the Half-face man asked

"Those people down there. They're never small to me." He paused and snuck a glance at his wife "Don't make assumptions about how far I will go to protect them, because I've already come a very long way. And unlike you, I don't expect to reach the promised land...I found mine and I will fight gods and monsters, fate and the universe to keep mine" The Doctor vowed "always and forever"

The Half-Face Man turned off his flame thrower and they released each other.

"You realise, of course, one of us is lying about our basic programming." The Doctor said quietly

"Yes." The half-face man agreed

"And I think we both know who that is." The Doctor added

The Doctor stared down at the droid before turning his attention to his wife "Sweetheart?" he carefully called for her, cautious of her response.

"Oh, Dearest, so long as you have me...I'll happily slaughter all your enemies should you wish it" Morgana promised

"All that and more, if you so desired" he replied quietly, fierce devotion in his eyes. He'd gotten a second chance with the love of his lives, and he was not about to lose her. Never.

"You've redecorated." Clara said as she glanced around the new TARDIS, with a straightforward console, the chair was still there, able to fit several people, a second story with bookshelves and armchairs, the TARDIS was lit with soft blue light that shined prettily against the silver metal.

"Yes." The Doctor agreed, looking around.

"I don't like it." Clara scrunched her nose

"Not completely entirely convinced myself." The Doctor admitted "I think there should be more round things on the walls. I used to have lots of round things. I wonder where I put them? I'm the Doctor. I've lived for over two thousand years, and not all of them were good. I've made many mistakes, and it's about time that I did something about that. Clara, I'm not your boyfriend. I'm a happily married man, have been for thousands of years" The Doctor spoke firmly as he looked into Clara's eyes, he had made this mistake before, allowed a misunderstanding to take place and while he cared to be gentle of Clara's feelings...he cared for his wife's feelings far more.

"I never thought you were." Clara said softly

"As long as it's kept clear" He replied deciding that one warning for now was enough. He set the tardis off before looking up at his wife as she flitted into the room, he spun showing the red silk lining of his dark blue Crombie coat. Wearing a crisp white shirt, waistcoat along with skinny jeans and chunky doc martin shoes.

"What do you think?" the Doctor asked

"My handsome silver fox" Morgana complimented him, and he glanced away bashfully.

"Who put that advert in the paper?" Clara asked

"Who gave you my number? A long time ago, remember? You were given the number of a computer helpline, and you ended up phoning the Tardis. Who gave you that number?" the Doctor asked her right back always curious about that.

"The woman. The woman in the shop." Clara said with a frown

"Then there's a woman out there who's very keen that we stay together." The Doctor mused as he landed the TARDIS, the time rotor didn't go up and down anymore he noted in curiosity.

"How do you feel on the subject?" he came to a stop next to his wife, their arms brushing, and her heat warmed him up in an wonderful way.

"Am I home?" Clara asked nervously

"If you want to be." The Doctor offered

"I'm sorry. I'm, I'm so, so sorry. But I don't think I know who you are any more." Clara said sadly and Morgana forcibly calmed herself, fists clenching as her nails lengthened, cutting deeply into her palm and halting her from lunging at Clara, seeing how much that just hurt her husband.

"You'd better get that. It might be your boyfriend." The Doctor teased, wanting to lighten the tension between them but he couldn't bring himself to regret what he said or did. As he buried the hurt her comment hit him with.

"Shut up. I don't have a boyfriend." Clara rolled her eyes at him as she headed outside to answer the call.

"Hello? Hello?" Clara asked glad for the reprieve away from the Doctor and the tension within the TARDIS.

"It's me." A voice said

"Yes, it's you. Who's this?" Clara asked in befuddled amusement

"It's me, Clara. The Doctor." Eleventh said

"What do you mean, the Doctor?" Clara demanded

"I'm phoning you from Trenzalore." Eleventh told her

"I don't" Clara cut herself off in confusion

"From before I changed. I mean it's all still to happen for me. It's coming. Oh, it's a-coming." Eleventh teased in amusement, just glad he got to continue.

"Not long now. I can feel it." Eleventh said as he glanced at his wife, who stood by his side holding him up, the only thing keeping him up.

"Why? Why would you do this?" Clara demanded feeling tortured

"Because I think it's going to be a whopper, and I think you might be scared. And however scared you are, Clara, the man you are with right now, the man I hope you are with, believe me, he is more scared than anything you can imagine right now and while he has our wife, he needs his friend, he needs his companion" Eleventh told her

"So, who is it?" The Doctor asked, Clara looked over her shoulder at the Doctor and his family, milling about the TARDIS.

"Is that the Doctor?"

"Is that the Doctor?" both Doctors asked together

"Yes." Clara replied simply

"He sounds old. Please tell me I didn't get old. Anything but old. I was young. Oh, is he grey?" Eleventh asked needing to know

"Yes." Clara answered

"Oh, my wife's going to have a field day" Eleventh complained but his voice was fond "Clara, please, hey, you're my companion are you really so shallow you don't understand what that tiltle means? Just because my aesthetic changed do you truly want to run away? Go on. Don't be afraid. Goodbye, Clara. Miss ya."

"Well?" the Doctor asked as he stood in front of Clara, watching her sniffle as she clutched her mobile in hand.

"Well what?" Clara questioned defensively, irritated that Morgana was rolling her eyes clearly eavesdropping, as were Loki and Thor, both looking irritated.

"He asked you a question." The Doctor stated, he liked Clara as his companion of course, but he could find another, or perhaps ask Donna if she and Elijah would like some trips...so long as he had his Sweetheart, it didn't matter.

"You shouldn't have been listening." Clara scolded him and flinched at the warning look Morgana shot her.

"I wasn't. I didn't need to. That was me talking. You can't see me, can you?" The Doctor spoke in realisation, he'd always thought he chose his companions because they always saw the heart, never the face but Clara...

"You look at me, and you can't see me. Have you any idea what that's like? I'm not on the phone, I'm right here, standing in front of you. Please, just, just see me." If Clara couldn't see him...would his wife turn a blind eye? Was this too much for her? If, if...was her recent behaviour just a soothing balm? A way to let him down gently? He wouldn't be able to survive if she left. Panic gripped him fiercely surely, surely, she wouldn't...no, Morgana loved him. she did.

"Thank you." Clara said

"For what?" The Doctor asked in confusion, he hadn't done anything special for her

"Phoning." Clara said before throwing her arms around his neck

"I, I don't think that I'm a hugging person now." He said uncomfortably, shifting awkwardly on his feet, this him wasn't touchy feely, unless it was sweetheart...even then he needed to be...tender.

"I'm not sure you get a vote." Clara replied firmly

2Whatever you say." He decided to allow it for now.

"This isn't my home, by the way." Clara said as she let go, this didn't look like home at all.

"Sorry. I'm sorry about that. I missed." The Doctor admitted, ohhhh, admitting things were difficult.

"Terrible pilot" Morgana teased

"Rude, I passed my test!" he grumbled, and she laughed, placing a gentle kiss on his cheek and he shot her a look of surprise, confusing Morgana slightly did this regeneration prefer no PDA? If so, she'd concede, she would never want to make him uncomfortable.

Clara looked around in confusion "Where are we?"

"Glasgow, I think." He said looking around in curiosity

"Ah. You'll fit right in." Clara teased before adding in a terrible Scottish accent "Scottish."

"Right. Shall we, er. Do you want to go and get some coffee, or chips, or something? Or chips and coffee?" He sent a questioning look at his wife, did humans have chips and coffee?

"Coffee sounds good" Thor grinned

"Acceptable" Loki added on

"Coffee. Coffee would be great. You're buying." Clara declared

"I don't have any money." The Doctor admitted after patting his pockets down, he knows he has a lot of money, but he never has any on him, he still had his Morgana pocket however...maybe he should update it? She did have that favourite blanket of hers...

"I'll pay" Morgana laughed in amusement "Dearest, what's mine is yours"

"You're fetching, then." Clara immediately offered the Doctor up

He grimaced and shook his head "I'm not sure that I'm the fetching sort."

"For me?" Morgana batted her eyelashes up at him.

"Anything" The Doctor replied instantaneously before blinking a slight blush creeping up his neck.

"Sweetheart, I'm so sorry I...I forgot you" Her Dearest spoke apologetically as he stared at her nervously, Clara and the kids had gone to sleep and now they were stood in their bedroom but...would she want to share a bed? Would she accept him? he wasn't young anymore- not that he'd ever truly been- but Clara had already shown her reluctance, her disdain...He wouldn't be able to bare it if Morgana felt the same. He felt horrid for the comparison, but he just felt...so insecure. Ashamed. It was a new feeling. He didn't like it.

"Oh Dearest, you didn't forget me, not really and you came back as you always do" Morgana shrugged unconcerned as she took his hand and smiled up at him.

"You...you don't care?" He asked cautiously waving a hand over his...well, everything.

"No, my handsome silver fox, my dearest doctor...allow me to show you?" Morgana asked with a mischievous glint in her green, green eyes.

"Well, if you insist" he said with pretend reluctance, as he was pulled along to their bed. Time to get...reacquainted. 

AN// 

Okay, Sorry for the late update this chapter was hard to write, lots of emotions and the doctors regeneration + how is the new doctor reacting to Morgana etc etc 

So I'd already decided that this doctor is going to be more reserved/private (Can't think of a better word) with his PDA in regards to Morgana rather than exuberant declarations like the past doctor, I thought it'd be really cute too have this doctor 'courting' Morgana. 

Yes, they're still married etc etc but just because you're married doesn't mean you can't still be dating! 

I hated Clara this episode, straight up feel like this is the beginning for the end for her. Clara is one of my least favourite characters. 

For the Ashilda episodes we'll be meeting human Morgana and co! exciting! Yea I can't really see vampire morgana being down with how the Doctor acts in this episode so I've got to figure that out and why he would act like that as well, maybeeee give him a scare in the chapter before? eh? we'll have to see but yea, Ashilda and Morgana aren't going to get along, like at all. I think they might have a human rivalry that just...spills over maybe?? we'll see. 

I've decided that writing heaven sent and hell bent are going to be hell to write. Also Missy is coming back up! which means Traveller! Now, I'll be honest and admit while I have paired missy/master with Traveller I haven't quite yet figured out their...timeline, so forgive me! but this is a first draft and I'm banking hard on your guys forgiveness! 

Not imperative to the story but- I have a hospital appointment on the 10th so there definitely won't be a chapter that day or maybe the day after, honestly hospital visits are just so exhausting despite the fact I don't do anything but sit and wait and get poked and prodded urgh. I loathe needles.