Thank you so, so much for your lovely reviews on the last chapter :) I'm sorry that I neglected to post on Saturday, but I had a friend over and she distracted me XD

Chapter 10

"You're late."

Kate Stewart looked annoyed and rightly so as she stood by the entrance, her arms crossed in front of her chest as she glowered at him. When he was close enough, she gestured towards her watch.

"Sorry," John growled in response. "I was pestered by a journalist on my way to get coffee. You'd think the world couldn't care less about what happens on this island."

He had reached the top of the stairs and was about to enter the building when he caught Kate's eyes and noticed her discomfort at the mention of the journalist. Back in London, they had been everywhere, following him from the scene of the crime to his office and sometimes even to his own home just to ask him questions he wasn't allowed to answer and John had hoped that this pesky practice hadn't reached the remote Orkney Islands yet. He was wrong.

"I'm afraid where there's death and misery, the press is never really far away," Kate replied and together, they stepped inside the building. She gestured for him to follow and John did until they finally came to a halt inside her office. As soon as the door was shut, Kate sank down right on her desk with a sigh so heavy that John knew she didn't have any news and was just as frustrated as he was.

"They've found nothing," Kate said after a moment and her shoulders dropped in defeat. "The coast path is literally clear. No signs of a struggle, no footprints, hell, they didn't even find a single piece of litter. It's like no human being has ever set foot on that patch of landscape. The storm wiped everything clean."

That was anything but helpful and John could tell why it bothered Kate so much. Even her theory of a suicide would mean that at some point, the woman had jumped off a cliff somewhere. There had to be traces.

"Maybe the estimations were wrong?" he suggested carefully. "I mean, there was a storm. Maybe her body was carried further than we initially thought."

His boss nodded, but she didn't seem entirely convinced. "I've ordered them to broaden the search and to get another team to have a second look at the first area they covered. There just has to be something. But even if we find footprints, what good will it do? We don't even know who she is."

John forced a sympathetic smile, but Kate merely sighed.

"I had hoped for this to be easy," she admitted. "Things here usually are. But instead, I can already see us go through every single missing person's record there is. We'll be working this case until Nevermas."

"If someone reported her missing," John added.

Kate's head shot up and she glared at him so intensely that for a moment, he felt like taking back what he had just said. "Thanks, you know exactly how to cheer me up," she spat, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

John inhaled deeply. "Maybe it's not as bad as you think," he replied. "You know, Osgood and I were talking about the resemblance she and Miss Oswald share. I've asked her about it and she agreed to a DNA test. I know, it could just be a coincidence, but if they're even distant relatives, we'll find out who she is and once we know that, we'll find out what she wanted here."

"At this point, I thought we'd have more," she said. "There was nothing in Osgood's report that we didn't already suspect, the tech department got nothing from her pager except seawater and there was nothing on her that could give us a clue."

Her words jabbed his chest like a prodding finger when he remembered the note that was still in his pocket and instinctively, his fingers tightened around the evidence bag. Maybe it was better if he told Kate about it now because he was fairly certain that she would get mad if he withheld it any longer, but John just couldn't bring himself to do it. At least not before he had spoken to Clara again.

"We'll see if the DNA test brings any results," he replied instead and then he suddenly started to laugh. "You know, the journalist I ran into suggested that the dead person might have been indeed Clara and that the other one took her place."

Kate snorted in response. "That's absurd. What newspaper is he working for? The Daily Nonsense?"

"I know," John said thoughtfully. But they had nothing better to do, did they? One of them might as well put that theory to the test. "However, I've seen crazier things happen in London. It wouldn't hurt to…double-check, would it?"

Her face turned into a deep frown and John could tell that she was at least considering the idea even if she didn't take it seriously. "This isn't London, this is the middle of nowhere."

"I've noticed."

In return, Kate sighed heavily. "Well, I wanted to have a chat with Clara anyway when I pick the kids up from school today. She's taught my children for six months and I haven't even had the time to ask how she's doing with everything that's going on. I should talk to her."

"Good," John concluded. "Let me know if she turns out to be an imposter."

Not that he thought she was, but there was still something strange about Clara Oswald and John, no matter how hard he tried, just couldn't put his finger on it. For a moment, he wondered where their chance encounter from this morning could be repeated because, the investigation aside, he felt as if Clara was lonely and that was a sentiment they both shared.

The headache had started at noon and despite the large cup of coffee Clara had consumed, it just wouldn't fade and her mood didn't exactly improve when she spotted Kate Stewart waiting in front of her classroom. It was another reminder that she had been stupid enough to agree to a DNA test and she doubted that she could take her consent back now.

Kate Stewart greeted her daughter and, after telling her that she and her brother should wait in the car, she turned her attention towards Clara with a bright smile.

"Miss Oswald, how are you doing?" she asked sincerely and Clara once again wished that there was a way to avoid this conversation altogether. All she really wanted was to go home and cure her headache.

"I'm fine, thanks," she replied coldly. The last thing she wanted right now was someone's pity. She had had enough of that in London, in her old life, and this time, she really didn't deserve it.

Kate Stewart closed the classroom door behind her when all the children had left and once again, Clara became painfully aware of the throbbing in her temples. She needed fresh air.

"And how are you really?" her students' mother asked once again and this time, her smile was more sympathetic.

Clara let her shoulders sink in defeat, knowing that Kate wouldn't leave her alone anyway until they had talked properly.

"I think I owe you an apology," Kate went on. "I'm afraid this case is taking up a lot of my time, otherwise I would have come to talk to you sooner. How are you dealing with it?"

Clara merely shrugged in response. What could she possibly tell Kate? "It's a little weird, I guess. Seeing someone with my own face," she replied carefully. "I mean, I keep wondering what she wanted here. Whether she might have come here because of me."

"We'll figure it out," Kate promised her. "Don't worry too much about it. Whatever it was, her death wasn't your fault."

Slowly, Clara nodded. There was nothing else she could do or say, but the truth was that death seemed to follow her everywhere. It was hard not to think of it as her fault. "That's reassuring," she lied.

Suddenly, Kate reached into her pocket and to Clara's surprise, she pulled out a small tube. While she was still wondering what Kate Stewart was up, the woman already went on to explain. "I brought a kit. I figured you wouldn't wanna come back to the station only to take a DNA test."

No, Clara really hadn't wanted that. She didn't want to take the test at all, but she didn't feel like she had a choice now that she had already agreed to it. "That's very considerate," Clara said instead.

Kate handed over the little tube and when Clara unscrewed it, she noticed a small stick attached to the cap with a little swab at the end of it. "You just have to rub it against the inside of your cheek," she explained even though it was unnecessary. Clara knew how it worked.

She inhaled deeply and opened her mouth, rubbing the swab against her cheek just as she had been told, all the while trying not to think about the outcome. It was better if she didn't think about it. Once it was done, Clara closed the container and handed it back to Kate. Now, all she could do was hope.

"If you don't mind, I'd like to get home now," Clara said. Now that her classes had finished, the headache didn't feel as bad anymore, but she still wanted to put her feet up and relax with a cup of tea.

"Of course," Kate replied sincerely, smiling again. "I'll let you know when we get the test results."

"Thanks," Clara mumbled and before Kate could continue the conversation, she reached for her bag and headed out of the door.

When Clara breathed in the cold winter air at last, she could almost believe that the nightmare was going to be over soon. But she couldn't have been more wrong about that.