Searching the Stars

by LizzeXX

12/OC -Time Lady- The Doctor and Mac, the Doctor's Chosen, have survived Trenzalore, and now there's a new Doctor rushing about. On top of that, Clara has officially become Mac's Companion, something she's never had before. As the Promise Land looms in the distance, overseen by the mysterious Missy, how will the Time Lords handle all that's to come? Sixth in the Time Lady Memoirs.

8. Mummy on the Orient Express

Mummy on the Orient Express

Mac had to laugh the moment she stepped out of the TARDIS, dressed in a lovely draped lilac gown that went down to her feet with a faux-fur collar, very bushy, that followed the hemline of her neck down to the top of her chest, with a small cap pinned to her head.

"We're in the baggage car, dear," she called back to the Doctor, who had been aiming for one of the bedrooms to make their sudden appearance less questionable. Though, given the size of the train they'd landed on, the bedrooms were likely very tiny and they might not have had any space to even open the door to the TARDIS to get out in the first place.

The Doctor stepped out after her, a few tweaks to his own attire, a suit more of the style of the 1920s, with a tie to boot. He was grumbling under his breath about how she was a cheater.

She'd promised him he could pick her outfit the next time they went anywhere that required a bit of dress up. She honestly thought he'd forgotten about that when, out of nowhere, he declared that he'd chosen the Orient Express, in Space (to impress Clara) as their next adventure and that he was calling in what was owed. The transport was decorated for the 1920s and he told her to dress for the times...he'd been of the mind that the only costume she could pick would be a flapper gown.

He seemed to have forgotten this was the era of flowing dresses and drapey gowns. So he wasn't very happy she'd found a loophole around his trick.

Clara though, wanted to go all out, so she had happily picked a flapper-esque dress with little heels and a bobbed hairstyle for the occasion. She stepped out of the box after them, her dress a thick strapped, low necklined, short skirt cut in strands, of black and gold, which matched the gold clip in her hair and the black elbow gloves on her hands.

"Oh, this is so cool," Clara breathed as she looked around.

"You haven't seen anything yet," the Doctor chuckled, putting a hand on the small of Mac's back to lead them to the doorway into the main cars of the Train, "There were many trains to take the name Orient Express but only one..." he pushed the door open to the lounge car, grinning when they could see space right outside the windows, "In space!"

Clara's hands flew to her mouth, her eyes wide as she looked out the window.

It was a beautiful sight, the actual train. The room was full of antique furniture, everything decked out to reflect the 1920s theme, even the passengers were all wearing fashion of the period. Though, the band playing and singing were doing more modern songs, though in a manner fitting the 1920s, soft and breathy and slow. The passengers were having a grand old time, having cocktails and eating nibbles, none of them seeming as entranced or awed at the fact that they were IN SPACE as Clara was.

"Of course it is," Clara breathed. She knew they were planning a trip to the Orient Express, she had no idea it was IN SPACE.

"Surprised?" Mac chuckled, coming over to her and linking an arm.

"This is amazing," Clara murmured, starting to grin, excited.

She'd…she'd actually invited Danny to come, something he'd said once when she'd explained the Doctor and Mac to him coming back to her that she'd never actually invited him to come with her. He'd said no, still not sure about the Time Lords.

Well, that was his choice. She'd offered it, he'd turned it down, she would still enjoy it.

"Completely faithful recreation of the original Orient Express," the Doctor stated, "Except slightly bigger. And in space. Oh, and the rails are actually hyperspace ribbons. But, in every other respect, identical."

"It really is," Mac nodded. They'd had a bit of a spree, while Amy and Rory were settling in on Earth after dealing with the Silence. They'd gotten a bit inspired by Agatha Christie and memories of Donna and gone to visit every single Orient Express including the original. This one was THE MOST identical to that old train, "Really, just an incredible attention to detail."

"Most of the time," the Doctor amended when an alien with one eye pushed past them to get to the bar.

Mac just gave them both a smile, so happy to see Clara happy. Clara had felt so guilty over believing Courtney about what the Doctor said that she'd gone a bit overboard in being enthusiastic about their trips, even the Doctor had begun to get somewhat suspicious of it, their last trip had been to the Intergalactic Museum of Dust Particles and Clara had still feigned enjoyment. This one though, she could tell Clara was genuinely ecstatic with.

The Doctor chuckled, seeing that in her mind, and leaned over to press a kiss to her temple, it was always so important to her that her Companion be happy and safe, and it was important to HIM that his Chosen be equally so. He had a VERY good feeling about this trip in particular, "Shall we?" he offered his Chosen his arm.

"Come on, Clara," Mac nodded as they began to walk off.

They made it to the other end of the car when a ting sounded and a voice over the speakers called out, "Ladies and gentlemen, if you would be good enough to look from the windows on the right of the train, you'll be able to see the soaring majesty of the Magellan black hole."

The Time Lords glanced over at that, Clara nearly pressing her face to the window to see it better, "Ah," the Doctor sighed, "I remember when this was all planets as far as the eye could see. All gone now. Gobbled up by that beast."

"We should go visit one of them," Mac mused, "There's a planet made of nothing but water," she told Clara, "With floating houses and resorts, it's lovely."

"After?" Clara asked, hopefully.

"Alright," Mac agreed.

"Or we could go to Obsidian," the Doctor offered, naming another one.

"The planet of perpetual darkness?" Mac gave him a look.

"Lots of things you can do in the dark," he returned it with a grin.

Mac gave him a light scoff and a teasing whack to his arm for that, thankful Clara was distracted by the sight out the window once more and seemed to have missed that.

"Could try that planet made completely of shrubs?" the Doctor tried.

"Last time we went there, we got terrible poison ivy," she reminded him.

"Thedion Four?"

"Yes, because constant acid rain is a lovely thing to deal with," Mac responded dryly, "It was ridiculous, trying to have that picnic there."

"Yes," he had to concede to that, "Hard to eat when you're wearing a gas mask."

"That's a lie," a voice spoke and they looked over to see a slightly older woman had wandered over to them, looking at the Time Lords both with a frown and a bit of a haze to her.

"I'm sorry?" Clara asked, since both the Time Lord appeared to be frowning at her in deep concern.

"That's a lie, what you said," the woman continued to look between them, "Thedion Four was destroyed thousands of years ago so you couldn't have been there."

The Doctor opened his mouth, likely to say they 'looked good for their age then,' but Mac cut him off, "Are you alright?" she asked the woman, she really looked like she was sleepwalking or something of the sort, her eyes weren't clear, her voice was so soft, and she had her eyes so wide open it was like she hadn't blinked at all.

Before the woman could speak, though, a man in a security uniform indicating him as the captain, from all the medals and decorations, had hurried over, "Miss Pitt, are you sure you wouldn't rather rest in your room?"

"Those two are liars," the woman vaguely gestured at them.

"Perhaps you'd allow Mr. Carlyle here to escort you back?"

"It'll be alright, miss," one of the two men who had accompanied him stepped up, "Just come with me…"

"Is she alright?" Mac asked the captain as the other guard led the woman away, "She seems a bit…lost."

The man sighed, "Sorry about that. I suppose it's understandable in the circumstances, her mother unfortunately passed just hours ago."

"Oh dear," Mac breathed, frowning.

The man tried to offer a smile at her concern, "She was very old," he tried to console, "Her mind seemed to be going, near the end. Kept claiming there was a Mummy after her, no one saw anything of the sort, and then she just..." he sighed, "Dreadful, just dreadful," before something seemed to strike him, "My apologies, I don't believe we've been introduced. Captain Quell."

"I'm Clara," Clara shook his hand, "This is the Doctor…"

"Ah, another one," Quell laughed, moving to shake his hand, too, "We've got doctors and professors coming out of our ears on this trip."

"And I'm Agent Mackenzie," Mac offered, flashing her ID badge, if just to keep the man from asking 'Doctor of what' because lord only knew what insane thing the Doctor would use this time, "Of UNIT."

"Well, well," the man shook her hand, "There's only two of you, then."

Mac blinked, "What?" she asked, "Sorry, what? Two of…there's another UNIT Agent here?"

Quell opened his mouth to answer, when the guard who remained with him leaned forward to whisper something to him, a report from Carlyle about the woman, "Sorry, duty calls," he offered them an apologetic smile and hurried away.

Clara looked at Mac, "Is there another UNIT person here?" she asked.

"I…have no idea," Mac breathed, "I don't think UNIT would be advanced enough or far reaching enough to send an operative here even this far in the future…"

"Maybe it's Jack," the Doctor offered, looking around at the other passengers, as though to see if he could identify the other Agent, and hoping Mac wouldn't notice the grin he was fighting, another UNIT Agent for Mac to interact with, how fun, "He could have jumped ship from Torchwood to UNIT."

Mac winced at the reminder of the man, Torchwood had all but fallen apart, at least Torchwood Three had…his Vortex manipulator had been in the Black Archives…so it was entirely possible he'd joined UNIT's ranks at some point in his future…

"So it's an alien thing, then?" Clara asked.

"Sorry, what?" Mac looked at her.

She gave them a look, "There's a body and there's a mummy. And a UNIT Agent here, UNIT only investigates aliens, yeah?"

"The agent could be on a trip," Mac offered, "Vacations are a thing, even in UNIT, even in the future."

"And it might be nothing," the Doctor added, actually sounding like he wanted it to be that, "Old ladies die all the time, especially being over 100 years old. A dying brain, lack of oxygen, a 'mummy' seen by no one but her, suggests it wasn't there, just a hallucination."

"Says the 2,000-year-old man?" Clara challenged.

Mac chuckled, "If it makes you feel better, we can try to find the other UNIT official and see why they're here. If it's alien, we'll help out. Ok?"

Clara nodded, a small smirk on her face as she reached out and picked up three flutes of champagne as a waiter passed, handing two to them and clinking hers to theirs, "Deal."

~8~

They had planned to give Clara the full Orient Express experience, popping in just after dinner, spending the night in two rooms courtesy of the psychic paper, and then breakfast, a day on the train, finishing with a lovely dinner and a hop home. Clara had been very eager to try and seek out the mysterious UNIT Agent and find out about the mummy right after they drank their champagne, but the train was about to enter 'night mode' and most of the passengers had already gone to bed for the night or were heading there shortly after.

The chances of finding one UNIT Agent, compared to the numerous doctors and professors, was slim even if they had sought the person out right away. They would have a better chance the next morning, when everyone was up and gathered together for breakfast.

So they'd gone to bed for the night, Clara in a room across the corridor from the Time Lords, who, really, were not sleeping or anywhere near sleeping at all, for two very good reasons.

The first being that the Doctor couldn't shake the thought that the Mummy COULD be real, as much as he actually seemed to want it to be a hallucination, because what high class woman would just imagine a mummy in their last moments?

The second being, Mac really could not let it go that there was apparently another UNIT official there and she wanted to know who and why they were there…if it wasn't for a vacation that is.

Neither of them had wanted to go to bed and 'give up the hunt' but they also didn't want Clara to be hurt or disappointed. IF the mummy was real and only the person who died saw it, they didn't want to risk that being Clara or someone being attacked and THEY couldn't see it to help. And disappointed because…if it WAS just a hallucination and the UNIT Agent was just there for a vacation, then it would be a bit of a let down. If she rested for the night, maybe they could do a bit of snooping, get a better sense of things, and work out a way to bring it up to her.

"It's nothing," the Doctor muttered to himself, "Nothing. Definitely sure. 99 percent sure."

"Higher than I thought," Mac remarked, "I was closer to 75 percent."

"75?" he glanced at her.

She gave him a teasing look, "It's YOU, dear. How many times have you set down and it HASN'T been anything alien or dangerous, compared to all the other times?"

He had to nod at that, "A mummy that only the victim can see…" he murmured, glancing at her, "Shall we?" he asked, standing from where he'd been sitting on the edge of their bed and holding out a hand.

"Oh, good, I was hoping you'd ask," Mac laughed, taking his hand, "Now I have an excuse for Clara and not that I just happened to wander off without her. I have to keep an eye on you."

"Funny," he huffed in a teasing fashion, the two of them heading to the hall and down it, not wanting to wake Clara, she had to be sleeping by now and sleep was important to a human.

~8~

Engineering was the first place the Time Lords thought to go. From a few whispers they heard on the way to the bedrooms that night, the old woman who had passed on had been confined to a wheelchair which doubled as her medication system. It could be that there was something that had malfunctioned with it, that caused her to die so suddenly, and if so…engineering would be the place it would be brought. Because the train would want to know if it was their fault or the woman's own fault, faulty equipment and so on. They would have their top engineer examine it and they would need their tools and scanners to do so, in engineering.

A quick flick of the sonic on the lock got them into the engineering car, and it was very easy from there to spot the chair they were looking for. The room was cluttered and dirty, but there was one piece of cloth covering something in the middle of the room, something very out of place compared to everything else. They moved over to it, Mac pulling the covering away while the Doctor scanned the chair with the sonic.

"Beautiful bit of kit, isn't it?" a voice spoke behind them, actually causing them to jump and turn to see what had to be the train's engineer standing behind them, "The Excelsior Life Extender. It's like driving around in a portable hospital."

"Didn't seem to do that poor old woman any good," Mac winced at the thought.

"Got me there," the man nodded, "Maybe it malfunctioned."

Mac eyed him, "You would be more sure of that if it had," she countered.

He chuckled and nodded, "Got me there as well. You an engineer, too?"

"Something like that," Mac shrugged, "Agent Mackenzie, of UNIT," she flashed her ID at him.

"Oh," he frowned a moment, "I take it you ain't the other one's partner then? He was asking about the chair, too."

Mac blinked, so the other agent was a male, or appeared one at least, "No," she answered, "Only partner I have is right here," she patted the Doctor on the shoulder, pulling his attention away from where he was scowling at the sonic for its results, "The Doctor."

"The records show that the machine did everything it could to keep her alive," the Doctor stated.

"Yeah," the engineer agreed, "And almost drained the battery doing it."

"What do you know?" the Doctor turned to him, crossing his arms.

"Well, I know that, when I find a man fiddling with a chair Mrs. Pitt died in, it's best to play my cards close to my chest."

"Really? Well, I know that, when I find a man loitering near a chair that someone died in, I do just the same."

Mac rolled her eyes, "And you are, sir?" she asked.

"Perkins," the man stated, "Chief Engineer."

Mac nodded in thanks, "Now, about this other UNIT Agent…why was he so interested in the chair?"

"Well," Perkins shrugged, "He seemed to think it wasn't the chair that had anything to do with it at all, but that…well, that someone...or something else might be responsible."

"Tell me, Perkins," the Doctor began, "Where can we find this other agent?"

~8~

"I don't think it's me," the Doctor spoke as he and Mac made their way down the corridors of the train, heading for the lounge car. According to Perkins, the passenger who had been asking about the chair, the UNIT Agent, had a habit of staying up late or waking very early and sitting in the lounge car, reading, till others were awake.

He'd also said that the man went by the name of 'Agent Smith.'

Instantly Mac had thought it might be a future version of the Doctor, a future incarnation, maybe the next him.

"It could be," she remarked.

Because Perkins said that the man was also very clever and very intimidating.

"We would have sensed it if there was another Time Lord on the train," he pointed out.

"Unless you knew we'd be there and took precautions to keep us from sensing you."

He opened his mouth to argue but…she had a point. There WERE some ways to do just that. And if it WAS a future incarnation of himself, he would certainly know they'd be there and not want to alert them to it too quickly…

"Let's find him and find out then," he said simply, opening the door to the lounge car a bit more eagerly than he normally would have.

There were only two people in there, a man they assumed was Emil Moorhouse, the professor of alien mythology Perkins had described as being one of the passengers. Perkins had overheard the man telling another passenger that, if he hadn't known any better, this had all the markings of a 'Foretold' attack, which meant he knew SOMETHING about something similar enough to this to make him think it was this 'Foretold' creature.

The other man, with his back to them as he sat across from Moorhouse at a table, had to be the UNIT Agent. Granted they couldn't see his face, but he had the 'shaggy black hair' that Perkins had described, and the man was very vocally egging Moorhouse on for information specifically about the Foretold.

"…for the interview, Professor Moorhouse," the man was saying as they approached, "There aren't many files at UNIT related to the Foretold, need to keep them updated!"

Mac froze.

"I'm surprised you know of it," Moorhouse chuckled.

"Ooh, the legend of the mummy which, if you see, you're dead? How could anyone resist digging a little more into it? Now," he cleared his throat, "What would you say is the most interesting thing about it? Just to start."

"Well, it would have to be the time limit given before it kills you. I can't think of another myth where it's so specific. How does it go? The number of evil twice over...they that bear the Foretold's stare have 66 seconds to live."

The man nodded, seeming to be making notes about it as Moorhouse went on, "Funny how it took that long for people to realize. The myth of the Foretold first appeared over 5,000 years ago and it took quite a while before anyone realized it was 66 seconds. People must not have been paying attention. Suppose they were too busy using their mouths, talking about it all, and not their brains."

Moorhouse chuckled, "I suppose they were."

"And, correct me if I'm wrong, but in some stories, there is a riddle or secret word that is supposed to make it stop. Some characters try to bargain with it, offer riches, confess sins. All to no avail."

Moorhouse's smile began to fall, "You seem to know quite a lot about it in your own right," he remarked.

The man shrugged, "I read your paper. But, you know, you never said…what's the most interesting thing about the Foretold?"

"Well, you can't run from it, that's for sure. There are accounts of people trying but it never works. No matter how far you run, it's always right behind you."

The man let out a bit of a disappointed hiss, "I was hoping you'd be a bit more clever than that."

"Well, what would YOU say is the most interesting then?"

"The fact that you were here, on this train, to witness the death of Mrs. Pitt at its hand," the Doctor said, answering for the professor.

The man interviewing Moorhouse tensed.

"I'm sorry, what?" Moorhouse laughed, "Sir, the Foretold is a myth. It isn't real. That poor woman merely died of old age."

The Doctor just looked down at the Agent, who had yet to turn around, "What do you think? You seem to know more about it than the so-called authority."

"Oh, I don't know all that much really," the man defended.

The Doctor turned to Mac to ask her something…only to see her standing there with her eyes wide, filled with tears, her hands over her mouth. But he knew, in her head, it wasn't from upset or anything negative, but an overwhelming hope and disbelief and joy. He grinned and chuckled, turning back to the man, "The jig is up," he told him.

The man seemed to bow his head for a moment, shaking it, more like he was conceding a game, before he slowly stood, putting his pad of paper into his inner suit pocket, and turned, to reveal he was holding up a piece of psychic paper for them to see, "Agent Theodore Smith, of UNIT," he said.

The Doctor couldn't help the laugh that escaped him as he moved over to the man, slinging an arm around his shoulder, "Got River's message then?" he grinned.

"Wasn't gonna miss this for anything," the man grinned, nodding, and turning back to the still startled woman.

"...Teddy?" Mac breathed.

The man's expression morphed into one of such delight and joy and relief that he nearly sagged even as he said, "Hello mum."

Mac didn't waste another moment to launch herself into Teddy's arms, hugging him tightly as she cried to see him again.

The Doctor stepped to the side to give her more space to hug, and shook his head, pleased to death that his surprise had worked. It hadn't escaped him how Mac's mind would seem to drift to the children she'd lost, the time she didn't get to have with them, on a few adventures. He hadn't wanted to cheat and reach out to River while she was in Stormcage, he liked running into her on adventures. That wasn't to say they NEVER visited their daughter in prison, they did, many, many times, but he also liked that surprise nature of finding clues and messages from her throughout time.

He'd broke a bit of that a short while ago, putting in a call to River that, the next time she saw Teddy (whether it was the first time meeting him or if she already had) to tell the boy to swing by the Orient Express in Space's last run and finally say hello to his dear old mum.

He hadn't wanted Mac to suspect anything, so he'd waited a few adventures before springing this trip on her, the Orient Express's last run in Space before the trips ended. It was the easiest one to pick out since the first might be too crowded. He had been doing his level best the entire time to keep the secret of Teddy being somewhere on board from Mac, and he was so pleased he'd managed it, her reaction had been worth it.

"Welcome back," he joked to the man.

They knew the man was alive, River had lest slip just that much. And now, looking back, River was his half-sister, at the very least, they both shared DNA from Mac. It meant so much more to find out from River that she'd found Teddy or he'd found her, that they found each other, in the vastness of all time and Space…and now there they were, with their son back in front of them.

Alive.

"You're here," Mac said wetly, her face buried in Teddy's shoulder as he hugged her tight.

"I am," Teddy nodded, "I'm here. I'm ok, mum."

"And you knew?" she called out, though it was clear it was directed at the Doctor.

"I did," he chuckled, "Got it all sorted. I know you missed him."

"I love you," Mac mumbled, neither man was sure who she was saying it to, but it was probably both of them.

"You too, mum," Teddy squeezed her more.

"And look who's also 'working' for UNIT," the Doctor teased, ignoring Moorhouse who was frowning at them all. He hadn't quite thought far enough ahead to what excuse Teddy might have had to be on the train when he was, but it was fitting.

"Oh of course!" Teddy laughed, shifting slightly as Mac pulled away, wiping her her eyes while he put his arm around her shoulder, "No better steps to follow in than Mum's."

Mac sniffled out a laugh at that. too, "Taking a leaf out of your father's book, too, though, psychic paper?" she reached out and flicked it, "Where did you get that?"

Teddy positively beamed hearing her refer to the Doctor as his father, recalling all too well how she'd reacted the last time they'd been together to the mere idea of it. When he'd run into River…oh that had been a trip and a half, finding out he had a sister, that his mum (and dad) had another child, hearing her story. He'd promised her he'd help keep her safe from the Silence, only to find out the lengths his parents would go to topple that whole damn system.

He and River kept in touch though, she'd gotten him a Vortex Manipulator to hop around with, with a comm. built in to a direct line to her, always even with her in her timeline. So he'd scrounged through the universe till he managed to get ahold of two pieces of psychic paper, one for her and one for him. Both of them their parents' children.

"You don't want to know," Teddy winked at his mother.

"Tell me you're at least using it responsibly?" Mac gave him a look.

Teddy's expression softened, "Of course, mum," he promised her, crossing a finger over his chest.

Mac let out a breath of relief, at least one of her children had a sense of self-preservation about them…

A sentiment which was quickly dashed when a scream sounded down the length of the train and Teddy took off towards it, followed close by the Doctor.

Mac offered the very confused Moorhouse an apologetic, "Excuse us," before rushing off after them both.

~8~

They couldn't even make it into the kitchen car, where the commotion had come from, it was too crowded and filled with staff who were very concerned and fearful about what had happened. The trio could barely make out the sight of a man lying within, half in the walk-in freezer, clearly not breathing.

"Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear," Mac breathed, wringing her hands together at the sight.

Quell had his back to them, addressing the rest of the employees, "It was a heart attack," the man was telling them as they walked up, "And if I hear anyone spreading rumors to the contrary, they'll be getting off at the next station, termination papers in hand. Are we clear?"

He waited till the staff nodded before he turned and strode out of the room, not even sparing a glance at the trio before he turned the other way down the hall.

"I think we need to talk," the Doctor called as they followed after him.

"This matter does not concern the passengers," Quell defended.

"Forgetting already that we're UNIT?" Mac cut in, giving him a look, gesturing between herself and Teddy, "Refuse to speak with us and we'll have no qualms pulling the plug on this entire organization, shutting you down, and shuttling the passengers to the nearest planet, and report you for obstruction of an official investigation."

"Or," Teddy added, "You can take 5 minutes to talk to us, tell us what you know, and offer assistance as we go forward and maybe we won't."

"What'll it be?" Mac asked, crossing her arms and giving the man the look only a mother could that said her child had better do as she says.

The Doctor had to bite his lip when he saw Teddy mimicking his mother just a step behind her, he certainly had the intimidation of a Time Lord down.

~8~

Quell let out a deep sigh as they gathered in his office, pouring himself a heavy drink, leaving the trio time to look around at the various certificates and news clippings on the walls of all his accomplishments. He downed it quickly and moved to pour himself another glass, when the bottle was tugged away by Mac.

"Best not," she murmured to him, "Climbing inside a bottle helps no one."

Quell gave her a deep frown but turned away and moved to sit behind his desk, "I don't see why there's a need for an investigation, I have followed the procedure for accidental death to the letter."

"Well you answered it right there," Teddy remarked, "Accidental deaths wouldn't. But I think we all know this isn't accidental. Why are you trying to cover this up?"

"How dare you!" Quell glared at him, "You don't know anything about me…"

"Wounded in battle," the Doctor cut in, pointing to various certificates, "Honorable discharge. And, this is just a guess, but I think you've had the fight knocked out of you," he turned to the man, "You expected this to be a cushy desk job where you could put your head down until retirement. Well, I'm sorry. As of today, that dream is over."

"There is no evidence of any attack or other parties..." Quell tried to argue.

"But we can't risk that evidence coming up," Mac cut in, "That means bodies piling up, so let's stop this. Hmm?"

Quell was silent, just staring them down, clearly not wanting to admit that there might not be anything accidental about this. If he said anything, it would mean an investigation, it would mean something official and a failure on his part to prevent it, a breach of security.

It was clear to them all that he didn't want to have to deal with anything like that.

"Come on," Teddy reached out to tug Mac back by her elbow, knowing the Doctor would follow, "Seems like we have to do this on our own."

The Doctor let a frustrated breath through his nose but nodded, turning to follow the two out of the office, only to spot Perkins waiting in the corridor for them, rolls of paper in his arms.

"Passenger manifest," the man explained, "Plan of the train, and a list of stops for the past six months," he handed a few over to the Time Lords.

"Quick work, Perkins," the Doctor spoke, before eyeing him, "Maybe too quick."

"Yes, sir. I'm obviously the mummy. Or, perhaps, I was already looking into this."

Teddy laughed and clapped the man on the back, "I like you, Mr. Perkins, what have you discovered so far then?" he asked, leading the man back towards engineering.

~8~

It was an odd thing, to Mac, to watch something happening but not be able to see it actually happen. Perkins had brought up the security footage for when Mrs. Pitt passed on, they could see the woman from the moment she noticed the Foretold through to the moment she died, hearing her shouts about the mummy no one else could see.

She glanced at the Doctor as he held a stopwatch, timing it to see if it was 66 seconds like Moorhouse had thought it would be, the man having joined them in engineering when he eventually worked out that this might really BE the Foretold in action and had come to find them.

She and the Doctor, at least, knew enough from their travels to know that just because you couldn't see something didn't mean it wasn't real or wasn't there. The Krafayis came to mind, how only Vincent could see it, but it was still there. The Invisibility Watch as well, certain species, mostly dogs, could see through that. The thing under the bed was also something to consider. There were many species that couldn't be seen in certain conditions and situations, but they existed.

They wouldn't write Mrs. Pitt off as a madwoman just yet.

"No!" she was shouting on the footage, "No! Get it out! Argh!'"

"Did you see that?" Teddy murmured, frowning at the image, "She's jerking back like something is reaching for her head…"

The Doctor clicked the stopwatch when Mrs. Pitt slumped over in her chair, "66 seconds. It fits the myth. Did you see the lights flicker?" he glanced at Mac.

"I did," she hummed, already trying to think if she had anything on her that would help them either see the entity or learn where it was.

She had a small bottle of paint, could toss that onto it, see where it was moving. But while they had been watching the footage, it was clear there were things in the way to get to Mrs. Pitt where she sat and nothing had moved as it drew closer to her…so it might not be a physical entity, the paint wouldn't help. Well she had lots of odds and ends to to test if it was a hologram or not.

"The lights went in the kitchen as well just before the chef saw it," Perkins added.

"In all of the accounts, conventional weapons have no effect on the Foretold," Moorhouse warned, "It's immortal, unstoppable...un-killable."

Teddy snorted at that, "If I had a pound for every time River and I came across something that claimed to be…" he trailed off, glancing over at his parents, "I mean…I'm sure we can find a way?"

Mac just crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes.

Teddy glanced at the Doctor, "I'm in trouble, aren't I?"

The Doctor could only pat him on the back in sympathy.

~8~

The Doctor could only watch on, amused, for so long as Mac went into a lecture with Teddy about safety and self-preservation and how it was his job as the older brother to keep River safe not get her into trouble and ask what sort of aliens and enemies had they faced that were 'un-killable' so she could make him a list of how to kill them, and how could he go on so many trips with River and NOT find time to tell HER he was alive?!

He began to feel a bit bad for the boy near the end of hour 3, Moorhouse and Perkins had already fallen asleep halfway through the sermon. He hadn't wanted to interrupt though, because this was one of those parental things Mac had missed out through her life, being able to lecture and scold her child. Even Teddy appeared both fond and amused at times when she'd go off on a tangent to a different topic before looping back. But it HAD been three hours and that was taking it a bit far for a first scolding.

And, if there was one ting that would snap Mac out of her tirade, because he didn't even think HE could do it right now, it would be Clara. He hated to wake her, but he could use her help getting Mac to take a breath. He chuckled at the thought, she really was such a mother in this incarnation, and moved to a phone on the wall, sonicing it to connect to Clara's mobile.

"Mac!" Clara called instantly.

"Close," the Doctor corrected, "Wake up, sleepy-head. Time for breakfast. Knowing this train, it'll taste amazing."

"Doctor, please, I'm in trouble," Clara cut in.

He snorted, "How could you get in trouble from inside your room?" he scoffed, "Listen, there's been another mummy murder. So our trip just became a bit more interesting."

"I'm trapped!"

"In your room?"

"No!" Clara huffed, "I am not in my room. I was trying to find you and Mac when you didn't answer your door last night and Maisie was wandering so I followed her to make sure she was alright and…now we're trapped."

"What? Where are you?"

"In the train's strong room."

He let out a breath, running a hand down the side of his face, "Stay right there, we're on our way," he hung up before Clara could say anything, and turned to Mac, "Clara's in danger!"

The reaction was instant, Mac turned and ran over to him, "What happened?"

"No time, she's trapped in the strong room and…" he cut off as Mac took off down the hall.

"Thanks for that," Teddy patted him on the back as he stepped after his mother and hurried to make sure she'd be ok.

"Yeah, yeah," he muttered under his breath, going after them.

~8~

"Clara!" Mac banged on the door of the strong room, having shoved through the baggage car to get to it. She may or may not have run into a staff member or two on the way, but Clara was in danger!

…and it was probably all her fault. She never should have let Clara alone. Something in her gut told her she should have gone to check on Clara a few times since they'd gone to Engineering, but she'd ignored it, convinced herself Clara was sleeping. And then they'd run into Teddy and it was like she'd completely forgotten about Clara, and that was just unacceptable in her book. Clara was her companion, her responsibility, like a child was, and she'd actually forgotten her for a moment, so overjoyed to see Teddy alive again.

"Clara, are you in there?"

"Yes!" Clara's voice called through it, "Yes. Hello. Can you hear us?"

"I can hear you, yes," Mac told her, glancing to the side when Teddy and the Doctor caught up to her, the Doctor moving to a control panel that had a…shoe…sticking out of it by the heel, while Teddy took to examining the door itself, "Are you alright?"

"We're ok," Clara assured her.

"Just hold on. We're working to get you out of there."

"Computer," the Doctor asked the system as he pulled the shoe out, "Can you open the door, please?"

"Call me Gus," the computer said, "I'm afraid this door can only be opened by executive order."

The Doctor rolled his eyes at that, pulling the sonic out of his pocket and flashing it on the lock…but nothing happened, "Now the stupid sonic screwdriver's not working," he groaned, stepping back to bash it on his hand.

"What do you mean it's not working?" Clara shouted, clearly having heard that, "Why?"

"I don't know."

"There's a suppression field," Teddy stated with a simple shrug.

"How do you know that?" the Doctor eyed him.

Teddy just held up a lighter in his hand and flicked it on…only there was no flame, "This worked just an hour ago," he told them, "It's suppressing things outside the door."

"Who…who's that?" Clara's voice cut in, "Is someone there with you?"

Mac beamed, "Teddy," she told her, "Clara…it's Teddy."

"…Teddy as in your son Teddy?" Clara clarified, recalling the story Mac told her about him, "He's there?! Oh my stars, Mac, that's wonderful!"

"What would be even more wonderful is if the door would open," someone else spoke from within the room with Clara, the woman who had called them liars before, Maisie.

"What are you even doing in there?" the Doctor stepped away from the panel and over to Mac, who had her ear pressed to the door with a glass between it to help her hear Clara better.

Teddy glanced at him before moving around the back of his parents and over to the panel to examine it himself.

"I was looking for you two," Clara huffed.

"I thought you were sleeping!" Mac informed her, "You're a growing girl, Clara, very important you get a full 8 hours of sleep and three square meals a day and…"

Teddy snorted beside her, an actual screwdriver in his mouth, clenched between his teeth as he used a pair of tweezers and what looked like a straw to work on the panel.

Mac shot him a look, not needing him to say it to know what he was snorting about. She knew how that sounded.

"Anyway," Mac got back to Clara, "Is there anything you can do from in there? Any other door or…or a vent you can crawl through?"

"No," Clara sighed, "No, there's nothing in here but a sarcophagus."

"A what?" the Doctor frowned, "Did you say a sarcophagus?"

"And it's opening," Clara confirmed, "Turns out the sonic was working, just not on the door we need."

Mac and the Doctor glanced at each other, he'd stopped using the sonic long before the door began to open…so whatever was happening, it wasn't their doing. Their attention was pulled up when the lights began to flicker, just as they did with Mrs. Pitt and the chef…a likely sign that the Foretold was about to attack again.

"Clara?" Mac tried to call again, "What's going on? What's happening?"

"Clara!" the Doctor tried.

"It's ok!" Clara called back after a moment, "It's full of...bubble wrap."

"Of what?" Mac blinked, startled at that.

"Yeah, there's just…something wrapped in bubble wrap in it."

"But the lights…" the Doctor murmured.

Mac just breathed out a sigh of relief, "It's not triggered by proximity then," she deduced.

"Bigger picture, mum," Teddy gave her a grim look as he took the screwdriver out of his mouth, "If it's not there to attack Clara or that woman…then it's attacking someone else, right now."

No sooner had he said that, the door to the baggage car opened and Quell stepped in, two guards at his back, both lifting their weapons to aim at the trio, "You three! Move away from the door."

"My companion is trapped inside there," Mac shook her head, not taking a step, "With Maisie Pitt!"

"Then they're in trouble, too. I spoke to head office. There is no UNIT sanctioned investigation. You're not even on the passenger lists!"

"Clara," the Doctor called out as the guard stepped forward to handcuff them, Quell joining them so they wouldn't be outmatched, "We're going to have to call you back."

"Just because I wasn't sent here by UNIT doesn't mean UNIT can't approve the investigation," Teddy defended, even though he knew for a fact he wasn't part of UNIT at all but just using it as his cover.

Quell scoffed, "For all I know, you're the ones behind the killings," he nodded his head to the door, the guards shoving them out.

"This is ridiculous!" Mac huffed.

"How many people have to die before you stop looking the other way?" the Doctor added, but Quell pushed them on.

~8~

They didn't make it far, not even close to Quell's office, for they had stepped into the Lounge car on the way, to find one of the guards stationed in there with his gun out, ranting and raving about a mummy, the passengers ducking for cover while the man aimed his weapon at something only he could see.

"Get back!" he was screaming, firing the gun, "Stay back!" until he tripped over his own two feet, trying to crawl away while firing at the same time.

"What do you think you're doing, man!?" Quell demanded, trying to storm over to him.

But the guard was sobbing, pleading and begging, "Stop!"

"Get up now!" Quell glared, "That's an order!"

The guard could only shake his head, whimpering and jerking his head back as though something was trying to touch it…before he slumped over, much like Mrs. Pitt had in the footage, earning a concerned look between the Time Lords and Teddy. One of the passengers got up and rushed over to the fallen man, checking his pulse, before shaking his head at Quell.

The captain let out a startled breath, removing his hat in respect, before he turned to the trio, solemn and shaken, "It turns out it's three," he stated, "The amount of people that had to die before I stopped looking the other way," he looked to the two guards behind them and nodded, gesturing for them to release the three of them.

"Thank you," Mac offered the man, though her tone was not very generous. The second she was free, Teddy snorted, because she instantly turned to him and grabbed his wrists to make sure he hadn't been harmed.

"I'm fine, mum," he murmured.

"I'm your mother, I'll worry if I want to."

He huffed out a laugh, moving an arm around her shoulders to hug her, pressing a kiss to her hair, "I know."

"Same as the others?" Perkins' voice cut through, drawing their attention over to where the Doctor was frowning down at the fallen guard as two others moved to take the man away, the other passengers standing and murmuring in concern about what they'd just seen happen.

The Doctor opened his mouth to speak, to take control, when a thought struck him. He turned to Mac and Teddy, though his gaze was on Teddy, "Go on," he nodded at the boy.

Teddy pointed at himself, as though to ask 'me?' and grinned when the Doctor jerked his head to the side, to the other passengers.

"Yes," Teddy triumphed under his breath, before stepping forward, slipping seamlessly into 'soldier-mode' from his days in Messaline, his hands behind his back as he stood straight and commanding, "Attention, ladies and gentlemen," he called out, moving to the middle of the room, "If everyone could quiet for a moment, I can give you all a quick report of what is happening here," he waited till they fell silent, "There is a danger on this train, a creature who can only be seen by those about to die at its hands. Upon sight, this individual will have exactly 66 seconds to live. However!" he called, holding up his hands when the people began to panic, "We have a way to combat this threat," he looked around at them, "You. All of you. All experts in alien biology, mythology, physics. You are all more than capable, more than qualified, to analyze this threat and negate it. And, if I had to guess, none of you chose this train on this day or this trip on your own, have you?" he looked around, "You were all given a ticket, won a lottery, a contest, something, that got you here," the people looked startled, glancing at each other to realize he was right, "Yes," he nodded, "Someone with immense power and influence has orchestrated this whole trip. Someone who, I have no doubt, is listening to us right now," he turned and looked at a security camera in the corner of the ceiling, "Aren't you?"

Perkins frowned when the room suddenly grew quieter, "The engines. They've stopped."

The lights flickered, but not in the same way as when the foretold appeared, more like a hologram cutting out, and indeed it did, the 1920s style of the room suddenly disappeared, replacing everything with a laboratory setting, a rather advanced one.

"And the façade drops away because what use are a bunch of scientists without a lab?" the Doctor nodded.

Mac sighed, shaking her head at the sight, "I liked mine better."

The Doctor snorted and moved an arm around her waist, recalling her laboratory in UNIT.

It wasn't just the décor that disappeared though, a handful of the passengers themselves flickered out, too.

"Teleporter?" Perkins frowned.

"No," Mac sighed, recognizing it, "Hard light holograms. They were never really here. Fake passengers, otherwise you'd notice there weren't enough passengers."

"That was my best guard…" Quell murmured when one of the men at his side disappeared.

"Good morning, everyone," Gus, the voice of the train, chimed in over the speakers, "Around the room, you will find a variety of scientific equipment. Your goal is to ascertain the Foretold's true nature, probe for weaknesses with a view to capture, after which we will reverse engineer its abilities. Isn't this exciting?"

"Capture?" Mac called out, that word sticking with her, "If you want us to capture it, then that means YOU can't. How'd you get it onboard then?"

"There is an artifact, an ancient scroll. I have highlighted it for your convenience," a light turned on at the end of the car, a display set into the wall illuminating to reveal a scroll behind the glass, "For reasons currently unknown, the Foretold appears in the vicinity of this artifact."

"And kills at regular intervals," the Doctor muttered.

"Then just maybe we should throw this thing out in the airlock," Quell said simply, striding towards the scroll.

"No, no," Teddy reached out to grab his arm and pull him back, "Wouldn't do that if I were you."

"And why not?" Quell tried to yank his arm back, but Teddy's grip was firm.

"Soldier," he gestured at himself, "If I had something I needed to protect…" he turned and grabbed a pen off a nearby table and tossed it at the display…only for it to be zapped back by an electric forcefield. He nodded, "I'd put up a protective perimeter if I couldn't be right next to it to guard it."

"Well done," Mac praised her son, earning a wink from him. She couldn't help the way her hearts swelled seeing him in that moment.

On Messaline he'd been nothing but a soldier. She was his mother, she loved him no matter what, but even looking back at it, she could admit he had so many tactical strategies in his head, military training, weapons knowledge, he was a soldier. He had a personality all his own, but that training was still in there, much like when River had first met them, all that crammed in her head. It wouldn't go away, it never could, but it could be grown out of, adapted, merged. Now…now she saw how he'd grown into his own person. That knowledge was there, but it was in the background now, coming out when needed instead of something that embodied who he was.

He was his own person.

And it was a little bittersweet, because he'd done that on his own, without her there to help or support or protect him. Yes, he was a solider, he could defend himself, but she was his mother, it was her job to take care of her child.

He was a good man though, like his father, and that was a comfort.

"What if we say no?" Moorhouse cut in, calling up at the computer, "Down tools? Refuse to work?"

"That is your choice, of course," Gus stated, "But it would be very upsetting were you all to die at the hands of the Foretold."

"So, hurry up before it kills you?" Perkins guessed was the message there.

"But even if they agree to this, how are they supposed to study a creature they can't even see?" the Doctor pointed out.

"There are any number of invisible species," Mac agreed, "We need more than that…"

She trailed off when the lights flickered, but this time not to remove a hologram, but in the pattern that signaled the Foretold was about to appear.

The Doctor grew grim, "Perkins," he called, "Start the clock."

Not even a moment later, Moorhouse spoke, "Approximately 1.8 meters tall," he began to speak, staring across the car at the far door, "Actually, seeing it in the flesh isn't nearly as rewarding as I thought it might be."

"Oh dear," Mac breathed, wringing her hands at the knowledge the man would be the next victim.

Teddy put a hand on the small of her back in comfort, stepping up to the pragmatic soldier he was, "What can you see?" he asked the man, "Details. Be as specific as you can."

"Yes," Moorhouse cleared his throat, "Yes, of course. Of course. Well, it just looks like...a man in bandages. I..."

"What kind of bandages? Old? New?"

"Old."

"Whole? Ragged?"

"Ragged. Falling off in places. I don't know what you want me to tell you."

"You can see it," the Doctor joined Teddy in the assessment, "We can't. Tell us what you can see. Even the smallest detail might help save the next one."

"The next one?" Moorhouse faltered, "You mean...you can't save me?"

"Yeah," Teddy winced, "That's sort of implied, isn't it? When we don't know enough about it to even identify it."

"Details," even Mac had to join them, to help the man focus, "Please."

"Erm..." Moorhouse stuttered, "Flesh...some of it is visible..."

"30 seconds," Perkins warned.

"Leathery. Ancient looking. Peat bog preserved."

"Keep talking!" the Doctor urged, "Don't waste this chance!"

"I want to bargain for my life."

"That's not gonna help," Teddy warned, explaining to his parents, "Some of the myths say if you find the right word, make the right offer, it lets you go."

"If that were the case, there would be a record of what exactly was offered," Mac agreed that it wouldn't help, "Someone would be bragging about surviving, they'd say what it was they offered."

"Tell us what you can see!" the Doctor insisted.

Moorhouse, though, stood firm, "This is my life! My death! I'm going to fight for it how I want! I give you..."

"Ten seconds," Perkins called.

"…my soul," Moorhouse offered, his eyes fixated on the thing no one could see, "I confess all sins. I give you all my worldly goods. Only, please, please, please!" he began to lean back, his neck stretched to avoid someone reaching for his face, "No!"

Not a moment later, the man slid down the wall he'd pressed himself against, dead.

"Zero," Perkins sighed.

"We apologize for any distress you may have just experienced," Gus announced, "Grief counselling is available on request. On the bright side, I'm sure you've all collected a lot of data. Well done, everyone!"

Perkins glared up at the camera, when something occurred to him, "It's recording every death."

"Of course it is," the Doctor huffed, moving over to Mac as the woman frowned down at Moorhouse, knowing she was devastated the man had died and they couldn't help him, but also that she felt a spark of relief it hadn't been Clara trapped away from them, "That's why we're here...to study our own demise. So, let's get to work. Come on. Chop, chop."

Teddy moved away from the Doctor with a nod, allowing the man to step to his Chosen and comfort her while he took to handing out the lab coats to get them started.

~8~

"Oh thank god," Mac breathed when, an hour later, one of the phones on the table rang and she quickly answered, "Clara!" she guessed. She had gotten the Doctor to sonic the phone at their assigned table to connect to the strong room so she could give Clara an update for what was happening, the only one who would be calling back would be Clara, "Are you alright? What's happened? Everything ok? Do you…"

"We're fine," Clara laughed on the other end of the line, and Mac waved her hand at the Doctor and Teddy as the two chuckled at her questions, "Maisie and I have been poking around the sarcophagus…"

"Clara, I told you to leave it alone!"

Clara snorted, "You're Teddy's mum, not mine," she reminded her, "Listen, the sarcophagus is actually a secure stasis unit."

Mac nodded, "I suppose that's where they want us to put the Foretold if we capture it."

"That would have been good to know," Clara huffed.

"Sorry," she winced, "Got a bit distracted here."

"It's fine," Clara waved it off, "There's more…"

"Please terminate your call and return to work," Gus cut in over the speakers.

Mac waved her hand at the camera to try and shush him.

"We have some paperwork," Clara continued, "Passenger manifests from other ships. Maisie recognized a couple of the names. These are missing ships."

"Then this isn't the first time it's been attempted…"

"No."

"Please terminate your call and return to work," Gus repeated.

This time Mac upgraded to a rude gesture with her finger at the camera that had Teddy choking on his laughter.

"I've got some progress reports. The Gloriana spent three days getting picked off by the Foretold. All died. Performance marked as 'poor.' The Valiant Heart. 42 crew, four died. Performance...'promising.'"

"Please terminate your call and return to work," Gus did it again.

"I've got it, mum," Teddy cut in when she grew more angry with the interruptions, turning to pull what looked like a sonic blaster out of his pocket to aim at the camera.

"I er," Quell stopped him, "I wouldn't do that…I'd um, I'd actually do as he says."

When they looked at him, he gestured out the window with a deep frown, where kitchen utensils were floating in space…along with the bodies of the kitchen crew.

"Oh, dear…" Mac breathed, staring in horror.

The Doctor reached out for the phone, taking it from her and speaking to Clara himself, "Clara, we have to go," he warned, before ending the call.

"I'm sorry," Gus apologized, with no apology in his voice, "I know that must have been distressing for you. But if you are disobedient again, I will decompress another area containing less valuable passengers."

"Less valuable passengers?" Teddy scoffed, disgusted.

"How does it choose?" the Doctor muttered, just as horrified but something in Gus's threat striking him.

"Well, I'm assuming qualifications..." Perkins began.

"Not the computer," Mac cleared her throat, taking a breath, and turning away from the window to face them, "He means the Foretold."

"How does it choose who to kill?" the Doctor agreed, "We've assumed it's random. What if it's not? I want full histories on all the victims. Medical, social, personal."

"Well done," Gus praised.

The Doctor just shot a glare at the camera, moving an arm around Mac as the woman tried to get herself together from the fact that it had been her actions, her disobedience, that led to those people losing their lives. That was on her.

~8~

"Doesn't seem to be any pattern," Perkins showed the Time Lords as he summarized the reports of the passengers who had been victims of the Foretold that he'd been researching while they worked on other things, "Their travel history, interests, health...it's all over the shop."

"I wouldn't be so sure about that," Teddy offered, "Their health," he remarked, stuck on that, "If I was going to launch an attack, I would start with the weakest point, the chink in the chain."

"Mrs. Pitt was over 100 years old," Mac listed, the first victim, "She'd be the frailest."

"But the next to go, the chef, was young and fit," Perkins countered, "It's random."

"The chef was ill," Quell cut in, having overheard them.

"What?" the Doctor looked over at him.

"A rare blood disorder. Not contagious, but we kept it quiet."

"Because he worked with food," the Doctor nodded, but the theory had a firm base now, "The next one...the guard?"

"He wasn't ill as such, but he did have synthetic lungs implanted last year."

"What about Professor Moorhouse?" Mac turned to Perkins, the man already on his specific file.

"It seems he was physically fine," Perkins read, "But suffering from...'regular panic attacks after a car crash last year.'"

"So that's what it's doing," Teddy grew grim, "It's picking off the weakest first. Sensing the illness somehow. The fake organs, even psychological issues."

"Which is good news," the Doctor sighed, "Because it means we can work out who is next. I want the medical records of everybody alive who is still on board. If anyone's had as much as a cold, I want to know about it."

Perkins nodded and moved to another station to get the records of everyone on board.

Quell shifted where he stood, "…you really think it can sense psychological issues?"

Mac tensed, hearing a strain in his voice, a fear, "Why do you ask?"

The man sighed but gave a weak smile, "When you said I'd lost the stomach for a fight, Doctor, I wasn't wounded in battle, as such. But...my unit was bombed. I was the sole survivor. Not a scratch on me. But post-traumatic stress..."

"Nightmares," Mac murmured, nodding her head in understanding.

She'd had them as well, after the war, for years and years on Earth, survivor's guilt, she knew the Doctor shared it, too. It was why she'd been kept in a lab and not on field duty by UNIT, they didn't want to risk her freaking out in the middle of a mission. She'd managed a few successfully, at first, the newness of Earth being so different than Gallifrey had helped, but eventually one attack just looked like another one and she just couldn't handle it as well. Having a lab, a closed area she controlled, she kept in order, where she had things to do than to be on edge at all times…it helped. But the nightmares still happened, even to this day they'd pop up, even knowing they'd saved Gallifrey, it couldn't erase the hell that was the war before that point, couldn't save the people who had died before the Moment. She would be worried for the Doctor and herself if their minds had been more human-like and less fortified in being Time Lords. Even with their own stress and guilt and complexes, their minds were still stronger than a human's.

"Still can't sleep without pills," Quell nodded.

"I hate to say it," Teddy winced, "But you might be next, then."

"Which is good to know," the Doctor tried to put a spin on it.

"Well, not for me," Quell scoffed.

"Well, of course not for you because you're going to die, ouch!" he winced when Mac elbowed him in the side, "I meant…" he tried to be a bit more tactful, "From a research point of view…"

"You know, for a doctor, your bedside manner..." Quell tried to grouse, but the lights began to flicker in the familiar pattern that signaled the Foretold coming.

The Doctor grew grim when he saw Quell's gaze lock on something across the room, "Well, there's goes our head start. Perkins, start the clock!"

"Mr. Quell," Mac tried to get through to the shell-shocked man, "What can you see?"

"Almost feels out of focus," Quell spoke quietly, "Gives me a headache just looking at it…" he pulled the gun from his belt.

"That didn't work for the guard," Mac shook her head at him.

Teddy, though, scoffed, understanding, "No soldier goes down without a fight."

No sooner had he spoken, Quell emptied his gun, firing 3 rounds at where he saw the Foretold standing.

"50 seconds," Perkins warned.

"Someone shut that man up!" Quell snapped, "For the record, it didn't even flinch."

"Where is it now?" the Doctor looked around, trying to move into Quell's line of sight.

"Approximately 20 feet in front of me and closing," Quell stated and the Doctor hurried to move in that area.

"40…" Perkins tried to add, but Mac shot him a look and a firm shake of her head, no one needed the countdown to their death hanging over their head. She and the Doctor would be able to keep track well enough.

"Am I close?" the Doctor moved again.

Quell looked queasy, "It's passing right through you, like a ghost."

"It's not a hologram," Teddy spoke, having grabbed a scanner to try and get a reading off that area.

"If you move, will it follow?" Mac wondered.

Quell nearly laughed, "Do you want me to move? I can certainly do that."

"Keep looking at it," the Doctor nodded, "But back off quick as you like."

Quell did just that, skittering off to the side and far back, as though he were going to make a break for it. The lights flickered and the man looked up at them, then jumped back, twisting around when he caught something in the corner of his eye, "It's teleported away. It's behind me," he began to pant, backing up again, "I think this is it. Still, suppose it's not a bad way to go. Blood pumping, enemy at the gates and all that. And thank you, Doctor, for waking me up. It's reaching for me. Hands on my head."

It didn't need to be said, when Quell leaned his head back and then suddenly dropped to the ground, but Perkins said it anyway, officially, "Zero."

Teddy grit his teeth but took a breath and went to scan the body, trying to see what the last thing that happened to it was, what went wrong, what stopped working.

"Teleporter," the Doctor murmured, turning to Mac, "It can teleport. That means tech. Then 66 seconds...to do what? 66 seconds..."

Mac sighed, but nodded, knowing he was really trying to piece it all together, but getting stuck, "It does seem too specific. It can't be organic, there's always a variable when it's organic."

"So, what? More tech? What? A countdown clock? Something charging?"

"A man just died in front of us," Perkins frowned, "Can we not just have a moment?"

"No," Teddy answered instead, grim and serious, "We don't have the time. Because this is going to keep happening and, eventually, it will accelerate, because whatever this is won't wait for us to muster a defense once the weakest are gone. We need to work this out as soon as we can, so we can stop it killing more people."

"Exactly," the Doctor pointed at him, finally someone who understood, "Now, everybody, what takes 66 seconds to charge up or to change state? Anyone?" the other passengers were silent, "Am I surrounded by idiots? If only I could see this thing!"

"Don't you dare say that," Mac shot him a glare.

He winced and turned to her, apologetic, but had to add, "You know one minute with me and this thing, it would be over."

"I'm sure you thought the same thing on Midnight and that didn't work very well, did it?" Mac crossed her arms.

He opened his mouth like he was going to argue, but had to huff, because she knew him too well to lie about that.

"Ok, um, ancient tech," Teddy tried to get them back on point, "If this thing has been around for centuries something has to be keeping it alive. Quell," he glanced at the man, before wiggling the scanner, "He's been leached of almost all energy on a cellular level. So it's tech that steals energy and life from the living."

"So the heart attack is just a side effect," Mac murmured, trying to think of any weapons that might do the same.

"But why take 66 seconds to drain us?" the Doctor frowned, "Why not just pounce?"

"Phase," Mac looked at him, "When you move energy out of phase it takes exactly 66 seconds."

"That's why only the victims can see it!" he realized, "It takes them out of phase so it can drain their energy. This explains everything!"

"Apart from what it is and how it's doing it," Teddy deadpanned.

"Ah," the Doctor nodded, "Yes, sorry, I jumped the gun there with the 'that explains everything' remark."

"Doctor," Perkins called, having been going over a report while the two Time Lords went back and forth working out the timing, a list of everyone's medical and health records in order of severity, "I think we know the next victim."

The Doctor took the tablet from him, his eyes widening at the name at the very top of the list, "Of course," he showed it to Mac, "That makes perfect sense."

"Oh dear," Mac frowned.

Maisie Pitt was staring back at them.

~8~

Mac had decided she should do it, make the call to Clara to bring Maisie to the lounge car, Teddy going down there to work on the controls, he was sure he could get them out if he had another minute before. It had been hard, explaining to Clara that the tormented woman with her was likely the Foretold's next victim.

"She's had a bad day," Clara argued, not wanting to believe it, "That's all."

"I know, sweetheart," Mac told her, "But the Foretold is going after people who aren't at their best right now. She's just lost her family and she's suffering quite clearly. The Doctor even ran a simulation, she's next."

"Ok," Clara sighed, unhappy about that, "But...but we're in here and, if we stay in here, that thing can't..."

"It can teleport," Mac shook her head even though Clara couldn't see it, "You'll be safer with us."

"So you can save her?"

Mac winced at the hope in Clara's voice, "You know we'll do our very best…"

But then the Doctor took the phone, "But if we can't, this is another chance to observe it in action."

"As it kills her," Clara deadpanned.

"Of course, as it kills her. If it happens in there, it'll be a waste so bring her to us."

"Give me that," Mac huffed, snatching the phone back from him, "Sorry about that, Clara."

"No, no," Clara sighed, heartbroken, "I get it. It's like you said. This him is…very pragmatic."

That was one way to put it. But, even she could see he was breaking a bit, the strain of KNOWING. It was different, on a battlefield, having to make that split second decision in the heat of the moment about who to save. It didn't leave you much time to second guess, or to think about the one you had to leave behind until it was all over. This? This was coming, slowly, and it was eating away at the Doctor, she could tell. He was getting anxious, shouty, short tempered, and cold, because he had to steel himself against what was coming, what he KNEW was coming. He knew the next victim, and now he had to walk the delicate line between trying to save the one likely to die, but not at the expense of the other soldiers who had a better chance.

This wasn't a choice in the heat of the moment, it was drawn out. It gave him the hope that he could save the ones near death…and crushed him each time he failed.

"I'm sorry," she repeated, "But…Maisie…"

"I know," Clara sighed, "I'll…I'll do my best to get her there."

"You will?" Mac had to ask, because Clara would know what was coming for the woman, and she'd be leading her to it.

"Because I know you both, and you're not going to give up till the bitter end," she determined, "You'll fight tooth and nail to save her. Not…" her voice broke, "Not everyone makes it out of a battle, I know that, but as long as you TRY…"

"We will," Mac promised her, "You know we will."

"Yeah," Clara took a breath, "I…I think I hear Teddy at the door. We'll be there soon."

Mac slowly lowered the phone as Clara cut the call and turned to the Doctor, as he stood there, grim, "I really hate this," she told him.

"More than spiders?" he tried to lighten the mood.

She gave a sad chuckle, "Much more."

He moved beside her where she was leaning on one of the lab tables, and put his arm around her shoulder, pressing a kiss to her temple, "We'll stop it," he promised her.

"I know we will," she admitted, "I'm just…worried about how many it'll take before we can. One was too many. I'm just afraid it'll get down to the four of us and…"

He nodded, pulling her closer, knowing what her largest fear about this was. Humans were fragile in general, compared to a Time Lord. It would boil down to him and Mac, in the end.

Mac had done such a job keeping Clara safe despite their journeys, he knew she was more mentally and physically fortified than a normal human, after all she'd seen, done, and experienced, she'd hold onto the end. And Teddy, even with the progenation machine, he'd gotten Time Lord qualities, so he'd be above a human too.

It likely would come down to the four of them.

…and then which would it be?

Teddy or Clara?

He didn't want it to get that close either, and he swore he'd do all he could to solve this as fast as possible, no matter what it cost, to keep her from having to experience that nightmare.

~8~

The Time Lords looked over when the door to the lounge car slid open and Maisie entered, Clara and Teddy behind her, the woman seeming in a little higher spirits than they thought she'd be given she was the next victim, Clara and Teddy were grim as they walked over.

"Hello, again," Maisie greeted them, "I'm Maisie."

"Good for you," the Doctor deadpanned.

"We passed the TARDIS on the way here," Clara told them, "I thought, maybe if we could get in, we could get the box to you, get everyone out of here. But we couldn't even get in. There was a force field around it."

Mac nodded with a sigh, "It's probably Gus," she surmised.

"If you're laying a trap, can't let people have an escape route," Teddy agreed.

The Doctor picked up a scanner from one of the tables and began to flash it at Maisie, getting a fuller reading of her various medical and psychological issues, Teddy moving to his side to peer at it over his shoulder.

"How does he even know what the TARDIS is?" Clara frowned, "Cos if he knows what it is, then he knows what you are."

"He tried this once before," Mac admitted, "Tried to lure us to the Orient Express in space with the temptation of stopping an escaped Egyptian goddess."

"Then why would we come here?" Clara frowned, "If you knew it could be a trap?"

"We didn't," Mac told her, "We thought he'd given up when we didn't show up. We even specifically chose a different model Orient Express, different date, different trip just to be sure."

"Oh," Clara nodded, "Then how did Gus…"

Her question was cut off when Maisie let out a gasp, a hand flying to her mouth as the other pointed across the room, her eyes wide and fearful, "What is that?!" she demanded.

Teddy stepped behind her, trying to see if there was any way to see what she was seeing, but there was nothing there.

"Do we start the clock?" Perkins asked.

"Not yet," the Doctor shook his head, moving the scanner to Maisie's head, "Focus," he ordered her, "Focus. Focus! All of that is your grief, your trauma, your resentment. And now it's…oomph!"

"Sorry, dad," Teddy gave him a grin even as the Time Lord rubbed his wrist from where Teddy had managed to twist the scanner out of his hand, "Too slow, old man," he winked, and moved the scanner to his head, "Now it's mine."

"Teddy!" Mac nearly shrieked, "What did you just do, young man!?" she demanded, though she was well aware of what he had done.

She'd been so worried about Clara and Teddy and Maisie she hadn't even realized what the DOCTOR was planning to do till it was too late.

It seemed her son was far more observant than her in times of crisis.

"You want to do this NOW, mum?" he scoffed, "Better time."

"It's gone!" Maisie gasped.

"It's not gone," Teddy shook his head, "I can see it now, it thinks I'm you."

"That wasn't your…" the Doctor began to chastise him, too.

"Dad, seriously, lay off, I needed to see this thing to work out if I was right."

"…what?" Mac blinked.

He snorted, clearly eyeing the Foretold up and down even as he stood there, at ease, not seeming at all concerned with his near imminent death.

"What?" the Doctor repeated.

"Sorry," Teddy winced, "Got a bit trigger happy. River always says I'm too impulsive for my own good and…"

"Focus, Theodore," Mac ground out.

"Ooh, Theodore," he grimaced, "I'm in REALLY big trouble then."

"Grounded to the end of the century," Mac deadpanned.

"Guess I need to live that long then, eh?" he tried to joke, before clearing his throat at their glares, "Sorry, bad joke. Look, you don't have to worry, it can't actually hurt me till the time is up and I've still got…"

"Oh, er…" Perkins glanced at the stopwatch that he'd started the moment Teddy said he could see it, "40 seconds."

"Plenty of time," Teddy nodded, "Cos see, I was right!" he cheered, "I thought I was, but I had to see the Foretold to really know for sure. Cos you see, we're too alike."

"Who?" the Doctor shook his head, moving to grab Mac's hand as the woman seemed about to hyperventilate.

"Me and the Foretold," he answered, "The plan, the way it's attacking, who it's picking…it's just like a soldier. And then the scroll…I thought it wasn't a scroll but everyone kept calling it that, but looking at Mr. Mummy here, it's exactly what I thought it was."

"Which is?" even Clara tried to egg him along, praying he didn't have as much of a gob as the Doctor.

"20 seconds!" Perkins warned.

"A flag," Teddy stated, "The scroll is a flag. And the Foretold is a soldier," he glanced at his parents, "I may have moved on from Messaline, but that's where I began, and all that programming and knowledge is still there. From the moment I stepped out of that machine as a soldier, there was only one thing I wanted to hear from the Hath. What every soldier wants to hear from its enemy, doesn't matter the side or the era or the battle," and then he looked at the Foretold, "We surrender."

"Zero," Perkins breathed.

But Teddy was still standing there, not in fear, not leaning away, not in pain, which had Mac letting out a breath of relief and nearly sagging between the Doctor and Clara.

The lights flickered for a moment and then, before all their eyes, was the Foretold, its back to them, facing Teddy and lowering its arms from where it had been reaching for him, only a hairsbreadth away from his head.

"I can see it again!" Maisie gasped.

"It's ok," Clara murmured to the woman, "I think we all can."

"Do I start the clock?" Perkins frowned.

"No," the Doctor determined, watching as the mummy raised its hand in a salute to Teddy, "The clock has stopped."

"At ease, soldier," Teddy told it, lifting his hand in a salute of his own, "You're relieved."

Slowly, the Foretold collapsed into a heap of dust in the middle of the room.

"He's not the only one," Perkins muttered.

"What the hell were you thinking, young man!?" Mac launched herself at Teddy, hugging the boy tightly as he tried to defend himself from the whacks she sent on his arm with her other hand, "Scaring me like that!? Trying to give me dual heart attacks? The sheer irresponsibility…"

Clara eyed the woman and the way her son now had his hands up in surrender and was backing away, much more afraid of his irate mother than the Foretold, and glanced down at the pile, "We were fighting that?" she asked the Doctor quietly, not about to risk drawing Mac's attention to her or get in the middle of the angry mother…it would make it worse for everyone.

The Doctor crouched down and pulled a small bit of tech, like a little orb, out of the pile, "So was he."

"Um," Clara glanced over where Teddy looked truly distressed now, pressed back against the wall, Mac flapping her hands about wildly and pointing at him, before moving a hand to her hip, not a good sign, "Should we help him?"

He sighed, "Mac, dear, we're not out of the woods yet," he reminded her, cutting into her tirade.

"Don't try to derail me, dear," she pointed a warning finger at him, not seeing Teddy mouth 'thank you' behind her back, before he clamped up when she spun back to him, "We're not done with this," she warned, before turning back over to the Doctor and moving to the side of the lab to start fiddling with some of the gadgets.

"Well, Gus," the Doctor called up to him, "I think we solved your little puzzle. Ancient soldier being driven by malfunctioning tech."

"Thank you so much for your efforts," Gus replied, "They are greatly appreciated. Unfortunately, survivors of this exercise are not required."

"I am shocked," Teddy deadpanned, not at all surprised by that twist. Gus was likely some sort of military man as well, because if you create a trap or a mission that had to be kept top secret, you had to make sure no one was left to talk about it after.

"Air will now be removed from the entire train," Gus stated, "We hope you have enjoyed your journey on the Orient Express."

"This would have been much easier if this was the loo car," Mac muttered, holding a hand back to the Doctor for the orb he'd taken out of the pile.

"Shower lines and the U-Bend?" Teddy guessed. It was basic physics that, if you get the shower line or any tube around the u-bend of a toilet, you'd have an unending supply of air that likely wouldn't be affected by a vacuum in the room itself.

"Hush, I'm still very cross," Mac huffed, the two ignoring Perkins as he gasped and struggled to breathe, falling to the ground.

Clara began to sway, the Doctor reaching out to grab her as the other passengers began to fall the same way, "You know a way out?" she gasped, weakly reaching for Maisie as the woman collapsed.

"My enemy's enemy is my friend," Teddy recited, coming to help his father support her.

"Especially when he has a built-in teleporter," the Doctor agreed.

"So…" Clara gasped, "…use it!"

"Working as fast as I can, Clara!" Mac called back to her, moments before the woman fell unconscious.

"Any day now, mum," Teddy groused, the Doctor moving to help Mac sonic the last few pieces together, leaving him with Clara's dead weight.

"Harrumph," Mac made a noise and hit the button on the teleporter, moments before the train exploded.

~8~

It was likely thanks to Clara starting to wake up that Mac's lecture for Teddy began to wind down in the first place. It had been a few hours since they had gotten everyone off the train, into the TARDIS, and dropped off at a hospital, Clara slept through it all. They'd taken to waiting on a small beach just outside the hospital, in case she woke up with any lingering affects or needed to be checked out they could get her there.

But they didn't want her waking up in a sterile room and being overwhelmed.

Mac took a breath, feeling like she was running out of steam with her son. She'd gone from furious to angry to heartsbroken to fearful to upset and now…now she was just tired and relieved he was alive, "I swear to god, Teddy," she warned him, "I swear to every god in every pantheon in every universe, if I find out you and River have done anything reckless so help me I will…"

"Mum," Teddy stepped over and hugged her when her voice cracked on 'reckless.'

"You are my children, our children," she sniffled, "I don't want anything to happen to you. I…we…we've lost you both once already," and she knew they would lose River permanently one day, which was a devastating thing to have hanging over any parent, she couldn't bear it if Teddy was lost too, "I can't…"

"I know, mum," Teddy said quietly, squeezing her tighter, "I'll be more careful, and I'll make sure River is, too. Maybe I'll join up with her, and we can stick together, watch each other's backs for a while. Ok? That sound good? Hmm?" he pulled away and tried to look at his mother.

Mac was shaking her head, "No, not good enough."

Teddy frowned, "I don't know what else we can…"

"Sunday dinners," Mac cut in.

"What?"

"Sunday dinners, you and River, every Sunday, you and River and us, all together, as a family, and we catch up, so I can make sure you're both ok. And eating," she frowned at him, "Don't think I don't know how you children are with eating your greens and chewing your food. No child of mine is going to have poor table manners."

Teddy snorted, "River told me dad used to spit wine back into the glass."

"He's a lost cause."

"Oi!" the Doctor huffed from where he was absently doodling in the sand with a stick, "I can hear you!"

"You're meant to!" she shot back without turning to him, "I will not have my children taking after their father in that area, do you hear me?"

Teddy held up his hands, fighting a smirk, "Yeah, alright, Sunday dinners."

It would take some doing to work out how to manage 'Sundays' when they were all time travelers. But they'd do it, somehow, they'd find a way, they were the Doctor's children after all.

"Good," Mac nodded, taking a deep breath, "And don't think I've forgotten about grounding you," she reminded him.

"I look forward to it," he joked.

"Hello, again," the Doctor cut in, causing them to turn, seeing Clara blinking awake as she tried to sit up on the log she was resting on, wrapped in a blanket, "Sleep well?"

"Weren't we just on a train?" Clara asked.

"Oh, that was ages ago," Teddy moved to sit next to her, more because she seemed half about to topple off the log and might need more support to stabilize.

"The train…"

"Exploded," Mac answered for her, "Everyone's off though."

"Got the teleporter working," the Doctor nodded, "Beamed everyone into the TARDIS. No casualties. Just a bevy of sleeping beauties."

"I tried to hack Gus from the TARDIS," Mac offered, "Couldn't get through, the hacking is what set off the train."

"Get rid of the evidence," Teddy agreed.

"He blew up the train?" Clara frowned.

"Then we dropped everyone off at the nearest civilized planet," the Doctor gestured around, "Which happened to be here. You seemed happy asleep so we just left you."

"Everyone's ok, then?"

Mac nodded, "Recuperating in the hospital," she nodded to the building in the distance with a bright green crescent moon on the side of it.

"And Maisie," Clara began, remembering more of what happened now, "Were you always planning to do that?" she glanced at the Doctor.

"Had to be sneaky," the Doctor sighed, "Couldn't risk Gus or Mac finding out my plan and stopping me. Seems I wasn't THAT good at it," he shot Teddy a look.

"You and River, you're both the same," Teddy laughed, "Always going for the tech and the big twists. Keep it simple, that's what I say," he shot Mac a wink at that.

"Did you know it would work?" Clara had to ask, because if it didn't…if they didn't know…then the Doctor and Teddy had been willing to do it at the cost of their own lives, just to try and save Maisie. They'd risked breaking Mac's hearts for a stranger.

If she had any doubts, at all, that the Doctor didn't care...this only proved he really, really did.

"No," Mac swallowed hard, "No, he didn't."

"Me either," Teddy had to say, had to admit, "I thought I was sure, but…there was no way to BE sure going into that."

"We couldn't save Quell," the Doctor sighed, "We couldn't save Moorhouse. There was a good chance that Maisie'd die too. At which point…" he let out a long breath, "I would have just," he shrugged, "Moved onto the next and the next until we could beat it."

"Sometimes, the only choices you have are bad ones," Teddy remarked, "But you still have to choose."

Clara glanced at Mac for that, thinking about what she'd said of the Doctor being more like a field medic in this incarnation, those choices, those terrible choices you made to try and keep the most people alive…even when some ended up dying, even as you tried your best.

She got up off the log and moved over to the Doctor, hugging him tight, not seeing Mac and Teddy smile as he wound his arm around his mother's shoulders while they watched.

~8~

The only passenger on the train that wanted to take the Time Lords up for their offer of a lift home was Perkins, eager, as an engineer, to see what their ship was like. Because he knew there was no way they had gotten onto the train as stowaways unless their ship had gotten onboard, too. And any ship that could do that was worth seeing. He had not been expecting it to be a blue police telephone box that was bigger on the inside.

Mac was sitting on one of the stairs, Teddy next to her as they watched the man examine the console, Clara with the Doctor near it.

"It's quite a vehicle you have here," the man let out a low whistle, "I won't pretend to understand half of it. Having said that, I did notice you've got a couple of drive stacks need replacing."

"Oh, you did, did you?" the Doctor hummed.

"Yeah," Perkins chuckled, "It's being held together by well…" he shrugged, "Not anything I'd use to keep it going."

Mac chuckled at that, "Have to make do," she shrugged.

"Don't get me wrong, brilliant way to do it," Perkins nodded, "Might have to try it myself one day."

"Well," the Doctor remarked, "We won't keep you. Goodbye, Perkins. Good to meet you."

"You too, Doctor," Perkins shook his hand, and Clara's, "And good luck," before tipping his hat to Mac and Teddy, then heading to the door.

"Is it hard?" Clara asked after a moment of silence where Mac got up to help the Doctor pilot the box.

"Is what hard?" the Doctor asked.

"Being the man making the impossible choice?"

The Doctor let out a long breath, "Always."

She gave him a soft smile, more appreciative of the sacrifice he made in making those choices now, "But you keep doing it, all day, every day."

"Sometimes you have to make those choices," Teddy said wisely, "So that other people don't have to."

Clara knew, without a doubt, that he had noticed what she had, what Mac had told her was happening, how the Doctor made those decisions, so Mac wouldn't have to. Because the woman didn't have the capacity to be as distant and pragmatic as the Doctor could be in these bodies. He'd rather put that burden on himself than let it fall to Mac.

Clara opened her mouth to say something more, when her phone rang. She sighed, glancing down at who was calling, before stepping to the side to answer.

"Well," Teddy let out a long breath and moved over to his parents, "I think it's about time I head off."

"Do you have to?" Mac looked at him, half pleading, half understanding, "You could stay, travel with us."

The Doctor chuckled, winding an arm around her waist, "Not many children want to be living at home at his age, or travelling and seeing all these wonders with their old parents."

"I would," Teddy tried to offer, "But it's like you said mum, Rina and I, we've got…"

"Rina?" Mac cut in with a light smile.

He smiled in return, "She told me, since we're siblings and all," that had been the first thing River had ever shared, of all the secrets she knew, her true name, the name they'd given her, "Anyway, we're not that great at not getting into trouble on our own. She's locked in Stormcage and she still managed to escape all on her own, even without your trips in," he took a deep breath, nodding, "Maybe it IS time we stick together, watch out for each other, like you two do. Besides," he shrugged, "I've always wanted to break into a high security prison."

"Just don't go robbing any banks," the Doctor joked as Mac groaned at his words.

"And don't forget Sunday dinners," she warned him, "Or I'll find you two and drag you there by your ears."

Teddy just chuckled and stepped closer, giving them both a tight hug, "Love you, mum," he murmured in her ear, knowing that she needed to hear it more than the Doctor did.

"Promise me you'll be careful," she said in return, still holding onto him even as the Doctor stepped back, "And that you'll get enough sleep. And eat! 3 meals, no less. And well balanced, too! With greens. And don't forget to brush your teeth and floss and…"

"Mum," Teddy pulled back with an amused grin, "I'm 7 years old," he reminded her a teasing in his voice, "I'll be fine, promise."

Mac sighed but nodded, stepping back as the Doctor moved an arm around her shoulders, "Be safe."

"I will," he crossed his hearts, "See you Sunday!" he offered, before pressing the Vortex Manipulator on his wrist and disappearing in a flash.

"He'll be fine," the Doctor murmured, pressing a kiss to her hair, "He's your son."

"Our son," Mac corrected.

The Doctor's hearts warmed at the reaffirmation. She had been so adamant, back then, that Teddy was just hers, wanted nothing to do with him and hated the thought of him being a father to her child. To hear her confirm it now? It meant the world to him.

He couldn't help but chuckle, "Another thing out of order," he remarked.

Because now he could look back and call Teddy his son from the beginning. Which meant they'd had a child before they'd even 'liked' each other, yet another point of their relationship that happened out of sync with the rest of it.

"Can't say we haven't had an interesting relationship," she murmured, smiling once more.

"Sorry about that," Clara called as she came back over from the upper levels, done with her call, "Where'd Teddy go?"

"He had somewhere to be," Mac told her, taking a breath and turning to look over at her companion, "Was that Danny?" she asked, trying to get her head back around. She'd almost forgotten Clara was there when Teddy was around, she didn't want Clara to ever feel like she didn't care about her.

"What did he want?" the Doctor nearly demanded, in a tone that implied he really didn't care.

"Nothing," Clara shrugged, "Just checking in. Now, wasn't there something about planets before? Made of water and darkness and bushes?"

"Shrubs," the Doctor corrected, "It's made entirely of shrubs."

Clara rolled her eyes, "Shrubs, bushes, same thing. What are you waiting for? Let's go!"

Mac gave her a lingering look as the Doctor moved to set the coordinates, the man not about to turn down the excuse to go on another adventure when Clara was normally a one trip at a time sort of person. Which was why she was looking at the girl with a question on her face, because Clara would usually want to head home but she was pushing for another right off the bat.

Clara caught her look and just gave her a comforting smile and a wink.

Mac shook her head, laughing lightly to herself, moving over to Clara and putting her arm around her in a side hug of thanks. Clara was trying to distract her, to give her something else to focus on than that her son had popped off and they'd only gotten that one adventure. She was trying to make up for it in a small way, giving her another one because, while the Doctor was always the more noticeably eager and excited for adventures, Mac did love them very much.

Her companion, she was a wonder.

A/N: Ok, I'm starting to get a bit worried now :/ Monday I told you about my sister, today I find out that there was some sort of difficulty/mix up at my family's bank and they claim they have no record of my parents getting their mortgage extended to the end of this year and NOW my parents have to pay off the next 6 months of payments by the end of this month or the bank is going to claim we've defaulted and possibly take the house :/ Like, what should I be expecting on Friday now? O.O It's like the bad omens just keep happening this week and now I'm nervous what's next :/ Like my parents have a plan and a few options to handle the mortgage, but just...come on. My sister's mental health, then possibly losing our house, I don't want anything else that could be worse to happen Friday now too :/ Keep your fingers crossed for me :(

On a lighter note...

AHHH! Were you excited?! We got Teddy! :D I tried to throw a bit of a red herring in there with a theory it was Jack or a future incarnation of the Doctor, but it's Teddy! Following in his mother's footsteps being 'UNIT' but also taking cues from his father with the psychic paper :)

I really tried to make each child of the Time Lords in my different series different from each other. Like J is sort of like 10 but with better back up plans, Tailor is sort of like Angel but a bit more clever, the Sergeant is more easy going but a fighter while the Matron is more strict but amused, here Teddy is sort of like the Doctor but as a soldier, which is ironic because he's Mac's child lol :) I wanted him to be distinct from J since we see J more often than the Sergeant, where J is goofy and fun loving, Teddy has that military streak to him in how he handles a situation and looks at it in terms of a mission and how a soldier would handle it. I sort of see the Sergeant as being more physically ready to fight, where Teddy more uses tactics to try and outmaneuver the enemy, trying to stay a bit more away from guns and weapons given Mac and the Doctor's history ;)

Jeez, it was really hard trying to balance Mac being a proud mum, a worried mum, and also a pilot to Clara. There were times I was almost glad Clara was locked away because having Mac trying to handle worrying for both her son and her companion would probably have sent her to an early grave lol.

So we also got a bit of a twist to this chapter, in that it wasn't a farewell tour for the Time Lords and Clara but more a continuation of their adventures. With Clara having a different reaction to Danny's accusations/warnings, and with Mac NOT letting her face the Moon alone, there really was no reason for her to decide to stop travelling with them. At first I was trying to think of a reason, like maybe Danny asked her to give it up, but then I thought 'why does there have to be a reason? Why can't it just be another adventure in the long line of them?' So I thought I'd give that spin a go, imagine what this episode could have been like if it was just another day in time travel. How would it go if Clara wasn't on edge? If she wasn't expecting the worst? She's got a different perspective on the Doctor's clinical nature now, so she'd react differently and with a new understanding of the request to bring Maisie to them, she'd have more faith and she'd view how the Doctor treats the threat differently because she's had time to process the war-medic side of him.

And, I think, having Teddy there, another soldier acting pretty much the same way as the Doctor when it came down to being to the point and detached, also helped Clara see that it really IS from the war, it really is that soldier part of him if another 'soldier' is treating it the same way.

I hope you all liked Mac going full-blown scolding mother on Teddy ;)

Some notes on reviews...

I really wasn't a fan of the Kill the Moon episode either :/ Both for how the Doctor acted and how Clara reacted :/ The only thing I could think of for why the Doctor was acting like that, compared to the similar choice in Beast Below was that it was either a forceful and pointed way for the writers to show 'look he's a different man!' by having him react so differently than the last him, or that the last him learned a lesson that the human would make the right choice and humanity would be better for it so he sort of treated Clara like Amy 'wanted' to be treated? I guess? I'm not pleased either way because Clara isn't Amy and there was more of a countdown for Clara than Amy and it could have been handled very differently :/ I feel similarly with the post RTD run of episodes, it took me a while to get into MS as the Doctor but once I did, I loved him, but then Series 6 and then 7 and it just sort of felt like it was going down hill to me :( I went from 'I HAVE to live stream this episode the second it airs because I NEED to see the next episode' in series 5/a bit of 6, to 'I guess I could just watch it a few hours (days) later, it's fine' to 'I...don't really care if I miss this episode or wait till the series is over to get the DVD' to 'Do I HAVE to watch it? Yes, but only for the stories, not because I genuinely enjoy the show any more' which is a sad progression :( It's part of why I'm strongly considering ending the stories with 12, like I still haven't gotten through all of Bill's episodes yet and it feels more like a chore I'm dreading than that I eagerly anticipate :( I don't want to get to a point where I hate the show and hate the stories for making me have to watch it when I don't like it any longer. I still like DW in general, I just don't want it to get to a point where it feels forced or I feel like I'll end up hating everything :/ I'll give 13 a fair shot, go in with an open mind, but it may be one of those 'if I don't like her first season I don't think I can handle the rest' sort of things :/ We'll have to see how it goes.