The Doctor and the Professor looked around the study. They examined everything available to him. But the Doctor was curious to see what the Snowmen outside would do. "Strax, how long have we got?" he asked.
"They're not going to attack. The Snowmen did not attempt to hide their arrival. An attack force would never abandon surprise so easily, and they're clearly in a defensive formation," Strax explained.
"Way, aye, aye. Well done, Straxie. Still got it, Buddy," the Doctor smiled and gave Strax a noogie on the head.
"Sir, please do not noogie me during combat prep," Strax complained. The Doctor straightened himself. "So there's something here they want." "The Ice Governess," the Professor answered.
"Exactly."
"I don't understand why she's so important," Belle said. "There must be a reason why."
"Because she's a perfect duplication of human DNA in ice crystal form. The greatest fusion of snow and humanity. The snow needs to evolve to live here, and she's the blueprint. She's what they need to become. Clara, when the snow melted last night, did the pond?"
Clara shook her head. "No," she said.
"Living ice that will never melt. But, if the snow gets hold of that creature on the stairs, it will learn to make more of them. It will build an army of ice. And it will be the last day of humanity on this planet."
The doorbell rang, and the Doctor walked to answer it. The Professor followed but stood behind his father.
"Stay here, everyone," the Professor said. "Blue. Look after them, will you?" He asked Mother Superior, and she nodded.
As they approached the door, they didn't see Clara follow them until the Doctor heard something. He turned around. Oi. I told you to stay in there."
"Oh, I didn't listen," Clara said.
"You do that quite a lot," the Professor said.
Clara took the Professor's hand as she gazed into his blue eyes. "It's why you like me."
"Who said I like you?" The Professor asked.
"That heart you gave me gives it away," Clara said, leaning into the Professor and kissing him long and hard, cupping his cheek softly with her other hand. To Clara, she felt the whole world would disappear around her. Nothing else mattered. No one else existed. To her, it felt right.
After a few seconds, the Professor pulled away softly, breathing softly and feeling his hearts beat. He didn't complain about the kiss. He hadn't expected it, but it felt right to him.
After a conversation with whoever was at the door, the Doctor turned around and faced the Professor and Clara. "Right."
The Professor looked at his father. "Who was it?"
"Walter Simeon," he answered, then clasped his hands together. "We need to get her out of here, but keep her away from them." He pointed to the study.
"How do we do that?" Clara asked.
Taking an umbrella from the stand by the door, the Doctor walked over to the study door. "Mother Superior. Can I see you for a second?" He asked, then turned to his son and Clara. "With this." He held up the umbrella. "Do I always have to state the obvious?"
Mother Superior walked over to the Doctor. "What is it?" she asked. "Can you allow access up there?"
The nun nodded. "Of course," she answered. "What are you going to do?"
"There is no danger here as long as the Ice Governess is there." The Doctor pointed to the second floor. "I need to get up there. You need to be quick."
The Doctor walked up the stairs, not knowing that the Professor and Clara followed behind him. Mother Superior took out her wand and zapped the force field. It disappeared – long enough for the three to sneak past – before appearing again.
Right … Son, Clara, Mother Superior …" he began, then turned around and saw his son and Clara behind him. "What are you doing here? That was stupid."
"I learnt from the best," the Professor remarked as the three of them dodged the Ice Governess and ran up the stairs.
"That's the way to do it!" the Ice Governess exclaimed as she slowly made her way towards them. "Why does she keep saying that?" Clara asked.
"Mirroring. Random mirroring. We need to get on the roof," the Doctor exclaimed.
The Professor was still holding Clara's hand from earlier and started running with her to the roof. "I think it's this way." But he didn't know that Clara had grabbed the Doctor's hand too.
"Wait!" The Doctor exclaimed. "I do the hand grabbing. That's my job. That's always me!"
The Professor turned his head around and saw that he was now leading them. He chuckled to himself. "Looks like I've been promoted."
He led them through the halls until he saw an open window ahead. He climbed out first, and then the Doctor. But, when it was Clara's turn, she found herself stuck. The bustle of her skirt was too broad.
"My bustle is stuck," Clara said.
"Your bustle?" the Doctor asked.
"Allow me," the Professor said. He waved his hand and engulfed Clara in a whirl of blue smoke – poofing her to the rooftop with the others.
She shook herself off, then turned to the Doctor. "What's the plan?" she asked. "Who said I have a plan?" the Doctor asked.
"You must have a plan. You took that," Clara said, pointing to the umbrella. "Maybe I'm an idiot."
"You're not. You're clever. Really clever. Both of you are."
The Doctor threw the umbrella at Clara, and she caught it with one hand. "If I've got a plan, what is it? You tell me."
"That's the way to do it!" The Ice Governess exclaimed, but everyone was ignoring her at this point by now. However, she was coming closer to the window.
"Is this a test?" Clara said. "Yes," the Doctor said. "What will it do to us?"
"Kill us."
"So, come on then. Plan. Do I have one?" The Doctor asked.
"Oh, I know what your plan is. I knew straight away," Clara said. "No, you didn't."
"Course I did." "Show me." "Why should I?"
"Because we'll be dead in under thirty seconds. Do I have a plan?"
"If we'd been escaping, we'd climb down the building. If we'd been hiding, we'd be on the other side of the roof. But no, we're standing right here."
"So?"
"So..." Clara said, reaching up with the umbrella and pulling the ladder down.
The Professor went over to the ladder and gestured for his father to go up first. "After you."
The Doctor nodded and climbed up the ladder. Then the Professor. Then it was Clara.
She stepped on the first rung and looked at the Ice Governess. She was standing on the rooftop, having transferred herself into snow flurries to transport herself through the window. "I understand you're the previous governess. I regret to tell you the position has been taken. Goodnight." Clara then tapped the ladder with the umbrella and was raised into the air, where she joined the Doctor and the Professor on the staircase platform.
"So you can move this cloud? You can control it?"
"No. No one can control clouds; that would be silly. The wind, a bit," the Doctor explained before they climbed the spiral staircase.
"She's following us," Clara said as she noticed the Ice Governess behind them.
"That's the idea," the Professor answered. "Keep her from the snow."
"So, barmaid or governess. Which is it?" the Doctor asked. "You want to have this now?" Clara asked.
"Well, we can't chat after being killed, now can we?" The Doctor shot back. "Uh, how did we get up so high so quick?" Clara asked, looking over the sides. "Clever staircase. It's taller on the inside."
All three got to the cloud, and the Doctor took out his sonic screwdriver. He whirred it over the cloud, and the cloud blocked the entranceway.
"What am I standing on?" Clara asked. "What's this made off?"
"Super dense water vapour. Should keep her trapped for the moment," the Doctor explained. "Do you live up here? On a cloud in a box?" Clara asked.
"I have done so for a long time now."
"Blimey, you really know how to sulk, don't you?"
"I'm not sulking."
"You live in a box!"
"That's no more a box than you are a governess."
"Dad," the Professor began, "do you have to criticise everyone I like?
The Doctor shook his head and went into the TARDIS, with the Professor and Clara following.
"Oh, just like a man," Clara said. "You know, Doctor, you're the same as all the rest. Sweet little Clara works at the Rose and Crown, ideas above her station. Well, for your information, I'm not sweet on the inside, and I'm certainly not …" As soon as Clara entered the TARDIS and saw that it was more prominently larger on the inside, she was surprised, and finished her sentence off, quietly. "… little."
"It's called the TARDIS. It can travel anywhere in time and space. And it's my family's," the Doctor said.
Clara was still in shock and awe. She was still looking around at the interior. "But it's. Look at it, it's..." Clara managed to say.
The Professor put an arm around Clara and said, "Say what you're thinking, Clara. Everyone says it at first. It's one of the things that make Dad smile."
Instead, Clara went outside and circled the exterior before returning to the ship. "It's smaller on the outside," she said, which amazed both Time Lords.
"Okay, that is a first.," the Doctor said.
"Is this more magic?" Clara asked. "Is it a machine?"
The Professor chuckled, watching Clara as he leaned against the console. "Well, Dad will call it a ship. But it is so much more."
"How so?" Clara asked.
"It's the best ship in the universe," the Doctor explained.
"Is there a kitchen?"
"Another first."
"I don't know why I asked that. It's just; I like making soufflés."
The Doctor and the Professor both looked up and went over to Clara. "Soufflés?" The Professor asked, starting to remember Oswin. "Haven't heard of them in a while…" he mused.
"Why are you showing me all this?" Clara asked.
"You followed us, remember? We didn't invite you," the Doctor said.
"Both of you are nearly a foot taller than I am. You could've reached the ladder without this. But, instead, you took it for me. Why?" Clara asked the Doctor, giving him the umbrella.
"I never know why. I only know who," the Doctor said, putting a TARDIS key in Clara's hand. "What's this?" Clara asked.
"Me. Welcoming you to the family."
"I don't know why I'm crying," Clara said as the Professor wrapped both arms around her as he beamed.
"I do. Remember this. This right now, remember all of it. Because this is the day. This is the day. This is the day everything begins," the Doctor said, cranking up the TARDIS.
"Need some help, Dad?" The Professor asked, going over to the console too. But before the Doctor could answer, the Ice Governess entered the TARDIS and grabbed Clara, making her drop the key as the Ice Governess dragged her outside.
"Get off of me!" Clara exclaimed.
Both the Doctor and the Professor stopped what they were doing and rushed out, trying to help Clara. "Water vapour doesn't stop ice. I should've realised," the Doctor said.
"Get off!" Clara yelled.
"Please let her go," the Professor begged the Ice Governess. "I love her."
"Get off of me!" Clara yelled again as both she and the Ice Governess fell off the cloud backwards, making the Doctor and the Professor lean over the side, knowing that they couldn't do anything now.
Meanwhile, back at Darkover House, everyone in the room heard the thump outside. Mother Superior and Madame Vastra both went to the window to look.
"What was that?" Madame Vastra asked.
"I believe that was Clara," Mother Superior said, then looked over at Madame Vastra. She was curious about what the lizard woman was doing. "What's that?"
"It's a detector. I'm checking for life signs."
Captain Latimer went to the window and peered out. "Dear God. Oh, dear God. Where did she fall from? We have to get her inside," he said.
"No. The Doctor made it clear that we weren't allowed to step out there," Mother Superior said.
"She's hurt," Captain Latimer said.
"She's dead," Madame Vastra said as they all heard the TARDIS sound throughout the room.
"What is that? What is happening?" Captain Latimer asked as Madame Vastra saw the TARDIS materialise around Clara.
"They're bringing her in," Madame Vastra said.
