Chapter 11: When Demon Blood is Spilt

No one from the Paternoster gang had moved in fear that they would be shot, so who was stupid enough to stop her. "Clara…" Pandora snarled at her as they faced off. "I won't let you hurt him…" The Doctor let out another scream as he tried to fight against the impossible. Vastra snuck around the back of Jenny and Strax to the Doctor's side. "He's being rewritten!" She cried out.

Pandora bared her teeth at Clara, "You foolish girl. Why are you even here?! He never cared for you!" Pandora went to slam her gun hilt into the girl's face but Jenny took action and swung in, catching the gun and stopping her. Pandora snapped her eyes onto Jenny. "What are you doing?!"

Vastra pinned the Doctor down, trying to stop him from hurting himself as he thrashed about. "Simmion is attacking his entire timeline; he's dying all at once!" She began listing the moments that the Doctor saved people, "Dalek's Asylum, Adrizalie…"

Pandora had no care for this, for the man that lay upon the floor, dying. She just knew that he was going to be dead soon and that was fine by her. Pandora swung up with her other hand, catching Jenny in the jaw. Jenny stumbled back as she tried to recollect herself before rebalancing. She spotted the knife in Pandora's leg garter, the emerald encrusted handle glistened in the glow of the light that had now turned a violent red as Simmion tore up the Doctor's life.

While Jenny kept Pandora busy, Clara dropped to her knees to the Doctor, "What did you say?" She glanced at Vastra, confused. Vastra returned her gaze, a little shocked to why the girl had asked her to what she had said. "Did you say the Dalek Asylum?" Everything was flooding back, memories she never had or even remembered living through. Tears rolled down her cheeks as she was hit with thoughts and ideas. "Now he is dying in Victorian London with us!" Vastra was tugging out a gadget as she traced the history of earth itself.

Jenny kicked the back of Pandora's leg, forcing her to one knee before grabbing the dagger, unsheathing it. For a moment she was amazed at how expensive this thing looked but she shook the thought from her head. Pandora hissed before swinging a fist to Jenny who in return ducked.

The Doctor was starting to fit on the floor, the pain of dying all at one time in his timeline was excruciating for him. His head was on fire, his lungs barely able to chug down air and his hearts were gradually slowing down. "Oh dear god…" Vastra murmured as she stared at the small scanner in her hand. Clara narrowed her eyes at Vastra before glancing over her shoulder to the now red light. "A world without the Doctor has its consequences…."
Vastra got to her feet, seeing Pandora and Jenny still fighting. Jenny managed to dodge a punch and swung back, the hilt of the dagger smashing into her jaw.

"Strax!" Vastra began to rush outside, Strax in tow. Jenny on the other hand heard Vastra on the move, so with one final swing, the dagger was thrust upwards and into the stomach of the demon who possessed Ella. "I'm sorry… so sorry." Jenny let go of the dagger as Pandora slipped to the floor. "You… you were… the one who killed me," Pandora gasped as she fell to the floor, the gun clattered as she lay there.
Jenny stumbled back, praying that Vastra might have a clue to what to do.

Clara was now on her feet, the Doctor was still murmuring incoherent words "Please. Stop. My life is burning." He reached out to the red entwining threads of light, tears slipping down his cheeks. The girl knew what she had to do now, but there was one last thing. She stepped over the Doctor and knelt at Pandora's side, moving the hair from her eyes, "Give Ella back, your time is up."
Pandora grasped at Clara's dress collar, "I don't die… she does…" She struggled to slap on a smirk as she knelt there on all fours, a hand pressed to her stomach as she dared to tug the knife from herself. "No… she won't." And with that she got to her feet. From outside Vastra was crying out for Jenny before she was shouting at Strax. Everything was being ruined, being lost.

Clara stared at the red light, a tear rolling down her cheek. She was, for once, having to give up her life to save the most important man in the world as well as his daughter. "I know what I have to do now," Clara muttered under her breath but the Doctor had heard her speak, "No… please." He spoke through gritted teeth, words more slurred than they were now. Clara glanced back at the Doctor, "But I've already done all this. You've already seen me do this." Pandora glanced up at Clara, well if there was one last thing she could do then it was this. She crawled towards the door, needing to get out. She had to bleed on the ground of this damn planet. "I'm the impossible girl and this is why." Clara was oblivious to Pandora moving to the side, planning her escape.

River stepped in front of Pandora, a whisper passed her way, "What ever you are thinking…" She wasn't talking to Pandora though, she was talking to Clara because there was no point in trying to prevent Pandora from escaping. "Don't do it. His timeline will tear you into a million pieces; million versions of you will be living and dying all over time and space." Pandora glanced up at Clara, of course she couldn't see River unlike Ella. "What?" She slipped back even more, the door nearly in reach.
"You'll just be echoes Clara." River was pleading now, wishing she could do more than just stand idly by. "And they can save the Doctor right?" Clara replied as she fought back tears.
"But they won't be you because the real you will die. They will just be copies." Why would the girl not listen?! No wonder Ella had a frustrating time with her. "Real enough to save the Doctor, right?" Clara glanced at River with a small smile on her face.
"It's like my mum said, the soufflé isn't the soufflé, the soufflé is just the recipe." Clara turned to the Doctor, a small smile on her lips. "It's the only way to save him, to save your daughter." River nodded a little, her gaze not taken from the pair of them once.

Pandora gasped as she stumbled outside, her fingers digging into the ground beneath her. "You won't win just yet. Once my blood drips upon this ground then everything will be carried out." She crawled towards the dying grass, her knees scraping along as a trail of blood dripped against the concrete. Right on the edge, that was where she was and she was barely holding onto her life. All she had to do was bleed out her whole body and she'd be free. Finally she reached the decaying grass, her chest fell against it as she lay down among it. Her hand grasped the knife handle before she tugged it from herself and chucked it to one side. "Finally…" She murmured as her blood seeped out.

Vastra had passed the body of Pandora as she rushed in, ignoring her completely. "The stars are going out! Jenny and Strax are dead!" The reptilian was distressed, gulping back tears as her heart broke. Clara stared at her, seeing the pain within her eyes for losing such good people. Something was missing though and River had noted this, "Vastra find Ella, it's important. Also if this works please get out of here as fast as you can and spare me a thought here and there."
The Doctor tried to roll to his side, to try and grasp Clara's ankle as she began to walk towards the red threads of light. "There are a few other things before I do this. Get to your daughter ASAP, Pandora has played her part…" Clara gulped a little, trembling with slight fear as she stood there staring into the very thing that resembled the Doctor's life. "In fact you know what?" Clara turned to face him and smiled, "Run you clever boy and remember me." And with one leap, she fell into the Doctor's time stream, no one holding her back and no one there to rescue her when she fell.

Outside Pandora stared up at the stars that were barely visible from the lightening storm that brewed on over head. Her hand clasped her abdomen as she kept the smirk upon her ever so red lips. It was a beautiful sight but one that she may never see again. "Finally… you become me. Once I have bled out you will take me on and you won't be able to stop me…" Her voice trembled as tears filled her eyes, Pandora had not cried since she had died that very night when Darcyl struck her in the heart. Her now bloodied hand fell to her side, streaking more blades of dying grass with glistening maroon liquid. "I have done my job, and I served my people well." She could feel the life draining from her at such a slow rate that it was starting to make her wonder if she really should be doing this. Her ears picked up the cries of the Doctor, it seemed there had been a single flaw in the plan. No one had expected Clara to show up, no one had expected her to dive right into the time stream and destroy herself for the Doctor, to save him and let everything that once happen, happen. "Good bye Doctor, may your dying breath be stolen from you by your own daughter."

The room glistened as the red light was burst from it's hold on the entwining threads before settling back into a stunning and mystical white once more. Strax was somewhat trying to scold Madam Vastra for shooting him earlier but the Doctor was barely paying attention as he stood with his back to them. It seemed all too much, all far too devastating. He'd lost a friend and he had lost his wife and above all his daughter's body was no longer here. "Look, we are all restored and that is all that matters now." Oh those were the wrong words to use because the Doctor still had three people missing from his life right now.

He spun to face them, anger on his face, "We are not all restored!"
River knew what her husband was thinking as she hovered at his side, "You can't go in there, it is your own time stream for god sake. Just go get Ella, she is dying."
He may not have been able to hear or see hear but River wished so hard he could right now, wished he would listen to her very words. "I have to get her back," He gestured to the scar tissue of time and space that pulsed before him. "Of course but not like this!" River was seeing this as the worst thing he could possibly do as of now.
"But how?" Jenny asked, confused as she stared at what the Doctor was staring at.
"Is she even still alive?" Vastra couldn't see how he could simply grip the girl and raise her from his own time stream. It seemed all far too dangerous. "I mean it killed doctor Simmion."
The Doctor smirked, there was something they were forgetting. "Clara has got an advantage over the Great Intelligence… me" This was certainly the worst choice of his life but it had to be done, even if it were not going to be by his hand.

Pandora's eyes flickered between being open and then being closed. Her heart rate was slowing down and her breathing had become hoarse and ragged as she tried to cling to the last few parts of her life. "You have to let go Pandora. I can't stop you from doing what you wished." A familiar sounding voice caught her attention, her eyes opening in order to see who owned it. A kind smile beamed down at her, "Doctor, I see you found me. You're too late, she'll be theirs." Pandora smirked a little at him as another pain filled sigh escaped her. The Doctor slipped a hand under her head and gently cradled her, "I know, I'll learn that in a moment but I swore to myself that I'd be here for Ella." He brushed the hair from her eyes before running his thumb across her cheek. It pained him even now to see Ella here in his arms but not physically here. "You are not of now?" Pandora questioned him, she might as well ask questions because she could do nothing else other than simply bleed out here. "No, I am of the future. As long as I do not touch my former self then I'll be safe to sit here." The Doctor yet again gave Pandora a small smile. "At least you can rest now." The sadness in those black eyes showed that there was still some humanity in her, enough to keep her sane long enough to realise that even sometimes she was wrong to do what she had done.

Rest was becoming a relief in her eyes, laying there as she looked up at the man she felt she loved. Did she truly love him though or was it an emotion that she took on in order to ignore her own torment within her mind. The torment of not having the man she loved at her side, the torment of being jammed into someone else's body, the people she killed, the guilt building up within her. "It has been far too long since I rested." She murmured, her fingers loosening the grip on his shirt. The Doctor nodded slightly, "I know Pandora. I am so, so sorry for what you are about to experience next." He gently kissed her forehead before resting her back on the ground and taking a step back from her because she was about to suffer regeneration at an intense level.

The glow of golden regeneration energy slowly seeped over the girl's slender figure, coating her in an instant. The Doctor let slip a tear because in a few moments as his past self rescued his sweet Clara, he'd hear his little Pond scream out in pain.

The Doctor stood there as he watched over his little girl, other than he and River, he had never witnessed anyone else regenerate in this way. Of course he had not expected Ella to change face like he, Ella was lucky like that but it seemed he was to get a shock soon enough. Pandora arched her back, fingers digging into the dirt beneath her as she tried to ignore the pain that over took her. She was changing, her life being doused in flames right before her very eyes. "No! No, please!" She screamed out, voice becoming ragged with each breath as she fought not to pass out from the pain. DNA was healing, changing, moving into new and different patterns to fix the Gallifreyan child's body. Oh how she wished the pain away.
"It's ok Pandora!" The Doctor cried out to reassure her, unaware that at the very last moment Pandora would fall back into Ella's mind and leaving Ella to take the rest of the fall.