"Craig, Alfie." The Doctor snapped his fingers. Both men snapped to attention, looked wildly around the room, and then at the Doctor and Cara.
"Doctor?" Craig whispered, his eyes wide and a grin formed on his lips when he saw the sonic screw driver in his hand. "Oh my god I can't believe it's you!" He cried, running over and hugging him. Alfie looked really confused, and when Craig hugged the Doctor, his eyes went wide like his father's.
"Wow! You're the Doctor? Oh my god this is amazing! I was raised on stories of you! My dad had told me so much about you, and your adventures and your companions. I'm Al-"
"Alfie." The Doctor finished the sentence for him, his brows knitted together. Craig sensed his worried demeanor and backed off slightly.
"What's wrong?" Then he looked around. "Hang on, how am I here?"
"Oh yeah, wasn't I outside just a few seconds ago?" Alfie said, looking around too. Then he spotted Cara, who everyone had somehow overlooked, and blushed.
"Um, dad." Was all he said.
"Who are you and how did you get in here?" Craig frowned, looking worried and curious at the same time.
"This is Cara, she's my friend." The Doctor said, walking over and putting an arm around Cara's shoulder. "We should be off, lots of stuff to do." He guided Cara toward the door. "But we'll be back, don't you worry." He tried to laugh.
"But wait, Doctor you just got here, where are you running off to?" Craig said, following them.
"Nowhere important, you just stay put, we'll be back for you." The Doctor said before taking Cara's hand and leading her back into the TARDIS.
"What was this?" Cara asked finally when they were inside and the door was closed.
"It's the walls, there's been another one." He smacked his forehead several times. "Stupid stupid stupid! I shouldn't have asked! Oh why did I have to go snooping! Now there's less time with each mention." He paced around the console, his fingernail between his teeth.
"Doctor what is it?" Cara had to yell, taking him by the shoulders and shaking him.
"It's Sophie." The Doctor yelled back, distressed. "She's the trigger. Every time we mention Sophie the trigger sets down another block and there's less ripples. I mean before, it was just to stop the memories about where they were going from them, but now the walls are – are overlapping and stacking and the ripples are trapped and –" He looked at the door, as if he could see through it at Alfie and Craig in their house. "their memories are dying."
"Dying?" Cara said, frowning. "Memories can't die, I mean, you can forget, but you can't really forget something you never knew, right?"
"Exactly!" The Doctor yelled, jumping and bring Cara with him. "Exactly my point – they didn't forget because the ripples are dying, Cara. They're dying in such a way it's like they never existed. That's why they didn't remember us." He said, exasperated. "Their memories are dying, Cara." He said, his voice sounding desperate and he looked cornered.
"But why can't we just find Sophie and set it right?" Cara said, trying to smile.
"Because she's not the reason." The Doctor said.
"But you said that she was the trigger! If we find her and I don't know, bring her to them two maybe they could get their memories back. You can use your sonic screwdriver! Why can't we just do that?" Cara yelled, trying to get the Doctor to hope for the better.
"Because she's dead!" The Doctor yelled.
"What?" Cara's voice was quiet and she wasn't smiling anymore.
"Sophie is dead."