"Ready?" asked the Doctor as he guided Clara back into the TARDIS. They'd stayed with the Paternoster Gang for the past week and her morning sickness was in full swing.

"They should call it all day sickness," she said as she clutched her abdomen.

"Vastra did say that the vitamins may make you feel worse for a bit. Have you been taking them before bed instead of the morning like she suggested?" He rounded the console and readied the ship to take them back to the flat.

"Yes!" she snapped. "I mean, yes," she replied softly. "I'm sorry. I just feel so terrible all the time. Are you sure everything is fine?"

The Doctor smiled at Clara as he made his way to her and brought her into a hug. "Everything is fine. You should be feeling better in a few weeks once you're out of the first trimester. Let's just do what Vastra suggested and have you stay at home and rest," he said as he kissed her forehead.

When they arrived at the flat, the Doctor quickly opened the door to allow Clara to run to the loo. Following slowly after her, he couldn't help feeling guilty that she had to go through so much and all he could do was watch helplessly. He stepped out of the TARDIS and went to her room. Clara was already tucked away in her bed.

"How long were we gone?" she asked, sleep already muffling her voice.

"We've returned a week after leaving. I didn't want to muck up your pregnancy's timeline, so I figured it best to return in real-time. We were in Victorian London for a week. The same amount of time has passed here."

"That makes sense," she said as she rolled onto her side. She then sat up.

"Are you going to be sick?" he asked in concern.

"No. I… Where are John and Citana? Have you talked to them since we left?"

The Doctor rubbed at his chin. "Ah, right. I was a bit distracted with, well you, I hadn't even thought about how they were getting on." He looked at his watch. "It's about midnight here, so I would suspect they may still be out doing…young people things." He was smiling, but Clara could see the concern in his eyes. The Doctor gave her another kiss, tucked her in, and then made his way to John's room.

He hesitantly knocked on the door.

No answer.

Slowly opening the door, he could see there was no one inside. He then picked up his mobile to phone John hoping to not be met with his voicemail.

His hearts dropped when he saw he had 13 missed calls from John's mobile and a voice mail.

The Doctor quickly played the message from 6 days ago.

"Um, hello, Doctor. It's Citana. Not sure what's going on but…well, something's happened to John. *muffled noises* I said to stay in your room! *muffled noises* Oh shit…anyway…please come back."

The Doctor immediately called John's mobile phone.

Straight to voicemail.

Feeling a slight panic, he decided to phone Andrew in hopes he knew what was going on.

It rang twice.

"Hello?" he heard Andrew answer.

"Andrew, it's the… it's James. Have you heard from John recently?"

"Actually, now that you mention it, I haven't heard from him since his last text a few days ago. We were supposed to meet up and meet his new friend, but he cancelled at the last minute. Something about going out of town for a bit. I didn't think anything of it at the time."

The Doctor could hear the panic rising in Andrew's voice.

"I'm sure he's fine. I'll sort it out and let you know when I find him."

"Right, thanks, James. John's smart…well, you know what I mean. Keep me posted. Kayla is out right now, but I'll check in with her and see if she's heard from him."

…

6 Days Prior

"Ouch," groaned John as he accidentally rolled off of the sofa. It wasn't one of the worst ways he'd woken up but still. He slowly sat up to see Citana standing just inside the living room, chuckling at him.

"Thanks for letting me use your bed," she said as she handed him a cup of tea. "I tried to make it like how you said."

John sat up on the sofa, where she sat next to him. They both sat silently. After karaoke and wandering around the streets of London, the two had made their way back to the flat. John gave up his bed and took over the sofa for the night.

"I never told you but, you have a lovely singing voice," said John softly while running his hand through his unkempt hair.

"Thanks. Do you think I'll ever get to hear you?" she asked.

"Ah, no. Not unless you're in the shower with me…" his face immediately turned red. "Not…I didn't mean."

Citana merely smirked with a raised eyebrow. John shook his head and sighed.

"You know, I've never been one to be embarrassed easily, but you seem to be able to make me put my foot in my mouth every time I speak," he laughed.

She shrugged her shoulders and laughed. "Must be my X-Men power."

John looked at the time. "Jesus! It's nearly three in the afternoon! I can't believe I slept in that long."

"Well, it was a late night. I've been up for a while, though. You looked so peaceful I didn't want to wake you."

"Thanks. I don't normally sleep so soundly. Usually have nightmares or just can't sleep at all," he paused. "Sorry. That was an overshare. I do that sometimes."

"I don't mind. And I do it too," she said with a reassuring smile.

"So," she began. "What should we do today? You've got a job or something?"

"Um, no. No job. I'm supposed to be starting medical school in a few weeks. But, I don't know anymore."

"Ah, right. You mentioned that." She then looked around the flat. "You said a few weeks, right?"

"Yeah…"

"Well, then." She stuck her hand out for him to shake. "I happen to be the world's best procrastinator. A few weeks is like a lifetime before having to make a decision."

John rolled his eyes as he shook her hand. "Well, I happen to be very easily influenced into doing irresponsible things, so this seems like a very healthy pairing," he laughed.

…

John finished getting ready for the day and was sitting at his desk when he heard a knock on his door.

"Come in!" he said. He was in the middle of a sketch. He could feel Citana's presence as she walked into the room and hovered over his shoulder.

"You're really good," she said as she looked over the drawing. It was of a red-headed woman holding a young baby. She then recognised who the woman was. "That… that's my grandmother," she said as she gently picked up the paper. "She was so beautiful. I mean, even up to her last moments. I wish I could have known her then. Did you know her too?" she asked.

"Well, sort of. I mean. I remember her in my dreams. The Doctor's memories, actually. Everything I draw is usually from a dream I've had. I'd met her once…well, twice. The second time was on accident, but that's a story for another day," he chuckled.

Citana then traced her finger over the baby that Amy was holding in her arms.

"Who's baby?" she asked.

"Oh, um. Hers."

Citana looked up from the picture with a confused look on her face. "But, wait. How? I…I thought…"

"Melody. She um, well. She was kidnapped. Most of what I know is from what the Doctor told me. The dreams I have are too confusing to understand. He said Melody was stolen and then raised to assassinate the Doctor. Went by the name River Song. I think they even got married!" he laughed.

"Wait. River?" she asked.

"Yeah. Met her too. She…scared me," he chuckled.

"This is insane! I… I've met her!" Citana was laughing but had tears in her eyes. "She would pop in and out of our lives, and my dad said she was my crazy aunt. I didn't realise she LITERALLY was my aunt!" she then began to wipe some tears. "She died, didn't she?"

John nodded sadly.

Citana set the drawing down and drew a shaky breath. "Nana was beside herself when she received a message from River saying something happened...or something was going to happen. I was so little that I didn't understand. She never came to visit after that."

Citana cleared her throat and wiped her eyes before smiling. "So, you want to draw me?"

John was caught off guard. "Umm, yeah. Sure. I mean. I can try. I've never actually drawn anything outside of a dream, but I can give it a go."

He began to shuffle his papers to look for a blank sheet.

"So you're saying you've never dreamed of me?" she questioned with a seductive look on her face.

John sputtered a bit.

"No. I… I mean. I don't know! Dreams are weird," he laughed as he scratched at his head.

Citana just chuckled as she sat on his bed. "Is here good?"

He made a face and tried not to laugh. "Uh, as long as you're not expecting me to reenact Titanic, I think we're good."

Citana made a face of confusion.

John then made a similar face of confusion. "You know. Titanic. Jack? Rose? Draw me like one of your French girls?" he was laughing nervously now.

"Is that a movie?" she asked.

"Hold up." He quickly grabbed his phone. "Ah! Okay. So, that film didn't come out until 1997." He looked at Citana, who was still looking confused. "Just...forget I said anything."

Citana just smiled and rolled her eyes.

John sat back for a moment and looked over Citana, who was simply sitting on the bed with her feet hanging off the side. She was looking out the window. He quickly began to sketch out her features, and after only a few minutes, he held it up for her to see.

"Wow," she said as she grabbed it from him. "That's crazy! You drew that in like ten minutes!" she laughed. "Although, it's not very accurate."

He grabbed the paper from her. "What? I think it's pretty good," he frowned. "You don't like it?"

"No, I love it. It's…you made me look. Beautiful."

"I… I just draw what I see," he said with a small smile.

"Eh, well, you must not have very good eyes," she said deprecatingly.

"You don't think you're beautiful?" he questioned with genuine confusion.

"I mean," she sighed. "I've been called all sorts of… flattering things. But, never beautiful. Beautiful is a word I associate with oh, I don't know. Wholesome and…and good. You know, like the whole person. Body, mind, soul…" she trailed off her sentence as she looked over her drawing. "I know I'm," she used her free hand to gesture quotation marks… "attractive." Citana handed the paper back to John. "I'm not beautiful."

John set the picture down. "Do you think that because of what other people have told you? Or, because of your…lifestyle?"

Citana sat back down on the bed and seemed to think things over.

"Maybe. But more from what I've told myself." She began to tear up. "I mean. How can I be a beautiful person when I just up and left my parents? No note or anything. I just…abandoned them." She began to wipe her tears to stifle her emotions.

John moved next to her. "You did what you had to do to survive. We've all hurt people we love. That doesn't mean you're not a good person. You were hurting."

Citana sat up straight and took a deep breath. "Well, I'd say that's enough self-reflection for one day," she laughed. "What do you do for fun around here anyway? Besides drink tea and pray to the Queen?"

John snorted a laugh. "Well…" he looked around his room. "Normally, I'd hang out with Andrew and Kayla." He grabbed his mobile. "Actually, I wonder how he's getting on with his injury."

John quickly texted Andrew. Moments later, he got a response. "He says it's all good and that drinks are on him tonight for standing me up."

"Oooh. I like him," said Citana.

"We could watch a film and just hang out here. Maybe go for a walk later? Then meet up with Andrew and Kayla tonight."

"Lazy day. Drinks tonight. Sounds perfect," Citana said with a smile.

…

John woke up to the sounds of Citana sniffling. They ended up watching Titanic, and Citana was heartbroken over Leo's character dying. John had fallen asleep. He was never a fan of romantic movies. Especially ones over three hours long.

"It's not funny!" she yelled as she swatted John's arm. "He just fucking froze to death, and you're laughing!"

John put his hands up defensively. "I'm not laughing that he died. I'm laughing at you for being so distraught over a fictional character."

Citana folded her arms. "Fictional or not. That's fucking sad!"

John just rolled his eyes. Citana then had a smug look on her face.

"So, John," she began.

"What?"

"You going to draw me like one of those French girls?" she laughed.

"Absolutely not. Nope."

She began cackling.

"I know you're just having a laugh, but no," he laughed.

"Awe! Why not?" Citana put on a fake pout. "Does it go against your virgin sensibilities?" she joked.

"Okay, I know you're joking, but what the fuck, Citana? Yes! Happy? I don't want to see you naked or joke about you being naked because it makes me uncomfortable because I…" he flailed his hands a bit. "You… you're very attractive, and I might…I might…"

Suddenly, Citana leaned in and kissed John on the lips, silencing him. She pulled away to see his stunned face.

"Wha…what was that for?"

"To get you to shut up. You're so uptight about anything sexual. I think you're putting too much pressure on yourself and making it a big deal."

She grabbed his hand and stood up, pulling him with her.

"What are you doing?" he asked nervously.

"I'm taking you to the bedroom."

John followed her lead as they both sat on the bed.

"Now, I'm not going to pressure you into having sex with me. But, at least let me help relieve some tension. Tell me if you want me to stop."

Citana rubbed her hand over John's chest. Lower and lower.

"What are you doing?" he asked. Voice barely audible.

"Giving you a hand," she smirked.

Citana began to undo John's trousers and then put her hand around his erection.

"Ahh, Citana. I…"

She chuckled but then stopped when she saw his face looked like he wasn't enjoying it.

"Are you okay? Have you never had anyone give you a hand job before?" she asked as she removed her hand.

John opened his eyes and looked down. "Um, no. I told you. I've never done anything. I mean, I've kissed girls, but that's it," he said in a strained voice.

"Do you want me to stop?" she asked, now feeling like she made a terrible mistake.

After a few moments, John spoke. "No."

Citana smiled and grabbed him again. "Just relax," she said in a whisper. Citana could feel him bucking into her hand and making her movements faster.

John gripped the edge of the bed and closed his eyes. He could feel his muscles tightening and was trying to not make any noise.

"John, just enjoy it," she laughed.

"I...I am. Oh, fuck…" he groaned as he came all over her hand. "I… I'm sorry…."

"John, why are you apologising? That's supposed to happen," she chuckled as she grabbed some tissues.

"Ah, right," he laughed as he finally opened his eyes. She handed him a few tissues. John quickly cleaned himself off and tucked himself away. "Um, thank you."

"You're welcome," she chuckled. "Just don't fall in love with me," she joked.

John quickly hid the painful flicker of emotion in his face at the comment. "Right. Same to you," he "joked" back.

…

"You're awfully quiet," said Citana as they walked to the pub. Once again, trying to meet up with Kayla and Andrew.

"Just…thinking," he said softly.

"What about?" she asked. John halted in his tracks causing Citana to spin around. "What?"

"Why don't you like the idea of a relationship?" he asked hesitantly.

Citana frowned. "I never said I didn't like the idea of one," she began to walk again as he followed. "I don't like the reality of one. The commitment."

John was silent as he followed her into the pub. "You okay?" she asked.

"Yeah. Of course," he smiled.

She then leaned in to whisper, "this isn't about the…" she made a gesture with her hand.

"No! No. Of course not. I was just curious," he lied. Citana smiled as they made their way to a table. John went to the bar to get the drinks.

He sighed and ran his hand through his hair. As much as he enjoyed Citana getting him off, he also hated it. Hated how robotic she was. How it was clear, she had no emotional attachment to the moment and did it as if she was lending him spare change. Like it was no big deal. And why did she have to joke about him "falling in love" with her? And why did it bother him so much?

"Fancy seeing you here."

John was startled out of his thoughts. He turned to see the familiar face of the stranger he'd met the night before. The woman took the open space next to him at the bar.

"Lydia, right?" asked John.

"Yes," she said with a laugh. "Sorry about my forwardness. I'm not usually like that. I'm new to the area and am so desperate to find friends I thought it might be easier to offer a one night stand and see where it goes," she chuckled nervously. "I didn't realise you and your friend were actually together."

John huffed a laugh. "Oh, no. We're just friends. I…I just. I don't really do that," he scratched his chin. "A one-night stand, that is."

Lydia leaned in. "Me neither, actually," she laughed.

The bartender then handed John two drinks. "Oh, is your friend here with you?" she asked.

"Yeah," he pointed to the table where Citana was. He couldn't hide his frown when he saw her flirting with another man.

"Can I join you?" asked Lydia nervously. "I don't mean to intrude. I just have no friends here."

John thought it over. "Yeah, of course! We're just hanging out. I've got a few other mates coming out tonight. They're cool."

Lydia followed behind John as they approached the table. Citana raised her eyebrows when she saw the unfamiliar blond, but then her eyes went wide when she realised who she was.

Citana gave a look to John and wiggled her eyebrows, to which John just rolled his eyes.

They were all seated at the table now, including the man who Citana was flirting with.

John mainly focused on the bottom of his glass while listening to the other three converse. He was impressed with how Citana could skirt around unfamiliar issues and still make it seem like she was contributing to the conversation.

"Hey, Citana. Care to join me in the loo?"

Citana shrugged her shoulders. "Sure!" she winked at John. "Girls trip!" she said sarcastically as she followed Lydia.

It was now just John and "Bruce" sitting at the small table.

"So, what do you do?" asked John, trying to make conversation.

Bruce just grunted something. "Right. Yeah. That's… that's great," replied John. Kayla and Andrew wouldn't be there for another hour. Brilliant.

After a few more awkward minutes, Citana returned to the table.

"Where's Lydia?" asked John.

"Wouldn't you like to know?" joked Citana. "She got stuck in a conversation with some dude." She turned to Bruce. "Do you think you could go rescue her?" she asked.

Bruce nodded in understanding and left the table.

"Can we go somewhere else?" asked Citana. John was surprised.

"Uh, sure," he got up from the table. "I can let Andrew know we're going somewhere else," he followed Citana out of the pub. "What about your friend, Bruce?" he laughed.

"Oh, god. He was such an idiot. I was looking for any excuse to get away," she paused. "What about Lydia?" she asked.

John rolled his eyes. "What about her?" he then felt bad. "Although, she was saying she really needed friends. Should we invite her?"

Citana grabbed John's hand. "Maybe next time," she said with a smile. John raised his eyebrow.

"Um, okay. Well, where do you want to go?" Before John had another second to think, he felt Citana pull him into an ally and push him up against the wall.

"What the…" he began but was cut off from her kissing him again. He got lost in the moment and began kissing her back before pulling away. "Wait, Citana. I…I can't…."

"Why not?" she asked. "I know how you feel about me," she whispered into his ear, sending a chill down his spine.

"But… you…you said…" before he could finish, he felt a sharp pain in his leg. "Gah! What the fuck was that?"

John's vision became unfocused as he started slumping down the brick wall.

"A sedative…" he heard her say.

"What?"

Suddenly, Citana pressed something on her belt, and John was now looking at Lydia.

"Wha? Ly…Lydia? How?" It took everything in him to remain conscious. "Where's Citana?"

"Oh, she's most likely with my good friend Bruce at the mo. I wouldn't count on seeing her again," Lydia snickered.

"Why…" before John could finish his question, he blacked out.

"Why? Because my client's paid a lot of coin for you and I intend to collect," she said as she injected him with a syringe. "Just have to reprogram you to the factory settings."

…

Citana was following behind Lydia to the restroom. She felt guilty about essentially forcing a hand job on John and then openly flirting with a tree stump. What was his name again? Barge? Broot?

The women entered the loo. "So, your friend John likes you," said Lydia as she reapplied lipstick to her disturbingly thin lips.

Citana sighed. "I know. And I think I like him too, but," before she could finish, Lydia practically pounced her. She could feel a sharp pain in her leg. "What the fuck?" she screamed. Citana's vision was going black as a few girls entered the loo. She could hear Lydia's voice.

"She's fine. Just had a bit too much," Lydia laughed. She then whispered in Citana's ear. "Don't worry. It's just a light sedative. Just need you out of the way long enough to do my job."

Citana didn't know how long she'd been out, but she could see the ground moving underneath her when she finally came to. Someone was carrying her. 'Whu?' she thought. 'Brad?…no. Bruce!'

"Bruce?" she asked.

"Gah!" she heard him flinch. "You're not supposed to wake up." Bruce set her down. They were just outside the pub.

"What the fuck, man?" she then kicked him. He didn't even flinch.

"Look, lady. I'm just doing what the blond chick asked me to do. I don't know what the fuck is going on, but your twin left with your friend."

"My twin?"

They both heard a noise from the ally. "I'm not going down for whatever shit this is." Bruce then ran in the other direction. Citana felt a bit dizzy but managed to make her way to the ally. She could see Lydia hovering over a body.

"Hey!" shouted Citana. Lydia looked up then pulled out a strange device as she scanned over what she could only assume was John.

"Fuck!" cried Lydia. "I need more time."

Citana ran towards the smaller woman and pushed her to the ground. "What the hell are you doing?" she yelled.

Lydia was squirming underneath Citana. "I'm just doing my job! That creature you call your friend belongs to my clients, and they'll kill me if I don't return him!"

"What?" Citana looked over to John. He looked like he was just sleeping. "What did you do to him?"

"I need to give him another dose, or the reset won't be complete! Please! He's not what you think he is."

Citana was confused. Suddenly, John's body began convulsing. "Jesus! What's happening to him?"

"It's starting. Oh, gods. I didn't complete the dose. They're going to kill me." Lydia bit down on something in her mouth, and Citana watched as the strange woman gave a jerk then stilled.

"What the hell? Oh, fuck no."

Lydia was dead. She then turned her attention to John.

"WHAT THE FUCK?" Instead of seeing John, there was a child's body in his place. "Oh fuck no. Oh, god. John?" Citana began shaking him. "Can you hear me? What the hell?"

He groaned and finally opened his eyes. "Citana?"

"Hey! Yes, it's me. How…how are you feeling?"

John slowly sat up and put his hand on his head. "Like I just got hit by a fucking train…" he then paused. "What's wrong with my voice?" He began looking over his hands and then body. "WHAT THE FUCK?" He quickly stood up. Citana stood up too.

"Why…why are you so tall?" he asked in shock. John could feel his clothes hanging off him. "WHY AM I SO SMALL?"

He then saw Lydia's dead body. "What the fuck happened?"

"Let's get out of here before anyone finds us with her body," said Citana as she grabbed John's tiny hand and pulled him out of the ally.

…

"Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck!" cried John as he paced around the flat. "I look like I'm five years old!"

Citana couldn't help her laugh.

"Shut up! It's not funny!" he slumped onto the sofa.

"Let's call the Doctor. I'm sure he can get you sorted," said Citana calmly.

"Right. Yes. Okay," John took deep breaths to try and calm himself.

A few moments later, Citana hung the mobile up again.

"John, I've called him like 13 times! He's not answering!"

"Try again!" John yelled.

"Don't take that tone with me, mister. You need to go to time out," she joked.

Rather than quipping back, John stormed off to his room and slammed the door.

This time she called the Doctor, she left a voicemail. John reemerged from his room and was yelling something. "I said to stay in your room…" her face paled when she saw John was crying. "Oh shit...anyway, please come back," she said into the phone before hanging up.

"John?" she asked softly.

"Where's the Doctor?" he cried.

Citana had a sick feeling growing in the pit of her stomach.

"John?" she questioned again. "How old are you?"

He wiped at his tears and made his way over to her.

"I'm five..." he looked Citana up and down. "Who are you?"