A/N: I am overwhelmed with the positive response I received from everyone concerning the last chapter! I'm glad everyone liked it since I was so nervous posting it in the first place.

Hopefully I get some good responses to this chapter as well. I split it into half because otherwise it was close to twenty thousand words. Anyway, please enjoy!

I was in the vortex for what felt like an eternity. Somehow time always seemed to pass slower in the vortex than anywhere else. I didn't open my eyes; I knew I would only see flashes of swirling color and a hint of stars beyond that. The only good that came from being in the vortex was that my leg healed almost completely.

After a while, I tried calling for the TARDIS in the hopes that she might find me and bring me back home. But I soon gave up when my throat became sore and I grew tired. Sleeping was my only escape from the vortex and luckily enough, I didn't dream while I was there.

Some time passed, maybe a week or two, before I felt something. My leg started to tingle like it was regaining circulation. The tingling sensation soon spread throughout my entire body as the vortex grew increasingly brighter with each moment. I brought my hands up to cover my eyes and block out some of the light. Then I was suddenly free falling through space. I squeezed my eyes shut and prayed for the ordeal to be over soon.

My legs suddenly impacted hard ground and I crumbled, falling onto my side with a gasp. I had fallen into a slightly damp, muddy area and could feel the dampness start to seep into my clothes. Letting out a low groan, I forced myself to my feet and swayed dangerously back and forth. Once I managed to find my balance I started to look around at my surroundings.

I had absolutely no idea where I was. On my right was a large brick wall and to my left was a wide, murky river. Suddenly a large roar echoed around me and I looked up, screeching when I saw that the source of the noise was an enormous Tyrannosaurus Rex standing in the middle of the river.

"Oh my God," I breathed.

Terrified, I stumbled backwards until my back hit the brick wall. My arms splayed out on either side of my torso to brace myself.

Suddenly, the dinosaur started choking and rearing its head. Mid choke, a large blue box flew out of the dinosaur's throat and flew threw the air. I watched in shocked silence as the TARDIS hurtled towards me and landed on the muddy ground mere yards to my right, causing me to scream again and mud to splatter all over me.

I stared at the regurgitated TARDIS in shock, almost too surprised to move. Then I heard the sound of footsteps somewhere behind me. I pushed myself away from the wall and turned to look at the people coming down to the riverbank.

"Vastra, Jenny!" I exclaimed when I saw the Paternoster Gang. "Strax!"

"Diana!" Jenny gasped in surprise. She rushed forward and pulled me into a hug while Vastra stayed back and smiled fondly at us. "I didn't even see you. Are you alright?"

I nodded and pulled back. "Yeah, I-I'm fine. I just got here…" I gestured behind me at the TARDIS, looking between the gang in confusion. "Do you know what's going on?"

Vastra and Jenny shook their heads. "No," Vastra answered, "But I had hoped you might shed some light on what was happening."

"I can't help you," I admitted. "I have no idea what's happening."

"But it is him, then? The Doctor?" Jenny clarified.

I was about to answer when Vastra beat me to it. "A giant dinosaur from the distant past has just vomited a blue box from outer space. This is not a day for jumping to conclusions." She turned to Strax, who had previously standing behind her, and asked, "Strax, if you wouldn't mind?"

The Sontaran stepped past us and approached the ship. "Hello?" Strax called as he knocked on the TARDIS doors. "Exit the box, and surrender to the glory of the Sontaran empire!"

"Strax," I said in a scolding tone.

The door suddenly flew open and the Doctor's head appeared in the opening. "Shush!" he whispered before slamming the door shut.

Strax leaned forward as if he was inspecting the door. "Doctor?" he asked hesitantly.

I glanced at Vastra and Jenny, but they appeared to be as confused as I was. Once again, I was meeting the Doctor and I didn't seem to know anything that was going to happen. Although I was starting to get used to that particular circumstance, something still didn't sit right with me.

The TARDIS doors opened again and the Doctor very slowly stuck his head out. "I was being chased by a giant dinosaur, but I think I managed to give it the slip," he said quickly before slamming the door in Strax's face.

Only a moment later the doors opened for a third time and the Doctor gradually snuck out of the ship, smoke billowing out around him.

"Sleepy?" the Time Lord whispered.

I tilted my head to the side. "What?"

Strax narrowed his eyes in confusion. "Sir?"

The Doctor pushed the door open completely and stepped out. "Bashful," he blurted as he took slow, unsure steps towards the Sontaran. "Sneezy, Dopey... Grumpy!"

He raised a hand to gesture at Vastra. "The green one." Then he looked at Jenny. "And the... not green one. Ah! Or," he continued with a half smile as he twisted to face the rest of us, "it could be the other way around. You mustn't prejudge."

"Doctor?" I asked in a cautious, worried tone.

I took a few steps towards the Doctor and my foot suddenly twisted on the slippery, unstable ground. I gasped and started to fall over when both Vastra and the Doctor reached forward to grab hold of my arms. Vastra kept her hand on my forearm, her eyes dodging from me to the Doctor with uncertainty.

The Doctor looked down at me in confusion and let out a breath. His head tilted to one side and he slowly lifted one hand up to touch my cheek. "Susan?" he breathed.

I shook my head very slowly, keeping my gaze locked on the Time Lord's. "No, Doctor," I replied with a shake of my head, "it's me. Susan's not here."

"Don't I know you?" the Doctor questioned.

I nodded and smiled slightly, wondering what had happened to him to make him suddenly forget everything. "Yes," I whispered. "It's me, Theta."

Vastra's gaze tore from the Doctor's face to mine and she raised her eyebrows. "Doctor?" she repeated incredulously.

I nodded as the Doctor dropped my arm and pushed past me again. If Vastra hadn't kept her hands on my arm, I would have fallen into the mud. She helped me find my balance again and then released my arm to watch the Doctor with confusion.

The Time Lord stretched his arm out towards the TARDIS as Clara stepped out, her hair frizzy and wild from the crash. "Oh, you remember..." He shook his head and rubbed his fingers over the bridge of his nose. "Thingy. Um, the not me one, the asking questions one." He started pacing as he tried to recall Clara's name and I felt my heart break just a little. "Names, not my area."

"Clara!" the woman shouted in frustration, leaning against the TARDIS exterior.

"Might be Clara, might not be," the Doctor replied flippantly, still pacing in the mud. "It's a lottery."

"It is Clara!" Clara growled.

He shrugged. "It might be and oi! Big man! Shut it!" I watched in uncertain shock as the Doctor shouted at the dinosaur to shut up, then yelped and ran back to Vastra and I while pointing at the creature.

"Oh! You've got a dinosaur, too!" he almost screamed. The dinosaur roared again, louder the second time, and I recoiled into Vastra's chest in fear. "Big woman. Sorry."

I raised an eyebrow, my mouth dropping open. "What? Doctor, what is going on?"

Clara ran over to the Doctor's side and grabbed his wrist. "Doctor, listen to me," she started firmly, "you need to calm down."

"I'm not flirting, by the way!" he shouted at the dinosaur.

Clara ran over to Strax and stood just behind him. "I think something's gone wrong," she said worriedly.

"Wrong?" I repeated. "What do you mean, wrong? Clara, what went wrong?"

"Just look at him!" she shouted over the dinosaur's roars.

"O-Okay. He's forgotten everything. But I-I don't understand! What happened?"

The Doctor whirled around to look at me. "Wrong? What's gone wrong?"

"Nothing," I assured him in a smooth, calm voice. I slowly extended my arm and approached the Time Lord with a gentle smile. It was easy to tell that he was lost, confused, and disoriented, so I didn't want to make it worse for him. "Everything's fine."

"I know you," he muttered.

"Yes, Doctor."

"You're... Oh, you're something big, aren't you?" he asked excitedly, shaking my hands back and forth.

I kept my smile up and ran my thumbs over the backs of his wrinkled hands. "It's okay, Doctor. You'll get there."

"Oh! I know!" he suddenly shouted, dropping my hands to push them through his gray hair. He pointed at Clara and took a few shaky steps past me. "Have you regenerated?"

Clara's face lit up when the Doctor pointed at her face and nodded. "I remember you," he whispered. "You're... Handles!" Her face fell immediately and I saw hurt shining in her eyes. "You used to be a little... a little robot head! And now you-... You've really let yourself go."

The dinosaur roared again and the Doctor stumbled to the side, staring up at the creature. Then he stopped, leaned against the wall, and ran back to us. "You have to adjust the frequency!" he suddenly shout-whispered.

"Sorry?" Vastra said with a shake of her head.

"Your sonic lancers, turn them down!" He took a quick breath and turned so he could easily look up at the dinosaur. He smiled and sighed. "They're giving her a headache."

"Givin' who a headache?" Jenny questioned.

"My lady friend!" the Doctor exclaimed with a wide gesture of his arms, ignoring the rest of us to speak only to the dinosaur. It roared again, sounding slightly more agitated, and the Time Lord started shaking his hands. "Just an expression! Don't get any ideas!"

"Erm, how do you know?" Strax asked as he stepped forward.

The Doctor turned and rolled his eyes. "Come on, Clara, you know I speak dinosaur!"

I could practically see steam coming out of Clara's ears as she marched over to stand beside Strax, to whom she gestured with her thumb. "He's not Clara, I'm Clara," she grumbled.

The Doctor froze and looked slowly from one to the other. "Oh, well you're very similar heights. Maybe you should wear labels," he suggested as Clara and Strax traded confused looks.

"Why are you-? Why are you all doing that? You're all... going dark." He waved a hand at us as if to scare us off. "Alright, stop that."

"I don't think we are," Clara told the Time Lord as she, Strax, Vastra, and Jenny all stepped closer to him.

A look of panic had come across the Doctor's face as he stumbled from everyone, waving his arms. "Wait!" I told the others, holding my arms out to keep them from stepping closer. "Give him room."

He finally shook his head and turned away. "Never mind! Everyone, take five!"

Then, without any warning, the Doctor's eyes rolled back into his head and he fell forward onto his face. "Theta!" I cried, rushing forward and falling to my knees by his side. I pulled him onto his side and let his head fall into my lap.

Clara ran to his other side and copied my movements, falling to her knees so she could better look over the Doctor. I ran my fingers through his silvery hair and wiped away the mud on his face. All the fear and confusion was gone from his face once he was unconscious.

"I don't understand," Jenny said in confusion. "Is that the Doctor?"

"It's him," Clara replied in a whisper as I leaned over the Doctor, ghosting my fingers over the Time Lord's face and memorizing each line and crease. "That's the Doctor."

I looked up at Clara and saw exhaustion and concern written plainly across her face. She hesitantly moved her eyes from the Doctor's face to meet my gaze. "Clara, what happened? Why's he suddenly forgotten everything?"

"He… changed," she stammered.

"Wait, he regenerated? Just now?"

Clara nodded and looked back down at the Doctor's face. "Yeah."

"What happened? Is he okay? Was it bad? Was I even there?" I asked in a panicked rush.

"I-I can't tell you… I'm sorry." The woman shook her head as she recalled what had happened before I arrived. "He was dying and then he just changed into him."

There was silence for a moment while the others were processing the information. And then Vastra made a noise that sounded like resigned laughter. "Well then," she replied with a shake of her head, "here we go again."

"What should be do?" I wondered as I gazed down at the Doctor's unconscious body.

"We need to move him," Vastra said somewhere behind me. "He can't stay here."

"No, wait!" I shouted, suddenly recalling the events that occurred after Nine's regeneration into Ten. "No, we can't wake him until he's ready."

"He cannot stay here in the mud, surrounded by all these people."

"I know," I sighed. "I know, Vastra. But if we wake him up before his body is ready, it could hurt him. It's happened to him once before and I can't let that happen to him again."

Vastra seemed to understand my worry. She placed a hand on my shoulder and smiled reassuringly at me. "I promise you that he will be safe."

Then she turned and raced up a flight of stairs that led up the brick wall. For the first time, I noticed the large mass of people in Victorian dress all gawking at the dinosaur. Vastra was shouting orders at men who I guessed were police and I caught fractions of her sentences. Phrases like "victim of the dinosaur" and "must not be awakened under any circumstances" reached my ears and I breathed a sigh of partial relief. I knew I could trust Vastra to take care of moving the Doctor. She understood the importance of the Doctor's health after his regeneration.

Vastra had a group of men carry the Doctor up the stairs to a carriage she had waiting. She held open the door so the men could place the Time Lord inside without any trouble. I crawled into the carriage immediately after the men left and sat next to the Doctor, cradling his face in my hands and running my thumb across his newly wrinkled skin.

Vastra climbed in after me and gave a final order to the others. "Jenny, you stay with Clara. I will send the carriage back for you, but it is imperative that the Doctor be taken somewhere more comfortable immediately."

Jenny nodded and smiled at her wife. "Of course, ma'am. We'll wait here."

"Strax, come along."

The carriage ride was slow and gentle to keep from rousing the Doctor while he slept. I was worried sick and terrified of what might happen. If I knew anything, it was that something bad always happened after the Doctor regenerated. Vastra eventually placed her gloved hand on my thigh, making me turn to look at her expectantly.

"You needn't worry so much. He will be fine."

"How do you know that?" I asked frantically. "I don't even know that."

"He will be because you're here to look after him," Vastra assured me. "No one could be a better nurse for the Doctor than you."

"But he-... he can't remember anything. I mean, it's happened before and I've seen it happen, but this is different. I-I don't know what's going to happen. How can I help him if I don't know what's going to happen?"

"By being yourself, Diana. He needs his friends and companions now more than ever before."

I glanced back at the Doctor and ran my hand across his cheek as he slept. "I'm worried," I murmured. "What if something goes wrong and I can't anticipate it?"

"You will simply have to be like the rest of us." Vastra cupped my chin and turned my head so I was looking at her again. "But you will not be alone."

When the carriage reached Vastra's home, the Silurian gracefully jumped out and lent me a hand. I practically fell out of the carriage before turning back to the Doctor to try and start easing him out. He did not stay asleep, however, and his eyes flew open the moment my fingers brushed against his wrist. I gasped and froze in my spot.

"Dinosaur," he blurted as he jerked out of his seat.

"Doctor, careful!" I stumbled backwards as the Time Lord scrambled out of the carriage. His legs gave out as soon as his feet touched the ground and I quickly threw my arms around his torso to steady him. "Doctor, you have to be careful. You'll hurt yourself."

He wordlessly gazed down at me and slowly raised one hand to my face, pushing a few strands of my hair behind my ear. "This is... familiar," he breathed. "Y-You... I know you."

I smiled and nodded eagerly, trying not to show that his weight was hard for me to sustain with my bad leg. "That's right. See? I told you you'd get it eventually."

"D-... You're D-..."

"Yes, almost got it."

"Dodo!"

My smile dropped again, but I quickly forced it again so the Doctor wouldn't suspect anything. I sighed and adjusted his weight so he wasn't leaning as much on me. "Close, Doctor. It does start with a 'd'." I pulled one of his arms over my shoulder. "Now, come on. We need to get you upstairs so you can lie down."

"Upstairs? What's upstairs?"

"A bed. Where you can lie down and relax."

Vastra came around to the Doctor's other side and took his free arm in her firm grip. "Come along, Doctor," she urged with an encouraging smile.

"Are we going somewhere?"

"Yes, Doctor," I replied with a strained voice. "Just be patient."

"You know, I think I've deleted French-."

Mid sentence, the Doctor's eyes rolled back and he slumped on top of me. I braced my legs to keep from falling over and Vastra helped to pull his arm over her shoulder so she could carry him with me. We struggled with the Time Lord's dead weight into the house, up the stairs, and into a bedroom where we finally placed him.

Vastra recommended I take his coat off for him while he slept so he would be more comfortable, so I wriggled the material off of him once the woman was gone. Then I slipped his shoes off and placed them on the floor by the bed. I was just starting to tuck the Time Lord into bed when he woke with a gasp and sat up.

"Doctor?"

"All of time and space!" he said in a rush, his eyes wide and glancing about.

"What?"

He raised a hand and pointed shakily at me. "I-I… I know you," he whispered before promptly passing out again.

I watched Clara, Jenny, and Strax returned to the house about an hour later from my spot at the window. Clara jumped out of the carriage as it pulled to a stop and raced for the door. Her footsteps could be heard running through the house moments later.

"Upstairs," I heard Vastra say. "Last door on the right."

Clara raced up the stairs, then ran down the hallway. The bedroom door suddenly flew open as I turned to face her. The woman bounded into the room breathlessly, her eyes immediately landing on the Doctor's unconscious body.

"Is he… Is he alright?" she asked with a gasp.

I nodded and moved back to the bed, sitting down on the edge of the mattress. "Yeah. He wakes up sometimes, looks around for a second, and then passes out."

Clara carefully approached the bed, her eyes focused on the Doctor's face. She stared at him for a moment almost in disbelief. "Is that normal?" she asked slowly.

"I don't know," I admitted. "Maybe? But he usually acts like this after a regeneration, so he's probably fine."

"Do you not know what's going to happen?" the schoolteacher asked.

I glanced back at the Doctor with a sigh. "No," I finally answered after a few moments. "Hell, I don't even know what happened before he regenerated. Everything after he saved Gallifrey is totally unknown to me."

"That was a while ago," Clara said as she sat down on the opposite side of the bed. "A few months ago, but… it's been longer than that for him."

"What do you mean?"

Clara shook her head and lightly patted the Doctor's hand, which was lying beside his torso. "Nothing. Sorry, I probably shouldn't have even said that."

"No, it's fine," I answered reluctantly. "I'll find out eventually."

Clara and I were silent after that. I fussed over the Doctor, smoothing his short cut hair or a few wrinkles out of shirt, while Clara watched in silence. Her eyes were locked onto his face and the look in her eyes told me that there was something wrong.

"Clara? Are you okay?"

Her gaze was still focused on the Doctor's face when she nodded. "Yeah. I'm… fine," she answered softly.

"You sure?"

She glanced at me and smiled. "Course I am," she assured me. "I'm just worried about him."

"Yeah." I looked back at the Doctor and gently ran my thumb across his cheek. "Me too."

Vastra came into the room then with Jenny behind her. She checked on the Doctor and asked about his condition as Jenny placed a long, neatly folded nightshirt on the foot of the bed.

"When he wakes up, have him put this on," Jenny suggested. "It'll be much more comfortable."

"Thank you, Jenny," I said as I picked up the shirt. "And thank you, Vastra, for letting him stay here."

"The Doctor is a friend. I will not turn him away when he is in need of my assistance."

After Vastra and Jenny left again, I sat down on the edge of the bed and gazed at the sleeping Doctor. "All those times when I'd get hurt," I whispered softly, "you were always there looking after me, being my doctor. Now the roles are reversed. Now I'm the one looking after you."

The Time Lord mumbled incoherently before falling silent again. I leaned forward and pressed a gentle kiss to his forehead. "Sleep well," I mumbled against his skin.

The Doctor passed in and out of consciousness for the next few hours and well into the night. He changed into the long nightshirt that Jenny had brought and kept on the pair of long underwear he had been wearing beneath his other clothes. Clara left the room early in the night, but I stayed with the Doctor while he slept so I could look after him.

Vastra came in to check on me around ten o'clock that night, waking me up from my position in a chair across the room from the bed. She explained that she had workers procuring the TARDIS and that they would return in the morning with the ship. She had only just finished telling me so when the Doctor woke up again and tried to leave.

"Doctor, wait," I insisted as I grabbed his wrist. "I think maybe you should go back to bed."

"I don't want to. And where am I? This room, it's… it's a silly room."

"You're in Vastra's house, Doctor," I explained. "Do you remember Vastra?"

He turned to look at the Silurian and furrowed his brows in thought. But after just a few moments, he shook his head. "Nope, sorry. Not ringing a bell."

"Well maybe if you lie down and rest, you'll remember. Okay?"

"No," the Time Lord grumbled as he pushed past me and began pacing. "I don't want to go back into that bed."

"Will you at least sit down?"

"It might be best if you sat down," Vastra added in agreement.

The Doctor shook his head and waved our suggestions away. He suddenly stopped pacing and stared wide-eyed at a full-length mirror in the corner of the room. He took a cautious step towards the mirror and pointed shakily at it.

"What… What is that?" he whispered.

Vastra and I shared a concerned glance. "It's a mirror, Doctor," I answered.

"I know it's a mirror. I meant, what is that?" he asked again, pointing at his reflection. "It's so angry."

"Well-"

"And why am I even in this room?" he suddenly exclaimed, turning away from the mirror to gesture to the bedroom. "There's nothing in here but a bed! It's ridiculous!"

"Doctor, calm down," I pleaded. "You're getting all worked up."

"Well, of course I am! I'm stuck in this stupid room with you two and an angry mirror!" He grunted in frustration and threw his hands into the air, then started for the door. "It's simply misunderstandable to me!" He opened the door and Jenny and Clara stumbled into the room. "I don't know what it is. Who invented this room?"

Clara grabbed the Doctor's hand and gently patted it as she gazed worriedly up at him. "Doctor, please, you have to lie down. You keep passing out."

He ignored her request and turned to gesture to the bed, his hand still clasped in hers. "It doesn't make sense. Look, it's only got a bed in it. Why is there only a bed in it?"

"Because it's a bedroom, it's for sleeping in," Clara told him.

The Doctor stared blankly at the schoolteacher for a moment. "Okay, what do you do when you're awake?"

"You leave the room," Jenny interjected.

"So you've got a whole room for not being awake in." Clara, Jenny, and I all nodded and I smiled when I thought he understood the principle. But it quickly faded when he continued to ask more confused questions. "But what's the point? You're just missing the room. And don't look in that mirror!" he cried as he pointed at the mirror. "It's absolutely furious."

"Doctor, please," I begged as I took his hand in mine. "Will you just lie down? You need your rest."

Clara nodded and placed her hand on his arm. "You keep passing out, Doctor. You should go back to bed."

"Well, of course I keep passing out. There's all these beds! And why do you keep talking like that? What's gone wrong with your accent?" Clara and I glanced at each other, then at Jenny. "Why-"

"No, nothing's wrong with her accent," Jenny assured the Time Lord.

"No, you sound the same. It's spreading! You all sound all… English!" Then the Doctor pointed at me. "And you? You're just malfunctioning. You don't even sound English half the time! No, you've all developed a fault."

Vastra stepped forward and took the Doctor's hands in hers. "Doctor," she began in a Scottish accent, "I need your help with something."

The Time Lord sighed in relief. "Finally, someone who can talk properly."

"I'm having difficulty sleeping," Vastra continued as she guided him to sit down on the bed.

The Doctor raised an eyebrow. "Oh? Oh, well, I wouldn't bother with that, I never bother with sleep. I just do standing-up catnaps."

Vastra smiled. "Oh really? How interesting. And when do you do those?"

"Well, generally whenever anyone else starts talking. I like to skip ahead to my bits. It saves time."

"Save me time, Doctor. Project an image of perfect sleep into the center of my mind," Vastra said as she guided the Doctor's fingers to her temple.

"What, you want a psychic link with me?" the Time Lord asked incredulously. "The size of my brain would be like dropping a piano on you."

Vastra smiled knowingly and shrugged. "Be gentle, then."

"I'll try. Brace yourself… Piano," he repeated to himself.

The Doctor closed his eyes and pressed his fingers against Vastra's temple while she did the same. The Doctor's head snapped back and he fell over onto his back with a plop, bouncing slightly on the mattress.

"Theta!" I exclaimed, rushing forward in concern. I ran a hand along the side of his face. "Is he gonna be alright?"

"He's sleeping," Vastra assured me, reverting back to her English accent. "Now he will be able to rest peacefully."

Jenny lightly tapped me on the shoulder and then gestured for me to step back. I watched as she and Vastra began pulling the covers out from under the Doctor's body and started to tuck him in.

Vastra smirked. "I love monkeys. They're so funny."

Jenny raised an eyebrow at her wife. "Oh, I see. So people are monkeys now, are they?" she asked sassily.

"No, dear. People are apes. Men are monkeys."

Once they had finished, I sat down on the edge of the bed and rested a hand on the Doctor's chest. He exhaled softly and let out a light snore, which made me smile.

"So what now?" Clara asked as she walked to the other side of the bed.

Vastra glanced at me, but I didn't answer Clara's question. "He needs rest," the Silurian answered for me.

Clara pursed her lips. "So what do we do? How do we fix him?"

That caught my attention. I looked up at Clara in confusion and tilted my head to the side. "Fix him?" I repeated. "Did something go wrong?"

Clara gestured to the Doctor's sleeping form. "How do we change him back?" she asked.

"Why would you want him to change back?" I wondered.

The woman sighed and shook her head. "Well, because… because he's not…"

I couldn't understand what she meant. "Not what, Clara?"

"Look at him! He's… old."

Vastra cleared her throat, making Clara and I turn to look at her expectantly. "Jenny, I will be in my chamber. Would you be kind enough to fetch my veil?"

"Why, are we expecting strangers?" the girl questioned.

Sparing Clara a glance, Vastra answered, "It would seem there's already one here."

Vastra then turned and exited the room without another word. Clara looked down as if she were embarrassed, and then looked at Jenny. "What have I done wrong?" she asked.

Jenny looked like she didn't want to answer and luckily, she didn't have to. The dinosaur let out a long, sad wail that drew our attention. The young maid took the creature's call as a distraction and started towards the window.

"The dinosaur doesn't seem very happy," she noted as she looked out across London.

"What's wrong with it?" Clara wondered.

"I dunno," Jenny replied as she looked back at us. "The Doctor's the one that speaks dinosaur… Excuse me, ma'am. The wife doesn't like to be kept waiting."

Clara nodded and looked back at the Doctor. She looked confused, although I couldn't understand why. Jenny was just about to leave when Clara spoke up again. "Where did he get that face? Why's it got lines on it? It's brand new. How can his hair be all grey? He only just got it."

"That's just the way regeneration works," I told Clara. "You know that."

"But look at him. He doesn't even look the same. He doesn't look like himself." She shook her head and ran a finger along one prominent crease in the Doctor's face. "If it's all new, then why does it look so old?"

Jenny glanced at me in surprise. "It's still him, ma'am. You saw him change."

"No, I know. I do. I-I know that," Clara insisted.

"Good."

"It's just-…"

"It's just, what?" I urged.

Clara shook her head again. "Nothing," she sighed. Jenny started to walk away again when Clara spoke up a final time. "If-… If Vastra changed, if she was different, if she wasn't the person that… you liked?"

Jenny smiled knowingly. "I don't like her, ma'am. I love her. And as to different? Well, she's a lizard," the girl said before finally leaving.

"Clara?" I asked as the woman moved to the window. "Why does it bother you that he looks different?"

"It doesn't."

I scoffed and shook my head. "Clara, I'm not stupid. If it didn't bother you, you wouldn't make such a big deal about it."

"Okay, fine. Yes," she relented. "It bothers me."

"Why?"

"Because he was young! He was young and funny and different and now… he's not. I-I just don't understand."

"But why would that matter?"

"Because I-…" For some reason, Clara couldn't finish the sentence. She was holding something back that she didn't want to tell me. "It just does."

The dinosaur let out another long moan as Clara approached the window. She rested her hand against the pane of glass and sighed. I bowed my head and ran a hand through my hair as I suppressed a yawn.

"I am alone," the Doctor suddenly whispered.

My head shot up and I leaned forward. "Doctor?"

He continued speaking as the dinosaur roared on and on. "The world which shook at my feet, and the trees and the sky, have gone. And I am alone now," he breathed. "Alone."

Clara had come up behind me while the Doctor was speaking and she rested a hand on my shoulder. "Are you translating?" she asked the Time Lord.

"The wind bites now, and the world is grey," the Doctor continued, "and I am alone here." He paused and Clara glanced out the window at the dinosaur. "Can't see me. Doesn't see me… Can't see me."

"Who can't see it?" Clara questioned, half to the Doctor and half to herself. "I think all of London can see it."

A voice at the door startled me. "Boys?" I turned to see Strax standing in the doorway. "Madame Vastra is waiting."

Clara glanced back over her shoulder with a sigh. "Okay," she mumbled. "You coming, Diana?

I kept my eyes locked on the Doctor's face and nodded once. "In a minute," I mumbled.

Clara nodded and walked across the room to Strax's side. "I will convey you to her chamber. May I take your coat?" the Sontaran wondered.

"Not wearing a coat."

Strax gestured to her clothes in confusion. "What's all that?"

"Clothes."

"Ah. May I take your clothes?"

Despite my earlier frustration and worry, I cracked a smile and even laughed. Clara pursed her lips and pushed Strax's waiting hand aside. "Probably not," she told him softly.

"Are you wearing a hat?"

"It's hair!" Clara called as she exited the room.

Strax hurried after her. "No, I think it's a hat. Would you like me to check?"

Once the two had gone, I got up and closed the bedroom door. Then I returned to the Doctor's side and gently sat down on the edge of the bed. He was sleeping peacefully and his chest rose and fell lightly.

"I'm here," I whispered as I gazed at the Time Lord's face. "I don't know if you can hear me, but I'm here. And I love you."

The dinosaur roared again and the Doctor mumbled incoherently for a few moments. I leaned forward and ran the back of my hand across his forehead. His brows furrowed together before suddenly straightening. Smiling, I pressed my lips to his forehead and exhaled lightly.

"I'll be right back, okay? Don't go anywhere."

I hurried out of the room and headed downstairs where I guessed Vastra, Jenny, and Clara would be. I found them in a large, beautiful room filled with exotic plants and a tiny sitting area in the middle. Vastra was sitting in a high-backed chair with a black veil covering her face, Jenny stood beside her, and across a small table sat Clara. They all stopped talking when I entered and watched as I sat down beside Clara.

"Sorry, I was just… checking on him," I explained as I made myself comfortable in the chair.

Vastra stared at me before she turned her head to Clara and regarded the other woman. "And then?" she asked.

Clara pursed her lips. "Why are you wearing your veil?"

"And then?" Vastra repeated.

The schoolteacher sighed and relented to answering the question. "And then we got swallowed by a big dinosaur. You probably noticed."

"How did it happen?" Jenny asked.

"I don't know. We were… crashing about everywhere. The Doctor was gone, the TARDIS went haywire."

"Gone?" I repeated in confusion. "He's here. How can he be gone?"

Clara flashed me an irritated look. "Okay, he changed," she corrected.

"You mean, he regenerated."

"He renewed himself," Vastra added.

Clara scoffed. "Renewed," she echoed with a hint of irony in her voice. "Fine."

"Such a cynical smile," Vastra noted with a knowing smirk.

"I'm not smiling."

"Not outwardly. But I'm accustomed to seeing through a veil. How have I amused you?"

"You said renewed. He doesn't-…" Clara seemed to struggle with the words, but when she finally said them I could barely believe what she was saying. "He doesn't look renewed. He looks older."

"You thought he was young?"

"He looked young," Clara retorted defensively.

Vastra shook her head with her own cynical smile. "He looked like your dashing young gentleman friend. Your lover, even," she suggested.

"Shut up," the teacher replied quickly. I turned to face Clara and stared incredulously at her as I finally realized what was wrong. She glanced curiously at me, raising both of her eyebrows. "What?"

"That's what it is," I realized.

Clara shook her head in confusion. "What?"

"What exactly is your problem, again?"

"I'm sorry?"

"I asked what your problem was," I snapped.

"I don't have a problem."

"I think you do."

Clara leaned back in her chair and looked defiantly at me. "If you have something to say, then say it," she said.

"Look I don't know what happened before he regenerated, but you better fix whatever this attitude is. You should know better than anyone that the Doctor isn't young. You jumped into his time stream and sacrificed yourself for him. You saw all of his different faces, all twelve of them. You met two of them and one of them was older. So what's the problem with him? Why is the fact that his face is now physically older such a problem for you?"

"It's not a problem."

"Yeah? Then act like it." I stared at the young woman and felt a twinge of disappointment. "You're just upset that he doesn't look young enough to be flirting with you. Right?" Clara only stared at me in silence. "I'm right, aren't I?"

"So what if you are?"

"He's my boyfriend," I snarled as I stood up, "my future husband, not yours."

"I never said he was!"

"Then why are you so upset that he's old now?"

"Because I liked him!" Clara shouted. "I fancied him, okay? I admit it. Are you happy now?"

I shook my head, feeling betrayed by Clara's admission. I set my jaw and looked away at the floor. "I'm gonna go upstairs and look after my boyfriend. And if his age is a problem for you, Clara, then don't waste your time checking up on him."

Without waiting for a response, I left the room headed back upstairs. I stopped in front of the Doctor's door and sighed heavily when I grasped at the door handle. I forced myself to clear my mind and to focus on the Doctor instead of my frustration with Clara. I pushed the hurt and betrayal away and instead focused only on my concern for the recovering Time Lord.

With a mostly clear head, I opened the door and stepped inside. The Doctor hadn't moved a muscle while he was sleeping, so I was careful to close the door very quietly so I wouldn't wake him. I dimmed the lights so that the only illumination in the room was from the full moon outside, and then tiptoed over to the bed.

I watched the Doctor sleep for a moment before a yawn overwhelmed me. My leg was starting to ache because of all the walking and I felt absolutely exhausted, especially after snapping at Clara. I stepped forward and pulled the blanket back, then experimentally pressed my weight into the mattress. When the Doctor didn't wake up, I continued settling onto the bed until I was partially kneeling on it. After a few minutes of struggling, I managed to worm my way into the bed beside the Doctor. I then pulled the blanket up over my shoulders and turned onto my side.

"Night, Theta," I whispered as I curled into a ball against the Time Lord.

The bed jostled beneath me and there was a distant sniffing and scratching sound. The two sounds mixed together were enough to draw me out of my sleep with a sleepy, yet confused grumble. I was alone in the bed and the place beside me was cold. The lights in the room were on, but I distinctly remembered dimming them before falling asleep.

I turned onto my side, bringing the blanket with me, and looked around the room. The walls were covered in mathematical equations, graphs, and diagrams, as well as alien symbols I had only seen handful of times on the Doctor's chalkboards. Sitting up, I saw the Doctor kneeling in the center of the room just in front of the bed. He was scribbling with a piece of chalk on the floor, drawing more of the same equations and symbols.

"Doctor?"

He stopped scribbling, paused for a long moment, then swiveled his head around to stare wide-eyed at me. Our eyes met and I fell silent as the Time Lord simply watched me. The dinosaur was still roaring outside, but her cries had already decreased in volume.

"Theta?" I began slowly. "What are you doing?"

The Time Lord didn't answer me and instead turned back to his scribbles. I pushed the blanket off of my legs and rubbed the sleep out of my eyes, then crawled to the edge of the bed to better see what the Doctor was doing.

"Uh, are you… doing recreational math?" I asked.

The Doctor mumbled incoherently under his breath and continued scratching away at the floor. I slowly threw my legs over the side of the bed and pushed myself into a standing position. Very carefully so as not to disturb or startle the Time Lord, I approached him from behind.

The dinosaur suddenly let out another roar, this one louder than the last ones. The Doctor sat up straight and looked to the window. Then he jumped to his feet and started to the window. Halfway there he changed his mind and hurried to the door. He opened it and looked the object up and down.

"Door. Boring," he scoffed as he closed it again. "Not me."

"Uh, Theta?"

He threw the window open and stuck his head out. "Me!" he exclaimed excitedly.

"Doctor!" I yelped as I leaped forward.

The Time Lord started to crawl out of the window. I raced forward and grabbed hold of his leg, trying to pull him back inside. He grunted in annoyance and shook his leg free of my grasp, kicking me lightly in the arm.

"Ow! What are y- Doctor! Doctor!"

He was using the tree just outside the window to scale the wall and climb to the top of the house. Terrified he was going to fall and break his neck, I called his name again to get him to come back.

"Shut up!" he grumbled as he climbed up the tree.

"Shit," I hissed when a branch cracked beneath his weight. "Theta, you're going to kill yourself! Oh, he's not even listening," I added to myself.

He was nearing the roof and I knew that I had to get up there to watch out for him and make sure he didn't get hurt. I turned and ran out into the hallway, calling Strax's name frantically. He appeared at the base of the stairs, tilting his head to the side to see past the barrister.

"Miss Diana?"

"Is there a way to get to the roof from inside the house?"

"Yes! Through the attic," he answered.

"Okay, where's the attic?"

"There is a staircase to the attic in the opposite end of the hallway," Strax informed me. "Once inside the attic, there is another staircase that leads to the roof."

"Thanks!" I called as I darted down the hallway in search of the second staircase.

Finding the staircase was easy and despite my leg feeling a little wobbly, I managed to run up to the attic without tripping or falling. Once in the attic, I spotted another spiral staircase across the empty, dusty space and made a run for it. The floorboards creaked under my feet as I dashed up the third set of stairs. At the top of the stairs was a small door with a latch. I pushed the door open and stepped out onto the roof, an ice cold wind tearing through me.

The Doctor was already up there, shouting across London at the dinosaur as it moaned.

"I'm sorry!" he shouted. "My time machine got stuck in your throat! It happens! I brought you along by accident. That's mostly how I meet girls, but don't worry! I promise I will get you home. I swear!" The Doctor started adding hand gestures to his declarations, as if that would help the creature understand him. "Whatever it takes, I will keep you safe. You will be at home again!"

I smiled at his dedication to helping the poor animal, but yelped in surprise when the dinosaur suddenly burst into flames. The Doctor gasped and stared at the dinosaur in shock as it wailed and collapsed.

"Stop that," he muttered. "Who's doing that? No, don't do that!"

The Doctor started turning around, presumably looking for a way down from the roof. I started forward to help him down through the attic with me when the Doctor suddenly turned and jumped off the roof.

"Doctor!"

I rushed to the edge of the roof and looked over the side to see the Doctor falling through a large tree. He cried out in pain as various branches broke beneath his weight. The Doctor finally stopped when his knees caught on a thick branch that was able to hold him up.

Letting out a panicked shriek, I turned and ran back inside the house calling Vastra's name. I practically sprinted down the stairs, almost falling and hurting myself at least ten times. When I reached the bottom floor, Vastra, Jenny, and Clara were hurrying out of the plant room with worried expressions.

"What is it? What's wrong?" Vastra asked.

"Is it the dinosaur?" Jenny asked.

"The dinosaur? Right, um, I saw it. I-It burst into flames and then collapsed in the river," I answered breathlessly.

"We must go right away," Vastra said. "Strax is preparing the carriage now. Come, all of you."

I hurried after the Silurian as she raced through the house. "Vastra, wait-"

"There's no time!" she shouted. "We must hurry! Clara, you sit in the cab with Jenny and I. Diana, you will have to sit with Strax."

"Wait, what?"

Vastra practically flew out of the house with the rest of us close on her heels. Strax was sitting in the driver's seat of the carriage, waiting anxiously for us. Vastra urged Jenny into the carriage first, then turned to me as Clara jumped in.

"Diana, quickly!" she ordered.

"But-"

"Now!" She looked to Strax and nodded. "To Westminster Bridge, Strax."

Letting out a frustrated groan, I placed a foot on one of the spokes and used it to propel myself up. I grabbed at the edge of the driver's seat and pulled myself further up the side of the carriage.

"Do you require assistance?" Strax asked.

"Yes!" I snapped.

He reached down and grabbed me by the forearm, then pulled me up the rest of the way. He released my arm and dropped me onto the seat beside him, then slapped the reins against the horses with a cry. The carriage pulled forward with a jolt and I was sent headfirst into the roof of the carriage, knocking my teeth against the leather and metal cover.

"Ow! For God's sake, Strax!" I yelped painfully.

I slowly turned myself over and adjusted my position so I was sitting properly. The carriage was jolting in every direction and I was sure that I was going to fall off and crack my head open on the cobbled streets. I grabbed onto Strax's shoulder when the carriage hit a large bump, nearly propelling me out of my seat.

"Release me, boy!" the Sontaran demanded.

"No way in hell!" I shouted over the wind.

Vastra's voice shouted out from inside the carriage. "Come on, Strax!" The Sontaran cracked his whip and the horses moved just a little bit faster. I heard Vastra laugh as the carriage started jostling even more. "That's better!"

Strax pulled hard on the reins, bringing the horses to a halt as they trotted across the bridge. Below me, the doors opened and the three women jumped out. I looked back at the bridge and spotted a familiar figure standing on the edge of the bridge.

"Doctor!" I exclaimed. I scrambled down the carriage in a panic and then raced to the Doctor's side, limping slightly since my leg was starting to ache with all the running. "Doctor, what are you doing?"

"What's he doing here?" Clara asked.

Vastra smiled. "There is trouble. Where else would he be?"

"She was scared," the Doctor whispered as he gazed down at the burning remains of the dinosaur. "She was scared and alone. I brought her here and look what they did."

"Theta, come down," I begged as I tugged at the hem of his nightshirt.

Vastra stepped up beside me, looking between the Doctor and the dinosaur. "Who or what could have done this thing?" she questioned.

The Doctor shook his head. "No."

"I'm sorry?"

"No. That is not the question." The Doctor looked out at the river alight with flames and I could see anger written plainly across his face. "That is not where we start."

Strax spoke up from his spot on top of Vastra's carriage. "The question is how. The flesh itself has been combusted."

"No, no, shut up," the Time Lord snapped. "What do you all have for brains, pudding? Look at you. Why can't I meet a decent species? Planet of the pudding brains."

Clara came up on the Doctor's other side and gazed up at him. "Doctor, I know you're upset, but you need to calm down and talk to us," she said softly. "What is the question?"

"A dinosaur is burning in the heart of London. Nothing left but smoke and flame. The question is, have there been any similar murders?"

Vastra nodded. "Yes. Yes, by the Goddess, there have," she exclaimed.

"Look at them all, gawking," he said as he watched the people lined along the edge of the bridge. Then he pointed across the river to a darkened street. "Question two. If all the pudding brains are gawking, then what is he?"

I peered through the darkness and managed to spot a man walking calmly away from the scene. I turned to look at Vastra and Jenny, who were both curious about the man.

"He seems remarkably unmoved by the available spectacle," Vastra noted.

Clara hummed thoughtfully. "Do you think that's whoever-"

Just as the teacher spoke, the Doctor leapt off the bridge and into the water below. I leaned over the edge and shouted his name as he fell beneath the surface of the water with a shout.

"What he's doing?" Clara questioned incredulously. "He'll drown!"

"I very much doubt it," Vastra responded.

"But he just jumped into the river!" I exclaimed.

"There has been a murder," Vastra explained. "The Doctor has taken up the case. If we are to see him again, we must do the same. Now both of you, come with me. We shall return home and rest."

I shook my head. "But the Doctor-"

"Will be fine. Right now we all need sleep to be fully prepared for the day ahead of us."

"But-"

"You'll be of no use to the Doctor if you're exhausted tomorrow. He needs you, Diana. Now come home and tomorrow you can go and look for him if you wish."

I looked back out at the river and saw the Doctor wading through the water. I sighed and bowed my head in submission. "Fine," I mumbled. "But I'm looking for him tomorrow with or without you."

Vastra smiled and nodded. "I would expect nothing less," she answered as she guided me back to the carriage.

The ride back to the house was slow and less stressful than the first. Strax brought the carriage to the stables and began taking care of the horses, while Vastra and Jenny led Clara and I to the guest room where the Doctor had slept earlier. Jenny lent us two of her own nightgowns, as well as some extra blankets.

"Diana, you may have this room," Vastra said, knowing that I wouldn't want to stay in any other room. "Clara, there is another room just next door. If you will follow Jenny?"

Vastra bid me goodnight and closed the door behind her when she left. I quickly changed into the borrowed nightgown, which was a little tight since I was of a slightly larger build than Jenny. I unfolded the blanket and spread it out over the mattress before climbing into bed and pulling the covers over my legs. I kept the lights on so I could see the Doctor's drawings and equations from earlier.

"Be safe, Theta," I whispered to the air before I closed my eyes and settled into bed.

A/N: Don't forget to review and tell me what you thought!