Ten years later

Jane called her the Dream Girl.

Every night when Jane slept, they would go on adventures together. Racing one another through the never ending halls a deserted library the size of a planet, dancing with twin princes in the royal court of Anjai'nger, doodling things on the Face of Boe's tank... mad, impossible things.

The dreams always started the same.

She was only aware of her heartbeat.

It was loud. Hollow and echoing in her ears.

Everything around her was so bright, as though she were in the centre of the sun.

Music.

Soft, haunting music, swirled around her, washing over her.

A quiet laugh. Soft – almost the sound of a smile.

She turned and there before her was herself, but not herself. Older, golden, so bright, so wise, and so very sad.

"Hello, Jane," the woman always said quietly.

"Who are you?" she always asked. Her other self always shook her head.

"It's not time yet, little one." The other her always reached out and took her hand. "Where shall we go tonight?" And then they were off.

And then came the morning that Jane awoke from a dreamless sleep.

And she knew it was time.

She silently got dressed, walked into the hallway outside her bedroom and vanished.

"Doctor!"

The panicked scream jerked the Doctor out of his unplanned nap. He was dazed for a moment and looked around in confusion, trying to figure out if the scream had been in his dreams or if it had really –

"DOCTOR!"

Jackie.

The Doctor leapt from the armchair and sprinted out of the room. He almost rammed into Jackie Tyler, who was standing only a few meters away, staring at a closed door.

"What is it? What happened?" the Doctor asked quickly. He put his hands protectively on Jackie's shoulders and looked her over for signs of injury or distress. Wait.

He froze and turned his head. Instinctively, he took a step back and placed his mother-in-law behind him.

"Jackie, where did that door come from?" he asked in a low voice.

"I don't know. I came outta the loo an' she was just staring at the open door. She looked at me and said sorry an' that I'd understand and then she jus'... Doctor, Rose just ran through it!"

"What?!" he stared at the door, one eyebrow cocked in disbelief. He whipped out his sonic and scanned the door, but it was just simple wood... from this side at least. Time had been that he would have jumped through that doorway without even thinking, but now...

He clenched his jaw and looked over his shoulder down the hallway.

"Go," Jackie said quietly. The Doctor looked down at her in shock.

"But..." He looked up at the ceiling desperately, hoping for some sort of answer. Sighing resignedly, he reached out and pulled Jackie towards him in a fierce hug, kissing the top of her head. "Thank you," he said thickly.

"Bring her home safe, 's all I ever ask," she replied.

"I always will," he promised. "You take care of things here for me, ok?"

"Of course! 's what I'm here for! Now go, you big half alien git. Go find my daughter and bring her back so I can have a few words with her!"

The Doctor turned towards the door and couldn't help grinning as that familiar surge of adrenaline took over. It had been way too long.

Taking a deep breath, he opened the door and stepped through.

Clara Oswald stretched her arms above her head lazily. They were drifting in the Vortex for a couple of days while the TARDIS recalibrated something or other. She wasn't really sure and never bothered even trying to understand the complicated machine. Normally, the Doctor would have dropped her off at home before heading out to the Vortex, but the kids had been a bit... much lately and Clara really could use the vacation.

She had just come from a few refreshing laps in the pool and padded silently down the hallway. She was wearing a relatively modest two piece – more sporty than seductive – and had her towel tied lazily around her hips like a sarong. Clara ruffled her hair a bit, trying to encourage it to air dry.

SLAM.

Clara froze and turned her head in the direction of the noise. Loud footsteps followed. Someone was running towards her.

"Doctor?" she called out warily. "You all right?"

No reply. Clara sighed, wondering what he had managed to do this time. She stalked towards the noise and rounded the corner, immediately colliding with the person who had been running towards her.

Clara jumped to her feet and moved back, her eyes narrowing a bit.

"Who are you?" she asked. "How did you get in here?"

The man got to his feet. He was tall and slim with brown pinstriped trousers accentuating his long legs. He was wearing a rumpled white button down with a dark blue and red swirl patterned tie hanging loosely around his neck as though he had started to take it off and changed his mind. His hair was dark brown and immaculately styled into that perfect tousled look. His face was scruffy, but in a controlled intentional way. He looked incredibly put together and incredibly casual and loose at the same time.

Basically, he was gorgeous.

Clara decided that, should he prove to not be a homicidal alien, perhaps he could stay on board. Since the Doctor was obviously out of bounds, no harm in inviting along another possibility. She was never one for an older man, but she decided she could definitely make an exception.

The man stared at her for a moment before sighing heavily and dragging his hand down along his scruffy chin.

"I need to see the Doctor," he said finally.