PROLOGUE

With a creak, the TARDIS doors opened and Clara Oswald walked inside with a forced grin. Sometimes she couldn't help herself, smiling even when she tried not to. The excitement of travelling to distant planets and through time always overcame her.

'Well?' Clara called across the room. Three seconds past before she spotted the Doctor, at the back of the balcony. Clara expected to see him by the console. That's where he always stood, ready to punch in the coordinates to their next adventure.

Thinking little of it, she closed the doors hurriedly and advanced forward to the stairs with a spring in her long strides. 'Where are we off too?'

The Doctor was sitting on a large green sofa. His suit was clean and navy like always yet his grey hair was getting to that scruff stage Clara always hated. It took him a moment to turn and acknowledge his companions presence. 'Ah, Clara!' he said aloud. 'Just in time!'

Clara leaped up the stairs and joined the Doctor on the balcony.

'Why? She said on approach with a beaming smile. 'Where are we going?'

'Nowhere,' the Doctor said immediately.

Clara vibrant face quickly dropped and she stared back at him with cold, confused look. 'What? Why not?'

'Because,' he said picking up two cards.

It was at that moment that Clara noticed the Doctor was sitting in front of small wooden table and another sofa across from him. Atop the table sat a playing deck.

The Doctor glared intently at his hand then back to Clara. 'I need to know if you're good at poker.'

'You're joking?' Clara asked, confused.

'Joke? Why would I joke? Is it a joking time?' The Doctor leaned to his left, peering around Clara to a tall grandfather clock before looking back at her. 'It's five past six, not a real joking time is it?'

'Doctor, you have a time machine, why do you need me to play to poker, you can go to Las Vegas and play in the big leagues!'

'Tried that,' he said swiftly. 'Not good. Lost my telescope, Harley from garage and mine and River's second home. No, I need to get more experience and work myself up the ranks so I can go and win my possessions back.'

Clara hinted a smile and sat down on the opposing sofa. She sank a far way into the cushion but didn't care, it was extremely comfy. 'So, you've already been playing some people you know? That's nice. And I thought you would have picked me first.'

'I have picked you first.'

'Oi!'

'What?'

'Feelings. You could of lied and said you played with … Strax first before me at least.'

'Sorry, I didn't know how good you were. Plus I hadn't seen you in a while so I wanted to swing by.'

If Clara didn't know the Doctor, she would have thought he was crazy when he said he hadn't seen her in a while. She had only saw him four days ago when he took her to see New New York in the year 2993. But the Doctor was a lot more than that. He has the ability to travel anywhere he wanted to in time and space. Four days for Clara could be weeks for the Doctor, depending on what he gets up to while he's gone. Yet as Clara looked closer at the Doctors face, she could see it hadn't been only a few weeks for him. His hair had grown back way too fast and his face donned more wrinkles than she remembered.

'How long have you been gone?' She asked, troubled.

'Three weeks,' he replied.

Clara shook her head. She knew he was lying. 'How long?' she demanded.

The Doctor fell silent. He exhaled and looked down at his aging hands. He then peered up into her eyes and spoke, 'Four years.'

Clara didn't speak. She crossed her arms and fixed her gaze upon him.

The Doctor picked back up his hand. 'Hey, I tell you what. To make up for it, I'll let you go first.' And with a flick of his wrist, he dealt her two cards as smooth and professions as a dealer would. He looked closely at his two cards and after noticing no action from Clara, lifted his eyes to her. She was still staring at him angrily.

Defeated to tell the truth, the Doctor lowered his cards. 'I was held up. Things got a little chaotic, too many things happening after another. I accidently fell to the bottom of the Grithlen Trench, you know. Well … River pushed me in-'

'I don't care about that stuff!' Clara yelled across the table, causing the Doctor to finally lower his cards and give her his full attention.

A tear escaped and ran down Clara's warm cheek.

'Then why are you all worked up?' The Doctor quietly queried.

Clara grunted. 'I don't care that things got busy for you! That you had planets to save and River to spend time with!'

'Then what are you angry about? Clara I know how lonely and sad you may be now that Danny has passed on. But I was always coming back. It's been four days Clara. I planned it. I planned to be back in four days. I know how much you need me.'

'It's not that. It's not that I need you!'

'Then Clara,' the Doctor said, leaning back into the couch and crossing his arms. 'I'm not sure why you're so emotional.'

'Because you don't seem to need me!'

Silence fell across. Clara looked the Doctor unforgivingly and he stared back taken aback. Caving in, Clara burrowed her face to the ground as more tears flooded to her eyes and dripped to the ground. She sobbed, using her folded arms to hold herself.

The Doctor exhaled. 'Clara I-'

'Don't. Four years you've voluntarily been away, with the ability to pop back at any moment you needed to. You don't go twelve hundred plus days without missing me at least once? Not wanting to call me and hear my voice so it fills your hearts with some form of warmth?'

'I'm sorry.'

Clara looked up, but not at the Doctor. She didn't want to see his face. She stared at the rotating glyphs of the Time Lord language. 'Sorry? You clearly don't have any compassion. Do your type even know sympathy as well?'

'I got held up.'

Clara turned her head. This time, she looked at the Doctor. Straight into his eyes, as though to a stranger. 'Yet in the mean time you manage to pick up a new hobby in poker. And you return on the idea that you need me as a training tool.'

Clara then rose from her seat, her face still solemn and her tone disinterested. 'Perhaps another four years is needed. For me not you.' She then left without another word. Reaching the bottom of the steps, she moved passed the console. Clara hit a few familiar buttons as she walked past and finally pulled the main lever up. The TARDIS came alive with lights and the engine warming up. It was taking off. Clara snapped her fingers and the door opened up. She could see her lounge room burning in orange from the setting sun. She stepped out with only seconds to spare as the doors closed behind her and without looking back, the TARDIS disappeared from her lounge. Where she had sent it, Clara really didn't care.

CHAPTER 1: GATHERING THE FRIENDS

The Katangi Base in system 3GA was nothing more than a small outpost consisting of a small eatery for travellers between star systems. The remaining infrastructure which once housed the strongest military force in the sector, now stood derelict on Doltan, the smallest known planet in the entire Galaxy. The planet was so small that the base was the only thing able to occupy its land space. Still, this is where the Doctor decided to meet her. He didn't know if she'd come or if she even got his message to meet him here in the year 3395. But he waited, gazing back over the menu.

The eatery was nothing special. An old Second Grade Titanium Built War Train. It had been converted to the eatery some decades after it was left beside a runway where it had fallen in battle. A kitchen had been fitted along the rear of the train and table placed along every window offering views of the old base and the star system above. Neon lights were decorated along the outside in bright pink and blue and the adjacent landing strip could be seen alight in parallel red lights for travellers to land safely.

As the Doctor looked around, he could see the diner was only three quarters full. He recognised a majority of the races but a few were still unknown to him. He hadn't been this deep on the fringe of this system many times and he remembered why. It was a long hop, skip and jump from nowhere. Luckily he had the TARDIS, the fastest ship in the Galaxy. Still he barely wanted to make the trip. There was never anything exciting to do. The entire population of System 3GA stood at about thirteen thousand covering twenty-three planets. The last time he visited the System was on a brief trip to Jhardia, a planet consisting completely of desert. There he brought a dozen memory worms from a local market, which he knew would come in handy.

As he continued to gaze out the window, he could see Jhardia from the sky. From here it was nothing but a small star like dot amongst the twenty-three planets. The Doctor began to pin point them out. He made it seventeen without noticing she had slipped into the booth unannounced.

'My, My, what brings you all the way out here?' she asked flirtatiously.

The Doctor turned away from the window to the woman where who had sat down opposite him. He couldn't see who exactly was sitting down for the woman had raised her menu before her face making it impossible to see. However, the Doctor didn't need to guess, he had already recognised the voice.

The women threw down the menu and with a smile River spoke, 'Hello Sweetie. She returned the menu to her face and continued to look. 'Now what should I order? What's good?'

'I've already ordered for you. Eggs Benedict and a Lemon Butter Fizz,' the Doctor replied.

River lowered the menu with a surprised smile. 'Look at you. We must be far along for you to know that. How marvelous.'

'I just didn't get desert because I didn't know what you'd like.'

River laughed, winked at him then gazed back at the menu. 'Spoilers.'

The Doctor looked at his wife. He could still see her large curly hair peaking out of the menu's edge. 'Are you going to ever change your hair?'

'Why? Do the curls, intimidate you?'

'Yes.'

'Then never,' she gloated.

River lowered her menu back down and looked at him dead in the eye. 'Now then, why now and why here?'

'I need your help.'

'Why, are the local bounty's after you again?

'What, no. I'm not in trouble, well…'

'You have fled to one of the most remote Systems there are, you must have made somebody angry.'

The Doctor exhaled. 'Yes,' he finally said. 'I let somebody down and I feel that what I've done is irreversible.'

'Clara?' River guessed. Not out of pure luck but by knowing her husband more than he knows. There are only a few people in this world that the Doctor truly cares for and only one whom River knew was almost, if not more important than her.

The Doctor gave one nod then looked out the window, disappointed.

River observed the Doctor like anyone would when they're trying to read somebody by their body language and appearance. She noticed, his arms were crossed and his mind looked blank and ashamed. His suit was dirty and not ironed and the witty man she knew and loved looked distant.

River leaned forward, offering the doctor her full attention. 'Well my love, what ever you have done, you've really done it this time.'

'Bugger,' said Clara, as she raced around her apartment like a headless chook. 'Keys, Keys, where are you, you stupid keys!'

Not once had Clara ever been late to work. Even after returning from leave after Danny's death did Clara walk through Coal Hill School's doors right on time. Today just wasn't going her way. First she slept through her alarm, spilt milk down her first outfit for the day, ripped the sleeve on her second and now she couldn't remember where she had put her keys. The school was twenty minutes away and she should have left seven minutes ago if she wanted to make it on time.

Clara picked up a green pillow from her sofa for the second time and looked under it. 'Of course it's not under there, you already checked stupid.'

With no luck, Clara delved into her pocket and retrieved her phone, dialing the school.

'Come on, pick up, pick up, pick up,' she continuously spoke as she paced around the room. Finally, the administration lady picked up.

'Ah, hello Janine! It's Clara. I'm running a little late, I need to take public transport and will most likely miss first period. Can you pass the message on to-

A knock at the door grabbed Clara's attention. She dropped the pillow and went to the answer the door.

'To the headmaster, can you do that?' she told Janine as she arrived at the door.

She placed her hand on the door knob to open but a second knock which was more violent swayed her from opening the door. She leaned in and peered through the look hole. Her eyes widened and she took a step back puzzled. She glanced back at the door briefly then away before running back and peering though the hole again. 'It's not possible,' Clara whispered to herself.

Clara raised the phone back to her hear. 'Janine, you still there?' She asked. 'Actually, I may need the day off.'

Clara closed the call and re-pocketed her phone, her eyes fixed on the look hole. Slowly she re-grasped the doorknob, hesitant whether to open it.

River Song hugged her long white jacket close in the cold January air as she walked towards Clara's building. Strangely, she had never really known Clara. In fact, she had never seen her before. All that she knew were the many stories she had heard about her. As a time traveler, River would always bump into the Doctor on her travels. Yet, sometimes, she would arrive on planets just as the he had left. This allowed her to gather information from the local life forms about his quarrels on that planet and also who he was travelling with. Most of the time it was Amy and Rory she would hear about. Sometimes the hot headed Donna, the flirting Martha would reach her. She had also heard a thing or two about Rose Tyler, also catching a glimpse of her on The Weakest Link in the year 200,100.

The tales of Clara were limited but she had heard a passing word of her and Doctor at the Rings of Akhatan, where Clara had helped defeat the Grandfather. She also heard of how Clara saved the Doctor when he was stuck inside a shrunken TARDIS.

Entering the building, River climbed the cross diagonal staircase until she reached level twelve. She could have easily appeared in Clara apartment thanks to her vortex manipulator, but she preferred to be acquainted the proper way.

She reached Clara's door and knocked three times. After a scuffle heard from the inside Clara opened the door slightly.

'River!'

'So we have met before,' River replied with a smile. 'Lovely.'

Clara looked behind down her hallway then back, distracted.

'Is this a bad time? I probably should have called first.'

'What no,' Clara replied. 'I just didn't expect you, of all people.'

'Then it's a good shock, yummy.'

River took a step forward to enter but Clara continued to block her way. River took a step back and chuckled. 'Aren't you going to let me in dear?'

'Sorry, it's just bad timing.'

'Oh, have a fella in there do you? Enough said, I'll pop back in an hour or two.'

River went to punch in the coordinates for two hours time but Clara grabbed Rivers wrist.

'No!' Clara yelled.

Clara's hold on River was rough and odd to the time traveller.

'Clara, your hand. It's ice cold. Are you ok-

River flicked her eyes past Clara to the hallway where she could see a photo frame on an angle. Something so miniscule out of place like that surely spelt trouble. She also noticed the hinges on the door were bent, spelling out forced entry.

With might River grabbed the door from under Clara and forced her way in. Clara lost her grip and stumbled back and River pushed through down the hallway to the living room, which gave her an eerie feeling. The room was trashed. Furniture had been toppled and there was a hole in the furthest wall. There was a sign of conflict and River didn't like it.

In a smooth instant, River had turned herself around and raised her right arm where a sonic blaster was sitting firmly in her grasp.

'Where is Clara!' She called to Clara who stood a few steps before. 'What have you done to her. Speak! Or I'll blow a hole through that morphed face of yours, Zygon!'

Clara, furrowed her brow cunningly and crossed her arms with power. 'Zygon? I'm not a Zygon. I'm Clara Oswald. The girl that was born to save the Doctor.'

'No,' River called, shaking her head. 'Who are you and where is Clara?'

'Right here. This is my home after all.'

'No more games, you tell me where she is or I will fetch a man who will burn every species of yours to ashes until he finds her!'

'Are you talking about the Doctor?' Clara said without a hint of fear.

River froze in shock.

'Don't look so alarmed. I know the Doctor, we've only been roaming across the galaxy for the past few years. He took me to the Moon, to Hedgewicks World of Wonders, Festival of Offerings, the last reachable moment in the time. Now, how would a Zygon know so much about Clara's past?' She began taunting.

'Extracted Clara's memories perhaps,' River suggested.

Clara smiled. 'Even you know Zygon's don't have the technology for that. I am Clara, the Clara who doesn't give a damn about the Doctor! I'd rather see him dead, then alive.'

In a flash, Clara had pulled a freeze ring from under her sleeve and threw it at River. The small metal disk hit her unexpectedly and she froze, unable to blink, talk, or even pull the trigger.

Clara chuckled deeply and moved forward. She reached and retrieved River's sonic blaster from her stiff hands and pointed it back at her. Clara looked at the defeated River with pleased eyes before she said, 'And that goes for his acquaintances too.'

Strax tightened the reigns of the two horses pulling the carriage and called for it to stop at once. The horses halted and Strax disembarked the drivers seat. Madam Vastra had asked Strax to go fetch a special liquid substance she found appetizing from a man in inner London. For July it was a fresh night with no wind.

Seventeenth century London didn't bother the Santarian as much as he first thought. At first, he assumed he would miss war too much and the conflict and the merciless killings that came with it. However the many months he had arrived, things were getting easier and more adventurous for him. Solving crimes had become a fun hobby of his. A nice change from being blown onto his backside on the battlefield.

Strax retrieved a large oak barrel from the carriage compartment and waddled his way down a back alleyway. The barrel obscured is view ahead but the lack of voice eased his mind of being discovered. Even wearing that ridiculous black chauffeur attire Vastra had given him, he knew it would conceal his identity.

Suddenly he heard movement ahead and stopped. For now his face was obscured and whoever it was, they couldn't see him.

'Who goes there!' Strax grunted. 'I demand under the Empire of the…'

Strax held his tongue, he knew, as much as he enjoyed it, he couldn't threaten just anyone with his usual threat. It would blow his cover. He mumbled for a moment, thinking of what to say.

'Be gone, citizen of seventeenth century London!' Was all that he could muster quickly enough.

'Calm down, Strax,' said a familiar voice.

Strax dropped the barrel which landed on his feet and sent a jolt of pain up his tiny legs. He looked up at the person before him and slopped down in annoyance. 'Not you, hair women.'

River stood feet apart and her hands on her hips and a bright smile. 'Well, who else could it be?'

'Jenny!' Madam Vastra called from the conservatory of the manor. Jenny came speeding into the room with a plate of warm tea in her hands.

'Yes, my luv,' she said, placing the tray on the nearby coffee table where she began to pour.

Madam Vastra sat in her great chair looking over the days newspaper. Like always she wore her black gown, however her veil was up, she didn't need it in the comfort of her own home. 'She's in the paper again.'

'Missy?'

'Yes, it has to be her.'

Jenny handed the china cup to Vastra who took a sip instantly. She marveled at its taste. 'Delicious darling,' she complemented with a light touch on Jenny's waist.

Jenny gave a small smile of embarrassment. She liked having someone care for even the smallest of things she did. 'What would she be doing in Victorian L'andon?' Last we 'eard, the Doctor foiled her plans to create a Cyberman army.'

'Not entirely sure, perhaps she's hiding out here under the radar.'

'Or she could be spying on our activities.'

'That two,' Vastra said, before taking another sip. We must be kept on alert for any suspicious activity. I don't like it when things happen from under my nose.'

Strax came trotting into the conservatory slowly with the full barrel. He grunted from the weight of the barrel against his plump frame.

'Ah Strax, just there will do, thank you.'

Strax placed the barrel on the ground and shifted quietly to a nearby chair. 'What have we been discussing ladies?' he asked, curiously.

'Missy's still in L'andon,' Jenny replied.

'The Master?' Strax replied. He turned away from them and whispered under his breath. 'How odd.'

'Did you say something?' Vastra asked Strax. As a reptile, she had enhanced senses that able her to hear at a very high boosted state. She had been hearing an oncoming storm system for the past hour which would reach London in ten minutes.

Strax turned to her, stumbling over his words. Finally, 'I bumped into a familiar face on my way tonight.'

'Really?' Vatra asked.

'Who?' Jenny added.

Strax rose of the chair to his feet and with a flick of his wrists, threw two freeze rings at them. Defenseless Vastra and Jenny froze still on contact with the devices. Strax then slowly walked over to lovers. He halted before them and his demeanor changed. The light cast long shadows over his large face and his toned darkened. 'Someone who needs your help.'

CHAPTER 2: THE BAIT 'COMING SOON'