The Snowmen: The Memory Worm
"Now," Angel squeezed the Doctor's hand, pulling him out of his thoughts, "I don't think we should keep Clara locked up too much longer my love," she smiled, "We only kidnap possible companions in the TARDIS not a carriage."
He shook his head, "She's not a possible companion."
Angel just gave him a smile that clearly meant 'we'll see about that' before she got up and helped him up as well, brushing off the snow from their clothes and straightening Ayla's jacket, laughing as she tried to button the girl's coat up, she was just like her father in never buttoning her coats.
"…in this cab!" Clara banged on the door as they approached, "Oi, Doctor! Let me out! Are you listenin' to me?"
"Would you like to do the honors sweetheart?" the Doctor asked as Ayla giggled.
"Let me out!" Clara shouted as Ayla stepped forward and opened the doors, "Oh!" she gasped, nearly falling out from where she'd been pushing against the doors.
"Hello Miss Clara!" Ayla cheered, clambering into the carriage to sit beside Clara.
"It's alright Clara," Angel reassured her, as she and the Doctor stood in the doorway, "We're not going to hurt you, I promise," she crossed her hearts, before holding out a hand, "I'm Angel, by the way," she reintroduced herself, "Nice to meet you."
Clara blinked, reaching out to shake the woman's hand, though her gaze was on Strax as he came to stand behind them, "What is that thing?"
"Silence, boy!" Strax glared.
"That's Strax," the Doctor laughed, "And, as you can see, he's easily confused."
Strax eyed Clara a moment, not seeing what was so confusing.
"She's a girl," Ayla leaned forward to whisper to him.
"Ah," he gave a short body-nod, "Silence, girl. Sorry, lad."
"Sontaran," the Doctor explained to Clara as he leaned on the side of the carriage, turning and taking Angel's hand, absently playing with her fingers despite how she was wearing gloves, "Clone warrior race. Factory produced, whole legions at a time. Two genders is a bit further than he can count."
"Sir, do not discuss my reproductive cycle in front of enemy girls. It's embarrassing."
"Typical middle child of six million," the Doctor shrugged before he turned to Angel, opening his mouth.
"No," she shook her head, cutting off his question...or proposition.
She was NOT going to be the mother of six million children.
She...she wanted to make sure they could manage to keep at least one child safe to adulthood first. What happened to Ayla, how easily SHE had been captured and hadn't known it, it shook her even still. Being confronted with River so often, seeing the fate her own daughter might have had every single time she looked at the woman. It got to her, it truly did frighten her to see River because she ended up thinking of Ayla being in her spot, being forced to kill and become an assassin, a psychopath. She wanted to be sure that she could keep her daughter safe, that she and the Doctor could protect her despite their enemies. Maybe, one day, when Ayla was older, there could be another child, but, until then, she just wanted to spend time with her daughter.
"Who are you?" Clara eyed them, the way they talked, the way they acted, the things they said…it didn't sound like anyone she'd ever heard before.
"It doesn't matter," the Doctor shook his head, waving her off, letting go of Angel's hand with one hand, still holding it with his others, "Because you're about to forget that the four of us ever met," he looked at Strax, "We'll need the worm."
"Sir," Strax marched off to go get it.
"You'll need the what?" Clara's eyes widened as she tried to peer around them at where Strax was going, "The worm? What worm?"
"It's ok," Ayla took Clara's hand, squeezing it, "A Memory Worm can erase one hour of your memory it if touches your bare skin," she recited, "Right daddy?"
The Doctor looked at his daughter with a smile, "Exactly sweetheart," he winked and pointed at her.
"Must we use it?" Angel asked him with a frown, she truly was against using the worm, both because she didn't want to use the animal in general but also because of the effect it had, "I hate keeping it locked up like that."
He smiled at her, reaching out to pull her closer, winding his arm around her waist as he dropped a kiss to her hair, she was so kind like that. Animals especially, he'd noticed since her last regeneration, seemed to respond to her better than to him or others. The calm she always gave off, the empathy, seemed to translate to them as well, making them feel safe, that she'd take care of them as she did so many others, that she wouldn't hurt them. But it wasn't just that, she just loved them in return. She hated seeing animals locked up, it was one of the reasons why, despite Ayla's many Christmas wishes and birthday hopes over the last century, Angel had argued against getting a puppy or a kitty or a gold fish or any other sort of animal Ayla had hoped to have as a pet. She felt no animal, even those bred for domestic life, should be confined. Collars, leashes, doors and walls and cages, it made her feel like they were trapping and trying to control the animals.
He supposed it was a lingering effect of Van Statten's treatment of her. She'd been caged basically, locked up, restrained, kept from getting help, barely fed…basically been treated like an animal instead of a human, well, human-looking-alien, even though Time Lords came first. And he could never bring himself to argue against that sort of logic. That time had been hard for her. She'd regenerated upon hitting the Earth, been knocked into a healing coma that lasted days. Stuck in a crater with a Dalek, then knocked out, only to wake up a new person, their people gone, and held captive by different handlers to be tested and studied for 50 years before he'd found her. And then she'd regenerated again. The only life that body had known for decades was captivity.
No, no pets for them. Not even a goldfish.
He supposed it was a bit unfair to Ayla, every child longed to have a pet to look after, but Ayla seemed to understand her mother's feelings on the subject. It didn't stop her from asking at least once a year, at Christmas, for some pet or another, mostly a puppy, but a few others snuck through. It was so hard for him though, because he could never say no to either of his girls yet he had to agree with Angel there. Perhaps one day there would be a pet for Ayla, but at the moment, it was just too much for Angel to consider, and that was ok. Some scars took longer to heal than others, he knew that better than anyone.
He was about to answer Angel when Strax stepped up behind them, just standing there, waiting, "Where is it?" he asked.
"Where's what, sir?" Strax blinked.
"I sent you to get the Memory Worm."
"Did you? When?" and then he noticed the human beside Ayla and tensed, ready for the enemy, assuming she might be a threat to the little girl...
He still remembered her, from Demons Run, the little screaming bald thing she was that had been hungry. She was small and pink and...weird. But she was small and, having been a nurse for many years, he had seen many children, none so small as her, never a 'baby' as they'd called her. Sontarans were meant to fight, and he had fought that battle for her, she had given him a new sense of honor and he felt a bit indebted to the girl and she was always respectful to him, treated him like a proper warrior and she was...small. She needed protecting.
And she called him Mr. Strax too.
"Who's he?" he pointed at Clara, "What are we doing here?" before his attention wandered to the sky, getting distracted by small bits of white that were floating down, "Look, it's been snowing!"
"You didn't use the gauntlets, did you?" the Doctor sighed.
"Why would I need the gauntlets?" Strax frowned, before seeming to realize it, "Do you want me to get the Memory Worm?"
The Doctor looked over, hearing a faint giggle to see Angel smiling, "Did you know he was going to forget the gauntlets?" he asked her, pouting.
"Yes," she nodded.
"And you didn't say anything?"
"No."
"Why?"
She smiled, taking his hands in hers, "Because I know what's going to happen next, and it's funny. I don't want Ayla to miss it."
He shook his head at her fondly, "Psychic," he gave her a peck.
"Thief," she countered, giving him one in return.
Clara blinked, watching them, watching as the Doctor gently tugged her in for another, longer kiss, Ayla had said it before but she hadn't believed her, but…perhaps that girl really WAS psychic…
~8~
Ayla was kneeling in the snow beside the carriage, watching as Strax lay under it, trying to get the worm which had escaped into the mechanics of the carriage's frame. The Doctor and Angel stood beside her, watching from above. Clara was there still, standing back against a small shop, watching them in amusement.
She could guess what was about to happen next, Angel had gauntlets hiding in her hands behind her back.
"Well, can you see it?" the Doctor called.
"I think I can hear it," Strax struggled.
Angel glanced back at Clara, winking at her, making her giggle.
"Oi," the Doctor turned to point a warning finger at the human, "Don't try to run away. Stay where you are."
"Why would I run?" Clara smirked, "I want to see the funny bit. Not that it's not already funny," she eyed Strax's feet, "Your little pal...'e's an ugly little fella, isn't 'e?"
The Doctor turned to glare at her for the comment, "He nearly gave his life for my Mate and daughter!"
Clara blinked, surprised at the anger in his voice, "Sorry," she murmured, watching as Angel took his hand, smiling at him reassuringly as he calmed before she frowned, "Wait, I thought you said she was your wife!"
"Wife, Mate," the Doctor waved her off, still staring into Angel's eyes, "She's mine, that's all that matters. My wife, my Mate, the mother of my children."
"Child," Angel corrected, "So far," she reminded him, before looking at Clara, "Where we come from, we use the term Mate where you would use wife."
Clara blinked, hearing a human, or what looked like a human since she was fairly certain they were nothing of the sort anymore, talking about Mates and probably mating…made her think of animals. But, more so, made her think of wolves or penguins, the way those two looked at each other during their little moments…it was a mate for life sort of thing. It was sweet, in a weird way.
"How did he nearly give 'is life?" she asked, "What 'appened?"
The Doctor tensed, turning away from Angel, a look of guilt on his face that made Clara frown, "Have you got it yet?" he changed the topic, calling out to Strax instead.
Clara looked at Angel questioningly, but even she shook her head sadly. Clearly it was a touchy and rather heartbreaking topic.
"I see it!" Ayla pointed, "There it is Mr. Strax."
"Can you reach it?" the Doctor asked the Sontaran, "Have you got it?"
There was a tiny squeal from the worm before Strax froze and called back, "Got what, sir?"
The Doctor hung his head, shaking it as, yet again, the worm escaped and Strax was affected. He was starting to get a bit concerned for the alien, what if it was like with the Silence and the repeated memory wipes were frying what little brains he had to begin with?
"These might have helped," Angel reminded him, holding up the gauntlets she'd hidden.
"Are you trying to make sure she remembers?" the Doctor asked her, taking the gauntlets away. He was slightly suspicious of that, their time spent getting the worm so that Clara would forget was running out, it had nearly been an hour, and Angel was being...surprisingly unhelpful in the endeavor.
"Yes," Angel said simply, startling Clara but not seeming to surprise the Doctor.
"Why?" Clara asked, she'd just met the woman and she seemed like she was trying to protect her. Maybe it was because she'd returned Ayla to them? She didn't know, if that was the case, wouldn't the Doctor have been equally as willing to let her go?
The Doctor, however, already knew the answer, because Clara would forget them. Angel had been more affected by his brief bout of amnesia than she often let on. Anything that involved memory tampering didn't sit right with her. He hated using the worm too because of that, but…if it came down to an hour of human memory or the safety of his family, he'd pick his family any day. The more people who knew about him, who knew he'd survived Angel's 'death' or that Angel had survived her own 'death,' the more that word might get out to the Silence and they'd be back.
"Sir!" Strax called, pulling him from his thoughts and cutting off Angel's answer, "Emergency! I think I've been run over by a cab."
Ayla giggled and crawled forward to reach out and take Strax's hand, "You're alright Mr. Strax," she told him, helping him wiggle out from under the carriage, "See?" she helped tug him up and brushed off the snow from his uniform.
The Doctor crouched forward and dropped a kiss onto her head at her actions before he gently took the gauntlets from Angel, kissing her quickly on the nose. He turned and made his way around to the other side of the carriage, putting a large glove on and reaching down into it, pulling out the worm.
"Little help sweetheart?" he called as the worm struggled. Ayla grabbed a small jar and ran around to help her father, holding it up to him as he managed to slide it in, flipping the lid closed, "There you go. One touch and you lose about an hour of your memory. Let it bite you and you could lose decades," he glanced over at Clara who was still standing there, watching, "And you're still not trying to run?"
"She wants to know about the snow," Angel remarked absently as she turned around, starting to frown, a pit forming in her stomach. It was like...she felt like there was something there but she just...couldn't see it yet.
Clara nodded, "I don't understand 'ow the snowman built itself. I'll run, once you've explained."
The Doctor eyed her, "Clara who?"
"Doctor who?"
Angel smiled, "Careful, that can be a very dangerous question."
The Doctor blinked and looked at her, her words striking him. And he realized…she'd said the same thing to Nancy ages ago, centuries ago, back two incarnations, the first few adventures he'd had with her. He hadn't thought anything of it then…not even now, it being so long ago, but she'd said it. Had it been a sensation? Just a joke? He didn't know, but now he was curious as to other things she had said…
"What's wrong with dangerous?" Clara nudged Angel, whose attention was focused on something over Clara's shoulder. Clara glanced over when she saw Angel not responding, frowning as there was nothing there...only for a snowman to appear the moment she blinked.
"The snow emits a low-level telepathic field," the Doctor began to explain.
"My snowman..."
"It seems to reflect people's thoughts and memories."
"Daddy?" Ayla tried, spotting the mound of snow as well.
"And because it's unusual, somehow it carries a previous shape and…"
"No, my love," Angel took his hand and gently tugged him over to the alley, "The snowman."
"Ah!" he nodded, stepping closer to it, "Interesting," he smiled down at Ayla, "What do you think sweetheart?"
Ayla looked over at Clara, "Were you thinking about it Miss Clara?"
Clara blinked, "Just Clara's fine," she told the girl, "And yes."
And then another one appeared beside it, and another, and another.
"Clara," Angel began, stepping closer to the girl, taking her arm in a hand, tugging her back as the Doctor backed up with Ayla, moving her behind them, "Please...stop thinking about them."
They turned to run, only for more to spring up behind them, one moving to breathe snowflakes with what looked like teeth in them at them, only for a golden wall to spring up around them.
Clara gasped, looking around at the golden sphere that had appeared, swirling in a heavenly light, protecting them from the snowmen's icy breath. The snow breathed hitting the wall and the breath just...melted off it.
"Mummy!" Ayla called.
Clara looked over to see Angel beside her, her hand out, her eyes golden, her hair billowing around her as she was clearly the source of their protection. She was spun to the side suddenly, the Doctor grabbing her arms, "Clara, listen to me," he began, his voice frantic, a note of worry in it as he glanced between her and Angel, "The snow's feeding off your thoughts."
"I don't understand!" she cried.
"You're caught in their telepathic field. They're mirroring you. The more you think about the snowmen, the more they appear," he looked at Angel, seeing the golden glow getting brighter, knowing that this was one of those moments that they feared happening, that she wasn't in complete control of the Vortex, "Imagine them melting. Picture it. Picture them melted!"
Clara closed her eyes tightly and did her best to do that even with him shouting in her ear...and a moment later...there was a splash as the snowmen melted, the four of them remaining dry within the swirl.
The Doctor looked over at Angel as the barrier remained up, not falling with the snowmen, now even more certain that this was a moment where her control was slipping, where she'd reacted first without realizing it.
Ayla walked over to her, taking her hand, "It's ok mummy," she told Angel softly, squeezing her hand, "The bad snow's gone."
Angel blinked a few times, the gold dimming till it disappeared, Angel swaying a bit till the Doctor stepped to her side and took her in his arms, strengthening her. She looked at him with wide eyes, fearful. She'd lost control for a moment then…the instinctive use of the Vortex taking her over for that brief moment at the sudden appearance of the snow with teeth. But thankfully their daughter had gotten through to her.
"Good," he whispered in Angel's ear, "Well done dear," he kissed her temple.
She closed her eyes a moment at that, nodding though she was still very shaken from that. It...hadn't happened often, hadn't happened recently. She'd been starting to hope that, perhaps it was just the Daleks, just...something about them that had caused the Vortex to control her but...this was snow. This was just...snow.
"What did you do?" Clara asked, her eyes wide, "'ow did you do that? What was that light?"
Ayla just hugged Angel's legs, "Mummy's just special."
The Doctor smiled down at her, "Very special."
Clara glanced around the small alley, before she noticed the area just under their feet was entirely dry, literally dry, like a circle in the snow that showed the cobblestone, "Is that going to 'appen again?"
The Doctor just tucked a strand of hair behind Angel's ear before he turned to Clara, "Well, if it does, you know what to do about it," he put his arm around Angel's shoulders both for the closeness and the offered support.
"Unless I forget," Clara glanced at the worm.
Ayla giggled at that, "I like her."
~8~
The Doctor opened the carriage door, helping Clara in, "Don't come looking for us," he told her, pointing a finger in her face, "Forget about us. You understand?" Clara frowned at him and he grew serious, the safety of his family was at stake, he was not about to risk sounding even remotely playful or joking or take that risk with their safety because a human was throwing a tantrum, "Do you?"
Clara sighed and nodded, "But what about the snow? Shouldn't we be warning people?"
The Doctor shook his head, "I'm retired," he told her, not noticing Angel's sad expression behind him.
Ayla took a breath and rushed over to shake Clara's hand, "Merry Christmas!" she smiled at the woman.
"Merry Christmas," she offered before the Doctor closed the door.
"Take her back where we found her," he told Strax.
Strax sighed, "Sir," and whipped the reins, leading the horses on as the Doctor and Angel took Ayla's hands and walked off.
Angel glanced over her shoulder as the carriage departed, smiling softly when she saw Clara standing behind it, having snuck out the side. Clara gasped, her eyes wide, when she saw she'd been caught. But Angel just winked before turning to continue on, a secret smile on her face as she kept that little detail from the Doctor.
Clara beamed and dashed after them.
~8~
The Doctor hopped over a railing around a small park, turning to reach over it and pick Ayla up, carrying her in his arms as he held out a hand to help Angel over as well, the three of them walking down a snowy path towards a tree that was growing right in the middle of the area. He grinned and spun around, making Ayla squeal before he held her up in the air. Ayla reached out, grabbing something in the darkness of the sky and the Doctor slowly lowered her to the ground, the girl bringing a ladder down with her.
Angel glanced back, as though to make sure the coast was clear, before smiling as she caught sight of Clara hiding behind a tree on the other side of the gates.
"Off you go sweetheart," she heard the Doctor say and turned to see Ayla climbing up the ladder, the Doctor behind her, making sure she wouldn't fall. He paused on a rung and held out a hand to her. She smiled and took it, making her way to the ladder and up it as well, the three of them vanishing into thin air from Clara's point of view.
Clara ran forward, into the park, just as the ladder gave a clunk and started to lift again, disappearing into the darkness once more. She walked around, looking up but didn't see anything. She frowned, jumping to try and catch the bottom rung, only to fall to her back on the snow. She huffed, glaring up at the sky, before pushing herself up. She brushed her skirt off, clapped her hands together, readying herself, before taking a running leap…and hanging mid-air as she caught something.
"Come on," she murmured before the ladder gave way and started to lower for her.
She smiled, bringing it down before looking up it. She took a breath and started to climb, making her way onto a sort of platform in the air, the ladder rising beside her as she stepped off it. She looked down at the people walking past, not seeming to notice her.
"'ello," she called, waving at them, but they didn't see, "Invisible," she murmured, looking around, only to look up when she heard something above her. There were footsteps slowly climbing up the spiral staircase beside her.
"An invisible staircase," she nodded, that was new.
She turned and started to climb, watching the rooftops grown more distant with each step till she reached the top, a cloud, with an old, worn, blue police box in the middle of it. She looked down at the cloud, wary, before gently resting her foot on it, testing it. When she didn't fall through she stepped onto it, gasping as she threw her arms out wide, tentative, as she took a few more steps, growing more confident. She cautiously walked over to the door, raising her hand to knock when she heard the latch inside unlock.
Her eyes widened and she leapt to the side, hiding behind the corner of the box as the doors opened.
"I'm telling you someone is out here," Angel called from within.
"Well I don't see anyone," the Doctor replied, stepping out.
"Just because you can't see it, doesn't mean it isn't there," Ayla stated wisely.
The Doctor smiled and looked back in the console room where his girls were, "Has your auntie been giving you lessons again?"
Ayla blinked and shook her head, walking out of the TARDIS to hug him, "No daddy, YOU taught me that."
He smiled down at her as he moved to crouch before her, "I did, did I?"
She nodded, smiling up at him, "You love me very much."
"That I do sweetheart," he nodded, taking both her hands in his, squeezing them.
"You can't SEE love, but it's always there," Ayla nodded resolutely, putting her little hand on the center of her father's chest.
"That it is," the Doctor agreed, looking into the TARDIS, 'You CAN see love though,' he called to Angel as she watched them softly.
'Oh?' she asked.
He looked down at Ayla, 'SHE is our love, in physical form.'
Angel beamed at that, so touched at how he viewed their daughter, it truly warmed her hearts so much to look at Ayla that way, and it was true, the girl was the result of their Mating, truly the last step in pledging their love to each other, 'That she is my love.'
"Well, come along sweetheart," he took Ayla's hand, "Let's see what's out here then. Your mum's not been wrong yet."
Clara's eyes widened as she heard him heading towards her spot and moved behind the TARDIS, making her way around the old box till she could dash off to the stairs while he was behind it.
She didn't even notice Angel had moved to the doorway to watch her run. She stepped out of the TARDIS as Clara ran down the stairs and walked over to the red shawl the woman had dropped.
"What is it dear?" the Doctor called as he and Ayla made their way around, to see her standing there with a red cloth in her hands.
"Curiosity at its finest," she smiled, turning to take his hand and lead him, a bit confused, into the TARDIS once more.
~8~
Simeon stood before the sphere, spooning snow samples into it, "Tonight the thaw," it called to him, "Tomorrow the snow will fall again, yet stronger. The drowned woman and the dreaming child will give us form at last. Tomorrow the snow will fall and so shall mankind. She is coming!"
~8~
Clara slowly blinked awake the next morning in a quaint bed at the pub, sitting up and smiling as she saw sunlight streaming through her window. She looked over at her bag with a new outfit in it and smiled wider, getting up and dressing before she made her way out of the pub.
"Look at that," she remarked, eyeing the little snow left over from last night, "Must 'ave thawed in the night."
"I'm begging you, Clara," the owner followed her out, "I'm on my knees."
She laughed, "Elsie is back this afternoon, and I was only 'elping out. I've got my own work to get back to."
"What work? Why won't you ever tell us?"
She smirked at him, heading for a carriage, "You'd never believe me," she laughed, getting in as the carriage left. She turned and pulled down the blinds, opening her bag to pull out a rather prim dress before starting to change her clothes.
~8~
The carriage pulled up to a large manor, Captain Latimer's home, the Darkover House, Clara stepping out of it, her hair tucked in, dressed as a high-class woman, as a maid with red hair stepped out to greet her, "Alice, how smart you look today," Clara smiled, even her accent had changed.
"The governess should enter by the back door, unless accompanied by the children," Alice remarked.
Clara gave her a knowing look at the jest, "And how are the children? Excited about tomorrow?"
"Francesca, same as ever. Digby said he missed you every day. Captain Latimer wants to see you."
"Of course," she nodded, moving past Alice, only to pause a few feet in and look back at her, "Every day?"
Alice smiled, "Twice on Saturdays."
She nodded, pleased, "That's better."
~8~
There was a knock on the door to the study as Clara entered to see the master of the house standing within, "Captain Latimer."
"Ah. Miss Montague," he turned to smile at her, "You're back."
"In time for Christmas. Apologies for my brief absence. Family illness is so unpredictable," she couldn't help but think it was quite lucky that the man didn't frequent the pubs else he'd certainly know she was lying, "You wanted to see me?"
"Francesca has been having nightmares."
"Young girls often do," she clasped her hands before her.
"Every night this week, she says. Won't tell me about them."
"Perhaps if you asked her in the right way, there's no one she'd rather tell."
"Children are not really my area of expertise," he admitted uncomfortably.
"They are, however, your children," she reminded him.
He nodded, moving to lean against a fireplace, "You have, if I may say, a remarkable amount of wisdom in these matters, for one so very pretty, Miss Montague…" she gave him a smirking look and he realized what he'd said, "Young! I mean."
She nodded, not at all perturbed by his slip, she was...aware of his fancy for her, yet he was her employer and that would be highly improper, even for a barmaid, and...to be honest, he wasn't quite her type, "I'll see to the children now," before making her way out of his office and down a hall to a door to the courtyard, stepping out to see two children, a girl and a young boy playing chase out in the snow.
"Miss Montague!" Francesca shouted, spotting her.
"Miss Montague, you're back!" Digby called, rushing over to her with his sister.
"Ah, ah, ah!" she held out her hands to stop them.
Digby sighed, "Good morning, Miss Montague."
"Good morning, Miss Montague," his sister repeated.
Clara nodded, reaching out to shake their hands, "Good morning, Francesca. Good morning, Digby. Christmas Eve is the most thrilling day, don't you think? Now, what have you two been up to while I've been away?"
"I did seven drawings and we saw a dead cow," Digby said excitedly.
Clara blinked, "Well…" she wasn't quite sure what to say to that, "How exciting."
Digby glanced at his sister before leaning into speak quietly, "Do your secret voice."
Clara glanced around before leaning forward, "'Ello, mates."
The children giggled, pleased they were the only one who knew her secret of who she really was, that she was the local barmaid. Their father never stepped foot in the pubs, he had no idea, but they'd caught her out a few times, when her accent slipped, gotten the tale out of her and promised to keep her secret. They really did love her, she was the best governess they'd ever had!
~8~
"They're not exactly nightmares," Francesca told Clara later that morning as they sat on a bench, talking, Digby playing in the snow, "Just dreams."
"About our old governess," Digby added, "The one who died. She's haunting Frannie from beyond the grave."
"Haven't you spoken to your father about this?" Clara turned to Francesca.
"You can't talk about things like that to daddy," the girl said sadly.
"You could try," she offered, thinking, actually, about Ayla.
It was quite clear that that little girl had one of the best relationships with her father and the Doctor himself loved that little girl more than anything. He struck her as the sort to always be there for his daughter, to be the one tucking her in when she had a nightmare, to lull her to sleep with stories. She hoped to try and help Latimer and Francesca build the same sort of relationship, she could tell the girl truly loved her father but he was having a bit of difficulty connecting to his children after his wife had passed.
Perhaps...if she could find the Doctor again, she could persuade him to speak to the captain? The man clearly knew exactly how to handle children and, she rather thought, the children might enjoy playing with Ayla. Angel seemed like a lovely person and she wouldn't mind being able to speak with her longer than she had the night before.
"Do you want to see where she died?" Digby grinned, ever the boy.
Clara gave him a curious look but nodded. He took her hand and led her around the side of the house, dropping it to walk closer to a small pond in the front of the house, Frannie and Clara walking behind him.
"She fell in there," he pointed, "And then it froze. She was in the ice for days and days. I hated her. She was cross all the time. In Frannie's dream she's still down there, waiting to come back."
Clara moved closer to the pond, leaning over to tap the froze surface, frowning, "Everything else has thawed, but this pond is still frozen," she looked down, recalling what the Doctor had said the night before. 'The snow is feeding off your thoughts. The more you think about the snowmen, the more they appear.' She turned around to sit on the edge of the pond, taking Frannie's hands, "Frannie, this is important. You dream about her. What do you dream?"
"She's cross with me," Frannie said quietly, "She says I've been bad, and she's going to come out of the pond and punish me."
"When?"
"She said she'd come back for Christmas. Tonight."
"I think Frannie's gone mad, don't you?" Digby called, though the concern for his sister was evident in his voice, "I think she needs a doctor."
Clara's eyes widened, that was JUST what she needed. A Doctor to help her…and a guardian Angel to protect her dreams.
~8~
Clara strode through town, back to the park, walking right to the tree the box had been above, looking up only to see the ladder was gone, "Doctor!" she called up, "Angel!"
"What's she looking at?" a man wondered as a small crowd drew together to watch Clara jumping, trying to grasp the air.
"She's asking for a doctor," another remarked as Jenny passed by.
"Doctor!" Clara jumped.
Jenny rushed into the park, "Now then, that's enough noise," she called to the woman, walking closer so they could speak quietly, "We don't want to attract attention, do we?"
"I'm looking for the Doctor," Clara turned to her, sensing something in Jenny's words, "Do you know about him? The Doctor? Angel? Ayla? Any of them."
Jenny just gave her a knowing smile, "Doctor who?"
Clara grinned, "Thank you."
A/N: I'm really excited for the one-word test, there'll be a little twist to it ;) But I'm sad because poor Ayla won't even get a goldfish for Christmas :( But I can say I do know what she'll be getting as a gift this year, and that Angel will get a present as well which will be touching for both of them ;)
Some notes on reviews...
Lol, I wonder if that's where the DW writers got that line from, GOT, or if it was just something they wrote about winter :)
I don't actually ship any companion with the Doctor, I don't ship any human with him really. I've found though that I'm less against Clara/Doctor than other pairings such as River/Doctor or Rose/Doctor. I think, from what we've seen in Series 7, that they have a FAR more natural and less forced relationship than River or Rose had. So even though I don't ship them, I like that pairing more than him with Rose or River which is something :)
Oh I think there would have to be rivalry ;) I can't wait to play it out with the Time Ladies too :)
I'm glad you like Ayla :) I'm really excited for when we get to her as an older girl too. I'm picturing a very angry 12 being even more Oncoming Storm over her potential 'boyfriends' if she has any lol :) I love Disney, Wreck It Ralph was adorable :)
I'm good, how are you? :) I definitely wanted that to be the reason he's on the cloud this time instead of not caring, he just...cares about something else more, too much to let anything happen to them :)
I'm not sure if that review came through for the other chapter or if the site glitched :( I didn't see one from you related to the stories, just the one question about the break between series. I have read your challenge submissions though, I thought they were all great :)
I'll definitely let you know if I find a good version of the movie ;)
I can say the LotR story should be up next year. As for NCIS, I sort of want to do that one after Criminal Minds, but I have to write up all the transcripts for CM first :( I was sad for the Ponds go leave too. I think DW just speaks to all of us, it hurts us but gives us hope at the same time :)