Disclaimer: I don't own Doctor Who

Tragedies and Memories

"The TARDIS is telepathic" the Doctor informed his latest companions, "Sometimes she knows what you want before you do! If you get lost, just ask her where to go and she'll guide you there…unless she's not in a good mood, in which case you might find yourself wandering around in circles, but don't panic! Just close your eyes and concentrate on how much you really need to get to wherever it is you're going, and she should show it to you".

"Wait, so does she know everything that's going on in here?" Charlotte inquired with a slight frown, "Isn't that kind of embarrassing? What if you're getting dressed or in the shower or something?"

"Oh, don't worry about that" the Doctor replied dismissively, "She's not watching us, she's watching all of time and space…which I suppose technically includes us, but trust me, what you do on board the TARDIS is your business. Just keep your rooms clean and – oh, that reminds me, your bedrooms! Walk down that corridor, look through the spare bedrooms until you find one you like" he explained, pointing. They both nodded and walked in the direction indicated, eyes peeled for some doors.

Charlotte couldn't help notice that her best friend was oddly quiet…well, Laura was often quiet, but not this kind of quiet. "Hey, Laura, are you okay?" she asked tentatively. Laura nodded without looking at her, which only served to increase Charlotte's worry. "Um…cos it's okay if you're not okay…Laura, what happened wasn't your fault"-

"I don't want to talk about it" Laura suddenly insisted, glaring at Charlotte with tear rimmed eyes. She turned away quickly and walked on, coming across a door and trying the handle. The bedroom inside was wide and airy, with a light cream carpet and golden walls. There was an elegant crystal chandelier hanging from the ceiling, a large four poster canopy bed and a wardrobe that seemed like it was straight out of a C.S Lewis novel. It was certainly a beautiful bedroom, but it didn't really fit either of them, so by silent consensus they moved on.

The next few bedrooms they explored didn't really meet their expectations either, so Charlotte suggested trying to visualise what they wanted their bedrooms to be like, and perhaps the TARDIS would guide them to ones that were similar. They tried their best to picture the perfect bedroom in their mind's eye…when they heard a whooshing noise, they cautiously opened their eyes again. There were two doors before them that definitely hadn't been there before, one with an owl motif carved into the wood, and the other with a butterfly motif.

Laura walked up to the owl door and cautiously stepped inside, only for her mouth to drop open. It looked exactly as she'd pictured it – a light pink carpet and creamy white walls, a mural of owls in a forest across one wall, opposite a double bed with candy cane striped covers and pillows. The lamp beside the bed was shaped like a barn owl, her favourite kind, there was a laptop on a desk, and two doors that led on further investigation to a walk-in wardrobe and an en-suite. "This…this…this is amazing!" she exclaimed, the first positive thing she'd said in a while.

"I'll say!" Charlotte agreed with a grin; then she remembered that the other door led to her bedroom, and went to check it out. She hesitated at the door – what if she hadn't visualised it well enough? With a deep breath, she pushed open the door…the lights came on automatically and dispelled her doubts. The carpet was azure, the walls and ceiling sky blue; the bedcovers were white and covered in purple and red butterflies. Everything that Laura's bedroom had, so did hers…and there was a switch marked with a star beside her bed that she couldn't resist pressing.

Instantly the room grew dark, and then hundreds of tiny lights flickered on, all over the walls and ceiling; pinpricks of stars and holographic swirls of nebulae…Charlotte grinned excitedly and flopped down on her really rather comfy bed. "Best. Bedroom. Ever" she declared happily, before sitting up again. Laura's bedroom door was closed, so Charlotte assumed she was getting changed. "Good idea, I need to get out of this stupid corset as well" she said to herself as she shut the door.

A little while later, Charlotte emerged from her bedroom dressed in a pair of light blue jeans, her trusty purple trainers, a light purple and silver long sleeved shirt, and a blue hoodie that reminded her of the one she was attached to back at home. The thought saddened her, but she pushed it aside and knocked on Laura's door. "Um, can I come in?" she called. There was no reply. "Laura?"

"…Just wait, please".

"O-okay…I'll be in the console room…" Charlotte turned, despondent, and walked away down the corridor. The Doctor looked up from the console when she entered and immediately went off on a ramble, not seeming to notice her downcast expression. "Charlotte! There you are. Did you find a bedroom okay? Where's Laura? Is she coming? Well, when she gets here I've got a lot planned, I thought we could start searching for Clara in the"-

"Wait!" Charlotte cut in quickly, "Um, uh…could you offer Laura a trip first? She's still really upset about what happened and I, I think a trip anywhere in time and space might help to get her mind off things".

The Doctor's excitement faded, and he solemnly replied, "Of course…does she have anywhere in mind?"

"I don't know…she's still getting changed, I think. I don't…I feel like she's shutting me out. She's never done that before" Charlotte admitted sadly. The Doctor hesitated, not sure what to say…after so many years of self-imposed solitude he'd grown out of practice with comforting people… "I'm sure she'll come around" he offered awkwardly. Charlotte gave him a small smile nonetheless and folded her arms, getting into a comfortable position. "The whole 'read our minds and create rooms just how we want them' trick the TARDIS used was cool. Weird, but cool" she remarked.

"Read your…you mean the TARDIS created bedrooms for you, ones you pictured in your heads?"

"Um, yeah, it was my idea. I mean, I thought she'd just lead us to similar bedrooms, but I'm not complaining".

"Well, I wouldn't either…still, that's special. That's very special…"

"It is?"

"Oh, yes. The TARDIS doesn't usually create custom made bedrooms, she must have taken a liking to you both" the Doctor explained. Charlotte blinked in surprise, and then smiled. "Really? That's sweet, we like you too Sexy" she said to the ceiling above the Time Rotor. The TARDIS hummed appreciatively – the Doctor stuck his head out from behind the Rotor and said, "You called her Sexy".

"Well, yeah…it's her name, isn't it?"

"But I call her that, and only when we're alone! How do you know about it?"

"It was in an episode" Charlotte replied, wondering how he couldn't have figured that out. He knew that in their universe some of his adventures were televised, after all.

"An episode, on television?"

"Uh, yeah? It was one of the best episodes ever, IMO" she grinned, "You and her are so cute together!"

"Thanks…"

"You're welco – hey! There you are" Charlotte smiled, spotting Laura out of the corner of her eye. "Oh, you look good" she smiled; Laura was dressed in fawn canvas trousers, a pink blouse and a white crocheted waistcoat. "Thanks, you do too" Laura replied, but without her usual friendly smile; she came down the steps and asked, "So um, where are we going?"

"Where would you like to go?" the Doctor asked in return, "Pick anywhere you like, all of time and space".

"You want me to pick?"

"It was my idea; I thought it might cheer you up".

"Oh…okay. Um, let me think…" she frowned in concentration, trying to think of somewhere to go. At last she looked up and announced, "I'd like to go to Whitby Abbey, I'd love to see it when it was brand new".

The Doctor immediately moved to input some co-ordinates; the two Whovians clung on tight as the TARDIS flew through the TARDIS, unable to stop beaming in excitement, not even Laura. They landed with the characteristic thud and bump. "Here we are, 657 AD. Laura Seamer, outside those doors is the brand new Whitby Abbey" the Doctor told her, gesturing to the doors, "After you".

Laura took a deep breath, and walked up to the door. She opened it and looked out…only to frown. "Err, Doctor, we're not in Whitby…"

"Well, it's bound to look a little different than you're used to; we are several hundred years in the past after all".

"No, but we're not even on Earth, it's a different planet".

"No way, let me see!" Charlotte exclaimed, hurrying to try and peer over Laura's shoulder. The two of them stepped out onto their first alien world…at first glance it looked like a town square in Italy or France, since the architecture seemed similar…but the sky above them was not blue, but amber, and the grass growing up between cracks in the flagstone was dark orange in colour. The Doctor stepped out of the TARDIS after them and observed, "Okay, I might have mistyped the co-ordinates. We're on the planet Cieli Ambra, if you were wondering".

Laura was speechless, and Charlotte was…almost speechless. "I…I can't! I just can't!" she squealed, darting over to the Doctor and wrapping her arms around his torso. He stumbled a bit, looking down at the top of her head. She pulled back and beamed at him. "Have I mentioned that every minute I spend with you are the greatest minutes of my life?!"

"Uh…thank you?" the Doctor carefully prised her off of him; Charlotte let go and went back to looking around in awe at the sky, and the orchid like flowers in the hanging baskets, and the locals that seemed to be humanoid but with elfin ears…she even spotted a couple with reptilian features, like spiked tails. Glancing over at Laura, she noticed that her friend looked lost in thought. "You're not disappointed, are you?"

Laura started and shook her head. "No, I'm not disappointed. This place, it's beautiful!" she smiled, before asking the Doctor, "Can we go exploring?"

"I thought you'd never ask" he answered, closing the TARDIS door behind him. They headed out into the alien market place, the Doctor and Charlotte walking ahead, Laura tagging along behind. Dimly she was aware that she shouldn't fall behind, but she was lost in thought…her mind just wouldn't stop replaying that dreadful moment; hearing Clara's distant scream, the Doctor's shouts…the thud of her hitting the ground…Laura bumped into someone and stumbled aside, hurriedly apologising, "Sorry, excuse me".

She tried to focus and catch up with the others, listening to the sounds of the market vendors rather than the sounds in her head. "Deminticor! Get your deminticor here!" one of them was hollering, a rather heavy set humanoid with feathers on his cheeks and forehead, and a stall that resembled that of a fortune teller's at a county fair. She caught his eye and he beckoned to her. "Come on! Don't you want some deminticor?"

"I um…I don't know what that is" Laura explained, unsure if she should be talking to the vendor. Suddenly she realised that she couldn't see the Doctor or Charlotte in the crowd, and panicked a bit, not wanting to be left behind. "It's alright, missy. Everyone likes deminticor; one drop and all your troubles are washed away!" the vendor explained. Without thinking, Laura had moved closer to the stall, looking at the bottle he was holding out in a feathered, scaly grip. "What does it do?"

"It makes you forget whatever you think about, of course. You really are from off planet, aren't you?"

Deep down, Laura knew she should just walk away, find Charlotte and the Doctor…but if this deminticor stuff could really make her forget…she could forget that she'd killed Clara, she could wipe all her guilt away in one fell swoop and nobody ever had to know. "Yeah...um, h-how much does it cost?" she asked hesitantly. The vendor shrugged and replied, "That depends, what have you got that's worth it?"

"Oh, it's a trade, I see. Hmm…I don't think I have anything…" she said, rather disappointed. The vendor pointed to her wrist and remarked, "That's a very pretty bracelet you have there. I'd certainly be willing to part with a bottle of rare deminticor for a bracelet like that". Laura bit her lip, glancing down at her bracelet…she was running out of time…

/

Meanwhile, Charlotte was lost in thoughts of her own, oblivious to her best friend's predicament. "Did I do the right thing?" she asked out of the blue. The Doctor just stared at her in confusion, so she quickly elaborated, "Letting Clara die to keep the timelines intact, I mean".

"Do you think you did the right thing?" the Doctor asked gently, and she sighed. "I don't know…I hate that she had to die, but I can't see how else it could have happened. Her death meant we were all upset, which triggered some kind of…telepathic feedback effect, and melted the snow. You tell me, because I really don't know what to feel right now. Did I do the right thing?"

The Doctor hesitated before replying, "I don't know either, really…but I'm sure Laura would know, wouldn't you L…Laura?" he looked over his shoulder and frowned. Charlotte noticed his expression and turned, but Laura was nowhere to be seen. Her eyes widened, and then she slapped her forehead, muttering in frustration "Stupid, stupid! How could I have not noticed?!" She hurried back through the milling crowd, pushing her way past shoppers of all shapes and sizes, trying to call for Laura over the din of the market.

"There you are!" she cried, rushing up to a slightly dazed looking Laura and hugging her tightly. Then she pulled back and demanded, "Why weren't you keeping up? You could have gotten lost! Are you alright?" Charlotte inquired with more concern, seeing her friend's rather vacant expression. Laura blinked a few times and focused properly. "Yeah, I'm alright" she answered simply.

Charlotte hugged her again; the Doctor stood nearby, fidgeting impatiently. When the two friends pulled apart he approached them and asked bluntly, "Can we go and search for Clara now?"

"Aww, do you want to find your girlfriend?" Charlotte teased him, before noticing Laura's confused expression (and ignoring the Doctor's indignant one). "What's up?"

"Um…who's Clara?"

The moment these words left Laura's lips, the Doctor and Charlotte stared at her. "What did you say?" Charlotte asked, unable to believe her ears. Surely Laura had to be joking, right? Yet she didn't chuckle and say "Just kidding!"; instead, the bewildered expression on her face only grew as she replied, "I said, who's Clara? I've never heard of her before".

"But, but she...another version of her was in Victorian London, you both met her, she died and you blame"- the Doctor's attempt to explain who Clara was got cut off when Charlotte pressed her hand over his mouth. "Don't upset my best friend, Doctor" she warned, before taking her hand away and turning back to Laura. "What were you actually doing before we found you just now?"

Laura looked over her shoulder and pointed at a stall, explaining "I was over there, buying something. I think it was called demintacer…?"

"Deminticor?" the Doctor asked suddenly, and Laura nodded. Charlotte frowned, in confusion and worry, and questioned "Okay, wanna clue me in? What's deminticor?"

"It's a drug" the Doctor explained, his face grim, "It causes acute long term memory loss of whatever the user focuses on, and it's been outlawed here for almost a year". He strode up to the vendor who had sold the drug to Laura and advised him in a low, dangerous voice, "Give me a vial of antidote to the drug you just sold to my friend, and then pack up your stall and leave".

Charlotte turned to Laura and asked her, "How did you actually buy that stuff? You didn't have any money".

"Oh, I um…traded my bracelet for it…"

"What? But you loved that bracelet!" Charlotte said in dismay. She marched up to the vendor and demanded, "Give her the bracelet you took from her as well, now!"

The vendor held his hands/claws up in surrender and protested, "Look, I don't have any antidote right now. Come back tomorrow".

"Liar" Charlotte accused immediately, eyes narrowed. She looked at the Doctor and questioned, "Why hasn't he been arrested already? Is everyone in on this drug business? Are we in the middle of a crime ring?"

"Don't know, don't know, and possibly" he replied in quick succession, before adding to the vendor, "Look, we don't want any trouble. If you can't give us an antidote then at the very least tell us where to find it".

"Well, perhaps if you asked nicely" the vendor huffed, turning his nose up at them. Charlotte glared, her fists clenching…but then Laura stepped past her and asked simply, "Um, sir, could I have my bracelet back, and um, could you tell us where to find the antidote please?"

Much to Charlotte and the Doctor's surprise, the vendor actually obliged, handing over both the bracelet and a small vial. "Well, that was anti-climactic" Charlotte remarked bluntly. They went back to the square that the TARDIS was parked in; the Doctor was pleased to see it hadn't been traded away like it sometimes…okay, almost always was whenever he landed in a marketplace. He took the vial from Laura and scanned it to confirm its contents. "It's the antidote" he told her, handing it back, "But I should probably warn you, it tastes like orange juice after brushing your teeth and it'll make your head hurt".

Laura unscrewed the vial, took a deep breath and gulped it down. She quickly dropped it to the floor, clutching her head in pain, prompting Charlotte to ask frantically "Laura? Are you okay? How much does it hurt? How many fingers am I holding up?" she questioned, holding up four fingers when Laura opened her eyes again.

"Charlotte?"

"Yeah? Oh my gosh, have you forgotten me now? I'm Charlotte Richards, your best friend, remember?"

"No, I know. I just wanted to say…I'm sorry" Laura said contritely, "I know I shouldn't have used that awful drug, I just…"

"You shouldn't have" the Doctor agreed sternly, "You're my responsibility and that means you have to do as I say. From now on, neither of you wanders off, and you don't touch anything alien unless I say it's okay, is that clear?"

Laura pouted slightly and stressed, "I really am sorry Doctor; I promise, I won't do it again. I've just...never felt this guilty before. I hate making mistakes, and I made a massive one and I couldn't fix it...I just wanted to forget it had ever happened. I'm really sorry".

Charlotte put an arm around her shoulders and pleaded, "Don't be too hard on her...it isn't like she knew the drug would wipe all her memory of Clara. We promise we'll listen to you, honest. Cross our hearts". She and Laura made 'X' signs over the general area where their hearts were.

"I'll hold you to that" the Doctor nodded, before placing his hands on Laura's shoulders. "Clara's death really wasn't your fault" he told her firmly, "And somewhere out there, a Clara Oswald is still alive and breathing…actually, now that I think about it, do you two have any idea where to find her?" he asked, dropping his hands.

The two Whovians glanced at one another. "We do have…some ideas" Laura admitted slowly.

"Yes?"

"But we're not gonna tell you" Charlotte decided, "Till after we've had an adventure, and got to the bottom of this possible deminticor crime ring mafia thing we might have stumbled across".

"It could be dangerous" he warned.

"The sooner we get used to that, the better, right?" Charlotte challenged. The Doctor smiled a bit, seeing how determined they were, and held a hand out. Charlotte stepped up on his right, Laura on his left, and off they went to investigate. "Besides, I kind of want to buy something that isn't a memory erasing drug" Charlotte remarked casually.

"What were you planning to trade for it?"

"I'll just trade your bow tie…"

"Oi!"

/

I apologise if you wanted to see the 'crime ring' adventure, but if you're not aware I suck at creating original adventures…or at least pacing them out properly. Let's just say that there was a crime ring, they uncovered it, got captured, escaped, alerted the authorities, and stopped off at a restaurant selling Italian- like cuisine for lunch.

Just as a point of interest, 'Cieli Ambra' is actually Italian for 'amber skies' and deminticor was made by changing the word "dimenticare", which is Italian for 'forget'.