Blink
"What are we doing here?" Clara asked as they stepped out of the TARDIS to find a very old house in front of them.
"I dunno," the Doctor said. "It was like something pulled us here."
"Ugly garden," Clara said, looking at all the weeds and the big angel statue sitting in it.
"Well, c'mon, let's go take a look," the Doctor said, taking Clara's hand.
Not twenty minutes later, Clara was stuck at the house on her own, panicking, keeping her eyes forward, not blinking. The statues had come to life, they had realized, and had made the Doctor and Martha vanish. They had also gotten hold of Clara's TARDIS key in the process and were now heading for the police box, but Clara was trying to prevent it.
Knowing there were at least four of them, she kept her eyes on them, while backing away to the front door. She noticed the letter tucked in the paneling of the door frame out of the corner of her eyes, but didn't take her eyes off the Angels as she reached for it.
Not knowing how to fly the TARDIS, she was stuck on her own in the middle of London. She had to abandon the TARDIS as she ran off of the property. Only when she was safely away from the house did she read the letter. It was from the Doctor and it was dated from 1969.
"Seriously?" she muttered to herself.
The letter wasn't really detailed, but it told her to find a woman named Sally Sparrow, who would help her get the TARDIS back to the Doctor and Martha. Clara folded up the letter and sighed. She was smack-bang in the middle of London with no job, no place to stay, and no Doctor. This was going to take forever...
Two months later...
Clara leaned against the wall by the gate as she watched the woman jump the fence to the house that the Doctor had disappeared in. She figured this had to be the mysterious Sally Sparrow that the Doctor had mentioned in his letter.
Clara waited in the dark, keeping an eye out for the Angels, all while looking for Sally to come back out. Sally finally came out, looking very spooked.
"Hello, Sally Sparrow," Clara said, stepping into her path.
"Who are you? How do you know my name?" Sally asked.
"The Doctor," Clara said.
"Okay, very funny," Sally said, starting to walk away.
"This isn't a joke," Clara insisted. She took out a piece of paper and wrote her mobile number on it. "When you feel lost and need help, give me a ring."
Clara then turned and walked away, with a very confused Sally standing behind her. She went back to her very small flat that she had by working in a clothes shop, just like Rose had. She was so bored with the same old routine.
Finding Sally that night had been the first thing that had really happened to her in the past two months. She had spent every evening at that house, just waiting for Sally Sparrow to show up.
She showed up at the house early the next morning, knowing that Sally's curiosity would get the best of her. She showed up a half hour later with a friend.
Clara was very nearly bored until an hour later, Sally came out of the gate by herself, carrying a letter. Clara noticed all the Weeping Angels in the windows of the houses and shuddered.
"Sally?" she called out.
"Leave me alone!" Sally practically screamed out and rushed off.
Clara sighed. This was going to be a lot harder than she had originally thought. The TARDIS was now gone. The police had taken custody of it and it was now in impound. Kind of funny when you actually thought about it.
She knew it was very stalkerish of her, but she followed Sally from the house to a cafe. Sally didn't stay at the cafe long before she went to a cemetery in town. Clara saw the Weeping Angel watching Sally and kept her eyes on it as Sally visited a grave.
Clara barely slipped out of sight as Sally left the graveyard. Keeping her eyes on the Angel, Clara then left the cemetery and followed Sally to a DVD store on Queen Street.
She kept her coat bundled close to her as it started to rain. Sally finally exited the video store with a determined expression on her face.
"No, no," Clara groaned, as Sally went into the police station. "They'll think you're mad."
She waited until Sally had been inside for a while before she then entered the police station.
"Hi, there," she said to the officer on duty. "My friend had just come inn asking about the Wester Drumlins House? Can you tell me where she went?"
"Down in impound, love," the officer said.
"Thanks very much," Clara said.
She went down to impound and found it empty of anyone. There was a garage-looking door that was busted open and the rain and wind was blowing in. She also noticed that the TARDIS was missing from the impound. Sally came rushing back in, looking around.
"Are you ready to accept my help yet?" Clara asked her.
"Who are you?" Sally asked, looking at her.
"My name is Clara Tyler. I'm with the Doctor, but he's trapped in 1969 and he needs the blue box," Clara said.
"What did you do to Billy?" Sally asked.
"Billy? Who's Billy?" Clara asked, confused.
"Billy Shipton," Sally said. "DI Shipton? He was just here."
"The Angels must've gotten him," Clara said. "That explains why the TARDIS is gone."
"TARDIS?" Sally asked.
"The blue box," Clara said.
Sally's mobile rang then.
"Hello?" Sally answered it. "Billy, where are you? Where?"
"I'm so sorry, Sally," Clara said, as Sally paused outside of the hospital. Clara had figured out what had happened to Billy as soon as Sally had said he had disappeared. Now, they were at the hospital to meet Billy.
"Billy?" Sally asked, approaching the bed.
Clara sat on the bed across from Billy's while Sally stood at the window.
"It was raining when we met," said the old man in the bed.
"It's the same rain," Sally said.
"Is Clara with you?" Billy asked.
"I'm here," Clara said, walking to his bed.
"The Doctor said you'd be here," Billy said.
"You met him?" Clara asked.
"Yes, in 1969," Billy said. "He said to give you a message."
"What is it?" Clara asked.
"He said be patient and he'll see you soon," Billy said.
"Thank you, Billy," Clara said, kissing his cheek. She went back to the empty bed and sat on it.
Billy was showing Sally a picture of his wedding day.
"She looks nice," Sally said.
"Her name was Sally, too," Billy said. Clara smiled slightly.
"Sally Shipton," Sally said, with a smile.
"Sally Shipton!" Billy said. "I often thought about looking for you before tonight, but apparently it would've torn a hole in the fabric of space and time and destroyed two thirds of the universe. Also, I'd lost my hair."
Clara smirked at the description that the Doctor had given Billy.
"Two thirds of the universe," Sally repeated. "Where'd you get that?"
"There's a man in 1969," Billy said. "He sent me with a message for you."
"What man?" Sally asked.
"The Doctor," Billy said.
"And what was the message?" Sally asked.
"Just this," Billy said. "Look at the list."
"What does that mean? Is that it, look at the list?" Sally asked.
"He said you'd have it by now," Billy said. "A list of seventeen DVDs. I didn't stay a policeman back then. Got into publishing. Then video publishing. Then DVDs, of course."
"You put the Easter Egg on?" Sally asked.
"Easter Egg?" Clara muttered to herself, wondering what it was all about.
"Have you noticed what all seventeen DVDs have in common yet? I suppose it's hard for you, in a way," Billy said.
"How could the Doctor have even known I had a list?" Sally asked "I only just got this."
"I asked him how, but he said he couldn't tell me," Billy said. "He said you'd understand it one day, but that I never would."
"That's how he works," Clara said.
"Soon as I understand it, I'll come and tell you," Sally said.
"No, gorgeous girl, you can't," Billy said. "There's only tonight. He told me all those years ago that we'd only meet again this one time. On the night I die."
Clara was a bit shocked that the Doctor would tell someone that. That was a bit like cheating, telling someone when they're going to die.
"Oh, Billy," Sally said.
"It's kept me going," Billy said. "I'm an old, sick man. But I've had something to look forward to. Ah, life is long and you are hot. Oh, look at my hands. They're old man's hands. How did that happen?"
"I'll stay," Sally said, glancing at Clara, who nodded. "I'm going to stay with you. Okay?"
"Thank you, Sally Sparrow," Billy said. "I have 'til the rain stops."
"I'll stay as well, Billy," Clara said, getting up and taking his hand. "I know it's what the Doctor would do if he was here."
"What do we do now?" Sally asked, after the room had been cleared out. The rain was done now, everything wet.
"I think you should take a look at that list," Clara said.
Sally took it out of her pocket and looked at it.
"Wait a minute," she said. "I own these movies."
"And there we go," Clara said. "Let's go."
As they left the hospital, Sally got on her mobile and called Larry Nightingale.
"They're mine," Sally said. "The DVDs on the list. The seventeen DVDs. What they've got in common is me. They're all the DVDs I own. The Easter Egg was intended for me!"
Clara snorted as she heard the answer from the other end.
"You've only got seventeen DVDs?" Larry asked.
"That's all he got out of that?" Clara wondered out loud.
"Do you have a portable DVD player?" Sally asked. "I want you to meet me. Wester Drumlins."
Clara was waiting in the living room when Larry showed up at the Wester Drumlins house with his portable DVD player.
"Right, Larry, Clara. Clara, Larry," Sally introduced.
"Hi," Clara said, with a small wave.
"Hi," Larry said, looking a little unsure.
"It's okay," Sally said. "Clara's here to help."
"Right," Larry said, starting to set up his DVD player. "Okay, this is the one with the clearest sound. Slightly better picture quality on this one, but I don't-"
"Doesn't matter," Sally interrupted.
"Okay," Larry said. "There he is."
"The Doctor," Clara whispered, looking at him. She was missing him like crazy. Him and Martha.
"Who's the Doctor?" Larry asked, hearing her.
"He's the Doctor," Sally answered.
"Yep, that's me," the Doctor said on the monitor.
"Okay, that was scary," Sally said.
"No, it sounds like he's replying, but he always says that," Larry said.
Clara smirked. She knew what the Doctor was up to. She shook her head at him, even though he couldn't see her.
"Yes, I do," the Doctor said.
"And that," Larry said.
"Yep, and this," the Doctor said.
Clara stood in the doorway, keeping an eye out for Angels and watching the monitor at the same time. This was almost too funny, the way the Doctor was replying.
"He can hear us," Sally exclaimed. "Oh, my gosh, you can really hear us!"
"Of course he can't hear us," Larry said. "Look! I've got a transcript, see, everything he says. 'Yup, that's me.' 'Yes, I do.' 'Yep, and this.' Next, it's..."
"Are you going to read out the whole thing?" the Doctor and Larry both said at the same time.
"Sorry," Larry said.
"Who are you?" Sally asked.
"I'm a time traveler. Or I was," the Doctor said. "I'm stuck in 1969."
"We're stuck," Martha said, sticking her head in the picture. "All of space and time, he promised me. Now, I've got a job in a shop, I've got to support him!"
"Good old Martha," Clara said, giggling.
"Martha!" the Doctor said.
"Sorry," Martha said, moving out of the picture.
"I've seen this bit before," Sally said.
"Quite possibly," the Doctor said.
"1969, that's where you're talking from?" Sally asked.
"'Fraid so," the Doctor said.
"But you're replying to me," Sally protested. "You can't know exactly what I'm gonna say, 40 years before I say it!"
"38!" the Doctor said.
"I'm getting this down!" Larry said. "I'm writing in your bits."
"And give the boy a prize," Clara said to herself.
"How? How is this possible? Tell me!" Sally demanded.
"Not so fast," Larry said.
"People don't understand time," the Doctor said. "It's not what you think it is."
"Then what is it?" Sally asked.
"Complicated," the Doctor said.
"Tell me," Sally said.
"Very complicated," the Doctor said.
"I'm clever and I'm listening," Sally said. "And don't patronize me because people have died and I'm not happy. Tell me."
"You might want to, Doctor," Clara said, laughing.
"Fine, Clara," the Doctor sighed. "People assume that time is a strict progression of cause to effect, but actually from a non-linear, non-subjective viewpoint, it's more like a big ball of wibbly-wobbly, timey-wimey stuff."
"Yeah, I've seen this bit before," Sally said. "You said that sentence got away from you."
"It got away from me, yeah," the Doctor said.
"Next thing you're going to say is, 'Well, I can hear you'," Sally said.
"Well, I can hear you," the Doctor said.
"This isn't possible," Sally said.
"No, it's brilliant!" Larry said.
"Not hear you, exactly, but I know everything you're going to say," the Doctor said.
"Always gives me the shivers, that bit," Larry said.
"How can you know what I'm going to say?" Sally asked.
"Look to your left," the Doctor answered.
"What does he mean by, 'Look to your left?' I've written tons about that on the forums. I think it's a political statement," Larry said.
"He means you," Sally said. "What are you doing?"
"I'm writing in your bits," Larry said. "And anything Clara says. "So I've got a complete transcript of the whole conversation. Wait until this hits the net. This will explode the egg forums."
"I've got a copy of the finished transcript," the Doctor said. "It's on my Autocue."
"How can you have a copy of the finished transcript? It's still being written," Sally said.
"I told you," the Doctor said. "I'm a time traveler. I got it in the future."
"Well, his past, your future," Clara said.
"Okay, let me get my head 'round this," Sally said. "You're reading from a transcript of a conversation you're still having? Wibbly-wobbly, timey-wimey. Actually, never mind that. You can do shorthand?" she asked Larry.
"So?" Larry asked.
"What matters is we can communicate," the Doctor said. "We have got big problems now. They've taken the blue box, haven't they? The Angels have the phone box."
"The Angels have the phone box!" Larry said. "That's my favorite. I've got it on a t-shirt!"
"They have the TARDIS, Doctor," Clara said, and Larry wrote it down.
"What do you mean, Angels? You mean those stature things?" Sally asked.
"Creatures from another world," the Doctor said.
"But they're just statues," Sally said.
"Only when you see them," the Doctor said.
"What does that mean?" Sally asked.
"Lonely assassins, they were called," the Doctor said. "No one knows where they came from. They're as old as the universe, or very nearly. They've survived this long as they have the most perfect defense system ever evolved. They are quantum-locked. They don't exist when being observed. The moment they're seen by any other living creature, they freeze into rock. No choice. It's a fact of their biology. In the sight of any living thing, they literally turn to stone. And you can't kill a stone. Course, a stone can't kill you either. But then you turn your head away, then blink, and oh, yes it can!"
"Bit of a ramble," Clara said.
"Don't take your eyes off that," Sally said.
Clara turned for a second and looked at the other doorway that she wasn't watching. There was an Angel in the doorway. She whipped back around to keep an eye on the doorway she was standing in.
"That's why they cover their eyes," the Doctor said. "They're not weeping, they can't risk looking at each other. Their greatest asset is their greatest curse. They can never be seen. The loneliest creatures in the universe. And I'm sorry, I am very, very sorry, it's up to you now."
"What am I supposed to do?" Sally asked, looking to Clara for help.
"The blue box, it's my time machine," the Doctor said. "There is a world of time energy in there they could feast on forever. The damage they can do can switch off the sun. You have to send it back to me!"
"How? How?" Sally asked.
"And that's it, I'm afraid," the Doctor said. There was creaking from upstairs and Clara held her eyes open wide. "There's no more from you on the transcript, that's all I've got. I dunno what stopped you talking, but I can guess. They're coming. The Angels are coming for you. But listen, you life could depend on this. Don't blink! Don't even blink. Blink and you're dead. They are fast, faster than you can believe. Don't turn your back, don't look away, and don't blink! Good luck! Clara, stay safe."
"No, don't, you can't!" Sally exclaimed from behind Clara.
"I'll rewind him!" Larry said.
"What good would that do?!" Sally said. "You're not looking at the statue."
"Neither are you," Larry said.
"Well, someone had better look at it!" Clara said, still watching the other entrance.
"Keep looking at it," Sally said. "Keep looking at it!"
"There's just one, right, there's just this one," Larry said. "We're okay if we keep staring at this one statue, everything's gonna be fine."
"There's three more," Sally said.
"Three?!" Larry said, panicking.
"There we upstairs, I think I heard them moving," Sally said.
"They definitely moved," Clara said.
"Where?" Larry asked. "Three...moving where?"
"I'll look around, I'm going to check," Sally said. "Keep looking at this one, don't blink. Remember what he said, don't even blink!"
"Who blinks? I'm too scared to blink," Larry said.
"Okay," Sally said. "We're going to the door. Front door. Okay. We can't all get to the front door without taking our eyes off that thing. You stay here," she told Larry.
"What?!" Larry asked.
"I'll be just round the corner, stay here!" Sally said. "They've locked it! They've locked us in!"
"Why?" Larry asked.
"I've got something they want," Sally said.
"What?" Larry asked.
"The key, I took it last time I was here," Sally said. "They followed me to get it back. I led them to the blue box. Now they've got that!"
"Give them the key!" Larry said.
"That's actually my key," Clara said. "They can't have it."
Not seeing any Angels in view, Clara turned to help Larry keep an eye on the Angel in the room. Its face was gruesome, twisted into a snarl, with its hands outstretched, looking like claws.
"I'm gonna check the back door, you both wait here," Sally said.
"Give them the key, give them what they want!" Larry said. "Sally, no, what if they come behind me!?"
"I'm here, you idiot!" Clara said.
"Hang on!" Sally yelled. "It's locked!"
Clara was looking at the other entrance and when she looked back, the Angel had moved again.
"Keep looking at it, Larry!" she yelled at him.
"Sally! Sally!" Larry cried.
"It won't open!" Sally said.
"Try the cellar," Clara said.
"Sally, please, I can't do this! Sally, hurry up! Where are you?!" Larry said, still panicking.
"Larry! Clara! They've blocked off the back door, but I'm going to try the cellar. There might be a way out, delivery hatch or something," Sally said.
"Get out, Larry," Clara said. "Follow Sally. I've got your back."
"I'm coming!" Larry cried out to Sally. "I can't stay here."
After Larry had bolted out of the room, Clara had kept her eyes on the Angel and carefully backed out of the room and to the cellar. The Angel followed her all the way to the cellar, where the TARDIS was.
"Oh, and there's your one," Sally said.
"Keep looking at it and give me the key," Clara said.
Sally handed her her key back and she slowly went towards the TARDIS.
"Why's it pointing at the...light?" Larry asked, as the lights started to flicker.
"Oh, my gosh! It's turning out the lights!" Sally said.
"Quickly!" Larry said.
Clara jammed the key in the lock, but couldn't quite get it to turn.
"I can't get it!" Clara said.
"Hurry up!" Larry said. "Get it open! They're getting faster, Clara, come on!"
"I got it!" Clara shouted, pushing open the door. "Quick, close the doors so they won't get in!"
A hologram of the Doctor appeared on the deck above them.
"This is security protocol 712," he said. "This time capsule has detected the presence of an authorized control disc, valid one journey."
"Doctor, the Angels are trying to get in!" Clara yelled.
Larry opened the case of the disk that had the Doctor on it and it was glowing.
"Please insert the disc and prepare for departure," the Doctor said.
"It goes in over there!" Clara said, pointing.
"Looks like a DVD player," Sally said. "There's a slot."
Clara scrambled to keep on her feet as the Angels rocked the TARDIS back and forth.
"They're trying to get in!" Larry said.
"Well, hurry up then!" Sally said.
Larry had put in the disc and the TARDIS started to dematerialize. Clara realized there was something wrong when Larry and Sally started to fade around her.
"No! You can't leave them!" Clara shouted. "They'll die!"
The TARDIS had faded entirely, though. Rushing to the door, she opened it to find the Doctor and Martha waiting outside.
"How could you!?" Clara asked, smacking the Doctor across the face.
"What was that for?" he asked.
"You left them behind!" Clara said, close to tears. "The Angels will kill them!"
"No, it won't," the Doctor said. "I tricked them. They'll only be looking at each other."
"So they were just bait, then?" Clara asked, still mad.
"Weelll, in a way, I suppose," the Doctor said.
"So, they'll be fine?" Clara asked.
"Yup!" the Doctor said.
"Alright then," Clara said. "Now, move!"
The Doctor went into the TARDIS and Martha hugged Clara saying thank you, over and over again.
One year later...for Sally and Larry
Five months previously...for the Doctor, Martha, and Clara
Clara had a crossbow strapped to her back, just like the Doctor did. Martha had a quiver of arrows across her's. They had all jammed into a taxi, chasing down a giant lizard.
"Doctor! Doctor! Clara!" someone shouted their names. Clara whipped around to see an unfamiliar girl running out of a shop towards them.
"Hello! Sorry, bit of a rush, there's a sort of thing happening, fairly important we stop it," the Doctor said, as Clara edged away, towards the danger.
"It's you, it really is you," the woman said. "Oh, you don't remember me, do you? Either of you?"
"Sorry, no," Clara said, taking another step towards Martha.
"We don't have time for this," Martha said. "Migration's started."
"Look, sorry, I've got a bit of a complex life," the Doctor said. "Things don't always happen to me in order. Gets confusing, especially at weddings, I'm rubbish at weddings, especially my own."
"Is that something we should know, Doctor?" Clara asked, smirking.
"Oh, my gosh! Of course, you're time travelers," the woman said. "It hasn't happened yet! None of it, it's still in your futures!"
"What hasn't happened?" the Doctor asked.
"Apparently something," Clara said.
"Doctor! Clara! Twenty minutes to red hatching!" Martha shouted.
"It was me," the woman said. "Oh, it was me all along. You got it all from me!"
"Got what?" the Doctor asked.
"Okay, listen," the woman said. "One day you're going to get stuck in 1969. Make sure you've got this with you. You're going to need it."
She handed the Doctor a packet with photos and lots of paper in it.
"And you, just make sure you push me to let you help," Sally said to Clara.
"Okay?" Clara said, not entirely sure.
"Doctor! Clara!" Martha shouted.
"Coming!" Clara said.
"Yeah, listen, listen, got to dash...things happening. Well, four things. Well, four things and a lizard," the Doctor said.
"Okay," the woman said. "No worries, on you go. See you around, some day."
"What was your name?" the Doctor asked.
"Sally Sparrow," she said.
"Good to meet you, Sally Sparrow," the Doctor said.
"See ya," Clara said, taking off after Martha.