"If you think you're tired imagine how Clara's feeling," the Doctor remarked as he half carried-half guided Star to her room.

"I just thought it would be nice to do them while we remembered to go," She countered, yawning half way through her sentence.

They had a couple of short adventure with Clara lately, Star had been insistent that they kept the adventures up for Clara, despite the woman always seeming tired or stressed.

They'd been tied up to some pillars on a desert planet, sweating as the twin suns poured down on them, it would have been easy to get out had Clara put on the correct jacket with the vibro cutters. But they had managed with a bit of fussing and struggling, Star had managed to get free, gone to the TARDIS gotten the spare vibro cutters to get them free before the sand piranhas reached them. Star had insulted the natives, so it was her fault they had gotten into the mess.

They had also gone to see fish people under water, literally underwater on a planet completely underwater, with tunnels for people to walk through to look at the beauty of the planet. All was going well until Star had insulted the locals.

They had also gotten fired at by a group of soldiers because Star AND the Doctor had insulted them, but what kind of soldiers fired at people just because of a silly little remark?

Each time, Clara was dressed up as though ready to go out on a date, which she had been doing. Going on an adventure, getting dropped back to her flat and then going out in a date a few minutes after, sometimes not even going to her flat, getting dropped straight off at the venue for her date.

"She hasn't complained about being tired yet anyway." She mumbled.

This was her way of letting the woman know that she knew she was always busy with her boyfriend and was on purposely keeping both lifes separate, they knew nothing of her boyfriend and she assumed her boyfriend knew nothing about them.

One day she would win and the two separate lifes would merge together.

"I think I'll be the first to complain," the Doctor grumbled.

~.~

They materialised the TARDIS in Clara's flat and the woman ran straight in. "so, where we off to?"

"Clara," the Doctor greeted, "you look lovely today. Have you had a wash?"

"Why are you being nice?"

"Because it works on you."

"Listen," Star cut in, "there's no trip today. We're really busy. May take a while."

"Busy how?" she asked.

"Just...busy," she moved the scanner out of the way.

"You're being mysterious, and do you know what that means?"

"We're mysterious people," the Doctor remarked.

"Hmm. It means that you are very clever people making the mistake, common mistake very clever people; of assuming that everybody else is stupid. Where are you going?" she tried to grab the scanner but Star switched it to a view of the galaxy.

"If you weren't stupid you would have known I would do that," she stuck her tongue out.

"We're just doing some undercover stuff," the Doctor tried waving her off, "deep cover."

"Can you do deep cover?" Clara asked.

"What do you mean?" he looked insulted at that.

"Have you seen you?"

"Of course I can do deep cover."

"Where, the magic circle?" she giggled.

Star snapped her fingers, opening the TARDIS doors, "we'll see you when we see you. Goodbye, Clara."

Clara snapped her fingers and the doors closed, "when's that?"

This time the Doctor snapped his fingers opening the door, "when we see you."

"Hmm. Hmm." Clara eyed them both closely, "I'll be sure to have a wash."

"Excellent." The Doctor nodded, "I was meaning to bring it up."

Clara shut the doors as she left, opening them again, pointing at her eye, showing that she was watching them before leaving again.

Star got the scan back up to show East London, more importantly, very close to Clara's school. They'd found a bleep, they didn't know what it was yet, but it was close, all they needed was to go undercover at Clara school and get close enough to whatever it was they needed to get rid off.

~.~

Star grinned as she and the Doctor stood waiting for the secretary for the Head Chair man and Coal Hill school allow them to speak to Mr Chesterton himself. They thought it was best to make an appointment with the man.

"Mr Chesterton!" Star cheered.

"Yes…?" the man eyed them both as he sat at his desk. "How may I help you?" he raised an eyebrow at them. The man was quite tall with greying hair in a dark suit while the girl had bright ginger hair with a green corset and a bowtie…? Very strange the teenage fashion was these days, it was much better in the 60's.

"I have heard so much about you!" she eagerly shook the mans hand, "you don't know me but you knew me niece. She went by the name Susan Foreman."

"Yes?" the man continued to eye her. There was no possible way Susan Foreman was her niece, at least not the one he knew.

"Been a long time Chesterfield." The Doctor grinned at one of his first companions.

Mr Chesterton began to smile at that, now knowing who the man before him was. The only man in the universe to call him that, "it can't be…Doctor?" he gasped.

"Chesterfield." He nodded, shaking his hand, "you haven't changed."

"Gotten old." He shrugged.

"Well it has been 50 years." The Doctor shoved his hands in his pockets.

"So it has. Still a grumpy, stubborn old man?"

"Yes!" Star answered for him.

"Im sorry," Ian turned to her, "you said…"

"Ian, meet Star." the Doctor introduced.

The man's mouth fell open, "you're the shining star we've all heard so much about?"

"That depends how much you know?" she smirked.

"Yes. Susan said you were her favourite aunt. Apparently you were the most fun." He shook his head, "so what can I do for you?" the Doctor he knew would never drop by just for a social call.

The Doctor smiled as he told the man about their plan and what was needed to be done.

Ian had been all for their plan, as long as they stuck to it.

~.~

So there they were undercover at Coal Hill School. Well, the Doctor was. Ian had offered Star a place as a student for a long as needed, so she was used the name Nicola Smith again as a student who was here for a few days and the Doctor was the caretaker.

She was very amused by the Doctor's idea of deep cover; all he had done was change his coat, thinking she wouldn't recognise him. At least she had put the school uniform on.

He had just introduced himself to the other teachers in the staff room as she wonder down the corridor, passing Clara and another teacher, Danny Pink, Clara new boyfriend.

"Morning, miss. Sir." she smiled politely, passing through the middle of them as they stood discussing the Doctor.

She chuckled to herself as Clara stared after her, "I have, er, left some marking," Clara told Danny, "assembly. Chip chop. Off you pop. Catch you in a bit. Excuse me." Star stood out side the staff room grinning at Clara as she approached, "what are you doing?" she hissed.

Star merely walked into the staff room as the Doctor looked at a plan of the building; he quickly pocketed it as they entered. "So, you recognised me then." he remarked.

"You're wearing a different coat," Clara countered.

"I said it was a stupid cover," Star sighed.

"Why are you here?" she looked between them, "where's Atif, what have you done with him."

"He's fine," Star waved her off, "hypnotised. Thinks he's got the flu...and a flying car...and 3 wives. I might have gotten a bit carried away. He's fine though! Promise."

"Is it aliens? Oh my god. Is that why you're here? Are there aliens?"

"Its assembly," the Doctor said, "you'd better get going. Go and worship something."

"Are there aliens in this school?"

"Listen, it's lovely talking to you, but I've got to get on. I'm a caretaker now. Look I've got a brush."

Clara turned to Star, "Star, is there an alien in this school?"

"Yes," she nodded, "2 of them, we call them Time Lords. We're here, we're aliens."

"The walls need sponging and there's a sinister puddle," the Doctor added.

"You can't do this," Clara shook her head; "you can not pass yourself of as real people among actual people."

"I live among otters once for a month. Well, I sulked."

"We had a fight," Star explained, "I won, of course. So I made him live with Otters for a month."

"Human beings are not otters!" Clara cried.

"Exactly," the Doctor snapped his fingers, "it'll be even easier."

"Ok. One question. And you will answer this question. Are the kids safe?"

"No." Star answered, "Nobody is safe."

"But soon the answer is yes, everybody is safe," the Doctor added, "If you let us get on. Now, pretend you don't know us. Stay out of my way. The less you know the better. I'll explain later. Go and sing with the otters." he walked off.

"Hate you," Clara grumbled.

"Doesn't everyone?" Star countered.

"It's a perfectly normal reaction." the Doctor agreed.

"Come on, miss. It assembly." Star led Clara off.

She hated this plan; he had sent her back to school. She hated school, she already knew more than Clara, she'd punch him if she ended up corrected the teachers every hour. She wasn't even needed to be here, see could easily stay in the TARDIS and keep her eye on the area. It would be a lot safer if she did that than hiding in a school, learning things she had known for centuries already.

~.~

Star was completely bored as she sat in Clara's English class as one boy, Kelvin, read Pride and Prejudge out loud. She'd gotten the fact wrong, it was written in 1796 but Clara had written 1797 on the board, but Star was too bored to correct her, not even listening as Kelvin read, drawing a small sketch of the Pandorica on the inside cover of the book.

She only perked up as the Doctor climbed on a ladder at the window behind her. Clara stood on the spare chair to speak with him, clearly annoyed they were at her school.

"Can I help you, Mr Smith?" she asked him sweetly.

"Wrong," he stated.

"I'm sorry."

"On the board. Wrong. Wrong."

"Oh no, no, no. You don't do this: you are the caretaker, this is not what you do."

"Just taking care."

"Not your area!"

"Jane Austen wrote Pride and Prejudice in 1796."

Clara cleared her throat, addressing the class who watched in amusement, "this is Mr Smith, the temporary caretaker, and he's a bit confused."

"Not in 1797," he continued, "because she didn't have the time. She was busy doing all..."

"Oh what? I suppose she was your bezzie mate, was she? And you and your daughter went on holidays together and then you got kidnapped by Boggons from space and then you all formed a band and met Buddy Holly."

"No, miss," Star called, holding up the book, "it says in the bio at the back of the book."

Clara gave her an unamused look, "Get down." She glared at the Doctor.

"Boggons?" he frowned.

"Go." The bell rang, signalling the end of class. "Right that it. Well done, Kelvin. Get going. See you all in a couple of days. Thanks very much."

"Miss, what about our homework?" Kelvin called as Clara hurried out the room.

"Who asks for homework?" Clara appeared back at the doorway, "amateur."

Star quickly got up to follow Clara as the Doctor climbed back down the ladder.

She passed Clara as she was stopped by a tall boy, she headed over to the Doctor as he spoke to two male teachers, one Star knew was Clara's boyfriend, Danny and another one with floppy hair and a bow tie, he was someone in the English department.

"Of course Danny Pink here is your man, Mr Smith," the man was saying as he and Danny spoke to the Doctor, "5 years military experience, sergeant, here and Afghanistan, so electrics, boilers, if you need a hand, give him a dot."

"I've helped Atif with a couple of things," Danny agreed.

"I'm sure I won't need you, Sergeant." the Doctor waved him off, "Fully qualified," the box sparked, "You best get back to your PE class."

"Oh, I teach maths."
"Do you? What, in emergencies?"
"No. I'm a maths teacher."
"Yeah, he's a maths teacher." The other teacher nodded. Glass broke in the distance, "Mohammed put that down." He hurried off.

"How does that work?" the Doctor frowned, "What if the kids have questions?"
"About what?" Danny shook his head.
"Maths."

"I answer them. I'm a maths teacher."
"But he said you were a soldier."

"Yeah. I was a soldier, now I'm a maths teacher."
"But what about all the PE?"
"I don't teach PE. I'm not a PE teacher."
"Sorry, that seems very unlikely."

"Er, excuse me." Clara cut in, setting a watering can down, "Mr Pink, I think class 9M4 are waiting. And St…Nicola," she corrected herself quickly; "don't you have a lesson?"

"Um…" she rummaged in the school blazer pocket, looking at the piece of paper with the classes Ian had set her in. she had asked for lessons were she wouldn't end up having to correct the teachers, basically no physics lessons. "Maths in class 9M4. Oh, that's with you Mr Pink." She grinned at him.
"Yes, you better run along, Sergeant." The Doctor nodded, "That ball isn't going to kick itself, is it? "
"I'm not a PE teacher, I'm a maths teacher." Danny told him.
"Nope, sorry. No, I can't retain that. I've tried. It's just not going in."
Danny shook his head and left. Star turned to follow when Clara grabbed her arm.

"Don't even think about trying to annoy him…threaten him…or…anything." She warned.

Star looked insulted, "what do you take me for, Miss Oswald, it's not like a have a dagger under my school uniform," she chuckled to herself as she left. Leaving Clara talking to the Doctor as he finished sorting out their plan.

"Oh, Star," the Doctor called after her, "put this above that door as you enter." He handed her a small black device.

"Um, what is that?" Clara asked, eying the device.

"Sorry, cant talk. I have a lesson to go to, miss. Best not be late on my first day." Star smiled as she turned and followed Danny off to the Maths classroom.

~.~

Danny turned back to the class as he finished his diagram on the board. A right angled triangle, labelled A, B, and C. Pythagoras' theorem and they were finding the hypotenuse. Star mentally groaned in boredom. They did Pythagoras' theorem as a fifth year notice when they were 12 years old. It was easy yet the class of 15-16 year old humans were having trouble understanding what they had to do.

"Ok," Danny clapped his hands together, "if two sides of a right angled triangle are 4cm and 7cm, how do we find the hypotenuse?" Blank faces, "we did this yesterday. Look back in your books." The children looked in their books, still blank faced.

So Star raised her hand, hoping that if the question was answered they would be able to actually do some work.

"Yes!" Danny pointed at her, "Nicola, wasn't it?"
"Yes, sir," she nodded.

"Go on."

"AB2 = 42 + 72.

So AB2 =16 + 49.

So then AB2 = 65.

So the hypotenuse is 8.1cm to 1 decimal place."

"Yes!" Danny exclaimed, very excited that someone had answered him and gotten the answer corrected. Although hearing the answer seemed to perk the kids up a bit, all murmuring that they knew the answer but found it too easy to need to answer it.

Humans.

~.~

'Star, where are you?' the Doctor called to her.

'In Geography, bored out of my mind.' She replied, sitting tapping her pen and the teacher drawled on. The only good thing was the next to her, Courtney Woods or something, she made the lesson more interesting by disrupting the teacher.

'Well I need you back in the TARDIS.'

'Give me 5 minutes.'

She pursed her lips, thinking of a way to get her out of the lesson; she only needed something simple, that would get her gone for just a few minutes that wouldn't cause any suspicion. Simply asking to go to the toilet wouldn't work, the teacher didn't let them leave the lesson, the teacher wouldn't believe her if she said she felt sick, spilling the bottle of water that the girl next to her had on the table could work but was too boring. Now, a nose bleed that would be fun. She pulled a face, straining as she tried to make her nose bleed, smiling to herself as it work. she never normal did something like this, but it didn't mean she couldn't and she did love the attention it got her.

"Miss!" she called, holding her nose for added affect, "I have a nose bleed. Got any tissues. Its quite bad."

Courtney grimaced, and moved her chair back.

"Oh!" the teacher blinked, "no...go and get some from the caretaker. Courtney go with her."

"No! I can manage by myself." But Courtney was already up, more than happy to get out of class early, even if it was because a weird girl got a random nose bleed. She closed her eyes as they headed to the caretakers room, the Doctor would not be happy with her bringing a human with her.

"Now we're in business." Star heard the Doctor as he entered the TARDIS, "Let's see the lie of the land. Time to see what's going on."
"Hello?" Courtney called, barging into the room, "Oi. What are you doing? Are you in there?" she frowned at the TARDIS as green light flooded out of it.
Star rolled her eyes, knowing the Doctor was pretending he wasn't there in hope the girl would leave, "there was a bit of a spillage in Geography. Not my fault I had a nose bleed and the teacher didn't have anything to clean the blood up with."

'Couldn't think of a way to get out without bring a pudding brain with you?' the Doctor asked Star and he came out of the TARDIS.

She shot up an apologetic grin, 'best way to get out.'

"cant you read?" he asked.
"Course I can read." She scoffed, "Read what?"

"The door. It says, Keep Out."
"It says, Go Away Humans." Star corrected, stepping back to look at the sign 'You lost your temper in the middle of writing it.'

"Right," he nodded, looking at the sign, seeing Star was correct.
"What were you doing in there?" Courtney asked, "What's that box?"
"The caretaker's box. Every caretaker has their own box."
"It says Police."
"Exactly, there's a policeman in there, in case of emergencies and children." He handed her a pack of blue paper towels, "Towels, there, go."
"What was that green glow? There was a green glow coming from in there. What was it?"

"Of course there was. What's a policeman without a death ray?" the bell went signalling the end of class, "Oh, listen, there's the bell. Off you go. Haven't you got shoplifting to go to?"

"I'm going to tell the Headmaster."
"Oh, yes, fine." The Doctor said, trying to get rid of the child, "Well, run along, you're running out of time. "
"For what?" she frowned.

"Everything. Human beings have incredibly short life spans. Frankly, you should all be in a permanent state of panic. Tick tock, tick tock."
"You're weird."

"Yes, I am," the Doctor nodded, "What about you?" he asked her.
"I'm a disruptive influence." She grinned smugly.
"Good to meet you." he shook her hand, mockingly.
"And you." she mimicked him.
"Now get lost."
"Okay. Thanks for getting my out of lesson, Nicola." Clara entered as she left, "Hello, miss. Love to the Squaddie."
"Sorry," Clara blinked, "what did you say?" she turned to the Time Lords, "What was she doing in here?"

"I had a nose bleed in Geography." Star told her.

"Were you THAT bored?"

"Yup!"

"Now, I imagine you have many questions." The Doctor remarked, "Fire away. We won't answer any of them."
"What were they like?" she asked.

"What were who like?"
"The others before me. Did they let you get away with this kind of thing? This school is in danger."
"Well, it's lucky we're here, then."
"From you."
"Me?"

"Both of you."

"Us?" Star frowned. "Whoa, whoa, whoa…me?"
"You wouldn't be here if there wasn't an alien threat nearby." She commented, "Your strategy for dealing with it involves endangering this school."
"You don't know that." The Doctor shook his head.

"Maybe I just wanted to see an old companion." Star defended.
"I don't know anything because you haven't told me anything," Clara continued, "Which means I wouldn't approve, which means you are endangering this school." the Doctor flashed the sonic, revealing a green globe, "What's that?"
"It's a scanner. I'm scanning." He said. "Why do we keep you?"

"Because the alternative would be developing a conscience of your own or Star'll end up killing you," Clara replied her eyes on the scanner, "Scanning for what?"
"Any alien technology in this vicinity should show up." the Doctor told her.

"I used to have a teacher exactly like you once." Star remarked to her.
"You still do." Clara bent forwards, looking closer at the scanner, "Pay attention."

The scanner showed a creature in a machine, similar to Davros in a way.

"What the hell is it?"
"A Skovox Blitzer." The Doctor explained, "One of the deadliest killing machines ever created. Probably homed in here because of artron emissions. You've had enough of them in this area over the years. There's enough explosive in its armoury to take out the whole planet."
"Then leave it alone."
"Sooner or later it will creep from its hidey-hole and some military idiot will try to attack it." he turned the image off, "The world is full of PE teachers." He walked into the TARDIS, Star and Clara following.

"So, your insanely dangerous plan is…?" Clara inquired. The Doctor held up a digital watch with a metal bracelet. "A new watch. Tiny bit disappointed."
"Just watch," Star grinned, and the Doctor put the watch on, pressing a button, disappearing.
"Doctor?" Clara called, "Oi! Ow! Did you just flick my nose? You're invisible. Ha, ha! Oh, my God, that's incredible."
"Correct. I am invisible and I am incredible." The Doctor spoke, though they couldn't see him, "It's simply a matter of reversing light waves. Hang on, I'm coming back."
"All right, where are you?"

"Other side of the console," Star laughed, leaning back, and Clara realised the Doctor was behind her, because if he wasn't then she should have fallen back unless she had some really good balance, which wasn't possible since half the time the girl ended up tripping down the steps and landing on her face.
The Doctor reappeared behind Star, just as Clara thought, "So, I give the Blitzer a tiny whiff of non-threatening alien tech, I lead it back here, but I don't want it to scan me, hence invisible."

"We." Star corrected, they had two watches, if he didn't want her to go with him then he shouldn't have made another watch for her. Well, he shouldn't have left the supplies out for her to make her own watch. Well, he shouldn't have left the supplies in a place she would find them, which he had locked in a chest under the console. Still, she had her own watch so she was going too.
"So you're, you're leading the thing here?" Clara asked, not liking that part of their plan, "To a school? My, my school?"
"My school? Oh, that is telling. This is the only suitably empty place in the area. I've set up a circle of time mines around the school. Chronodyne generators. Bit unstable." He threw Clara one of the generators, "I switch them on, the Blitzer gets sucked into a big old time vortex, billions of years into the future. It's dead easy. Tiny bit boring. I'll need a book and a sandwich. Star'll have time to sharpen her dagger."
"You're not doing this alone." Clara shook her head, handing him the generator.
"We don't need you this time, Clara." Star told her.

"We'll see you tomorrow." The Doctor turned to her, "We'll go somewhere nice. Ancient Egypt. Crocodilopolis. They worship a big crocodile there, so the name is a useful coincidence."

"And it's not the ticking crocodile, I already check." She pouted; she had been disappointed that it wasn't the crocodile from Peter Pan. She loved that croc, he was so adorable.

"Go and canoodle with your boyfriend." The Doctor smiled at Clara, "Come on. I wasn't born yesterday. Far from it."

"Really?" Star frowned, "you like him."
"You did recognise him." Clara gasped.
"Possibly reminded me of a certain dashing young time traveller." He nodded.
"Oh, of course you recognised him. Im Sorry. Stupid. I, I underestimated you."
"It's easily done. There's a lot to estimate."
"And you, you like him?"
"Yes, I like him very, very much. Go home and canoodle. Doctor's orders. Come on."

"No!" Star cried, "I don't like him. Don't canoodle him!"
"Just this once, I'm doing what I'm told." Clara grinned.
"Oh, sing hosanna." The Doctor smiled.
"Ah. So easy." She left the TARDIS.

"How can you like him?" Star glared at the Doctor.

"What's not to like," the Doctor shrugged, "bowties a bit embarrassing, but still…"

Star stared at him a moment before shaking her head. He thought it was that Adrian teacher, but she knew it was Danny, she'd seen when they went to see Clara with their coffee before the Dalek incident, she had been talking to him and they organised to get a drink and the man was similar to little Rupert and Orson. Oh, Rupert must have been little Danny, and he changed his name to become Dan the soldier man.

~.~

That night, the Doctor and Star snuck through the town, following the sonic's trace for the Skovox Blitzer, following it to an abandoned building, sharing a smirk, they activated their watches, going invisible and entered.

"Where are you?" the Doctor flashed the sonic around, the Blitzer activated, sensing them, "gotcha, lets dance."

"And we are off!" Star grinned, as they ran back to the school, the Blitzer following them, able to see their footprints.

"Come on, come on," the Doctor opened the main doors of the school, "Gangway! Not far now. Come on."
"Nine stop parsing data pursue." The Blitzer stated.
"Bingo."
"Target reacquired."
They led it into the school hall, the generators the Doctor had planted around the school now flashing red instead of the green they were supposed to be.

"What?" Star reappeared, "no!" as did the Doctor.

"Range one point four nine scan complete problem, problem." The Blitzer announced.
"Listen." The Doctor tried reasoning, "We're unarmed. We're peaceful. Don't you understand? We know that you shouldn't be on this planet but we can help you with that."
"Problem solution destroy."
"I want a word with you." Danny entered the room.
"Not now!" Star snapped at him.
The Blitzer turned to him instead, "Problem solution destroy." He shot at Danny who dove out the way.

"No! Keep away from me!" he picked up a chair to defend himself.

The Doctor flashed the sonic, creating a yellow vortex, sending the chair flying into it. "Temporal disrupt." The Blitzer announced as it was sucked into the vortex, as was Danny, "Warning, warning. Temporal failure."
"No!" Clara ran in, grabbing hold of Danny, "No, no, no, no! Doctor, stop! Star!"
"Warning system failure. Abort. Abort." It was sucked into the vortex, the Doctor quickly closing it.
He picked up the generator Danny had dropped, "Oh, oh, well done, PE, brilliant work. What's this? A chronodyne generator? I'll just deactivate that, shall I? I've got a swimming certificate so that qualifies me to meddle with higher technology. Never mind that some people are actually trying to save the planet. Oh, no. There's only room in my head for cross-country and the offside rule."
"Danny, what are you doing here?" Clara asked him.
"I was checking up on him." Danny glared at the Time Lords, mostly the Doctor, "He's been up to something, fiddling with the electric, but what the? No. What? Did you see that thing? Tell me you saw that thing."
"I saw the thing, yeah. Doctor, are we safe? Is the planet safe? It's gone?"
"Yes, yes, yes, yes, for the moment." The Doctor nodded, "But the thing is, you see, the chronodyne generators have to be precisely aligned to generate the vortex. But the sergeant here, he went and moved one."
"But the chronodyne worked. It's gone."
The Doctor checked the sonic, "But not far enough. The vortex will open here again, but not in a billion years."
"Then when?"
"Er, 74 hours. Three days? Three days to think of something new because now it knows what to expect. Now it has scanned me and it will kill me on sight, thanks to PE here."
"Clara, why are you talking to him like that?" Danny looked at her, "Why are you using words like chronodyne? Was that thing a space thing? Oh. Oh, my God, you're from space. You're a spacewoman. You said you were from Blackpool."
Clara looked between Danny and the Doctor and Star, she had tried so hard to keep her two lifes separate, "It's a play! For the summer fete."
"It's a what?" Star blinked.
"Yes, it's a play. Shut up, it is a play."

"You told me to shut up," She turned to the Doctor pointing at Clara, "she told me to shut up!"

"I heard her." He nodded.

"We are rehearsing a play." Clara continued, "Shh, shh, shh, shh. A surprise play. And, er, you see, the vortex thing is, is a lighting effect. Very clever. And that thing is, is one of the kids. In fancy dress. Really, really good fancy dress. "
"How stupid do you think I am?" Danny frowned.
"Well…" Star debated whether to say anything or not.
"I'm not a moron, Clara. And he's not the caretaker. He's your dad. Your space dad."

"Ew!" Clara grimaced, "no! Oh, god no! Definitely NOT my dad!"
"Oh, genius." The Doctor rolled his eyes, "That is, that is really, really brilliant reasoning. How can you think that I'm her dad when im clearly her uncle."

"He's my dad!" Star corrected, "Clara's my cousin! Well, actually, technically my sister-in-law, so, in reality…" she trailed off, "Right, I'm going to hypnotise him. I'm going to erase his memory."
"Star, stop!"
"It won't hurt him."
"He's my boyfriend."
"I'll let him remember you."
"He's my boyfriend." She repeated, "I thought you'd figured this out."

"I did. I don't like him."
The Doctor, however, blinked, "Him?"
"Yes, him." Clara nodded
"No, he's not."
"Yes, he is."
"Yes, I am." Danny agreed.
"But he's a PE teacher." He frowned, "You wouldn't go out with a PE teacher. It's a mistake. You've made a boyfriend error"
"I am not a PE teacher. I am a maths teacher."

"You're a soldier." He countered, before looking at Clara, "Why would you go out with a soldier? Why not get a dog or a big plant?"
"Because I love him!" Clara cried.
"Is this part of the surprise play?" the Doctor wondered
"There is no surprise play." Clara sighed.
"Oh, it's a roller coaster with you tonight, isn't it? What about the handsome one, the one with the bow tie?"
"Who? Adrian? No, no, no. He's just a friend and not my type."

"He was your type at Christmas," Star reminded her.

"Not helping." Clara hissed at her.
"Clara, are you going to explain any of this?" Danny cut in, "Who are these people? Why do you keep calling her Star?"
"The Doctor and Star are…"
"Go on…" Star gestured her to continue, curious as to what she would say.
"Yes, explain." Danny nodded, "Who are they? Why have you never mentioned them?"
"Because they are aliens."
Danny blinked, he was not expecting that, he just assumed they were just distant relatives who were a bit weird. "Er, are you an alien?"
"No, no, no, I'm still from Blackpool. The three of us, we travel through time and space."

"Exhibit A." the Doctor announced, pulling back the curtain on the stage, revealing the TARDIS.
"It's called a TARDIS, but it's disguised as an old police phone box." Clara explained, rushing over.
"She's bigger on the inside," Star added.
"And it's bigger on the inside than the outside."

"And she's a she."

"And she's a she."
The Doctor pushed the doors open, "Voila."
"And we travel the universe in it."
Danny leaned in, seeing that it was bigger on the inside, "And what about that thing? Did you bring that here?"
"No. we're going to protect you from that thing." The Doctor remarked.
"You said it was coming back."
"Yes, it is coming back, thanks to you." Star crossed her arms.
"This is a school. We have to evacuate, call the Army." Danny decided.
"And that is the dangerous and stupid." The Doctor muttered.
"Are you sure you don't want me to hypnotize him?" Star asked again, "I can make him adore you."
"Yes." Clara huffed.
"But we need to get help." Danny argued, "This is an emergency."
"Look, take him away." The Doctor said, "Shut him up, shut him down. Up or down, it doesn't matter to me. I've got a lot of work to do. Again."
"Will you be okay?" Clara asked them.
"Why wouldn't we be okay?" Star countered, "we were perfectly fine till you two blundered in."
"Am I just being ignored?" Danny shook his head.

"Yes."
"Come on, Danny." Clara helped him out the room, "It's all right. Come on, it's all fine. You'll be okay. Let's er, get those legs moving. That's it, down those stairs. Yep, that's it. This can all be explained and everything will be fine."
"And when this is all over, you can finish the job." Star called after her.
"How do you mean?" she frowned at them.
"You've explained us to him. You haven't explained him to us. We want answers."

"Afternoon." The Doctor greeted as Clara entered the TARDIS later that day. They had managed to work on a back up plan, or more the Doctor had and was busy working on it as Star sharpened her dagger, "Thanks for keeping out of my way. You haven't brought Dave with you, I hope."
"His name's Danny." She corrected, "And no, I haven't. I've er, I explained it all to him. He gets it. He took it really well." She glanced at Star, "you're gonna break that if you keep sharpening it."

"It needs to be sharp," Star whispered. "Its safer sharp than blunt."
"Pass me that synestic." The Doctor called.
"So, when the Blitzer comes back, are you going to catch him with that?" Clara asked, handing him the synestic.
"It'll be a long, fiddly job. It's going to take me at least 24 hours. Even longer if people keep talking to me, so do keep going."
"If it comes back Thursday night, are you sure about that? Cos you said the chronodyne is unstable."
"If you want bother someone, go and bother PE."
"He's a maths teacher." She told him.
"That's a shame, I like maths."

"I don't like him," Star stated. "He'll hurt you and he won't be able to make it up to you."

"He's different than others."

"He's a guy!"
"But he's not a soldier," Clara said.
"Interesting." The Doctor mused out loud, both he and Star about to feel in presence.
"What is?"
"I'm bored!" Star jumped up, "Let's go somewhere fun. What do you say? Do you want to see the Thames frozen over?"

"Oh, those frost fairs." The Doctor smiled, running around the console with Star.
"But you can't." Clara pulled a lever down, trying to keep them there, "The Skovox thing."
"It's a time machine." Star reminded her, "We can get back straightaway, like we always do on your dates. Just make sure you don't get yourself a tan or anything, or lose a limb or die. Although you wont die, because you know I wont let that happen."
"I don't think we should, not this time."
"You've never said no before." She pouted, "is something the matter?"

"Not even in the middle of dinner." The Doctor added, "Remember when you had to eat two meals in a row?"

"I just think, with the school in danger…" Clara began, before seeing Danny appear behind the Time Lords, "Danny…" she hissed.

"They already know I'm here." Danny remarked, "That's why they're talking like that. They're being clever."

"I'm insulted that you think we're that stupid." Star stuck up her nose, "that I'M that stupid."
"Now you mention it, being a Time Lord, we can feel a light shield aura when it's right next to us." The Doctor told her.

"I feel it stronger than HIM, though. Oh," she turned to the Doctor as a thought hit her, "maybe that's why I keep getting headaches. Because the other Time Lords in the Pocket Universe keep trying to get hold of us…" she trailed, if that was true then she would have always been able feel them in her mind so it couldn't be that. Unless…no, she couldn't get her hopes up. Though she did need to have a word with Mr Chesterton and maybe his wife.
"Oh ho, ho. Time Lord? Might have known." Danny muttered.
"Might have known what?" the Doctor turned to him.
"Well, the accent's good, but you can always spot the aristocracy. It's in the attitude."
"Danny…" Clara warned.
"Now, Time Lords, do you salute those?"
"Definitely not." The Doctor glared.
"Ah. Sir!" Danny saluted.
"And you do not call me sir."
"As you wish, sir. Absolutely, sir."
"And you can get out of my TARDIS!"
"Immediately, sir."
"Doctor, this is stupid, this is unfair." Clara huffed.
"One thing, Clara. I'm a soldier, guilty as charged." He admitted, "You see him? He's an officer."
"I am not an officer!" the Doctor snapped.
"I'm the one who carries you out of the fire. He's the one who lights it."
"Get out!" Star roared,
"Right away, ma'am." Danny mocked, "Straight now?"
"Get out!"
"Am I dismissed?"
Star lunged at Danny, and would have possibly killed him had it not been for Clara, holding her back, "I will kill you!"

"Look at them, right now." Danny smirked, not at all afraid of Stars threat, not believing a child would kill him, "That's who they are. Soldiers. And I bet that the Doctor is the reason his daughters one too." He left the room.

"On balance, I think that went quite well." The Doctor remarked.

Clara just shook her head at them, finally letting go of Star, who ran straight out the TARDIS, forcing Clara to follow, scared for Danny's life. "Star!" she pulled the girl back, "stop it!" she glared at her before going after Danny.

"Humans," the Doctor sighed, "we will ever learn?"

Star glared out the door. "He's going to die." She stated.
"What's in the box?" Courtney asked as she entered the room, "It's not really a police box, is it?"

All the anger Star had was gone as she turned to the girl, "you're good at sneaking around."
"You want to know what's in that box. I'll tell you what's in that box. It's a time machine. It also travels in space. And it usually contains a man who just wants to get on with his work of preventing the end of the world, with his daughter, but keeps being interrupted by boring little humans."
"Cool. So, that's really a spaceship?" she grinned, entering.
Star pulled her back by her collar, "look, seriously, we need to be alone to try to save the planet. Can you please leave us alone?"

"End of the world for me tonight, whatever you do." Courtney grumbled, "Parents' evening."
"Is your name really Disruptive Influence?" the Doctor asked her.
"Courtney Woods. Can I go in space?"
"We may have a vacancy," Star told her, "but not yet."
"Now, leave," the Doctor ushered Courtney out. "2 days," he nodded, "we can do it."

"Course we can." Star smiled encouragingly, "we make a good team."

~.~

They were nearly there, just needed a few more finishing pieces but it was almost ready, they would manage to finish it for 2 days time…until the scanner beeped, signalling the vortex was opening today.

The Doctor dropped the tool box he was carrying and ran to the scanner, "no, no, no, no, no." he grabbed the pack and ran out.

"You finish that. I'll get Clara," Star ran off to the gym where parents evening was taking place.

Star stood at the doors, trying to get Clara's attention. She waved, trying to be discreet; unfortunately Danny had spotted her and ran out with Clara.

"What's happening?" Clara demanded as they met up in the playground.
"The vortex is opening." Star informed her.
"You said Thursday night." Danny reminded her, "Right, hall, quick."
"PE, shut up." the Doctor glared at him, "Clara, it'll scan the area. If it gets to parents' evening, it'll kill them all."
"We've got to evacuate."
"Shut up!"
"Quickly. What do I do?" Clara asked.
"It'll be here any second. Get to the hall." He handed her the sonic, "Give it some squirts of helicon energy, setting number 41. No more than three seconds each, random pulses. Distract it, then you lead it away from the hall, give me two minutes."
"Then what?"

"Just run straight to the TARDIS."
"But your gadget isn't ready yet." Danny shook his head, "24 hours, you said."
"Yes, well, I've revised that down to two minutes. Probably. Clara, go."
"On my way." She nodded, running off.

"Be careful," Star shouted after her, "don't die!"
"You're using her like a decoy?" Danny frowned
"No, she is a decoy."

"Don't they teach you anything at stupid school?" the Doctor scoffed.
"Well, is there anything I can do?" he asked, trying to be helpful. It was obvious that Clara cared for the Time Lords, the least he could do was help.
"Yes, this is very important," Star said calmly, "Leave us alone!" she barked as they ran to the TARDIS.

Clara ran inside the caretaker cupboard, the Blitzer right behind her, "Problem solution destroy. Destroy. Destroy." It blew the door up.

"Doctor, now!" Clara cried, dodging the hit, "It's got to be now!"
"Twenty seconds." He murmured, typing on the keyboard on the pack.
"Destroy. Destroy." The Blitzer fired around the room.
"Doctor!" Clara screamed.
"Am I green?" he asked quickly, "Am I green?"
"Yes!" Star shouted, "Its green."
The Doctor spoke through the microphone connected to the pack, speaking to the Blitzer, "Stop! Skovox Blitzer!
It stopped firing, "Awaiting orders."

"Superior Skovox Artificer. Analyse stop analyse stop."
"Superior recognised. Pattern one, one. Orders, orders."
"Why's it listening to you?" Clara asked.
"Listening to its superior." He told her, "This is a rough copy. It thinks I'm its general." He spoke back into the microphone, "Initiate input. Commence shutdown protocol. No conflict. Conclusion?"
"Problem solution." The Blitzer stated.
"Conclusion."
"Final input code missing. Emergency terminate. Initiate self-destruct in 9, 8…" its eyes turned from blue to red.
Star groaned, closing her eyes, "input code. We forgot the final input code."
The Doctor frantically typed away on the keyboard.
"7, 6, 5…"
"Do it now!" Clara cried.
"I need time. Distract it!"
"Oi!" Star shouted, "Robot! Over here!" She telepathically threw random objects at the robot.
"3, 2, 1…" the Blitzer turned to Star, ready to fire…she lifted her chin up not bothering to try to move, willing to let it fire at her to give the Doctor more time. If it helped save the world, she was completely willing to die.
"Oi, Skovox. Over here." Danny called, turning off the invisible watch he had on somersaulting over the Blitzer.
"Under attack." It fired above as Danny narrowly missed the hits.
"Artificer, Artificer," the Doctor continued, "Stop. Confirm stop override final input code."
"Code accepted. Abort self-destruct. Orders accepted "Stop, stop, stop." It powered down, Star dropping the object to the ground.
"Oh, my God!" Clara breathed, hugging Danny, "Oh, my God, you were amazing! Oh, my God, you were so brilliant."
"Well, yeah, I was okay, wasn't I?" Danny shrugged her off, "I was behind you every step of the way. Had to make sure you were safe." He looked at Star, "You okay?"
"Fine." She grumbled. "I was handling it just fine."
"Of course you were," Clara rolled her eyes at the girls stubbornness.
"It's all right, it doesn't matter." Danny turned to her, "I don't need them to like me. It doesn't matter if they like me or hate me; I just need to do exactly one thing for you. Doctor, am I right?"
"Yes." He nodded.
"What?" Clara shook her head, "What one thing?"
"I need to be good enough for you. That's why they're angry. Just in case I'm not."
"Stars always angry," Clara told him before turning to the Time Lords, "he did just save the whole world."
Star shrugged, "not bad. But will you die for it?"

~.~

The Doctor threw the Blitzer out of the TARDIS door in space, "that's him taken care of," Star grinned, smugly, "have a nice war, Skovox Blitzer."

"So, Courtney Woods, impressed yet?" the Doctor smiled at Courtney.
"Actually, I'm feeling a bit ill." She admitted as she held to the doors.
"Ah, it can be a bit overwhelming. But look." He pointed to the distance, "The Olveron Cluster. A million stars, a hundred million inhabited planets."
Courtney gagged and ran off.

"Better clean that up, caretaker" Star nudged him.
"Ah, yes." He straightened up, "There has been a spillage."

"That's what you get for wanted to be a caretaker."

"I hate you," he grumbled.

"Everyone does, dad," she patted his cheek. "Now go and clean that up before it starts to smell."

Guest: I can say Star will regenerate by the end of this series 😈