As Alfie hurried around the kitchen pouring water, mixing condiments and such, Cara and the Doctor shared a very serious but quiet conversation.

"Okay, you owe me an explanation." She said.

"Ah, right well I don't know about what happened with Alfie, but something is definitely up." The Doctor said, and Cara seemed to consider this.

"Okay right scratch that, you owe me two explanations." She said and put up a finger. "Number one – who are you?"

"The Doctor." He said as-a-matter-of-factly. Quite rightly too because he had told her before - several times.

"No, I know your name, but who are you?" She said, tilting the finger and bopping him on the nose. "You're not …" She looked for the word and the right way to approach this. "… like me, are you?"

The Doctor looked at her like he had the weight of something quite important on his shoulders. Cara shifted in her seat and leaned closer, her face turning softer and her eyes searching, waiting patiently for a response.

"No." The Doctor finally said, glancing up before his gaze returned to the ground and he begun to wring his hands. "I'm not. I'm not like you at all. I'm a time lord."

"Is that an alien?"

"Yes."

"So why do you look … well human?"

The Doctor groaned. "I don't – why do you look time lord? We were here first!" He said, exasperated before he muttered something like every damn time. "I'm a time lord, and I come from the planet Gallifrey."

"But how is it that we're … here? I mean, it's just … a box." Cara said quietly as if to herself.

"It's called a TARDIS; Time and Relative Dimensions in Space. It's like a time traveling spaceship." The Doctor said.

"But it's a box."

"Yeah but it's a time traveling box."

"But it's a box."

"The chameleon circuit's broken!" He finally admitted, as if giving in to himself. His hands flailed and he fell back into the back of his chair, sighing. "I've told someone this before, but I guess I've got to explain it to you. Usually it would change its appearance to blend into its new surroundings when we materialize, because of the chameleon circuit. So if we landed in like a place with a lot of rocks, it'll turn into a rock. It's really amazing, because it will know exactly how to blend in no matter where it is. It can change into literally anything, anything at all," The Doctor said, his eyes gleaming now as if he's getting super excited about the topic at hand. Then suddenly his face lost its animation and his eyebrows dropped dangerously low and his voice dipped – he almost sounded embarrassed. "… and then it changes into a police telephone box from 1963."

Cara considered this and decided that it really wasn't worth pursuing. "Okay, fine. You're an alien mad man with a blue box that can transcend time and space. I guess it's better than anything I've had in a while." Cara said and the Doctor's face grew sad. "But what's up with this… Alfie?"

"Yes?" Alfie answered immediately as he presented them with two mugs. Cara cupped one with what looked like tea, and the Doctor was left with the cup of coffee. Of course, the Doctor had no inkling as to what he was handed, and took a big swig, before he unhinged his jaw entirely, and the liquid drained from his mouth back into his cup. He waggled his tongue and scrunched up his face in disdain, taking the cup by two fingers and putting it on the counter next to him. Alfie was talking with Cara and didn't notice the Doctor's actions. He seemed to remember doing this last time with Craig, but he really couldn't remember – it was a whole regeneration ago.

"Alfie, sit down." The Doctor offered after Cara had thanked him wholeheartedly for the drinks – she really hadn't had anything that nice in a while. Alfie sat without any snacks of his own, intertwining his fingers and leaning his elbows against his lap. He watched the Doctor intently, a wan smile on his face.

"Alfie, I need you to concentrate." The Doctor said, bringing himself to his eye level. "Alfie, where is your dad?"

Again, Alfie's eyes glazed over, and their gaze wondered up like he was trying to recollect a name or place. "He's…" he murmured. "He's at…"

"That's right, keep remembering." The Doctor encouraged him, pulling out his sonic screwdriver and taking some readings. "Keep trying." He murmured as he read what the sonic screwdriver read back. His brow furrowed and he looked back at Alfie, who still looked lost. "Keep trying…" He echoed himself.

"Doctor? What's wrong?" Cara said quietly, looking between the two men.

"It's …" The Doctor looked between Alfie and his sonic screwdriver, referencing the readings he's getting. "It's …" He looked back up just as the front door opened. "… Craig."

Craig Owens put his door keys in the bowl, put his jacket on the coat hanger and stopped dead in the middle of the hall way.

Then he sneezed.

"Hey I'm back." He said as he turned into the living room and stopped dead again.

"Craig." The Doctor said with a sad smile. He stood and walked to Craig's side, put his hands on his shoulders, and then placed two air kisses gingerly on either side of his face. "That's what people do these days, right?" He grinned.

"Doctor?" Craig's voice was small and shaking and his eyes were wide.

"Hello Craig." He whispered and hugged him. After the Doctor and Craig had their moment, he turned and introduced Craig to Cara.

"Cara, this is Craig, Alfie's dad and my good friend." He said to Cara, pointing to Craig and smiling like a child as if to say look at what I found! "Craig, this is Cara. She's my new friend."

Craig and Cara exchanged hellos and then they just sort of stood there awkwardly. Until Craig looked at Alfie, who still looked quite dazed, and said oh bloody hell not again. He clicked his fingers in front of his face.

"Alfie." He said. Again, Alfie snapped to attention – Oh hello dad, you won't believe who I've found. It's the Doctor, the one you've told me about!

The Doctor's face seemed a bit grave again, and he sat Craig down next to his son. Craig chuckled a bit and straightened his shirt.

"Oh yeah, I probably look a bit old, don't I Doctor? You know it's been quite a while since we've seen each other. But I assure you I don't need to be sat everywhere I go."

The Doctor chuckled but Cara noticed that he looked sad again. "Where were you Craig?"

Both Craig and Alfie's faces went blank as they repeated the uncompleted sentences almost synchronized.

"I was at…"

"He went…"

"I was…"

"He was…"

The Doctor took out his sonic screwdriver and took more readings, then he looked at Cara. He pointed the sonic screwdriver at her. Even though she felt no different physically, she still felt like she was being violated. She flailed her arms in front of his beam.

"Stop that."

The Doctor looked at his readings and nodded to himself. "Just as I thought."

"What?" Cara asked, suddenly interested.

"Their readings looked normal, but when I stack it next to a regular human being who doesn't seem compromised at all, there is one tiny but significant detail different." He ran his fingers through his hair. Cara waited for him to continue, because she had a feeling he would. He looked at her and his eyes turned dark.

"It's their memories, Cara. Something's wrong with their memories." He explained. "I mean, yours run in a smooth line, like the ripples from a drop in a still pond. But theirs … It's like someone put a wall against one side, and stopped them remembering whenever it's in relevance to something. They don't take it away though, when it's done blocking whatever it is they are trying not to let them remember." His mouth moved but words came out staggered like he wants to explain more but doesn't really know how to. "It … It doesn't allow for any more ripples to pass through – It's caging their minds in, Cara. They're remembering less and less each time."

"You can't take down the walls?" Cara asked. The Doctor looked distressed, like the thought of why can't you understand this the same way I do running through his head.

"No. No." He repeated to himself. "I can't, not without disrupting the pond completely. We need to find out what is putting the walls there and why." He clicked his fingers in front of their faces. "Craig, Alfie."

They looked up at him, their eyes suddenly clear. "Oh hello, sorry were you saying something?" Craig asked. The Doctor shook his head, and asked Craig to show him pictures of any trips he's been on recently. Or just anywhere, really.

Alfie stood awkwardly with Cara in the kitchen, who had rediscovered her tea and was now sipping gratefully.

"So, are you one of those?" Alfie asked. Cara looked at him and the first word that ran through her mind was prostitute.

"A what?"

"A companion?" Alfie practically jumped with glee at the mention of the word. "I've always dreamed of being his companion." He smiled. Cara wanted to smile, but she really didn't know what a companion meant. She tried to give him a confused look.

"Oh, you don't know?" Alfie's voice was repressing a tone that sounded like how is that possible have you been living under a rock. "He has companions. The Doctor does, yeah. I mean, I've only heard about a few – he told my dad about a few and my dad knew some people who've met him too. He was with other women, apparently they were all very pretty," His smile glowed at the next bit. "Like you."

Cara didn't know what to say or do except look at him with a deer-in-the-headlights look. Then, after Alfie had felt like he had been shot down fantastically, he returned to the conversation with more fervor, like he didn't want to take a breath ever and die gasping but with pride.

"I mean, there was apparently a woman called Rose. Pretty name, don't you think? I mean, not that I don't think your name is pretty, I mean – well all girl's names are pretty, I mean, they're girls, right? And I think she was with him for a very long time. I heard she stayed with him through a whole regeneration and then some. Isn't that amazing? Then there was a woman called Martha – she stayed for ages, and saved his life! Come to think of it all of his companions saved his life at least once. I mean the next one in line – Donna – she apparently absorbed a bit of him and became a bit time lord but then something happened, but I don't know what because they stopped talking and looked very sad so I didn't pry because that would be rude, right? But she saved the Doctor, her mum and the human race. Then there was this amazing girl called Amy but Amy was short for Amelia - she was with him when my dad met the Doctor - and she had a husband who went on adventures with them too. I mean wow I wish I could go on adventures with the Doctor too but I'm not married to you or – I mean to a companion I mean, uh not you specifically – not that I wouldn't want to marry you, not that I would if you didn't want to, not that this is a marriage proposal." At that point in the monologue Cara was very happy when Craig and the Doctor came back into the room and interrupted Alfie with his name said very softly and the sub context of stop harassing the nice girl, son and Alfie became quiet and looked at the ground. Cara sipped her now lukewarm tea but was still very grateful for it.

"Right, Cara, I'm going to show you something." The Doctor said, all giddy and his face filled with light. "Alfie, if you'll kindly move next to your dad."

Alfie obediently moved next to a confused looking Craig, his eyes trained on the floor and his hands grasping at thin air at his sides like he was very nervous.

"Okay," The Doctor said as he rubbed his palms together and making whoohoo noises like he was going to perform a magic trick. "Craig, Alfie…" Craig and Alfie (who finally looked up, but not at Cara) looked at the Doctor expectantly. "Where is Sophie?"

Both Alfie and Craig's faces went blank as they looked to the sky. The Doctor clapped his hands together and made jazz hands around the duo.

"Tada!" He laughed. Cara tried to look amused but gave a look of beckoning like what am I supposed to be amazed by again?

"I've found it!" He said, prowling around Craig and Alfie, his arms still outstretched and waving them up and down the two. "I've found what they've been trying to block!"

"And that is?"

"Craig's wife, Sophie!"