A/N: So some good news/bad news here :/
Good news: The four stories that Chell-P posted after taking my content were taken down on both FF and wattpad, by the author it seems. I've been made aware that the author, at least on wattpad, admitted to plagiarizing me on their profile when someone confronted them about a comment they made where they vaguely talk about 'redeeming themselves' but with no other context. Though it was also pointed out to me that it was a 'conversation' tab on the profile that no one would see unless they physically want to go to the conversations. It seems that the user has removed 4-5 more stories than the ones I brought up and is planning to 'start from scratch' (which I hope means the most basic from scratch starting point, the transcript) and eventually repost their work. I wish them the best of luck so long at it is original.
Sadly, it doesn't seem that the plagiarizer is going to admit to or explain to their readers what they did and how they took from my work in their actual repost. I was told they put up the first 'revised' chapter already, which is, sort of, very quick for someone to start from scratch, in my opinion :/ Not a word of what happened or where the content for a lot of their work came from :( Even a simple single line like 'I rewrote this story from scratch because my last version contained content I took from LizzeXX's 'X' story and 'X' story and it wasn't right of me to pass it off as mine' would have been enough. Sadly, it never happens :(
I think that's one of the two worst parts about plagiarism. The first being someone has taken your work and is passing it off as theirs, which is devastating. But the second is...the work has been passed off as theirs and their readers see only their work and don't know the truth, they read and like and review and maybe even praise someone's work and don't know it's not entirely theirs and may never know. All your hard work, and someone else gets the credit for it :(
Still, at least the stories were removed. Thank you to everyone who helped report the stories here and on wattpad. Words really can't express how much your support means to me :')
Now the bad news: I received a concerning PM about Chell-P. Someone looked through their 3 remaining stories (on FF, not wattpad) and found evidence that the plagiarizer had taken content from another author too in Sherlock, and, possibly, a third, in Supernatural, both of whom have not been active on FF in a few years like I was when I couldn't get back to posting for a time :/ This PMer asked my advice on what they should do and how best to reach out to the other author about the situation and let me know they'd sent screencaps to my tumblr for me to look at to see if I thought it was like what happened to me. It does appear that way. As it isn't my story, I don't want to overstep the other author and ask for assistance reporting the Sherlock story ('Army of Two'), but in response to their submissions on tumblr, I'll be posting what they sent me on my plagiarizers page shortly, comparing that and the other author's ('The Colour of Light Part II' by oleanderhoney), and if you feel it's the same situation as mine, the same action taken might be best. As with my work, it started original, then moved into taking some original content :/
The PMer was, understandably concerned about other stories Chell-P has posted on FF and wattpad, because they stole content from 2, possibly 3, people for their stories and did they steal other content in the remaining stories? They mentioned a concern for stories where Sam has a twin or a sister in Supernatural, where Tony Stark has a daughter paired with Peter Parker, and where Sherlock has a sister who is also a consulting detective with him. You guys know I don't read stories in a fandom I am or will write in, to avoid unintentionally plagiarizing anyone, so if those types of plots seem like a story you've read, the two stories may need a close look at.
So, apparently, it wasn't just me targeted, it wasn't just me who was stolen from, I wasn't the only favorite author or favorite story Chell-P took content from. It's upsetting that this plagiarizer has done this to other people too and is still going on as though nothing is wrong, with readers and followers who will keep following them regardless of it :(
Good news and then bad news :(
~8~
In the Forest of the Night: Breadcrumbs
"Here we are!" Tailor cheered as they arrived at Trafalgar Square, just at the base of Nelson's Column, the TARDIS sitting there close by, "Trafalgar Square!" she hurried over and began to knock on the door to the box, not that she needed to, but she was trying to show the kids that it was the polite thing to do, to knock before entering.
"Can we take a picture with the lion, sir?" Bradley asked, turning to Danny, "Please?"
"Er," Danny glanced between the box and the kids, before sighing, "Stay together. But ok."
Clara shook her head as the kids immediately began to take selfies of themselves by the statue, "I cannot believe Bradley just said 'please,'" she remarked.
"Really?" Danny glanced at her.
"Yeah, he usually prefers other means of persuasion," Clara trailed off, unable to help but think of just what that was like, specifically how the boy would literally grab his classmates and demand their things, then turn to her and demand she get the kid to give him what he wanted before flipping a desk and storming off when he didn't get his way.
"And Ruby," Danny had to agree, that girl could be a trial in her own right. There was a time he was trying to teach them basic geometry, how to find X in an equation for a triangle, and Ruby had taken him literally, pointing at the location of X instead of the value of it, then huffed that someone else should answer because she'd already given a few of them.
"You bring out the best in them," Clara smiled at him.
"Sadly, can't take credit for that," Danny remarked, glancing over at Tailor, who had the doors to the TARDIS cracked open and was speaking to someone inside, "Your…your niece," he began, making Clara smile at how he used that term instead of saying 'that one' or something, "She caught Bradley throwing a tantrum and said that girls like boys with manners who are respectful…I think he has a bit of a crush on her. He's been saying 'please' and 'thank you' ever since."
"Yeah, but Ruby…"
He snorted, "I think she impressed Ruby with all her storytelling before. I've never seen Ruby so curious and inquisitive. She hardly ever asks questions, just refuses to answer them."
Clara had to smile at that, Tailor had a way about her, just like Angel, of getting through to people without even meaning to. Already she could see changes in the kids, like the things they struggled with were slowly…mending. Bradley's temper was calming, Ruby's curiosity was piqued…she wondered what other kids would end up becoming after this trip. And if it was anything good, she'd have to beg the girl to assist more often. Things HAD gone smoother this trip. She'd been expecting it to be a nightmare come to life, wrangling so many kids who did nothing but complain while in class. Tailor, her energy, her excitement and knowledge, had bitten them all. The kids followed her around the museum eagerly, listening attentively to the 'stories' she'd tell them of what some pot meant or what some animal did for fun. SHE knew the girl's stories were more life experience than made up for entertainment, but it had gotten the kids sucked in and they'd actually LISTENED. And Tailor's patience, even when the kids asked question after question, she answered them all and with a smile, never making any child feel foolish for asking. She'd even taken one of the kids in stride who had been grumpy about something and decided to be annoying by literally asking 'why?' after every answer. Tailor had outlasted the boy, answering each 'why?' with a proper answer till the kid realized she really could and would keep going. She was of the opinion that Tailor's answering like that had impressed the kids quite a bit, Ruby had even asked her how she knew all that stuff. Tailor had whispered, as though it were a giant secret, that she loved school and books and learning, and she wanted to grow up to know everything about everything, but you can only learn about things you don't know by asking someone who does. Ever since that moment, Ruby had taken to asking questions whenever she could.
"Dad says he'll be a moment," Tailor called as she jogged over, "He and mum are setting Aunt Idris for childproof mode, doesn't want anyone wandering into the halls and getting lost," well, that was hat her mum said, her dad only muttered on about how he'd never hear the end of it from Clara if one of the kids wandered to the pool and drowned.
"Understandable," Clara nodded, recalling her first few times in the TARDIS.
A moment later though the ground began to shake, so much so that Nelson actually swayed on top of his column. Tailor moved quickly to Ruby's side as the girl lost her footing and reached out for a branch to steady herself, only for it to snap off and send her falling. But Tailor, luckily, reached her before she could hit the ground, catching her by the arm and helping her stand up.
"Hold on," Tailor frowned, taking the branch from the girl, looking down at the inner side of it, the one that had been connected to the tree, "This isn't right…" she turned to Clara and Danny as they hurried over to check on Ruby, "Look, no rings," she showed them, the wood was entirely smooth.
"Aren't trees supposed to have rings?" Ruby asked, "To tell you how old they are?"
"Very good, Ruby," Angel's voice spoke as she stepped out of the TARDIS, Maebh's hand in her own.
"The rings mark the years of growth," the Doctor confirmed, following them out, "One ring for each year. These trees grew up overnight. That whole tree is the result of just one night's growth. And they're still growing. Therefore, no rings."
"Told you, he's a tree doctor," Tailor whispered to Ruby, who had asked the question about the red ring earlier.
"Everyone, this is the Doctor and…his wife Angel," Clara introduced, guessing that they wouldn't recognize the two from their brief play at Caretaker and Dinner Lady, "They're Miss Smith's parents, and they're going to sort everything out. Isn't that right?" she looked at them with an expression that said they had better sort this out, "It's what they do."
"Well…" Tailor began, shooting her father a teasing look, knowing his track record of actually sorting things out quickly or in one go or being right the first time.
He huffed at her, but smiled when Angel patted his arm, "It's a bit trickier this time," Angel told them, "But my…husband is the most clever man in all the universe," she smiled up at him, "If anyone can sort it, it would be him."
He grinned down at her and leaned in to give her a peck on the lips, ignoring the 'ewwws' and 'awwwws' from the kids around them, "Thank you," he told her, "But she's right. This is trickier than normal and being clever isn't going to help as much as I'd like. What use is clever against trees? They don't listen to reason. You can't plead with them. You can't lie to them. They have no moving parts, no circuits. This is a natural event."
"How can it be natural for a tree to grow in one night?" Danny frowned.
Tailor did have to snort at that, "That's what people said about the Ice Age but whole glaciers really did just pop up out of nowhere."
The Doctor pointed at her, "That's how this planet grows, a series of catastrophes. Farewell to the Ice Age. Welcome to the Tree Age. Possibly. When the Ice Age was here, you lot managed to cook mammoth. Now there's a forest, you'll just have to eat nuts."
Angel looked down as Maebh tugged on her hand, leading them over to a tree, the girl reaching out to touch it with a frown on her little face.
"I can't eat nuts!" Bradley frowned, "I've got an allergy."
"Don't worry," Clara reassured Danny quietly as the man did NOT look impressed with the answer, "It's a thing he does. He pretends he's not interested and then he has an idea. He's playing for time."
"Time!" the Doctor called out, catching that, "Interesting."
"See? Clever kicking in."
"A tree is a time machine. Plant a little acorn in 1795, and in 2016, there's an oak tree, there, in the same spot with a tiny little bit of 1795 still alive inside of it. You can't create an overnight forest with extra special fertilizer. You have to mess with the fabric of time. And communicate...with trees."
Tailor laughed as an idea struck him and he ran into the TARDIS, "Come on, everyone, in you get," she called, moving to hold the doors to the TARDIS open for the kids to file in.
Angel crouched down beside Maebh, "You alright, sweetheart?" she asked the girl.
Maebh just shook her head and turned to hug her tightly, startling Angel a bit. She looked over the girl's should to Clara, who was waiting at the door for them.
"It's alright," she called to the woman, "We'll just be a moment."
Clara hesitated, but nodded, trusting her, before she stepped into the box. She wouldn't put it past Angel to sense that there was something Maebh wanted to say without the other kids around. They were a bit of a mixed group, they meant well in wanting to help take care of Maebh but they were a bit…blunt in how they said things around the girl that might sometimes come across as borderline mean. Maebh might have said something that would get the other kids going and it was best to avoid that, for Maebh's well-being. But Tailor was right, if there was anyone on the planet best for Maebh to open up to, it would be Angel.
Speaking of, the Time Lady looked over, waiting till the doors to the TARDIS closed before she pulled back to take Maebh's hands, "You know," she began, "It wasn't good what you did before, rushing through the forest alone."
Maebh sighed, looking down, "I know," she admitted, "Mum always says I should stay close to an adult and not wander off."
Angel nodded, squeezing her hands to get her to look up at her, "How about if this adult wanders about with you? Better?"
Maebh lit up at the prospect.
"Come along Maebh, let's follow the fireflies then."
Maebh nodded, quickly turning, dropping one of Angel's hands to tug the other one on as they stepped past the treeline and into the woods.
~8~
Clara hurried up to the console where the Doctor and Tailor were running scans, momentarily smiling at the wide-eyed expressions of awe on the children's, and even Danny's, faces, "So, you're saying it's an act of aggression?" she asked as she joined them.
Tailor giggled, "They're trees, Aunt Clara. Trees would be more helpful than hostile, wouldn't they?"
"Trees clean the air!" Ruby called out.
"Very good!" Tailor smiled at her.
Clara and Danny both looked at the girl, a bit shocked she'd answered a question, seriously, even when she hadn't been called on to do so.
"So someone or something who's trying to scrub the atmosphere before colonizing or invading..." Clara began.
"Easier ways to do it," the Doctor countered, eyeing the students, "And they could always clean the air after they've dealt with the human parasites that infected it in the first place."
"I'm not sure if I prefer pudding brains to parasites," Clara deadpanned to Tailor, who stifled a laugh.
"Clara…there are small people in here," the Doctor turned to her.
"I did warn you the kids were coming with us, dad," Tailor reminded him, looking up when the TARDIS hummed, quite happily, around them, "And Aunt Idris is loving having children in the console room again."
"This is the Coal Hill Year Eight Gifted and Talented Group," Clara told him.
"What are the round bits for?" one of the boys, who had overcome his shock and awe, asked as he climbed up the stairs to peer at the roundels in the wall.
"Ask your teacher," the Doctor huffed, turning back to the monitor, "And get him down from there!"
Tailor rolled her eyes but moved to usher the boy back down to the main level.
"And you, away from the console," he shooed another girl off, "That's an antique. No, don't touch that," he huffed, lightly pushing another boy to the side, away from the emergency brake, before he spun around to address the group of children, "Aren't any of you struck by the fact that, look, it's bigger on the inside?"
"Don't mind him," Tailor patted her dad on the shoulder as she passed him, "He's just peeved because that's his favorite part."
Ruby shrugged in response, "There wasn't a forest. Then there was a forest. Nothing surprises us anymore."
"She's got a point," Tailor reminded him, "All those trees appearing at once…can't be a coincidence."
"No," he sighed, "There's no such thing as an arboreal coincidence. Something, someone has coordinated this. To coordinate, you need to communicate. Every communication channel on the TARDIS is open, and...nothing."
"Really?" Tailor frowned, moving to look at them, "Not even mum picked up on something? I mean, it's not like the 456 coming back right? They used the children to speak, didn't they?"
The Doctor opened his mouth to respond, when a thought struck him, "They used the children…" he quickly turned and hurried over to a pile of notebooks on the corner of the stairs, shuffling through them till he could find one in particular, not wanting to say anything till he was sure about his theory.
Danny frowned, spotting the booklets, and moved to his side, picking one up and flipping through it, seeing drawings of the trees, "Homework books," he realized.
"Not important," the Doctor muttered, sifting through more till he finally found Maebh's. He quickly opened it, his eyes widening at the drawing inside, and snapped it shut, "Maebh Arden!" he called out, moving back to the kids, "Which one is Maebh Arden? Which one is Maebh?"
"Oh, my God!" Ruby gasped, "Maebh's gone. Maebh's lost in the forest. Maebh's going to die!"
"Ruby, that's enough!" Clara cut her off.
"She's not going to die," Tailor shook her head, "And she's not lost in the forest. She knows exactly where she's going."
The Doctor, Clara, and Danny turned to her, staring.
"And how do you know that?"
Tailor blinked, "Mum's gone too," she pointed out.
The Doctor spun in a circle, realizing that Angel wasn't in the TARDIS either. He cursed the Mating instinct more than ever, it kept making him distracted. As soon as Clara put that thought in his head that this might be a danger or an enemy instead of something benevolent, the Mating instinct had been pushing him to work out what it was, fast, to keep his Mate and daughter safe. He'd been so focused on that, he hadn't even noticed Angel had wandered off!
But then he heard a light chuckle in his mind, 'Oh, my love, is it wandering when I know where I'm going?' Angel's voice asked.
'Where are you?' he called back to her, 'What are you doing out there?'
'There's something here, a presence, it's speaking but it's too far away for us to hear.'
'Us?'
'Maebh and I,' she replied, 'We're going to talk to it and see what's happened.'
'Angel…'
'I'll be fine, my love, trust me.'
'Always,' he promised her, but that didn't mean he didn't feel anxious to be with her, to keep her safe in case it turned out to be dangerous.
'Come now, Theta,' she chastised lightly, 'Don't you think I'd have been more worried for Kitta if I sensed a danger in the woods?'
He had to concede to that, he had seen Angel worried and alarmed before, this time she'd been far too calm and collected, like she had some sort of inner reassurance nothing at all would harm them. To her, it was like the forest was natural and safe.
"I'm right, aren't I?" Tailor grinned, seeing the familiar look on his face that told her he was silently speaking to her mother in his mind, "Am I right?"
The Doctor sighed, rubbing a hand down his face, "They're safe," he agreed.
"But they're not here!" Danny cut in, "Maebh isn't here! We have to find her! Clara, tell him!"
Clara nodded at Danny, knowing that he wanted the Doctor to understand why he was concerned about Maebh in particular, "Doctor, listen, her sister went missing last year. She's on medication. The child is barely functioning. She hears voices. She's very vulnerable."
"What do the voices say?" Tailor asked.
"What?" Danny gaped at her, not expecting that question in the face of the medical knowledge they'd just revealed.
Tailor shrugged, "Mum's heard voices too, felt things no one else could, seen things no one else noticed. She'd have asked that."
"Don't know," Clara replied, "She takes tablets and they stop."
The Doctor could only help but huff, "You people, you never learn. If a child is speaking, listen to it!"
"Oh, like you listened to her?" Danny glared at him.
"I didn't have to, my Mate heard enough for the both of us," he countered, "And Tailor's right…"
"You finally admit it!" Tailor joked.
"Just because she hears things you can't, doesn't make her anything other than unique. Not unstable, not mad, not in need of medication. She's like Angel, tuned to a different channel," he turned to Danny, "As we speak, BOTH of them are heading for the heart of the forest to talk to the trees. And if I have learned anything from my Mate, it's to trust her."
"She could make it all worse," Danny argued, "What if she says the wrong thing and the trees turn hostile?"
Tailor lifted an eyebrow at him, "Have you MET mum?" she reminded him, "She's the woman of peace. You really think she'd say anything to start a war?"
Danny fell silent, knowing he was taking his own fears and concerns out on them. He'd only met Angel the one time, but he got the distinct feeling she'd be the one getting both sides to apologize to each other instead of inciting them.
"We still need to find her," Danny spoke up, "We're her teachers, we can't let her wander through this forest. She needs to come back and stay with the group."
The Doctor rolled his eyes, thoroughly fed up with the human and his constant complaints, "Fine, fine, I'll go get her," he moved to head for the doors.
"I'll come too," Tailor added, "I'm still the assistant, I can assist, that way you two can stay with the kids," she added to Clara and Danny when they moved to argue.
It was…probably the best compromise they could come up with. The kids were split into two teams, Clara's and Danny's, with her there to help both of them. But she wasn't in charge, just equally responsible for the kids. It wasn't fair to leave both groups with just ONE teacher, even if she was there to help out. It was her mother out there too, and Maebh, so doubly her responsibility to help. And the TARDIS was the safest place for the humans to wait it out. THEY would be able to find their way back to the TARDIS much easier than the humans would.
"How are you gonna find them?" Danny called out, trusting Tailor at least to actually remain the 'teaching assistant' while out there.
The Doctor just scoffed and strode out the door, though he let Tailor out first.
Clara winced as it slammed, or as close as those doors could slam, behind him and turned to Danny, "He and Angel have a connection," she tapped her temple, "They can always find each other."
"Like Snow White and Prince Charming!" Ruby gushed, the other girls tittering and sighing at how romantic it was.
"What?" Clara shook her head.
"Like on that show!" another girl nodded.
Clara didn't bother to ask anything more, not sure what soaps the kids were watching these days.
Danny was quiet for a long while, before he had to ask something that was bothering him, "They didn't cause this, did they?" he asked her.
"What?" she looked at him, her arms crossed, on the verge of being very offended.
"I mean…because of what I said to you before," he looked at her in return, "This isn't them…trying to prove a point or anything, right?"
"That's ridiculous."
"Yeah," he nodded, it probably was, the Time Lords seemed as confused by all this as he did. It was another moment or two before he spoke again, "You didn't even say hello," he noticed, "You just sprung into action. Special unit."
"No different than you," Clara countered, "Dan the Soldier Man," she gave him a pointed look to his own background, his own preparedness.
But Danny just winced at the reminder, "Clara…" he sighed.
"No touching!" Tailor's voice shouted, cutting in, and they looked over to see Tailor had poked her head through the door, pointing a finger at Ruby who, in their distraction, had been about to poke a button on the console.
"Ok," Ruby huffed, looking down.
Tailor gave them a wink and officially left with her father.
"What?" Clara turned to Danny, he'd sounded like he wanted to say something more.
"Nothing," he shook his head, "Let's just…mind the children."
Clara sighed, but nodded, though a tiny thought did crack a smile on her face. She and Danny, as teachers, would be minding the children in there…while Tailor, their 'teaching assistant' would be minding a very big child out there.
She looked up as the TARDIS gave a series of short hums…which almost sounded like she was laughing at the thought.
~8~
The Doctor looked at Tailor as she shut the door to the TARDIS, the two of them turning to head on after Angel and Maebh, if only to placate PE, "Gifted and talented?" he scoffed, "Really?"
Tailor chuckled and linked her arm with her father's as they went, "By human standards."
"Not by mine," he remarked, turning to drop a kiss onto the top of her head, letting her know she was, to him, the most gifted and talented child he'd ever known.
Tailor smiled and squeezed his arm, though they came to a halt when the ground began to shake again. They looked back, hearing a cracking noise, to see Nelson's Column falling right towards them and jumped to the side, diving out of the way.
"If this is an invasion..." the Doctor began, helping her up and checking she was alright, "It's over. They're here. They've won. What do they want?"
Tailor frowned and looked down at the column, "I don't think it is," she said.
The Doctor eyed her a moment, "Getting a feeling about it?"
Tailor blinked and turned to him, starting to smile, "I think I am."
He grinned.
~8~
"What was that?" Danny frowned, hearing a thump from outside.
Clara headed for the door and stepped out to see the fallen column, turning to tell him what it was, when she saw the kids hurrying out of the TARDIS after her, Danny frantically trying to corral them back in, "Oi! Hey! Hold on!"
"No!" Ruby shouted, "I'm not just going to stand here and let her die!"
"Who?" Danny asked.
"Maebh!" Ruby huffed, as though it should be obvious, "You both just let some randomer and Miss Smith into the forest. What if something happens to them? Or to Maebh!"
"They could be dead now anyway," Bradley pointed out, "Crushed by Nelson."
"What if the trees collapse on them and kill them?"
"You're worrying too much…" Clara tried to calm them down.
"Yeah, but what if the wild animals come out and eat them!"
"Ruby, you're letting your imagination run away with you," even Danny tried to reason with her.
"I'm not, though, am I, because I haven't got an imagination. You can ask Miss Oswald."
"I…did not mean it like this," Clara tried to defend, but she HAD actually told her that. She had to wince at the memory, reminded of the lesson she'd learned with Courtney. She was trying to be better with the kids, more understanding, that slip had been just before the Moon though.
"And there's safety in numbers, right?" Bradley turned to Danny, "That's what you're always saying, sir. There's a strength and safety in numbers! There are four of them and…" he turned, about to count each of them individually, but Danny cut in.
"Ok," he sighed, "Ok, then, come on, team. Let's do this."
"Are you serious?" Clara turned to whisper to him, "The Doctor said to…"
But Danny shook his head, "They're right," he pointed out, "Maebh is OUR responsibility. You may know and trust the Doctor and his family, but they don't know him, and neither do I," he dropped his voice, "If we don't go after them, can you imagine the complaints from the parents when the kids tell them?"
Clara fell silent at that, she…hadn't quite thought of it that way. But he was right. The kids would undoubtedly gush to their parents about this trip, about the forest, and how Maebh wandered off and their teachers let the assistant and her father go get her instead of THEM. She and Danny could get into enormous trouble with the school for this…
"Ok," she nodded, reaching out to shut the door to the TARDIS behind her as they began their trek, trying to catch up to the Doctor and Tailor.
~8~
In another area of the forest, Mrs. Arden was riding her bike along the clearest path she could find, shouting out, "Maebh!" in search of her daughter, not willing to lose a second one.
~8~
Tailor frowned, glancing behind her when she swore she heard a rustling, only to slow in her path, causing her father to slow too as they both looked back at the path they'd come from…it was completely covered in trees and grass once more, like they'd never even passed along it.
"Good thing we weren't following mum's footsteps," Tailor tried to make light of it, though it was a little disturbing to know that their tracks were being covered without their own actions.
He nodded, patting the hand that was looped through his arm, "We'll find them," he reassured her.
"I know," she turned to her father, "I trust you, dad. I'm just worried the others are going to not listen and wander off and get lost and we won't be able to find THEM because it's not like they can drop a trail of breadcrumbs for us to follow."
He frowned, "Breadcrumbs?"
She nodded, "Like in Hansel and Gretel," she glanced around at the foliage around them, "Almost makes you feel like we'll run into a gingerbread house with a mad old witch inside any moment, doesn't it?"
The Doctor's frown deepened as he really took a moment to look at the dense forest, considering her words, "Yes…" he murmured, humming to himself, "The forest. It's in all the stories that kept the humans awake at night. The forest is mankind's nightmare."
This time Tailor frowned, "Doesn't feel like a nightmare," she remarked, "It's sort of…enchanting, in its own way."
"Whatever it is, your mother and Maebh are headed for the center of it," the Doctor reminded her, "We need to catch up to them before the pudding brains and Clara decide to wander off."
Tailor snorted as they continued on, "You really think they haven't yet?"
~8~
"Miss!" one of the girls called out as they walked along the path, "Miss, look!"
Clara hurried over to see the girl pointing at something lying in the grass and moved to pick it up, recognizing Maebh's mobile anywhere, "Why would she put her phone down?" she frowned, turning to look at Danny with deep concern in her eyes.
Danny could only shake his head, sure that all the terrible possibilities going through his head were matching the ones he could see in her eyes. That she lost in in a struggle. That she put it down as a clue where to go. That she dropped it and didn't notice being the one most hoped for.
"Everyone," he called out, "Keep close, but take a look around for anything of Maebh's," he ordered, the kids hurrying to do so, before he turned back to her, "Clara…"
"Ok," Clara took a deep breath, clutching Maebh's mobile in her hands, "I'm frightened now. I'm actually a little frightened. I never get frightened when…" she cut herself off, not wanting to talk about her past adventures, not with Danny, not yet. Her entire plan to ease him into all this madness had been blown out of the water with the appearance of the Forest.
"It's cos you don't feel safe," Danny said, a resigned, sorrowful note in his voice, "You don't feel safe with me."
"Danny," she turned to him sharply, "That's not what I meant. I…"
"No," he cut in, "You're right, you're right to not feel safe with me," he looked down at Maebh's mobile, "Being frightened? That's how I feel all the time. Especially now, with all this going on, and…and that's why I said what I did Clara," he looked at her, he was frightened but he just couldn't NOT talk about it any longer, the kids were all distracted, and this might be the only time his courage would hold up, "All the travelling, the things you told me about, it just makes it worse."
Clara nodded slowly, "I'm sorry," she told him, "I know. I…I tried to stop it, all the travelling and…"
Danny frowned at her, "What do you mean you tried to stop travelling?"
"You said you couldn't handle me doing this," she gestured round, "Traveling with them. So I tried, I really did, to stop it. To be normal again. I just...I couldn't do it in the end."
"Clara..."
"I know you worry about me, Danny," she cut in, "But I'M not the only one in danger, the Doctor and Angel and Tailor are too and they're my family. I look out for them as much as they do me and I don't want them to get hurt if I can help it. So...I'm sorry, if this is too much and...and I'll understand if you don't want anything to do with me."
But Danny shook his head, "Clara, I didn't say I couldn't handle you traveling with them."
"You did," she insisted.
"No, I...I meant...did Angel not tell you?"
"Tell me what?"
Danny let out a breath, "During parents' night. She asked if I might want to go on an adventure with you lot. See for myself what it was all about."
"She did?" Clara blinked at him, more startled that Angel hadn't told her than that she'd asked.
Danny nodded, "I thought about it, I even talked to some of your uh...family?" he offered, still finding it a bit weird that so many of them existed, "In the end I just...I don't know. I'm not sure I can handle it right now. And, well, I'm not sure I can stand to be around the Doctor without wanting to punch him."
Clara snorted at that, "Wanting to punch the Doctor? That's sort of a requirement to travel in the TARDIS. But I get it, I do. If you ever change your mind though..."
"I don't think I will," he warned her, "Because of this," he tapped the mobile in her hand, "I can't…I just…" he struggled to put words to it, but too much had suffered because he couldn't and wouldn't speak, it had to change, "I was a soldier," he began, "I was supposed to help people, protect them, keep them safe," he glanced over at the kids, the implication that it carried over to how he felt now, how he HAD to protect the kids not lost on her, "But I couldn't," he looked back to her, "I made a mistake, a terrible, terrible mistake and someone died. Someone I was supposed to protect, they died, because of me. The army pushed me too far and I took the wrong life," he swallowed hard, his voice breaking to have to say it out loud, "If I couldn't protect someone when it was my job, my duty, to do it…" he shook his head, "Then I can't protect them when it's not. I can't…I can't protect YOU."
Clara could only stare at him, tears in her eyes as she finally, finally understood why Danny was so weird about everything that came up. He hated the travelling because SHE would be in danger, and he didn't trust the Time Lords, not fully, to keep her safe. But he also didn't trust HIMSELF to keep her safe either even if he was there.
He felt like he couldn't travel with her, because he was so frightened of failing in the one thing he desperately wanted to do in his life, keep people safe, protect them. He couldn't do it in the past, as a soldier, protect innocent lives he hadn't ever even spoken to…how could he ever think he could protect the life of the woman he loved? His confidence had been shattered and that fear had grown so strong that he couldn't even bring himself to go on an adventure for fear of failing her, of watching her be hurt and it being his fault for not being enough.
Perhaps that was another reason he didn't like the Doctor.
Because the Doctor had that same fear, had lived with that same mistake in his past, but he got to protect a child and the woman he loved, when Danny couldn't do the same.
Clara just stepped forward and threw her arms around him, hugging him tightly.
Ruby smirked at Bradley, the kids not so subtly eavesdropping on their teachers, "Told you she loves him."
~8~
Angel squeezed Maebh's hand as the girl flinched and swatted at the air with the other, "Want to see a trick?" she asked her, a gentle smile on her face, before she, too, made a motion, but more a shooing one, "Leave her alone," she said to the air above Maebh's head, "You're hurting her."
Maebh frowned, a little confused, before her eyes widened, her other arm lowering, the pain in her head easing up, "How'd you do that?"
"I just asked them nicely," Angel sent her a wink.
Maebh continued to stare at her, "You can see them too?"
"Not as clearly as you," she told the girl.
"But you believe me that they're there?"
"Not everything can be seen with the naked eye," Angel remarked, "I can sense them hovering there though. Now…it may get a bit worse the closer we get, are you going to be alright?"
Maebh's face scrunched in thought, before she nodded, "They're trying to talk, but no one will listen. I know what that feels like. I want to help."
Angel nodded, "Me too," she squeezed the girl's hand again, the two of them continuing on, pausing just so Maebh could set down her pink pencil case. She'd told the girl that the people following wouldn't need the objects to find them, not wanting to risk them getting lost, but Maebh seemed more at ease when she did so, so she let it be.
~8~
Tailor and the Doctor continued on their trek through the woods, the Doctor more sure of the path they were taking, given his link to Angel's mind, and led the way. They were making good time, Tailor felt, not faltering or having to stop to reevaluate directions. The only thing that gave them pause was when they parted a set of branches and came face to face with a man in a fire-suit.
"Get back!" the man ordered, "We're burning here. Stay back."
The Time Lords quickly stepped back as the man and one other began to use a flame-thrower on one of the trees, trying to burn it down to clear the way.
Tailor frowned, "It's not going to work, is it?" she asked her father.
He glanced at her, "Getting another feeling?"
She laughed lightly, "No, just…humans, their first try never seems to work out very well."
And, in fact, that held true as, as soon as the flames cut off, it was revealed that the targeted tree was completely unharmed.
"What's going on?" the suited man gaped, "Trees aren't responding to flame-thrower. I mean, they don't catch fire. They just don't catch. It's like they're flame proof or something."
"Come on," the Doctor whispered to Tailor, tugging her arm to lead her off, using a wider path to get around the humans, not wanting to be caught in the crossfire of that. The trees, it seemed, might be fire resistant, but Time Lords certainly were not.
"IF," Tailor began, her tone telling the Doctor she didn't believe what she was about to say, "It was an invasion…which planet would it be? I mean, which planets have fire-proof trees?"
"I'm not sure it is an invasion any longer," the Doctor remarked, "It could be a natural event, even this. Trees control the oxygen on this planet. They withhold it, they smother the fire. But what sort of forest is clever? What sort of forest has its own in-built fire extinguisher?"
"Cheem?" Tailor offered, those trees were quite brilliant, actually conscious and able to move, interact.
"They aren't immune to heat," the Doctor reminded her, grim as he recalled Jabe and how she perished. He was silent for a moment, trying to think it through, "Why now?" he had to wonder.
"What?"
"The whole natural order is turning against this planet. Why? Why now? And how did Maebh know?"
"Maebh knew?" Tailor frowned, "How do you know?"
He pulled her booklet out of his pocket to show her what he'd seen before. Maebh had drawn a forest, with a sun in the corner that was sending out a very specific stream of light at the trees, more trees than any of the other children had drawn.
"Is that a solar flare?" Tailor took the book to look at it as they went on.
The Doctor couldn't help but smile when he noticed her avoiding roots and branches of trees without looking up, just like her mother. He nodded at her question though, "It's a massive solar flare," he told her, "Headed for Earth. Like the one that destroyed the Bank of Karabraxos. I've got an entire TARDIS and I didn't notice this. Angel didn't even see it. But Maebh knew. How?"
Tailor laughed a bit as she closed it to see a grade on it, "Aunt Clara needs to stop leaving her markings in the TARDIS," she sighed, "But it is a good point, how did she know? I mean even the date…" she tapped the front of it to show him where Maebh had put today's date even though the assignment was older than that.
"She's lost someone," the Doctor repeated what Clara had told them, "People who've lost someone are always listening, always looking, always hoping," his thoughts drifted to Angel, to how she'd lost her mother so young, any child would take extra care to listen for something that could mean they were coming back, "So, they notice more. They hear more."
Tailor gave him a gentle smile, "Like mum," she remarked, "Mum heard her. Mum noticed."
"Now we just have to find them," he nodded.
~8~
"I've found something, sir!" Bradley called out, turning to show them the pink pencil case he'd spotted while they were walking, "Is it Maebh's?" he asked, handing it over.
Danny showed it to Clara who nodded, "It's a trail," she determined, relieved that it meant Maebh was consciously doing this and not because she was being attacked repeatedly, "Clever girl."
"Right, come on!" Danny yelled out, urging the group of children onward.
~8~
The Doctor and Tailor had only made it a few more yards, when they slowed, hearing something in the distance.
"Was that a howl?" Tailor looked at her father, only for another to sound.
He nodded, "A wolf," he surmised.
"But we're in the middle of London."
"And London has a zoo," he reminded her, "Complete with a pack of wolves. The barriers and gates have probably been mangled by the trees."
"So you're saying there are wolves prowling the forest, right now?"
The Doctor blinked as he realized what that meant for his Mate and Maebh, and his daughter too, "Ah."
~8~
Angel's pace began to slow as she and Maebh reached something of a tiny clearing, or at least an area where there was a bit more space between the trees, a rock on the ground catching her eye…reminding her of what she'd seen in the TARDIS…and then a howl went up into the woods.
Maebh gasped and clutched her hand tighter, moving to almost hide behind her leg at the sound of it.
Angel moved her hand to Maebh's back in comfort, "It'll be alright, dear," she promised the girl, looking around more intently. She tilted her head, seeing a pair of eyes among the shadows of a thick bush, a low growl drawing her attention over to where another set were staring at them.
Slowly, ever so slowly, the creatures began to stalk out of the shade and into the light, revealing two wolves on the prowl, snarling at them.
One snapped at them and Maebh let out a scream…
~8~
The Doctor and Tailor, hurrying along the path, jolted to a stop when they heard a child scream out in fright.
"Maebh!" Tailor gasped.
"Angel!" the Doctor shouted, springing into a run, Tailor close behind as they dashed through the branches and leaves, pushing them out of the way, running in the direction of the scream, not stopping till they came to an iron fence, able to see Angel and Maebh on the other side of it, two wolves with them…
"Seriously?" Tailor panted, nearly hunched over with her hands on her knees, her father staring with wide eyes…as Angel knelt before the two wolves, who were lying on their backs so she could rub their bellies.
Angel glanced over her shoulder at them and smiled a tiny bit smug, "I've named them Archibald and Frank."
Maebh, bless her, was standing nearer to the gate, clutching her backpack in her arms, and watching Angel continue to pet the now-docile wolves with a tiny smile, though she made no move to do so herself.
"Mum!" Tailor huffed, "We heard a scream and…"
"You're alright," the Doctor cut in though, letting out a breath and chuckling slightly at the sight. As soon as Angel got distracted with them and stopped rubbing the wolves, the two rolled onto their feet and began nudging her arms till she returned to petting them, "This is the Krafayis all over again."
"At least we can see them," Angel pointed out, before turning to the two animals, "Now, go on," she ushered them, "Go!" the two wolves whined but turned to hurry off.
Angel clapped her hands, brushing off some dirt and hair, as she stood.
"Um…mum?" Tailor spoke slowly, her eyes on something past her mother's shoulder, "I hope you've still got some of that mojo left for the tiger right behind you."
The Doctor tensed, Angel slowly turning to see there was, in fact, a very large tiger stalking towards her from the bushes, snarling and roaring and bearing its teeth a moment before it lunged…
A/N: I wish I could put a more upbeat note down here, I was really relieved that the plagiarizing stories were taken down, but then to hear it happened to another author is also upsetting to find out. It doesn't seem like the stories were as badly plagiarized, it was 1 story per 1 story, instead of the 4 into 1 that happened with me at one point, but it's still never a good or acceptable thing to do :( The PMer that contacted me about this second plagiarism is of the opinion that Chell-P does not feel guilty or ashamed, based on their response to being called out, and is more just like 'ok, moving on...' when it's deeply upsetting to the person they stole from. I can't say what they might be feeling, I wouldn't know, I only know how I feel. The fact that they took down multiple stories and are already posting the first chapter back up doesn't exactly scream that they're starting from scratch, you know? Or that might just be other past plagiarisms coloring my view.
Another user who plagiarized me and took down their work, started reposted it within days too and the plagiarism started appearing again because they didn't actually change much :( It's not from scratch if you're just going through and editing, you know? -sigh- I may be too jaded on this subject to comment though.
For this chapter, I wanted to have a bit of a moment with some father-daughter bonding time for the Doctor and Tailor, but also a bit of Angel going out on her own. She's been cooped up so long that even SHE wants to get out and show the Doctor she's well enough to handle things now lol :) Part of why the Doctor didn't notice her going off with Maebh was yes, the Mating bond wanting him to 'solve it, solve it now!' but also Angel's calm and her sensation that there isn't danger around. She's not alarmed, so it's not bleeding through to him. Tailor noticed more because she's playing at 'Teaching Assistant' and she's supposed to notice the kids and when one doesn't show up ;)
I hope the conversation between Clara and Danny made sense in the context of this story. With Clara's different bond with the Time Family and how the Moon played out, there had to be a different reason for Danny's reluctance and disapproval. I thought it fit with his character and personality that he would be frightened of something going wrong and not being able to save Clara, or at the very worse be the cause of her being harmed or dying. His time in the Army messed with his head a great deal, he's very protective of the children, he's so guilt ridden, and his biggest thing is making amends for failing to protect the people he was supposed to protect. It would be even worse if he failed to protect, or even harmed, a person he WANTs to protect, who he loves and cares about on a personal level :( He's afraid that going on trips, seeing how dangerous it usually is already, would just lead to that outcome, failure or harm :(
But lol, Archibald and Frank :) I was tempted to name them Nymeria and Lady as a little joke, but the other names just stuck with Angel and I went for boy wolves :)
Some notes on reviews...
I hadn't heard that theory no, but it definitely puts a very dark spin on Missy and her involvement, and her sociopathic tendencies, for her to do it knowing the devastation it would cause Clara and then the Doctor :'(
It's never nice or fair, no :( But at least the stories are down and hopefully the other user will mean it when they say start from scratch and all :/ I've heard it all before so I'm not very hopeful though :/ If I do end with 12, we would at least have two of her AUs to go on after her ;) Who knows, depending where I am story-wise with other fics by the time we get to Angel's last story, I might be able to separate my 2 AUs for her back into their original 4 and then we'd have a VERY long time with her ;) Those are some key moments and points I'm very excited to get to also ;) It would depend where and how Angel's series goes, what happens in the episode just before Twice Upon a Time ;) I am, tentatively, planning to do it yes, I may end the series in some way after it, or I may end it just before, depending how it all goes down so bit of spoilers there ;) Probably bigger spoilers for the second question lol, so I'm going to have to go with wait and see for that one ;)
Thank you, that means a lot to me to hear :') It's definitely not an ok thing to do to anyone, in any form, and sometimes it's so simple to make amends but just redoing things originally and giving credit where it should have been due, sadly never seems to happen :( But I love that! It makes me want even more trees in my dream house/yard :) I always say I want an apple and orange tree in a yard one day, maybe a weeping willow, but now I just sort of want all of them so I can see which ones turn out to be jerks ;)