The Paternoster Gang had been gone for a few hours after having been summoned by the police. The Doctor and Sherlock were also missing, but Clara was sure they would turn up soon.

Clara was rummaging through the cabinets when John finally woke up. "Good morning," she called out to him as he entered the kitchen. "Vastra left some biscuits out on the table, and I'm making tea."

He grabbed a biscuit and ate slowly. "Where is everybody?" he asked.

"Vastra, Jenny, and Strax are out with the police, and who knows where the Doctor and Sherlock are," Clara answered.

The kettle whistled, and Clara picked it up from the stove and poured the tea. She handed a cup to John, who took it gratefully. As he sipped, Clara studied him. He was cute, she realized. Against her will, the blood rose up in her cheeks. She turned away quickly, hoping he wouldn't see.

"Sherlock said that the Doctor's trying to track down the assassins," John spoke, breaking the silence.

"This is getting messy," Clara sighed. She finished her tea and rinsed the cup out. John moved to do the same, but Clara took it out of his hand. "Here, let me."

Their fingers brushed each other softly. Clara's heart beat faster in her chest. She marveled at how quickly she had fallen. Just last night, her heart had felt broken. Somehow, John had known exactly how to patch her up. But of course, we're exactly alike, Clara thought.

A banging echoed through the silence. It sounded as if the front door had been broken down. Clara sprang into action, grabbing a knife and sprinting towards the door. John followed suit, and Clara smirked despite the situation. He hadn't even questioned that her first instinct had been to run straight towards the danger.

The door had been forced open, just as Clara thought. She raised her knife towards the figure in the room, who only held their hands up in surrender. It took her a second to recognize the assassin. "Who are you?" she demanded. "What do you want?"

It was then that Clara noticed the scratches covering them. John's warm hand grabbed hers and gently pried the knife away. The alien posed no threat to them. Clara could see the fear in their eyes.

"I'm Gorgo Amorian, and my sister sent me to find you," they (He? Yes, probably.) answered.

John set the knives on the desk and knelt in front of Gorgo. "We should really get those cleaned," he said softly.

"Did she send you to kill us?" Clara asked, though she could tell the answer would be no.

As expected, Gorgo shook his head. He pulled his cloak tighter to him as he answered. "Alsa, my sister, found your friends. They agreed to help us escape Dadre."

"Did she do this to you?" John asked in horror. Gorgo nodded timidly. "Your own mother?"

"She's not my mother," Gorgo hissed. "Alsa promised me that we would find a new mother."

"We have biscuits," Clara said. "Are you hungry?"

Gorgo's eyes lit up as he nodded. John took his arm and led him into the kitchen, where he sat and ate. When Gorgo had settled, he took Clara's hand and pulled her into the other room.

"He's only a child," he whispered. His eyes held so much hurt as he spoke. "He's just a kid, and that murderer is forcing him to put himself in danger to kill for her."

"It's okay," Clara said softly, reassuring. "We've got him now."

John nodded. "That was some pretty impressive instincts back there," he said. "You reacted faster than me, and I was a soldier."

"I feel like a soldier sometimes," Clara admitted. "I've fought people. I've saved others. And I've been captured plenty of times."

Her eyes were drawn to his lips. He was standing close, and even though it had only been a few days, Clara was already used to him. Fighting aliens has a way of drawing people together. She leaned forward slightly, holding her breath. After a moment, John leaned in the rest of the way and captured her lips with his.

It was a short kiss. John pulled away quickly. "I'm so sorry," he said quickly. "I have no idea what came over me."

Clara smiled. "It's alright," she replied. She leaned in, about to kiss him again when she heard movement in the kitchen. "We should get to the TARDIS," she said instead.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

The moment he saw John and Clara enter the TARDIS, Sherlock knew what had happened. He could tell by the way they looked at each other. Making a mental note to talk to John about it later, he turned his attention to Alsa Amorian.

The alien ran forward to embrace her younger brother. It was easy to see that the kids had been through hell. Hopefully, it was all over for them now.

John, ever the Doctor, fussed over their injuries. The aliens took an instant liking to him, despite the fact that they had been trying to kill him yesterday.

Alsa broke away from John and approached him. "Mr. Sherlock," she began. She reached into her pocket and pulled out a blowdart in a plastic bag. "I nicked this from Dadre. The tip is covered in enough poison to kill her," she whispered.

Sherlock accepted the dart and quickly put it in his coat pocket. He checked to make sure the Doctor hadn't noticed. He hadn't. He was wrapped up in trying to get the TARDIS to charge faster. It was almost sundown. Sherlock was just as anxious as he was to leave. "Thank you," he replied softly.

"Use it as a last resort," she instructed.

Sherlock nodded. Despite her upbringing, she had a stronger moral compass than he would have thought. Perhaps it was because of her upbringing. She had been abused and forced to kill, and now she sought to cause as little pain as possible.

The dart felt heavy in his pocket. This was a game changer. If his plan started to fall apart, he had something to fall back on. For the first time since leaving the hospital, Sherlock let himself relax.

He turned his mind back to John, who kept stealing glances at Clara. When this was all done, she might be the only girlfriend Sherlock could stand. She was interesting, and she certainly wasn't trying to settle down. No, Clara was trying to live the same dangerous life as John. She may be good for him, Sherlock wondered.

The lights flashed on, and the TARDIS hummed to life. The Doctor gave an exclamation of excitement as he set about entering time coordinates. Clara left John's side and gathered the kids. She sat with them and held tightly. Taking the opportunity, Sherlock crossed the TARDIS to John. "She'll be good for you," he said very softly.

A large smile broke out over John's face. "Thank you," he replied, equally as soft.

The TARDIS lurched. Sherlock grabbed the railing to keep himself steady. "I don't think it's supposed to do that," he muttered. John only laughed. The Doctor didn't seem to notice as he danced about the console. "It's been a while since I've been to Raxacoricofallapatorius. More than a thousand years in fact. However, it's only been a few years for the family we're about to visit. I hope," he added under his breath.

As they landed, the familiar whirring echoed through the room. "This will only take a moment. Alsa, Gorgo, come meet your new family."

With the Doctor gone, Sherlock pulled out the dart to show John and Clara. "Back-up plan," he explained.

To their credit, neither of them questioned him as he returned the dart to his pocket. Clara nodded in understanding. "I won't tell him," she said.

The door swung open, and a very smug Doctor waltzed back in. "Well, that was easier than I expected. I've always said that a little anticlimax is good for my heart. Now, next question- how do we find Dadre?"

"We visit the morgue," Sherlock answered. "Molly should have the body of her latest victim by now. That might provide me with an idea."

The Doctor nodded and set in the coordinates. As he watched, Sherlock slipped his hand into his pocket and felt the dart. The Doctor was a hard man to read. Would he be furious if Sherlock used the dart, or relieved? While he hoped he wouldn't have to find out, it didn't hurt to be prepared.

The TARDIS lurched again. Excitement and relief washed over Sherlock. He was glad to be back in London. Now it was time to catch a murderous Raxacoricofallapatorian.