It was hard, she knew, saying goodbye. Although he had tried to remember, in the end she had already accepted that what was done, was done. Such a simple trick, used countless times previously, reversing the polarity... she'd brought it on herself, though for the best of intentions, and now she would have to live with the consequences. As the TARDIS – the new one, that is – de-materialised, and the door to the diner closed, Clara would no longer be a companion of the Doctor. She considered, in a way, that she had graduated from the Class of Whenever, and now it was time to make her own way in the universe.

Well, certainly not alone, at least.

At the controls of the stolen TARDIS stood a young-looking girl, whose eyes subtly displayed an eternity of experience and knowledge. More like the Doctor than either would have cared to admit. Clara knew that both she, and her new travelling partner, had a lot of things in common with the Doctor, things that had inevitably led to this point. Their nature, personalities, an overwhelming desire to see space and time unfold before them. A brief conversation, even, about planning ahead...

"Wiggle room...?" A slightly confused expression on the younger (yet so much older) girl's face.

"Wiggle room, yeah, you know... wiggle room, we could um, you know... stop off, on the way..."

Another look on her face, though less confused this time. A slight smile, more... intrigued. "Where are we going?"

"Gallifrey. Like I said..." a brief sigh... "Gallifrey." Before another smile, from Clara this time, as she released the handbrake and pulled the engine release lever firmly down. The pair staggered against the control console, steadying themselves, while the TARDIS jumped into motion.

"The long way round." A brief glimpse on the console screen, of a familiar blue box passing the diner by, and they were away, ready to take their first steps together into a vast and oh so exciting new world...