The Idiot's Lantern, Part Three

Clara had no idea what to do. The Doctor had just stranded her in a random neighborhood and ran off to who knows where. Eventually, she decided to head back to the TARDIS. On her way, she passed Magpie's TV shop. Something weird was going on, so Clara, being the curious woman she was, went in. Magpie was fiddling with something behind the counter, but looked at her when the door bell alerted him of her arrival.

"Oh, I'm sorry, Miss," Magpie said nervously. "I'm afraid you're too late. I was just about to lock the door." Clara, guard up, walked slowly around the shop, looking at the retro TVs.

"Yeah? Well, I want to buy a telly." She countered, fingers brushing the controls on a telly. Magpie looked distressed.

"Come back tomorrow, please." He practically begged. Clara raised her eyebrows. Something was definitely going on around here.

"You'll be closed, won't you?" She reminded him. He looked confused and distracted.

"What?"

"For the big day?" She elaborated. He looked at her blankly. "The coronation." Magpie nodded, waving his arms around.

"Yes, yes, of course. The big day." He turned back to whatever he was fiddling with. "I'm sure you'll find somewhere to watch it. Please go." Clara scowled, put off. He was clearly hiding something, and Clara was betting that it had something to do with the faceless people. There just couldn't be two mysteries going on in one neighborhood.

"Seems to me half of London's got a television, since you're practically giving them away." She said casually, biding her time. Magpie shrugged.

"I have my reasons."

"And what are they?" She pressed, feigning disinterest. Suddenly, one of the TVs turned on. A woman's face was on the screen. Just her face. She looked upset.

"Hungry! Hungry!" The TV woman moaned. Clara's eyes widened.

"What's that?" Clara asked, half pointing at the TV. Magpie, looking more nervous than ever, swallowed hard.

"It's just a television. One of these modern programs." He wrung his hands together. "Now, I really do think you should leave. Right now!" He was practically pushing her out the door, but she held firm. She wasn't going anywhere until she found out what was going on!

"Not until you've answered my questions.," she insisted, hands on hips. "How come's your televisions are so cheap?" Magpie looked everywhere but her face.

"It's my patriotic duty. Seems only right that as many folk as possible get to watch the coronation. We may be losing the Empire but we can still be proud. Twenty million people they reckon'll be watching. Imagine that. And twenty million people can't be wrong, eh, so why don't you get yourself back home and get up, bright and early, for the big day." He opened the door for her. She shook her head, her ponytail whipping around her head.

"Nah, I'm not leaving till I've seen everything," she said. She eyed the woman on the telly. There was something wrong about her.

"I need to close," Magpie stated. Clara was starting to lose her cool.

"Mr. Magpie, something's happening out there. Ordinary people are being struck down and changed, and the only new thing in the house is a television. Your television. What's going on?" She snapped. Magpie searched for a reason, but came up with nothing. He sighed, giving up his charade.

"I knew this would happen," he muttered. "I knew I'd be found out." He locked the door to the shop. Clara's breath hitched in her throat. For a moment, she thought he was going to kill her. She took a breath, trying to rebuild her courage. Or, at least, feign bravery.

"All right, then, it's just you and me." She raised her eyebrows again. "You going to come clean, then? What's really in it for you?" Magpie laughed humorlessly.

"For me? Perhaps some peace." Clara was feeling even more worried.

"From what?" She asked cautiously. Magpie pointed to the woman on the TV.

"From her."

"That's just a woman on the telly. That's just a TV program." Clara explained, her stomach twisting. In her gut, she knew that she was wrong. That woman was probably extremely dangerous.

"What a pretty little girl," a woman's voice chilled Clara's bones. She whipped her head around, eyes wide as she looked at the TV.

"Are you talking to me?" She demanded. The woman on the telly smirked.

"Yes, I'm talking to you, little one." She said snidely. "Unseasonably chilly for the time of year, don't you think?" Clara tugged at her cardigan.

"What are you?" She asked. The woman became angry.

"I'm the Wire, and I'm hungry!" White energy crackled around the TV before jumping out and attaching to Clara's face. She grabbed at it, unable to grasp anything.

"Magpie, help me!" She shrieked, scratching at nothing. "Help me!" Everything around her was going black, the energy getting hotter.

"Doctor!" She cried in vain. "Doctor, help me!" She stumbled backwards, through the door and into the street.

Lalala

The next thing Clara knew, she was in an unfamiliar room. Frantically, her hands flew to her face. She felt her cheeks and nose and eyes, relieved to find them there. She hadn't any idea what had happened, but she was fairly sure she had become one of the faceless people.

"Doctor?" She called, looking around for him. She didn't know where she was, and she was scared. Being lost was her greatest fear. "Where am I?"

She moved to the door, letting herself outside. She spotted the Doctor on the street, running in her direction.

"Doctor!" She cried, running towards him. Even while running, Clara could tell that he looked relieved.

"Clara! You're okay," he said, pulling her into a hug. She squeezed him tight. "Thank God, you're alright." She buried her face in his shoulder, simply enjoying holding him.

"What happened?" She asked, voice muffled by his shoulder. Not letting her go, he explained how he had found her, faceless, in the street and had done all he could to fix it. He told her how he had captured the Wire on tape. She smiled, so happy that everything was fine.

"I love you," she told him sincerely. He smiled, hugging her again. She frowned, disappointed that he hadn't said it back.

Later, they were at a street party celebrating the coronation.

"We could go down the Mall, join in with the crowds," Clara said, as they walked hand in hand. The Doctor shook his head.

"Nah, that's just pomp and circumstance," he told her. He gestured around them. "This is history right here." Clara smiled, thinking about earlier.

"The domestic approach," she said. He grinned, looking down at her.

"Exactly."

Clara was quiet a moment. "Will the Wire be trapped for good on that video?" She asked. The Doctor shrugged.

"Hope so. Just to be on the safe side though, I'll use my unrivaled knowledge of transtemporal extirpation methods to neutralize the residual electronic pattern." Clara laughed outright, giggling at the techno babble.

"You what?" She asked through the giggles. He chuckled.

"I'm going to tape over it." He said. She held out her hand.

"Just leave it to me. I'm always doing that." He smiled and handed her the tape. She slipped it into her purse.

They walked over to Tommy, who was standing next to the Doctor's scooter as he watched Mr. Connolly leaving their house, bags in tow.

"Tell you what, Tommy, you can have the scooter. Little present. Best, er, keep it in the garage for a few years though, eh?" The Doctor said. Tommy half smiled and nodded. The Doctor traced his gaze and saw Mr. Connolly climbing into a car.

"Good riddance." Tommy muttered. The Doctor frowned.

"Is that it, then, Tommy? New monarch, new age, new world. No room for a man like Eddie Connelly." Tommy nodded firmly.

"That's right. He deserves it." Clara knelt down next to him, hands on her knees.

"Tommy, go after him." She told him. He looked at her like she was mad.

"What for?" She gave him a look.

"He's your dad," she reminded him. He shook his head.

"He's an idiot."

"Of course he is." She agreed. "Like I said, he's your dad. But you're clever. Clever enough to save the world, so don't stop there." She nodded towards the car. "Go on."

The Doctor and Clara watched Tommy run over to the car. Clara laid her head on the Doctor's shoulder, arm linked around his. She was still upset that he hadn't said "I love you" back, but she shoved that into the back of her mind. She concentrated on enjoying what she had right now.

And what she had right now was pretty great.

A/N: I hope you enjoyed this chapter and this whole episode! I really loved writing it. Leave me a review and let me know what you thought!

Until next time!