Ok, here's the next one. Let's see where Ember ended up nearly naked.

Warning: some swearing and mentions of sex.

Chapter Twenty Five: The Bells of Saint John

The moment Ember felt solid ground underneath her feet, the first thing she did was put on the Doctor's dress shirt that she'd managed to grab before she jumped, mentally berating herself about poor judgement and forgetting to keep her clothes nearby. The next time she slept with the Doctor, she was going to make sure she had something within easy reach.

That made her pause as she was buttoning the shirt up, realising what she'd just thought. The next time? Was there going to be a next time? Should there be? She knew that she was treading on potentially dangerous ground by allowing herself this guilty pleasure, but she couldn't deny that it felt good. And the Doctor clearly had nothing against it; she'd felt his honest want for her when they were mentally connected during the physical act.

"Ember?"

The brunette jumped at the sound of her name, finally taking in her surroundings. It looked to be a dark cavern, lit by flaming torches and candles strategically placed. There was an oak table and a bed, and a canvas on an easel facing away from her.

The owner of the voice was none other than the Eleventh Doctor, who was currently wearing a heavy, dark brown robe that monks used to wear in olden days, the hood partially up as though he'd been in the middle of pulling it on. He was looking at her with wide eyes and a light blush on his face. "Are you alright?"

"Uh, yeah..." Ember said, absently trying to tug the shirt a bit lower over her legs. Since it was the Doctor's, it was a little big on her, but it still only reached her upper thigh and she could feel a draft quite easily. "Um, I was just... I mean, I was..."

The Doctor's soft chuckle made her look up, to find that he seemed to have collected himself and had approached her, smiling. "So this is where you went with my shirt. Have to say, you look quite... well, you look cute in that..."

Ember blushed, her hand going to pull the shirt down again. "W-well, it was either this or nothing at all, and I dunno where I'd end up, so..."

"I suppose," the Doctor said with a shrug before he noticed her shiver. He moved to untie his robe. "Here, this'll help..."

The brunette looked up as he opened his robe, not able to decide if she was relieved or disappointed that he was wearing clothes underneath, though it was only a simple tunic and pants. She expected him to remove the robe for her to wear, but she was surprised when he simply pulled her to him and closed the robe around them. The cloth thankfully was big enough for both of them, and she found herself relaxing in the warmth of the embrace. "T-thanks..."

"Not a problem." He backed them up a bit so he could sit on the stool next to the table, making her sit on his lap with a darker blush. He either didn't notice or chose not to comment, holding her close and putting his chin on her left shoulder while also brushing his mind against hers. "Do you know, this might help me think a bit better..."

Ember shook her head. "I doubt it, but I'll bite. Why do you need to think?"

The Doctor sighed, absently nuzzling the junction where her neck and shoulder met. If he noticed the resulting shiver, he didn't call her out on it. "A little bird told me I should find a quiet place and think for a while."

The brunette was about to reply when someone else cleared their throat. The Time Lords looked up, to find two monks at the entrance to the cavern. One was a young man while the one who'd made the sound was rather old. "Ahem. I'm sorry to intrude. I wasn't aware you had a... consort..."

Ember blushed even more red, if that were possible, while the Doctor lifted his head from her shoulder to address the man. "It's not what it looks like! We're not naked under here. Well, she's almost, but I'm dressed, and we weren't-oof!"

He got cut off by an elbow to the stomach, curtesy of the brunette who looked like all the blood had gone to her face.

The older monk didn't look fazed, or he was very good at hiding it. "I apologise, but the Bells of Saint John are ringing."

Bells of Saint John? Ember had to think for a moment before she remembered where she'd heard that name before.

"I'm going to need a horse." The Doctor said as he stood, making Ember stand with him. They made for an odd-looking pair, sharing one robe; it was like they had one body and two heads. "And a robe for my... lady friend."

Ember raised a brow at him, noticing that he'd faltered, but he didn't give her time to ask as he moved to leave the room, her having no choice but to follow if she wanted to keep the monks from seeing her current state of undress.

"I'm guessing the last adventure was with snowmen in Victorian times," she said as she finally got free of his robe, standing to one side while he made sure he had everything they needed for the travel. "And the Saint John he mentioned, is the Tardis?"

"Yes to both," The Doctor said, packing a small bag with water and some other items. "And when he said bells, did he mean the actual bells or the phone ringing?"

Ember met his gaze as he looked at her. "He meant a phone, though he obviously doesn't know that."

After returning with a horse and a smaller robe that fit Ember, the Time Lord were off with the younger monk, through the woods at night with only flaming torches to guide them. The Doctor, with Ember sat in front of him on the same horse, led the way until they stopped at a stone-built entrance to what seemed to be an underground cavern, guarded by another monk who let them pass. They could hear a phone ringing from inside even before they entered and found the Tardis parked in the far corner.

"That is not supposed to happen." The Doctor said as he approached, Ember by his side as he opened the little panel on the door and picked up the handset of the phone, holding it so that he and Ember could listen. "Hello?"

"Ah, hello!" Ember recognised the female voice on the other end instantly: Clara. "I can't find the internet."

The Doctor blinked, puzzled. "Sorry?"

"It's gone, the internet. Can't find it anywhere. Where is it?"

"The internet?"

"Yes, the internet. Why don't I have the internet?"

The Doctor looked around the cavern. "It's twelve oh seven."

"I've got half past three. Am I phoning a different time zone?"

"Yeah, you really sort of are."

"Will it show up on the bill?"

"Oh, I dread to think." The Doctor mused. "Listen, where did you get this number?"

"The woman in the shop wrote it down. It's a help line, isn't it?" Clara said. "She said it's the best help line out there. In the universe, she said."

The Doctor looked at Ember, who shrugged. "What woman? Who was she?"

"I don't know. The woman in the shop. So why isn't there internet? Shouldn't it sort of... be there?"

"Look, listen, I'm not actually, this isn't..." the Doctor rolled his eyes in defeat. "You have clicked on the wifi button, haven't you?"

"Hang on. Wifi..."

"Click on the wifi, you'll see a list of names. You see one you recognise?"

"Don't click on any that you don't recognise," Ember added.

"Nice to know I've got more than one helper here," Clara said off handedly. "It's asking me for a password."

The young monk looked puzzled. "Is it an evil spirit?"

"It's a woman." The Doctor replied, rolling his eyes again as the monk made a cross gesture over himself.

"Hang on a mo." Clara spoke before she recited the words she'd been given to remember the password. "Run you clever boy and firey girl and remember... one, two-"

The Doctor caught the phrase and his eyes widened. "What did you say?!"

"Don't shout. Now you've made me type it wrong! It's thrown me out again. What do I do? How do I get back in?" Clara did not sound happy. "It's just a thing to remember the password; 'run you clever boy and firey girl and remember.'" There was a faint sound of a doorbell ringing in the background. "Hang on."

Ember took the phone from a surprised Doctor's hand and hung up. "That was us, at her door. Let's go."

The Doctor followed her as they entered the Tardis. "Was it her? Is it really Clara?"

"Yes, now let's go!"

After tracking the phone call back to its place and time of origin, the Tardis quickly landed them in modern day Earth. Before Ember could stop him, the Doctor ran out of the door, making her sigh and follow. She caught up with him as he began to ring the doorbell and knock on a front door repeatedly.

"Hello? Yes, I hear you. Yep. Uh huh!" They heard Clara's voice getting louder as she approached from the other side, until she opened the door. "Hello."

The Doctor was openly staring at her in disbelief. "Clara. Clara Oswald?"

"Hello."

"Clara Oswin Oswald?"

"Just Clara... Oswald. What was that middle one?"

"Do you remember me?"

"No. Should I? Who are you?"

"The Doctor. No? The Doctor?" He looked at a mirror that was hung in the hallway.

"Doctor who?"

"No, just the Doctor." He looked at the mirror again before he faced her. "Actually, sorry, could you just ask me that again?"

"Could I what?"

"Could you just ask me that question again?"

Clara looked at Ember, who mouthed 'please', and then at the Doctor again. "Doctor who?"

The Doctor smiled. "Okay, just once more?"

"Doctor who?"

"Ooo, yeah. Ooo." The Doctor did an odd little dance on the spot, though he stopped when Ember nudged him with her elbow. "Do you know, I never realised how much I enjoy hearing that said out loud. Thank you."

"Okay." Clara said, and then she shut the door in their faces.

"Hey, no, Clara, please!" The Doctor went back to the knocking, seeing that she remained near the door. "Clara, I need to talk to you! Listen. Please! Please, I just need to speak to you!"

There was a small crackle as the door intercom turned on, followed by Clara's voice. "Why are you still here? Why are you here at all?"

The Doctor looked at the tiny camera on the intercom. "Oi, you phoned me! You were looking for the internet."

"That was you?"

"Of course it was me!"

"How did you get here so fast?"

"I just happened to be in the neighbourhood, on my mobile phone." The Doctor gestured vaguely to the Tardis parked right next to the garden wall.

"When you say mobile phone, why do you point at that blue box?"

"Because it's a surprisingly accurate description."

"Okay, we're finished now."

"Oi, no, don't!" The intercom crackled again, signalling that it had been turned off. The Doctor turned to Ember and pouted. "Why doesn't she remember?"

"Because it's not her job to. It's yours." Ember looked at his robe. "Maybe if you weren't looking like a monk out of place..."

Grinning, the Doctor took her hand and ran back to the Tardis. As soon as the door closed behind them, he started pulling off the robes, leaving only the tunic and trousers on.

"Right. Don't be a monk. Monks are not cool." He was muttering to himself as he descended the steps and went to the compartments below the console, kneeling at one and opening it.

Ember followed, smiling when she saw him put on a fez as he threw clothes around. "Can you ever get dressed without throwing your whole wardrobe around? While you're at it, is there something for me to wear?"

"Ah, right here!" He threw over a pair of black converse that were tied together by the laces. "And your clothes should be in that cabinet there!"

Ember moved to the compartment he'd pointed at, opening it and blinking at the sight of familiar clothes folded neatly in a pile. "Hang on. I was wearing those when we... how did they get here?"

"The Tardis exists in all of time and space," The Doctor explained as he held up two coats, dropping the light brown one in favour of the dark purple one that reached the knees. "If you jump and leave something behind in one time, she'll just send it back or forward to where you've gone."

"Hm, that's good to know." Ember examined the pile of clothes, noticing that even her underwear was present. "Um, do you mind turning around?"

"Why? It's not like I haven't seen you naked before."

Ember felt the blush cross her face. "Yes, but... we were... doing things then..."

The Doctor, who by now was bare from the waist up, smirked at her. "We could be 'doing things' now."

"Ah, focus! Clara, remember?"

Nodding reluctantly, the Doctor turned to rummage through the compartment again. Ember took advantage of his distraction to slip on her underwear before she removed the robe and the shirt. She'd just bent over to grab her trousers when she heard him give an appreciative whistle, making her jump. "Oi!"

"Alright, alright," he grumbled, getting back to dressing himself, mumbling words under his breath.

In a matter of minutes, the two were fully dressed, the Doctor putting on his bow tie as Ember tied her shoelaces. With a grin, the Doctor led her back up to console level and out of the doors, and back to Clara's front door.

"Ah ha! Clara! Clara?" He called as he knocked again.

Her voice replied from the intercom. "Hello?"

"Ah, see? Look, it's us! De-monked! Sensible clothes. Can we come in now?"

"I don't understand."

"You just open the door."

"I don't know..." Ember froze, suddenly remembering where they were.

"Of course you can!"

"...Where I am." That made the Doctor pause. "I don't know where I am. Where am I? Please tell me where I am. I don't know where I am."

Ember tugged his sleeve. "Trouble!"

The Doctor used his Sonic to quickly open the door, stopping when he saw Clara lying at the bottom of the stairs, unconscious.

"I don't know where I am." Her voice was still heard despite her unconscious state. It came from higher up the steps, where a little girl was standing. The oddest thing about it wasn't that her head was facing the opposite way to her body, but the back of her head was concave and silver, like a spoon, and Clara's face could be seen on it. "I don't know where I am!"

The Doctor knelt by Clara's unconscious body, checking for a pulse. "Clara? Clara?"

"I don't know where I am. I don't know where I am. I don't understand. I don't know where I am! I don't understand. I don't know where I am." The image of Clara on the spoon-head spoke, making him look up at her. "Where am I? I don't know where I am."

The Doctor pointed his Sonic at the girl, making it lose the image and reveal itself as a thin robot. "Walking base station. Walking wifi base station. Hoovering up data. Hoovering up people."

"Her laptop!" Ember said, kneeling beside Clara's body. "It got her through that! It's downloading her!"

The Doctor was quick to act, running up the stairs and coming back less than a minute later with a laptop. He sat on the floor beside Ember and Clara and opened the laptop, typing away at it rapidly. "Oh no, you don't."

Ember kept a check of Clara's breathing, making sure the body was still alive as the Doctor worked to save her mind.

"Oh, no, no, no, no, no." He muttered as he worked. "Not this time, Clara, I promise."

The robot twitched and moved, sending a beam of light to Clara's head. She arched her back with a gasp and then coughed.

The Doctor moved to her side to shift her into the recovery position. "Okay. It's okay, it's okay. You're fine. You're back. Yes, you are. Oh yes, you are."

"Best send them a warning," Ember said, nodding her head to the laptop. "Let them know she's protected."

After the Doctor did just that, he and Ember carried Clara up the stairs and to her own bed, making sure she was comfortable. The Doctor poured water into a glass from a jug and put both on the bedside table, then came back with a mug that had flowers in it. Then he dashed off and came back with a plate and a packet of Jammy Dodgers, emptying the pack onto the plate before taking one for himself. Ember smirked at the bliss that crossed his face when he bit into it, shaking her head when he offered the rest of it to her.

Finishing the biscuit with a shrug, the Doctor looked around the room and spotted an old book - 101 Places To See. He picked it up and flipped through it to find that Clara had owned it since she was nine years old, the ages increasing and being crossed out until it reached 24. The Doctor was about to close the book when he found a pressed maple leaf in the front cover.

Ember shook her head again when she saw him tentively lick the leaf and pull a face. "Did you expect it to taste like maple syrup? What is it with you and this need to taste everything?"

"Didn't hear you complain when I did it to you," he shot back, smirking in triumph when her face promptly went red.

"S-shut up!" She couldn't meet his gaze, knowing that he was loving the effect he was having on her. She waved her hand at the leaf. "Put it back; it's important."

The Doctor put the leaf and the book back where he found them and opened the door for the brunette as they left the room. If he had an extra bit of swagger in his step, she chose not to point it out.

A short time later, night had fallen. The Doctor had set up a garden table just outside the Tardis, with a chair for him and Ember. He was working at Clara's laptop while a partially disassembled Spoonhead was lying nearby.

"You won't find them." The brunette said, sipping at a glass of lemonade. "Not yet, anyway."

The Doctor glanced at her. "Any hints?"

"The WiFi tried to take her, but it's the ones behind it that makes it do that. And keep your eyes on the sky."

The Doctor was about to ask what she meant when they heard a window opening above them. The attic window had opened and Clara stuck her head out of it to look at them. "Hello?"

"Hello!" He said as he stood up, turning to face her. "Are you all right?"

"I'm in bed."

"Yes."

"Don't remember going."

"No."

"What did I miss?"

"Oh, quite a lot, actually." The Doctor reached into his inside jacket pocket and pulled out a notepad. "Angie called. She's going to stay over at Nina's. Apparently that's all completely fine and you shouldn't worry like you always do. For god's sake get off her back."

"She said those exact words, by the way," Ember added. "Oh, and I borrowed your shower. Kinda needed to freshen up." She left out exactly why she needed to have a quick shower and change her underwear, though the Doctor had no problem figuring it out, if his cheeky wink was an indication.

"Also, your dad phoned, mainly about the government. He seems very cross with them, I've got several pages on that. I said I'd look into it. I fixed that rattling noise in the washing machine, indexed the kitchen cupboards, optimised photosynthesis in the main flower bed and assembled a quadricycle."

The last bit made Clara frown in puzzlement. "Assembled a what?"

"I found a disassembled quadricycle in the garage."

"I don't think you did."

Ember sipped her lemonade again. "Told you so."

The Doctor blinked. "I invented the quadricycle. Ha!"

"What happened to me?" Clara asked.

"Don't you remember?"

"I was scared, really scared. Didn't know where I was."

"Do you know now?"

"Yes."

"Well then, you should go to sleep. Because you're safe now, I promise." The Doctor smiled at the confused woman. "Goodnight, Clara."

Clara slowly pulled herself back into the house, closing the window, only to open it again and look at the Time Lords. "Are you two guarding me?"

"Well, yes. Yes, we are."

"Are you seriously going to sit down there all night?"

"I promise we won't budge from this spot."

"Well then, I'll have to come to you."

"...Eh?"

Clara disappeared into the house, and the Doctor turned to look at Ember as the brunette spoke. "She wants to talk. I gotta warn you now: there is a connection between this Clara and the ones you've met before, but she doesn't know them."

"Are you sure?" He asked. At her nod, he sat down in thought. "Can you tell me anything else?"

"She's where it all began. Or will begin. Ugh, timelines are dodgy."

Before the Doctor could say anything, Clara appeared from the back door. She was carrying a chair and two mugs.

"I like your house." The Doctor said to her as she set up the chair and sat down.

"It isn't mine. I'm a friend of the family."

"But you look after the kids. Oh yes, you're a governess, aren't you, just like..."

Clara caught the slip as he trailed off. "Just like what?"

"Just like... I thought you probably would be." He finished lamely, looking to Ember for help but only getting a shrug.

"Are you going to explain what happened to me?" Clara asked.

"There's something in the wifi."

"Okay."

"This whole world is swimming in wifi. We're living in a wifi soup. Suppose something got inside it. Suppose there was something living in the wifi, harvesting human minds. Extracting them. Imagine that. Human souls trapped like flies in the world-wide web. Stuck forever, crying out for help."

"Isn't that basically Twitter?" Clara joked, but then saw him frown as he typed at her laptop. "What's that face for?"

"A computer can hack another computer. A living, sentient computer... maybe that could hack people. Edit them. Re-write them."

"Why would you say that?"

"Because a few hours ago you knew nothing about the internet, and you just made a joke about Twitter."

Clara blinked, realising that he was right. "Oh. Oh, that's weird. I know all about computers now in my head. Where did all that come from?"

"You were uploaded for a while. Wherever you were, you brought something extra back, which I very much doubt you'll be allowed to keep."

"You were clever, but had no computer skills," Ember added, putting her glass in the table and standing up. "They gave you the knowledge. And no, they won't let you keep it. We've got company, by the way."

The Doctor looked up at that, following the brunette's gaze across the street, where a seemingly normal man was standing still beside a lamp post, facing them. What set off alarm bells was that the man was too still, and was looking at them with no emotion at all. "You and us, inside that box, now."

Clara looked at him. "I'm sorry?"

"Look, just get inside."

"All three of us?"

"Oh, trust me. You'll understand once we're in there."

"I bet I will." Clara said, standing up with her tea still in her hand. "What is that box, anyway? Why have you got a box? Is it like a snogging booth?"

"Clara..." The Doctor paused. "A what?"

"Is that what you do, bring a booth? There is such a thing as too keen."

Ember saw the lights in the houses starting to come on. "Um, Clara, look."

Clara looked, to see the same thing. "What's going on? What's happening? Is the wifi switching on the lights?"

"No, people are switching on the lights." The Doctor corrected. "The wifi is switching on the people."

The man across the street moved then, but only his head, turning it in a complete 180 to show a curved, silver surface.

"What is that thing?" Clara asked.

"A walking base station. You saw one earlier."

"Nicknamed a Spoonhead," Ember added, nudging the disassembled one with her foot while not taking her eyes off the one across the street.

"I saw a little girl." Clara said.

"It must have taken an image from your subconscious, thrown it back at you." The Doctor explained. "Ah! Active camouflage. They could be everywhere."

"Doctor? Doctor." Clara noticed that the lights in the city behind the house were going out. "What's going on? Our lights are on and everyone else's off. Why?"

Ember looked up, trying to see the plane that she knew was coming. "They're going with the classic plan of 'if we can't have her, no one can'."

"Some planes have wifi." The Doctor added, looking up as well.

"I'm sorry?"

"We must be one hell of a target right now." Something with lights far above them was coming towards them. "You, me, Ember, box, right now."

He grabbed Clara's hand, pulling her with him into the Tardis with Ember close behind. The Doctor then ran to the console and made them take off as Clara looked around in shock.

"Yes, it's a spaceship." He said quickly. "Yes, it's bigger on the inside. No, I don't have time to talk about it."

"But, but, but..." Clara stammered, Ember putting a hand on her shoulder to help steady her. "But it's-"

"Shut up, please. Short hops are difficult."

"Bigger, on the inside! Actually bigger."

The Doctor set them down and ran to the doors. "Right, come on!"

"We're going to go back out there?!" Clara asked.

"We've moved. It's a spaceship. We flew away."

"Away from the plane?"

"Not exactly." He opened the door and pulled them out with him, right onto the main section on a plane that was on a downward trajectory.

Clara looked around in further shock, somehow still holding her mug. "How did we get here?"

"It's a ship! I told you! It's all very sciency!"

"We're on the plane that they're using to try to kill us!" Ember added.

"This is the plane? The actual plane?" Clara asked, following the Time Lords as they made their way to the front of the plane. She noticed that the passengers all seemed unconscious, or... "Are they all dead?"

A quick scan with his Sonic told the Doctor the answer. "Asleep. Switched off by the wifi. Never mind them!"

They reached the front of the plane, opening the door to the cockpit with his Sonic. The pilots were also unconscious, slumped in their seats and blissfully unaware of the peril they were in.

"What is going on? Is this real?" Clara asked, starting to panic. "Please, tell me what is happening!"

"I'm the Doctor. I'm an alien from outer space. I'm a thousand years old, I've got two hearts and I can't fly a plane! Can you?"

"No!"

"Oh, fine. Let's do it together!"

Ember moved to grab the co-pilot's controls while the Doctor took the pilot's, both of them pulling up on them. They let out cries, joined by Clara, and then whooped in joy as they just missed the rooftops and went back up into the air.

"Whoo!" The Doctor cheered. "Would a victory roll be too showy offy?"

"Yes!" Ember said, breathing a sigh as she let go of the control.

The pilots woke up, the main one looking at them in confusion. "What the hell's going on?"

"Well, I'm blocking your wifi so you're waking up, for a start." The Doctor sonicked the control panel before patting the pilot on the shoulder. "Tell you what, do you want to drive?"

He and Ember left the cockpit, but they had to come back for Clara since she hadn't moved. They got back to the Tardis and took off, leaving the plane to go on its way.

"Okay." Clara said after a while. She was miraculously still holding her mug, which she put on the console after she drained it. "When are you going to explain to me what the hell is going on?"

The Doctor looked at her, then at Ember. "Breakfast?"

"What? I ain't waiting till breakfast!" Clara exclaimed.

"It's a time machine. You never have to wait for breakfast."

When he landed them and opened the doors, Clara was surprised to find that they were now on the South Bank in London, right next to the river, and it was daylight.

Several people started clapping as the Doctor bowed and held out a fez upside down.

"Thank you, thank you! Yes, magic blue box." He said, allowing people to toss coins into the fez. "All donations gratefully accepted. Roll up, give us your dosh. Pennies, pounds, anything you've got." He handed the fez to Clara. "Keep collecting. We need enough for breakfast. Just popping back to the garage."

Clara blinked as he disappeared back into the Tardis. "Garage?"

"It has a garage, kitchen, swimming pool, you name it," Ember said, smiling gratefully as more people threw coins into the fez.

"So this is tomorrow, then." Clara asked, keeping her voice down. "Tomorrow's come early."

"No, it came at the usual time. We just took a short cut." The Doctor called from within the Tardis before he came out on a large motorbike with a sidecar. The crowd applauded again as Ember snapped her fingers to close the Tardis doors. "Thank you, thank you. Tomorrow, a camel!"

Ember rolled her eyes as she got on behind the Doctor. "I'd pay to see that."

The Doctor grinned at her as he emptied the collected coins into a pocket and put the fez on the nearest person. He waited until Clara had gotten in the sidecar and the ladies had put on their helmets before he drove off.

"If you've got a flying time machine, why are we on a motorbike?" Clara had to yell to be heard over the roar of the engine.

"I don't take the Tardis into battle." The Doctor called back.

"Because it's made of wood?"

"Because it's the most powerful ship in the universe and I don't want it falling into the wrong hands. Okay?"

"Imagine what something like that is capable of in the wrong hands!" Ember added, her arms around the Doctor's waist.

In almost no time at all, the trio reached a rooftop terrace cafe that overlooked St Paul's Cathedral and Tower 42. Clara and the Doctor had already finished their cappuccino drinks while Ember had a can of cola as they sat at a table on the balcony.

"So if we can travel anywhere in time and space, why did we travel to the morning?" Clara asked. "What's the point in that?"

The Doctor looked up from where he was working with Clara's laptop. "Whoever's after us spent the whole night looking for us. Are you tired?"

"Yes."

"Then imagine how they feel. They came the long way round." He looked at the screen. "They've got to be close. Definitely London, going by the signal distribution. I can hack the lowest level of their operating system but I can't establish a physical location. The security's too good."

Clara watched him for a moment before she spoke again. "Are you aliens? Both of you?"

"Yep," Ember finished her drink. "Though I spent god knows how long thinking I was human until I started travelling with him."

"Okay with that?" The Doctor added.

Clara nodded. "Oh, yeah. Think I'm fine."

"Oh, good."

"So, what happens if you do find them? What happens then?"

"I don't know. I can't tell the future, I just work there."

Clara blinked at him. "You don't have a plan?"

"Oh, you know what I always say about plans."

"What?"

"I don't have one."

"People always have plans."

"Yes. Yes, I suppose they do. So tell me, how long have you been looking after those kids?"

Clara was puzzled by the abrupt change in topic, but let it slide. "About a year, since their mum died."

"Okay. Why you?" The Doctor asked, gaining a raised brow in response. "Family friend, I get that, but there must have been others. Why did it have to be you? You don't really seem like a nanny."

Clara chose not to answer that, instead reaching out and taking the laptop. "Gimme."

The Doctor took it back. "Sorry. What?"

"You need to know where they physically are. Their exact location."

"Yes."

"I can do it." Clara said, grabbing the laptop again.

"Oi, hang on. I need that!"

"You've hacked the lower operating system, yeah? I'll have their physical location in under five minutes. Pop off and get us a coffee."

The Doctor rolled his eyes, refusing to let go of the laptop. "If I can't find them, you definitely can't."

"They uploaded me, remember? I've got computing stuff in my head."

"So do I."

"I have insane hacking skills."

"I'm from space and the future with two hearts and... twenty seven brains!"

Ember rolled her eyes this time. She gave him a sharp kick in the shin to make him let go with a yelp.

"And I can find them in under five minutes plus photographs." Clara said, pausing to look at the wincing Time Lord. "Twenty seven?"

"Okay, slight exaggeration." The Doctor sent a pout at Ember. "Why'd you kick me?"

Ember smiled coyly as she stood up. "Did I? I'm so sorry. Come on, I'll get you a pastry to apologise."

"Oi, you're asking for trouble, you," The Doctor mock threatened as he stood to follow her. He looked back at Clara. "You sure?"

"Coffee, go get. Five minutes, I promise." Clara waved him off without looking, already typing at the laptop.

"The security is absolute."

"It's never about the security, it's about the people." Her fingers were flying over the keyboard, though she noticed that he had stopped halfway to the door and was staring. "Why do you keep looking at me like that?"

"Sorry, no, it's nothing. It's just, you're a nanny. Isn't that a bit, well, Victorian?"

"Victorian?"

"You're young. Shouldn't you be doing, you know..." the Doctor did a weird disco dance. "... young things, with young people?"

"You mean like you, for instance?" Clara shot him an amused look. "Down, boy. You've already got a girl to flirt with."

"No. No..." the Doctor checked that Ember hadn't heard, thankful that she had already gone into the cafe ahead of him. "I didn't... Shut up."

He turned and jogged after the brunette, finding her already at the counter. She smiled and held out a pastry on a napkin for him as he reached her.

"Knew you'd want one. And I got two cappuccinos." She said, turning to the old man behind the counter. "And another can of cola, please."

"One moment, ma'am," the man said, his Italian accent heavy, as he turned to finish the hot drinks.

The Doctor grinned and took the pastry, about to bite into it when the man spoke again.

"You realise you haven't the slightest chance of saving your little friend." What alerted him was the fact that the accent was suddenly gone.

Ember narrowed her eyes. "Was wondering when you'd show up."

The Doctor looked at the brunette before facing the man again. "I'm sorry, what?"

"One moment, sir." The man said with his normal accent, seemingly none the wiser, and then he straightened and the accent vanished again. "I said, there's not the slightest chance of saving your little friend. And don't annoy the old man. He isn't, in fact, speaking."

"I'm speaking." One of the waitresses said, making them turn around. "Just using whatever's to hand." She held the Doctor's gaze as he walked up to her to look closely and carefully. "Oh, she's rather pretty, isn't she? Do you like her? I can make her like you, too, if you want."

There was a split-second flicker of blue light, and the waitress suddenly looked puzzled by the man staring at her so intently. "You all right, sir?"

"Er, yes. Yes." The Doctor said, taking a step back. "Fine."

"Check on Clara," Ember said to him. "I'll wait here." The Doctor ran out of the cafe, and the brunette turned to see that the waitress was now standing still and watching her carefully. "I wouldn't get comfortable. You got our attention, so now you're in trouble."

The waitress tilted her head slightly. "If that's the Doctor, you must be the Great Fire. My client warned me about you."

"Then you should have been told that I'm someone you don't want to fuck with," Ember shot back.

The Doctor ran back in at that moment, and the waitress looked at him. "Now I want you to take a look around. Go on, have a little stroll. And see how impossible your situation is. Go on, take a look. I do love showing off."

A flicker of blue light, and the waitress went on her way. A little girl stood from a table and turned to them. "Just let me show you what control of the wifi can do for you. Stop!"

Everyone in the coffee shop froze, blue lights flickering around their heads.

The Doctor looked around. "I saw what you can do last night."

"And clear." The girl and everyone else swiftly left the cafe. Ember nudged the Doctor and pointed to a flat screen tv, where a woman who should have been telling the news was now looking at them, blue lines of code scrolling down the screen, and then she spoke. "We can hack anyone in the wifi once they've been exposed long enough."

"So there's one of your walking base stations here, somewhere close."

"There's always someone close. We've released thousands into the world. They home in on the wifi like rats sniffing cheese."

"I don't know who you are or why you're doing this," The Doctor said, walking up to the tv, "but the people of this world will not be harmed. They will not be controlled. They will not be-"

"The people of this world are in no danger whatsoever. My client requires a steady diet of living human minds. Healthy, free-range, human minds. He loves and cares for humanity. In fact, he can't get enough of it."

"It's obscene. It's murder."

"It's life. The farmer tends his flock like a loving parent. The abattoir is not a contradiction. No one loves cattle more than Burger King."

Ember decided to walk out of the cafe, going back to Clara's side just as she found out where the culprits were. They were both looking at the Shard in the near distance when footsteps approached, and they turned to see the Doctor walking up to them - or rather, who Clara thought was the Doctor.

"I did it. I really did." She said. "I did it. I did it. I found them."

"You found them." The 'Doctor' said.

"The Shard. They're in the Shard. Floor sixty five."

"Floor sixty five."

Clara paused, seeing the 'Doctor' look at her blankly. "Are you listening to me, Doctor? I found them."

"I'm listening to you. You found them."

Now Clara realised the problem, and if that wasn't enough, the 'Doctor' stiffened, his head turning around in a complete 180 to reveal a concave back: it was a Spoonhead.

Ember moved to stand in front of Clara and the Spoonhead just before it sent a beam of light, hitting her instead of the intended target. She felt the pain of something trying to grab her mind and mentally dug her heels in with a cry.

Somewhere in her mind, something twitched.

In the Shard, Alexi and Miss Kizlet blinked as the computer began to upload Ember. It was already at 20% and raising quickly.

"Well," Kizlet mused. "Looks like we're going to take care of half the problem."

Alexi was just nodding when an alarm suddenly blared. The message 'Warning: Overload' began to flash on the screen. "What the...?" He typed to try to find the problem, and when he did, it was surprising. "Ma'am, she's overloading the system! It can't handle her!"

"That's impossible," Kizlet said, looking at the screen as the progress bar reached 50%. "No one is that strong!"

The screen fizzled for a second before it changed to show something else: it looked like a camera feed in a dark place that had a few flames dotted around, though no details could be seen. As they watched, something in the flickering shadows shifted and a low growl was heard. If one listened, it almost sounded like the words 'get out' were hissed through the growl, but no one could be certain.

The moving shadow suddenly lunged at the screen, the flames moving with it at the same time. Kizlet and Alexi jumped back as the screen fizzled again before the whole computer sparked violently and went dead, smoke quickly rising from it.

"What the hell was that?!" Alexi cried. He'd never seen anything like it.

Kizlet turned to the next terminal. "What's the status of the download?"

The man sat at the terminal typed quickly to bring it up on his screen, only to blink when the progress bar was shown to be rapidity declining now. "It's going back."

"Let it go," Kizlet said. "We lost one terminal already; we can't risk a total system overload. Just get Clara."

Back at the cafe, the Spoonhead Doctor twitched and sparked slightly before it stopped the beam.

Ember gasped as she was suddenly released, her head pounding painfully. It was enough to send her on her knees, clutching her head. It was similar to when Cassandra had tried to possess her, coupled with the feeling she'd had when she first used her powers, but she couldn't remember what had happened while she was being downloaded.

"Ember!" Clara called, about to get up to go to the brunette, but the Spoonhead made a noise that made her look up just as another beam of light shot at her. This time there was no stopping it, and she was quickly downloaded.

It was at that moment that the Doctor ran out of the cafe, where he found Clara's lifeless body and the Spoonhead. "Clara? Clara?"

"Doctor? Doctor, help me! I, I don't know where I am! I don't understand!" Clara's voice came from the Spoonhead as its head rotated back to face the right way. He could see Clara on the reflected surface. "Doctor, help me, please! I don't know where I am. I don't know where I am! I don't know where I am. Doctor, please! Please help me! Please help me! I don't know where I am. I don't know where I am!"

The Doctor swiftly used his Sonic on the Spoonhead, disabling it, before looking at Ember, moving to her side to check on her. "What's wrong?"

Ember shook her head to clear it. The pain was already receding, so she was determined to ignore it. "I tried to stop it getting Clara. But they let me go, I dunno why. It was like Cassandra all over again..."

"You're too strong for them to download. Probably would have blown the whole system." The Doctor helped her to one of the chairs before looking at the Spoonhead again. "Can we get her back?"

"Yes, if you drop in on their headquarters, which is at the Shard." The brunette replied, motioning to the laptop. "But you don't have to go in person."

The Doctor grinned, using his Sonic to reprogram the Spoonhead. After several minutes, it then turned and walked off, and they had it connected to the laptop so they could see and hear everything the robot did as it went down to ground level and got on the bike, detaching the side car and putting on the helmet before taking off.

The robot stopped outside the Shard, and a man with a bag of chips turned to look at them. "Really, Doctor. A motorbike? Hardly seems like you."

"I rode this in the antigrav Olympics, 2074." The Doctor said, knowing that the Spoonhead would copy his speech. "I came last."

"The building is in lock-down. I'm afraid you're not coming in."

"Did you even hear the word antigrav?" The Doctor made the robot press a big red button on the fuel tank of the bike and then it was off with a roar, going right up to the Shard before it turned to face the sky and rode up the side of the building. The Doctor quickly counted the floors until they got to the one they wanted, where he let the robot use his Sonic to break a window and allow them into an office.

A few moments later, a middle-aged woman entered the office, seeing who she thought was the Doctor sat with his feet up on the desk, messing with the tablet he'd found. She didn't seem bothered at all. "Do come in."

"Download her." The Doctor said.

"Sorry about the draft."

"Download her back into her body right now."

"I can't."

"Yes, you can."

"She's a fully integrated part of the data cloud, now. She can't be separated."

"Then download the entire cloud. Everyone you've trapped in there."

"You realise what would happen?"

The robot stood up. "Yes, those with bodies to go home to would be free."

The woman shrugged, meeting them at the broken window. "A tiny number. Most would simply die."

"They'd be released from a living hell. It's the best you can do for them, so give the order."

Ember blinked. Somehow, that phrase seemed familiar, but not because she heard the Doctor say it. So where else had she heard it before?

The woman speaking made her shake off the thought. "And why would I do that?"

"Because I'm going to motivate you, any second now." The Doctor replied.

"You ridiculous man." The woman chuckled. "Why did you even come here? Whatever for? And you left your other friend alone. We can't download her, but that doesn't mean she's safe."

"I didn't."

"What?"

"I'm still in the cafe, with Ember. I'm finishing my coffee. Lovely spot." The Doctor sipped his drink.

"What are you talking about?"

"You hack people, but me? I'm old-fashioned. I hack technology. Here's your motivation."

With the press of a few buttons, the robot took off the helmet and turned its head around, grabbing the woman's mind like it had Clara's, despite her cries. It then turned its head back round and picked up a tablet that was in the desk, looking at it so they could see the profiles of the other staff members. The Doctor quickly found the highest authority and upped his obedience to the maximum so that he would obey the woman's demands to be downloaded, thus letting everyone out of the data cloud.

With a flourish, the Doctor instructed the robot to come back, and then stood up. Ember, who'd been checking Clara, nodded as the unconscious woman breathed deep. The Time Lords then left the cafe together, going back down to meet the robot and get on the bike to go back to the Tardis.

"Doctor, why couldn't they get my mind?" Ember asked as they entered the blue box. "Something happened, but I can't remember."

The Doctor looked at her. "I can check to see if they did something to you."

Ember tilted her head. "You can try."

Nodding, the Doctor gently took her face in his hands, pressing his fingers against her temples, before closing his eyes and entering her mind. It didn't take long to check her defences, and was happy that there didn't seem to be any damage, but there was also no sign of why she couldn't remember what had happened.

He was about to leave when he felt it: that presence of raising strength that often came up when under threat. He mentally turned to it as it drew nearer. "Ah... so it was you..."

The presence washed over him without hesitation, feeling like it was looking into his soul, only to withdraw a few seconds later with a sound that might have been a purr. Seemingly satisfied with him, the presence withdrew, an unspoken request to leave in the form of a mental nudge.

The Doctor obeyed, gently pulling himself from Ember's mind and opening his eyes. The brunette did the same, blinking up at him as he smiled fondly at her. "You're fine. No damage."

"That's good," Ember nodded. She'd felt his presence in her mind and how it had reacted, checking him for a possible threat. What surprised her was that he hadn't been thrown out like before, but that might have been because he wasn't trying to look at her memories directly. She saw him step closer to her and bit her lip. "What are you doing?"

"Hmm?" The Doctor tilted his head. "Well, I thought, since we're here..."

Ember blinked, and then blushed when she realised what he was asking. She hadn't expected that. "Really? Now?"

"Why not?"

"Well... I thought..." Ember looked away. "It's different now. Back then... you didn't know River. I... I know what we have couldn't be anything more than... that..."

The Doctor sighed, glancing at where he'd taken her hands. "Ah. I see." He looked thoughtful for a moment before he tried to meet her gaze, to which she was trying not to. "Ember, look at me, please."

Ember hesitated before meeting his gaze. She was surprised to see that he didn't seem mad, or even disappointed; he looked understanding. "Look, I'm not upset. I know that you married River. I accepted that this wasn't going to last. We were consenting adults that needed relief..."

"Oh, Ember..." The Doctor murmured, smiling fondly at her again. "Do you think that I would do that to you if it was just lust?" He moved closer. "I understand your worries, and I can't tell you what the future holds for you, but I can tell you that what we have... no one, not even River, had a problem with it. Don't forget, River flirts with you just as much as me: it would probably be her birthday wish to have us both."

Ember blushed again. "So she's okay with me sleeping with her husband?"

"She's fine with us being together in any sense; in fact, she encourages it." The Doctor said, choosing his words carefully. "I wouldn't lie to you about something like this, but you can ask her next time you see her, if you want. In the meantime, I won't push you."

Ember smiled at him, making his hearts lift in relief. "Thanks. I'm not sure how I could deal with this otherwise." She reluctantly let go of his hands. "Just give me a bit to go over it in my head. But as long as no one gets hurt, I... wouldn't mind having the company again."

She turned to go to the console, missing it when the Doctor did a fist pump and a little dance before he joined her.

A short time later, after an attempt to investigate the workings of the Shard and coming up empty due to all the employees suddenly getting amnesia, they landed back at the home of the Maitlands, and only waited a few minutes until there was a knock at the door. Ember looked up from where she was sat on one of the seats.

"Come in," the Doctor called from where he was sat with a book at the top of the steps, knowing who it was. Sure enough, the door opened and Clara walked in.

"So, they come back, do they?" She asked.

The Doctor smiled. "You didn't answer my question."

"What question?"

"You don't seem like a nanny."

Clara hesitated. "I was going to travel. I came to stay for a week before I left, and during that week..."

"She died, so you're returning the favour." The Doctor said. "You've got a hundred and one places to see, and you haven't been to any of them, have you? That's why you keep the book."

"I keep the book because I'm still going."

"But you don't run out on the people you care about. Wish I was more like that." The Doctor sighed before he stood and walked down the steps to reach the girl. "You know, the thing about a time machine, you can run away all you like and still be home in time for tea, so what do you say? Anywhere. All of time and space, right outside those doors."

Ember smirked from where she was sat on the seat at the other side of the console.

Clara looked at him evenly. "Does this work?"

The Doctor paused. "...Eh?"

"Is this actually what you do? Do you just crook your finger and people just jump in your snog box and fly away?"

"It is not a snog box."

"I'll be the judge of that."

"Starting when?"

Clara looked at Ember, who smiled knowingly, before she met the Doctor's gaze again. "Come back tomorrow. Ask me again."

"Why?"

"Because tomorrow, I might say yes. Sometime after seven okay for you?"

"It's a time machine. Any time's okay."

"See you then." Clara was heading back to the door when the Doctor called her back.

"Clara? In your book there was a leaf. Why?"

Clara smiled, opening the door. "That wasn't a leaf. That was page one."

With that, she left, closing the door behind her. The Doctor turned to the console.

"Right then, Clara Oswald." He murmured. "Time to find out who you are."

Ember smiled. "Believe me, it'll be worth the effort."

Aaaand there we go! Clara meets the Time Lords, Ember's subconscious mind protects her once again, and she and the Doctor seem to have reached a new stage in their relationship. So why is River okay with their arrangement? Why would the Doctor sleep with Ember if it wasn't just about lust? You'll have to stick around to find out!

Question: I'm tempted to throw in one or two of the books that have come out over the years with the Doctor's adventures. What do you think? Do I put a few of those in or just stick with the tv episodes?

We're about 3 episodes from the end of this part in the saga. Before that, though, we've got two major reveals.

Next Time: A big threat is coming, in an impossible situation. Can Ember face the biggest demon in the universe? Stay tuned!