Listen
TARDIS
The Doctor stood alone in the console room, pacing around a chalkboard with a distant look in his eyes, rolling a piece of chalk in his hand and an open book in the other. Rose was currently sleeping in her bedroom while Clara was back home, waiting for the next Wednesday. He pauses, closing his eyes and breathing deeply before snapping them open. "Listen." He says into the silence, receiving no answer. "Question: Why do we talk out loud when we know that we're alone? Conjecture: Because we know we're not. Evolution perfects survival skills. There are perfect hunters and there is perfect defence. So why is there no such thing as perfect hiding? Because how would you know? If evolution did perfect a creature whose primary skill was to hide from view, then how could you know it existed? It could be with us every second and we would never know. How would you detect it? Even sense it?" He puts the chalk down on the board. "It's from those moments when for no clear reason that you chose to speak aloud. What would such a creature want? What would it do? Well? What would you do?!" He calls, his voice echoing through the TARDIS. Silence follows, making him scoff until he hears a slight rolling noise, feeling the chalk bump against his feet. He kneels, picking it up and looking to the chalkboard, his blood running cold with fear as it now said 'Listen'.
Clara's House
Wednesday, June 5th, 2013
Clara comes into the kitchen, wearing a navy-blue cut-out dress, black tights, with a colour matching blazer over it and her hair pined up in a small bun. She's about to gather ingredients for a soufflé, before she hears the TARDIS materialising in her bedroom, making her smile as she waits. Hearing its doors open, Rose steps out of her bedroom. "Nice dress." She commented.
"Thank you." Clara said with a smile.
"Oh, Clara. You weren't going to try and make a soufflé again, were you?" She groans, motions to the baking gear she's putting away.
"My Mum's soufflé, yeah. But someday, I will get it right. Someday I will be Soufflé Girl."
"If there's one thing you can't do, Clara, it's made soufflés." The Doctor muttered from the room.
"I heard that."
"And I second that." Rose laughed, making the Doctor chuckle.
"Oi!"
"Doctor?" Rose asked. "What're you doing?" Clara finishes putting the gear away, moving over to see the Doctor sitting at a chair in front of three mirrors.
"Why do you have three mirrors? Can't you just turn your head?" He asked in bewilderment.
"I need the three mirrors. Makes it easier."
"What for?" He gazed at her before gaining a devilish smirk.
"What?" She asks.
"Is it because your face is so wide, and your eyes are so big?"
"My face is not wide!" She whined. "And my eyes are perfectly fine."
"Alright then, you look good." He smiled softly at her dress. "In fact, you great in that."
"Thank you." She said with a blush.
"Did you wear that to impress him?" Rose whispered.
"No. Of course I didn't." She blushed harder, making Rose smirk.
"Now, I need you for a thing." The Doctor stood up.
"A what?"
"A thing."
"What thing?"
"It's a thing. Don't question the thing." He whined slightly, leading her and Rose into the TARDIS.
"He's had an epiphany." Rose said to Clara. "A really…stupid epiphany."
"Isn't that just him in general?" She winked, making them laugh.
"Oi!"
"Okay, Doctor, what is your brand-new epiphany?"
"You know sometimes when you talk to yourself, what if you're not?"
"How'd you mean?"
"What if it isn't you that you're talking to? My theory is: What if no one is ever alone? What if every single being in the universe has a companion? A silent passenger? A shadow? What if the prickle on the back of your neck is the breath of something close behind you?"
"Doctor, have you been making banana hyper vodkas again?" She squinted at him.
"No." He blinks for a moment. "Well, yes…but-but-but that's not the point." He stammers with a sheepish blush. "Clara, just look at that." He points to the chalkboard.
"It says 'Listen'. And?"
"I didn't write it."
"And neither did I." Rose pointed out.
"Well, it looks like your handwriting, Doctor."
"I couldn't have written it and forgotten, now could I?"
"*Chuckles* Have you met you?" She spots an open book on the console. "What's this?"
"Dreams. Accounts of dreams by different people, all throughout history. You see, I have a theory."
She rolls her eyes. "Dear god, another one. Okay then, what theory?"
"I think everybody at some point in their lives has the exact same nightmare." He moves behind her, placing his hands on her shoulders before talking, his breath on her ear sending pleasant shivers down her spine. "You wake up, or you think you do and there's someone in the dark. Someone close, or you think there might be. So, you sit up and turn on the light and the room looks different at night. It ticks, creaks, groans and breathes. You tell yourself, 'There's nobody there. Nobody watching. Nobody listening. Nobody there at all.' And for a small moment, you very nearly believe it. You really, really try. You move your legs out of the bed and place your feet on the floor, wiping the sweat from your forehead with your hand until…" He places his hand gently around her neck, causing the shivers to intensify. "A hand shoots out from under the bed, wrapping itself around your ankle. Your breathing shudders and quickens, your pulse rises, until you hear a soft voice like a whisper telling you, 'It's ok. This is just a dream. Just lie back again. Just lie back on the bed. It'll all be ok, if you just lie down and go to sleep. Just do that for me. Just sleep.'" He takes his hand off her neck, moving around to see her flushed face and wide eyes. "Are you…blushing?" He asks.
"No!" She squeaks, coughing it back and turning around to hide her face from him. He turns to Rose, who was watching their exchange with the most devilish smirk she'd ever borne.
"What?" He asks.
"Oh nothing." She says with her tongue in her teeth. He rubs his hand, thinking briefly of the smoothness of Clara's skin before shuddering with a blush and moving around the console.
"There are accounts of that dream throughout human history. Time and time again, the same dream. It is always when the person is either young or old. Now, I asked Rose first, but she said…" He motioned to her.
"I couldn't remember having the dream." She finished.
"So, either she's forgotten, or she will be having that dream…when she's 80 years old and grumpy as all hell." He teased.
"What?"
"Nothing." He says sheepishly, making Clara smirk. "Now Clara, there is an obvious question I'm about to ask you. Do you know what it is?"
"Have you had that dream?" She asks him.
"Exactly."
"No, that was me asking you."
"I asked first.
"No, I did."
"No, you really didn't."
"Yes, I really did."
"No, you really didn't." He chuckles.
She sighs in defeat. "Ok, yeah. Maybe…probably…yes. But everybody dreams about something under the bed."
"But why?" He asks. Clara fails to find an answer. "Is it instinct? Is it fear? Or is it something quite real?" He opens a part of the console, revealing a panel lined with white gel-like material. He takes Clara's hands and places them inside.
"Ew. Sorry old girl." Clara mumbles in disgust.
*Beeps* (It's alright.)
"Just hold on tight. If anything bites…let it." He winks at her.
"I can think of a few things I could bite."
"Oh, be careful what you wish for, Clara." They give each other an intense stare, not noticing Rose wave her hands above her head in exasperation.
"What is it, then?" Rose asks, making the pair jump.
"The TARDIS telepathic interface. Clara is now in mental contact with her, so don't think anything rude."
"Why not?" Clara asks.
"Because I will see it on the monitor." He says, pulling it over for him and Rose to see. Clara smirks, watching as his furrowed eyebrows turn into childish fear. "Oi! Leave them alone!" He whines, placing his hands over his ears in protection while Rose laughs. "The TARDIS is now extrapolating your entire timeline, from the moment of your birth to the moment of your death."
"Which I do not need a preview of." Clara points out.
"Don't worry. We won't go anywhere past this moment." He says reassuringly, making her sigh in relief. "I'm now turning off the safeguards on the navigation. The TARDIS is now slaved to you. Rose, could you watch the monitor for me, please?"
"Sure." She says.
"Clara, I need you to focus on the dream." He says, coming over and to her delight, resuming their earlier position. "Focus on the details. Picture them, feel them. The old girl will track on your subconscious and extract the relevant information. It should be able to home in on the moment in your timeline when you first had that dream. And then…we'll see."
"What will we see?" She asks, somewhat breathlessly.
"What's under your bed." He says. She didn't need to turn around to see his cheeky grin. "One more thing, Clara: Don't get distracted. Otherwise, we might end up in the wrong place." He pulls the dematerialisation lever, causing the TARDIS to lift off from her flat. She closes her eyes as the Doctor rubs her shoulders affectionately before jumping as Rose's phone goes off. "Rose, tell your stupid boyfriend that we're busy." He groaned.
"I'm on it." Rose groaned, but not at the Doctor. "If there's one thing Mickey can't do, it's good timing." She said as she turned off her phone.
Clara winced. Boyfriend. Boyfriend. Danny. No. Don't get distracted. Danny. Don't get distracted.
The TARDIS lands, making her look up with some uncertainty. "Did it work?" Rose asked.
"We wouldn't have landed if it didn't." The Doctor said. "What's the monitor say?"
"Mid 90's. Gloucester, the West Country Children's Home." Rose read.
The Doctor furrowed his eyebrows. "It's the right time zone but the wrong place."
"Sorry. I got distracted." Clara mumbled softly.
"Come on, Clara. Don't blame yourself." He said gently. "May I ask, what were you thinking about?"
"The dream and…Danny."
The Doctor looked at her with realisation. "Boyfriend. Of course." He mumbled, pulling her hands out of the gel before moving her to the door, motioning for Rose to follow.
"Doctor, didn't you say that this was the wrong place?" Clara pointed out.
"Yes, but you were thinking of the dream, which means that Danny must've had that dream and told you when you knew him and since he was connected to your timeline, that allowed the TARDIS to land. Correction: The right time and different place. Not correct, but not wrong. Besides, this might be a better idea than the other one."
"What other one?"
"I just realised that I would've taken you to meet your younger self." He blushed sheepishly.
"And that's obviously bad?" She deducted.
"It could've been catastrophic."
"Oh, Doctor. You seriously can be a dolt." She chuckled.
"Oi! I told you, Clara, it was just a thing."
"What kind of thing?"
"A thing."
"Children, we've got somewhere to be." Rose cut in with a small smirk.
"Sorry Mum." They said in unison before moving out of the TARDIS. They saw a large building, drenched in the colour of night with a low, ice cold fog hanging down around them.
"I should've worn something warmer." Clara shuddered, the Doctor rubbing her shoulders to warm her.
"Well, that's what you get for looking great." He teased.
"Are you saying that I should look horrible?" She said with a low glare.
"No! No, of course not!" He denied. "I was just meaning-"
"I know." She smiled, grabbing his hand and pulled him towards the large, front door. "Now, come on."
Rose moved to follow but stopped as she saw a window with a light inside, a young, dark skinned boy standing. He spotted her and waved, making her wave back as he opened the window. "What're you doing down there?" He asked.
"Nothing." She shrugged. "I'm just with a couple of friends. What's your name?"
"Rupert Pink."
"Hello, Rupert. My name's Rose. Rose Tyler."
"At least you've got a good name. My name's stupid." He mumbled dejectedly.
"No, it isn't. My friend knew someone called Pink."
"I meant Rupert. I'm going to change it."
"Well, be sure it's a good one." She smirked, making him smile. "Why're you awake?" He said nothing. "Are you scared?" He nodded weakly. "Well, I'm coming in. Be up there in a minute." She said, hurrying to the front door.
The Doctor and Clara walked through the empty, dark hallway, clutching each other's hands as they looked around. Moving past a room, they saw a lit light on a desk and the indistinct chatter of a TV somewhere close by, until they see a door in the office open, the TV behind growing slightly louder until the door closes as a middle-aged man with balding hair and black rimmed glasses steps towards them. "How did you get in?" He asks.
"Your door must be faulty." The Doctor said, winking slightly at Clara who smirked. She pulled out the psychic paper, ignoring the Doctor's roll of the eyes at her.
The Man slouched his shoulders slightly. "An inspection. It's 2:00 in the morning."
"When better? Do you always work nights?" She asks, handing the paper back to the Doctor.
"Most nights, yes."
"You ever end up talking to yourself?" The Doctor asked.
"*Chuckles* All the time. You can't help it. It's this place, does your head in."
"What about your coffee?"
He glances down at the filled coffee cup on his desk. "My coffee?"
"Sometimes, do you put it down and look around, and it's not there?" Both him and Clara don't notice Rose going up the stairs.
"*Scoffs* It's a children's home. They always do that." He groaned. The TV in his room switches off suddenly, making him look over.
"Who turned your telly off?"
"It does that. It-" He turns around to see them no longer standing there. "Just goes off." He finishes before sighing. He reaches to grab the coffee cup, but widens his eyes as it's no longer there, only leaving a circular stain on the desk. The Doctor walked with Clara up the stairs, sniggering childishly at each other before drinking from the coffee, both admiring it.
Upstairs, Rose finds a door slightly open with a light shining through. She moves to open it to see Rupert sitting on the floor with his back against the wall. "Hello." She says with a smile.
"Hello." He reciprocates.
"Nice room." She comments as she glances around, seeing the different books with a CD player on the shelves and a neatly made bed with a red bedspread on top. She grabs a chair to sit by him. "You know, you should have more than one chair. What do you do when people come around?"
"Sit on the bed."
"Why aren't you sitting on it, then?" He says nothing, just staring at it in fear. "Do you think that there's something underneath it?" He nods. "Hey. Everyone thinks that sometimes. It's just how people think at night."
"Why?"
She thinks for a moment. "Did you have a dream? A hand grabbing your foot?" His eyes widened in shock. "You have, haven't you? You've had that exact dream."
"How did you know?"
"Do you know why dreams are called dreams?"
"Why?"
"Because they're not real. If they were, they wouldn't be called dreams." She moved over to kneel beside the bed.
"What're you doing?"
"Do you know what's under the bed?"
"What?"
"Me!" She grins, dashing underneath. "Come on! It's perfectly safe." He sighs, moving over and lying beside her, the bottom of the bed only inches away from their faces. "See? Nobody here, except us."
"Sometimes I hear noises." He says with uncertainty.
"It's a house full of people. Of course, you hear noises."
"They're all asleep."
"And they're dreaming."
"Can you hear dreams?"
"If you're clever enough, or daft enough." They sniggered. "But they can't harm you. Sometimes, we think there's something behind us and the space under your bed is what's behind you at night. Simple as that. It's nothing to be afraid of."
*Creaks*
The bottom of the bed inches even closes towards them in a bump, making their eyes widen and their breathing quicken. "Who else is in this room?" Rose whispers.
"Nobody." He reciprocates.
"Someone must've come in."
"Nobody came in." They move slowly out from under the bed, seeing a figure underneath the bedspread, yet they could feel it staring at them.
"Hello?" She asks. "Who's this? Is this a friend of yours, playing a game? Playing a trick, are you eh? A little trick on Rupert here?" The figure, the size of a kid, stands up on the bed, still covered in the red bedspread.
*Click*
They turn around to see the Doctor sitting on the chair with the desk light turned on, the empty coffee cup sitting on it while he was flicking through a large, picture book with Clara looking at him in bewilderment. "Where is he?" He asks.
"Doctor? Clara? When did you get in?"
"Just now." Clara shrugged.
"I can't find him." He whined.
"Find who?" Rose asks.
"Wally." Clara groaned as she rolled her eyes.
"Wally?
"He's nowhere in this book." He said, putting the book down.
"Not every book is a Where's Wally one." Rupert says, his eyebrows furrowed.
The Doctor's eyes widened in disbelief. "Really? That's a few years of my life I'll be needing back." He kneels before Rupert. "Now, one question: "The thing on the bed, or whatever it is, does it scare you?"
"Yes." Rupert says.
"That's good. You want to know why?" He says, making Rose and Clara exchange confused looks.
"Why?"
"Let me tell you about scared. When you get scared, your heart starts to beat so hard and so fast, that you can almost feel it in your own hands. There's so much blood and oxygen pumping through your entire body. It fuels your brain, your nerves, your muscles. Right now, you could run faster, fight harder and jump higher than you ever could in your life, and you are so alert, you could almost slow down time as you take in everything around you. What's wrong with scared, eh? Scared is a superpower. There is danger in this room and guess what?" Rupert blinks, waiting in raptured attention. "It's you. Do you think he feels it? Do you think he's scared when he's trying to scare others?" Rupert shakes his head. "Nah, what a loser." They snigger. "Now, what're we're going to do is we're going to turn our backs."
"Eh?"
"Yeah, turn your back. Look out the window." Rupert does this with him. "Clara, Rose, turn your backs." They stand by him. "It's a lovely view out this window."
"Yeah. Come and see all the dark." Clara says with slight uncertainty at the Doctor, as they stare out into the void.
"Okay, there are two possibilities. One: It's just one of your friends standing there and he's playing a joke on you. Two: It isn't."
"So, plan? Plans are good." Clara points out.
"Clara, I never have a plan, I just…improvise." Clara shakes her head. "You. On the bed. I'm talking to you now. Go in peace. We won't look, just go. If all you want to do is stay hidden, it's ok. Just leave."
*Creaks*
"Is it gone?" Rose asks.
"Don't look round. Not yet."
"I can't hear anything." Rupert says.
"Don't look round. Don't even look at the reflection in the window. In fact, close your eyes."
"What?"
"Close your eyes. You too, the both of you. Close your eyes." They all do as he says. "Prove to it, that you won't look at it. Make a promise. Promise you're never going to look at it."
"I'll never look at it." Rupert says. Utter silence followed, only filled by their quickened breathing.
*Slam*
They turn around to see it no longer there and the door closed. "Gone?" Clara asks.
"Gone." The Doctor confirms.
"He took my bedspread." Rupert whines, making the Doctor's shoulders slouch.
"Oh, Humans. You're never happy, are you?" He teases. Clara punches him in the shoulder. "Ow! What was that for?"
"For mocking us."
"Alright, I'm sorry." Clara shook her head slightly.
"You're a big baby, you are." She mumbled.
"No, I'm not!"
"Yes, you are!"
Rupert moves to sit on the bed with Rose, while Clara rummages through his shelves as the Doctor sits on the chair. "Am I safe now?" Rupert asks.
"Not really. Nobody's safe when they're alone in the dark." Clara softly slaps the back of his head. "What?" She gives him a "Seriously?" look. "Okay, yes. You're safe now."
"Are these yours?" Clara asks, holding up a small, cardboard box filled with toy soldiers.
"They're the homes." He denies.
"They're yours now."
"Don't lie to him, Clara." The Doctor admonishes.
"Well, he doesn't need to be scared by a northerner with big ears, yet here you are." He moves to protest. "Stay still. Shut up." Rose sniggers at their interaction. Clara takes a few soldiers and places them at the foot of Rupert's bed. "You see what I'm doing? This is your army."
"Plastic army." The Doctor sniggers.
"Sit!" He rolled his eyes yet did as she said. "And they're going to guard you from underneath your bed. You see this one?" She holds up a soldier, who doesn't have a gun. "This one's the boss one. The Colonel, he's going to keep a special eye out."
"It's broken, that one. He doesn't have a gun." Rupert points out.
"That's why he's the boss. A soldier so brave, he doesn't need a gun. He can keep the whole world safe, not matter what he goes through, and he'll always win, and he'll never raise a weapon or even hurt anyone." She looks back at the Doctor, who gives her a sad smile. "What shall we call him?"
"Danny."
Clara looks at him with wide eyes. "Sorry?"
"Danny, or Dan the soldier man." Rupert says with a smile.
"See? I said you could come up with a good name." Rose compliments.
"Shut up!" Rupert says playfully, making them laugh.
"Good. Good name." Clara mumbles to herself, making the Doctor place a hand on her shoulder.
"Here. You have it." Rupert said, pushing it into Clara's hands.
"Why?"
"A reminder."
"For what?"
"I don't know. You'll figure it out." He shrugged. "Would you read me a story? It'll help me get to sleep?"
"Sure." The Doctor says, coming forward. "Once upon a time. The end." He says, placing a finger on his forehead, making Rupert fall back into the bed, his eyes closed as he falls asleep.
"Doctor!" Rose and Clara admonished in unison.
"What? It's my Dad skills." He defended as they walked out of the building and back into the TARDIS, before he pilots it into lift-off.
"So, is it possible that we just saved Rupert from another kid in a bedspread?"
"Entirely possible, yes." The Doctor mumbles.
"Will he remember any of that?" Rose asks.
"Scrambled his memory. I think he'll remember some of it, maybe a lot of it. Just gave him some big dream about being 'Dan the soldier man.'"
*Beeps*
He looked at the monitor with squinting eyes. "What is it?" Clara asks.
"It's a distress signal."
Clara looks at the monitor, her eyes widening. "From the end of the universe. How did we get that?"
"No idea. We're not only in the Time Vortex, we're swirling around Earth, 2013. I'm not sure how it could reach back this far." He sent the TARDIS to track the signal to its source, their breaths quickening as the TARDIS lands.
"Doctor are you sure about this?" Clara asks.
"No. The TARDIS isn't meant to come this far, yet some idiot turned the safeguards off." He mumbled to himself. The door opens, making them jump as a man in an orange spacesuit comes into the TARDIS. "Who are you?" The Doctor asks.
The man takes off his helmet, revealing his face. "Danny?" Clara breathes in shock. It was indeed the same man, only with a few grey hairs.
"Clara?" He reciprocates. The Doctor and Rose exchange bewildered looks.
"What's going on with you?" Danny asks Clara.
"What?"
"Come on, Clara. You're going all eyes." He teased, making her smile. He looks over to see the Doctor giving him a smirk. "What? It's true. Her eyes are so big."
"No there not!" She whined.
"Oh yes, they are." The Doctor interjects. "She's always about the eyes. She needs three mirrors." He jokes.
"Yeah. It doesn't help that her face is so round." They laugh, making Clara stomp her foot childishly.
"May I just ask, Danny, how did you…get here?"
"I time travelled." He motions them out of the TARDIS, where they find themselves in a turquoise spaceship, bathed in red light with the doors locked and the windows closed, making it unable to see outside.
"Where did you come from?"
"Earth, 2042."
"Earth doesn't get time travel in 2042." The Doctor says, furrowing his eyebrows.
"Well, it did with mine." Danny shrugged as he started to rush around the room, packing most of his things into a large, black bag. "I was meant to go a few weeks into the future."
"And you went too far?" Rose concluded.
"Unfortunately."
"Why're you packing? Can't you just reverse the ship to go back the way you went?" Clara asked.
"I want to get home. Back to my family, to my own time. You can take me."
"How long have you been here?" The Doctor asked, making Danny slouch as silence filled the room.
"Six months."
"Well, I can't leave immediately." Everyone looked at him in surprise.
"Why not?"
The Doctor puts his hands in his trouser pockets. "Earth doesn't get time travel by 2042, and since this ship is so advanced, I'd say that you are from a different universe than us. An alternate dimension. We can get you back, but we need to repair this ship first. It will take one night. One more night, that's…not a problem, is it?"
"No. No problem." He mumbled, making them squint their eyes slightly.
"It's a shame, isn't it?"
"What is?"
"There's only four people left in the universe and you're lying to the other three. It was the first thing I noticed when I stepped out here. You two must've seen it. Especially Clara, you've got eyes as big as my ears." He quipped.
"Oi!"
"Seen what?" Danny asks.
"Listen." The Doctor says simply, making them quiet down.
"To what?" Rose asks.
"Nothing. There's nothing to hear. Not a breath, a slither, a click, a tick or a groan. This is the silence at the end of time. The universe is dead. Everything that ever was is dead and gone. There's nothing beyond this door but nothingness, forever. So why is it locked? Why is the windows and the blinds shut?"
"Please. Don't make me spend another night here." Danny whimpers in fear.
"You're afraid of the dark. But the dark…is empty now."
"No. No it isn't."
"So, what's out there?" The Doctor moves to open the blinds, but Danny grabs his arms.
"Please! Don't look! You don't want to see what is out there!"
"Why not?"
"Because what you will see will terrify you beyond anything." Danny warns, making the Doctor's eyebrows furrow.
"I think I've seen enough in this life to terrify me." He says grimly.
"Not like what's out there. Please, I'm begging you. Don't go outside. Don't even look."
The Doctor stares at him blankly before sighing. "Fine. I won't look. But we are staying. If you don't want to be in this ship, I suggest you wait in the TARDIS."
"The what?"
"The TARDIS. That's my ship." He said, pointing to the box. "Only one night, just to recalibrate your ship, then we can send you home. That's all. The TARDIS will keep you safe."
Danny admits defeat. "Ok." They help him carry his things into the TARDIS.
The Doctor sat with Clara and Rose as they fixed the main computer, every so often passing the sonic around. "Doctor, what're we doing?" Clara asked.
"Fixing Danny's ship." He said simply.
"But there's not much to fix." She said, making him stop. "Don't lie to me, Doctor. We're not staying here to fix his ship. Why are we here?"
"Waiting."
"For what? For who? If everybody in the universe is dead, then there's nobody out there."
"That's one way to look at it."
"What's the other?"
"That's a hell of a lot of ghosts." The lights switched immediately to blue.
"Does this ship have its own mood lighting now? Frankly, you are providing enough of it." Clara quipped lightly, making them smile. Rose looked at the round, front door, which now said the words 'Don't open the door'.
"Where did that come from?" Rose asked.
"It's always been there. It's only visible with the night lights."
"So, who wrote it?"
"Danny. Six months stranded alone. I suppose it must be very tempting."
"What is?"
"Company." A loud, metallic creaking occurs above them, making them look upwards with wide eyes.
"What's that?" Clara asks.
"What kind of explanation-"
"Doctor, what is it?" She interrupted, with a slight roll of her eyes.
"Well, the systems are switching to low power. There are temperature differentials all over this ship. It's like…pipes banging when the heating goes off."
"I always thought there was something in the pipes."
"Me too."
"Remind me, how big is this ship?" Rose asks.
"It's roughly the size of a small house."
"But…aren't ships bigger than that?"
"I know. That's why I think Danny is from another universe. One where Earth is much more advanced than ours." The Doctor deducted.
*Shriek*
They jump, Clara grasping onto the Doctor's hand tightly. "It's just the atmospheric pressure equalising."
"Or?"
"Company."
"Doctor, why can't we just go?"
"Because Danny needs to get home."
"No. Why are we here?" She denied.
"Because I need to know."
"Know what?"
"Suppose that there are creatures that live to hide. That only show themselves to the very young, or the very old or the mad or anyone who wouldn't be believed. What would those creatures do when everyone was gone? When there was only one man left standing in the universe?"
*BANG* *BANG* *BANG*
"What's that?" Rose asked, the sudden banging on the door making them jump.
"Potentially, the hull cooling. Or rocks and dust from outside rattling on the door."
"Or?"
"Someone knocking."
*BANG* *BANG* *BANG*
"Doctor, you don't actually believe all of this, do you? Hiding creatures? Things from under the bed?"
"What's that in the mirror or the corner of your eye? What's that footstep following, but never passing by?"
"Did we come to the end of the universe because of a nursery rhyme?" Clara groaned. He said nothing, pulling out his sonic and used it to unlock the door, which by itself began to open.
"That's you turning it, right?" Rose asked, fear now beginning to flare within them.
"No." He began to back away slightly. "Get in the TARDIS."
"Why?"
"I have to know."
"Doctor-"
"The TARIDS, now."
"Ok, somebody is out there, now we know. We can leave." Clara grabbed his hand, but he yanked it back. "Doctor!" She cried.
"It's a pressure lock. Releasing it could've triggered the opening mechanism."
"Is there even an atmosphere out there?"
"There's an air shell around this ship." He turned to see them still there. "Why are you still here?"
"Because I'm not going to leave you in danger!"
"Well I'm not going to let you stay with me if it happens! Better me than you, now for god's sake Clara, do as you are told!" He yelled, pushing the two into the TARDIS, his heart clenching as he did.
"You're an idiot." Clara said, her voice breaking.
"I know." He mumbled guiltily before closing the door and moving back to the front of the room. "Perhaps they're all just waiting. Perhaps when we're all dead, out they'll come a-slithering from underneath the bed." The door slid open, blaring the alarm as the air began to rush out from the ship. Squinting his eyes, he saw outside on the barren rocky landscape a large, sinister crack, as large as the ship and gleaming white light onto his surroundings and into the ship. The air started to rush out even faster, causing him to grasp onto the console as his feet were lifted from the ground. The rushing air pulled at him hard, his grip started to weaken as sweat began to drench his body, his breathing become harder to maintain. His vision began to blur as something hit him across the head, leaving behind a stinging pain before he felt the rushing air begin to ease. He collapsed onto the ground, barely hearing above the ringing in his ears the door slam shut, before he felt something warm hug him.
"Doctor? Doctor?!" Someone called, but all he could see was something glowing, not able to determine who it was before he faded in unconsciousness, as someone picked him up and carried him back into the TARDIS.
"Will he be alright?" Clara asked, her voice filled with worry.
"He's out cold, but he'll be fine." Danny reassured her. Clara hugged the Doctor's unconscious form, relief washing through her. "You like him, don't you?" He asked with a knowing smirk.
"No, I don't!" She blushed.
"Oh yes, you do." Rose interjected as she grabbed a cloth to clean the cut on the Doctor's forehead.
"He is good for you." Danny admitted, making them fall silent.
"Really?" Clara asked.
"Oh yeah. Even if you behave like children." He teased.
"Oh, you don't know the half of it!" Rose laughed.
"Shut up!" Clara said, moving over to the console.
"What're you doing?" Danny asked.
"TARDIS telepathic circuits." She said, scrunching her face in disgust as she placed her hands back inside the gel. "The Doctor needed to know, and so do I."
"Know what?"
"Why does he want to know if the creatures under the bed are real?" She says before closing her eyes. "Come on, old girl. Show me. You've known him for a long time. What makes him want to know this so badly?"
The TARDIS went into lift off, making Rose and Danny stumble to the ground, groaning as they did.
"Sorry!" Clara said before the TARDIS landed. "Okay then. What was it?"
*Beeps* (Not what, but who)
Clara furrowed her eyebrows, checking the monitor but groaning as it just flickered with static before moving to the door. "Wait, Clara!" Rose called.
"No, stay here. Look after him." Clara said.
"You can't go out there by yourself!"
"And you're not coming with me." She said. "Rose, Danny, stay here. I'll only be two minutes. Okay?"
Rose and Danny exchanged a worried look before they sighed in defeat. "Fine. But don't you take too long." Rose warned.
"Yes Mum." She quipped as she exited the TARDIS. Clara found herself in a wooden barn drenched in the colour of night, filled with hay bales and hay mixed with sand strewn about the floor. Moving past a door on the side of the barn, she looked at the other end to see a bed with a young boy inside, the covers over his head. She heard the muffled crying of the kid, his whimpers causing her heart to clench with pity as she moved to stand by the bed. The door clanged open, making her crawl under the bed in haste as two pairs of footsteps were heard entering the barn.
"Why does he have to sleep out here?" A man said.
"He doesn't want the others to hear him crying." A woman said.
"Why does he have to cry all the time?"
"You know why." Clara didn't need to look to see her rolling her eyes.
"There'll be no crying in the army."
"Hush!"
They stood by the bed. "Don't pretend you're not awake. We're not idiots."
"Come and sleep in the house. You don't have to be alone. If you're willing, you're very welcome in the house with the other boys. I'll leave the door on the latch; you can come in any time." The Woman said gently as they moved back to the door.
"He can't just run away crying all the time if he wants to join the army."
"He doesn't want to join the army; I keep telling you."
"Well, he's not going to the Academy, is he, that boy? He'll never make a Time Lord." The Man scoffed as they closed the door behind them.
Clara's eyes widened in shock, her heart rate shooting through the roof as her breathing turns to soft panting.
"Clara! Clara, where are you?!" She heard the Doctor call from inside the TARDIS.
"Hello? Who's there?" The boy called, sitting up on the bed. She heard him rub the sweat from his forehead with his hand as he moved to get out. "Hello?" He placed his feet on the ground, as Clara shot her hand out and grasped onto his ankle, her eyes widening even more than possible as she heard the boy breathing heavily in fear.
"It's ok." She whispered softly. "This is just a dream. Just lie back again. Just lie back on the bed. It'll all be ok, if you just lie down and go to sleep. Just do that for me. Just sleep." The boy did as she bade, moving to crawl back into the bed as Clara stood up from underneath. The boy's sobbing returned, making her gaze at him sadly as tears prickled her eyes, making her sit down on the bed and place her hand on his hair, rubbing it softly. "Listen. This is just a dream. But very clever people can hear dreams. So please, just listen." She whispered; the boy's sobbing lessened into unsteady breathing. "I know you're afraid but being afraid is all right. Has nobody ever told you? Fear is a superpower." She said with a soft smile. "Fear can make you faster, more clever and stronger. One day, whether you know it or not, you're going to come back to this barn and on that day, you're going to be very afraid indeed. But that's ok. Because if you're very wise and very strong, fear won't make you cruel or cowardly. Fear can make you kind. It doesn't matter if there's nothing under the bed or in the dark, so long as you know that it's ok to be afraid of it. So, listen. If you listen to nothing else, listen to this: You're always going to be afraid, even if you learn to hide it. Fear is like…a companion. A constant companion, always there. But that's ok. Because fear can bring us together. Fear can bring you home." She reached into her blazer pocket and pulled out "Dan the soldier man". "I'm going to leave you something, just so you'll always remember. Fear makes companions of us all." She said, slipping it into his hand and placing a kiss on his forehead.
"Sontarans, perverting the course of Human history!" The Doctor yelled as he shot up from his seat, making Danny and Rose jump. "Sorry." He mumbled, his eyes widening as he looked around. "Wait. Where's Clara? Clara! Clara, where are you?!" He said, moving to the door, but Rose and Danny moved into his path. "What're you doing?"
"Sorry, Doctor. It's Clara's orders." Rose said softly.
"What was out there? What did you see?" Danny asked.
"It was a crack. A crack in the skin of the universe. That was the gateway of how you got from your universe into ours."
"Is that my way of getting home?" He asked, both with concern and hope.
"Yes. All we need to do is restart the engines of your ship and you'll be on your way."
"Are you sure the…'Crack' wont damage the ship or anything?"
"No. Because you've already gone through, and the ship is fine enough. It'll be fine on the way back." He went to move past them again, but they stopped him.
"No, Doctor. We're not on the ship anymore." Rose interjected.
"Then, where are we?" He asked.
"We don't know." He blinked at them incredulously. "Doctor, before you saw the crack, what did you think it all was?"
The door closed behind them, making them turn to look to see Clara standing there, the tears fading from her eyes but still noticeable.
"Clara? What's wrong?" The Doctor asked.
"What if there was nothing? Nothing under the bed, nothing at the door." She said, moving past Danny and Rose to stand merely inches from the Doctor. "What if…the big bad Time Lord doesn't want to admit he's just afraid of the dark?" She asked gently.
He looked at her with shock, his hearts racing. "Clara, where are we? Where did we move to?" He implored.
"Don't look, Doctor. Take off and promise me that you will never look where we've been."
"Why?"
"Just take off, don't ask questions. Just take us back to Danny's ship, so we can get him home."
"I don't take orders, Clara." He said weakly.
"Doctor, do as you are told."
He looked down for a moment. "Alright then." He mumbled, before moving back to the console to pilot them back, grabbing Danny's stuff to put them back in his ship. Moving towards the computer, changed the coordinates and used the sonic and fired it up. "Okay then, Danny. You've got one minute before the ship takes off. I just changed the coordinates, so you will go back through the crack. I'll then use the TARDIS to close it after you've gone through."
"So, I'll take it that this is goodbye." Danny said.
"I'm afraid so." He nodded, reaching out a hand, which Danny shook. "Good luck out there, Danny."
"Good luck to you, Doctor. And look after them. Especially Clara. She's good for you." Danny winked.
"Shut up." The Doctor denied with a small blush as Danny turned and hugged Rose.
"Good luck then, eh?" Rose said.
"Yep. Good luck, Rose." He turned to Clara and hugged her.
Clara looked at him softly. "Danny, what happened to her? To your Clara?"
He gave her a sad look. "We were talking…on the phone. She was coming back home from teaching and…she crossed the road. She didn't look where she was going and…a car hit her. The driver had called for an ambulance but by the time they arrived…she was already gone. Dave and Ellie…they weren't happy. I try to help them, but I guess…parents take a long time to get over their child dying."
Clara looked at him with tears. "They survived?"
"Survived what?" He asked.
Realisation crashed over her. "Nothing." They must've never had an invasion in their world.
"What am I meant to do, Clara? I don't know how to help." He muttered weakly.
Clara gazed off for a moment before smiling softly. "People mourn those they lost because we love them. But eventually, we let them go and we honour them. The honour lasts for the rest of your life but never the mourning. Tell them: It's time to honour Clara, by letting her go in peace."
Danny looked at her sadly. "Someone told you that, eh?"
"Yeah. He was a good man."
"And you moved on from him?" He smiled.
Clara's gaze flickered to the Doctor. "Yes."
Danny nodded. "Alright then. Goodbye Clara."
"Goodbye Danny." She said.
The ship rumbled around them as it began to lift off. "Time to go. Now!" The Doctor ordered, making Clara and Rose move into the TARDIS while Danny gave them a farewell salute as they closed the doors, piloting the TARDIS to hover outside of the ship. They looked at the monitor to see the ship fly through the crack before the Doctor flicked a few switches, causing the crack to close and leaving the surroundings to be drenched in total blackness, then piloting the TARDIS away to their own time.
"You two okay?" The Doctor asked.
"Yep." Rose nodded.
"I think so." Clara shrugged, making them snigger slightly.
"Clara…what happened to Danny?" He asked.
She looked down. "Same as the other Clara. A couple of years before I met you, and mere months after I left Angie and Artie, I got a teaching job with Danny. He was coming back to the flat we shared, talking on the phone and then…"
"Someone hit him." The Doctor finished softly.
"Yes." The Doctor pulled her into a hug, Rose giving them a sad smile, before gazing off distantly at the familiar thought. Someone close to her did die from a car crash and she never even knew him.
AN: Thank you so much for reading and please leave a review if you wish. :)