AN: Hey guys, guess what? I got a beta! So, give some thanks to batman-defeats-all, I really appreciate it man. Also, thanks to all you awesome reviewers from last chapter: Snowleopard0, 1eragon33, and Turkeyhead987! Keep up the awesome work, and I'll keep up mine! Also, there's a slightly unimportant AN at the bottom, so…see you there?

Disclaimer: Because I feel the need, I don't own Clockwork, the Doctor, or anything from either's shows.

Chapter 3: Virus Error

Clockwork closed the TARDIS door, quickly stepping away from the machine. He felt the life inside of it, the time stream running through it, but he didn't like it one bit. Even outside he could feel it- her, he corrected when he felt a tinge of annoyance come from the machine. Did it really matter? They were leaving now, and would mostly likely never see each other again. He guessed the Doctor was taking his sweet time to just leave, and he really couldn't push him. But once he was gone, everything would return to normal, and he could go back to his tower, where there were no more surprises.

Oh, but he could hear the Observants now. They will make such a fuss about the whole ordeal, probably nagging him for hours before he could even get a word in edge-wise. And then it would take a few more hours of arguing to get them to finally give him his powers back. Close-minded old ghosts; he really shouldn't be saying anything about age, though.

He stopped at the mouth of the alley, grabbing his head as the machine behind him came to life, disappearing with it's strange vwoop-ing sound. The migraine passed quickly, whether it was because the machine was leaving or because he was building a resistance to its effects, he didn't know nor cared at the moment. At least this should be the last time he heard it.

"Farewell, Doctor." He muttered, preparing to leave, as his powers should be returned with the absence of the alien man.

He grimaced as everything decided to tell him he was wrong once again, and practically throw the machine into materializing back in it's previous spot only a minute later. He spun on the spot, pinning the Doctor with a stunned look as he opened the door.

"Well," The Time Lord stated awkwardly, running a hand through his hair. "That didn't go quite right."

After the TARDIS had landed again, they had a brief glaring match, consisting mostly of him glaring at the Doctor rather than an equal share of glaring. Laughing nervously, the Doctor had offered him a seat while he did some jiggery-pokery - his term- on the TARDIS to see what had gone wrong. Currently, Clockwork was sitting in the captain's chair with his arms crossed and his ankle perched on the opposite knee, while the Doctor fiddled around with the engine underneath one of the grates on the floor.

Sitting up with a grunt and a smudge of grease on his cheek, the Doctor frowned at the working TARDIS. "Nothing's melted, missing, or otherwise messed with, and the scanners says there isn't anything at the moment surrounding Earth that would have kept us from flying back to that rift." He stood up, double-checking the screen. "There might have been something that came up while we were in the air, but since I wasn't looking for it- it's only the early twenty-first century, no world-wide shields yet- I wasn't able to scan it or otherwise find out what it was."

Clockwork grunted affirmatively, working his jaw. The longer he stayed in this machine, the more he realized it had a sentience not unlike lairs do for their owners, although much less choose-y. He had felt her nudges of curiosity while the Doctor worked, but had ignored her for the most part.

"There aren't any world-wide shields of any kind that could stop you, and the only minute possibility would be a ghost shield, but the GiW aren't that smart, it would be a stupid idea, and even then it still should have let you through," Clockwork thought out-loud, putting his elbows on his knees and resting his chin on his entwined hands. "So either a ghost pushed you back, or you brought something with you when you broke into this dimension. Unless you have evidence against being followed, it could be either, considering everything."

The Doctor frowned, pacing around the console. "I didn't even plan on coming here in the first place, and I wasn't being followed or chased beforehand. I would have known," He paused, thinking. "Well, I should have know if I had been. I didn't leave the last planet on bad terms, so I wouldn't know why I would be followed."

Clockwork hummed in understanding, staring off into space. What had happened? Both options were unlikely, and he could tell from the way he had come back that it wasn't by choice. But what ghost would care enough to keep him from leaving? What ghost would even have the power, let alone the motive? This was a strong machine when it got going, he could tell. He felt the TARDIS hum appreciatively at him for the compliment he hadn't even said out loud. He decided she was definitely as sentient as a powerful lair, if not more so.

"She's apparently taken a fancy to you." The comment knocked him out of his thoughts to look at the Doctor. He was smiling- not beaming, just a nice small smile, looking between him and the TARDIS.

"What?" Was his clever response.

That got the beam back on the Doctor's face. "The TARDIS. She seems to like you quite a bit. Funny, she's not usually this positive towards new people, not even some of my companions." He patted the console, looking up at the center. "I can only guess why," Said the Time Lord with a chuckle.

Clockwork smirked. Then the Doctor was connected to the TARDIS. He began to believe more and more the TARDIS was like the Doctor's traveling lair. They certainly seemed to have the dynamic, even if he wasn't a ghost- besides, they had the bigger-on-the-inside part down as well. He couldn't help but laugh a little.

"What'd I say now?" The Doctor questioned, cocking an eyebrow.

"Nothing, nothing," Clockwork said, waving him away. "Just and old ghost's musings. We had better find a way for you to get back home." Although I'm sure you already are when you're in here. He thought to himself as he stood.

The TARDIS seemed to hum sadly in agreement. A lovely home, but he thought it would be lonely when no-one else was around. He knew what that felt like, when home was home, but it was also empty and lonely. That's why he had to admit he liked it when Daniel came for a place to study or talk; it made his clock tower seem less empty.

If the Doctor felt the TARDIS's melancholy, he didn't remark on it. "So, how do you plan on accomplishing that?"

"Hmm…" Clockwork hummed as he walked outside, the Doctor in his wake. "I suppose I could try to convince the Observants to give me back my powers so I can try to see what's keeping you grounded." He sighed, frowning as he thought of the argument this predicament would bring up. Not to mention he'd have to bring the Doctor right in the middle of it, and they'd yell at him more for just that.

The Doctor gave him a worried glance. "I take it they aren't you're best of friends?"

"The Council and I share very different opinions of how to handle the Time stream," He explained after a moment of hesitation. "They can't see the big picture, but I have to do their dirty work since they are not allowed to interfere; the same goes for me, most of the time, unless the situation is dire."

"Then why did they-?" The Doctor started.

"The meaning of 'dire' is another thing we do not agree on," Clockwork finished simply.

"Ah," Nodding, the Doctor dropped the subject. He could tell this Council of Observants was not the liveliest nor the kindest of ghosts. The situation actually sounded only a few steps away from being- well, being like the Time Lord Council and himself, way back when.

"So," He continued, walking to Clockwork's left as they started to move. "Where to now?"

"To try and contact them; it would be the easiest way to get everything done if they will just open a portal for us into the Observatory," Clockwork sighed once again. "But I don't have to be omniscient to know they probably won't, just to punish me for not obeying their orders."

The Doctor grimaced in sympathy. This didn't sound like it was going to be that easy. "Ah, right. And on the off chance they do?"

"Then they'll just yell at us- mainly me- sooner rather than later. But at least it would be done quick." Clockwork shook his head pinching the bridge of his nose. "I don't know if I want to get it over with or wait for them to cool down a little. Though, they don't just forget about something like this easily. I'll be hearing about this from them for years, I'm sure."

The Doctor frowned, studying Clockwork's face. He seemed annoyed, angry, but above all just tired. He guessed this didn't happen a whole lot, but apparently it didn't need to for these Observants to give Clockwork hell over every slip-up. But he seemed more tired and annoyed than pitying himself. Like, this was just how it was, and he would just have to live with it. Having people like them breathing down your neck all the time could do that so a person, even a ghost.

"Why don't you just…" The Doctor started. "Run away?"

"Where to?" Clockwork laughed, but it was a hollow laugh. "They watch the Time stream just as I do, they would eventually find me. If it wasn't them, it would be one of the ghost hunters out there; there'd be no peace for because I know none of them would let me go. Besides, it's my obsession, let alone my job, to make sure the timeline stays on track." He stopped, even more annoyed. "Take away the Observants and I'd think I'd be fine."

"Then why don't you?" Clockwork started, confused and aghast. Noticed that tat hadn't come out right, the Doctor tried again. "I mean, why don't you just do this yourself, not worry about the Observants? You apparently don't like them, so why not just get away, break off and do this yourself?"

"We have a contract." Clockwork stated, staring at the ground. "They would take it as a breach of our deal, and under such guidelines set forth, they would destroy or imprison me. Whichever they deem fit."

Now it was the Doctor's turn to look aghast. "What?!" He blurted, utterly shocked. "Why? Why would that even be in a contract? What, are they scared you would- what, go rogue and destroy everything?!"

"Yes." Was his simple answer. The Doctor stuttered for a few minutes, trying to find his argument and his brain.

"What?!" He blurted once again.

Clockwork sighed, motioning the Doctor closer. "It's a very real possibility- not because I'm malevolent, but because of the power I hold," Clockwork explained in a low tone. "With my power, and the wrong intentions, I could destroy everything if not contained. Even with the right intentions, something could go wrong and I could unintentionally end up destroying the time stream, not to mention I could simply get rid of any being I didn't like if I got the thought into my head- at least, that's their reasoning, and it's fairly sound. I could. I'm connected to the very Time stream itself, and most of my power comes from it; mostly through my staff as a natural weakness that comes from having such power. It frightened the Observants, not to mention some ghosts back then whom didn't trust my good intentions to protect and appreciate my obsession, rather than use it like many did and still do. I saw their reasoning, and how the Observants had the power in numbers to take me down lest I ever did go rogue. Since I can't see my own time stream, and partially because they were offering peace and threatening my destruction, I obliged to their terms of 'employment', as they called it. Thus, the Contract." Finished, Clockwork stepped away, allowing everything to soak in the Doctor's mind.

"Well," He muttered briskly. "That's…logical, I suppose. But it seems a bit of a one-sided agreement, doesn't it? I mean, you seem to go through more trouble with them than if you hadn't agreed in the first place. That must have been…" He blew out a big breath of air from his cheeks. "ages ago! Does it still matter?"

Clockwork was silent for a moment, and the Doctor would practically hear him thinking.

"Ghosts are not creatures of great change, Doctor," Clockwork began slowly. "We are mostly constant- find something that works and stick to it, our emotions about something or someone take much long to change in option than it takes for humans to change, for most ghosts this is true. Much of what was true back then is still very true now. Many of our feelings on the matter are the same as well, save the fact I would never had thought they would be so annoying."

He chuckled, but continued. "That being so, I can still not see my future. And considering a fairly recent experience- well, I don't think I would've handled it the same had the Observants given me no choice but to kill the boy- he was going to grow into the most dangerous ghost in the Zone. Since, in retrospect- and don't tell anyone this- it could be taken as possibly somewhat my fault the whole thing occurred by trying to show them nothing was wrong with the matter at hand. Needless to say it was one of those few instances I was wrong, and I went against their wishes for the greater good, much like I did today, and now I will be held fully responsible if said boy ever goes down the wrong path." Clockwork paused. "And no, I won't explain that particular instance any further. It's not my story to tell, and even if it was, it's not a story I'd care to tell."

"Anyway, getting back to your question: Yes, I believe that, as far as things have changed in the past few ages, as you so eloquently put it, the Contract still matters and is in the right on the whole."

They walked in companionable silence for a while, the Doctor not really paying too much attention as he thought about this information. Clockwork, while paying attention enough to know where they were headed, was trying to figure out why he told the Doctor about any of this. Even Danny, who was probably the only being that even knew about any of this outside of the involved parties, hardly knew about the details, the extents of his power and the role it played, his real feelings and reasons for the contract. And yet, here was the Doctor, unattached, unimportant here, actually pulling him down from his sky-view of the parade, and that should make him mad! And it did, it did, by the Time stream, did it make him mad- but that wasn't the whole extent of it. It also made him…relived? And a bit excited, nervous, curious, maybe? Why? He had everything in his existence nailed down, lists of 'always's, 'maybe's, and 'never's to define everything. Always were the Observants annoying bystanders that kept him from getting too attached. Never was he to let anyone destroy something or someone unless it led to the best possible option in the long run. And maybe he was allowed to interfere, maybe, but only when the parade was about fall over a cliff- or something to that extent. The lists of 'always's and 'never's were simple, long, easy- comforting to time's protector. Always would Danny Fenton/Phantom become a hero- whether human, half-ghost, or full ghost. Never was he a to-the-core villain, lest he destroy everything. Always was there WWI, WWII, Pompeii erupting, the dinosaurs going extinct, and so on. Never was the Earth destroyed by Him, or Pariah, or controlled by Plasmius- no matter how hard the billionaire tried. And if those things did or didn't happen, it wasn't long before something would click, or Clockwork would nudge everything into place. 'Maybe's were tolerable, expected when there were so many possibilities. But then came the Doctor. Then came the 'I don't know's.

Then came the fear of doing something and it leading to everything breaking. The worry of not knowing anything that was to come. The excitement, though. The exhilarating excitement of not knowing, being blind but continuing on, unsure if he was doing right or wrong and really being responsible for his actions. And the Observants couldn't say a damn thing. They didn't have any authority over the Doctor, and it was he who had brought Clockwork out in the first place. And Clockwork was walking the thin line between breaking to pieces over his lists going through the shredder, and saying 'Screw it all!' before doing what he wanted, to fix everything and help. But both were dangerous. The Doctor was dangerous, knowing all of this and no-one would really be able to stop him if he wanted to turn on Clockwork, if he wanted to change something. Clockwork couldn't stop him, not now. So then why was he divulging his secrets to this man? Simple, his subconscious piped, you're both older than any human and most ghosts, and without a peer to even call an acquaintance, let alone a friend.

He ignored his subconscious though. He was not supposed to have peers, or acquaintances, and especially not friends. He was supposed to be uninvolved. It was only by meddling in his time stream that Clockwork was allowed to guide Danny.

And now was not the time to mull over that minefield. They were getting close to their destination. Turning a corner, Clockwork nodded to a hole-in-the-wall bookstore just down the street.

As they neared it, the Doctor read out the sign. "'The Sulk and Lurk.' Why do I get the feeling this isn't somewhere I'd be welcome on a normal occasion?"

Clockwork chuckled, pushing the door open. "Because half the patrons would glare you to death with that cherry-as-hell attitude you've got. It's a gothic book store and restaurant." The Doctor looked vaguely frightened at the prospect of being 'glared to death', but otherwise just nodded and followed.

Inside it was darkly fashioned as one would expect, the only truly exceptional lighting being the one on the stage and over some dark wood desks in the back next to the bookshelves. It was fairly empty, only about a dozen people, all their attire matching to the dark theme. A few gave the Doctor some glares, just able to tell from his odd clothing and the way he walked that he was nota typical part of this crowd. Clockwork, on the other hand, seemed to blend in fairly well without standing out, only being noticed because of his company. Acting quickly, Clockwork walked up to the person apparently in charge, tapping them on the shoulder. It was an older girl, maybe mid-twenties, who had been talking to two others. As she turned, he saw that her nametag read 'Ruby', and her dyed, blood-red hair was in a pixy cut, matching her thin face.

"Excuse me, is there a phone here I could use?" He asked, fully well knowing the answer. "Maybe in the back? It's a bit private."

"Oh, uh," The girl blinked a couple times, and he couldn't help but notice her blushing at both of them. "S-sure, there's a wall phone in the first door on your right in the back." She turned away to talk to two girls sitting at a table nearby, glancing back at them. "Just, don't lock the door, and don't touch anything else."

As the two of them started to move away, Ruby seemed to have a bit of an argument with the two other girls. Then she turned and stopped them, blurting out "You two aren't- you know-" She motioned between the two of them, her face going even redder.

Clockwork and the Doctor looked at each other wide-eyes, before vigorously shaking their heads.

"No, no, we aren't-!"

"No, not at all, not in the least!" The girls at the table, obviously the first's friends, giggled at their flustered replies.

"I don't mean that to be weird or anything, it's perfectly fine, I just…" She hesitated, looking back at her friends. One of them had dark brown hair in a pony tail, and nodded vigorously, shooing her forward, while the other, who had long black hair, turned bright red and slid down in her chair. Stiff-backed, she stepped forward, head down. "M-my friend, Jade, and I w-were wondering-"

"Will you go out with them?" The third girl, who had been pushing Ruby along. burst out cheerily. Ruby flipped around and glared at her.

"Shut up, Alex!" Ruby hissed, before turning back to them with a nervous smile. "Sorry, but uh- t-that's- well, what Alex said. I-I mean, Jade was wondering how you got y-your hair so white and I was uh-"

"Oh for Jupiter's sake!" Alex blew up, stepping up next to he friend, fed up with their shyness. "Ruby likes the handsome blue-suit back there," The Doctor blushed red and started to look very flustered as she said this. "and Jade likes you, mister mysterious white-haired scar-face. Now, will you go with them to the next midnight horror-show movie this Friday?"

All but Alex at that point was either beet red or otherwise at some stage of embarrassment. Clockwork was half-frozen in shock, and the Doctor only weakly smiled and put his hands up in surrender as the ghost turned to him for help, clearly not going to help in any way. 'Damnit all, Doctor!' He seemed to scowl at him. 'I'm not used to talking to normal humans!'

Turning back to them, he weighed his words carefully. "Ah, well," He started, trying to figured out what to say. "We really appreciate the offer, really, but-"

Alex seemed to deflate, glaring at them. "Neither of you are single, are you?"

"It's not that-"

"Then what the hell is the problem?!" Alex shot at them.

"Age and species for starters…" Clockwork mumbled, too low for the girls to hear. "The thing is-"

"What, you're gay?"

Clockwork huffed, glaring. "No, but if you would let me finish, I could explain." They glared at each other for a minute, but Alex eventually backed down. "Now, you two both seem perfectly nice, no matter the company you decide to keep-" He gave Alex a pointed look. "We- ah…" He paused, thinking. "We just don't have the time or inclination-" He paused, seeing Alex start to rise like a bomb ready to blow. "And my friend here just lost someone dear to him- now really isn't the best time."

Clockwork could practically feel the sadness and shock come off the Doctor, and he didn't have to look to know he had flinched. It was a low move, but he didn't want to get into yelling match with this Alex girl. The effect was just as instantaneous on the three girls. Alex lost all her anger, and the two other perked up in sympathy.

"Oh, I'm so sorry!" Ruby rushed to comfort. "We didn't know- it's okay, it's fine. We're really sorry!" She glanced at her friend and elbowed her in the side.

"Uh, yeah, sorry." Alex apologized, looking very guilty. "I didn't mean to-"

"It's fine," Clockwork interrupted, feeling the guilt build on with every wave of betrayal and sadness coming from the Doctor. Getting the man home or not, he'd beat himself up about this once he realized later how he could've handled it better.

Trying not to look at the Doctor, he pulled the man along to the manager's room, where the phone was. Just after they left, he heard Ruby start to get onto her friend for being so pushy. Clockwork sighed. Bloody train wreck, that was.

He closed the door and instead of going to the phone, he went to the wall mirror behind the desk. There was a minute of silence where Clockwork knew he should say something.

"Doctor-"

"It's fine." He interrupted, leaning on the opposite edge of the desk, shoulders slumped.

"No, it wasn't. I'm really sorry-"

"Don't be." He didn't even try to make a joke. Clockwork frowned. He didn't even know much about it, only what he'd gleaned off of the mind-exchange. But that was enough to know he had loved Rose very much.

Clockwork sighed, never having felt more guilty. Here was the bad part of getting involved- he was to blame for everything he did wrong. The guilt, especially for this, was horrible. But that wasn't to be worried about now.

"They'll probably either want to talk to you, or not even see you at all," Clockwork muttered, turning back to the mirror. "Just so you know, they've only got an eye for their head."

There was a cough that sounded suspiciously like a chuckle from the Doctor. "Cyclopes ghosts? Wait, no mouth?"

Clockwork smirked. "Nope."

"Then how- ?" He muttered. "They can talk, right?"

"Yes." Clockwork told him. "But that is something I don't even want to ponder. Ghosts work in mysterious ways." Clockwork smiled.

"Now," He continued when he saw the Doctor was getting up to stand next to him. "I'm sure you'll want to see this. Do you see a marker around here?"

They searched for one, but to no avail. "Oh well, this gets a better connection anyway." Clockwork muttered, pulling off a glove.

"What do you- whoa!" The Doctor blinked in surprise as Clockwork bit his forefinger, causing it to bleed. For a moment he was worried as to why the ghost was hurting himself like that, until he saw the glowing green blood seep from the cut.

"What- Ghosts bleed?"

"Just like humans do," Clockwork stated matter-of-factly, drawing on the mirror. "Just green ectoplasm, rather than red blood. I'd be surprised if your blood was the same in appearance as a humans, Doctor."

Just grunting, the Doctor paid more attention to what the ghost was doing, and he asked after a moment.

"It's a communication method used in older days, when normal methods couldn't be used." Clockwork explained. "This one is specifically for contacting the Observants and I, and takes a good deal of power, knowledge, and luck." He paused, studying his work. "Power to get the knowledge, and luck to make it through. You would either, A, have to have blood from myself or one of the Observants, know this symbol, and the spell for this specifically, B, know a different symbol and spell combination that has to be done at the right time, or C, yet another symbol and spell pair, a list of ingredients from all around the world, and what to do with them at the right time. They get simpler to find, but more difficult to succeed as you go down the line." He put a dot in the center of the symbol, finishing it. "Obviously, we're going with option A."

On the mirror was a perfect circle, with dash marks coming about an inch towards the center at every hour mark, all very precise. There was a single dot at the center, and four symbols or letters the Doctor didn't recognize at the noon, 3, 6, and 9 positions.

"Don't tell any being of this, unless it is absolutely necessary, Doctor." Clockwork murmured solemnly. "This is one of the best kept secrets of the Ghost Zone, no living humans know of it. Nobody will be told, neither here nor in your world. Understood?"

The Doctor blinked, and nodded seriously. "I promise, I won't tell a soul."

Clockwork nodded at him. Putting his hand right in the center of the circle, he spoke four words, none of which the Doctor recognized or could even translate. It must have been a language that didn't exist in his world, because he could translate every known language.

"Xna, Hin, Zun, Dek." He said, and the Doctor felt the power in the words as the now-dried blood turned gold, falling like sand into nothingness. After hearing them, it was almost like the power that they had been given tried to erase them from his head, but the stubborn Time Lord mind wouldn't have that. While he tried to remember the words, he stepped back, as per the look he was getting from Clockwork. The whole mirror shined gold for a second, and the picture came to focus. It was a mirror no longer. From his position, the Doctor could see only a fraction of what must have been an Observant. Green, no facial features, and wearing a white and gold robe, from what he could see. As they spoke, the Doctor took it as one of the few times it was better to keep silent.

"Clockwork," The Observant spoke, lacing his voice with anger. "I would think this meant the problem was solved, but our vision is still blocked. What has transpired?"

Clockwork instantly straightened, becoming much more formal, much more closed off. "I found the-" He paused, glancing at the Doctor. "-problem." He finished slowly. "It's a man, a being from another dimension, not human. He's not aggressive and friendly, and has told me that he had no intentions or knowledge of traveling between dimensions before or after the fact."

"And?" The Observant questioned. "You are holding information, Clockwork. A simple thing like this would not disrupt the Time stream so."

"I was getting to that." Clockwork calmly replied, but the Doctor could see the annoyance flickering underneath the mask. "He calls himself the Doctor, and says he is from a race of being that call themselves 'Time Lords.'" The Observant scoffed angrily, and seemed to shake his head in disbelief.

"A pompous title, what difference does this make?" The Observant replied, obviously not impressed.

"He does seem to have some connection to Time, I can feel it." He glanced at him again. "And he told me that his people became this way because their planet lies in a thin point of space and time, where the exposure to the Time Vortex has affected them over the generations. But he says he does not wish to tamper with Time, himself, and that-" He paused, trying not to show regret. "He also states that he is the last of his kind."

The Observant hummed in distaste. "And how did he get here?"

"As for the travel between dimensions, neither of us are sure. But his ship- cloaked as a 1960's British Police Box of all things-" The Doctor tried not to say anything; he liked the blue box the chameleon circuit had gotten stuck on. "is what he was traveling in." He stopped, hoping that that was enough. Clockwork knew if the Observants found out about the time machine, they would be absolutely livid. And as per the contract, he technically couldn't lie if they out-right asked-

"Anything to note on the ship that would affect the time stream?" Damnit.

"Well- It's a machine called a TARDIS. Time And Relative Dimensions In Space. It's-"

"A time machine?!" The mirror almost shook on the nail it hung on. The Doctor hoped nobody nearby had hear the Observant's outburst, and frankly he didn't like where this was headed either.

"Yes, a working one." Clockwork stated simply, and the Doctor could tell he was preparing for the knock back.

"This other-worldly mortal has the audacity to have a fully-functioning time machine and bring it right into the center of our time stream!? That low-life being should be punished for that act alone- you know we cannot allow this-"

"To be perfectly honest," Clockwork interrupted, polite as can be. "He is not from this dimension, and thus we cannot hold much authority over him unless he purposefully tries to derail our work, or otherwise harm the Time Stream as it is." The Observant almost started again, but he didn't let him. "What I was contacting you about really was this: the Doctor tried to go back to where the rift between the worlds was, to return home, but someone or something kept him from even leaving Earth's orbit. I was merely going to ask for a portal back so that we can deal with whatever is causing this and return him back to his home dimension."

There was a few moments of near-silence, in which it sounded like the Observant was attempting to control his temper. Clockwork glance at the Doctor once more, and this time it did not go unnoticed.

"He is there with you?" The ghost growled.

"Now? Yes, he is." Clockwork replied politely.

"Let him speak." Clockwork nodded, and moved around the Doctor so he could move to talk to the Observant.

"For god's sake, Doctor, be respectful, you don't have to deal with them afterwards." Clockwork pleaded in his ear as he relaxed, out of eyesight now.

"What, me? Disrespectful?" The Doctor asked, innocently beaming. He moved in from of the mirror then, hands in his pockets, a beaming mad-man.

"'Allo there! I've been told you're an Observant, right?" The Doctor crowed, pompous as a peacock. "A pleasure! I'm the Doctor. Sorry about this whole-"

"Quiet!" The Observant barked, glaring at him. Now that he had a better view, he saw that the ghost indeed was just an eye, no facial features otherwise, and humanoid-shaped from what he could see. The white and gold robe was right, and he had a black cape on as well.

"Well, that's not very polite…" The Doctor muttered with a disappointed frown, but let him continue.

"You 're the so-called 'Time Lord'?" The eye questioned.

"Yes, I-"

"And you came in a fully-functioning time machine, is that right?"

"Well," He drawled, running a hand through his hair. "Technically, it's a time and space machine, and the navigation's a bit knackered, not to mention it's supposed to be a six-man job, and I wasn't ever a first-rate driver-"

"Six-man vessel?" They interrupted. "Are there other's with you?"

The Doctor sobered up almost immediately. "Didn't listen, did you?'

"Doctor!" Clockwork hissed.

"He already told you- I'm the last of my kind." He put on a sad smile. "No-one else, just little ol' me, traveling the stars, running since I got off-planet."

The Observant stared at him intently, probably deciding whether or not he was telling the truth.

"Look," The Doctor deadpanned. "I didn't mean to come here. Clockwork's been a wonderful host, but I'm not that thick where I don't realize I'm really not wanted here. If it'll make his after-life easier, I'll be happy to just leave and let you lot get back to your jobs- but I can't. Something is keeping me from leaving orbit, and we really just need a way to fix whatever's causing it, and I'll be off, quick as you like."

The Observant growled, glaring daggers. "You are both just like each other- self-centered, spoiled brats! Pompous and disrespectful, I'm surprised a mortal could be so impudent! Clockwork, this was your punishment for disobeying us, and it shall remain. Find your own way back, and we may consider allowing you to have your staff. Do not report back until either this mortal mutt is gone, or you are ready to realize your mistakes and take due punishment!"

The mirror went black, a minute later returning to a normal mirror. The Doctor blinking a couple times as Clockwork moved forward to look in the mirror.

"Well, wasn't that a pleasant discussion!" The Doctor joked, smirking. Clockwork just frowned at him before sighing and stepping back.

"It went as well as was to be expected. They're a lot of hot-headed idiots. Group enough of them together and they actually pose a threat." They shared a laugh, Clockwork stopping quickly. "I suppose this means it's to plan B."

"It's a nice twist to actually be with someone that someone has backup plans." The Doctor noted with a smile. "I usually have to scrap mine half-way through and wing it."

Clockwork scoffed, actually moving to the telephone now. "Let's hope it doesn't come to that." He punched in the phone number, waiting as the phone ringed.

"Ah, who is plan B?" The Doctor questioned, standing next to him with an eyebrow cocked.

"Why, Phantom, obviously." Clockwork smirked. "Who else would help a mad man with a box and the Ghost of Time in the same sitting?"

AN: Before anyone asks, I made up that communication ritual thing on-the-spot; I mean, I was gonna use it in the chapter, I just made up the details when I got there. The words I would be Ghost Language(just cuz I love that head canon), and would translate to something like 'Midnight, Twilight, Noon, Dusk' in that order. I didn't get any part of it from anything, other than generic ritual stuff like an incantation and a symbol to be used. And you just GOTTA use blood for these things, don't cha? XD I literally just keyboard-smashed a few three-lettered words that sounded good, so if they ACTUALLY mean anything in any language, it was purely unintentional. Hope you review, and tell me what you think!