Clara and The Doctor hand in hand ran away from the blasts from an alien rifle. An alien rifle which should not exist in the Christmas 1957. The Doctor quickly pushed the both of them behind a barrier.

And in response two shots at the barrier before they stopped in an instant followed with a grunt in pain. The Doctor peered around the edge of the barrier as did Clara.

And there stood a man, atop of a lion humanoid. A man with dark brown hair and sharp blue eyes. "Doctor!" His voice rang brightly, "How are you my good sir?

Oh he's The Doctor's friend. The Doctor did have loads of friends so she shouldn't be this surprised to find one in this place in time. She was about to stand up when the put his hand on her shoulder and shook his head. "Give me a second." The Doctor spoke very sharply and his body tense. She had never seen The Doctor like this. He seemed angry. Angry in a way he could barely contain himself.

The Doctor stood up and made his way to the man whose smile grew as The Doctor made his way to the man.

The Doctor didn't end up going after Merlin. Losing Amy and Rory sapped him of his strength and his anger. And the truth of the matter was… even Merlin couldn't have changed it. That was the worst part that even if Merlin tried he couldn't have fixed it.

But as he faced the man, the anger returned. His hatred which bore deep for the man in front of him returned in full force. The way he smiled. The way he talked. He wanted to tear this man apart. Merlin opened his mouth.

"What are you doing here?"

Merlin raised his eyebrow; it must seem strange to him. The Doctor had never spoken first. It was always Merlin who spoke first. The smile disappeared and he sighed, "What face?"

"Eleven. Now what are you doing here?!"

"My job. I am Detective Milton James of Scotland Yard at your service." He bowed in an almost mocking way.

"That doesn't explain why you are here Merlin." Merlin's face wrinkled up at that. It was an open secret between them that Merlin disliked people using his name. Probably due to the witch hunts of the middle ages. But that didn't stop The Doctor from using it. Not now anyway.

"People have gone missing. Well I should say too many people have gone missing and now we have to take it seriously." Merlin said with running his hands through his hair. "Anyways I wouldn't worry. I found them. They're back there." The Doctor took a step, before he was stopped by Merlin's left hand, "Ah I wouldn't go back there if I were you. When I said I found them I mean to say…" And Merlin pondered for a way to properly phrase it before his face fell into a grimace, "Well… let's just say the Lions didn't go hungry this Christmas." The Doctor didn't speak and just stared at Merlin, "No? Nothing?"

"Why didn't you save them?"

"Save them? There's no saving them, trust me. Half of them are in this gentleman and his friends' stomachs."

"I mean why didn't you stop them sooner?"

"Well it took a while for this case to pass my desk and all that. Everyone had a crack at it and y'know… couldn't find the lion eating humans." And they stood there in silence The Doctor staring into Merlin. The Doctor didn't exactly know how much Merlin said was truthful.

"Well?"

"Well what?"

"Are we going to stand here and let the poor girl wait around the corner on her knees all day or are we going to actually do something about this?" The Doctor didn't say anything and just stared at him, "What's your problem? Why are you staring at me like that?"

"Nothing." The Doctor looked away in the direction of Clara remembering it wasn't this Merlin who had denied him.

"Clearly." A groan came from underneath them. It seemed like the Chimera was waking up. Merlin quickly dropped to his knees grabbed the gun before they walked side by side a couple of paces away from it.

"You didn't kill him?" The Doctor asked in surprise.

"I was going to but I saw you. Figured you'd know what to do." Merlin answered. But that was the thing The Doctor what he was going to do.

"Argh." The Chimera groaned before looking up, "Ah disarmed by two homans what shame."

"Ain't he a charmer eh Doc?" Merlin spoke.

The Chimera jumped to his feet, "Dare you speak me like that!" This Chimera's English was very poor. Had he been speaking Chimeran the TARDIS would have been translating.

Merlin looked at the Doctor, as if asking what are you going to do?

The Doctor pondered for a moment, "Doctor what is that? It looks like… a Lion." A feminine voice came from behind him startling him he turned around in the instant to see a sheepish looking expression of Clara's face.

"Clara I told you to wait!"

"Yeah well my knees were starting to hurt."

"Ah female homan my favour-!" The Chimera took a step before Merlin shot the Chimera in its knee, sending him back to the floor clutching his knee writhing in pain.

"Merlin!" The Doctor shouted.

"What was I supposed to do? What part "female homan my favourite" inspires understanding?" Merlin shouted back.

"Wait Merlin? As in-!" Clara asked with excitement filling her voice.

"No just a nickname darling." Merlin pre-emptively answered. Merlin wanted to keep his identity a secret from all his companions.

"Oh okay."

The Doctor took a step towards the Chimera, and Merlin pulled his shoulder, "You sure that's a good idea. He's very strong and if he grabs you mate, he ain't letting go."

The Doctor shrugged off his hand, "I'll be fine." The Doctor kneeled next to the Chimera. "What's your name?"

"What's it matter to homan?" The Chimera spat back his hand still clutching his knee. The Chimera suddenly raised his hand in what seemed to be defence, "It's Xenoplic the eighth of three hundred and second division of the Chimeran army!"

"Mean anything to you Doc?" The Doctor turned around to see Merlin had raised the rifle again this time aiming at the Chim- at Xenoplic's head.

"Merlin put the rifle down." Merlin's facial expressions tightened, was it because I am ordering him around or… "Detective Milton put the gun down." When he said those words a smile trekked across Merlin's face and he lowered the gun.

The Doctor turned to face Xenoplic, "How many brothers are there with you, Xenoplic?" The Doctor asked. The Chimeran's were one giant family. Each squadron was made up of their littermates.

"I am alone." Merlin scoffed.

"You travel in packs. Each squad packed with their littermates. So I ask again how many are there in your squad?"

"And how homan know that?" Xenoplic asked with a wispy orange eyebrow being raised. The Doctor stared at the ginger chimera debating whether or not to tell him.

"This is taking too long. Mate two choices. I kill you right here right now and hunt your littermates down or… you tell the Doc here-."

"I can handle this Detective Milton! I don't need your-." The Doctor had turned around for a moment to face Merlin. Before he felt something grab him. It was strong and he couldn't wriggle out of it's grasp. He heard Clara scream before he heard the blast from the rifle and everything went slack. Merlin was quickest on the scene pulling him from Xenoplic's gras- corpse. He could the feel his blood trickle from his back due to Xenoplic's claws and the pain that came with it before that too disappeared.

Any evidence of such an attack disappeared as quickly as it came. "Are you alright Doctor?!" Clara asked in shock. The Doctor stared at Merlin.

"He's fine. Look he's just a bit shaken maybe. But no blood-!"

"I HAD THAT COVERED!" He shouted at Merlin.

"Really? Because by my estimation we were about to lose another person to these aliens. So you're welcome Doctor!"

"If you hadn't distracted me I would have-."

"What talked sense into a being that has hunted humans for sport for the past two weeks?! Good joke! Doc I let you handle this from the start cause you've been dealing with aliens… since well forever. Maybe I was wrong to let you take charge!"

The Doctor shook his head in anger, "Take charge? You actively interfered-!"

"Eh boys?" Clara spoke but was briefly ignored by the two of them.

"Oh I actively interfered? Because let me tell you something Doctor I think you are-!"

"BROTHER!" An anguished scream came from the other side of the hallway. That caught The Doctor's and Merlin's attention. They turned to face three Chimera's stood against them. "YOU KILLED OUR BROTHER!" The biggest of the three spoke. He was easily above six foot and a lot bigger physically than Xenoplic.

"That's your brother? I must say you must have taken after your uhm… mother? Cause you two look nothing alike." Merlin spoke with a jittery sense of awkwardness. The Chimeran roared and jumped in the air and Merlin managed a shot or two before The Doctor was suddenly shoved away and Merlin was pounced on to.

"Run Doctor I've got this." Merlin shouted as he stuck rifle into Chimeran's mouth. The Doctor grabbed Clara's hand and dragged her to the closest room he found which happened to be where the lost humans were. Well the parts of them.

"Doctor what about him?" HIM? YOUR WORRIED ABOUT HIM?! WE ARE THE ONE'S TRAPPED IN A ROOM WITH NO EXIT!

Merlin would be fine. Sure he had a reluctance to use his magic in front of an audience but…

Merlin, using his magic, pushed the brute off him. And sealed the door The Doctor and the girl had used with his magic.

Merlin looked at rifle and chucked it him, "You are going to need this." To which the Chimeran caught in surprise.

"WHAT ARE YOU?!" The Chimeran shouted at him.

Merlin opened his palm and summoned fire, "You shouldn't have eaten those people, mate."

"Merlin will be fine. He's stronger than he looks." Clara didn't believe him. The Detective looked like as young as a university student and looked like a stiff breeze could knock him over, "Trust me. If I didn't think Merlin could handle it I wouldn't have left him." Clara bit her lip and had no choice but to trust the Doctor's judgement.

"Come on let's go." He held out his hand and she grabbed on to it. They pushed through a set of doors before the smell hit them and… Merlin wasn't lying. They were here… or what was remaining of them. She wanted to throw up but the Doctor pulled her straight through her that room not giving her a chance to look around. They eventually got to a room which seemed like a mortuary. And The Doctor started to wander around with a sense of urgency and with her sickness subsiding. Her questions that were in her mind came back.

"Doctor?" he hummed in acknowledgement as he visited every crevice looking for a way out, "Who is that man?"

"He's…" The Doctor stopped moving and he seemed in deep contemplation of her question, "a person." He concluded which wasn't anywhere near to a proper answer to her question.

"Thank you, Doctor! I know he's a person. But who is he? And why do you not like him? He seems alr… well not alright but okay. Like you two could be friends."

"Well we aren't." The Doctor answered sharply back, too sharply, his expression was stern. Before it softened, "I am sorry. I didn't mean to…"

"I understand." She didn't.

"It's just. His future, my past." The Doctor answered in succinct manner.

"Was it that bad?" The Doctor raised an eyebrow, "What he did in his future?" She clarified.

"I don't know Clara." The Doctor answered with a tinge of vulnerability.

"You… don't know?" she asked in surprise.

"No I don't. He did nothing when could have done something. But him doing something would have changed nothing! So I guess I am just holding a grudge against a man who couldn't have helped." Clara didn't say anything. Just who was Milton to have this much sway over The Doctor? "Anyway that's not important. We need to get out of here and fast!"

The Doctor scanned the room before looking a grate in the wall, "Ah ha! There you are!" He scanned it with his sonic screwdriver before the both of them pulled the heavy grate to side and they both went through it.

The vents took several turns before they reached the main room where the Chimeran's were based.

"Four of our brothers are not responding to the communication systems!" One of the Chimeran's in the room pounded the table, "Something is happening brother! We MUST act!"

"Must we? Who's gone missing brother?" A lackadaisical voice emerged from a place the Doctor couldn't see. He leaned forward to see giant Chimeran sitting back in what could only be described as a throne. He was at least eight feet tall, only God knew how he had stayed hidden for two weeks.

"Xenozic and the younger four." He answered back.

"You mean the youngest five?"

"Xenomalk for five to go missing-."

"They are young and having fun just like we are. You yourself have ignored the call sometimes for the hunt, Xenocic." The big one called Xenomalk the leader spoke, "There's still seven to hold the fort until they get back. If they aren't back by tomorrow morning then WE will worry. Go! Get a human, enjoy yourself and stop worrying. What's it the humans say? Nobody likes a spoilsport!" The leader smiled a big toothy bloody grin.

Under normal circumstances with him leaning under the grate would have held, but with Clara and him both leaning against it caused it to break and for them to both fall through it and into the headquarters.

They fell around three metres before crushing on the rock-hard ground and Clara had the better of the arrangement using him as a cushion. He groaned as he felt the second impact. The Doctor looked up to see Xenomalk who was looking at the vent which had been broken before looking down on the pair of them, "I knew human's were easy prey. I didn't think they would fall out of the sky to be eaten."

The Doctor sprang to his feet and pulled Clara up with him, "Ah hello Xenomalk I am The Doctor this is my friend Clara." Xenomalk seemed amused by this.

"The pleasure will be mine." Xenomalk smiled.

"The expression is the pleasure is all mine." The Doctor said, "I mean-." Xenomalk pounced faster than The Doctor could react and had a claw under his throat.

"I think I'll eat you quick, male human. And then save her for desert as human's call it." The Doctor licked his dry lips. Xenomalk seemed more adept at human speech then his brothers.

"Well since you are going to eat me Xenomalk would you permit me some questions?" He lowered his claw in surprise.

"No human has ever asked for that?"

"Yeah well… curiosity killed theeeee..." The Doctor spoke before realising he was quite literally talking to a ginormous cat.

"Go on."

"Killed the human." Clara supplied, "Doctor always forgets his expressions, don't you Doctor?"

"Ah yes age does that to you." Xenomalk pulled down his paw fully and raised to his head to stroke his beard in contemplation.

"But you look like a young adult human?" The Doctor shifted uncomfortably.

"Another human expression." The Doctor explained. Xenomalk slowly nodded accepting that answer. The Doctor didn't really know what was going to happen what the Chimeran would do if he knew he was an alien. Better trust being eaten was the better option, he thought to himself.

"Very well ask your questions Doctor. Make them brief."

"Uhm what are you doing here?"

"Hunting." Xenomalk answered quickly, "You need better questions Doctor or I will grow bored."

"But why earth?"

"We like the taste of humans." Xenomalk answered in a noncommittal way.

"Okay so why did you come to Earth in the first place?" Xenomalk raised an eyebrow. He seemed more interested in answering this question.

"We didn't mean to come here. We meant to go back home but our ship crashed and we could only guide it to a planet in this solar system. Earth was suitable for us. It had reasonable prey and a good climate." Victims of circumstance rather than monsters.

"I see…"

"Ah well I am glad to see you are willing sacrifices for the greater good of our species." Xenomalk exclaimed sensing his understanding for approval, "Well if that is all then…"

"Wait! Wait! What if I take you home?" That stopped Xenomalk in his steps before he started laughing and the other Chimeras laughed with him.

"That is impossible. Your technology and intelligence is so far behind that even one of our children could eclipse yours without even trying."

"True Nineteen Fifty Sevens technology isn't up to the task but maybe I could help push you on the way."

"Is that so Doctor?"

"Yes I can take you and your brothers home."

"How?" The Doctor looked at the eldest weighing him up. Xenomalk had not only confessed but had proudly proclaimed to killing and eating humans. As had his brothers by association. Should he really be saving them? Chimerans were one of the more understanding species. He could talk to their leaders to see them punished. So he made his decision.

"I… I am also not from Earth. I have my own machine I can take all of you back home no one else needs to die." And Xenomalk froze when those words left his mouth. In fact everyone froze. They all waited for Xenomalk's judgement.

Before he sighed and looked at Doctor, "Back home we are nobody. We are numbers to be in an army. IN Earth we can be GODS. Live like gods! FEAST like GODS! Tell me Doctor, why should WE give that up?!" He roared and his brothers roared with him in approval. And like predators they started to edge closer towards them.

"Damn I was hopping you'd take his deal." A voice came from the dark corner of the room in which Merlin stepped out from the darkness halting the movements of The Chimerans.

"Merlin? How are did you-?" Clara asked in shock.

"More humans? Isn't this a treat?" Xenomalk spoke with excitement.

"I wouldn't be too excited mate." He pointed up, "Three, Two-."

"SELF-DESTRUCT IN 60 SECONDS!" Xenomalk's eyes widened in shock.

"And I count one, two, three, four, five, six and…" Merlin smiled and pointed at the oldest, "Seven."

"Fifty-five!" The automated voice spoke out. Merlin walked and stood next to the doctor as Xenomalk's brothers started to panic trying to find a way to stop the count down. But if The Doctor knew Merlin. He'd have already destroyed any way they could have prevented it.

"Why aren't you running? His quiet whisper shook him out of his frozen state and him and Clara started to run. And Xenomalk already accepting his fate noticed the change in motion that the humans had done and rushed to get ahead of them.

And for the second time today Merlin again sacrificed himself for them. Pushing the Chimera backwards with his magic sending him flying into his brothers. As Clara and the Doctor got through the closing door leaving Merlin behind. He could hear a faint roar. Before hearing the number, "FOURTY-FIVE!" being boomed out. Merlin gestured with his head telling the Doctor to run. Before Merlin turned to face the monsters which stood behind him

The Doctor grimaced before he dragged Clara kicking and screaming outside the building only to just make it in time to be able to see the building erupt in a ball of flame. There was no way a human could survive that.