After dropping Adam off, Klary left the Doctor and companion for the kitchen. She wasn't sure of the last time she ate, but she was sure it had been a few adventures ago. If her memory served her, the last she had anything was in 1953. The cake and juice long digested. It wasn't much of an odd occurrence for her to go without food. Before her arrival, the brunette had survived mainly on snacks and alcohol- once she was legal that is. Prior, her mother had her on a strict diet. A practically vegan diet; no outside food allowed. She had decided to go vegetarian at her own insistence. That decision ruined by a vindictive mother.

That was where the Doctor found her, stood in front of the open fridge as she debated on what to make. With nothing in mind, she groaned and closed the refrigerator. A squeak of surprise as she turned and found the Time Lord leaning against the table with a smile on his lips. Hand over her heart. An eye roll as she glared at him. No heat behind it. "Don't do that!"

"But it's fun."

"Doctor…"

"I know. Now, when'd you last eat?"

"Been a very long while."

"Why didn't you say anything?"

"Not like you didn't try. Last time, I left as future you and I were heading to the kitchen. You were going to make me something."

"Was I? Well, I suppose I should do that then. Sit."

"How about I help?"

"Nope. I'm sure I remember how to cook."

"Doc-"

"Relax. Make your tea."

Klary sighed and did as told. She watched as he moved about the kitchen. Eggs, toast, tomatoes, cheese, and spinach. As it cooked, he pulled out cut pineapple, mango, and blackberries. Klary smiled as he placed all her favourite fruit in a bowl and placed it before her. She slowly worked through the fruit as he finished up the rest of her food. A look of accomplishment as he plated everything and placed it before her.

"Are you going to eat too?"

"Not right now. Never know when you're going to pop off."

"When was the last time you ate, then?"

"We went out to eat not long ago."

She hummed. "Can't wait."

"It was a very nice dinner."

"Any running?"

"No. Just a quiet dinner."

She nodded. A groan left her at the first bite of eggs. It had been nearly three years since she'd had eggs. A bad experience at university had turned her off. Once someone tells you to open up a fertilised egg and dump it down the drain, it changes how one looks at things. Even if she knew eaten eggs were unfertilised. She still couldn't bring herself to do it.

"I know you have a thing with eggs, but I figured the protein would help."

"Yeah," she shrugged. It was a quick meal, and with all the running they did, it made sense. "I appreciate it." She gave the Time Lord a smile as she finished the last of the toast. "It was good. Thank you."

"Of course. Now, Rose is asleep but I want to take you somewhere."

"The dishes."

"I'll wash them later."

"You mean, you'll leave it for the Tardis." She crossed her arms. "It won't take that long."

A frown marred her face for a moment as she recalled her last words. She probably should have just gone with him, but the brunette was raised to clean up her mess. As the Doctor had cooked, she had to clean up. It was just something she always did. She planned to make it up to him when she returned.

When Klary looked around, she found herself in the console room to see the Doctor at a chalkboard. She softly smiled as she watched him speak to himself. She watched at he bent down to pick up the piece of chalk from the floor. As he turned, she launched herself into his arms.

"Hello, love."

"Hi." She pecked his cheek. "What are you up to?"

"Let's get Clara."

She pouted. Pulled back a bit to play with the lapels of his coat. "Can't it wait a bit? Long enough for a shower?"

"You do need one."

"Are you saying I stink?"

"Washing your hair?"

"Don't try to change the subject."

He huffed a sigh. "No. You don't stink. Based on what you are wearing, you just came from Satellite Five. It was hot and from what I remember, I fed you and you left."

"Nice save, handsome." With a smile, she gave him a quick kiss and rushed off to her room. Her action all she thought of as she showered.

Grime gone, and in a clean outfit, Klary returned to the console room. Cheeks heated when she saw the Time Lord had actually waited for her before flying off. She wanted to apologise for the kiss, but her embarrassment kept her from doing so. She would rather put the thing behind her. As long as he didn't mention it.

When they reached, the Doctor latched onto her hand and pulled her out and into Clara's room. He looked around. Called out for the companion but received no answer. He turned to Klary, asked her if she knew where the teacher was.

"She's on a date, hun."

"Is it going well?"

Klary rolled her eyes. "Not the point."

"Yes it is," he said as he sat at the companion's dressing table.

Before she could reply, they heard the front door open. In the other room they heard things clanging as she placed things down. Things were silent for a few moments before she heard the sound of Clara walking towards the room. Klary moved beside the Doctor as the bedroom door slammed into the Tardis. She shook her head with a small smile as he told her to squeeze through.

"Doctor?"

"Am I just chopped liver?" the brunette joked. Clara gave her a terse smile.

"Why do you have three mirrors? Why don't you just turn your head?"

"What are you doing in here?"

"You said you had a date. I thought I'd better hide in the bedroom in case you brought him home. Bit early, aren't you? Did it all go wrong? Or is this good by your standards?"

Klary slapped the Doctor's arm. She swore he could be such an insensitive swot. With an eye roll, she turned to Clara. "How was the date?"

The companion huffed but answered the woman's question. "It was a disaster and I am extremely upset about it." She turned to the Doctor. "Since you didn't ask." Clara collapsed onto her bed and curled up into her pillow. Klary moved to her side, sitting beside her and began to rub her back.

"That's Klary's job. Besides, I need you. For a thing." He stood from her dressing table and went to the Tardis. Door open and half of his body already in.

"I can't."

"Oh, of course you can. Come on, you're free. More than usually free, in fact."

Clara had picked up her phone and stared at it. "No, it's just possible that I might get a phone call."

"From the date guy? It's too late. You've taken your makeup off."

"She hasn't," Klary said at the same time Clara said, "No, I haven't. I'm still wearing my make-up."

"Oh, right. Well, you probably just missed a bit. Come on, come on, come on, come on."

"Rude," Klary said as she was pulled into the Tardis. Clara groaned and followed them in, shoes in hand.

"I haven't actually said yes."

"Your presence says otherwise," Klary replied with a smile as she motioned to the other woman.

"Yes, you know sometimes when you talk to yourself. What if you're not?"

"Not what?"

"What if it's not you you're talking to? Proposition. What if no one is ever really alone? What if every single living being has a companion, a silent passenger, a shadow? What if the prickle on the back of your neck, is the breath of something close behind you?"

"How long have you been travelling alone?"

"Perhaps I never have." He showed her the blackboard. Stared expectantly at her as she looked at it. Klary watched from the table behind her.

"It looks like your handwriting."

"Well, I couldn't have written it and forgotten, could I?"

She chuckled. "Have you met you?" Klary nodded her head in agreement. She moved to his desk and sat in the chair. Book were strewn atop it. Books and papers. "What's all this?"

The Doctor walked over and leaned against an arch. "Dreams. Accounts of dreams, by different people. All throughout history. You see, I have a theory."

"I'll bet you have. What theory?"

"I think everybody, at some point in their lives, has the exact same nightmare. You wake up, or you think you do, and there's someone in the dark, someone close, or you think there might be." He grabbed Klary's hand. "So you sit up, and turn on the light. And the room looks different at night. It ticks and creaks and breathes. And you tell yourself there's nobody there, nobody watching, nobody listening, nobody there at all. And you very nearly believe it. You really, really try. And then…" Pulled her into his arms for a moment before he pulled her down the stairs. "There are accounts of that dream throughout human history. Time and time again, the same dream. Now, there is a very obvious question I'm about to ask you. Do you know what it is?"

"Have you had that dream?"

"Exactly."

"No, that was me asking you. Have you had that dream?"

"I asked first."

"No. I did."

"You really didn't."

"Enough, children." Klary moved from the Doctor's arms and looked between the two. Arms folded. "One of you answer the question and we both know who it's going to be."

"Okay, yeah. Probably. Yes. But everyone dreams about something under the bed."

"Why?" The Doctor asked as he grabbed Clara's hands. When he got her to the console, he pushed her fingers into the squidgy section. "Just hold on tight. If anything bites, let it."

"What is it?"

"Tardis telepathic interface. You are now in mental contact with the Tardis. So don't think anything rude."

"Why not?"

"It might end up on all of the screens. The Tardis is extrapolating your entire timeline, from the moment of your birth, to the moment of your death."

"Which I do not need a preview of."

"I'm turning off the safeguards and navigation. Slaving the Tardis to you. Focus on the dream. Focus on the details. Picture them, feel them. The Tardis will track on your subconscious and extract the relevant information. It should be able to home in on the moment in your timeline when you first had that dream. And then… we'll see."

"What will we see?"

"What's under your bed." He pushed the lever and set the Tardis into motion.

"Oh!"

"Okay, now don't get distracted. Remember, you are flying a time machine." He walked towards her. Klary remained in her spot and watched. A smirk on her lips as Clara's mobile began to ring. The Doctor walked around the console. "No, no. Don't you dare! No, don't. Don't, don't. Just-" he grabbed her phone and tossed it- "ignore it."

Clary looked at the other woman, a cheeky smile on her lips as the Tardis landed. "Bit late for that."

"Don't need your commentary, Ree."

"Okay, that's good. That worked. We're here."

"I think I got distracted."

"No, no, no, no, no. The date's fine. Come on."

"Come on where?"

"Your childhood." The Doctor walked out. Klary looked at Clara as she tugged her hand from the console. When she reached her, the coily-haired woman wrapped a hand around her shoulder. With quick words of comfort, the pair followed after the Doctor.

As they stepped out, the trio were surrounded by darkness. It was some point in the middle of the night and before them was a large building. All the lights within out. All except for one room. "The West Country Children's Home." The woman looked at each other and jogged up to the Doctor. "Gloucester. By the ozone level and the drains, mid-nineties. You must have been here when you had the dream."

"Never been to Gloucester in my life. And I've never lived in a children's home."

"You've probably just forgotten. Have you seen the size of human brains? They're hilarious. Little you must be in here somewhere, with your little brain."

"Again, rude."

"Isn't it bad if I meet myself?"

"It's potentially catastrophic."

"And not an issue here," Klary interjected.

"So, why did you bring me out here?"

"I was still talking. I needed someone to nod. Probably best for you to wait in the Tardis."

"Klary's right here."

"Yes, well Klary already knows."

"She'd be more help."

Klary crossed her arms. "You know well enough I can't really say much, Oswald. And even if I could, that one would be grumpy. You know how he likes to solve things himself."

"Well, back in the Tardis."

"Doctor, I-"

"See you in a minute. Tardis!"

"Doctor… If I had been distracted, what would have happened?"

"We would probably have ended up in the wrong place. But don't think we have, because the time zone's right. I won't be long."

Klary turned to the woman as he swanned off. "Five minutes and head on up." She gave her a smile and walked off after the Doctor.

When she entered, she saw the Doctor, screwdriver in hand, scanning the building as he walked the corridor. She reached him, a door opened and a balding man with glasses came out. In the background, his TV was on.

"How did you get in?"

"Your door must be faulty." The Doctor reached into his pocket and held up his psychic paper.

"An inspection. It's two in the morning."

"When better? Do you always work here nights?"

"Most nights, yes."

"Do you ever end up talking to yourself?"

The man gave a humourless chuckle. His gaze slid to Klary for a moment before it returned to the Doctor. "All the time. It's this place. You can't help it."

"What about your coffee?"

The man looked at his desk. The yellow mug there, a light stream of steam leaving it. "My coffee?"

As the Doctor was preoccupied, Klary gave Clara a wink as she snuck up the stairs. "Sometimes, do you put it down, and look 'round, and it's not there?"

"Everybody does that," the man snarked.

"Yes. Everybody." The television shut off. The three looked at the tv. "Who turned your telly off?"

"It does that."

With the man's back turned, the Doctor grabbed Klary's hand and the two walked towards the stairs. The man's coffee in hand. Klary scrunched her nose as he took a sip of it. He shot her a look as he put it down and they walked upstairs.

"You have no idea where his mouth has been."

"It's fine. Decent coffee though."

"Still gross."

"Never mind that. You hear talking?" She rolled her eyes as she followed him down the corridor.

In one of the rooms, they heard Clara and a little boy talking. When their voices quieted, the duo walked into the darkened room. The Doctor sat in the chair, pulled Klary onto his lap and flipped through a book. Klary watched the creature on the bed, covered by the red crocheted bedspread. Silent as she watched Clara roll out from under the bed.

"Hello?" She helped Rupert stand. "Who's this? This is a friend of yours playing a game. Playing a trick, are you, hey? A little trick on Rupert here?" The bed creaked as the figure shifted. As it sat up taller. "Okay. It's not funny this, you know."

The light switched on and the two turned to see Klary and the Doctor in the chair. The figure was still there but the Doctor paid it no mind. Clara shot the woman an annoyed look. "Where is he?"

"Doctor?"

"I can't find him." He looked at Klary. "Can you find him?"

"Find who?"

"Wally."

"Wally?"

"He's nowhere in this book."

"It's not a Where's Wally one," Rupert said.

"Well, how would you know? Maybe you just haven't found him yet."

"He's not in every book."

"Really? Well, that's a few years of my life I'll be needing back." He closed the book and placed it on the shelf as he stood, moving Klary to a spot beside him as he brought his face to Rupert's. "Are you scared? The thing on the bed, whatever it is. Look at it. Does it scare you?"

"Yes."

"Well, that's good. Want to know why that's good?"

"Why?"

"Let me tell you about scared. Your heart is beating so hard-" he grabbed the boy's hands- "I can feel it through your hands. There's so much blood and oxygen pumping through your brain, it's like rocket fuel. Right now, you could run faster and you could fight harder, you could jump higher than ever in your life. And you are so alert, it's like you can slow down time. What's wrong with scared? Scared is a superpower. It's your superpower. There is danger in this room and guess what? It's you. Do you feel it? Do you think he feels it? Do you think he's scared? Nah. Loser. Turn your back on him."

"What?"

"Yeah, turn your back on him." Klary walked over to the window, her back already to the creature. "Come on. You too, Clara. Clara, your back, now."

The Doctor turned and joined her at the window. "Do it. Just do it now. Turn your back. Do it now, turn your back. Lovely view out this window."

Rupert stood between Clara and the Doctor. "Yeah. Come and see all the dark."

"The deep and lovely dark. We'd never see the stars without it. Now, there are two possibilities. Possibility one: it's just one of your friends standing there, and he's playing a joke on you. Possibility two: it isn't."

"So, plan? Plans are good."

"You know better, Clara."

"Yeah. You're right."

"You on the bed, I'm talking to you now. Go in peace. We won't look. Just go. If all you want to do is stay hidden, it's okay. Just leave."

The bed creaked as the creature moved. The hairs on the back of Klary's neck rose. It was directly behind them. "Is it gone?"

"Don't look 'round. Not yet."

"I can't hear anything."

"Don't look 'round."

Rupert started to turn around but the Doctor stopped him. "Look away! Look away now! Don't look at it! Don't look 'round. Don't look 'round. Don't look at the reflection."

"What is it?"

"Imagine a thing that must never be seen. What would it do if you saw it?"

"I don't know."

"Neither do I. Close your eyes."

"What?"

"Close your eyes. You too, Clara. Give it what it wants. Prove to it that you're not going to look at it. Make a promise. A promise you're never going to look at it."

"I promise never to look."

"The breath on the back of your neck… like your hair's standing on end. That means, don't look 'round."

The door slammed shut causing the women and child to jump as they spun around. Klary, for all her remembering, always started at loud noises. It was something that stuck with her from childhood. Loud noises meant someone was angry. Which ultimately meant she would be the outlet of said anger. "Gone?"

"Gone."

"He took my bedspread," Rupert complained.

"Oh, the human race. You're never happy, are you?"

"Am I safe now?"

"Nobody's safe, especially not at night in the dark. Anything can get you. And all the way up here, you're up here all alone." Clara slapped the back of his head while Klary groaned. Hands on her temples. For all his honesty, he was scaring the poor boy. "What was that for?"

"Shut up. Leave this to me."

She found a box and pulled out toy soldiers. Klary moved to the door as she watched the companion. "These yours?"

"They're the homes."

"They're yours now."

"People don't need to be lied to."

"Doctor…" Klary snapped.

"People don't need to be scared by a big gray-haired stick insect, but here you are. Go to Klary, stay still, shut up." She returned her attention to Rupert as the Doctor moved to Klary's side. "See what I'm doing? This is your army." She placed the soldiers on guard around the bed.

"Plas-" Klary placed her hand over the Doctor's mouth. He glared at her with a huff.

"Thank you, Klary," the brunette said with an exasperated sigh. "And they're going to guard under your bed. You see this one? This is the boss one, the colonel. He's going to keep a special eye out."

"It's broken. It doesn't have a gun."

"Doesn't need one," Klary said with a small smile. With him silent, she pulled her hand from the Doctor's mouth.

"That's why he's the boss. A soldier so brave he doesn't need a gun. He can keep the whole world safe. What shall we call him?"

"Dan."

Clara froze. "Sorry?"

"Dan, the soldier man. That's what I call him."

"Good. Good name."

"Yeah. Would you read me a story? It'll help me sleep."

"Sure."

The Doctor walked over. "Once upon a time..." He touched Rupert's forehead and the child fell back, asleep."

"The end." He shot Clara a look. "Dad skills."

Back in the Tardis, Klary walked off to her room. She figured with Clara going to meet up with Danny again, she had enough time to relax a bit. She felt the Tardis land and as she sprawled onto the bed, she was surprised to hear her door open. She shot the Doctor a confused glance as she leaned up on her elbows. "Need something, Doc?"

"Hmm. How long since-"

"I last saw this you? About three adventures. It was in your future."

"So that's why you gave me that hug."

"If you don't want me to hug you…"

He kissed her temple. "I have no problem with your hugs." He pulled her onto her feet. "Now, why did you come to your room?"

"I wanted to lay down. Clara is back with her date."

"When did you last sleep?"

"I suppose not too long ago. Last time, you forced me to get up. Future you that is."

"If you're here for a while, I promise to let you sleep." She shot him a smile and leaned into him. Arms wrapped around his waist. A question on the tip of her tongue but she dared not ask. Laying beside him would have been nice. She would at least get another night of good rest. Yet, she wasn't sure if this incarnation would be okay with it. Especially so early. Even if he said he was okay with her hugs. "Let's head back. We need to do something while Clara's gone." She groaned as he dragged her from the room and to the Tardis.

Clara slammed the door shut and glared at the spaceman. Klary watched from the platform she and the Doctor were on. The angry companion storming up to Orson Pink, the spaceman they'd picked up. "I am trying to have a date. A real life, inter-human actual date! It's a normal nice, everyday, meeting-up sort of thing. And I would just like to know, is there any other way you can make this any more surreal than it already is?"

Klary chuckled as Orson removed his helmet. "Hello."

"Ah, Clara!" He rushed over to Orson. "Well done, you've found her. Now this is a bit strange."

"Danny?"

"What's gone wrong with your face? It's all eyes! Why are you all eyes? Get them under control."

"Er, who's Danny?"

Klary walked over. "Not Danny. Colonel Orson Pink. He's from roughly a hundred years in the future."

Clara gave a disbelieving laugh. "Orson Pink?"

"Yeah, I laughed too." Klary glared at him. "Sorry. Do you have any connection with him?"

"Connection?"

"Yes. Maybe a distant relative or something?"

Klary chuckled. "If things go her way." Her muttered comment heard by the companion who duly glared at her.

"How… how would I know?"

"Right. Okay." He turned to Orson. "Er, well, do you have any old family photographs of her? You know, probably quite old and really fat-looking?"

"I don't."

Clara pulled the two off to the side. Still in hearing distance of Orson. Her eyes never leaving the man. "How did you find him?"

"Well, you left a trace in the Tardis telepathic circuits. I fired them up again and the Tardis brought me straight to him. So he has something to do with your timeline."

"Okay."

"And you'll never guess where I found him."

Out in Orson's capsule, the three stood around the monitors while Orson rushed to get his belongings together. Clara sat by the window looking out as the couple stood behind her. A glow of red coming in. A desolate wasteland shown.

"Where are we?"

"The end of the road. This is it, the end of everything. The last planet."

"The end of the universe?

"The Tardis isn't supposed to come this far, but some idiot turned the safeguards off." Klary poked his side as she shook her head at him. He grabbed onto her hands and pulled her into his side. "Listen."

"To what?"

"Exactly."

Clara shot the woman a look. "Nothing. There's nothing to hear. There's nothing anywhere. Not a breath, not a slither, not a click or a tick. All the clocks have stopped. This is the silence at the end of time."

There was a clatter as Orson emptied the contents of a locker into a rucksack. "Then how did he get here? If he's from a hundred years in my future…"

The Doctor squeezed Klary's hand. A silent gesture for her to take the reigns. She had noticed he did that often. Even in his different incarnations. It had taken her a while to realise it but she was slowly getting more and more comfortable with saying what she knew. Learning what she could say and when she could reveal something. "Pioneer time traveller." The Doctor sonicked the monitor and pulled up records. On the screen was a news programme. "They created a time shot. Orson was the first to ride it. He was supposed to end up in the middle of the next week."

"What happened?"

"Well, he's at the end of the universe, Clara. They overshot it."

The Doctor nodded. "A big bit. Look at him now. Robinson Crusoe at the end of time itself. The last man standing in the universe. I always thought that would be us."

"It's not a competition."

"A bit."

"Not helping."

"Wasn't trying to, Teach."

Clara rolled her eyes as the Doctor pipped up. "I know it's not a competition. Course it isn't." He smirked. "Still time, though."

"He looks like he's packing."

"He's been stranded for six months. Just met a time traveller. Of course he's packing."

Orson ran into the room. Duffle bag packed to the brim and still open. As he reached them, he placed it on the controls and wrestled it close. "You can do it, then? You can get me home?"

"I just showed you, didn't I? A test flight to a restaurant?"

"Yes, but to my family? To my own time?"

"Easy. I can do that, can't I?"

"He can, yes."

"Is everything okay?"

"Yeah, fine. I'm fine."

"Do I know you?"

"No. Nope."

"Is she doing the all eyes thing? It's because her face is so wide." Klary slapped his chest but he continued on. "She needs three mirrors."

"Doctor."

"We can't leave immediately, though. The Tardis needs to recharge."

"Sorry… What?"

"Overnight. That should do it, shouldn't it, love?"

"Overnight?"

"One more night. That… that's not a problem, is it?"

Orson's face dropped. "No. No, no problem."

"It's a shame, isn't it?"

"What's a shame?"

"There's only four people left in the universe. And you're lying to the other three. It was the first thing I noticed when I stepped in here. You must have seen it, too, Clara. You've got eyes out to here. And I know Klary's seen it." He held his hand a few inches from his face to demonstrate.

"Seen what?"

"If everything is dead, then why is the door locked? If the universe is dead, that means there's nothing beyond that door."

"Please…" Orson begged, "Don't make me spend another night here."

"Afraid of the dark? But the dark… is empty now."

"No." the terrified man looked out of the window. "No, it isn't."

Klary watched as Clara helped Orson bring his belongings into the Tardis. She turned to the Time Lord, arms folded as she looked at him. The Doctor looked at her, head to the side. "What'd I do now?"

"Besides basically sending the poor man into a panic attack?"

"He'll be fine."

"I'm sure he will eventually. But right now, he's fragile. Terrified."

"And once we figure this out, he'll be back home and fine."

"After everything, you should know better." Her voice softened as she placed a hand on his arm. "Be a bit more gentle."

"I don't do-"

"Oh hush. That's a lie you tell everyone in this body but we both know that isn't true. Now, want to tell me why?"

"Don't you know?"

"I want you to tell me."

"Why him?"

"Don't deflect."

"It's a valid question," he huffed. Annoyance clear in his voice. "Besides, if you already know the answer, it's a waste of time to tell you."

She rubbed her temples. The man was stubborn as all hell. If she didn't care for him, she would have cursed him six ways to Sunday. "Lovely, y-"

"What are we doing?" Clara asked as she stepped out of the Tardis. Interrupted, Klary moved to stand beside the companion. The Doctor to the monitor as he looked through the files.

"Waiting."

Clara went to sit in the other chair. Jacket tugged around her. Klary moved to lean against the Tardis. A gentle hum coming from the ship. She gave it a quick pat as she watched the two. "For what? For who? If everybody in the universe is dead, then there's nobody out there."

"That's one way of looking at it."

"What's the other?"

"That's a hell of a lot of ghosts."

The lights dimmed. Turning blue at his words. "Do you have your own mood lighting now? Because, frankly, the accent is enough."

The Doctor shot the companion an offended look as Klary giggled. "I like his accent."

"Of course you do." The jovial atmosphere ended when the capsule creaked. Words appeared on the main hatch. Do Not Open The Door. "Where did that come from?"

"Been there."

"It's only visible in the night lights."

"But who wrote it?"

" Colonel Pink. Apparently, at night, he needs a reminder. Six months stranded alone, I suppose it must be tempting."

"What is?"

"Company."

There was more creaking. Louder. "What's that?"

"What kind of explanation would you like?"

"A reassuring one?"

"Well, the systems are switching to low power. There are temperature differentials all over this ship. It's like… pipes banging when the heating goes off."

"Always thought there was something in the pipes."

"Me too. Who were you having dinner with?"

"Are you making conversation with someone other than Klary?"

He shrugged. "I thought that I would give it a try."

"I told you. A date."

"Serious?"

"It's a date?"

"A serious date?"

"Ozzie loves a Squaddie," Klary muttered with a mischievous grin. Low enough that the Doctor didn't hear. Clara on the other hand whipped her head around and glared at her.

"Do I have to bring him to you for approval?"

Klary shook her head. "Well, I would like to know about his prospects. If you like, I can pop ahead and check them out."

"Frankly, you've already done enough."

"That's not fair, Clara.

Before the brunette companion could reply, the sound of a scream ripped through the silence. The Doctor stood and looked around. "Atmospheric pressure equalising."

"Or?"

"Company."He walked away as the hissing continued. Klary shuddered. The episodes with the unknown always freaked her out. As she thought about it, she'd have to live through all of them. Though, there were a few adventures she was not looking forward to.

"Why are we doing this?" Why don't we just go?"

"Because I need to know."

"Why? About what?" Clara stood and faced off with the Doctor.

"Suppose that there are creatures that live to hide. That only show themselves to the very young or the very old, or the mad, or anyone who wouldn't be believed."

"Okay, so-"

"What would those creatures do when everyone was gone? When there was only one man left standing in the universe?" Three bangs.

"What was that?"

"Potentially, the hull cooling."

"Potentially?"

"Believably." More bangs sounded from the hatch. "Someone knocking." More bangs. The Doctor slowly walked to the hatch. "Yes." There were more bangs with the addition of a few scrapes.

"Doctor..." More noise. Klary watched. Hands in fists. Nails dug into her palms. She said nothing as Clara tried to get through to the Doctor. "You don't actually believe all this, do you? Hiding creatures. Things from under the bed."

The Doctor continued to inch forward. "What's that in the mirror, or the corner of your eye? What's that footstep following, but never passing by?" He spoke more so to himself than the women with him.

More bangs. "Did we come to the end of the universe because of a nursery rhyme?" Another shudder ripped through the coily-haired brunette as she heard the hissing. Heard the word it whispered. Listen. He stepped back a bit. The Doctor sonicked the hatch to unlock. Instantly the mechanism began to turn. "That's you turning it, right?" He didn't answer her so she turned to Klary. "That's him?"

"It's not. Clara, go to the Tardis."

"But-"

"Please." Clara sighed and rushed into the ship. With her gone, Klary brought her attention to the Doctor. "Doc.."

"I have to know."

"It's not something you can figure out."

"The Tardis, Klary!"

"Don't you raise your voice at me! I'm not leaving your dumb ass in fucking danger!"

"Then you'll be locked in your room in the Tardis."

"Cute. You can't control when I leave."

"Wouldn't matter. The moment you are with this me, you will be confined to the Tardis."

"I'd love to see you try."

"Klary," his voice tired. "Please do as you're told."

"Gods, you're such a fucking idiot," she snapped as she stormed into the ship. She shot Clara a look. Arms folded as she leaned against the console.

"What's happening?" Orson asked as he looked between the women.

"He opened the fucking door." She took a breath and looked at the man. "Get your helmet. You're going to have to pull him in soon."

"What?"

"Something hits him in the head and you know, the airfield collapsed. Get me when you drag him in. Don't do anything before then, Clara." As she reached the edge of the room, she turned to face the companion. "I'll be in the library." As she walked down the hall, she placed her hand on the wall. "Your pilot is an idiot." A hum resonated through her. As if the beautiful ship agreed. "Mind telling me when Orson goes out? Clara doesn't particularly listen and I want to be there when she goes into his timeline." A hum of agreement. "Thank you, beautiful."

A minute or two passed before the lights in the room flickered. Klary sighed and began the walk to the console room. As she reached the arch, she saw Clara by the console. Orson by the unconscious Doctor. She worried about him, but her irritation at the man won out and she remained where she was. "Telepathic circuits. I left a trace in them before."

"So?"

"So apparently, I can do a thing."

Just as she stuck her fingers into the console, Klary spoke. Arms folded. "Could've sworn I said to come get me, Clara."

"Not enough time."

"Neither of you fucking listen," Klary snapped as she went to the console. Silently asked the Tardis to take them to where this began for the Doctor.

"What, that's your plan?"

"It's not a plan. It's a thing." The time rotor began to stutter. "Okay. Come on, come on, you can do it!" Klary walked over to the Doctor as he wheezed. Rolling her eyes as she looked at him. "Come on!"

"Don't yell at her."

"Sorry." The rotor sped up. "Here we go! Come on. Come on!" The Tardis landed. The cloister bell stopped as did the bangs.

"Is that it?"

"I don't know. I think so." She went to check the scanner but it showed nothing.

"Where are we?"

"Somewhere else. I hope." Orson walked towards the door. "Somewhere else. I hope. No, no, no, you stay and look after the Doctor."

"You can't go out there by yourself."

Klary rolled her eyes. She seemed to do that a lot this adventure. "She's not. Stay here. Watch the idiot." She turned to Clara. "Let's go." The woman opened her mouth but Klary held up her hand. "Shut up. Last I checked, only one of us knows what's going on. Let's go." With that she stormed out of the ship. As she took in the area, she realised they were in a barn. Bales of hay were on either side. She didn't wait for Clara as she approached the crying but the companion caught up.

Before them was a raised platform with a single bed. Under the blanket was a little boy curled into himself crying as light streamed down from the roof. Clara followed as she climbed up the ladder and onto the platform.

"Rupert?" Clara asked as they approached the bed. When she received no reply, she tried the man currently watching over the Doctor. "Orson?" Klary shook her head and turned to the door. Pulled the companion under the bed as it opened and two people entered.

"Why does he have to sleep out here?"

"He doesn't want the others to hear him crying," the woman said.

"Why does he have to cry all the time?" Klary grit her teeth at the man's tone.

"You know why."

"There'll be no crying in the army." Klary gripped Clara's hand in an effort to keep herself from leaving their hiding spot. She wanted nothing more than to send the man into his next regeneration if he were so lucky.

"Hush."

The two climbed up the ladder and approached the bed. "Don't pretend you're not awake. We're not idiots."

"Come and sleep in the house." The woman's voice softer. "You don't have to be alone. If you can hear me, you're very welcome in the house, with the other boys. I'll leave the door on the latch. Come in any time."

"He can't just run away crying all the time if he wants to join the army."

"He doesn't want to join the army. I keep telling you."

"Well, he's not going to the Academy, is he, that boy? He'll never make a Time Lord." Clara's wide eyes met Klary's angry ones as she realised exactly where they were.

In the background, both women could hear the Doctor calling. Clara looked back but Klary glared at her. "Ignore him," she hissed. "Say anything and he'll come running and he can't be here."

"Hello? Who's there? Hello?"

As the younger Doctor sat on the edge of his bed, Clara reflexes kicked in and she grabbed his ankle. " It's okay. This is just a dream. Just lie back again. Just lie back on the bed. It will all be okay if you just lie down and go to sleep. Just do that for me. Just sleep." She released his ankle and he situated himself back in the bed. Same position as before. The women pulled themselves from under the bed. Clara went to sit at the end while Klary sat on the edge closest to him. Hand gently carding through his hair as he sobbed. "Listen. This is just a dream. But very clever people can hear dreams. So, please, just listen. I know you're afraid… but being afraid is all right. Because didn't anybody ever tell you? Fear is a superpower. Fear can make you faster and cleverer and stronger. And one day, you're going to come back to this barn. And on that day you're going to be very afraid indeed." She looked at Klary.

The coily-haired woman sighed. A soft smile on her lips. "But that's okay. Because if you're very wise and very strong… fear doesn't have to make you cruel or cowardly. Fear can make you kind." She nodded to Clara and the companion climbed down the ladder. "You will be amazing. You will be the best Time Lord in existence. You will make wonderful friends and fall in love. Never let them take your dreams from you. It doesn't matter if there's nothing under the bed or in the dark, so long as you know it's okay to be afraid of it.

"I'll show you. So, listen. If you listen to nothing else, listen to this. You're always going to be afraid, even if you learn to hide it. Fear is like a companion. A constant companion, always there. But that's okay, because fear can bring us together. Fear can bring you home. Just remember. Fear makes companions of us all. And in the end you are going to be fantastic. Absolutely fantastic." She kissed the top of his head and made her way down the ladder. The duo walked back to the Tardis. Orson the first to approach them as the Doctor glared.

"What happened? What did you see? What was out there?"

"What if there was nothing? What if there never was anything? Nothing under the bed, nothing at the door. What if the big bad Time Lord doesn't want to admit he's just afraid of the dark."

"Where are we? Have we moved?" He moved towards the monitor. "Where have we landed."

Klary took the moment to step forward. Hands reaching for his as she intertwined them. "You will not look. You are going to take off and you will never look."

"Why?"

"No questions."

"I don't take orders, Klary."

"From me, you do. Now, do as you're told. Or I'll ask the Tardis to lock you in your room." The Doctor sighed and did as he was told. The first stop was to drop off Orson. Followed by Clara. Before she left, she hugged Klary and the Doctor.

"No, no. Not the hugging. No, no, no. I'm against the hugging. Please." Klary chuckled as she wrapped her arms around him. With just the two of them aboard, Klary led the Doctor to what she dubbed their room. A room of red grass and silver trees.

Okay, so this was a fun one. I've wanted to do Listen for a while but needed things to move along a bit before I did it. Also, we got a bit more insight on Klary's life prior to coming into the Whoniverse. Let me know your thoughts on that. I did give her Clara's lines at the end as it made more sense to what I'm going for so I hope you enjoyed it. See you in the next chapter.

TrenchcoatTheVegbian: Not sure what you wrote but thanks for the attempted review. I hope you've enjoyed.

savethemadscientist: The cuddles was so cute. Ngl, I wrote that up at like 3am while I was in bed. It randomly came to be but I loved it. I kind of just want it to be blatantly obvious that she and the Doctor are a thing even if Klary has literally no idea lol. There will definitely be more cuddles to come. I feel like this deep into the story, Klary is starting to get a bit more of her confidence in her place and what she's doing. It's definitely slow going but she'll get to the point where she's trying a bit harder to save specific people. Also, Klary would 100% have shoved Adam out of an airlock. Honestly, if she knew the Doctor wouldn't be mad, she would have tossed him out the moment he got the Tardis into space. Next chapter, Klary takes charge a bit more. I really hope you liked this chapter and I can't wait for your review.