CHAPTER SIX

The snow was falling hard as they teleported down to the planet. Clara's eyes widened in surprise and she clutched her arms around herself, "Oh, cold, so very cold."

The Doctor's arms went around her and started rubbing hers vigorously trying to get some feeling back into them. "It's okay, don't worry. There's a heat loss filter in your hologram shell. It'll kick in, just give it a moment." He took the opportunity to pull her back into him, his arms going around her waist and she closed her eyes for a moment as the feeling of heat slowly started to spread through her, helped along by the fact that she really could feel every naked inch of him, hologram shell or not.

If he was distracted by it he didn't let on, "So, sweet little town covered in snow, half the universe in terror. Why? Why?" he was talking out loud, pondering it in his own way, so she remained silent letting him swing her around gently in his arms as she scanned the area.

"Oh, my God!" Clara cried out her eyes catching on an arm sticking out of the snow and a leaden feeling of panic settling in her stomach.

"What?" The Doctor looked everywhere but at where she was pointing, typically.

"There's something under the snow, it's..." she slipped out of his grasp and edging closer.

"What is it?" The Doctor pressed as she leant down in morbid fascination staring at the arm peeking out of the snow, as she reached out to touch it.

"It's cold." She exclaimed.

"Clara, stand back, please, come to me now." There was panic in his voice and she gave him a look that told him he was being ridiculous.

"Its fine, it's stone," she sighed with relief gripping it tightly and tracing her hand over the arm which was clearly not a frozen human as she'd feared. "It's just stone. It's only a statue."

"Clara!" he roared and she startled turning to look at him, "Step away from it, now!" He had his arms outstretched for her, but his eyes were fixed entirely on the statue. Clara moved a sinking feeling of dread filling her before the stone arm shot out and grasped her ankle firmly with inhuman strength.

"Clara Love, keep looking at it. Don't look away. Don't even blink!"

"Yes." She snapped with irritation and no small amount of panic, "I remember what to do when faced with a Weeping Angel." She hissed; staring wide eyed at the stone arm that held her ankle in a death grip, their last encounter with the Angels seared into her mind which gave a telltale twinge of remembered pain.

"Can you get your foot out?" he clutched her around the middle, tugging her backwards, desperate to free her, his panic feeding hers.

"Only if I get it out of my shoe." She managed, tugging just as violently to free it.

"You're not wearing a shoe." He reminded her, not easing up on his own grip.

"Good point." She conceded, looking down at the very real looking offending article.

"Okay, pull hard. One, two, three!" he pulled her so hard that they tumbled backwards out of the grasp of the monster, unfortunately it revealed not just one, but dozens of Angels as they began to emerge from the surrounding snow, sending her into a full on panic.

"Keep looking at them. At all of them." He had her arm tightly and his screwdriver was out as they pressed back to back, his advice was needless she wasn't taking her eyes off the damn things.

"Why are they here?" she swung her head trying to keep them all in sight, but there were so many of them all creeping closer.

"Same as everybody else. Must've got past Tasha's shield." The Doctor reasoned his head snapping from one corner to the other as ineffectually as hers.

"Clara Love, just keep looking!"

"I can't. I can't see. The snow's in my eyes." She shook her head trying to clear it.

"I just need to bring the Tardis down."

"You can't fly it remotely." She spun with him, feeling his hearts pounding against her back.

"No, but it can home in on the key." Clara had a moment to appreciate his genius before she shoved her hands into her hair and pulled free the glowing key, a smile lighting up her face even as the angels seemed to descend.

The sound of the TARDIS materialising was like music to her ears and she almost collapsed in relief as it closed around them, sealing them safely away from the Angel's grasp. The moment they were inside the Doctor's lips crashed against hers before kissing every inch of her face, as if making sure she was in fact there with him.

"I'm fine." She grasped his hands, trying to calm his manic energy, "We're fine." She added, taking in his slightly trembling form which she put down to adrenaline.

"I thought..." He whispered not able to even finish vocalising the fear she understood all too well as he clutched her face in his hands, his eyes shining.

"I know." She soothed, holding her hands over his, "They didn't, I'm here." She tried to calm his frantic heartbeats and so her own, "Doctor, I'm here." The wide eyed panic in his face didn't diminish. "Husband." She pleaded, lifting up and pressing her forehead to his. "Hush." She hadn't expected it to work, but he seemed to calm, his body lost some of the manic energy and she felt the pinpricks of his spiralling mind begin to soften out. The sound of his erratic heartbeats pounding in her ears softened until her own calmed right along with him, so they were beating as one again.

"Too close." He murmured pulling her in for an almost crushing hug, the Weeping Angels were and always would be a sore point for him she suspected.

Clara couldn't help but agree with his assessment though. "Tell me you bought us down here for a reason other than to get attacked by everything the shield failed to keep out?" The question seemed to spur him into action and he dropped a kiss to her forehead before spinning to face the console, pushing buttons.

"Of course! I'm homing in on the mysterious message now. Ooo yes, I like that," he grinned up at her "the mysterious message." He gave a little twirl of excitement as he spun across the console to the landing controls "I'm setting us down near the signal source and turning the engines on silent. Don't want to make a fuss." He explained for her benefit and she rolled her eyes, his emotional turnarounds always threatened to give her whiplash.

One benefit was now they were out of church she could put actual clothes on. "So much better." She muttered, patting down her black high neck jumper and black skinny jeans as her leather boots crunched the snow underneath.

The Doctor gave her a cursory glance, "I was perfectly happy with you naked." He winked and she slapped him on the arm, now was so not the time. He shrugged looking pleased with himself as he straightened his purple frock coat and started scanning just about everything he could, his eyes delighting over the trees that were decorated with fairy lights. If she didn't know any better she'd have said it was Christmas.

"So what do we make of this place? It's two o'clock in the afternoon. Must be very short days here." He observed the darkened sky, his screwdriver changed pitch and he followed it. "The message is coming from that tower." He pointed over to the clocktower and Clara linked her arm in his as they tried not to look like they were hurrying towards it.

Another couple were coming the other way. Of course the Doctor wasn't about to pass up the opportunity, much to her dismay he waved his hands at them. "Hello! Hello, there." He called out before ducking down to whisper into her ear, "right, we're a married couple from the next town. My name's probably Hank or Rock, something like that." He instructed grinning foolishly.

"Or Daisy?" she teased and he playfully smacked her bottom just out of eyeshot of the approaching couple.

"Watch it missy." He bit back, turning to the couple. "Hello, good to meet you. Nice snow."

The gentleman reached forward and shook their hands, "Most pleasant to meet you too."

"Most pleasant. Most pleasant." The woman beside him chirped, shaking their hands too.

He opened his mouth to make his introductions. "I'm the Doctor. I'm a Time Lord from the planet Gallifrey. I stole a time machine and ran away and I've been flouting the principal law of my own people every since." He clapped a hand over his mouth. "That wasn't quite what I was meant to say!"

Clara stared bewildered at him whilst the couple chuckled lightly. Hoping to make a better impression she opened her mouth, only what she intended to say didn't reach it. "I'm an English teacher from planet Earth; I ran off and married a man from space because I have a bit of a Saviour complex, plus he has great hair." Her own hand went to her mouth, shutting off any further words as she stared wide eyed at the Doctor beside her.

"I think, perhaps, you should stop talking till you get used to it." The woman smiled knowingly at them.

"Used to what?" the Doctor chanced.

But the woman was still smiling at Clara, "What did you say your name was dear?"

Clara hesitantly removed her hand, willing herself to say 'Clara'. "Bubbly personality masking bossy control freak." The hand went back over her mouth in mortification as the Doctor chuckled, nodding sagely, as he chanced removing his own hand from his mouth.

"I like it when she's bossy." He jerked then his head shot up as he pointed at both of them, "No, ah, I see. Yes, of course. It's a truth field." He rubbed his hands together with glee, "Oh, that is so quaint. I haven't seen a truth field in years." He grinned happily taking in the town and the couple in front of him anew as his eyes fell on Clara, "I'm really much too old for her." He quite deliberately shut his mouth, frowning.

"No one can lie in this town. Especially this close to the tower." The man informed them as they began to walk on away from them.

Bravely in her opinion the Doctor chose to speak again. "Doesn't that make life a bit difficult?

The couple answered together. "Not at all." "Yes."

"This town, what's it called?" the Doctor called after them.

"It's Christmas." The woman called back.

"It's July." He responded checking his sonic as if to be sure.

"No, the town. The town is Christmas. That's what it's called." She explained shaking her head as if they were rather sweet but dim.

"Be happy here. Be well." The man nodded taking them away.

Clara watched them go, taking in the lights and the snow and realising her initial thought had been right. "Bit strange, an entire town called Christmas."

"No more strange than a whole island being called Easter?" he nudged her smirking, "It seems nice here, I almost hate to find out what's wrong."

They made their way into the tower, heading down to the basement his sonic drawn to the source of the signal, the Doctor marched on ahead, his screwdriver out as he came to stand in front of the wall with a glowing crack in it. "There you are... what took you so long?" he whispered, staring at it in clear mortification and morbid fascination.

Clara cocked her head observing it. "Is that the same crack... the one you told me about, the one the TARDIS created?"

"Yes." He sighed, reaching out to place his hand on the wall. "I knew, I always knew it wasn't over."
"This is the crack in the fabric of the Universe." Clara edged closer, "The one that can make people cease to exist?" she grasped his arm and tugged him slightly further away from it. He gave her a fond smile but allowed her to move him away from it.

"It's a tiny sliver of the 26th June 2010, the day the Universe blew up."

Clara felt her lips purse. "Yes, still not quite sure how I missed that. Seems like a bit of a thing not to notice. I thought you fixed it though, rebooted the Universe or whatever it was you do when you're being brilliant?" she hadn't quite meant to say that last, but she was getting more used to the truth field, there was a brief pause before what you thought came out your mouth that you could censor or at least redirect if you were alert enough.

"See I knew you thought I was brilliant." he smirked wrapping an arm around her and tugging her into his side as he returned his stare to the crack.

"You blew up the Universe... don't get a big head." She snapped back, arms crossed glaring at the crack. "Why is it still here?"

"Well it's like any wound that gets closed, it's never quite the same again, the scar tissue remains. In this case it's a structural weakness in the whole universe." He stepped closer to it again, peering in. "Whoa!" he exclaimed, pointing wildly between her and it. "And someone's trying to get through it from outside our universe, from somewhere else. Of course. Of course. It makes sense."

"It does?" Clara thought he was giving the rest of them a bit too much credit if he thought she could jump onto the speeding freight train of his thoughts so quickly. He paused to stare at her giving her a moment. "Gallifrey." She whispered, recalling the dual designation for this planet. "You think Gallifrey is trying to break back into the Universe, through this crack?"

"A weakness in the shell of the Universe." The Doctor nodded.

"So the message?"

"Is from them, from the Time Lords, the truth field too at a guess. But if it's the Time Lords..." he trailed off shoving his hands in his mostly bigger on the inside pockets and rooting around until he pulled out his hand triumphantly grasping a metal badge of some sort.

"Seal of the High Council of Gallifrey. Nicked it off the Master in the Death Zone. There is an algorithm imprinted in the atomic structure, we can use it to decode the message." He pointed his sonic at the seal, setting it to detect the signal as they both huddled around it waiting.

"If you decode it, isn't this signal going out everywhere, every point in time and space? Won't they all be able to hear what it says as well?" Clara pointed out and he paused for a moment.

"Just those in range directly around this planet, which granted is pretty much everyone. Can't be helped though." He added quietly, "I need to know what the message is." He frowned listening to his screwdrivers telepathic circuits as they digested the message. "Only it's not a message," he whispered, looking up at her in awe. "It's a question."

Clara felt something leaden sink into the pit of her stomach, she remembered this particular story of his. "The Question Doctor... the oldest question in the Universe, hidden in plain sight?" he opened his mouth and she pressed her finger to his lips silencing him. "We're on the fields of Trenzalore, where no man can speak falsely or fail to answer," she glanced upwards, "A truth field, surrounded by an entire sky full of enemies, I'd say that might be incentive enough to force an answer."

"It is fate Clara. My destiny, this has always and will always happen. This is Trenzalore, the question has already been asked. I have to let it translate."

He raised the sonic and she slid her hand over his, not letting him do this alone. Together they hit the button.

The signal flowed into voices, so many voices, all of them echoing out of the crack in the Universe with singular determination to answer their question "Doctor who? Doctor who? Doctor who? Doctor who? Doctor who? Doctor who?"

"Why now, why are they asking?" Clara whispered, shaken by the eerie quality of the voices.

"A question only I could answer," he paused glancing at her and she closed her mouth, realising he wasn't the only one that could answer it. "They are searching for their home, their Universe. If I give my name, they'll know they've found the right place and that it's safe to come through."

Clara grasped his hand, squeezing it tightly. "Time Lords... all of them, back here, now?"

He looked ashen, running his loose hand through his hair. "Yes." He bit out sounding as thrilled at the prospect as she was. She knew far too much of Time Lord history and she didn't care to see it repeat itself. "And they'll bring Hell with them. There's half a Universe up there already, waiting to open fire." He admitted.

"What can we do?" she pressed, not used to this deflated side of him, he was normally bubbling over with ideas.

"Go back to the TARDIS." He handed her the emergency relocation device. "Put this in the console."

"Not a chance in hell." She bit out, feeling more than a little bit angry at the suggestion that she cut and run. "I am not leaving you." She grasped his face in her hands. "Never." She forced his wandering eyes onto hers.

"DOCTOR!" Tasha Lem's voice rang through the chill night air and Clara startled. "Speak with me!" The Doctor kept her hand firmly in his as he pulled them both up the stairs and out into the bell tower looking out over the village, the giant holographic face projected out and hung like a moon in the sky, its eyes fixed intently on them.

"Tasha." He called back, "Lovely night for a game of twenty questions isn't it?"

"If you speak your name, the Time Lords will return." Tashsa snarled the truth bluntly, the threat obvious to all assembled both on and above the planet.

"If they return, they will come in peace." The Doctor tried, clearly knowing it was futile even as he did so.

"It doesn't matter. They will be met with a war that will never end. The Time War will begin anew. You know that, Doctor." Tasha declared and Clara felt his grip on her hand tighten as he dropped his head a fraction.

"They're asking for my help!" he shouted back, imploring her.

"And if you give it, war will be the consequence. I will not let that happen, at any cost. Speak your name and this world will burn." Her threat was stark and Clara whitened, she'd seen that burnt world once before.

The Doctor stood straight dropping her hand and fixing his bowtie as he stared down the Mother Superious "No, this planet is protected." He made his own threat as he turned and grasped the bell chord, setting the bell ringing violently. In moments he was flying down the stairs and Clara watched from above as residents began to gather beneath the Tower. He opened the doors wide and strode out, the very picture of confident swagger. "So you lot, quick word if you would, thank thank you. Spot of news. Christmas has a new sheriff. Hello, everyone. I'm the Doctor."

Above Clara watched as the Papal Mainframe broadcast its next message across the sky in plain text which the TARDIS matrix was clearly translating for her as she gripped the wooden edge of the bell tower tightly.

'The Papal Mainframe has undergone an unscheduled faith change. We are now dedicated to the cause of Silence. The Doctor will not speak his name, Silence will Fall! This planet remains under our protection, none shall pass."

"Well that's comforting." Clara muttered, turning away from the words hanging in the sky like a giant 'no vacancy' sign and headed back down to the basement of the tower and the crack in the wall. She crossed her arms staring at it intently and wondering just how it was her Doctor was supposed to get out of this alive with any face.

The Doctor found Clara at the base of the crack head resting against the wall, eyes closed. She looked so peaceful sitting there, but he could tell from the rhythm of her heartbeat echoing through his mind that she was anything but. He stepped into the room and her eyes opened onto his as he came to stand in front of her.

"What are you going to do?" she asked quietly.

"What I must. I will not let this town burn, I will not let my people burn." He replied firmly.

Clara nodded at him, although what she was thinking was being kept tightly within her own mind behind a brick wall.

"I suppose we have some idea of how you gain another regeneration at least." She pointed her thumb at the crack and the Time Lords waiting beyond it. "After all, this should be your last face right, that's what you said. You can change twelve times, thirteen versions of you?" he nodded, she always was a good student. "The War you added a number and then there was Ten's vanity issues which cost you a face." She sighed, he apparently always had been her least favourite

"It seemed worth it at the time." He sighed, wanting to touch her as reached his hand out for her, he never had enjoyed distance between them, whether temporal or physical. She grasped his hand letting him pull her to her feet and into his arms. "This should be the last face, the last version of me. This is where I end up, this is where I die." He admitted. "Even if I go on, somehow I have to come back here. My tomb must always be here."

"You've changed time before." She let him pull her into his embrace, his hands tracing through her hair as he sighed, inhaling the feint apple scent of her shampoo.

"Yes. And the Universe up and cracked on me." He muttered.

Her head rose to his, her eyes narrowed, "And what about all of this, what you've been doing with me? Doesn't this count as changing time, you changed our future, your own."

"To prevent something terrible from coming to pass." He explained.

"Your death is something terrible." She argued, blinking back tears. "Change it." He closed his eyes pressing his lips to hers.

"I've changed enough," he admitted, cradling her face, "more than I should have," he continued, opening his eyes to brush his thumb across her lips. "I shouldn't have been able to have this, have you..." her golden brown eyes were wide and unblinking up at him, he could stay forever in her gaze he realised, which was of course part of the problem. "My wife." He sighed his fingers sliding to her temple; it was a cruelty he knew, one she should never forgive him for as he slid into her mind, pinching a nerve cluster and feeling her slip into unconsciousness, he caught her deftly, lifting her to cradle her slight form in his arms.

The Doctor stood before the crack, his wife in his arms, wondering how it was he'd come to this, how he stood between his people and the Universe once more. Only this time he had something to loose, something he couldn't bear to. He turned his back on it for the moment, stalking out into the snow of the town that he had resolved to remain in until this un-winnable situation reached its end. The TARDIS door's flew open for him as he carried Clara inside, he didn't want to do this, which was why he ultimately knew it had to be done. Of course with Clara there was always a risk, he had taught her much, too much in fact. Carefully he laid her down on the floor of the console room, and brushed his mind against hers. He'd done all of this to save her, he wouldn't fail at the last hurdle. Couldn't. The suggestion was simple, he left the impression in her mind that he was just outside the TARDIS doors, that she could still reach him if she hurried after him.

His lips met hers for what he feared would be the last time as he hugged her closely, trying to engrave her face, her smell, her laugh, her smile into his memory, knowing this might be the last time he'd get the chance... in this body at least. "I love you." He kissed her forehead and pulled away, placing the emergency return protocol into the centre console.

"Take her home Old Girl. Make sure she's safe and then return for me." He patted the console and with one last lingering look at her still form laid out on the floor he turned and left as the TARDIS engines engaged carrying her away.

Clara awoke suddenly, shooting up and startled to find herself in the console room of the TARDIS, her eyes shot to the panel, it held the emergency return protocol. The sound of the door slamming reverberated through her mind as the TARDIS console started up, preparing to spirit her away. Clara shot to her feet, he wouldn't do this... she wouldn't let him. She charged for the doors barreling out of them at a full on sprint, shouting his name to call him back. The moment the light hit her she realised her mistake even as her feet fell on the soft green grass instead of snow covered ground. Her apartment complex that she hadn't spent more than a few weeks in for the past few years loomed large.

"No... oh God no." Clara turned in time to see the TARDIS beginning to dematerialise even as she ran back towards it, her key already in hand. "No, don't you dare, no!" she screamed slamming the key home in the transparent lock and holding onto the handle for dear life as she and it dematerialised.