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Caliburn House
November 25th, 1974

Inside a large, lonely mansion on a pitch-black night, the wind and the rain battered ferociously against the walls of the house. The thunder as loud as drums of war boomed in the sky, terrifying animals and insects alike into utter silence. Inside a large room behind the front door however, two lonely figures, a man and a woman worked together, drifting from awkward conversation to awkward silence. "How are we looking?" She asks as she walks into the room, the man nearly banging his head on the desk he was under in shock.

"Uh…about ready, I think."

She chuckles, sending a pause between them. "Any thoughts on the…uh, interference?"

"A stray F.M broadcast possibly but I've fitted some ferrite suppressors and RF chokes. Just in case." He shrugs. After a moment he grabs a camera before standing up. "Are you sure you want to go through with this? I mean, the last time it was very- "

"But she's so lonely." She said in sadness.

"Very well, then." He nods. Sitting down on a chair with a microphone, he taps it in testing, creating a feedback noise before placing some headphones on his head. "Caliburn House, night four, November 25th, 1974, 11:04pm." He gets himself ready before nodding to her, as she walks towards a dark hallway, struggling to withhold her shaking fear.

"I'm talking to the spirit that inhabits this house. Are you there? Can you hear me?" She calls out, despite receiving no answer. "I'm speaking to the lost soul that abides in this place. Come to me. Speak to me. Let me show you the way home." The man looks at the desk as he hears the recording equipment responding rather erratically. He then hears a loud feedback sound in his headphones, making him wrench them off with a gasp of pain. The woman walks backwards as she feels a cold presence rushing towards her. "Let me show you the way home!" She exclaims as she hears the presence beginning to wail, the noise echoing throughout the house. As the man takes pictures of the activity, the presence reaches the woman making her gasp as if a hand of ice placed a firm grasp over her heart, making her stumble to a chair with the man rushing to her aid.

"Emma!" He says.

"She's…she's so…" Emma gasps out in sharp, wheezing breaths.

"So, what?"

"Dead." They both unknowingly lean their foreheads on each other, allowing their presence to calm them before they jump as a loud knocking noise is heard on the front door. The man then walks up to the door, missing Emma's look of worry that she gives him before he opens the door to see nothing, then jumping with a gasp as a face pops up.

"BOO!" The Doctor roars before laughing gleefully at his expression. "Fantastic! I've always wanted to do that." He says this to Clara, who is hiding behind him, so the man and Emma miss her giggling. "Hello. I'm looking for a ghost."

"And you are?" The man asks.

"Ghostbusters." Clara says as she appears from behind the Doctor, wearing a dark-blue ditsy dress, black tights and jacket, carrying a red umbrella as they both grin before they high five each other. "I've always wanted to do that."

"I just said that."

"I know, so I stole it." She smiles mischievously.

"Now, I'm the Doctor." He says as he pulls out his psychic paper, missing Clara's look of bewilderment at it.

"Doctor what?" The man asks incredulously.

"If you like." He shrugs. "This is Clara. Now, you must be Major Alec Palmer. Member of the Baker Street Irregulars, the Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare. Specialising in espionage, sabotage and reconnaissance behind enemy lines. Also, a talented watercolourist, professor of psychology and ghost hunter. Total pleasure." He says with childlike excitement as he shakes Alec's hand, somewhat missing his accusing look.

"No, you're wrong. Professor Palmer spent most of the war as a POW." Emma denies.

"No, that's a lie told by a very brave man involved in very secret operations and the type of man that keeps a Victorian cross in a box in the attic. But you already know that because you're Emma Grayling. The Professor's companion." He says, shaking her hand as both him and Clara move inside, with Clara sitting on the desk filled with equipment.

"Assistant." Emma shakes her head, hiding her slight blush that Alec misses.

"It's 1974. You're the assistant and 'Non-Objective Equipment'. That means- "

"Psychic. Already guessed." Clara says smugly as she placed the umbrella down.

"Alright then. Smarty pants." He grumbles those last words under his breath.

"I'm sorry?" Clara says accusingly.

"No, nothing. I said nothing." He almost squeaks.

"Relax, Emma. He's military intelligence." Alec says, despite not being entirely convinced himself. "So, what is all of this in aid of?"

"Health and Safety."

Alec squints his eyes at the Doctor at this.

"I'm afraid so. The Ministry got word of what's going on here, so they sent me to check that everything is in order."

"They don't have the right." Alec mumbled in anger, making Emma place her hand on his shoulder instantly, calming him.

"Oh, don't worry. We'll be out of here in five minutes. But look at this!" The Doctor says, his childish wonder returning at his last words as he glances at the equipment. "Lovely! The ACR99821. It even has a toggle switch." He then starts to flick said switch repeatedly, missing Clara's slight blush at this. "I do love a toggle switch- "

"Doctor!" Clara slaps his hand.

"Ow! What was that for?" The Doctor whines as he rubs his hand.

"Don't do that. It's just wrong."

"Why?" The Doctor pauses as he looks at her. "Are you…blushing?"

"What? No!" Clara squeaks, making the Doctor gain a smug smile. He stands up while pulling out his sonic before scanning both Alec and Emma as they look at it with furrowed eyebrows.

"What is that?" Alec asks.

"Scientific tool. Classified, I'm afraid."

"What's it telling you?" Emma asks timidly as she looks at Alec who just shrugs.

"It's telling me that you haven't been exposed to any life-threatening trans mundane emanations." The Doctor says simply.

"Uh…English please?" Clara asks.

"It's…ghost…stuff." The Doctor fails to find the right words.

"Yeah, that totally helps." Clara says sarcastically, making the Doctor shake his head as he picks up a candelabra.

"So, where is the ghost?"

"No, no, no, no." Alec says frustratingly. "I will not have this stolen out from under me then be fobbed off with pat on the back from the queen, never again, do you understand? This is my house, Doctor, and it belongs to me."

"Wait a minute. Is this actually your house?" Clara asks with raised eyebrows.

"It is." Alec says bluntly.

"Sorry. You went to the bank and basically said, 'You know that gigantic, old house on the moors? The ones that dossers are too scared to doss in. The one that birds are too scared to fly over. I would like to buy it, please? With my money.'"

"Yes, I did."

Clara lowers one eyebrow but keeps the other raised. "I'm not sure if that's incredibly brave or very foolish."

"I guess time will tell." Alec admits.

The Doctor walks up to him so they stand face to face. "Listen, Major. We just need to know what is going on here."

"For the Ministry?"

"You know I can't answer that."

Alec sighs in admission. "Very well. Follow me."

Alec has rolled out a board, fill of photos and findings of his time here, with Clara, the Doctor and Emma sitting down in patience. "So, what's an empathic psychic?" Clara asks.

"Sometimes I sense feelings, the way a telepath can sense thoughts. Sometimes though, not always." Emma says.

"The most compassionate people you'll ever meet, empathics." The Doctor says. "And the loneliest." This makes Emma look down. "I mean, exposing themselves to all those hidden feelings of guilt and pain and sorrow- "

"Doctor." She places her hand on his.

"What?"

"Shhh." She places a finger on her lips while jerking her head in Emma's direction, making him see her expression.

"Oh. Sorry."

"Do you care to have a look?" Alec calls as he finishes putting the last findings on the board, making the three come over to him. "Caliburn House is over 400 years old but she has been around for much longer. The Caliburn Gast." He places his hand over the pictures, all of which show a ghastly, pale white ghost, with her hand up in front of her and her jaw hanging down as low as her chest. Her eyes and open mouth were filled with darkness, making the Doctor and Clara get a cold shiver down their spines. "She's mentioned in local Saxon poetry and parish folk tales, but no matter her new titles, she always remains constant. The Wraith of the Lady. The Maiden in the Dark. The Witch of the Well."

"Is she real? As in, properly real?" Clara asks as the Doctor looks on in contemplation.

"Oh, she's real. In the 17th century, a local clergyman saw her. He wrote that 'Her presence was accompanied by a dreadful knocking as if the Devil himself demanded entry.' During the war, American airmen stationed here and left offerings of tinned spam. The tins were found in 1965, bricked up in the servants' pantry, along with several handwritten notes, appeals to the Gast. 'For the love of God, stop screaming.'"

Clara looked at all the pictures like skim reading, her eyebrows becoming more furrowed. "She never changes. The angle's different, the framing but she's always in the same position. Why is that?" Clara asked as the Doctor picked up on this by leaning in closer.

"That, we don't know. She's an objective phenomenon. But objective recording equipment can't detect her…"

"Without the presence of a powerful psychic." The Doctor finished.

"Absolutely. Very well done." Alec complimented.

Emma took a small breath. "She knows I'm here." This made everyone turn to look at her. "I can feel her, calling out to me."

"What is she saying?" Clara asked.

"'Help me.'"

"The Witch of the Well. So, where's the well?" The Doctor asked.

Alec led him over to a desk. "A copy of the oldest plan that we could find. There is no well on the property, at least, one that we couldn't find, anyway."

"So, you think the well means something that isn't physical?" The Doctor concluded.

"Yes."

"Well, I'm going to go have a look for it." He says with a grin before picking up a candelabra.

"You going to take Clara?" Alec asks.

"I'd have to ask her first." He tapes her on the head, making her jump as she turns to look at him, her eyebrows raised in a "Are you kidding me?" manner. "Are you coming?"

"Where?"

"To find the ghost."

"Why would I want to do that?"

"Because you want to, now come on."

"Well, I dispute that assertion."

The Doctor thought for a moment before doing his best 'puppy dog eyes' look. "I'm giving you a face. Here, can you see me?"

Clara finds it hard to contain her laughter at his failed attempt before shaking her head with a smile. "Dare me."

"I dare you. No takesie-backsies." Clara then lets out her laughter at this before snatching his candelabra as they move out of the room, Alec and Emma looking on with raised eyebrows.

"The music room is the heart of the house." Emma called.

"Thanks very much." The Doctor called out before they disappeared, leaving Alec and Emma alone.

"Is he really from the ministry?" Emma asked.

"Uh, I don't know. He's certainly got the right demeanour. Capricious, brilliant."

"Deceitful." Emma added.

"*Chuckles* Yes. He's a liar. But you know, that's often how things are, when someone's seen a thing or two. Experience makes liars of us all. We lie about who we are, about what we've done…"

"And how we feel?" Emma asked, trying to hide the hope in her eyes.

"Yes. Always…always that." Alec says, stuttering a bit from the look. He notices Emma reaching for his hand, making his face flush. "You know, I have to…um…I have to be getting on with things. The…um…the equipment and so forth."

"Of course." Emma says, yet they stay still for a moment, just looking at each other before moving away.

Clara and the Doctor are walking through dark rooms and hallways, the only light being provided is their candelabra. "Doctor, what was that paper you showed Alec?" She asks.

"Psychic paper. Tells people whatever I want it to tell them. Saves a lot of time."

Clara nods slightly at that. "Okay, say we actually find her. What do we say?" Clara whispers.

"We ask her if she came to be or if she is." The Doctor reciprocated her tone.

"Why?"

"Because I don't know. And ignorance is…what's the opposite of bliss?"

"Carlisle?"

"Yes. Ignorance is Carlisle." They came to a pair of doors, which when opened revealed the music room. "Ah, the heart of the house. Do you feel anything?"

"No." Clara said sceptically.

"Your pants are so on fire." The Doctor teased.

"Shut up." Clara laughed. She then felt the back of her neck prickle, making her shudder. "Do you feel like you're being watched?"

"That's the weird tickling feeling on the back of your neck, right?"

"Yeah."

"Then a bit. Well, quite a big bit." He flirted.

"Well, I can't help it." She flirted back as they chuckled. Clara heard a crackling noise like burning fire behind her, so she turned to look yet found nothing there.

The Doctor moved the door leading to the next room before stopping as he felt himself get instantly cold. "Cold spot. Spooky." He then paced around to determine the exact spot before pulling out a piece of chalk and drawing a circle on the floor.

"Doctor?"

"Hmm?" He mumbled as he pulled out his sonic to scan the circle.

"Doctor."

"What?"

"I'm not happy."

He squinted his eyes as he looked around the room. "She might be here. We should go back." Clara nodded as they almost rushed from the room, missing the chalk circle starting to emit steam. They entered a dark hallway.

*BANG*

They jumped as they heard a loud noise like a battering ram on a castle gate. "Doctor, what was that?"

*BANG* *BANG*

They then shuddered as a cold wind blew through the room, extinguishing the candles and casting them into near darkness, the only light left being the dim moonlight casting through the window. The temperature of the house then suddenly dropped, making them shiver as Clara put down the candelabra to rub her arms for warmth, while the window started to fog up.

*BANG* *BANG* *BANG*

"Okay, what was that?" Clara asked, fear coming into her voice.

"It's…a…very loud and…angry noise." The Doctor said, reciprocating her tone.

"What's making it?"

"I don't know. Are you making it?" He failed to joke.

*BANG* *BANG* *BANG*

This makes the Doctor jump as he moves to Clara's side, as she looks at him with a small smirk. "Doctor?"

"Yes?"

"I may be a tiny bit terrified."

"Yes?"

"But I'm still a grown-up."

"Not sure about that. So?"

"So, there's no need to hold my hand."

"Clara?"

"Yeah?"

"I'm not holding your hand." The Doctor said warily as he held up both hands, making them freeze as they turned to look behind them. Lightning flashed, shining extra light through the window, casting down briefly upon a crooked figure made of jagged bones and pale flesh, making the Doctor and Clara shriek as they run back to Alec and Emma. When they reached the room, Alec was holding up his camera while Emma was staring down a dark hallway before everyone, but Emma's attention was diverted by a sudden appearance of a round, black disc that hovered before them. "Has this happened before?"

"No." Alec said as he handed the Doctor the camera, who took some pictures of the disc before it started to crack, gleaming white light upon them.

Emma, however, was staring with heavy breaths upon The Caliburn Gast, who simply stood there, holding out her hand towards her.

"Doctor!" Clara shouted, diverting his attention to the Gast.

"Help me!" The Gast shrieked as it disappeared. Emma gasped before losing her balance, making Alec rush over to catch her. The Doctor pulled out his sonic to scan her, while Clara looked up on the stair wall as she heard a crackling noise, like earth being torn apart.

"Doctor." She said. The Doctor looked up to see the words, 'Help Me', appear on the wall in a pale haze before disappearing.

Clara handed the seated Emma a glass of whiskey, who took a sip before flinching in disgust. "I'd rather have a cup of tea." Emma said humorously.

"Yeah, me too." Clara nodded before taking her glass. "Whiskey is one of the most disgusting things ever invented. So, you and Professor Palmer, have you ever…"

"Oh god, no." She shook her head.

"Why not? You do know how he feels about you, don't you? You of all people."

"I don't know." She denied. "People like me, sometimes we get it all mixed up. We think people are feeling how we want them to feel, when they're special to us, when there's nothing there."

"Oh, this is there." Clara smirked.

"How do you know?"

"Because it's obvious. It sticks out like a…big, pair of ears." She chuckled.

"What about you, and the Doctor?" Emma asked.

"Oh god, no."

"Now, who's denying the obvious?" Emma retorted.

"Shut up." Clara blushed.

"This one is more than obvious, it's just…"

"It's just what?" Clara asked.

"There's a sliver of ice in his heart. Just like Alec."

"What do you mean?"

"You've seen his record, so you know what Alec has been through. It's the same with the Doctor. It's a sense of…bitter sadness and loneliness."

Clara looked down with a hint of sadness. "Well, the Doctor doesn't say where he comes from, or where he's been, or any other people he's met. He doesn't say anything."

"Neither does Alec. No one likes to mention their past when they hate it. Give him time and he'll come around. You just have to remember, it's the here and now that really counts, not what came before." Clara nodded weakly.

The Doctor and Alec were alone, processing the taken photographs in the darkroom, being drowned in dark, red light. "I had a little peak at your records back at the ministry. Well, you've certainly seen many things in your time; Disrupting U-boat operations across the North Sea, sabotaging railway lines across Europe, Operation Gibbon. The one with the carrier pigeon was fantastic. I love carrier pigeons." The Doctor said gleefully.

"I did my duty but so did thousands of others. Millions. I was just lucky enough to come back." Alec admitted.

"Yes, but how does that man, that war hero, end up here in a lonely, old house looking for ghosts?"

Alec felt his throat constrict. "Because I killed, and I caused to have killed. I sent young men and women to their deaths. But here I am…still alive." He takes a deep breath to compose himself. "It does haunt you, living after causing so much…death." The Doctor looked down at that. "You see, I was alone and unmarried, so I didn't mind dying. Not for that cause, even though it was a very fine cause, defeating the enemy. But I guess, some things aren't worth giving up your life for."

"If you could contact them, the people you…lost, what would you say?"

"I would say that I'm very sorry for what I have done, but I'm also grateful for where it put me."

"With Emma?" The Doctor raised an eyebrow.

"Yes, with Emma. I'm still not exactly sure how to approach that, but just her being there makes it easier." The Doctor smiled at that. "You relate to this?" Alec inquired.

"Yes. I was in a war, but both sides had lost so much. It was no longer about winning or losing, it was about just ending it. And I did, so many horrific things that I regret."

"But your grateful for…who it put you with?" Alec said.

"Clara? Oh yes, I'm grateful." The Doctor smiled softly.

Alec then pulled out the processed picture of the Gast, before pegging it up. "What do you think she is?"

"I'm not sure. I'm getting ideas, but we need to find out how she came to be like this."

Alec thought for a moment. "Would you like to borrow this until you've finished?" He said, holding up the camera.

"Yes, thank you." He said. "Right then, I'm going to enact one idea, I'll be right back." He then rushed from the room, missing Alec's confused expression. "Clara!" He called as he reached the front door.

"What is it?" She asked.

"We're going to find out how the Gast came to be." He said simply. "Now, come on, hurry up." They raced from the house, through the rain to the parked TARDIS under their umbrella.

Clara paused as she noticed the sign on the front as the Doctor unlocked the door. "Doctor. I don't think that's how you open- "The Doctor already went inside, leaving her groaning to herself as the doors were opened inwards. "That's not how you open a police box." She grumbled before following him inside. She looked around in confusion as the Doctor raced around the console. "You need a place to keep this." She gestured to her umbrella.

"I've got one." He said, pointing to an empty space by the door before pausing to look. "Or, I had one. I think I had one. Did I have one? Am I going mad?" He grumbled.

"Nah, I think you're already mad." Clara teased as she put the umbrella down.

"Oi!"

"So, where are we going?" Clara asked as she walked up to the console.

"Nowhere. Staying right here if I can get it right."

"So, when are we going?"

The Doctor grinned before high fiving her. "That is brilliant. We are going always." He sent the TARDIS into lift off before rushing from the room to the wardrobe.

"Oh yeah, that totally answers it." Clara grumbled sarcastically. "Does he even notice the sign on the front door?" Clara asked the TARDIS.

*Beeps* (No).

Clara rolled her eyes. "Dear me, he is an idiot."

"I heard that." The Doctor called as he rushed back into the room with an orange spacesuit. "Now, what do you think?"

"Colour's a bit boisterous."

"I think it brings out my eyes."

"It makes my eyes hurt." Clara smiled slyly.

"Rude." The Doctor grumbled. He then piloted the TARDIS to a landing before scrambling into the suit. "I'll be right back." He said before leaving the TARDIS. Outside was plains of charcoal black rocks, mixed with lava. He then pulled out his sonic to perform precise scan, before using the camera then rushing back inside as he felt the suit begin to heat up rapidly. "Don't touch!" He yelled as the suit emitted steam, making Clara raise her hands as she backed off. "Hot suit! Hot, hot, hot!"

"When are we?"

"About six billion years ago." He then piloted the TARDIS several billion years forward, before leaving to repeat the action in a dense jungle. Racing back inside, he piloted the TARDIS to 1895 to once again repeat the action. He then piloted the TARDIS five billion years forward, exiting to repeat the action for a last time on a barren landscape, looking down upon a desolate, ruined city. Entering the TARDIS to quickly discard the suit, he noticed Clara staring at the monitor with tears in her eyes. "What's wrong?" He asked.

"Have we just watched the entire lifecycle of Earth, birth to death?"

The Doctor sighed. "Yes."

"And you're okay with that?"

"Yes."

"How can you be? One minute, you're in 1974 looking for ghosts, then the next you're standing on the final days of the planet. To you, I haven't been born yet and I've been dead for billions of years. Is my body out there, in the ground?"

The Doctor looked down with sadness. "Probably, yes."

"But here we are, talking, so I am a ghost. To you, all of us, even me are ghosts. We must be nothing." Clara mumbled.

"No, you're not."

"Then what are we? What can we, silly little apes possibly be?"

The Doctor placed a hand on her cheek before smiling softly. "You, silly little apes, are the only mystery worth solving."

Clara's eyes softened as he placed a kiss on her forehead.

"Don't ever think so badly of yourself, Clara. You, and all of humanity are brilliant." Clara nodded. "Now, come along, we have a ghost to catch." He said amusingly, making Clara smile a bit as he piloted the TARDIS back to the Caliburn House.

The Doctor and Clara now stood in the house, as he and Alec were preparing a projector for the new findings while Emma walked up to Clara, who had a distant look in her eyes. "What's wrong?" Emma asked.

"I just saw something I wish I hadn't."

"What did you see?"

"That everything ends."

"Not everything. Not always." She glanced at Alec.

"But you were right. It's the here and now that counts, not the past and certainly not the future."

Emma smiled. "Now you get it. I told you he'll come around."

"He hasn't come around fully, but he's getting there." Clara nodded.

"Fantastic!" The Doctor called gleefully, making Clara and Emma look at him with their eyebrows furrowed. "It's done, now come on." He motioned them over. "So, The Caliburn Gast. Never changing and forever trapped in a moment of fear and torment. But what if she's not?"

"Come again?" Alec asked, making the Doctor roll his eyes.

"What if she's just trapped somewhere that time runs much slower than it does here? And if someone took a snapshot of her every few billion years, what would they get?" Using the sonic, he flicked through the pictures to show a dark-skinned woman in a futuristic white spacesuit, running through a fogged forest. "She's not a ghost, but she's definitely a lost soul. Her name is Hila Tacorian. She's a pioneer, a time traveller, at least in a few hundred years." He added dryly, making Clara giggle.

"Time travel isn't possible, the paradoxes- "

"Resolve themselves." The Doctor cuts Alec off.

"How long has she been alone?" Emma asked.

"Well, this is the funny bit. For us, it's been several billion years. To her, she crash-landed roughly…3 minutes ago."

"Crash-landed? Where?"

"She's in a pocket universe, a distorted echo of our own. They happen on their own, yet they don't last very long."

"Doctor." Clara interrupted.

"What?" He turned to look at Clara as she nodded towards Alec and Emma, who were looking at him with open mouths and blinking eyes. "Oh." He then reached into his jacket and pulled out two balloons, one blue and one red.

"Why do you have balloons?" Clara asked

"Uh…no idea." He admitted, before breathing into the balloons, yet more so into the blue one. "Our universe." He holds up the blue balloon. "Hila Tacorian is here, in a pocket universe." He holds up the smaller, red balloon. "These two are linked and you, Emma, are the spotlight. You're the lantern, shining across the dimensions to guide her back to our universe." He said as he threw the balloons away with a small look of self-disgust.

"So, what's she running from?" Clara asked.

"No idea." He grinned. "Shall we see?" They nodded at him, so he flicked to another image, which made everyone gain an expression of confusion and fear. "Oh. I…don't know what that is." He admitted. On the projector was an image of a foggy forest, filled with dead trees and a blurry figure of a crooked man, hiding behind a tree.

"So, how do we save her?" Emma asked.

"Not we, you. You save Hila Tacorian because you are Emma Grayling, the rest of us are just along for the ride. Now, we're going to need some sturdy rope and a blue crystal from Metebelis III. Clara, you mind giving me a hand?" She nodded, so they raced from the room and back to the TARDIS to gather the equipment.

Alec started to pace while Emma gazed off in contemplation. "Don't do it." He said pleadingly.

"I'm sorry?"

"Nobody asked her to risk her life. This woman, she doesn't deserve…Whoever she is, however brilliant or brave, she's not you. She is not worth risking a single hair on your head, not to me." He rambled.

She looked at him lovingly. "Tell me what I'm thinking right now."

"I can't. I don't have your gift." He denied.

"You don't need it. Just look at me." He looked at her for a moment before a light of hopeful recognition entered his eyes. "There you are, you read my mind." She smiled. They looked up to see the Doctor and Clara racing into the room with armfuls of equipment as they began to set it up.

"Can't you just, you know, fly the TARDIS into the parallel universe?" Clara asked, missing Emma and Alec's blinking looks.

"Pocket universe, Clara, not parallel."

"Okay then, Mr. Grumpy." She teased.

"Oi!" She giggled. "Yes, the TARDIS could get in there fine and dandy, but the entropy would bleed her dry, and trap her there until it decayed away, taking her with it." The Doctor finished setting up the equipment, which filled the room with cables and clocks, with a chair in the centre and a large stand behind it. On top of it stood a gleaming, blue gemstone.

"What is that?" Clara asked.

"Subset of the Eye of Harmony."

"I don't- "

"Of course, you don't. It'd be bonkers if you did."

"Why?"

"Because I barely understand it myself."

"Your saying that it would be mad if I knew more than you?"

"Yes."

"Man, your ego is off the charts." She teased.

"Shut up!" He then grabbed a headset with a small, blue crystal inside it, before motioning Emma to the seat and placing it on her head.

"What does this do?" Emma asked.

"It amplifies your abilities."

"Like cerebro?" Clara asked. Emma and Alec looked at her funny.

"That doesn't come out for another 26 years." He hushed.

"Oh." She said simply.

"What exactly is this arrangement?" Alec asked as the Doctor used his sonic to activate the clocks in the room, creating an echoing, ticking noise.

"A psycho-chronograph." The Doctor said as Clara helped him into his harness.

"Forgive me, but isn't all this a little, 'Make do and mend'?"

"Non-psychic technology won't work where I'm going. Now, all I must do is rescue her from the monster in the woods before the entire dimension collapses and it'll all be fine. Any questions?"

"Will it hurt?" Emma asked.

"Yes. I'm afraid it will." The Doctor said with a touch of pity. Emma nods as Clara turns the Doctor around to face her.

"Stay safe out there, okay?" She said.

"Yes boss." He said.

"Oh, am I the boss now?" She said flirtatiously.

"I thought you already were." He flirted back before they hugged each other in parting. He turned to Emma. "Ready?"

"Ready." She said before closing her eyes. "I'm talking to the lost soul that abides in this place. I'm speaking to Hila Tacorian." The clocks in the room starting to spin and tick faster as the same black disc from much earlier reappeared, yet it now spun four times before conjuring a gateway made of blinding, white light that filled the room with a new rush of wind.

"See?! The Witch of the Well! It's a door!" The Doctor shouted over the wind before he clicked his neck. "Alright then, let's do this." He said before sprinting straight into the gateway, falling through a winding chasm of wind and light, like the inside of a tornado. He grasped onto the rope as he saw the oncoming ground, before he collapsed onto it with a loud groan. He stood up to take off the harness before glancing around. To his right, he saw a sheer cliff being drowned in rushing wind, while to his left, he saw an endless forest of dead trees and mist. He proceeded to sprint into the mist. "Hila! Hila! Hila Tacorian!" He yelled, before coming to a dead stop as he heard a crunching sound like bones being broken. He glanced around yet he couldn't find the source of the sound, until he heard a new sound of twigs and branches being stepped on before seeing Hila rushing out of the mist and literally shoving them to the ground.

"Oh, sorry!" She said.

"No problem. You Hila Tacorian?"

"Yes, who are you?"

"I'm the Doctor, and we've got to get out of here."

"Wait! There's something in the mist." She said, which was followed by the same bone-crunching sound, making them look for the source.

"Well then, we should run." He said, which she nodded to before they sprinted off.

"Doctor?! Doctor!"

"Who's that?" Hila asked.

"That would be Emma. She's the one that brought me here."

"Come home, Doctor!" They stopped to see a mirror image of the Caliburn House materialising into the forest in the same place that the Doctor entered. "Doctor! We're here!"

"Fantastic!" The Doctor said gleefully.

"What is it?"

"That would be our ticket out of here." The bone-crunching noise returned, yet more ferociously. "Keep running!" He said as they rushed towards the front door before shoving it open and barring it shut behind them. The same gateway as the one which he entered through appeared, with the harness beside it.

"I'm not strong enough!"

"Grab the rope! Give it three tugs and do it quickly!"

"What about you?!" Hila yelled as she put the harness on.

"I'll follow after!" Hila then nodded before giving the rope three tugs before lunging into the light. The Doctor then jumped back with a fright as the doors were rattled repeatedly. "Oh! That's what the banging was!" He said with a grin. He turned to rush into the light, before it closed off in front of him, his grin vanishing with it to be replaced by a look of terror. He blinked and found the house had disappeared, now finding himself alone in the woods. He took a breath as a loud roar was heard echoing through the forest. "Oh dear." He mumbled shakily.

Alec started rolling back the rope after it was tugged three times to see Hila stumble through the light before Emma gave a shriek of pain and collapsed, her loss of strength causing the portal to close. "No!" Clara yelled. Silence fell through the room as it closed, the only sound being Hila's painful breathing as Alec held her. "Emma, please! Open the portal!" Clara pleaded as she got on her knees in front of her.

"I'm sorry." Emma said tearfully.

"Don't be sorry, what you did- "

"Wasn't enough. She needs to do it again." Clara cut Alec off.

"She can't! Look at her!"

"She has to! I can't leave him there!" Clara then rushed out of the room and back to the TARDIS.

Alec placed his hands-on Emma's face to bring her gaze up to him. "I know that you feel like you can't do this, Emma, but look at Hila there. You saved her. She's only here because of your strength, and so am I." Emma looked at him with a soft gaze. "Emma, I was as lost as her but being with you, you gave me a reason to be, Emma." He kissed her softly on the lips, making her smile as he pulled away. "The Doctor feels the same way with Clara, so we can help them. You can help them." Emma nodded before getting onto her feet and placing the headset on her head, reaching out her hands so Alec and Hila could grasp onto them.

Clara raced towards the TARDIS, before groaning as she found it locked again. "Oh please, let me in! I need to save him!" She pleaded. She then turned around as a flickering sound happened behind her, to see the image of a young brunette woman.

"Okay, what's this?"

"The TARDIS voice visual interface. I'm programmed to select an image of a person you've seen. Of several billion images in my databanks, this one best meets the criterion."

"But I don't know her. Whatever, you need to help the Doctor."

"The Doctor is in the pocket universe."

"Then enter the pocket universe."

"The entropy would drain the energy from my heart. In four seconds, I'll be stranded. In ten, I'll be dead."

"I'm so sorry, but all I can hear is 'Meh-Meh-Meh-Meh-Meh'. Come on, let's go!" She said in agitation. The image disappeared without a word. "Oh, come on, please! I don't want him to die!" After a moment, the TARDIS unlocked its doors, allowing Clara to step inside. She paused for a second. "I just realised; I have no idea how to fly you." She laughed at her idiocy.

*Beeps* (Don't worry, I'll show you)

Clara raised her eyebrows, trying to hide her grin. "I'm sorry?"

*Beeps* (You heard me; I'll show you how)

Clara let her grin forth.

The Doctor stood alone in the forest, fear gripping his bones as he looked for the creature. "Where are you? What do you want? To frighten me, I suppose." An evil laughter was heard echoing through the forest in conjunction with the bone-crunching sound. "That's what you do, you hide. You're the bogeyman under the bed, seeking whom you may devour." Silence fell, making the Doctor shiver as he turned to look behind him, yet seeing nothing and hearing the evil laughter taunt him. This started to boil a cold rage in his veins. "So, why am I still here? Why not just eat me? It's because you still need me." This made the laughter stop, making the Doctor's rage become mixed with smugness. "Oh yes, you need me to ferry you out of here."

"Doctor! Doctor come home!"

The Doctor gave a cold grin. "To that I say; See if you can keep up!" He then sprinted further into the forest, hearing the TARDIS whooshing as it appeared above him, descending towards him rapidly. He started gaining more speed as it came closer, before jumping as high as he could and grasping onto the side of the box as it started to vanish, materialising with him back inside the Caliburn House as he saw Emma screaming in agony before she collapsed in tears, Alec and Hila by her side. He stood up with a stumble and a groan before Clara opened the TARDIS doors. The Doctor looked at her in confusion before moving over to Emma. "It's alright, Emma. It's over now." He said softly as he removed the headset before going to sit down on a chair, Clara moving to stand beside them as the sunrise gleamed through the windows. "How did the TARDIS get there?" He asked her.

"I flew her." She said bluntly, getting a smug grin as she saw his jaw drop.

"How?" He stuttered.

"She showed me how, so I could get you back." She said softly, looking down.

The Doctor's expression grew soft before he stood in front of her and placed his hands on her face to move her glance back. "Then you saved my life again, Clara. Thank you." He kissed her forehead before enveloping her in a hug, which she returned gladly.

The Doctor stood at the front doors as Clara, Alec and Hila conversed by the TARDIS, while Emma walks up beside him. "You wanted a word?" She asked.

"Well, if that's- "

"It's fine." She said dismissively. "You didn't come here for the ghost, did you?"

"No."

"You came here for me?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

"I needed to ask you something."

"Ask away."

"Clara."

"Yes?"

"What is she?"

"She's a girl." She shrugged.

"What kind of girl?"

"She's a perfectly, ordinary girl. She's very pretty."

"Gorgeous, not pretty." He said, making her chuckle.

"Very clever."

"Oh yes."

"And more scared than she lets on." The Doctor sighed at that. "Is there more you wanted to know?"

"I'm starting to think it might not matter anymore." He said simply.

"How much do you care for her?" She asked.

"Well, a lot- "He stop as he saw her raise her eyebrows. "Oh, no, that can't ever happen." He denied.

She smiled. "Alec would've said the same thing."

The Doctor looked at her with furrowed eyebrows. "What made him not say it anymore?"

"When he looked at who was in front of him." She said. The Doctor had a look of recognition in his eyes as he pondered her meaning. "Come on, let's get to the others." Emma said, which he nodded to as they proceeded to the rest of the group, Emma walking up to Hila. "Where will you go?" She asked.

"He can't take me home. History says I went missing." Hila said.

"But he can change history, right?"

"No, not always, there are fixed points- "

"Doctor stop talking." Clara said as she pulled his arm away.

"Oi, Clara!"

"Shhh!" She said with a giggle.

Hila looked at Emma with gratification. "I knew you were there. I could feel you, calling out to me."

"I know."

They started blinking at each other. "Have we? No, we can't have." They said in unison.

"No, you can't have met her yet, but she could be yours and Alec's descendant, but you already figured that out, right?" The Doctor interjected but paused as Emma and Alec looked at him with wide eyes. "Oh. You didn't. Dear me."

"The paradoxes- "

"Resolve themselves. They always do, otherwise time travel would be impossible." The Doctor cut Alec off. "But you see, that's why the psychic link was so strong, it was blood calling to blood. See? Not everything ends." He said as he walked back to the TARDIS with Clara, Alec following them.

"Doctor? What about…um, what about us?" Alec gestured to him and Emma. "What's supposed to happen now? What do we do?"

"Hold hands." He said simply. "Hold hands and don't let go. The rest will come easy." He turned to Clara. "So then, missy."

"Yes?" She said mischievously.

"You flew the TARDIS. How did you learn so quickly?"

"Honestly I was just winging it." She shrugged.

"Well…that's how I do it." He said, making them chuckle.

Clara looked down for a moment. "There's just one thing I don't get, Doctor."

"What?"

"That creature, in the pocket universe."

"Yes?"

"How was he there in the house to hold my hand?"

The Doctor gazed off blankly before his eyes widened and he slapped himself on the forehead, alerting Alec, Emma and Hila. "Bloody hell, I'm slow!"

"Doctor?"

"Clara, how do sharks make babies?"

Clara blinked. "Carefully?"

"No. Happily."

Clara stared dumbfounded. "Sharks don't actually smile. They got lots of teeth and they're quite…eaty."

"Come on, Clara. How can he be here if he was in the pocket universe?"

Clara stared for a moment before she gained the same look in his eyes. "There's two of them?!"

"Exactly! Every lowly monster needs a companion." They then rushed to gazed into a window of the house to see the same crooked creature, yet this one had skin that was less pale. The Doctor wrapped his arms around Clara in a hug. "It's one of the oldest stories in the universe. Boy and girl fall in love, they get separated by war or politics, whether by their making or others. Since then, they have been yearning for each other across time and space, so this isn't a ghost story. It's a love story." They then looked at how close together they were before pulling back with a blush.

"Sorry." They said in unison before turning back to Emma.

"Sorry Emma. Just have a small favour to ask." The Doctor said.

"What?" She asked.

The Doctor landed in the forest and tore off his harness before sprinting into the forest. "I'm sorry! I understand now! I can take you to her! I can take you to a safe place far away from here! You can be together!" The Doctor called. He heard twigs crunching behind him, making him turn to look to see the male creature standing before him on all fours, gazing at him with an expression of hope. "Hello!" He said with a grin. "Now then, here she comes." He said proudly as the TARDIS materialised in the pocket universe.

"Whoohooohooo!" Clara called out from inside the TARDIS.

"Get ready to jump." He said cheekily before they jumped to grab onto the TARDIS as it took them out of the universe and back home.

AN: Thank you so much for reading and please leave a review if you wish. :)