Sorry I haven't updated in a while!
Francesca and Digby were quite caught up in their game of tag. Who could blame them, though? We've all played that game at some point.
As Clara walked out into the back garden, they suddenly quit.
"Miss Montague!", Francesca squealed in glee.
"Miss Montague, you're back!", Digby exclaimed.
They ran in for a hug, excited that their best ever governess was back.
"Ah ah ah.", Clara warned, shaking her head at them, though she was inwardly glad that they were excited to see her.
"Good morning, Miss Montague.", Digby told her in the manner that she had taught him.
"Good morning, Miss Montague,", Francesca echoed.
"Good morning Francesca, good morning Digby", she paused to shake their hands, "Now what have you been up to while I've been away?", she questioned.
"I did seven drawings and we saw a dead cow.", Digby said excitedly.
"Well, how exciting!", Clara replied, slightly horrified.
"Do your secret voice!", Digby exclaimed. Francesca looked on contently.
'Miss Montague', looked all around in a suspicious manner before bending down as though afraid others would hear her.
" 'Ello, mates!", she said, in an Australian accent.
The children giggled and she smiled.
Later, Clara sat down next to Francesca as Digby played ball.
"They're not exactly nightmares, just dreams.", Francesca told her.
"About our old governess, the one who died, She's haunting Fannie from beyond the grave!", Digby taunted.
"Haven't you spoken to your father about this?", Clara asked, looking in the direction of Latimer's window while thinking of their previous conversation, which had ended on a not so lovely note.
"You can't talk about things like that to Daddy, ", Francesca stated.
Clara felt bad about the children's distant relationship with their father.
"You could try.", Clara suggested, hoping to make the situation better.
"Do you want to see where she died?", Digby asked excitedly.
He pointed to the pond as Clara and Francesca followed.
"She fell in there. And then it froze, she was in the ice for days and days. I hated her. She was cross all the time. In Frannie's dream, she's still down there, waiting to come back.", he told them.
Clara felt a chill run down her back.
"Every thing else has thawed, but this pond is still frozen.", Clara stated curiously, tapping the ice with her fingers.
Clara remembered what the Doctor and Emma had taught her about snow.
'The snow is feeding off your thoughts- the more you think about the snowmen, the more they appear.', he had told her.
Suddenly, she had a sense of urgency about her.
"Frannie, this is important. You dream about her. What do you dream?", Clara inquired.
"She's cross with me. She says I've been bad and she's going to come out of the pond and punish me!", Frannie told her, terrified.
" When?", Clara asked, her eyes wide.
"She said she'd come back for Christmas. Tonight.", Frannie stated.
"I think Frannie's gone mad, don't you? I think she needs a doctor.", Digby honestly told her.
Clara mind went on alert as she suddenly remembered two very important people, who might be the only ones who could help.
Clara sprinted into the park and began calling to the sky.
"Doctor! Emma! Doctor! Emma!", she shouted.
Many people bustling about on the streets stopped to look at her.
"What's she looking at?", one man asked.
"She's asking for a Doctor. And someone named Emma.", another replied.
"Doctor! Emma!", Clara screamed again.
Thankfully, Jenny noticed her and rushed into the park before she could attract any more attention.
"Now then, that's enough noise! We don't want to attract attention, do we?", Jenny asked.
" I'm look for the Doctor and Emma. Do you know about them?", Clara questioned.
"The Doctor? Doctor who?", Jenny inquired.
Clara looked into her eyes in the knowing way that people who take care of children do, and came to the conclusion that they shared the same knowledge.
Strax blocked the doorway of an old building.
"Do not attempt to escape or you will be obliterated! May I take your coat?", he asked Clara.
As Clara gave him her coat and hat he stepped aside.
Vastra was sitting on an elegant chair sipping a red drink. Clara stopped and stared.
"Sit.", Jenny commanded.
Vastra set her glass down on the table next to her.
"There are two refreshments in your world the color of red wine. This is not red wine.", Vastra stated.
Clara promptly sat down.
"Madame Vastra will ask you questions. You will confine yourself to single word responses. One word only, do you understand?", Jenny inquired.
" Why?", Clara asked.
"Truth is singular - lies are words, words, words. You met the Doctor and Emma, didn't you?", Vastra asked.
" Yes,", Clara truthfully stated.
"And now you've come looking for them again. Why?", Vastra questioned.
"Take your time. One word only.", Jenny said.
"Curiosity.", Clara replied.
"About?", Vastra interrogated.
"Snow.", Clara breathed out.
"And about them?", Vastra asked knowingly.
"Yes.", Clara said, thinking of the Doctor and Emma.
"What do you want from them?", Vastra asked.
"Help.", Clara responded.
"Why?", Vastra inquired.
"Danger.", Clara said quickly.
"Why would they help you?", Vastra asked.
"Kindness." , Clara told her.
"The Doctor is not kind. Now Emma, yes, but the Doctor, no.", Vastra replied truthfully.
"No?", Clara disbelievingly inquired.
"No. The Doctor does not help people. Not anyone, not ever, except for Emma. He stands above this world and doesn't interfere in the affairs of its inhabitants. He is not your salvation, nor your protector. Do you understand what I'm saying to you?", Vastra asked.
"Words.", Clara responded.
Jenny cracked a smile at this.
"He was different once, a long time ago. Kind, yes. A hero, even, a saver of worlds. But he suffered losses which hurt him. He even lost Emma, for a minute. Now he prefers staying with Emma alone to the possibility of pain's return. Kindly choose a word to indicate your understanding of this.", Vastra requested.
"Man.", Clara said.
"We are the Doctor's friends. We assist him in his and Emma's isolation but that does not mean we approve of it. You know, Emma doesn't enjoy being isolated that much. She's a social sort of girl, but she goes along wit hit because she knows of his losses. He lost his best friend, and then her. So... a test for you. Give me a message for them. Tell them all about the snow and what fresh danger you believe it presents, and above all, explain why they should help you.", Vastra stated.
As Clara began to speak with so many reasons flooding to her mind. Vastra put a finger to Clara's lips and interrupted, "But do it in one word. You are thinking it is impossible that such a word exists, or that you could even find it. Let's see if the gods are with you.",
Then, Clara's lips parted, and she spoke one unthinkable word.
In the TARDIS, Emma was sitting with the Doctor on the floor, and they were both reading the same book in the muted blue light. When the phone rang, the Doctor jumped up in frustration at the interruption of his moment with Emma.
"Yes, what? We're trying to read!", he angrily shouted into the phone.
Emma raised her eyebrows slightly and he instantly calmed down. When she pulled a funny face he actually almost laughed.
"Miss Clara and her concerns about the snow. I gave her the one-word test.", Vastra said.
"You know, that test really doesn't work. What did she say?", he asked, much calmer.
"Pond.", she replied.
The Doctor stared ahead, stunned. He pulled off the reading glasses he had been wearing, which happened to be Amy's old pair.
Emma looked up at him, curious about what caused this reaction.
He mouthed the word to her, and her face matched his.
"Strax has already suggested where to start investigating."