The Rings of Akhaten

Blackpool
1981

The Doctor sat in a bus stop, casually reading a copy of "The Lord of the Rings" as he absently watched a man in his early thirties on the opposite side walk, struggling to hold a newspaper in the wind. The man was then hit in the face by a large, red leaf causing him to stumble onto the road. He would've been hit by an oncoming car if not for a brunette woman in her early thirties coming to save his life. "Oh, my stars! Are you alright?" She asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine." He replied as they both exchange a slightly awkward smile.

The Doctor raised his eyebrows at this. Hmmm, Clara's parents were both Northern?

1984

As the Doctor stood underneath a large tree to hide himself from both the midnight rain and from Clara's parents, who were called Dave and Ellie, he watched as they ran through the rain in laughter while they sought shelter, entering a comfortable silence as they did. "Ellie, I've got something for you." Dave says.

"What?' Ellie asks in confusion.

Dave pulls out of his pocket, the same red leaf from the day he met Ellie.

"You kept it?" She asked with raised eyebrows.

"Of course I kept it." He says with a shrug.

"Why? Do you have a new fondness for leaves?" She quips making them chuckle, and unknown to them, the Doctor. So, that's who Clara got her attitude from. Honestly, I'm not surprised.

"Ellie, we all live our lives by our own choices. We decide how to live our lives by ourselves. But if it wasn't for this leaf, and for you being there, you would never have become part of my life." He said gently.

She gazed at him with a soft smile. "You practiced that in the mirror?"

"A bit, yeah." He nodded.

"Come here then. You big softie." She says with a giggle before pulling him into a passionate kiss. The Doctor raised his eyebrows before shrugging and walking away.

1990

The Doctor was walking along a park, whistling to himself in solitude before he suddenly received a soccer ball to the head, causing him to stumble with a small groan. "Oh, my stars! Are you all right?" Ellie asks as she runs up to him with Dave and a small girl of four years.

"Oh, don't worry. Just a touch embarrassed, that's all." He pauses for a moment. "That's not dangerous, is it?"

"What is?"

"Embarrassment."

"No, not to my knowledge."

He smiled a bit in relief. "Thank god."

"Sorry mate. She just wants to be Bryan Robson." Dave says, pointing to their daughter.

"Oh, no harm done." He kneels in front of the girl with a soft smile. "What's her name?"

"Clara." Ellie says fondly.

That made him beam down at her warmly. "Hello there, Clara."

Clara giggles before pointing to his head. "Your ears look funny."

"Oi!"

"That's rude, missy." Dave admonishes with a chuckle.

"His ears have competition with your nose." Ellie says, carrying Clara's mocking.

"Oi!" Dave says with a grin as they share a laugh.

2005

The Doctor stands behind a tree in silent respect as a now 19-year-old Clara cries silently. In front of her was the graves of Dave and Ellie, which were marked with the death date of "March 5th, 2005". Standing to her left and offering a shoulder in comfort was the same man from the third picture in her house. "Thank you, Danny." Clara mumbles.

"It's no problem." Danny says softly.

She sniffed and took a deep breath. "How can we move on? How do people move on?"

"Clara, we mourn the people we lost because we love them. But then, we honour their memory. The honour lasts for the rest of your life, not the mourning. We eventually say to ourselves "It's time to honour them, by letting them go in peace."" He plants a kiss on her forehead as they walk away in silence.

The Doctor gives a small smile at Danny's words, knowing too well how many people he's had to let go before returning to the TARDIS, missing Clara looking behind her to see him. He looks on the monitor inside to see the pictures of the Gallifreyan, Victorian and Modern Clara's side by side. "She's just a girl, but she can't be. She is, but she can't be. She's impossible." He says to himself before setting new coordinates.

2013

Clara sat inside her home, now wearing dark blue shirtdress, black jacket, and tights, holding her "101 Places" book in agitation. She looks up with a contained grin as she hears the TARDIS materialising outside, with the Doctor exiting to walk to her door and ringing the doorbell. She then opens the door with a beaming grin. "Yes, I made it. Now come along!" The Doctor said impatiently as they rushed inside the TARDIS, before he pilots it into the Vortex.

"So, we're moving through actual time?" Clara looks at him in puzzlement. "So, what's time made of? I mean, if you could just roll through it, it's got to be made of something like jams made of strawberries."

"Well, not strawberries." The Doctor said with a look of disgust. "Just, envision it like it's made of energy. That's the best I can do." He shrugged.

"And we can go anywhere?"

"Backwards in time, forwards in time, space, you name it." The Doctor grinned. "So, where do you want to go? What do you want to see?"

Clara opens her mouth…and blinked. She closed her mouth with a sigh before scrunching her face. "I don't know."

His face falls a bit at that. "Oh, fat lot of good you are."

"Shut up!" Clara admonished. "It's like that moment where someone asks you "What's your favourite book?" and then straight away you just forget every single book you've ever read."

"Well, I've never had that happen to me." He said smugly. "So, just describe something that you want to see."

"Well, I would like to see…what I would like to see…is…something awesome." Her last words she says strongly after muttering to herself.

The Doctor gives a sly grin. "You know what? I know exactly the place." He pilots the TARDIS to his chosen location, landing with a thud before grabbing onto Clara's shoulders. "Now then Clara. Close your eyes."

"Eh?" She asks in confusion.

"What you're going to see needs to be seen in the moment, not as you arrive. Close your eyes." He implores before leading her outside the TARDIS. "Can you feel the light on your eyelids?"

She nodded. "Yeah."

"That is the light of an alien sun. Now, are you ready?"

"Not really, no." She admits with a chuckle.

"Fair enough." He shrugged. Clara opens her eyes before gasping in awe. In front of her, miles ahead, was a large burnt orange sun, gleaming with soft light. Orbiting it was two large asteroids, one was completely covered in lit buildings with a large platform in front of it, facing the sun. Rings of dust and rock surrounded the sun with the millions of stars seen in all directions. "Clara Oswald, welcome to "The Rings of Akhaten"." The Doctor says with a smile.

"It's…" She stumbles to find the right words before grinning. "Oh, my stars, it is beautiful!"

"It absolutely is, but that's not all." He says with a gleeful laugh.

"There's more?" Clara asks incredulously.

The barren asteroid began to move slowly away. "In about 5, 4, 3, 2, 1." At this, it passes by to reveal a small asteroid behind it, standing on it was a large, gleaming gold pyramid.

"What is it?" Clara whispers in awe.

"The pyramid of the Rings of Akhaten, the holy site for the Sound Singers of Akhate."

"The who of what?" Her look of awe doesn't fade despite her confusion.

"Blimey, you're slow." He teases.

"Oi! Shush you." She says with a giggle.

"Seven worlds, all orbiting the same star. Each one of them shares the belief that life in the whole universe originated there, from that sun." He carries on with the tale.

"Did it?" She asks curiously.

"Well, it's what they believe. It's a nice story." He says gently.

"Can we see it? Up close?"

The Doctor looks at her, raising his eyebrows in a "Are you kidding me?" look before they both grin and rush back into the TARDIS, piloting it into a storage inside a marketplace. The Doctor grins as Clara looks around in awe and bewilderment at the various species muttering and trading.

"Where are they from?" Clara asks with a giggle.

"Oh, the local system."

"And what do I call them?"

"Well, let's see." The Doctor racks his brain for knowledge. "There's some Pan-Babylonians, a Lugarlirakush, some Eukanians, a Hooloovoo, an Ultramanta." He walks up to a dark-blue alien with goggles and a hood drawn, as they exchange what Clara notes as a silly yet funny greeting. "That fella's a Terraberserker of the Kodonian Belt. You don't see many of them around anymore. You know, I keep forgetting how much I like it here. We should come here more often."

"You've been here before?" Clara quizzes.

"Yeah, about 700 years ago." He ventures off, missing Clara's wide-eyed expression before she hurries to catch up with him. He moves to a food vendor and picks up a casket containing blue fruit in cups. "Exotic fruit of some kind." Both him and Clara have a taste before shaking their heads at each other.

"Nah." They say at the same time before putting the fruit down.

"Doctor, what did you mean by "700 years ago"? How old are you?"

"900." He says bluntly, holding back his grin as Clara's eyes widen again.

"Blimey, you are one old fella." Clara teases.

"Oi!" Clara giggles at him.

"So, why is everyone here?" Clara asks.

""The Festival of Offerings". It takes place every thousand years when the rings align. It's quite a big event here, kind of like Christmas." He then moves towards a stall while Clara gets a jump as an alien starts to bark at her.

"Uh, Doctor?" She asks nervously as he comes over, a smile growing on his face. "Why's it angry?"

"Clara! She, not it. Her names Doreen." He converses with her in barking for a moment before turning back to Clara. "She was just asking if you wanted to rent a moped. It's kind of like a hovering motorbike." Doreen then moves slightly to show it off to her potential customers. Clara barks at her while Doreen gives a small bark with a shrug.

"What'd we say?"

"Basically, you said, "Maybe Later", and she said, "Fair Enough"."

Clara shrugged at that. "How much does everything cost around here?"

"Not money. Something of sentimental value, like a photograph of family or old friends or family heirlooms, that sort of thing. The more treasured they are, the more value they hold."

"That's horrible." She says bitterly.

"Not to them, it isn't. But I do see what you mean." He says sincerely.

"So, you pay then."

"With what?"

"You're 900 years old, you must have something." She turns around to continue marvelling at her surroundings, while behind her, the Doctor briefly pulls out his sonic before scoffing and walking away to converse more. Clara turns around, yet she can't find him amongst the sea of people walking about. "Doctor?" She calls before being bumped into by a small girl, wearing regal clothing and a look of fright. "Hi. You okay?" The girl rushes off without a word before two more people in the same regal clothing walk around into her view, looking straight at her.

"Have you seen her?" The first man asks.

"Who?" She says cautiously.

"The Queen of Years."

"Who?" She now says incredulously. The two men share a look before shaking their heads and walking off in another direction. Clara then turns to follow the girl in the direction she went, walking into an empty, dark storage room. "Hello?" She calls timidly. Walking forward quietly, she hears the footsteps of the girl echoing around her before turning around with a small gasp to see her, the girl also gasping as she nearly runs straight into Clara. "Hey. Are you okay? Are you lost?" The girl then runs off again, Clara following her slowly as the girl tries to find a hiding place before bumping a canister over, making her and Clara shriek. They before look at each other silently before giggling. "You all right?" She asks gently. The girl nods. "What're you doing?"

"Hiding."

"Oh." Clara pauses with a blink. "Why?"

"You don't know me?" The girl asks in puzzlement.

Clara shook her head. "Sorry, nope."

"So, why did you follow me?"

"To help. You looked lost." Clara said obviously.

"I don't believe you."

Clara took a small breath and crossed her arms. "I've got no idea who you might be. I've never been here before. I've never been anywhere like here before. I just saw a little girl who needed help." She said sincerely.

The girl looks at her in relief. "Really? Can you help me?"

"Really. It's why I'm still here. Why do you need help?""

"Because I need to hide."

Clara looks at Merry with a look of knowing. "I know the perfect box." She holds out her hand, which Merry takes as they move towards the door. Heading outside into the market, Clara leads Merry through the crowds of people as they reach a small, hidden corner where the TARDIS was located.

"What's this?" Merry asks in bewilderment.

"It's…uh…a space-ship thingy." Clara mutters.

"It's teeny."

"Ha. You wait." Clara said before moving to open the door. However, it wouldn't open, no matter how much she rattled it. Clara looks at it in confusion before she hears a small beeping.

*Beeps* (Sorry, you need a key)

"Please." She whispers imploringly.

*Beeps* (You don't need me. Just talk to her and the rest will be easy)

Clara looks to her side to see Merry moving behind the TARDIS, so she follows, and they sit down against it. "So then, what's your name?" Clara asks.

"Merry. Merry Galel."

"Clara Oswald." They shake their hands with a giggle. "So, what's happening? Is someone trying to hurt you?"

"No. I'm just scared." Merry whispers.

"Of what?"

"Getting it wrong."

"Okay, can you pretend that I'm completely idiotic and explain?"

"I'm the Queen of Years. They choose me when I was a baby, the day the last Queen died. I'm the vessel of our history. I know every chronicle, legend, poem and song."

"Every single one?" Clara asks in surprise. Merry nods. "Blimey, I hated history." Clara mutters with a smirk.

"Now I have to sing in front of everyone. A special song, I must sing to a god. And I'm really scared."

Clara gives a soft smile. "Everyone is scared when they're little. I used to be terrified of getting lost, I'd have nightmares about it. Blackpool Beach, bank holiday Monday, I was six, my worst nightmare come true."

"What happened?"

"My world ended, my heart broke and then my Mum found me." Merry gives a beaming smile at this. "We had fish and chips then she drove me home, tucked me in bed and told me a story. "It doesn't matter where you are, in the jungle or the desert or on the moon. However lost you might feel; you'll never really be lost. Because I will always be here, and I will always come and find you. Every single time."" Clara looks down in sadness at the memory.

"And you were never scared again?"

"I was scared lots of times, but never of being lost. So, this special song, what are you scared of?"

"Getting it wrong, making Grandfather angry."

"And do you think you'll get it wrong? Because I don't. I don't think you'll get it wrong. I think that you, Merry Galel, will get it right." Merry gives a small laugh and leaps into Clara's arms, making her gasp in surprise before hugging her back. Clara then leads her back into the market to find the same two men who were trying to find her. One of them kneels in front of her.

"Are you all right?" He asks sincerely.

"Yeah, I was just scared."

"Are you scared anymore?"

"No." They both smile before he leads her away, Merry looking back at Clara with a grateful look. Clara nearly jumps as the Doctor pops up behind her with a stupid grin on his face.

"What?" Clara asks.

"Clara Oswald is a nanny. Who knew."? He teases.

"Oi!" They both chuckle before moving away. "Where are we off to now?"

"The ceremony." They head down a path to emerge in a massive stadium, full of hundreds of people with Merry standing on a platform on the edge, looking over the nearby pyramid. They quickly move to take a seat, a neighbouring alien hissing at them. "Sorry." Merry turns to look at Clara who nods at her, so she turns back and begins to sing with a man in the pyramid.

O God of Akhaten

Sleep, My precious king

Lay down, My warrior

Rest now, My hero

Akhaten

Lay down, My king

Sleep now eternal

Sleep, My precious king

The Doctor is handed a pamphlet from a neighbouring alien, which he glances at before leaning into Clara, both not taking their eyes off Merry. "They're singing to the mummy in the temple. They call him "The Old God" or "Grandfather"."

"What are they singing?" Clara whispers back, watching with a smile.

""The Long Song". A lullaby without end, to feed the Old God, to keep him asleep. It's been going for millions of years, Chorister handing down to Chorister, generation after generation."

Clara watches with raised eyebrows as the crowd around her holds out their hands, loosening their grasp on the items they're holding, which turn into a golden light that flies towards the pyramid. "What're they doing?"

"Giving offerings. Gifts of value, mementos to feed Grandfather."

As all the light vanishes into the pyramid, the crowd begins to sing along with Merry and the Chorister.

Lay down, My warrior

Lay down, My king

Sleep now, My precious lord

Sleep now eternal

Rest now your heart

The crowd stopped singing however as the ground began to rumble in agitation beneath their feet, making Merry look around in confusion and fear. Then a light began to shine from the tip of the pyramid, engulfing Merry in a golden field as it begins to levitate her off the ground.

"Doctor, what's happening? Is that meant to happen?" Clara asked with worry. She looked around to see everyone not moving yet being afraid. "Is somebody going to help her?" The Doctor then got up without a word and proceeded to walk away, Clara rushing after him as they went through the now empty market. "Why are we walking away? We can't just walk away. This is my fault, I talked her into doing this."

The Doctor turned back to look at her with a stern expression. "There is just one thing you need to know about travelling with me: We don't walk away." Clara watched with wide eyes as he walked over to Doreen, briefly conversing with her before turning back to Clara. "We need something precious."

"Well, you must have something. All the places you've seen, there must be something."

The Doctor pulled out his sonic. "This, but I can't give it away, it always comes in handy."

"You're 900 years old and that's it? Your probe?"

"Screwdriver!"

Clara raises her eyebrows at him, like how he did to her when they arrived. Then she gives a sigh before taking off a small, diamond ring on her right hand and handing it to Doreen. "It's my Mum's." Doreen nods before allowing them the moped. The Doctor puts a comforting hand on her shoulder before kissing her forehead as they mount it, driving back towards the platform to see Merry flying towards the pyramid. Merry reaches her hand out as she struggles about in the air. Clara reaches her hand out and grasps onto her hand. "Merry! Hold on!" Clara yells. Clara starts to pull Merry towards the moped but an unseen force yanks Merry away, pulling her away from the TARDIS duo and through the pyramid entrance as it closes behind her. "Brakes! Brakes!" The Doctor yanks the brakes as the moped skids to a sudden halt and they stumble onto the ground before the door. The Doctor then stands up from the ground, giving a loud groan as he does before he helps Clara up.

"Sorry about the rough landing." He says as he pulls out his sonic and uses it on the door.

"Could've used a warning." Clara grumbles. "Can you open it?"

"Let's see. It's a frequency-modulated acoustic lock that changes ten million times a second. Not really, no." The Doctor then gives a grin. "Let's try it out anyway."

"How can they just sit there and watch?" Clara asks as she looks back at the crowd of people while the Doctor works.

"This is sacred ground."

"She's a child!"

"And he's a God. Well, to them at least."

A loud scream is heard from Merry inside, making Clara scramble to the door in worry. "Merry! Merry, hold on! We're coming! Doctor hurry up!"

"Give us a second!" After a moment, a loud clicking noise was heard within the door. "Aha! I've got it!" He yells with excitement as he uses the sonic to open the door, albeit struggling under the immense weight. They both see Merry, who looks at them in relieved surprise. Inside the large, stone room was the Chorister, mumbling a song to a corpse in robes inside a glass case. "Hello! I'm the Doctor! You've already met Clara! Are you coming?!" Merry stutters to find an answer, making the Doctor groan. "Any day now! This door is immensely heavy!"

"You'll wake Grandfather!" Merry yells in anxious worry.

"Clara, do you mind?!" The Doctor yells as the door jolts back down a few inches, making them gasp in fright as Clara rushes inside.

"Merry, we need to leave."

"No! You must leave, he will kill you when he awakens!"

"Well, you see Merry…" Clara walks up to the glass case to observe the corpse. "I don't think he looks big enough."

"Not our bodies, our souls." Merry said, making Clara look confused. "He doesn't want you; he wants me. But if you don't leave, he'll eat you both."

"Yes, and you don't want that, do you?!" The Doctor exclaims as his grip on the door begins to loosen. "You just want us to walk out of this bloody door, and never come back?!"

"Yes."

"Too bad, then." He says with a grin before rolling inside as the door slams shut behind him. He stands up to pocket his sonic again before popping his back with a groan, missing Clara's accusing glare.

"Did you just lock us in?"

"Yep."

"With the soul eating monster?"

"Yep."

"And is there a way to get out?"

"Before he eats us? Hopefully."

"Doctor, why is he still singing?" Clara asks with a nod towards the kneeling Chorister.

"He's trying to sing the Old God back to sleep, but it won't work. He's waking up, mate. He's coming, ready or not." The Doctor says, his words making the Chorister stop singing. "That's it, then? The song is over?"

"The song is over." The Chorister confirms as he stands up. "My name is Chorister Asbethix and the Long Song ended with me." On this, he pulls back his sleeve to show a golden bracelet with a button that he presses, teleporting him out with a flash.

"Rude! Couldn't have taken us with him!" The Doctor admonishes before they all turn around to look at the corpse as it gives a gasp for breath. "Oh, hello there!" He says with a grin.

"He's awake!" Merry yells.

"What's he doing?" Clara asks as they watch the corpse struggle to get out of his seat.

"Having a stretch. He's probably been asleep for a long while, he's lucky he woke up on the right side of bed."

"Why is he up now?"

"Because it's his time to wake up and feed. Feed on Merry's stories."

"She said souls, not stories!" Clara admonishes.

"They're the same thing, Mrs. Grumpy. Souls are made of stories of everything that happened in our lives, people we loved or lost or found again against all the odds." This last bit he says with a look at Clara. "Old fella threatens to awake, so the people offer him a pure soul, the Queen of Years."

"Stop it, you're scaring her." Clara admonishes as Merry gulps.

"She should be scared, Clara. She's sacrificing herself, so she should know why. Do you know why, Merry?"

"A god chose me."

"It's not a god. It'll feed on your soul but that doesn't make it a god, it's just a vampire and you don't need to do as it says." Merry keeps glancing towards the corpse in fear, giving the Doctor an idea. "Hey, why don't I tell you a story?" He then kneels in front of her. "All the elements in your body were forged millions of years ago, in the heart of a faraway star that exploded and died. That explosion scattered those elements across the desolations of space until after many, many years they came together to form new stars, planets, moons, civilizations until finally, they made you. You, Merry Galel, are unique in the universe. There is only one you, and there will never be another." He looked back at Clara to see her smiling fondly at him. "Getting rid of your life isn't a sacrifice, it's a waste." These words he says coldly towards the corpse.

"So, if I don't, then everyone else- "

"Will be fine."

"How?"

"We'll find a way." He reassures her.

"You promise?"

"Cross my hearts." He takes her hand as Clara comes to hold her other hand. He leads them back towards the door before pulling out his sonic. "Alright, let's try this again." They jump in fright as they hear the glass of the case cracking, looking back to see the corpse clenching its hand into a fist to smash against the glass while the ground beneath them begins to rumble. "Yes, we know, old fella! You're about to open your presents!" He taunts with a laugh as the door opens again, Clara and Merry rushing out before he closes it behind them. They stop to hear the glass smashing before a loud roar is heard, followed by total silence.

"What just happened?" Clara asked.

They heard a loud rumbling sound like earth moving against itself, making the Doctor's eyes widen as he put the pieces together. "I just made a massive mistake." The Doctor says nervously.

"What mistake?" Clara asks with concern.

"Old fella wasn't Grandfather, it was his alarm clock."

"Who's Grandfather, then?" Clara asks. Her question didn't need the answer as the rumbling intensified, making them look up at the star in terror, as a shadow of eyes and a toothless, evil grin appear, making the Doctor gulp. "Oh, my stars." She mumbles. "What do we do?"

"Against that? I don't know." He said shakily.

"But you promised." Merry protested. "He'll eat us all. He'll consume all seven worlds, then he'll embark on a new odyssey amongst the stars."

"I say leg it." Clara quips lightly.

The Doctor chuckles. "But, where exactly?"

"I don't know. Lake District?"

"Oh, I love the Lake District. They do great scones, especially in 1927." They fall back into silence as they stare up at the star.

"You're going to fight it, aren't you?"

"Yes."

"It's really big."

"I've seen bigger."

Her eyes widen even more. "Seriously?!"

He scoffed. "Are you joking?! It's massive!"

"I'm staying with you, then."

"No, you won't."

She clenches her jaw. ""We don't walk away". That's what you said, or doesn't that not apply to you?"

The Doctor looks at her in sadness. "Not with me. It applies to everyone else. You, Clara Oswald, are holding onto something precious, so you run. You run as fast as you can until they are safe."

"What happens if you don't come back?" Clara asks bitterly.

"Never worry about me, Clara. Now, take the moped. I'll walk." He said gently. Clara begrudgingly helps Merry onto the moped before speeding them off back to stadium, while the Doctor steps out into full view of the star. "Any ideas, Doctor? Nope, didn't think so." He mutters to himself.

Clara and Merry stare back at the pyramid with worry as the people behind them watch with confusion and fear. "Is he frightened?" Merry asks.

"I think he is." Clara nodded.

"I want to help."

"So do I."

Merry then thinks deeply before stepping onto the centre platform and starts to sing.

Rest now, My warrior

Rest now

Your hardship is over

The Doctor heard Merry singing, making him smile before looking back at the star. "Okay then. That's what I'll do. I will tell you a story." Clara looked on with a look of wonder as the people start to sing along with Merry.

Live

Wake up, Wake up

And let the cloak

Of life

Cling to your bones

"Can you hear them? All those people who've lived in terror of you and your judgment. All those people whose ancestors have devoted themselves, sacrificed themselves to you, can you hear them singing? I'm sure you think of yourself as a god, but you're not a god. You're just a parasite eating out with jealousy and envy and longing for the lives of others. You feed on them. On their memories of love and loss and birth and death and joy and sorrow so... so… come on then. Take mine. Take my memories." The star opens the shadow of its mouth, sending steams of fiery light that latch onto the Doctor's chest making him stumble with a groan. "I hope you've got a big appetite, because I have lived a very long life and I have seen many things. I walked away from The Last Great Time War and marked the passing of the Time Lords. I saw the birth of the universe and I watched as time ran out, moment by moment until nothing remained. No time, no space, just me! I've walked in universes where the laws of physics were devised by the mind of a madman! I have watched universes freeze and creations burn! I have seen things you wouldn't believe! I have lost things you will never understand! And I know things, secrets that must never be told, knowledge that must never be spoken! Knowledge that will make parasite gods blaze! So, come on then! Take it! Take it all baby! Have it! You have it all!" He gives a loud scream as the star drains the energy out of him, making him fall to his knees in pain as he gasps for breath while the singing in the stadium ends. He then looks up to see the star give a silent roar of pain before it closes its eyes in a swallow action, then it opens them again with an evil grin.

Clara looks up at the star with a smile as it rumbles in pain but the smile fades as the grin returns, making her rack her brain in worried contemplation. After a moment, she produces an idea and gains a look of determination before rushing towards the moped and speeding back towards the pyramid, then running towards the Doctor's side and pulling out her "101 Places to See". "Still hungry? Well, I've brought something for you." She pulls the leaf out of the book. "This leaf is full of stories. It's full of history and full of many futures that never got lived. Days that should've been but never were, passed onto me." Tears start to prickle her eyes, but she ignores them, holding out the leaf for the star. "This leaf isn't just the past, it's whole future's that never happened. There are billions upon billions of unlived days for every day we live, an infinity. All the days that never came. And these are my Mum's and my Dad's." The star sends its tendrils towards the leaf and begins consuming it.

"Well, come on then! Eat up!" The Doctor called tauntingly. The star gives a silent roar of pain, making the Doctor's smug smile grow into a grin. "Are you full already? I expected so, because there's quite a difference between what was and what should've been. There's an awful lot of one but there's an infinity of the other." The star's pain increases as it starts to collapse within itself. "And infinity is too much, even for you." He says coldly as the star collapses into nothing. Both him and Clara look at each other in silence before he envelops her in a hug. "Show off." He whispers.

"You're one to talk." She teases.

"Oi." They chuckle as he leads her back to the moped.

"Well then, you're back home." The Doctor said as the TARDIS landed outside her house, mere minutes after she left.

"It looks different." She said as she stared at it distantly.

"It's not different, Clara. You're just seeing everything in a new light."

Clara looks him with an unreadable expression. "You were there. At my Mum and Dad's grave, you were watching. What were you doing there?"

The Doctor goes solemn. "I was…making sure."

"Of what?"

"You remind me of someone."

"Who?"

"Someone who died."

Clara gains a dark offended look, making him shiver slightly. "Well, whoever she was, I'm not her, okay? If you want me to travel with you, that's fine, but as me. I'm not standing in for someone else, I'm not going to compete with a ghost." She admonishes bluntly.

"No, you won't be." He reaches into his pocket and pulls out her mother's ring. "They wanted you to have it."

"Who did?" Clara asked, her expression now much softer.

"Everyone. All the people you saved, including me. Thank you, Clara." He says with a fond smile. Clara then kisses the ring fondly before turning to leave, giving him a soft smile as she does. The Doctor stared after her before smiling softly. "Until the next time, Clara." He then closes the door to pilot the TARDIS away.

AN: Thank you for reading and leave a review/comment if you wish. :)