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Chapter Text

134 days. 134 days stuck in a small grey cell with no company but her own thoughts. The Doctor was going mad lying flat on the floor staring at the ceiling as if it held all the universe's answers. She had given up on escape attempts mostly after the first 57 failed. She had no sonic, no TARDIS and no friends to help her. No one even knew she was alive let alone let alone in prison so she had no hope of anyone coming to help her break free from this boring jail cell.

Her thoughts were driving her more and more insane every day. Going in circles. Replaying all her greatest hits, the worst moments of her existence. And those were only the memories that she could remember. She had been trying so hard not to think about that because it meant acknowledging that she didn't know herself. If Gallifrey had been built on the back of the Timeless Child (her, she tried not to remember that part) and Gallifrey's history was billions of years old. How old did that make her? How many lives did she not remember? Nope, trying not to think about that. Many thoughts were preferable to that seemingly bottomless abyss of doom. Like punching the stupid smirk of the Master's stupid face the next time that she saw him. She knew she would see him again, he always escaped death (he had to).

Her vision went white. Blinking quickly, she jerked up rubbing her eyes. Nope, it wasn't her eyes. A glowing white sphere, which could only be described as a portal, hovered above her. Humming, as it spun hypnotically.

"What are you?" She whispered to herself. Pulling herself slowly to her feet she almost stumbled back to the floor, her legs numb from lying down for so long. How long had she been lying down trying to drown out her thoughts? 11 days, 13 hours, 28 minutes and 6 seconds. Too long.

Reaching up as if to poke it with her hand she hesitated just before touching the light. "Well, what is the worst that can happen? If I stay here any longer, I am going to go more insane than a purple Kinalyion on a roof playing the flute. By the way did I ever tell you guys about that time …" She looked to her sides. "Right, in prison on my own. Welp, here we go." She stared up at the mass of shining white light and poked it. Her eleventh self, Bowtie, had been right, the best strategy with the unknown was to poke it with a stick, or in case of a lack of sticks (as was the case here) her hand. At her touch the light started swirling faster and fell down consuming her. Her eyes widened before everything went black.

When she next came to, the first thing she noticed was how soft the floor was. After having spent 134 days in a cold, hard stone cell a carpeted floor was a change. A nice one. A nice purple, soft one. Well, whoever had kidnapped her had a sense of style at least. (She was decidedly not thinking about how purple was the Master's colour for their last couple of regenerations. She was decidedly not thinking about the Master full stop, especially not Missy). Pushing off the floor with weak arms she forced herself to sit up and stretch her sore legs while she took in her surroundings. Where was she?

The room was small and bland. Not much bigger than a large cupboard. Cream walls, nice purple carpet, no furniture and no window. There was, however, a door. Taking a breath to steady herself she stood up slowly leaning against a wall for a minute. When did standing get so hard? Was the room supposed to be spinning? Probably not. She really wished she had her sonic so she could try and get some understanding of where she was before she inevitably found trouble. Well (almost) anything was better than lying in her cell alone.

She shuffled towards the door. Was that voices she could hear? Leaning against the door she put her ear to the wood. Definitely voices. Voices that seemed familiar. Where did she know those voices from? Her eyes widened with a sharp breath. But that was impossible!

That was when the door decided to give in, opening and causing her to fall out of her small cupboard-like room back onto the floor. She wasn't having a good day. No, not a good existence at this point. The sound of the door swinging open and her falling face first onto the ground stopped the voices. Pushing herself onto her elbows and rolling over into a sitting position (for like the second? Third? Never mind) time that hour (day? Who knows how long she had been unconscious), she looked up into the new room.

For a start it was significantly bigger than the cupboard she had fallen out of. It had the same dark purple carpet and cream walls but in the middle of the room was a collection of Tardis blue chairs, sofas, beanbags and pillows all facing a large screen. It looked like some kind of home cinema. More importantly, however, was the people standing in the room. They had clearly been arguing but had stopped to look at her as she collapsed out of the cupboard.

She didn't know whether to laugh or cry. Clearly, she was hallucinating as most of these people couldn't be here. It was impossible. Closing her eyes tight and then opening them didn't get rid of them. Just as she was about to try something else, she didn't know what yet, she noticed a hand on her arm. It was gentle, not harsh, so friendly? She hoped so at least. Maybe not a hallucination – the touch felt too real. Dazedly she looked to the owner of the hand.

"You alright there, cockle?" It was Graham. Caring, supportive Graham. Caring, supportive Graham that should be safe at home on Earth not in her possibly-not-hallucination-visions. He smiled down at her with such a soft grandfatherly smile that made her stomach turn, what had she done to deserve that look?

"Graham?" She managed to croak out, her voice sore from disuse. Everything in her head was screaming at her to curl into a ball and wait for the visions to disappear. It would be less painful that way. She pushed that instinct to the side to focus on Graham and not falling on her face again as he helped her back up onto her feet.

"You okay? You look a bit dizzy mate." Ryan. She blinked at him slowly trying to figure out what was going on. "How are we here? How are you here? Where is here anyway?"

"I don't think she is ready to answer any of our questions yet, Ryan." Yaz. It was her fam, all three of them. "I don't think we have ever seen you this quiet. Are you okay?"

She ignored Ryan's mumble about Yaz getting to ask questions in favour of turning to blink at Yaz. Shaking her head, she forced herself to actually register what was going on and answer. "I'm fine. Yeah, fine. King, wait no, queen of fine me. Yeah. What happened?"

"No clue, cockle. We were all at home and then a white light kind of swallowed us? Woke up in this room with all these people. Only recognised that Jack fellow. Do you know them? Some of them seem to know each other. They've been talking for a while, well arguing is probably the better word for it. No one seems to have any idea what is going on, but your name keeps coming up." Graham led her over to sit in the nearest sofa while the other two followed. She looked at the others in the room. Ghosts. That's what they were. They were all talking and trying very hard not to watch her and her fam.

"Yeah, same thing happened to me. No idea where we are, hopefully not anywhere bad." She ignored the last question she wasn't ready to answer that one yet.

"Where have you been by the way? It's been over two months, we thought you were dead." Yaz stood in front of her, blocking the others from her roaming eyes. Her stance, crossed arms and stubborn, was grounding and the Doctor forced her eyes to meet Yaz's.

"The man from the boundary, Ko Sharmus came back and pressed the button. The Cyber Masters killed him. I managed to get away. I was going to come back to you, I swear." She started at Yaz before glancing at Graham and Ryan on either side of her, hoping they would see she was being honest (for once in her very long existence. How long?). "The Judoon got me. I've been in jail for the last while. I'm so sorry for everything, mainly the Cybermen, you shouldn't have been in that position. I'm so glad you're all safe."

That was when the others in the room decided to interfere. "Erm, like sorry to interrupt and all that, but did you say Cybermen? Like silver robot things?" It was Bill. Curious, young Bill who hadn't deserved any of what she got. Who should have been at home writing essays and studying, just living her life, instead of being shot and converted into a Cyberman.

"Yeah, you know them?" Ryan was the one that answered, moving to join Yaz standing in front of her, hiding her from everyone else in the room. "Do all of you know about them? Who are you all?"

"Well, hello there. Good to see you again Silver Fox and friends. I'm Captain Jack Harkness, as many of you know, lovey to see so many beautiful faces. I'm gonna assume that we all know the Doctor; as the people I know here all do and that's most of the people in this room, plus the way we've all been talking it sounds likely. You three are the latest companions or you were the last time I saw you, but I don't know the beauty behind you. Another companion?" How Jack managed to fit so much flirting into his speech was a mystery. She was also surprised at his obliviousness. He was usually a bit sharper than that and she knew her fam had told him that she was now female. He really didn't have any excuse for being so dumb, barring the whole no-idea-where-they-were-trapped-in-a-strange-room situation. However, she really wasn't ready to speak up, so was very thankful when another voice spoke instead, distracting Jack from his last question.

"I'm Professor River Song. Pleasure to meet you handsome, I've heard lots about you. I've heard lots about many of the people in this room actually if I'm right about your identities. I think it is safe to say we all know the Doctor but maybe we should do introductions before we figure a way out of here. Seeing as some of us know each other and others don't." River. She didn't even have to see her to know exactly what she looked like. Grinning wildly and flirting with Jack. Those two would make a disastrous pair, she had had nightmares about those two meeting. Between the guns and the flirting, they would probably destroy a few planets together and plenty of hearts. At least River speaking up meant that she didn't have to reveal herself yet. Plus, it was making her hallucination idea even weaker an argument, surely her mind wasn't cruel enough to make this scenario up.

"Professor? Of what, if you don't mind me asking beautiful?" Jack in his natural habitat. Of course, he hadn't changed a bit. She wasn't sure how to feel about him flirting with her wife, her stomach was doing summersaults but maybe that was from everything else going on.

"Archaeology, handsome. We can talk a bit later when we aren't trapped in a mysterious room for an unknown reason. I'd like to get to know you better for certain, I've heard some fantastic stories." The Doctor wasn't sure what to do with those mental images. She decided glaring at the carpet was the best way to focus. Was this real? It sounded real but it couldn't be.

"River's right. I mean about the introductions anyway. It's probably best to know who everyone is before we end up running for our lives as is typical when the Doctor is involved. I'm Amy Pond –. "

"Williams."

"Pond. And this is my husband Rory. River is our daughter. Complicated don't ask." Amelia Pond, her sweet little fairy-tale Amelia Pond and Rory the Roman. The girl and boy who waited.

"Yeah, not going to ask. I'm Bill and this egg is Nardole."

"Nice to meet you. I'm Martha Smith nee Jones, this is my husband Mickey." Dr Martha Jones and Mickey the idiot. Her past was really coming back to haunt her wasn't it.

"Erm, I'm Rose Tyler. It's good to see you guys again. Martha, Mickey you two got married? I'm so happy for you." Rose. Oh Rassilon, Rose. She should be on a parallel world, whoever had brought them here had some serious power. If this was real anyway, which she still wasn't convinced about.

"I'm Donna Temple-Noble and I want to know where we are! I remember everything now. God, I remember everything. How is that possible? Where is that bloody Spaceman anyway? I need to have words with him." Donna sounding the same as always. Shouting her problems into submission. Amazing and bold. Ready to scream at the universe if necessary.

"It's nice to meet you all. I've heard a lot about some of you. I'm Clara. Clara Oswald. It's good to meet you in person Nina." Her impossible girl, who she had forgotten. Memories really were important (and didn't that make her possible lack of memories all the more painful and infuriating).

"Nina, wait Souffle Girl? Oswin? Weren't you a dalek?"

"Hello, complicated. It was me but it also wasn't. Like I said complicated." Stars, was there anyone else. She hoped not. She didn't think she could handle anyone else.

Graham stood to join Ryan and Yaz. "Well, I'm Graham, this is my grandson Ryan and our friend Yaz. This is -." She grabbed his arm and shook her head desperately at Graham. She didn't want them to know yet.

"So which Doctor did you guys travel with?" Clara was the one to throw out a question to break up the awkward silence that followed Graham's abrupt stop.

"Which Doctor? What do you mean which Doctor?" Yaz asked, glancing bemused back at the Doctor. All she could do was smile sadly and nod back at the others. They would answer. She wasn't ready yet. She didn't know what to say to most of the people in this room apart from enough apologies to drown in. She had spent a lot of time alone in that small cell and all she had were her memories. She'd had plenty of time to reflect on how she failed all of them. And she had failed them all in some way. She always did.

"You must be new dear. The Doctor has a way of cheating death so to say. He changes his face in a process called regeneration. His whole-body changes with a vaguely different personality but he's ultimately the same person. I met Pinstripes on a couple of occasions, which was what he referred to as his tenth incarnation, but I mainly knew the next two – Chinny and Eyebrows." River. If she had met River in her tenth face to her view than maybe, just maybe, she was after the library. Hope swelled in her chest and her hearts were in her mouth.

"Jack and I travelled with his ninth one, Ears, and Mickey knew him too. We were with him, Mickey and I, I mean, when he regenerated into Pinstripes and we all travelled at varying times with him too." Rose decided to speak. Even if this turned out to be a huge dream it was nice to hear her – maybe imaginary – voice again. It had been so long. So long since she had seen many of the people in the room.

"Donna and I also travelled with Pinstripes at different times, although we met on a couple of occasions." Martha piped up for her and Donna. "Plus, we met Rose, Mickey (obviously) and Jack during the whole planets in the sky mess." Rassilon, that had been a day, seeing so many of her companions together and then having to say goodbye to them all. It had left her even more lonely than normal and had led to so many mistakes.

This time it was Amy that spoke. "From those descriptions and from what River has said I think we knew the one she called Chinny. If you're talking about the clumsy moron who wore bow ties, tweed and occasionally a fez when we weren't able to destroy it fast enough."

"Yeah, I heard a bit about both of you. The Ponds. Chinny was eleven. I travelled with him after you and then was there when he regenerated into his twelfth face – Eyebrows." Clara added, despite not being able to see her, the Doctor could tell she was nodding.

"If Eyebrows you mean tall, grey haired Scotsman. Kind of grandfatherly but a bit grumpy at times then that is the one Nardole and I know." Bill spoke from somewhere to her left, her voice laced in confusion and curiosity.

Another awkward silence. The weight of everyone's eyes were on her and the fam. They glanced back at her unsure what to say. She smiled in what she hoped was a reassuring manner but probably looked more like a pained grimace from the worry in their eyes. She couldn't avoid it any further, not without difficulty. She was as ready as she could be. She had to be. She wasn't.

She stood up on aching limbs and gently pushed between Ryan and Yaz who glanced at her in worry. She nodded and tried another smile. This one was clearly a bit better as they let her past. "They travel with me. Hi. I'm after Eyebrows by the way. Nice to see you all again although I wish it was under better circumstances. Oh well, we'll be out of this in a jiffy I'm sure. Hmn, not sure if I like that." She tried a full (fake) smile and put as much joy and bounce into her voice as she could manage but like before she didn't think it worked.

Stunned silence greeted her. She looked around the room at her past friends and family, taking them in but too afraid to meet anyone's eyes. "Well, I like this new body sweetie. Definitely an upgrade." She glanced sharply at River who smiled softly at her, moving closer as if to touch her.

She was beaten to the punch by Jack. He had charged forward and pulled her into a tight hug. She was smaller than him by a few inches now - curse her short legs – and he used that to his advantage. Lifting her up and spinning her around, her coat flying out behind her like a cape. A small laugh escaped her before she could help herself. When she was placed, gently, back on the floor a pair of lips met hers in a kiss before she could react. Then he pulled back, holding her shoulders and smiling at her. "Beautiful as always Doc. I should have known. Your newest friends mentioned you had changed."

"Stop it. You don't change Jack, do you?" This felt too real to be a dream. If it was, a cruel, cruel dream, she was going to enjoy it while she could. Rassilon, she had missed them. She always missed them.

She was surprised when she was hit with another body hugging her. Bill had rushed from the other side of the room and practically tackled her into a tight hug. "It's you right Doctor? Please tell me it's you. You looked so dead the last time I saw you but I didn't want to believe it!"

"Yeah, it's me Bill. What happened? I don't really remember much between the explosion and waking in the TARDIS, but I met a thing that told me some stuff but I didn't know what to believe." She relaxed out of the hug, putting her hands onto Bill's shoulders and taking her in. Happy to see her not as a Cyberman again. Testimony Bill had claimed Heather had saved her but she hadn't been sure she had wanted to get her hopes up at the time. Nardole stood next to Bill offering silent support to the pair, a grin on his face. It was good to have the pair of them back again.

"You blew yourself up you idiot. I found you lying in the forest with all the Cybermen dead and then Heather found me. She made me like her and we brought you back to the TARDIS. I've been travelling with her." Bill grinned up her, glad to see the Doctor alive. Then she pulled the Doctor back into a hug. "You stupid old man! Don't you dare do that to me again!"

"I'm so sorry Bill, I should have never taken you anywhere near that ship and I was an idiot to hope Missy had changed. I'm so sorry." The Doctor held Bill tight against her as if she could protect her from the rest of the world. They both pulled back at the same time, smiling.

"You know what I said about liking girls and people closer to my age, that was not a hint. I would say I missed out but I loved my space grandad." Bill grinned widely, nodding to someone behind the Doctor before moving swiftly out the way with a smirk.

She spun around to find Clara behind her. Puppy-like eyes wide and a soft smile on her face. "Do you remember-." The Doctor dived at her, tugging her into a hug. Clara laughed, putting her arms around the Doctor. "I'm guessing that's a yes. I've missed you too, you idiot. What's with all the hugs? I know you didn't like them as Eyebrows." She reluctantly pulled herself away from the hug, a wide smile on her face. "I think this is a special occasion, don't you?" Rassilon, she had missed Clara and Bill. Clara smiled knowingly before gesturing towards the other side of the room.

The Doctor edged nervously towards where Donna, Mickey, Martha and Rose were standing awkwardly watching the exchanges. She froze awkwardly in front of them, unsure what to do or to say. "Look at you Spaceman, speechless for once. Come here you idiot." Donna broke first, pulling her into a tight hug, so tight she thought she would have to use her respiratory bypass. "And don't think we won't be having words about the whole memory thing. I understand but it doesn't mean I'm happy about it. Though I have to say this is an upgrade from Mr Skinny."

"She's right. You're looking good Doctor." Martha smiled from next to Mickey, hands joined between them. Mickey nodded, grinning as he added; "Hey Boss."

"I could say the same about all of you. I'm glad you're all safe." She smiled happily at them, meaning every word.

"Doctor." Rose leapt forward, grabbing her and hugging her tightly for a couple of minutes. Before she stepped sharply back. "I've missed you and I'm so happy to see you again. But, from what the others have said, you've regenerated another three times since I last saw you which means you've died three times!" Her eyes burned angry and worried, for a minute the Doctor thought she was going to be slapped but Rose pulled her back into a tight hug.

"It's okay Rose. I'm fine, I always am." She ignored the disbelieving scoffs she received from everyone. "Just tell me, are you happy? On that other world I mean, with your parents and - you know." She couldn't finish the sentence.

"No, you're rarely fine. But yes, I am. Really am happy I mean, but that doesn't mean I can't miss you or Mickey. Talking of which." Rose moved away from the Doctor with a last grin, shifting towards Martha and Mickey. "I know I've already said it but I really do mean it. I'm so happy you too are together-." The Doctor decided that was the best time to move away from the conversation, moving towards the last people she had to greet properly.

"Well, I'm not going to hug first." Amy announced, arms crossed. So very Scottish and angry. The stare off lasted for only a minute before they both surged forward, giggling, into a hug.

"My Raggedy Man. Look at you, still no sense of fashion." Amy pulling her husband into the hug with them. River stood at the side smiling but letting them reunite. "My Ponds, it's so good to see you two again." She moved half way out of the hug, keeping her arms around both of them. Going up onto her toes to gently lay a kiss on their foreheads. She pushed down the annoyance of being smaller than them both, too happy to just be holding them again. Amy pulled away grinning wildly and shoved her away.

She stumbled, surprised, but was caught in strong familiar arms. She shifted her head, desperate to properly see her saviour. "River." Her wife smiled softly helping her stand steady then pulling her into a gentle kiss that the Doctor found herself chasing as River pulled back. "Hello sweetie. I'm guessing it has been a while for you." Her breath caught in her throat, she couldn't move or say anything just stared into her wife's eyes. "Oh sweetie, you need to breath." She nodded still unable to speak. Everything was over whelming, there was so many people here that she thought she would never see again. People she had mourned and cried over. This couldn't be a hallucination. It just couldn't. It was too cruel a thought.

That's when a new voice joined the conversation drawing everyone's attention. It was a lady, a familiar one. Dressed in a fancy laced blue dress, dark hair pulled messily out of her face. A smile prominent on her face. "Sexy?" It was Amy that voiced her thoughts.

"Sexy?" Someone, maybe Martha, asked in the background. She wasn't paying attention, too busy staring at her. River had backed away slightly, but remained close standing at her side, ready for action.

"The TARDIS, she got put into a body for a while. Long story involving a sentient TARDIS eating asteroid." Rory answered the question with a wave of his hand. They were all too used to this weirdness to question that any more clearly, bar a comment on the name from Jack.

"Hello my thief. Don't worry, it was me that brought you all here. You're safe."

"But what -?" She tried desperately to articulate a question, any one of the thousands flooding her mind as she moved to stand right in front of the TARDIS. The TARDIS took her face gently into her hands and smiled softly, leaning down to put their foreheads together for a minute before moving back slightly, hands still on her face.

"You need your friends and family. And they deserve to understand and they need to understand to help you. Your whole world has been shaken, your mental image of who you are has been cracked. I want to help before it becomes broken, my dear thief. You helped me when you stole me all those years ago, let me help you my thief." She pulled back further moving to face the others in the room, but she kept a steadying hand on the Doctor.

"I'm going to show you some of the Doctor's adventures. Important moments such as when she met you all and her regenerations since she first met Rose in her ninth, plus some nice adventures. So that you can understand and help each other. She has just found out some information that was hidden from her for a long time. Help her, she needs you and you may even enjoy yourselves. You are safe here; everything will be provided. The first episodes will be background to this secret she uncovered and after that it will be a bit more random. When you talk, the video will pause and resume when you stop." She looked pleadingly at everyone who nodded with varying degrees of certainty. "Oh, also there is one more guest for now. Don't worry he won't be able to hurt any of you, but he needs to understand arguably more than any of you and they need each other more than you know." With that final statement she smiled softly at the Doctor before disappearing.

Then a humanoid shape fell from a swirling white portal on the roof to land with a hard thump on the floor. With a groan the shape rolled over and pulled itself up onto its feet. "Well, that wasn't pleasant, and before you say anything that infernal machine already explained everything to me. I promise I won't try and kill any of your pets for now." The Master dusted imaginary dirt off his coat. He turned to the Doctor with one of his signature wicked smirks and a wink. "My dear Doctor, looking a bit rough. Having trouble with the truth?"

She took a quick step backwards and tried desperately to decide if it was worth hitting him (again). Of course, he wasn't dead. Death never stuck when it came to him. She hated the fact that she was at least a little relieved to see him again.

"Master." She managed to grit out, aware what the word would cause. For a second - she could have sworn his smirk turned softer, more like a smile. Then the outrage of her friends caught her attention.

"The Master? But he's dead. You burnt his body. Doctor!?" It was Martha that spoke, Marth that had suffered so much at his hands in the Year that Never Was.

"Wait, Missy regenerated again? I thought you said she left with herself? Himself? The other one – Razor!" Bill rocked on her feet, ready to move out of the way of danger.

"He's never been one for staying dead. Yes, Bill this is the regeneration after Missy. Martha I've met him a few times since you last saw him. I'm sorry Martha, so sorry. For everything and I know that sounds hollow and pathetic but I mean it. I never treated you right when you travelled with me and for that I'm sorry. You were and are amazing, you have achieved so much and were always so ready to help everyone. I swear to you he won't hurt you or anyone else here, if the TARDIS says he can't he won't. Trust her, not him or even me. Trust the TARDIS."

She moved closer to Martha, reaching out a hand towards her but not quite touching her. She looked up into her eyes for the first time since arriving, begging and pleading for her to believe her. When she received a small smile and nod, she gave one back. She shifted, taking a minute to plead with Jack, Clara and Bill – the ones that had been most affected by the Master. She got a few hesitant smiles and nods back. Turning sharply back to the Master "And you, sit down and shut up." She pointed at him with a glare which only seemed to entertain him but he did as he was told and sat gracefully in a comfortable chair spaced slightly away from the others.

She watched him for a few minutes to ascertain his intentions before believing he would stay where he was. She turned back to everyone else, a large grin on her face that likely came out more as a grimace. "Well, everyone let's sit down and watch then. It doesn't look like we will be getting out of this any other way."

Everyone nodded slowly before moving to sit down. Rose and Jack took the sofa furthest to the left of the big screen. Donna, Mickey and Martha took the one next to them on the left side of the middle. Then Amy, Rory and River settled on the next one on the right middle. Bill, Nardole and Clara each took a beanbag spaced in front of the sofas. The Doctor and her fam took the last sofa, furthest to the right. The Master remained in his armchair to the right of the Doctor. She glanced at him, of course he would end up next to her, she didn't trust him anywhere else.

"Ready? Well, here we go."

Chapter Text

On the large blank screen, the words 'The Night of the Doctor' appeared and then the first video started to play. The Doctor sat fidgeting and shuffling around, unable to stay still. Terrified about what would be shown, she trusted the TARDIS but that didn't mean she was at all happy with the situation. There were so many things she didn't want her friends to know, especially her fam. She had tried so hard to try and keep them safe, not telling them nearly as much as she had told her companions in the past. All for nothing.

On a crashing spaceship a young woman (Cass) calls for help

The Doctor's eyes widened in shock and recognition. It had been a very long time but she still recognised the young girl on screen. Her companions looked at each other trying to see if any of them recognised the girl to try and understand which Doctor would be shown first, but none were able too. The Doctor curled up on herself more, she knew what was coming and she hated it. She hated that she hadn't been able to save Cass, hated how she had become a soldier and she hated her part in the war.

The computer offers medical help which she refuses

There were a few chuckles around the room. "I don't think you're going to get a choice." Mickey spoke up grinning.

Cass argues with the computer before the 8th Doctor appears

"Woah, is that you?" Bill asked, leaning forward to inspect the screen.

"Yes, my eight incarnation. Though not for much longer." The Doctor sighed. Her comment drew some concerned and curious looks but she didn't look away from the screen so the others decided it best not to question her. The Master shot her a look, he had a feeling he knew what was going to happen.

Cass reveals the rest of the crew teleported off as they were screaming

"Oh, I like her." River grinned, winking at her wife but failed to get a reaction. Her grin shrunk, changing into a small frown. Whatever was going to happen couldn't be anything good for the Doctor to be still and staring blankly at the screen.

The Doctor takes charge as leads her to the back of the ship as it crashes last

"Be nice!" Donna berated the Doctor who smiled a little in surrender.

"I don't really think it makes much difference; the ship is still crashing no matter what end you are on." Rory pointed out, ever the sensible and practical one.

"It still gives you a little but more time, plus I had a plan Roman." The Doctor tried to defend herself one heartedly. It wasn't like her plan had worked, but at least she had had one. Not that it was particularly complicated, get back to the TARDIS before the ship crashed, it should have been fool-proof. Which in her case meant it obviously had to go wrong.

Cass introduces herself and they run to the back fo the ship with the sonic opening doors

"Ehm Doc, I don't think being on a crashing space ship is particularly lucky." Graham argued, with the vast majority of the room nodding in agreement.

The Tardis is revealed

"Oh, so that's your plan." Martha nodded to herself, it seemed so simple but she had a bad feeling it wouldn't be. It never was with the Doctor.

The Doctor tries his normal Tardis intro but Cass isn't happy at the reveal

"She knew what a TARDIS was?" Rose asked curious and surprised. When she had travelled with the Doctor it was usually only his enemies that knew what it was.

"Yes, the Time Lords were very well known back then." The Doctor bit her lip, before taking a deep breath. She would have to tell them. River and Jack were already starting to look suspicious. "This was during the Time War; everyone knew who the Time Lords were because they were fighting everywhere. This was before I put up the Time Lock to try and prevent some of the destruction."

Many of her older companions nodded in understanding, most had heard bits and pieces about the war. The newer ones, her current fam and Bill, however, looked even more confused.

"Time War? What are you talking about?" Ryan asked. The companions that knew about the war looked at him in a bit of surprise, did they really not know about the war?

"The Last Great Time War was a war between my people and the Daleks. It was raging across all of time and space and it was destroying the universe. Whole planets were obliterated, species went extinct, trillions died. For a long time, I refused to fight but this, this is what dragged me back home to fight in the war. To end the war I did something terrible, horrifying. Or at least I thought I did." The Doctor tried her best to explain without getting lost in the memories of al the horrors she had seen and done. The older companions listened on in sympathy and curiosity for her last statement. The newer ones though, just looked shocked and a tad scared to know what she had done to end the war.

Cass steps back from the Doctor

"I'm guessing she knew what you were and was not happy about it." Jack asked the Doctor who grimaced in response. He was the one that had the best understanding of this in some ways. The Time Agency had legends about the Time Lords and they weren't particularly nice ones.

Cass realises the Doctor is a Time Lord and refuses his help as he is part of the Time War, despite the Doctor's promises he isn't involved

The companions were all taken aback by that statement and most looked ready to argue with the screen but the Doctor interrupted their oncoming protests.

"It was during the war and in wars anyone can become a monster." The comment was quiet, drawing sympathetic and concerned looks but she refused to meet any of their eyes. She risked a quick glance at the Master who met her eye for a second, the pair of them were the only ones that truly understood what the Time Lords had become during the war. Her friends had no understanding of what they were like. They all thought the Master was the mad renegade but in fact most of the Time Lords had a closer resemblance to him than the Doctor, especially during the war.

River and Jack shared a look. Both had heard stories, but to see how people reacted to the Doctor was different all together, she may not always be welcome everywhere but this was something different.

Cass closes herself into the ship determined to die and bring the Doctor down with her despite his pleading

"You idiot." The Mater remarked, trying to appear casual but the comment had slipped out.

"For once I agree. Were you trying to get yourself killed? She clearly wasn't going to come with you, you tried but you can't save everyone and you shouldn't die trying to save someone that doesn't want to be saved!" River snapped at the Doctor, frustrated with her wife's self-destructive tendencies.

"I couldn't just leave her." The Doctor protested feebly, but was met with her wife's angry glare.

The spaceship crashes on a planet, Doctor and Cass still onboard

The majority of the room shot concerned looks at the Doctor, worrying about how she had survived. She clearly had, to be in the room with them but it didn't make them worry any less. The whole video was unsettling, having to see the Doctor before any of them knew her and the one from around the war as well.

Ohila arrives and tells of the Doctor's death

"Karn? And what are they talking about? You're obviously not dead, you're here." Amy questioned; eyes narrowed ready to go on the attack if necessary.

"Karn is Gallifrey's sister planet. And yes, I was dead, they brought me back to induce a regeneration." The Doctor shrugged, sometimes she wished that she had just died back then, it would have been so much simpler.

The Doctor wakes and calls for Cass who Ohila reveals to be dead. She also reveals he has only a few minutes before he dies too

"You really can't ever stay quiet can you Doctor?" Clara smirked, glad to see the Doctor on screen at least a little bit back to normal. The Doctor managed a quick grin, it was true and she wouldn't deny it. Amy and Rory rolled their eyes in sync, both thinking about how hyperactive the Doctor had been during the Cube fiasco.

The Doctor realises they're on Karn

The Master chuckled, being the only one who actually understood what the pair on screen were actually talking about. The rest of the room did crack a few smiles though for the more typical Doctor like behaviour.

Ohila speaks about controlling regeneration

"They can control it?" Rose blinked, surprised.

"Most Time Lords can to some degree. Although Karn has turned it into some sort of science. The Doctor just struggles with it." The Master smirks, shooting a glance at the Doctor. Both had the stray thought about whether that was due to her true nature.

The Doctor turned to River to try and get support but she just grinned teasingly. "Oh, don't look at her dear. I'm sure she has better control than you from what I've heard." The Master continued on, interrupting her as she was about to add another protest. "Do I need to mention Romana?" The Doctor pouted slightly but gave up trying to defend herself. Somehow the comment about River had gone largely unnoticed by those that don't know her.

Ohila wants the Doctor to join the war, the Doctor doesn't want to

Her friends looked at her in concern, which seemed to be a permeant feature on their faces when they looked at her now. "Why did you refuse to fight?" Yaz asked cautiously, despite her apprehension she was curious to know more about her friend.

The Doctor bit her lip, contemplating her answer. "A lot of reasons. I was a renegade as far as Gallifrey was concerned. They only liked me when I made myself useful and that wasn't particularly often. I didn't like being used and I felt like I didn't owe them anything. I thought that I could do a better job staying on the fringes and helping people not fighting on the front lines, I made a terrible soldier." She scoffed before steeling herself for the last bit of truth, the truth they deserved to know. "And I didn't want to go home just to find my family and friends dead, I wasn't sure how I would cope. Before the war, I at least knew they were mostly safe but after it started, I had no way of knowing who was still alive. I was scared."

"It's alright to be scared. I don't know myself but from what I've seen and heard between you and grandad I don't need to guess that war is terrifying. And your family, of course you were scared for your family, that's normal." Donna somehow managed to toe a thin line of reassurance and exasperation with her apparent idiocy.

The Doctor nodded in thanks at Donna, trying to push down the wave of emotion that threatened to overtake her with the memories. No one was brave enough to ask about her family, dreading the answer. The Master glared at the floor, he had his own memories of war and his family and they weren't pretty either.

They discuss his name and the meaning

She shared a small smile with Clara, both thinking about to her time debating the issue as Eyebrows and then her speech to Missy in the graveyard. She was the Doctor, yes, but that didn't mean she was a good man nor that she was a bad one. It meant she tried her best to be kind and to help.

Ohila continues to pressure the Doctor into joining the war as he looks at a dead Cass. He states he'd rather die then join the war

A few companions flinched at the bluntness of her statement. The Doctor grimaced, she had been so determined back then but had wavered at the sight of Cass and gone into the hell they called the war. She came out a different person. She had seen so many wars during her time as a traveller but it was different seeing it on your own planet and at that scale.

Ohila tries to guilt the Doctor into it by talking about Cass

Clara had been watching Ohila during the video, trying to place why she seemed so familiar than it hit her. "She was there on Gallifrey during the whole … thing." She waved her hand trying to encompass the mess with the confession dial and the Doctor's return to Gallifrey.

"Yes, she was." The Doctor nodded; the pair ignored the confused eyes of the rest of the room.

The Doctor decides. A warrior is needed not a Doctor

"There's always a need for a doctor." River muttered, eyes pleading with the Doctor who smiled sadly at her shaking her head.

The Doctor prays to past companions as he accepts the elixir cup

The Doctor looked down at the floor in remembrance of all those friends she has lost, those that had let her and those she left. Even if they had left for better lives, she still missed them.

"Amy you asked me once who I believed in." The Doctor smiled sadly at the Ponds. Amy nodded quickly curious where she was going with this. "I believe in you. My friends, companions, the people that travel with me. You all change me as much as I change you, you all teach me so much. You've always been the best of me." She nodded almost absently minded to herself. "I look in on everyone who has travelled with me. They don't always see me but I do watch them, make sure they're happy. Everyone I can, from the first to all of you." She leaned forward from her seat, hands fiddling with the edge of her coat, offering a weary smile to her friends. They offered sad smiles back, happy that she didn't forget them but wondering somewhere in the back of their minds when she had looked in on them.

The Doctor drinks the elixir and regenerates revealing the War Doctor

Before anyone could say anything, not that many of them could verbalise the feelings pooling in their stomach the words 'Day of the Doctor' came up on the large screen. They all faced the screen nervous and unsure of what would appear next.

On Earth at Coal Hill Secondary School, a policeman walks past the scrapyard where it all started and a sign shows the Chairman of the School Governors is a familiar I Chesterton

"Wait, Chesterton? Ian Chesterton?" The Doctor looked up at Clara, knowing she was the only one around at the time, being a teacher at the school. She had a sinking feeling she knew what this video would be about.

"Yeah, you know him?" Clara watched the Doctor, trying to gauge why she knew her boss.

"He was Susan's science teacher at Coal Hill in the 60's and got curious about us. He was one of the first humans to travel with me after I sort of kidnapped him along with another teacher – Barbara. Last I heard they got married, had their own kids and grandkids." The Doctor smiled softly stuck in old memories. That was a long time ago.

"Susan?" She didn't even know who had asked that.

"My granddaughter." No one asked anymore questions thankfully. She started at the screen trying to supress old memories.

Clara is teaching a class before a note from her Doctor arrives. She leave son her motorbike and finds the Tardis on an empty country road, she drives straight in

"Oh, is this -?" Clara asked, realising what the video was but wanting to check with the Doctor. It made more sense now, taking the first video into consideration.

"Yeah, it's that I think." The Doctor smiled sadly at her, taking a moment to take her in. It had been a while since she had last seen Clara, let alone had all her memories of her.

The 11th Doctor is in the Tardis reading

"Is that really you, Doc?" Graham asked watching the screen bemused. "I know these guys have mentioned it and even you said about it when we first met you but, it's a bit hard to get your head around."

"Yep, that was me Graham. That was my face two regenerations ago, I believe my delightful friends over there referred to him as Chinny." She answered grinning.

Clara clicks her fingers closing the doors

"When have you been able to get the Tardis to open and close like that?" Rose asked.

"Have they not always been able to do that?" Amy answered. The pair, and everyone else, looked to the Doctor.

"Since just before Pinstripes regenerated into Chinny. Donna you were there, the library, remember? River showed me. Didn't really start doing it until Chinny though." The Doctor nodded at said companion.

The Doctor and Clara talk excitedly about plans before an alert interrupts them. Interference is detected

Clara and the Doctor shared a bittersweet smile, both thinking back to happier days before everything really went crazy. Back when travelling and trouble was constant but not quite so overwhelming.

CLARA: What's happening?

The Tardis has taken off but the engines aren't on. A helicopter has grabbed it with a hook. At the Tower of London Osgood brings Kate Stewart her phone

"Oh, it's Kate." Amy grinned; she hadn't seen Kate since the whole cube invasion. Being stuck in New York in the past made it kind of hard to meet up with old friends. She was finding it a bit weird watching Clara interact with her Doctor but she knew it was necessary, they always needed someone and she had told him to find someone.

The Doctor is calling as they go over the Thames. UNIT found the Tardis and are bringing it in, not knowing that the Doctor was in it

"How do manage to get yourself into these situations Doctor?" Jack laughed at the put out look on her face. She was too busy resisting the urge to stick her tongue out and enjoying the burst of joy at being with her friends and family again to really mean it though.

The phone call continues, and the Doctor falls out the door as Clara grabs his feet, he puts Kate on hold as he changes position

"You're completely mad." Martha shook her head, smiling widely.

They arrive at Trafalgar Square where they are greeted by soldiers, Osgood and Kate - UNIT is back

There was a round of snickers and the Doctor grinned, it had definitely sounded better in her head.

"Lethbridge-Stewart?" The Master spoke up for the first time since being banished to his armchair.

"Yes, the Brigadier's daughter. I'm sure you remember dear old Alistair." She smirked at him, enjoying how he shuffled in his chair uncomfortably. They both remembered all too well the days when she had worked for UNIT when she was banished to Earth in her third regeneration as well as several other instances.

"I thought I had killed her, back on that plane during 3W?" The Master remembered.

"Nope, you are an idiot and turned her father into one of your Cybermen. He saved her. I bet you are happy you didn't meet him; I think he would have tried to shoot you again. Oh wait, he did. Besides this is before that." She grinned smugly at the Master who decided to ignore her. The companions who weren't aware of what they were talking about watched the conversation confused and concerned. Especially those that knew the Master/Missy.

Kate reveals he has orders from Elizabeth the 1st

"Didn't she want to kill you the last time we met?" Martha spoke up, smiling at the new Doctor.

"Complicated but yes. I think I kind of deserved it this time though." The Doctor grinned back at Martha with a real smile, it was good to see her happy. She also ignored the Master's muttered comments about how she usually deserved it.

The credentials are inside the National Gallery not the message in the Doctor's hands. He likes Osgood's familiar scarf

"It is as horrible as the one you wore in your fourth face Doctor. You have no sense of fashion, dear." The Master smirked at her smugly.

"First of all, I am pretty sure that is my scarf, no I don't really know how she got it. Second, I have a great fashion sense. Besides it isn't like you can talk, do you not remember all your horrible fashion choices. Remember the capes? And Missy looked like an Edwardian/Victorian Mary Poppins!" She glared back at him. Both of them ignoring Bill's snickering.

"I'm sorry sweetie but I have to agree with him. You have a horrible fashion sense and everyone here knows it." The Doctor crossed her arms over her chest with a humph, not actually upset by the betrayal (well, only a little). Trying to ignore everyone's laughs but she couldn't stop a small smile breaking across her face still happy that everyone was together and safe for once.

Kate and Osgood discuss their cover story as Clara and the Doctor discuss Elizabeth the first and UNIT with normal levels of avoidance from the Doctor

"You always do that!" Clara sighed annoyed.

"Do what?"

"Avoid the question."

The Doctor introduces UNIT and they argue about whether he has a job or not

"You have a job? Yeah right Doctor. You can't even sit still for five minutes." Amy scoffed grinning at her.

"I do! I swear. Well did. Last I heard UNIT was having financial troubles but I used to work with them back in the 70's? 80's? Something like that. I was scientific advisor. Martha, Donna you should believe me. Both of you have seen me work for UNIT." She explained smugly.

"I don't think anyone really believes you, Doc." Graham laughed, becoming more comfortable with the strangers surrounding them but still a bit unsure about what was going on. She knew the three of her fam were curious to learn more about her. Probably like everyone else in the room.

"Unfortunately, I can vouch for her, she did work for them. Semi unwillingly as she was exiled to Earth for a while without any knowledge to repair her Tardis." The Master smirked at her, undoubtedly remembering those days so long ago.

"It wasn't unwilling, I just didn't like being stuck in one time and place for so long. I enjoyed working with UNIT, mostly. Besides, you spent a lot of time around as well annoying me and failing to take over the Earth."

They find a painting of an alien Citadel on fire and under attack

The look on both Time Lord's faces was intense. The Doctor had been expecting it but the Master was completely taken aback to see it. They glanced at each other before the Doctor remembered what he had done to Gallifrey and turned sharply away.

The painting is Elizabeth's credentials and the title of the painting - Gallifrey Falls

"I've only heard rumours about the painting. Which is the real title?" River asked glancing in concern at her wife, having an idea what they might see in the video.

"Both and neither, you'll see." She smiled sadly back at her wife with a nod, answering the unasked question. She had told River about many things during their twenty-four years of domestic bliss on Darillium.

The Doctor reveals it is the f all of Arcadia, Gallifrey's second city and should not be here

"That's the Time War?" Martha asked quietly. The Doctor nodded sadly, they would all be seeing a lot more than she would have liked. There were too many bad memories from that time and her method of running from them had been doing quite fine until the TARDIS had decided to interfere.

The three newest companions shared a look. They didn't know much about the Time War apart from what the Doctor had already explained but they recognised the word Gallifrey – the Doctor's home. Was this why the Doctor didn't want to take them to her home? But what about the place they had been on the other side of the border. Was this how it had gotten destroyed? Things weren't quite fitting together.

It's a 3D oil pain ting - Time Lord art. Bigger on the inside and frozen moment of real time

"Woah, that's so cool. Why did you never show me these kinds of cool things?!" Bill piped up from her place on a beanbag.

"I took you to cool places! Didn't you enjoy the Frost Fair?"

"We almost got eaten by a giant fish thing!"

"Yeah, but we didn't and we had some fun, plus I took you to lots of other places Bill!"

"Yes, when you were supposed to be guarding the vault and shouldn't have left the university!" Nardole broke in arms crossed as he tried to give her a stern glare.

"Oh, shut up Nardole, it was fine."

"University?" Martha was the one to ask. Everyone had watched the conversation with smiles on their faces remembering all the cool places the Doctor had taken them. Plus, all the trouble they eventually found.

"Yeah, I taught at St Luke's University in Bristol for 70 years, a few years or so ago from my perspective, as Eyebrows."

"Yep, she? He? They were my tutor. His lectures were crazy." Bill added smiling at the Doctor.

"Why did you stick around like that? You couldn't even manage a year with us when those cube things attacked." Rory pointed out.

"Complicated. Unfortunately, I'm sure it will be explained at some point now hush Rory the Roman!"

The Doctor talks about how he was there but not him - the Warrior

She glanced around the room, refusing to meet anybody's eyes. She had run for so long, trying to get away from that incarnation, the soldier, the warrior. She was conflicted, on one side they would see that she hadn't destroyed her home, that she hadn't committed double genocide but on the other her newer friends would learn about what she had almost done, about the kind of person she was really. And she would have to share the Master's destruction of Gallifrey.

She glanced at the Master. All the time she had fought in the war and she hadn't known he was alive; didn't know he had been resurrected to fight. She wanted so badly to hate him for everything but she just couldn't. There was too much history between them. The Master decidedly didn't look away from the screen, refusing to meet her eyes in fear of what lay beneath them. Pity? Accusation? Hatred? Understanding? He didn't know what would be worst.

The rest of the room felt uneasy watching the screen, the older companions had heard about the war and knew to some degree what the Doctor had done. But to have to watch it was a whole different thing. Add in her comments about thinking she had done it and they weren't quite sure if they really knew what they were going to see. The newer companions watched conflicted with everything going on. They were learning so much more about the Doctor and they were scared to find out what she had done that scared her so much, that made her hate herself so much.

We're on Arcadia during the Time War. It's carnage with Daleks and Time Lords fighting

"Oh god, Doctor." Rose gaped at her. "I know you told me about it a bit, but I never imagined -." She stopped, unable to finish her question. Everyone watched the screen in horror. Most of them had heard at least a bit about the war but they had never imagined they would see any of it. They had never really wanted too, many of them had seen war zones amongst their travels with the Doctor and she didn't really flinch at them. Therefore, they knew logically that the Time War had to have been truly horrible, indescribable.

A solider gives the High Council a message - Arcadia has fallen - as he spies the Doctor's Tardis

"It's hard to believe that's you, especially compared to the ones I first met." Mickey spoke up from his place beside Martha, an arm around his wife.

"Yes, it is a bit of a change. But that's the warrior. I've been trying my hardest to be the Doctor since." She shrugged, then another thought occurred to her. "Wait, you find that a harder change than this one?" She smiled slightly, Mickey just shrugged in response, his own grin breaking across his face.

The Warrior want the soldier's gun

"Gun? You hate guns." Rory said. The others clearly had similar thoughts form the way they were looking at her.

"It was a war, plus it wasn't for that reason. Just watch." The Doctor frowned in memory of the war. Her eyes were glued to the screen.

The Warrior leaves a message as the Daleks try to attack him

The companions smiled a bit to see the TARDIS taking out the Daleks and the people escaping. The Master rolled his eyes, as soon as the Doctor was around the Daleks could think of no one else.

Inside the Citadel a council has been convened to discuss the Warrior's message

"A madman with his box." Amy smiled at the Doctor, remembering meeting her both the first time and when she came back late (both times). "Well, madwoman now." The Doctor grinned back at her.

The war discussion continues and then its revealed a weapon called the Moment is missing from the vaults. It's a unique weapon as it became sentient

"What kind of crazy weapons did your species make?" Ryan asked incredulously.

"Lots of horrible ones. It was a terrible war."

In a desert the Warrior walks and thinks of the end of the war

Everyone, bar the two Time Lords who exchanged a careful glance remembering the war, had their eyes stuck to the screen in a mix of horror and grief. Many of them had heard about the Time War and knew what the Doctor had done but it was different having to see it and the state the Doctor was in. The newer companions who didn't know about the war or the details of the Doctor's decision to end it were apprehensive about what they were going to see.

The Warrior enters a barn

"Wait, that's the barn from when you were a child-." Clara spoke unthinking before freezing at looking at the Doctor like a deer in headlights.

"How do you know about that?" The Doctor asked her cautiously.

"It doesn't matter." When the Doctor went to speak again, Clara added, "I'm sure you'll find out at some point now let's keep watching."

The Warrior tries to turn the Moment on

No one wanted to make a joke, too stuck on the horror and unease of what was going on.

A blond woman that looks like Rose appears as the Doctor is distracted by a noise

"But that's me!" Rose spoke up, sitting up and staring intensely at the screen.

"No, it just took your shape. I'm pretty sure it'll be explained soon." The Doctor answered without moving her own eyes from the screen. This was bringing up too many bad memories.

The Moment and the Doctor argue, as he hasn't realised who she is. The Warrior walked miles to reach this barn

"You got to admit that's at least a bit funny Doc." She decidedly ignored Jack's chuckles. She knew he was just trying to break the tense atmosphere but she was stuck in bad memories.

The Moment box is activating

"Always trying to save people Doctor." Clara smiled sadly at her.

The Moment box is hot and the Doctor finally works out who she is. She reveals she chose his form based on his past, or future

"She's like Sexy! She kept getting confused with tenses too. I guess it's hard when it comes to time travel." Amy pointed out.

The Warrior denies having a future. The Moment declares herself Rose Tyler then changes to settle on Bad Wolf

"Is that really what I looked like on the satellite?" Rose asked curious, still a bit uncomfortable seeing herself-but-not-herself on screen

"Yes, a bit, it's better you don't remember though. We'll likely see it at some point."

The Warrior refuses to be called the Doctor - he doesn't deserve it

"Doctor –." Jack was the one to speak up gingerly, as if he was speaking to a scared animal. She didn't like that comparison.

"Jack, it was a long time ago. I'm fine. Just keep watching." She ignored the doubtful glances everyone gave her but was thankful no one else spoke up. She exchanged a look with Clara, she was the only one who knew what happened in detail. She wasn't happy with the idea that the others would find out she hadn't destroyed Gallifrey. Well, she was. She just wasn't looking forward to having to explain that it had been destroyed again, and by the Master.

The Moment reveals the Doctor's plan - to use the moment to kill the Daleks and Time Lords alike. She mentions consequences, he doesn't want to survive

"Oh sweetie." River moved from her place beside her parents and kidnapped her wife. Picking her up and pulling her into a hug. "Don't you dare say that, ever. Don't even think it!"

"I'm sorry River, I didn't want to survive if no one else was. I didn't want to live with the guilt." She signed into the hug, hiding her face and ignore the urge to just collapse and cry in her wife's embrace. She had missed being held by River. River slowly pulled back, leaning in to kiss her forehead before sitting down next to the three current companions with the Doctor in her lap, arms wrapped tight around her wife so she couldn't escape no matter how much she wriggled. She noticed for the first time that she was shorter than her.

"River!" She only received a hush from the person in question and she crossed her arms annoyed before looking determinedly back at the screen. She missed the glances that River exchanged with most of the other residents of the room.

The Moment decides his punishment is to survive then asks how many children are on Gallifrey and asks if he wants to see his future

The Doctor turned and hid her face in River's shoulder, not wanting to remember any of the horrors of the war or what she had done/thought she had done. River brought her arms closer around her wife, whispering comforts in her ears until she looked back up to the screen.

The Moment opens a portal to the future - they are surprised with a fez

"Let me guess that was the one we knew?" Amy laughed at the pout she received from the Doctor who made quite a picture sitting on her wife's lap. Rory, River and Clara laughed with her.

Back in the National Gallery - The Doctor opens the letter from Elizabeth the first calling the Doctor her husband

"Husband? Doctor, you mangy dog." Of course, it was Jack who smirked at her but the others laughed enjoying a bit of comic relief in a tense atmosphere.

"Shut up." She glanced behind to check on her wife, before continuing. "River stop grinning, I haven't been married nearly as many times as you have."

The Doctor, Kate and Clara leave and find a picture of the 10th Doctor and Elizabeth the 1st. McGillop answers his phone.

"There's the Spaceman that we knew. You look as stupid as ever." Donna shared a laugh with Mickey, Martha, Rose and Jack, ignoring her protests about her fashion sense.

In England 1562, The 10th Doctor and Elizabeth are horse riding and on a picnic before the Doctor asks Elizabeth to marry him

"Bit forward Doctor." Jack laughed.

"Oi! I had a reason. Keep watching." Despite her protests, the Doctor grinned at the (other) immortal time traveller.

Elizabeth accepts but the Doctor only asked as he thought she was a shape-shifting alien

"A shape-shifting alien from outer space impersonating Queen Elizabeth the first. Why am I not even surprised?" Rory sighed as everyone, bar the Master, laughed. They were used to weird stuff with the Doctor.

"The Royal family has no luck, remember the werewolf and Queen Victoria?" Rose grinned at the Doctor who grinned back. The others watched confused about what they presumed was an adventure the pair had gone on.

"How can I forget? That's the reason Torchwood was founded. We were messing around while also trying to not get killed, and she couldn't forgive that."

His device dings

"You love that device way too much." Martha laughed at her and her protests. She was starting to think the TARDIS had brought them all here for her companions to bully her. They seemed to be getting on terrifyingly well, she wasn't sure she could survive the combined power of them all.

The Doctor explains the machine that goes ding

"I needed one of those. Would have been helpful for Torchwood. Doctor?"

"Not a chance Jack. I'm never giving Torchwood anymore alien tech, they have too much as it is."

He still thinks she is a Zygon, turns out it is the horse. The Doctor has a moment of panic about being king then they run

"It always ends up with the running with you doesn't it." Rose grinned at her, her question more a statement. "Glad to see that doesn't change."

"So, it's always like that then?" Yaz asked, smiling when she received enthusiastic, and some exasperated, nods from all the previous companions.

They run and the Doctor tries to vaguely explain the zygon, but focuses more on the loss of the horse

"Priorities Doctor." Clara sighed, she always missed stuff. She may have been a genius but she/he (they?) could be so stupid at times.

The Doctor bemoans messing up history again as the pair split up

"When do you ever pay attention to history?" Amy laughed with the other companions.

"I try my hardest!" She ignored the scoffs she received.

The Doctor gives a speech to a perfectly normal rabbit

"Well done Martian!" Donna practically cackled with laughter alongside the rest of the room. Even the Master chuckled a little, although he tried to hide it. The Doctor definitely didn't pout.

"You have a lot of titles Doc." Graham pointed out once he finished chuckling with everyone else.

"Oh, she has lots more-." The Master started, a crazed smirk on his face which was cut off abruptly by a pillow hitting him in the face. His expression (a weird contortion between confusion, anger and pure bewilderment) caused all the companions to laugh which they then tried to hide when he glared at them. The Doctor didn't even bother to hide her laugh, she wouldn't miss the pillow. She had River after all.

The Doctor finds Elizabeth and explains the zygon probably just wants the planet

"Oh, just the normal than." Rory nodded sarcastically drawing laughs from the other companions.

The Doctor's machine isn't helping as the pair argue about who is the real one

The companions laughed a bit to see the Doctor frustrated with his home-made device as the Queen and Zygon argued behind him.

The vortex appears in the air - a fez appears as the three step back

"Look at you, confusing your past self, like the idiot you are." Amy laughed at her. "You really had a weird obsession with them back then."

"Hey Pond. Fezzes are cool!"

"No, they really aren't sweetie."

Back in the National Gallery - the Doctor is suspicious about the sand on the floor and statues covered in dust sheets. He also reveals his age - 1200

"1200? Last time I saw you, you said were about 900." While Martha was the one to ask the question, all her old companions looked at her.

"It had been a while for me." The Doctor grimaced, that was putting it lightly and that was before she spent 900 years defending Trenzalore.

"How old are you now then?" It was Donna that asked looking concerned

Before she even got a chance to answer, Clara did for her. "She was well over 2000 last time I saw her slash 4.5 billion because she's a loving and stubborn idiot. I'm pretty sure she doesn't even know anymore and will just lie to us. I think they've been lying about their age for a long time." Clara raised an eyebrow at her.

"4.5 Billion?" The Master asked, looking shocked with his own question.

"You didn't hear? I thought you would have known, you usually do. Plus, Rassilon probably would have bragged about it. It's a long story and I don't want to talk about it now. I'm sure it will come up at some point."

"Doctor." He glared at her. For a second, she thought she could detect a bit of concern in his eyes.

"My confession dial. That's all I'm telling you. Besides does it even matter? Both of us know that I don't have any idea how old I really am." She glared right back. He was the reason she was so doubtful about her age and her past. He nodded at her slowly, she knew he was giving up for the moment but not forever. He would find out at some point.

She turned back to Donna who had asked the question originally. "I lost track of my age a long time ago, I've lied about it a lot too. Don't always use the same definition of a year either, depends where I am I the universe sometimes. I am definitely several thousand years old though, maybe billions depending on perspectives. Honestly, I don't know. I'm just old at this point." She finished grimly.

"It really has been a long time for you then." Rose spoke up quietly. The Doctor glanced up hurriedly at her but didn't say anything. She didn't know what to say.

The Doctor demands the sand is analysed while Osgood barely keeps it together. The go further in and the Doctor can't resist the fez

"What is it with the fez?" Clara asked the Doctor mixed between exasperated and nostalgic.

"Amy and River weren't there to destroy my fez. I was enjoying it while I could."

"Do you always announce your presence with a fez in this regeneration?" Donna asked, shaking her head at the current Doctor who smiled sheepishly but shook her head. "Fezzes are cool."

More 3D paintings but the glass has been broken from the inside - they are just landscapes but the figures that used to be in there have disappeared despite nothing having left the under-gallery

"Of course, there's trouble when you're around Doc. That's one thing we've learned, you act like a magnet for it." Graham spoke up, breaking the uncomfortable atmosphere that had descended. A few chuckles were scattered across the room.

The Time fissure opens. The Doctor complains and almost remembers before throwing the fez swiftly followed by himself into the fissure

"Absolutely no care. Just flinging yourself into trouble like normal. Just wizard, Martian. No wonder you always find trouble!" Donna rolled her eyes at the Doctor, who at least had the decency to look a bit guilty.

Ignoring Clara and Kate's protests, we are back in 1562. The Two Doctors meet and insult each other

"I swear whenever you meet yourself, all you do is insult each other!" Clara threw her hands up exasperated.

The Master chuckled. "At least you weren't there when there was five of them." The Doctor glared at him for bringing that up before answering Clara. "How would you like to meet yourself from several years ago?" When no one could provide her an answer she settled smugly, turning back to the screen.

They continue insulting each other, bringing out the sonic screwdrivers

"Two of you together, you don't even want to know what I'm thinking." Jack grinned manically at the Doctor, winking. She rolled her eyes at him and mouthed 'stop it'.

Still arguing, a bit of judging from 11 about the situation 10 is in

"You realise you are talking to yourself, right?" Mickey laughed.

"Oi, I do know, Mickey the idiot!"

Time fissure reappears, the Doctor's put on their glasses

"How can you be so similar and yet so different at the same time?" Rose grinned with all the other companions. Each remembering the Doctor they knew and comparing them both to the ones on screen and the one watching with them.

"Wait! Are those my glasses?" Amy shouted before the video could continue raising an eyebrow at the Doctor.

"You left them behind! It's not like I could give them back." The Doctor tried futilely to defend herself, then she continued softer with a sad look and puppy eyes at the red-headed Scot. "Besides they reminded me of you." Amy smiled softly at her in understanding, she wasn't angry really.

he Elizabeth's to run in different directions - they do but only after kissing him

"And you complain at me for flirting!"

"You flirt with everything Jack!"

We can hear Clara through the fissure - the Doctor tells them where he is and who he is with

"Oh yeah that isn't confusing to anyone who doesn't know about regeneration." Rose grinned happy to see her (second) Doctor on screen.

They throw the fez to test is he can come back through - nothing. Kate leaves already on a call to try and find some files. She is being watched

"First of all; she's in trouble. Second of all, why is there an incident file for that kind of thing?" Rory spoke up hesitantly, unsure if he really wants the answer.

"Like the Master said, there has been a few incidents, one was an accident with five of me and the Brigadier was around at the time." The Doctor smiled sadly a bit lost in memories.

The Doctors' argue more - lack of memories

"How can you forget something like that?" Mickey asked incredulously.

"Timelines. You aren't supposed to meet yourself so when you do the memories become very hazy, if you remember anything at all. At least until your oldest-self lives through it." The Doctor explained.

They both attempt to reverse the polarity with their sonics - accomplishing nothing

"You're a right idiot you know that Spaceman."

"Well, I'm sorry. I wasn't exactly prepared for a time-space fissure on either day. Plus, crossing timelines always makes your memories fuzzy for the protection of the timelines as I just mentioned." The Doctor hmphed.

The Warrior arrives, fez in hand, looking for the Doctor, thinks the two Doctors before him are Companions

"Well, he's in for a surprise. I can't believe past-you thought two of your future faces were companions. Wait, yes I can." Rose laughed at him.

"To be fair, my previous incarnations were mostly old men. I'm surprised it took me so long to be a woman actually." The Doctor looked down at herself, her face scrunched up in confusion.

The reveal they are both Doctors, the Warrior is not impressed

"Well in a way you have, I guess. If that's one of your old faces and you die before you change." Bill tilted her head in question which the Doctor just answered with a smile.

They argue and then get surrounded by soldiers looking for the Doctor

"Trouble as normal. Wish I was there, it would definitely be my lucky day."

"Oi, stop it you!"

In the Under Gallery - Clara and Kate talk about there being three Doctors, scaring the soldiers, as 10 and 11 use their sonic screwdrivers

"He's right sweetie. How on Earth did you come up with the idea?" River smirked at her sheepish wife who refused to meet her eyes, blushing slightly when she remembered she was still sitting on River's lap.

Clara becomes a witch threatening to turn the soldiers into frogs after prompting from 11

The Doctor groaned while her current companions snickered, it hadn't been funny at the time but looking back at the situation it was just a bit.

"Why are you lot giggling like school children?" Donna asked curious.

"The Doctor took us to Jacobean England to solve a mystery and had some trouble with the fact she is female now so you can imagine how they would react to her." Yaz grinned.

"Did you get tried as a witch?!" Jack practically cackled while the other companions joined her fam in snickering. She was quite an interesting person, she got away with it mostly as a man but it would be very different as a woman, especially in certain time periods.

"Oi! I got dunked in a lake! It was freezing." The Doctor pouted but it only drew more laughter from her companions.

Timey-wimey and making words up

"Are you seriously trying to get yourself out of trouble with yourself by blaming yourself?" Martha asked exasperated and disbelieving, yet resigned to the insanity that was the Doctor.

"Maybe?"

Elizabeth show up, the Doctor's get arrested and brought to the Tower. 11 changes his tune and gets excited about being taken to the Tower of London, emphasising it for their listening audience in the future

"Seeing as that sounds bad, I am going to guess you have a plan as you don't look very worried about being locked in the tower." Bill pointed out and received a proud smile and nod from the Doctor.

More arguing between Doctors - particularly about 10's choice of shoes

There was a general mutter of "yes they are" from around the room.

"Like I said, you spend all your time insulting yourself. Should we be worried?" Clara laughed but the question had a bit of an edge to it, but no one wanted to darken the current light atmosphere.

Kate reveals her office is the Tower of London - explaining 11's excitement

"Oh, so you do have a plan for once." Amy raised an eyebrow at her. "That's rare."

"I'm guessing she made it all up as she went with you lot too then?" Ryan asked the other companions who all nodded back in varying forms of amusement and exasperation.

The Doctor's are locked in the Tower, complaining largely

"How is writing a message to the future going to help. They can't fly the TARDIS." Mickey asked.

"No, they can't fly the TARDIS, just watch Mickey. It will make sense eventually."

They try the sonic on the door but it is wood

"Next time you get one you need to make sure it has a wood setting. The amount of times that has caused trouble. Seriously Martian!" Donna exclaimed.

10 asks why the Warrior came looking for them - they can't see the Moment

"So, you couldn't see her then? Only the one from the war?" Bill asked. The Doctor nodded.

More arguing in the Tower before in the future, Osgood analyses the sand - its stone dust, statue dust. She says its like old statues and ask if any are missing

Most of the companions were starting to guess what happened and were hoping the pair of scientists got out.

The statues attack - Zygons had smashed them and hidden under the sheets

"That's not good."

Osgood runs but a zygon shifts into her, Osgood escapes narrowly

"Good for her!" Martha cheered along with the other. Glad to see someone get away.

Kate leads Clara to the Tower, specifically the Black Archive - staff are mindwiped everyday and locks are basic to keep out the Doctor

"No, I really don't. I also do not appreciate that Kate."

"You realise you are talking to a screen. Also, is there really anyway to keep you out of anywhere?" Clara raised her eyebrows channelling her days as a teacher. The others smiled knowing that was true, you couldn't keep the Doctor out of anywhere she really wanted to be.

Kate reveals Clara has visited before so has clearance as she was screened but she can't remember it

"Wait they keep information on everyone associated with you. Who wants to join me in breaking in and finding blackmail on the Doctor?" Amy grinned a bit manically.

"Oh, count me in. Definitely need more blackmail." Clara grinned at the red-haired Scot.

"Unfortunately, I'm pretty sure you are going to get lots of blackmail from these videos. No need to break in to UNIT." The Doctor sighed.

Clara finds a vortex manipulator, given to UNIT by Jack Harkness on one of his deaths

"Wait, one of his deaths?" Bill asked looking at said Captain who smirked flirtatiously.

"Complicated. I can't die. Well, I can but I get up again. I'm sure it will come up at some point." Those that didn't know him just stared incredulously at him before deciding they had heard weirder and focussed back on the screen. They would likely get answers eventually.

They don't have the activation code, which the Doctor kept from UNIT on purpose. Kate gets a call - they found the numbers that the Doctor carved into the wall

"Oh, that's what the numbers are for." Mickey said as comprehension dawned.

Kate reveals herself to be a zygon as she is joined by zygon-Osgood and McGillop

"That's really not good." All the companions, bar Clara who knew what happened, watched the screen anxious to know what would happen.

Clara steals the phone and vortex manipulator, putting in the numbers and escaping before the zygons can get her

"Quick thinking, I can see why she likes you." River winked at Clara, who bushed a little turning away to hide it. The Doctor grinned proudly at Clara who grinned back, still happy the Doctor remembered her again.

Back in the Tower Dungeon - they get started on the sonic breaking the door. They also discuss the Time War and counting the children

The Doctor glanced at the Master. "Contact." The Master gave her a questioning look but answered in like. "Did you count?"

"No. Unlike you I don't regret it. They got what they deserved, they lied to us about everything. Those children would have grown up to continue that legacy, Gallifrey was a horrible place to be a child. You can't even disagree with that." The Master refused to say anything else despite her attempts to goad him, eventually breaking off the connection.

11 lies about counting

The Doctor hid her face again not wanting to remember how hard she had tried to forget. She choked back on a sob. River started humming and rubbing her back to comfort her. The others looked worryingly at her but River gave them a sad smile and nodded to the screen.

10 reveals the number

"God. Doctor, how do you live with that?" Yaz choked out, staring at the Doctor in horror. The Doctor shifted her head away from River's shoulder and moved herself off her lap. Settling down on a beanbag next to Bill, her back to River's legs. She didn't deserve the comfort of her wife or anyone else. Yet, she couldn't find the energy or will to truly distance herself.

"You help others make the right choice; you save others. It never makes up for it but it means others don't have to suffer like you did. It's okay, keep watching Yaz, I've had a long time to deal with all this." She answered, voice blank of emotion and refusing to look at anyone.

10 turns on 11 for forgetting and 11 claims spoilers as 10 argues against it

River and Clara shivered at the reminder of Trenzalore. The other companions were worried about what could be so bad to scare the Doctor like that. The Master raised an eye at the Doctor who shook her head subtlety at him.

The three argue. They work out (with help from the Moment) that the sonic is the same with different casing so it can do the door calculation. Just as they are about to do it, Clara runs in. The door wasn't locked

Everyone laughed at the Doctor who just pouted. Any explanations she would have tried would be ignored so she didn't even bother trying, just happy to see all her companions safe and enjoying themselves. Even at the cost of some embarrassment.

Introductions to Clara

"Wait, you've met Pinstripes?" Bill asked curiously.

"I've kind of met them all, bar this Doctor until now. It's a long story." Clara shrugged.

None of them tried the door

"You're a right idiot aren't you Spaceman. How can you be so smart and yet so stupid at the same time?" Donna started laughing again alongside everyone else while the Doctor continued to pout, blushing a bit in embarrassment. Even the Master chuckled a bit.

Elizabeth enters and gets them to follow. Real Osgood finds Kate alive and tells what happened

"At least she's alive. That's good news at least."

Kate panics about loss of control over the Black Archive. Elizabeth shows the Doctors and Clara the zygon's plan - going into stasis within paintings then escaping later

"I hate it when you do that. Explain something and then say it's nothing like that. Did they do that to you all as well?" Clara turned to the others and received enthusiastic nods, especially ones from those that had travelled with Chinny.

10 points out Elizabeth's flaws only to find out it is her and o the zygon copy and quickly backtracks

"It's a wonder she likes you sir, with how you keep insulting her." Nardole muttered which she decided to ignore.

Elizabeth and Clara commiserate about men

"You can say that again!" Amy laughed, the rest of the women joining in. The men shifted a bit uncomfortable.

10 and Elizabeth get married

"And you get on at me for marrying other people, sweetie!"

"First of all; this was before I really started to know you properly. Second of all, you have married far more people than I have. Third, do I need to mention Hydroflax?!"

"I told you dear, I married the diamond!"

"Wait, you two are married?" Rose asked, her face blank. The Doctor squirmed in her place on the beanbag.

"Like most things it is a very long and complicated story but yes. It's very open at times. We usually both end up marrying several other people." River was the one that answered smiling softly in understanding at Rose.

"That's where I know you from! Eyebrows had a picture of you on his desk alongside an old black-and-white photo of a young girl." Bill exclaimed, her eyes and mouth wide in a classic 'Oh!' expression. River smiled at her wife; her eyes incredibly soft as she thought about how her husband kept a photo on his desk of her.

"Yes, the girl was my granddaughter Susan. I haven't seen her in millennia." The Doctor looked down at the carpet. And she wouldn't get to again. Unlike her, Susan had voluntarily gone back to Gallifrey during the Time War, she hadn't had the strength to check if she had survived for years. But, if she had somehow survived the war, she was almost definitely dead now. She resisted the urge to look at the Master.

10 promises to be right back

"Wait a minute Raggedy Man. If you married Queen Elizabeth does that make me your mother-in-law twice seeing as I married King Henry VIII?" Amy was grinning like the Cheshire Cat. Rory was at her side groaning, remembering that particular accident. The Doctor's look was all the answer Amy needed as she started cackling.

To the future they go

"And that Martha is why she tried to kill us when we met Shakespeare. I don't think I ever ended up returning."

Arguing about 10's Tardis design before it changes to accommodate the three Doctors within it

"So that's what it looked like before Chinny blew it up!" Amy exclaimed.

"Blew up?!" Donna shouted, voicing the thoughts of everyone else.

"I put off regenerating a bit too long, it made it a bit explosive. I really need to stop doing that." She muttered the last comment to herself before nodding to her fam. "That's how I ended up on the train, I blew it up again and she chucked me out when we were in the atmosphere."

Everyone started at her like she was mad, smiling about getting thrown out of the Tardis, blowing it up and putting off her regenerations. The Master and River looked at her with nearly identical knowing and disapproving stares. She shivered a bit, that was another horrifying combination. The pair of them would easily destroy several galaxies together and more importantly had far too much embarrassing blackmail on her.

10 doesn't like 11's redecoration, as normal

"They always say that." The Doctor mumbled.

At the Black Archive the humans and zygons meet - zygons morphing back into respective people

"I think that is going to become very confusing very quickly." Bill's comment drew nods and sounds of agreement from the rest of the room.

Kate activates self-destruction

"They were so close to blowing London up and we would never have known. How on Earth do you get out of this one?" Martha questioned.

The Doctor interrupts with a space-time telegraph (a gift from the Doctor to Kate's father)

"You knew her father well then. Did he travel with you Doc?" Graham asked.

"The Brigadier? No, he didn't really travel with me. Not in the way you all did. I worked with him when I worked for UNIT. I spent most of my time trying to convince him to not shoot everything alien on sight. He was a dear friend though, met me in several of my faces. I even got to meet Kate when she was very young." The Doctor smiled, lost in happier memories.

The Doctor tries to plead with Kate but she hangs up on him. The Doctors and Clara plan how to get int the archive when it is Tardis proof

"That's why I hate Torchwood. UNIT is at least tolerable most of the time, especially with a Lethbridge-Stewart around. No offense Jack." The Doctor realised what she said and turned to the immortal. His normal grin softened in understanding and he nodded at her with a wink.

They go for the stasis cube option

"Oh, that's a good plan sweetie. Very smart." River grinned at her wife who practically preened from the compliment.

They used the earlier phone call with McGillop to get the right painting into the Black Archive

"Well, that explains that weird phone call."

Kate and zygon Kate go back and forth on the self-destruct command

They all stared at the screen wondering how they got out of this seemingly hopeless situation.

From the Gallifrey Falls painting the Doctors and Clara make a dramatic entrance, after shooting some Daleks

"You do tend to do a bit of that, Sir." Nardole spoke up from his place on a beanbag.

"Oh, shut up egg-man. No one wants to hear your nattering." The Master drawled from his chair drawing the rooms attention.

"Be nice." She glared at him before turning to Nardole. "Nardole, it just tends to happen."

Kate and the Doctor argue about the countdown decision - the Doctor has made that decision once and hated it

The Doctor glared at the floor. You could have heard a pin drop in the room.

The Doctors are smug as they have a plan - they turn the memory filter on everyone so they can't remember who is zygon or human and a good negotiation can occur

"You look so smug." Martha snarked, not unkindly.

"I'm allowed to be a bit smug; I just stopped a Zygon invasion and London being blown up. Again!" The Doctor protested, waving her arms a bit wildly. River laughed behind her, leaning down to gently bring her arms back down to her sides.

"By the way Doc, I've been meaning to ask. Why do aliens always attack England – usually London especially?" Graham queried.

"I have no idea Graham. Good question, 10 points to you." She received a groan from the other two members of her fam.

"Not the points again." Ryan moaned.

Osgood and zygon Osgood talk and figure out who is who. Elsewhere in the room, Clara explores pictures of past companions before talking with the Warrior. She works out he hasn't used the Moment yet, because of his eyes

"You've saved so many people. The war was terrible but it helped make you kinder, it helped make you who you are Doctor. Just think how many people wouldn't be alive because you weren't there. How many times would the Earth have been destroyed or taken over without you here to protect it. You are needed Doctor." River almost pleaded with the Doctor to try and get her to understand. All the companions thought about it. Most of them would be dead if the Doctor hadn't saved them and the Earth would have been destroyed a long time ago.

The Doctor just shook her head silently, not meeting anyone's eyes. Maybe she had saved some people, but it was never enough. She had destroyed so many lives and hurt so many people, she would never save enough. She was so tired.

The Warrior leaves, time is up, leaving Clara confused

"Well, that explains that." Clara muttered to herself.

Back in the barn the Warrior and the Moment have a talk about the decision, the Moment trying to talk him out of it as the Doctor considers the big red button. The Moment mentions the Tardis's sound which brings hope

The companions all smiled remembering the sound of the Tardis. It had brought hope to them many times.

The Tardis is heard, hope comes even for the Warrior

The older companions who had heard what happened were starting to hope. With all the comments over the video, maybe it was possible the Doctor hadn't done it. Maybe she had managed to save it.

Clara leads the way, 10 and 11 decide to press the button with the Warrior so they aren't alone

The Doctor pulled her knees up to her chest and hid her head. Not wanting to think, not wanting to remember. The others all looked like they wanted to cry, a few had tears pooling in their eyes. To know and to see the act was very different. Their hope was shrinking.

Clara disagrees making them hesitate. They see a projection of Gallifrey in that moment and she asks for another way

They watched the screen in horror. None wanting to think about what they would do in the Doctor's situation. River dug her legs into the Doctor's back to ground her and reassure her she was there for her. She hated seeing her wife like this, knowing how much she was haunted by the memories of what she had thought she had done. The Master watched the screen with a dark expression, he didn't feel any guilt about burning Gallifrey again.

Clara reminds them of the promise they made as the Doctor

The former companions smiled thankfully at Clara; glad she was with the Doctor during the horrible situation. Some of them were stuck remembering the times when they had asked about Gallifrey or the Doctor's name. The three newest companions shared a look. This was new information for the three of them. The Doctor normally put on a façade of being happy but they were seeing so much more than they had seen before. No one wonder she didn't want to take them to her home.

They decide to change history - they change their mind and hide the big red button

For those that didn't know about the true fate of Gallifrey, which was almost everyone, hope started to bloom again. Was it possible that the Doctor had managed to save her home?

There's three of them now, they get excited. 10 gets distracted briefly by the mention of Bad Wolf

"You look so shocked!" Rose chuckled at the Doctor's face. The Doctor just grinned, happy to see her laughing.

They come up with a plan - to freeze Gallifrey like the paintings

Everyone started grinning wildly, bar the two Time Lords, even cheering a bit. It was the Doctor, of course she had manged to save them.

They contact the Council on Gallifrey - the council aren't as excited by three of them

There were a few laughs across the room but Clara scowled a bit. "I'm sorry Doctor, but I really don't like your people." She couldn't get over what they had done to the Doctor with the confession dial and how it had led to the Doctor forgetting her.

"Oh, don't worry, neither of us really like many of them either. The Doctor felt guilty about the children but there was definitely a few of our people she was happy to see die. I know I was happy to hear many of them burned." The Doctor glared at the Master who smirked smugly at her. The companions looked between them like it was tennis match. "Oh, don't look at me like that. Your dear Doctor may help people but she is just as much a renegade as I am according to our people. We both ran away, stole TARDISes and broke the interference laws."

She turned away from him and ignored the stares of her friends in favour of glaring at the floor. "Maybe but the Doctor saves people unlike you who spends your time killing people and destroying worlds." Martha glared at the Master, not ready or willing to forget the Year that Never Was. The Doctor felt joy at hearing her protests and it swelled when she heard agreements from the others that had met the Master. She looked up at Martha gratefully and received a smile and nod in return.

They share the plan with the council as their Tardises are in flight

"Grown up? You're not grown up. You're a child dressing up in their parent's clothing." Amy laughed at him, glad to see the Doctor was going to save her home. The others laughed with her agreeing.

They continue sharing the plan - and mention not wanting to see Gallifrey burn again

River reached an arm down to squeeze her wife's shoulder, trying to give her some comfort.

All the past Doctors come along to help the plan

"They're all you right? That's your previous regenerations." Bill asked pointing at the screen, the Doctor looked over to the girl and nodded. "Yep, that's me. Went back and convinced them to help. Big headache. Lots of arguing."

12 arrives to help too

"See we got your name right! Those eyebrows! Seriously Doctor. Were you compensating for Chinny's lack of eyebrows or something?" Amy gestured to the screen which had paused on the eyebrows. The others laughed, especially those that knew the regeneration in question.

"Wait, 13? I thought you could only have 12 regenerations – 13 faces. And, the thing with your hand and the planets in the sky, plus the warrior. Doctor?" Jack blinked confused.

"Just realised that now? Yes, Chinny should have been it, but there was a Thing. A Thing to do with Trenzalore and I got a new cycle. Technically this is my second body of my new cycle." The Doctor explained. She had been expecting the question from Jack or one of the others sooner or later. She shared a glance with the Master, who was the only one who knew the truth. She didn't want to tell them about what the Master had shown her in the Matrix, that meant she would have to accept it. Plus, she had an uncomfortable feeling that was the secret the TARDIS wanted to show them.

"There is always a thing with you Doctor." Jack sighed; he watched her assessing. He could tell there was lots more to it than that but she wasn't going to explain anytime soon. Drawing secrets from her was like drawing water from a stone. Virtually impossible and painful for all parties involved.

They start the plan and then cut to them having tea at the Gallery

"Well, that's a bit of an anti-climax, Doc." Jack chuckled, happy that the Doctor had managed to save her people. He glanced at the Doctor, expecting an answering grin but found a blank expression as she glared at the floor. Something was wrong, a pit settled in Jack's stomach, what secret was so bad for the TARDIS to bring them here?

They don't know if it worked, and discuss the name of the painting -  No More or Gallifrey Falls

"It isn't particularly, is it?" Rory said. Amy was leaning against him, his arm around her shoulder comforting her. "To be fair it could be worse though." She added to her husband's comment.

They discover that the past Doctor's won't remember not destroying Gallifery until this moment as 11. The Warrior leaves and regenerates

"I'm sorry Doctor but that didn't work out well." Rose grinned at the Doctor who shrugged. "Wait, how long after this did you meet me then?"

"It wasn't long, maybe a few days or so? No longer than a couple of weeks for sure. Thank you, Rose; you really helped me back then, when I had thought I had done it. I really appreciate everything you did for me back then." The Doctor smiled up at Rose thankful. Rose retuned the smile happily.

10 also leaves but not before getting a sneak peak of the future and Trenzalore

"What, no! Doctor that can't be it." Jack stared at the Doctor in shock. The others, barring River and Clara, were watching her with similar looks. None of them could believe that was how she died. It wasn't right.

"It's okay Jack. Stuff happened, it's complicated but it is already in the past for me." She smiled reassuringly at her old friend. The Master nodded at her when he managed to catch her eye; he didn't know the full story but he knew parts of it.

Clara leaves the Doctor alone with his thoughts. The Curator says hello and mentions revisiting a few familiar faces in the future

"Doctor, what is he talking about?" Ryan asked bemused. Most of the others had similar looks on their faces.

"That's one of my old faces, my fourth face. The one that wore the scarf Osgood had." The Doctor explained the best that she could. "However, I didn't grow that old in that face so I don't know how he is there or why. A future incarnation maybe? He did say about 'revisiting a few'."

The Curator reveals the painting's title - Gallifrey Falls No More

All her companions were grinning. The Doctor had managed to save them, of course she had. They were so happy for them, especially the ones who knew her when she was suffering from the war. Her current fam though exchanged a glance, if she had saved them then why did she not talk about it? And what had happened, because when they had seen it, it was burning.

The Doctor glared at the Master who shrugged at her with a smirk. She was furious at him for a number of things. Giving her fake coordinates as Missy and destroying Gallifrey and then teasing her about it were near the top of the (very) long list.

11 decides to go looking for Gallifrey

"Did you find it? Did you go home?" Amy grinned, happy for her friend.

The Doctor frowned, sharing a dark look with Clara. "Yes. Didn't go well. It never does." Her companions glanced at her in concern but got the feeling she wouldn't say anything more no matter how hard they tried.

The Curator leaves a happy Doctor who plans to find Gallifrey - the long way home, all of his past on show for the group

"And they are really all you? Before Eyebrows anyway. Wow, I see what they were talking about with the fashion sense." Bill nodded to herself.

"That's what you got out of that?!" The Doctor looked at her incredulous, while the other laughed at her. Despite the laughter they were all inspecting the previous regenerations of the Doctor.

"Is that the end of the first video?" Yaz queried, unsure who she was actually asking.

"I think so, anyone want anything or we all good for another video first?" The Doctor looked around the room, half of them were still looking at the screen and the others were chatting amongst themselves but she received shrugs and nods. "Okay, erm Sexy? Can we have the next video please?" The Doctor looked up at the ceiling of the room a bit awkward but the old video disappeared, replaced with the words "Twice Upon a Time".

Chapter Text

The screen turned white and the words 'Twice Upon a Time' appeared on the screen.

The First Doctor, Polly and Ben are in the midst of the Tenth Planet, 709 episodes ago

"Woah, that's old. Is that really you? Who are those people?" Bill spoke, managing somehow to rock on her beanbag.

The Doctor grinned at her questions, she hadn't changed, still so curious. "Yes, that's me! My first face, well the first one I remember." She glanced at the Master who frowned but refused to give up his thoughts. She turned back to Bill, smile on her face. They didn't need to know any of that yet. "That's Polly and Ben, they travelled with me back then. It was all a very long time ago Bill."

They deal with the Cybermen

Everyone looked uncomfortable seeing the Cybermen. Especially Bill, who had been turned into one, and Clara who had lost Danny. The Doctor shuffled her beanbag closer to Bill and pulled the younger girl into a hug. She then shuffled them so Bill lay against her, her arm around Bill to comfort her. She wasn't normally so touchy-feely but she would make an exception to comfort her friends especially after she failed them so badly. The Doctor had a feeling she knew what they were going to see and she didn't like it. She didn't want everyone to see it.

The 1st Doctor starts to regenerate a bit

"Your first regeneration." It was a statement, not a question but she looked up at River anyway and nodded grimacing.

"What caused it? I mean if you don't mind me asking." Yaz asked, biting her lip when she realised what she had asked.

The Doctor smiled at her. "It's okay, I don't mind, like I said it was a very long time ago. I died of old age ultimately. There was a thing with Mondas and Cybermen. Something to do with draining the Earth's energy or something, long story and it was a very long time ago. I think that might have been one of my only semi-natural deaths actually." She considered, did dying in her eleventh face (Chinny) count as natural? Yes, it had been old age but she had been in a siege for 900 years. Oh, well not the time to think on it. Her companions gave her concerned looks but decided not to ask anything else.

At the end of the Tenth Planet. The 1st Doctor returns to the Tardis, parked int he south pole as he refused to regenerate

DOCTOR 1: I can't go through with it. I will fight it. I will not change.

"You weren't going to regenerate? But we would have never of met you." Rose watched the Doctor, searching for something in those old eyes. The Doctor just shrugged half-heartedly, still holding Bill and glaring at the screen.

The Master glanced at her a bit surprised, she raised an eyebrow in question but he just shook his head and settled back into his chair with a blank expression. It wouldn't do to show his shock or worry. If she hadn't regenerated the first time; he would have never seen her again, no one would have known that she had died bar maybe a couple of humans.

In the Antarctic, the Doctor refuses to regenerate ... twice

"Doctor. What does it mean 'twice'?" For once Jack was serious, glancing quickly between her and the screen. She didn't answer him, he'd find out. They would all find out how close she had been to not being here, how much she wanted to not be here sometimes (most of the time).

The 1st and 12th Doctors meet

"Are you meeting yourself again? I thought you weren't supposed to do that." Amy asked.

"Yes, I met myself again. No, we aren't really supposed to do that. Though it does seem to keep happening to me, not always necessarily my fault." She mused on that, Gallifrey was definitely to blame for several occasions. "To be fair, this is well after the last video, at least a thousand odd years or so." She was probably a bit snappish but she really wasn't happy about what they were going to find out in this video.

The 12 Doctor tries to get a grip on what is going on, realising who the 1st Doctor is and where he is in the timeline. The 1st Doctor is confused about who 12 is

"You really didn't know it was you that you were talking to?" Martha questioned looking worriedly at the quiet Doctor. She was never naturally this quiet which meant this was something she didn't want to talk about.

"Well, I didn't really expect it back in those days plus I was still pretty young despite appearances."

The 1st Doctor is wary that 12 is trying to take back the Tardis

"What do you mean 'take it back'?" Mickey asked. He was comfortable on his sofa, arm around his wife as she cuddled into his shoulder.

Bill was happily leaning against the Doctor. It was rare the Doctor allowed physical contact as Eyebrows so she was enjoying it while it lasted. Plus, she appreciated the comfort.

River had gone back to sitting with her parents between videos so Yaz was now leaning back on the sofa, enjoying the space. She and the other two on her sofa shared a look, the Doctor had mentioned she had stolen it but they had never gotten much more out of her.

"Did I not mention that I stole the TARDIS and ran away?" She grinned a bit sheepish despite herself, she got her answer through a few vigorous shaking heads from some of her companions that didn't know. The rest of the companions grinned, most already knowing something about it but happy for the reminder and glad to see she was entertaining herself.

The 1st Doctor is confused by 12th's Tardis, wondering what he'd done to it as it has changed

"Oh, so you don't just insult each other, you also insult each other's Tardises." Clara smiled at the Doctor, but it faded a bit when she didn't meet her gaze.

The 1st Doctor refuses to regenerate, hypocritically 1 calls him out on this, explaining how it works and feels. Then realising if 1 doesn't regenerate the future never happens with severe consequences

"Is that really what regeneration is like? I know you've said it is painful." Rose asked, having seen two regenerations (well one and a half) but still unsure of what it actually felt like. The Doctor had been up and running and didn't really mention it again, well after collapsing unconscious for several hours.

"It's incredibly painful. Every cell in your body burns and is replaced. River and the Master could tell you the same."

"Yes, it's painful, but you've always seemed to have it worse than anyone I've ever seen my dear Doctor." The Master shared a glance with her, his expression blank. Both were thinking the same thing. Was it because of the Timeless Child?

The others ignored the exchange, choosing to focus on another part of her comment. "River? You're a Time Lord?" Rose asked shocked.

"It's complicated, I'm not a full Time Lord but I was conceived in the TARDIS so I'm not quite human." River explained a bit, but her attention was focused on her wife who was back to glaring the screen and refusing to meet anyone's eyes.

The Doctor is distracted by the snow which has frozen mid air. Something is wrong with time. The Captain has appeared and asks for a Doctor

"Doctor! You could be a bit nicer; he's clearly confused." Donna berated the Time Lady.

In a trench in 1914 two soldiers point guns at each other, neither understands each other but neither want to die or kill. Time freezes, leaving only the Captain moving as a transparent figure appears and declares a timeline error

"Who is that?" Mickey asked but received no answer.

Back  int he Antarctic. Something is very wrong with time, the Doctors and Captain face the figure who is definitely not human. The figure disappears

The companions all grinned remembering all the times the Doctor had saved the world. All her speeches and all the species she had sent running away from the Earth because she protected it. The Doctor watched the screen, analysing everything, who had she been kidding? How could she protect Earth if she couldn't protect Gallifrey? Or even know who she was?

They move to 12's Tardis, 1 is not impressed by the changes

"Like the new interior Doctor! She's as beautiful as always." Jack looked a bit lovesick seeing the new TARDIS design. The others who hadn't seen it before were all studying the screen intensely, comparing it to the one(s) they knew.

Insults to the Tardis as standard while the Captain is in shock

"At this point I think it is tradition for me to hate my future TARDIS designs until I regenerate into the appropriate face." The Doctor mumbled to herself, drawing a few raised eyebrows.

CAPTAIN: Bigger on the inside than it is on the outside.
DOCTOR: You know, I thought it probably was. I'm glad it's not just me.

"You were really sarcastic that regeneration, weren't you?" Amy laughed. "Shame I didn't meet you like that; we could have been sarcastic Scots together!" Amy grinned wider when she got a returning genuine grin from the Doctor. Amy had probably been some inspiration in the accent subconsciously. Eyebrows may have had a face as a reminder of Donna and her words but the accent was all his little Amelia's. Or maybe it was for Jamie, who had lost all memories of him. Maybe it was for both of them, both of his dear Scottish friends, they would have gotten on well.

1's Tardis is shown to be about 70 feet away and 12 advises him to remember where to park

"Had a bit of trouble with that eh, Doc? You always need to leave it somewhere you will remember." Jack laughed along with Rose, both remembering the first time they had met back in 1941. The others looked at the pair confused before shrugging it off as an inside joke.

The Captain fears he is going mad as 12 lays out the situation

"Says you, you're a certified madman." Donna scoffed. The Doctor shrugged. It's not like she could (or would) deny it.

Spoilers, 12 calls it World War One based on the uniform. The Captain quickly notices the One

"That's my word honey. You really need to stop messing with history." River smiled at her wife who rolled her eyes. Like River had any place to talk, she messed with history just as much as she did, if not more at times.

1 is finally told who 1 is and is in disbelief. Lots of insults as normal, this time about age

The others laughed at her offended expression, even the Master chuckled quietly in his corner. The Doctor muttered to herself, still offended by that comment. She may have been older in age, but she was younger in appearance!

The Captain is given some brandy, the Doctors attempt to explain who they are, 1 calls 12 his nurse to 12's annoyance

The others resumed laughing again. It was a change to see the Doctor get offended like that, of course it was her past face that did it.

1 continues insults as a male nurse from the Captain's point of view is unlikely. 1 insults woman (mostly to annoy 12) but 12 tries to stop him as everyone is going to call him out on that mistake

"Before you say anything that was a very long time ago and I spent most of my time in the 60's so I picked up some of the time period's idiotic views. I'm going to apologise now for everything he, erm I, say. No, I do not agree with it." The Doctor put her hands up before the abuse started. She got a few questioning eyebrows to which she answered with a frown.

1 calls 12 out on having drunk some alcohol in the last fifteen hundred years

"You have alcohol on the Tardis? And you never told me about this. Seriously Doc I'm offended, you've been holding out on me!" Jack laughed, hand on his heart in fake offense.

"Why do you even have it? You hate the taste, I kept having to remind you of that moron." Amy grinned thinking back to all the times she had seen him drink (and then spit out) alcohol.

"I didn't think it would be a good idea to give you more alcohol Jack, and my tastes change with the face Amy. Besides it doesn't really have the same effect on Time Lords as it does humans due to our-."

"Superior biology." Her companions mimicked interrupting her, bursting into laughter once they realised what they had done.

"Good to see you haven't changed much!" Rose managed to choke out amongst her laughter. The Doctor smiled at her companions, mildly offended but too happy to see them happy and distracted. Then she got curious and more serious look. "Is there something else that works like alcohol for you? I mean I know Advil is poisonous to you, but is there anything else we should know?"

"Advil's poisonous? Blimey Doc, you should have warned us." Graham blinked worriedly.

"Yeah, sorry Graham. Probably should have, guess it didn't come up. To answer your question Rose, ginger acts similarly to alcohol for us. We can't really metabolise it easily." The Doctor answered a bit sheepish. She purposely ignored the fact she had eaten ginger sweets around her latest companions without them knowing.

1 is confused and continues to insult 12's choice of interior design. 12 tries to deny the electric guitar is his

"Wait, since when do you play the guitar?" Martha questioned bemused but entertained by the Doctor trying to pretend it wasn't his.

Clara and Bill groaned in sync. "He was always playing it in that face. Really annoying." Clara explained.

"To be fair he was really good at it." Bill admitted gaining a large grin from the Doctor.

The Tardis starts shaking as they are grabbed and winched up into a spaceship. They can't get the engines to start. The figure's voice echoes ordering them to leave the Tardis and enter the Chamber of the Dead

"Chamber of the Dead. That doesn't sound like a nice place." Nardole muttered half to himself.

12 and the Captain stays in the Tardis, 1 goes out. The Doctor is referred to as the Doctor of War, but 1 is too young and denies it

The Doctor grimaced, she had never imagined everything she would have done and seen when she first left Gallifrey. She never imagined she would gain any titles let alone one like the 'Doctor of War'. She had wanted to explore the universe and look after Susan not become any kind of figure or soldier.

"Doctor of War?" Yaz asked, biting her lip. They were learning more and more about the Doctor and it was making her worry more and more for the Doctor.

"I've travelled for a long time and picked up quite a few titles. Not all of them nice ones. I'm not proud of most of them." The Doctor sighed.

The figure wants the Captain, and offers a gift in exchange. Bill appears from the shadows to 1's confusion

"But that's me! I definitely don't remember that. Doctor, what's going on?" Bill shouted confused, turning to the Doctor, eyes wide in hope of an explanation.

"Don't worry Bill. Everything will be explained I promise. It's nothing bad." The Doctor tried to reassure the girl. Bill watched the Doctor carefully looking for any tells of a lie, nodding slowly in a tentative agreement to wait after a minute of no tells showing themselves.

12 runs out the Tardis. They hug and reunite, but 12 pulls back to scan her with his sonic. 12 isn't happy

DOCTOR: My friend Bill Potts was turned into a Cyberman. She gave her life so that people she barely knew could live. So, let's be clear. Nobody imitates Bill Potts. Nobody mocks Bill Potts.

"You were turned into a Cyberman? I'm so sorry." Clara looked at the younger girl, understanding and sympathy on her face. "My boyfriend was turned into one, you know during the whole thing with the rain over the cemeteries."

"Oh yeah I remember that! Of course, the Doctor would be involved in that. I'm sorry about your boyfriend." Bill offered her condolences and the other muttered some as well. The ones that had encountered the Cybermen were stuck remembering their own experiences.

The Doctor glared at the Master as he had been responsible for both Cybermen invasions, and Clara and Bills suffering. The Master met her stare blankly, refusing to show any regret. She gritted her teeth. She was really trying to stop herself from leaping to her feet and punching him just to draw out some emotion. Then a new thought slammed across her mind and she had to stifle a chuckle. That made the Master look up at her bewildered at the shift in her mood. "Contact."

"Contact. That's three times you've tried Cybermen recently. Four if you count the Mondasian ship twice. Why? It never works and you always find yourself almost getting killed. You used to be so interesting and now you are reusing the same scheme over and over." She laughed at him over their mental ink with an edge of a serious question.

"I am interesting! How else am I supposed to get your attention? I'm not stupid enough to try the Daleks and I hate them too much to properly try. The Cybermen, however, aren't supposed to pose much danger to us but lots to your little pets." The Master answered, feelings of annoyance and a bit of desperation leaking across lowered mental barriers.

"You really aren't interesting. Some of your older schemes maybe, but definitely not anymore. You used to have manners back then as well. If you want my attention all you have to do is call me, I miss my friend." The Doctor stared him down for a minute to convey the seriousness of her message before turning back to the screen and decidedly ignoring him. He always led to such a mix of emotions, always conflicting ones. She hated him so much but she also still loved him. She hated herself for that.

12 wants to know how Bill escaped, Bill explains Heather (puddle girl) showed up to help

"Girl in the puddle. I'm sorry, what?" Mickey asked taken aback. That was definitely high on the weird scale.

"Long story." The Doctor, Bill and Nardole synchronised grinning at each other.

12 pushes but Bill can't remember details or how she got there. He scans her with the sonic again, 1 is confused by the sonic

"You didn't have your sonic back then?" Martha asked the Doctor, mostly entertained by what she had seen so far.

"No, not back then."

12 calls Bill a duplicate to her protests. Both Doctors explore and discuss time travel technology as 1 pushes on the sonic sunglasses

"That's new." Rose remarked, trying to determine what she thought. A few other companions laughed. River shook her head exasperated with her husband/wife.

The figure/glass woman appears and explains what they are - Testimony. The Doctors push for further answers, the figure explains they were putting the Captain back but a time error occurred and put him in the wrong time zone so his death can occur. 1 looks at the figure with his monocle

That drew laughter from the companions. It was entertaining to see how the two Doctor reacted to things differently.

1 and 12 argue. 1 worked out that the person used to be someone while 12 thinks they are a computer generated face until 1 points out her face is too asymmetrical, and then insults him again

"Do you ever stop fighting with yourself?" Clara sighed exasperated while the other companions laughed a bit at the two Doctors.

The Captain leaves the Tardis and offers himself for Bill, Bill is confused as the Captain insists

"That's very brave of him." Amy stated, drawing nods from the others around the room.

"Yes, he was. It runs in his family." The Doctor added grinning when everyone looked at her confused.

Bill disagrees with that deal, and tells 12 (on his request) to do as he always does and serve at the pleasure of the human race

The Master raised an eyebrow, turning to meet the Doctor's questioning gaze. "Serve the humans? Why? You are so much above them." He used their telepathy to ask his questions.

"I am not above them. I like them. I do it to save my friends and all the innocents. They don't deserve to die." A few of the others watched the two best enemies who seemed to be having a mental conversation, only a few of them realising how true that thought was.

12 lays out the escape plan while the figure tries to deny that its possible. 12 takes his turn to insult 1 as they are confused by his saying his plans out loud

The companions laughed at the way the two incarnations of the Doctor interacted and the complete confusion of the younger Doctor.

The Doctor laughs at the figure and declares his intention to stop them

The companions grinned. No matter the face the Doctor didn't change too much. How they dealt with situations like this were ultimately similar. It was good to see them back to themselves, stopping evil plans.

1 has had enough and demands answers as he doesn't understand who 12 is. The figure offers a preview and flashes of the Doctor are shown as the figure lists a long list of the Doctor's names

"That's a lot of names, Doc." Graham said. The Doctor frowned as everyone watched her. She hated to be reminded of everything she had done. No one wanted to break the tension and ask her, some of them knew where some of the names came from but there was so many they didn't know about. River watched worried, she knew where most of the names came from and the way this episode was going was worrying her. This whole thing with the Tardis bringing them here was worrying.

12 tries to make a joke as 1 is in shock by what he's just seen

There was a splutter of laughter as the companions all remembered some of the funny moments over all their adventures. There was an edge though, most of them knew the Doctor used humour to cover up their issues and when they were hurt.

The group escape as 12 sonics the winches, freeing the Tardis

The Doctor grinned, glad for the distraction. "Yes, we are."

The winches stop and the group slide down the chains just before the Tardis is winched up again. New plan is to run. Testimony may have 12's Tardis, but not 1's

"Nice plan." Jack nodded, grinning.

Bill realises something is different about this other Tardis, as they all go in. 12 tells 1 to take off, just anywhere, immediately

"Woah, that's white and clean. What happened to it?" Martha asked. The rest of the companions were taking in the sight of the TARDIS shocked. It was nothing like the TARDIS they all knew.

"That's what she looked like when I first stole her. She gained some personality of her own since then. Desktop has changed a lot." The Doctor grinned. She really loved her TARDIS.

The Tardis moves through the vortex. 1 figures out Bill travels with 12 and calls her up on 12's Tardis needing a clean as 12 tries to stop him. Bill works out 1 is one of 12's regenerations, while the Captain is very confused

"You keep confusing the poor man. He's had traumatic enough a day as it is. Honestly Spaceman you're a right Martian sometimes." Donna sighed exasperated. A few companions nodded in agreement with small smiles.

12 uses his sonic sunglasses to look at an image of the figure and decides they need to identify her, he puts the glasses on 1. 12 enjoys seeing 1 with the glasses until 1 brings up browser history and 12 quickly grabs his shades

"What dirty secrets are you hiding Doctor?" Jack grinned suggestively, happy to have a break from the tension. She rolled her eyes at him, no matter how long it had been he never changed. Most of the companions laughed seeing his first face wearing the sunglasses. Even the Master broke a small smile that he managed to hide from (almost) everyone. It was a long time since he had seen the first incarnation of the Doctor, the face he had grown up and, although he would never admit it, he was feeling slightly nostalgic.

They need a bigger matrix than the Tardis, even bigger than the Matrix on Gallifrey

The Doctor frowned; she wouldn't have wanted to go back to Gallifrey anyway. It was too complicated with two of them and who knows what her reception would have been with how she had run off with Clara last time. That's to say she found it before the Master had destroyed it.

The Captain and Bill talk, the Captain compliments the glass lady, 1 and the Captain have a laugh over it then Bill reveals her own love of woman to the Captain's shock

"You're into girls?" Clara asked.

Bill shuffled uncomfortable and nervous about where this conversation was going but answered in the positive. She got a reassuring nod from the Doctor which put her a bit more at ease, surely her friends couldn't be all too bad.

"Cool, I'm Bi. It's nice to have allies here." Clara smiled at the younger girl; she had a feeling they would be good friends. After all they had both dealt with Eyebrows.

"Same here. I mean I'm Bi too." Yaz spoke up, drawing a shocked glance from Ryan and Graham. "What?"

"No. no. Nothing wrong with that love. Should have known." Graham smiled at her while Ryan nodded frantically, trying not to offend her or give the wrong impression.

"You don't have anything to worry about. Jack will flirt and sleep with just about everything. No one will get judged for anything like that here." The Doctor pointed to Jack who grinned widely winking at the three girls. Around the room the other companions nodded and smiled, some of them weren't exactly straight and none of them had anything against anyone who wasn't. Clara, Bill and Yaz grinned at each other and shared a mental thought of having a proper conversation later.

"And I still can't get you, Doc. I think I even bought you that drink at one point." Jack flirted drawing an eyeroll from the Doctor who was also doing nothing to hide her smile.

"Back off my wife Harkness." River threatened. Jack put his hands up in mock surrender but winked at both of the married pair.

They've landed. 1 is shocked by 12's perfect piloting, while Bill wants to know where they are. They're at the centre of the universe

"Even you look so confused that you managed to land where you meant to. I think that tells you something Doctor." Rose teased while the others laughed.

"Hey! I can drive perfectly well thank you very much." The Doctor huffed.

River and the Master were laughing the loudest. "Sweetie, you leave the brakes on constantly." River pointed out.

"I like the noise! It needs to make the noise! Besides, the TARDIS and I have an agreement she doesn't always take me where I want to go but she always takes me where I need to be."

The Master chuckled. "You are still terrible. How many times did you fail your TARDIS driving test? Four, five, six, more?"

"Wait she failed? How many times did it take her to pass?!" Mickey spluttered. The others were watching and laughing, interested in the answer.

The Master laughed harder. "She didn't. Plus, she stole a Type 40 TARDIS, one from a museum whose navigation system was broken." He was enjoying embarrassing the Doctor, even if it was to her little pets.

"Hey! I drive perfectly well on my own. It's supposed to have six pilots and I've learnt how to drive over the millennia. She's perfect the way she is!" The Doctor tried to explain amongst her laughing companions.

"That explains so much Doc." Graham chuckled. It took a while for them all to calm down.

12 reveals the database they need is here but there's a slight problem in that it want to kill him

"Doesn't everything." The Doctor sighed. The others laughed at her but they knew it was true. Most things that knew the Doctor either loved her or wanted to kill her. She was a bit like marmite in that sense.

They're on Villengard which has been mostly abandoned. Things run around the planet as they group moves along. 1 thinks the creatures are familiar as 12 confirms it should be

"Doctor is that what I think it is?" Martha asked wide eyed.

"If you are thinking about the sewers in Manhattan than yes, kind of." The Doctor said matter of fact, mouth pulled into a grimace. The others watched the exchange, curious and worried but with no idea what they were talking about. Mickey thought it sounded familiar, his wife had probably told him about it at some point but he couldn't place it.

12 sends the group to wait in the Tardis, to Bill's protests. 12 wants to protect Bill even as she thinks he is just scared she's a duplicate

DOCTOR: I don't know what I think. But if there's the slightest chance that Bill Potts is alive and standing in front of me, then I will not, under any circumstances, put her life in danger again.

"Doctor." Bill looked at her, eyes wide and sad.

"No Bill, I failed to protect you the first time, if there was any chance that really was you there was no way I was letting you get hurt again." She glanced at Clara before finishing. "I have a duty of care."

Bill gets angry at the Doctor before 1 interrupts them due to Bill's language. 12 asks to never speak about it again but Bill just wants him to come back alive

Bill offered a warm understanding smile to the Doctor. It may not have actually been her but she appreciated the Doctor trying to protect her. Even if he/she was still a stubborn idiot.

1 and Bill talk in the Tardis briefly before leaving the Captain and Bill alone with the brandy. Bill is revealed to have a glass hand

"She's one of those things!" Rory pointed out nervous. The others watched scared for what was going to happen. The Doctor smiled sadly. Part of her was glad they were concerned but the rest of her didn't believe she deserved it.

1 catches up with 12 as he continues ot be invasive about the  creatures

The Master looked at her with a look that could almost be mistaken for concern. She shrugged at him; he was right in what they were but he would find out what happens like the others. River had also worked it out and was watching her worriedly.

The two Doctor's discuss regeneration and why they are refusing - fear namely from 1, 12 doesn't answer

"Well, you have now Spaceman. It's alright to be scared you know, you're dying." Donna tried to comfort the Doctor who was watching the screen blankly. She didn't like the reminders of everything.

"I've died a lot of times." She muttered vaguely.

"That doesn't ever make it easier Doctor." Jack spoke softly for once. She failed to supress an angry snort, of course he would be the one to know.

They are interrupted by a laser bolt from a tower. 12 calls the shooter a friend even as they run before calling up to the tower to scan him as he reveals he is dying

"You normally don't worry about that when you insult people. Have you finally gained some common sense?" Amy asked shocked and disbelieving. Clara, Bill and Nardole laughed shaking her head. She looked betrayed, then turned pleadingly to her fam. They shrugged before shaking their heads too. She put a hand to one of her hearts in mock offense.

The tower opens and the Doctors go up. Back in the Tardis Bill and the Captain talk about family and dying. The Captain reveals the has a family including sons and is terrified to die only to look up and see the Glass Woman

"Oh no."

12 wants to go alone, 1 refuses until 12 points out both of them dying would cause a paradox that would not be fun to fix so 1 agrees allowing 12 to go up alone. 1 is approached by the Glass Woman who comes from the Tardis

Everyone was watching nervous for both the Doctors despite knowing she was here safe with them. A few were curious about the paradox ripping apart the universe and putting it back together comment but decided not to ask, they would probably be shown if it was important.

The Doctor talks to his friend at the top of the Tower. 1 makes the connection of who the friend is (based on a Dalek eye stalk) and the Glass Woman comes up to him

Everyone had worked it out at this point and were looking even more worriedly at the screen. The Doctor was alive and with them but they were still worried, she had a habit of getting herself into trouble and hurt.

We see Rusty from Into the Dalek, who denies being a good Dalek and turns the title back on 12. 1 greets Bill. 12 tells Rusty to stop shooting is he wants to see him die

"Rusty? Our Rusty?" Clara asked looking at the Doctor for confirmation.

"Rusty? You know it?" Jack asked incredulous. The others shared the same expression.

"Yes, we had a little trip inside him. He's a good Dalek, or as good as they can be. He's not the first good or okay Dalek I've met but the others are all dead I think." The Doctor answered knowing they wouldn't get any further if she didn't answer.

Rusty agrees and gives proof in removing his weapon stalk

"It disarmed itself? They never do that." River watched the screen; face crinkled in confusion and worry.

"It knows me and was interested in finding out why I was there. Like I said, Rusty's a good Dalek. Besides, he figured he could get something out of it." The Doctor shrugged, sending a reassuring smile to her wife.

Bill talks to 1 - calling him the original

The Doctor refused to acknowledge the look she got from the Master at that comment. Both now knew that wasn't her first face.

1 urges Bill to return to the safety of the Tardis as Bill continues to press and ask why they ran away - not what they were running from but what they were running to

The Doctor smiled at Bill, she missed having her around both as her friend and as her student. Bill asked great questions and not always the ones she expected. She was also curious about the conversation; her memories were still a bit blurry on it because of it being so long ago and the fact there was two of them around.

Back in the tower, 12 and Rusty talk and 12 asks to access the Dalek database as it is the biggest one they know of

"He's really a good Dalek?" Rose asked. The last time she had seen a supposed 'good' Dalek was also the first one she had ever met one and they had destroyed themselves after killing hundreds of people.

The Doctor shrugged. "About as good as they get. Rusty kills any Daleks that get near them." She looked at the Ponds and Clara. "He would probably fit in at the Asylum."

DOCTOR 1: There is good and there is evil. I left Gallifrey to answer a question of my own. By any analysis, evil should always win. Good is not a practical survival strategy. It requires loyalty, self-sacrifice and er, love. So, why does good prevail? What keeps the balance between good and evil in this appalling universe? Is there some kind of logic? Some mysterious force?

"Is that really why you left?" Donna asked, for once soft in a kind of maternal way glancing at the Doctor. This video was worrying her. As was the whole manner of the Doctor, it reminded her too much of how she (then he) had been after the trouble on Midnight.

"Part of it, there was many reasons and I have forgotten half of them at this point. I didn't ever really fit in. I just knew I needed to leave, and I wanted a new start for Susan." The Doctor sighed. She shot a quick look at the Master, maybe the knowledge, the belief that she needed to leave was because of her past.

Bill counters with her theory - that there is a bloke wandering across the universe and fixing it when it goes wrong, 1 thinks the idea a fairy tale, but Bill continues calling him amazing and telling him to never forget it

A round of nods and noises of agreements sounded throughout the room. They all agreed with what Bill had said, barring the Master, and were happily reminiscing on all their adventures. However, there was a tension lurking in the room, as much as they wanted to none of them could forget what this video was about – the Doctor was refusing to regenerate.

Bill reveals herself to be a glass figure, denies being a spy and saying they just wanted to understand. 12 works out who the figure is - Helen Clay from the Universe of New Earth, and that it isn't an evil plan but a way to record memories. 12 is confused about why Rusty has stopped

"That's a very rare occurrence with you. Somehow you always seem to find trouble in the most normal of situations." Martha laughed alongside the rest of the companions at the Doctor's disbelief.

"I guess it was going to happen one of these days." Amy joked smiling at the other woman, they hadn't had much time to really talk much between each other but had all knew the Doctor and had travelled with him so they had to be good people.

Time has frozen again, Bill and 1 enter and reveal not everything is an evil plan. 12 states he knew she wasn't real but Bill persists that she is real as she is memories and then calls him out on not regenerating

BILL: Oh, shut up and stop being so stupid. Of course I'm real. What is anyone supposed to be except a bunch of memories? These are my memories, so this is me. I'm Bill Potts, and I'm back, and so long as I'm here, what the hell do you mean, you're not going to regenerate?

The companions were all trying really hard not to stare at the Doctor, shooting her concerned glances instead. It was Rory that broke the tense silence. "Why were you regenerating anyway, what happened?"

The Doctor grimaced, looking between Bill, Nardole and the Master, the only ones who had any kind of idea what was going on. She had just about gathered the courage to answer but Bill beat her to it. "We were on the ship escaping a blackhole. Me, the Doctor, Nardole, Missy and the Master (yes there was two of them, long story). The Master was trying to create an army of Cybermen and I was converted but retained myself. The Doctor messed up their plot, as usual, and they fled with us. We were trying to protect the last group of people but both the Master and Missy ran off and Nardole managed to take the humans to safety. The Doctor and I were left fighting the Cybermen. The idiot blew them up, but blew himself up alongside them. My friend Heather, who is the Pilot – long story, don't ask – saved me and we saved the Doctor, returning him to the TARDIS. When I left, I was unsure whether he was even alive." Bill rambled sadness permeating from her as she rambled trying to explain the situation. The others listened trying to understand and take in what had been said.

"Ran off? Ran off? You don't even know." The Master shouted angrily, glaring wide eyed at the Doctor. He was breathing heavily before he went wide eyed and started laughing edging into hysterics. "Of course, you don't know. So readily believing the worst, I bet you didn't ever really believe I would change."

"Don't know what? You left me. I begged you to stay with me and you ran off with your younger self! Of course, I believed you! I always believe you because I am an idiot, a hopeful idiot who misses her friend! Even though you keep hurting me and the people I care about." The Doctor shouted angry and desperate to understand. They had both avoided talking about Missy in all their interactions since, she needed to know what had happened.

"I killed the younger-me, so he would regenerate into me and I was coming back. I was going to stand with you. Younger-me didn't agree with my decision and shot me with his laser screwdriver. He thought he killed me with no regenerations but I had put protections into my corset. I lay there for ages, waiting for you to find me!" He was angry again, shouting at her while the others watched confused and worried. "Eventually, I managed to crawl away and found a way of that infernal ship." He paused for a moment before finishing with a hoarse whisper. "I was going to stand with you. Without hope. Without witness. Without reward."

She gaped at him, speechless unsure of what to say and unable to say anything. Eventually she managed to choke out, "I didn't know."

He shot her with a blank glare. "Of course, you didn't. You never do. You so readily believed I had betrayed you. What did you think the knife was for?"

"I thought you were threatening me like normal! What did you expect me to think? I begged you to stay so you take my hand and press a knife against my arm. Why would I think you were going to stab your younger self? You're usually all about self-preservation and survival. Besides I couldn't exactly come to save you seeing as I was dying at the time too!" She wasn't even sure if she was trying to beg for forgiveness or to shout angrily at him anymore. She watched him carefully looking for any sort of tells of what he was thinking. Nothing. She swallowed and turned determinedly away from him and back to the screen.

The companions shared a look, but didn't say anything and allowed the video to continue. The drama between the Time Lords was dangerous to try and get between on a normal day, with both of them being this emotionally charged in a small space together – they had no hope of staying out of it.

12 claims everything has to have an end, Bill brings up the Captain. 12 requests they be allowed to take the Captain back

"You have a plan, right? You're not just going to take him back to his death? Right, Doc?" Graham asked worried, breaking the tense atmosphere that had settled after the explosive argument between the two Time Lords.

"Just watch Graham, it will be okay I promise." She sighed. She was so tired of everything and it was only going to get worse.

The Two Tardises are on the move. 12 explains to 1 that them being in the same place caused the time error anomaly that brought the Captain to them. 1 asks why the Captain is important, 12 counters with the sentiment that everybody's important to someone

The companions all glanced at the Doctor and then their own friends/family in the room. The Doctor's words rang true in all their heads. Some of them were remembering when she had said similar things around them.

[Tardis]

They land back in 1914. They return the Captain who is trying to be gracious in the face of his death. The Captain asks the Doctors to look after his family and finally gives his name -  Captain Archibald Hamish Lethbridge-Stewart

"He's Kate's grandfather? Or Great-grandfather?" Clara asked, blinking at the screen shocked.

"Yes, I think so. Funny how things turn out isn't it. I've met three generations of Lethbridge-Stewarts and they are all brave and amazing people." The Doctor smiled sadly remembering her dear friend and then cheered up a bit more happily thinking about Kate. She should really say hello to her and the Osgoods in this face, that may surprise them for once. Although there was that problem with the withdrawal of funding for UNIT.

The Glass Woman vanishes, the Doctors are made invisible (perception filter) and time restarts. The German solider and Captain are back in the trenches scared. They're interrupted by singing

"What's going on?" Mickey questioned. Despite his confusion a smile made its way onto his face. A few companions had a sneaking suspicion of what was going on and started to smile.

White flags are raised as the Captain and German soldier try to work out what is going on

DOCTOR: I adjusted the time frame, only by a couple of hours. Any other day it wouldn't make any difference, but this is Christmas 1914, and a human miracle is about to happen. The Christmas Armistice.

Now everyone was grinning. Of course, the Doctor had managed to save him. That's what she did. What they all did.

The Captain puts away his pistol and calls for help for the German soldier.

DOCTOR: But for one day, one Christmas, a very long time ago, everyone just put down their weapons, and started to sing. Everybody just stopped. Everyone was just kind.

1 realises 12 has saved the Captain and the two briefly talk about the universe not being a fairy tale, but that's where they step in

"So, you know then? You understand? The impact you have on people. You save so many Doctor." River spoke softly but hopeful. The others watched the Doctor with a similar expression, sometimes she could be such an idiot and didn't understand what she meant to people and the universe.

"It's never enough." The Doctor muttered quietly enough that most didn't hear and simply accepted her silence as a sign to move on.

1 decides they are ready to make their decision and leaves with goodbyes, back in the Tardis 1 regenerates into 2

Everyone watched interested to see the Doctor's first regeneration and their second face.

Bill is with 12, and reveals that the hardest part of travelling with the Doctor was letting go of him

The rest of the companions that had already left, everyone barring the current three, nodded in agreement. Smiling sadly at the Doctor who glanced around at them with a soft smile. That was one of the hardest things for her as well, losing them. Even when they left to lead a happy life it was so hard.

The Doctor still isn't convinced on the memory thing but Bill gives him proof and a gift in the form of Clara wishing him merry Christmas

"That's me!" Clara stated shocked.

"Yes, in a way that's you. In the same way the other one is Bill." The Doctor smiled at Clara.

"Do you ever have a calm Christmas? I know you spent most when we knew you saving people." Rory queried out of the blue, having noticed Not-Clara's words rather than her appearance.

"I can't really remember one recently, mine usually end in an adventure; some better than others." The Doctor shrugged; her face scrunched up trying to think back to her last properly peaceful Christmas.

The Doctor is given his memories of Clara back as she tells him to not forget again

"So that's how you remembered?" It wasn't really a question, more a statement but the Doctor nodded.

"You forgot her? How did you forget her?" It was Donna, of course, who asked.

"There was a bad situation and we were too alike. It was dangerous. One of us needed to forget the other. Both had a 50/50 chance and in the end the Doctor was the one that lost his memories of me. I'm sure it will be explained properly at one point." Clara explained sadly. She was happy he remembered but sad it was when he was dying. And that he was dying alone.

Nardole shows up and the Doctor tries to joke through his feelings as normal

"Oi! Be nice." Rose protested, sending a sharp glare at the Doctor who held her hands up in surrender, trying to hide her smile. Rose could be just like her mother at times and the Doctor was glad she wasn't in slapping distance.

Nardole and Bill argue fondly before asking the Doctor to not die

NARDOLE: Don't die. Because if you do, I think everybody in the universe might just go cold.

The Doctor scoffed. All her companions turned to her in shock, did she really not know what she meant to the universe?

"Doctor, you may be female now but you're still a stupid old man. Do you not remember on Trenzalore? Do you know what Vastra told me how about that time the Great Intelligence was erasing your timeline?" Clara ensured the Doctor was actually looking into her eyes before continuing. "The stars were going out. Whole galaxies never existed, other destroyed. Jenny was dead and Strax tried to kill Vastra. All those people you've saved. You have to understand that, the universe needs you."

"She's right. Remember the Pandorica? There were no stars in the sky in that alternative timeline because the TARDIS exploded and destroyed the universe. Then when you fixed it you weren't there and it felt so wrong." Amy added desperately trying to get her friend/daughter-in-law to see.

"Doctor, I don't remember much of the world where I met Rose, with the weird thing on my back, but I know you died and I know the universe was so much worse off because of it." Donna smiled sadly at her.

"Doctor. Sweetie. The universe needs you. And even if it didn't, we need you. I need you. We're your friends, your family and we all love you, no matter your weird quirks or past. We love you. If you don't want to regenerate that's your choice but we love you." River pleaded down at the Doctor who was staring blankly at the floor.

Bill reached over and hugged the Doctor who collapsed into her arms, hiding her face. The others continued to watch worried. Clearly, she had regenerated in the end but she still had the same thoughts from the way she was acting. It suggested she wasn't in a good place mentally, so what had happened since then? What was so bad the TARDIS wanted them to see to help her?

The Doctor just wants peace and Nardole and Bill allow him his choice because they understand. The Doctor argues they don't because he is tired, his life is like a battlefield and everyone else is already gone. He thanks them but declares he needs to take the last step alone

"You really weren't going to regenerate? You were just going to give up. That's even more cowardly than normal for you." The Master initiated contact without looking at her, his face deceptively blank.

"I'm tired Master. I don't care if you think that's cowardly but I'm tired. You can't really say anything – you died in my arms to spite me. I can die if I want to die." She shot back mentally, keeping her face equally blank. None of the others needed to know.

"No, you can't. Only I get to kill you! And I say you can't die yet. I have to be the one to break you and then destroy you. Don't you dare give up on me, I don't care how tired you are." She decided it was better to not acknowledge him, that was his way of expressing concern despite the slightly twisted mentality.

They hug and then disappear as the Doctor decides its time to leave the battlefield

"Thank you, Bill for everything. Really. I'm so sorry about everything and I'm so glad you are safe with Heather. You too Nardole, thank you for looking after me for those 70 years and for going with those children back on the ship. I never got to say that to you both properly but thank you." The Doctor pulled back from the hug and composed herself. She turned to look at all her companions. "Thank you to all of you for putting up with me and for everything you ever have been and are to me. It's selfish but I really wouldn't have missed a second of any of it."

The Doctor is in the Tardis as it flashes, beeps and the cloister bells toll. He is talking the Tardis and decides that one more lifetime won't kill anyone, except him

DOCTOR: You wait a moment, Doctor. Let's get it right. I've got a few things to say to you. Basic stuff first. Never be cruel, never be cowardly, and never, ever eat pears! Remember, hate is always foolish. and love is always wise. Always try to be nice, but never fail to be kind. Oh, and you mustn't tell anyone your name. No one would understand it, anyway. Except, ah! (collapses) Except children. Children can hear it sometimes. If their hearts are in the right place, and the stars are too, children can hear your name. Argh! But nobody else. Nobody else, ever. Laugh hard, run fast, be kind. Doctor, I let you go.

Everyone watched the screen in a gross mixture of fascination and sadness. Clara and Bill, the ones that had really known that face had tears in their eyes alongside a few of the others. It was painful and heart-breaking watching their friend, their family dying. And dying alone. Bill held the Doctor tighter in her arms, refusing to let her go. She needed the comfort, let alone the Doctor (who would never admit she needed some too).

The Doctor was analysing the screen having finally freed herself from Bill's arms. These were Eyebrow's last words and hopes for this regeneration and she hadn't been living up to them. It was so hard to be kind and nice, especially with Gallifrey's destruction and then all the lies. She had tried to seem happy and carefree this time. Tried to kept her fam safe by keeping her distance. It was just so hard. She was just so angry and the universe just kept throwing more reasons to be angry at her. She had died alone and regretful and that had imprinted on her.

The Doctor regenerates into a much younger blonde female - 13 who exclaims brilliant in her very baggy clothes. The Tardis starts crashing from the mess of the Doctor's regeneration. Despite her best attempts she falls out of the Tardis towards the distant ground as the Tardis interior is on fire then vanishes

"You fell out?!" River asked staring worriedly at her wife who was refusing to look anywhere but the floor. She hadn't been looking forward to the ensuing comments her regeneration and subsequent crashing would cause.

"I put off regeneration for too long, it made it more explosive. Plus, she was annoyed at me for regenerating in her again." The Doctor muttered shrugging. She really needed to stop regenerating in the TARDIS.

"How long? Doctor, how long did you put it off for?" Jack was serious in the way he only was around her in extremely serious circumstances. She muttered an answer quietly but the pair hadn't heard. "How long Doctor?!"

"Two weeks alright! I put it off for about two weeks. I had been injured by a Cyberman before we escaped and the explosion only made it even worse. I didn't think it would matter; I wasn't going to regenerate at all." The Doctor exploded arms flailing around at her sides as she glared between the pair.

She couldn't deal with the pity in their expressions. Her next words slipped out shocking both her and the rest of the room. "Besides he was wrong. I shouldn't have regenerated at all."

"Doctor." Martha was the first to speak amongst the tense room. "If you had died there, none of us would have ever known you were even dead. What about us? Don't we deserve a goodbye?" She was angry now, angry and scared and frustrated. And so sad for her friend. She spoke again, predicting the Doctor's protests. "And don't even try to claim that saving us from the Sontarans in your tenth form was a proper goodbye!"

The Doctor glared at the ground. She didn't know what to say. She was so tired and everything she had learnt in the Matrix in Gallifrey had only made it worse. She hadn't even meant to voice the niggling thoughts; they had been creeping over her more and more. The time in prison had only solidified her decision.

"What about us Doctor? If you had died there, we probably would have been killed by Tim Shaw and Karl definitely would have. Plus, all those other people we met on our adventures." Ryan pointed out. It was hard seeing his friend like this.

The Doctor knew she wasn't going to get anywhere, not now. "It doesn't matter. Let's just move on. I don't think any of us want to be here any longer than we have to be." The others watched her concerned. None of them wanted to drop the subject but they knew they weren't going to get anywhere at the minute. It was probably better to move on now before she closed off completely. They knew something bad must have happened for her to be thinking like this again and it worried them.

The Doctor put on a fake smile, taking a deep breath before looking back up at the others from her place on her beanbag. "Do you want to continue or does anyone want a break?" She received shrugs of indifference. "Okay, how about we watch another episode or two and then have a break?" This time the nods were more positive so they turned back to the screen a mix of nervous and excited to see what they would be shown next.

Chapter Text

The words 'The Woman Who Fell to Earth' appeared on the screen drawing a groan from the Doctor and grins from her newest companions. They all knew that this would be the first time they met. The smiles were tinted with sadness, while they had met the Doctor, they had lost Grace.

Ryan is talking on his youtube channel about the greatest woman he ever met. He explains that he's 19 and a capable guy but can't ride a bike

"I can't ride a bike either and I am a lot older than 19, don't worry about it." Rory smiled at the younger boy who offered a shy smile in return.

"Don't worry Ryan, you'll get it soon." Graham smiled at his grandson who nodded back. He would get it. He was always improving. He would learn for his nan.

They're in Sheffield. Grace is encouraging Ryan to ride his bike to Graham, though she calls him Ryan's grandad

"Sorry Grandad. I shouldn't have been so rude to you." Ryan winced seeing himself on screen. He wasn't looking forward to seeing everything again.

"It's okay Ryan. I wasn't particularly nice to you half the time either." Graham offered a small smile. They really hadn't been on the best terms back then and everything they said seemed to only make it worse. They were a lot better now, he just wished sometimes that Grace was there to see it.

Ryan tries to cycle before falling off. Getting frustrated he throws it off the cliff

"So that's how it ended up in the tree, huh Ryan." Yaz shot Ryan a look who had the decency to look sheepish. He'd forgotten about that detail.

"That's a nice view. Where are you?" Mickey whistled, looking at the sunsetting over the valley on screen.

"Sheffield." Ryan answered.

"Sheffield, that's new. Normally all the chaos is in London." Martha laughed; one hand laced with her husband's settled between their laps.

Grace and Graham try to encourage Ryan but he's not taking it much

Ryan looked at the floor sadly, he missed her so much. He didn't want to see her die again but he wanted the chance to see her again, even if on the screen. The Doctor looked down at the floor, guilty that she hadn't been able to save Grace.

Graham and Grace leave for their train as Ryan goes to get his bike. He finds it in a tree but a glowing diamond appears, turns into a cube before he touches it and it whizzes away. He touches the left over thing before getting out his phone and calling the police unsure

There was a bit of laughter across the room. "I think that's a bit outside the police's area of expertise." Rory joked, smiling in understanding at Ryan who smiled back. It was nice to be around other people that understood. Yaz grinned, she was glad that Ryan had called the police, if he hadn't, she might have not met the Doctor.

Yaz appears, a young probationary police officer, interrupting a pair of ladies arguing over car parking

"You're a police officer?" Bill asked curiously.

"I'm still a probationer but hopefully I will be soon." Yaz nodded back.

The Doctor was grinning wildly at Amy. "Maybe you should get some advice from Amy, Yaz."

"Are you police too?" Yaz asked the Scot.

"No." Said Scot was too busy glaring at the laughing Doctor. When her husband also started to laugh, having been told the full story of the Atraxi and Prisoner Zero, she elbowed him in the shoulder. The others watched the three and decided it was better not to ask.

Yaz talks with a fellow officer/her boss about how she wants something more exciting, he offers her something that just came in

"Well, it certainly was different." Yaz smiled at the Doctor.

"Isn't everything when it comes to the Doctor." Rose laughed. The other companions were grinning as well. Maybe their lives were different because of the Doctor but that wasn't necessarily a bad thing.

Yaz comes upon Ryan staring at the blue thing. She think he dumped it here but he tries to explain it isn't a prank, Yaz isn't impressed

"You sound so done Yaz." Amy grinned.

"Was really fed up with this nonsense. Thought it was a practical joke or something." Yaz smiled back, shrugging. She hadn't believed Ryan at the time, and she'd mostly forgotten with the Doctor and everything after. It was good to see what happened properly, even though it had been a while since it had actually happened.

Ryan introduces himself as Ryan Sinclair and Yaz realises they went to school together as she reintroduces herself as Yasmin Khan

"It's weird how the world works sometimes, ain't it?" Graham vaguely asked the room, not really expecting an answer. The rest of the group nodded along, they saw weird stuff all the time with the Doctor but the little things still managed to confuse them at times.

They do a bit of catching up, Ryan explains he's working in a warehouse as he studies for his NVQ to be a mechanic

"If you ever want any help, I used to be a mechanic." Mickey offered smiling at the newer companion who smiled thankfully nodding eagerly.

She still is convinced he dumped the thing, he convinces her to touch it and its freezing. On a train with Grace and Graham they're talking about the three happy years they've been married and how Ryan still doesn't call Graham grandad

Graham sighed he missed Grace every day. Ryan smiled sadly at Graham who met his glance in understanding. They both missed her so much.

The rest of the group were getting a bad feeling about the fact Grace wasn't in the room with them and the sad smiles the current companions kept sharing.

The driver sees something before being thrown off and the train stops. Graham is thrown out of his seat as the lights go off

"And here is where the trouble starts." Jack was on the edge of his seat, like many others, interested to see the newest Doctor in action. The four that had actually experienced the adventure shared a look.

Grace, Graham and Karl (the only other person in the carriage) on the train check if each other alright, light flashes in the next carriage. Back in the woods Ryan gets a call from Grace, before he and Yaz speed down to meet the train in her police car

"Oh, so you get to use the lights and sirens then." The Doctor teased in mock offence. Yaz simply shook her head exasperated but happy to see the Doctor in better spirits. The Doctor was family and they knew she hadn't told them everything but they trusted her. She hadn't been telling them for a reason, maybe not a good one, but she had a reason. Something had been worrying the Doctor for a while and this would give her a chance to find out and help her. As well as figure out what had happened on the other side of the boundary with the Master. Just because they knew she had a reason, didn't mean they weren't very curious and worried.

On the train the interconnecting door is blown apart as a tentacled things approaches them

"A gathering coil?" River questioned looking to her wife sharply for answers. The Doctor smiled slightly, nodding, but refused to share anything else. She wasn't surprised her wife knew what it was but she didn't want to spoil anything.

The thing traps them in the carriage before someone suddenly falls through the carriage room. 13 has made her (confused) entrance

"That's quite an entrance Doctor. How are you even alive though? That fall should have killed you." Martha pointed out, ever the doctor. She was glancing furiously between the Doctor on screen and the one in the room.

"It did. I broke about every bone in my body but I was still within 15 hours of regeneration so they healed instantly basically." The Doctor shrugged pretending to ignore the glances that her companions shared. Rose shuddered slightly remembering the severed hand incident. River, Jack and the Master all gave the Doctor similar pointed looks that she purposely ignored.

The group points at the thing, 13 grabs a lose electrical cable and thrusts it at the thing which stops sparking. She looks at the roof before saying she'd explain later and getting straight to work

"She never did tell us properly. Guess we know now though." Graham muttered to the other two who mumbled vague agreements.

The Doctor tried to protest. "I did tell you!"

The three of them raised their eyebrow in sync. "Not really Doctor, you just kinda said something about losing your TARDIS." Ryan added. The Doctor sighed before smiling apologetically. She really hadn't told the three of them much, but everything was going to be coming out soon. Whether she wanted it to or not (and she didn't).

The doors are locked, 13 goes for her sonic but her pockets are empty

"Where did your sonic go? You love that thing." Bill questioned.

"I lost it in the explosion I think." The Doctor didn't look away from the screen. Bill grimaced remembering it, the Doctor's clothes and the last video didn't help. They weren't exactly pleasant memories; getting shot, converted into a Cyberman and then watching the Doctor die.

The things starts approaching again and refuses to talk despite 13's attempts. Karl is panicking as 13 encourages them to stay still and tells him if it wanted them dead it would have done that already

"That's not as reassuring as you think it is Doctor. Do we need to do flash cards again?" Clara sighed only half sarcastic. The Doctor smiled a bit guiltily at her, it had sounded fine at the time.

"I'm not sure I want to ask but flash cards?" Rory sighed, already regretting his question.

"I made Eyebrows flash cards because he kept forgetting basic manners. I was his career." Clara attempted to explain.

"Yeah, she cared so I didn't have to." The Doctor nodded grinning, she had missed Clara and the memories of their adventures were mostly great especially now that she could actually remember them.

"I was right I didn't want to know." Rory grimaced.

Ryan and Yaz arrive. The thing discharges and then leaves through the roof in the hole. The Doctor gives out orders and insults to the late arrivals

"Bit rude Martian." Donna scolded. The Doctor rubbed the back of her neck sheepishly.

Yaz tries to chase after 13 wanting answers and calling her madam to 13's confusion. Yaz points out she's a woman, and 13 just asks if it suits her

"You didn't even realise?" Amy asked exasperated.

"I'm sorry, I was a bit busy falling for it to really register. Gender wasn't the first thing on my mind." The Doctor threw her hands up in surrender. Then she tilted her head to the side as a second thought occurred to her. "Plus, regeneration makes you a bit loopy and gender doesn't really matter."

YASMIN: What?
DOCTOR: Oh yeah, I remember. Sorry, half an hour ago I was a white-haired Scotsman. When's the next train due?

"Well, that explains that comment." Yaz smiled.

"You didn't believe me?" The Doctor pouted.

"It's kind of a hard thing to believe, Doc." Graham shrugged. Ryan and Yaz nodded with him a bit guiltily. The Doctor smiled; she was only teasing them really.

"I'd say it was more of a grey colour." The Master smirked at the Doctor, interrupting the exchange between the three current companions and the Doctor. She raised an eyebrow before answering with her own smirk.

"Do I need to remind you of your platinum blond hair?" The Master glared at the Doctor and then at the few companions who weren't able to hide their snickers.

Yaz explains they got in by through the smashed driver's window and introduces herself to the Doctor by title, which 13 hypocritically calls her out on

"Bit hypocritical, Boss." Mickey spoke up.

"The Doctor is my name and has been for millennium. My real name is long, complicated and dangerous." The Doctor sighed, she wasn't going to even mention the name she used during the Academy years, if she did, they would wheedle it out of her eventually. The Master grinned in her peripheral vision. He knew all her names and the reasons for her choice of the Doctor better than anyone. River was possibly the only other person alive who knew her name. All three people in the universe that knew her name in one small room. Not reassuring.

Yaz asks for 13's name which she can't really remember in the regeneration fuzz, she's acting a bit weird (weirder than normal), gets introduced to Ryan and asks for a Doctor

"Were you trying your best to confuse them? Honestly Doctor." Rose laughed shaking her head at the Doctor. Not much changed, but at least she had known the Doctor when he regenerated and went all crazy on her. The Doctor blushed a bit in embarrassment.

"Yeah, sorry about that. Regeneration sickness is horrible." She smiled apologetically at her fam who smiled reassuringly back at her. It had been very confusing at the time but since then they had learned that the Doctor was a very confusing person in general.

They go to the driver's cab where the Doctor explains the driver must have died of shock from the thing's arrival, Yaz tries to take charge

"That didn't last long." Yaz grinned at the Doctor. She wasn't really annoyed. She had no idea how she would have explained anything to anyone.

"It never does." Martha grinned in understanding. Many of the others laughed and nodded along

The Doctor asks her what she plans to do, Yaz wants to call the station but can't explain what she saw. Ryan rightfully declares it alien to the other's disbelief

"It's weird to think that back then I never really would've thought of aliens being real and here I am now travelling through time and space with one." Yaz spoke, voicing the thoughts of many of the companions over the years. Both Yaz and Ryan got large grins from the Doctor.

The Doctor encourages them to leave off reporting it until they get answers to the bigger questions like what is it and why is it here. Then she decides they're friends and they're leaving

"As normal, you are just trying to do your job and the Doctor strolls in and turns your world upside down." Martha grinned at the police officer and then offered a teasing smile at the Doctor who practically beamed at her.

"I'm guessing she did something similar to you? She blew up my job the first day we met." Rose grinned. She and Martha had been talking and had agreed to try and become friends. Mickey deserved it.

"Yeah, the hospital I was training at got abducted to the moon and he gave me a shock when I tried to listen to his heartbeat and found two." Martha explained, sharing a grin with the Doctor, who mimed taking of a tie. Yaz smiled listening to the stories, glad she wasn't the only one who had had their life turned upside down by the Doctor's appearance.

Yaz gets Karl's details while 13 distracts herself with trying to name the group

"You're always distracting yourself, sir." Nardole muttered.

"You've just died, fallen through the atmosphere, and you are already trying to save the day with new friends. You don't change Doctor." Clara shook her head stuck between exasperated and joyful and maybe a bit of frustration. The Doctor grinned like a maniac in response.

Grace comments on her falling through the roof to which the Doctor explains she lost her Tardis, and that they shouldn't panic as it isn't likely to be the end of the world again.

Amy, Rory, River shot the Doctor a questioning glance. She shook her head quickly. It wasn't like the last time the TARDIS exploded. No end of the universe this time, no cracks in the fabric of space-time.

GRAHAM: Are we supposed to understand anything you're saying?

"Does anyone ever understand everything she says?" Amy grinned. The rest of the companions chuckled, ignoring the pouting Doctor.

Graham denies the existence of aliens, especially in Sheffield, the Doctor counters with that fact she is an alien and Graham swiftly decides they are leaving

This drew laughter from the majority of the room. "Fair reaction mate. I was a bit like that." Mickey laughed.

"If I remember right, Ricky the idiot, you were very rude and kept calling me a thing!" The Doctor crossed her arms giving the person in question a mock glare.

"And if I remember right, which I do, you were very rude back at him and kept forgetting his name." Rose shot the pair a glare who quickly raised their arms in surrender. Neither wanted to be on Rose's bad side, even for a mock argument they had settled years ago.

Grace disagrees as 13 just saved them. Karl decides he doesn't want answers and leaves

"Yeah, that's a weird one. Usually, they all focus on London." The Doctor wondered aloud.

"Is there a reason for that? I mean, the aliens usually being in London." Rory asked.

"I have no idea."

13 asks if anyone else has seen anything strange tonight, Ryan holds up his hand and they are back in the police car with the Doctor asking for the sirens. Yaz says no

The laughter started up again. The Doctor watched them face scrunched up in confusion. Graham is the only one to take pity on her. "Sorry Doc. It's just you look so disappointed."

Grace and Ryan explain the family tree/how they know each other on the Doctor's request

Ryan winced and offered Graham an apologetic look for his attitude. Graham just patted him on the back, they had both been pretty cold to each other at times, but they were much closer now.

Continued introductions then they are back to the weird thing Ryan found which he took pictures off. Back to the bike in the tree which they explain, Ryan had dyspraxia (a coordination disorder)

Amy and Rory grinned at the Doctor who suddenly felt a sense of worry at the pair of grins. "Chinny was like a baby giraffe at times, absolutely no coordination, and his dancing was absolutely horrifying." Amy cackled. Clara and River, the other two who had met Chinny, grinned in agreement. Ryan smiled a bit shy, glad no one was making any comments and instead sharing embarrassing stories about the Doctor, who was currently trying feebly to protest with no success. She kept getting drowned out by Amy's maniacal cackles.

The thing is gone - taken by two men in a white van, one man leaves. Back with 13, they split up to look for answers, Graham says he'll contact his old work pals (he was a bus driver) and Grace will check her old nurse group. The Doctor denies the need for A&E and then sticks a finger up her nose and asks someone to catch her

"First of all, that is disgusting Doctor, really? Second, why do you have the hospital so much? I mean aside from the whole two hearts and alien thing, that bit I understand." Rory asked awkwardly, it had been bothering him for a long time but he'd never got the chance to ask.

"Because you humans have killed her before." The Master drawled from his chair a knowing smirk and dark look in his eye.

"How do you even know about that?" She shot back at him, gaining a raised eyebrow in response. Of course, she should have known. If there was one thing the Master knew it was her, plus he had been around at the time although he was a bit busy burning through bodies.

"Doctor what's she talking about?" Martha asked worried.

"It was an accident; they were trying to help. I was in my 7th face and I got shot a few times in San Francisco. Nothing too worrying. They took me to hospital and had to do surgery. They didn't listen or believe me when I said I was an alien and ended up killing me instead because of the two hearts. I think I surprised them when I disappeared from the Morgue. It was an accident." She glared at the Master quickly before turning to comfort her friends. They looked at her in a mix of horror and sadness.

"I guess I can see why you don't like hospitals then." Rory managed to choke out, Amy holding him tight in worry and frustration. This was a long time ago and they couldn't do anything but it was still horrible to think what their friend had gone through.

The Doctor collapses inot Ryan's arms earlier than she predicted

"Do you always do that to people Doctor? You need to give them better warning. At least I knew you when you did it to me!" Rose berated the sheepish Time Lord who was happy for the topic change.

"She did it to you as well? This lump collapsed on me after we ended up accidently taking a dinosaur to Victorian London and found some old friends of his." Clara sighed, happy to find others that shared experience in dealing with the Doctor.

The Doctor was beginning to think that this was a terrible idea. All these companions together was never going to end well, they were only ever going to team up and embarrass her. She was slightly glad that the TARDIS hadn't brought any others – Sarah Jane, Jo Jones (nee Grant), and the others had way too many embarrassing stories about her, as much as she would love to see them again.

Yaz asks her boss if anything else weird happens as Graham asks his old work pals the same thing. Neither group has anything. At Ryan's home, he and Grace watch as the Doctor sparks with regeneration energy and Grace finds that she has two pulses

Martha grinned, that certainly brought back memories. "Yeah, that gave me a fright when I met her in a hospital."

"What was she doing in a hospital?" Rose asked worried, knowing it couldn't have been too long after she had ended up stuck on the parallel world. Both ignored the Doctor, not trusting her to answer honestly.

"I don't really know, investigating maybe. Good thing she was, we ended up on the Moon with a platoon of Judoon. She saved my life and half of Earths."

"You saved my life as well that day, Martha." The Doctor smiled nodding at her, she didn't look away until she got an answering smile.

Regeneration energy floats away and they don't know what it is

"You did that to me too! What is it?" Rose pointed out.

"Stray regeneration energy, my cells are still burning and fixing themselves." The Doctor grimaced, it was a horrible process.

In the industrial unit Rahul (man in the white van) took the thing to the lights flicker and the camera he is filming with bursts into flames as he grabs a crowbar to protect himself.

Back at the house the Doctor wakes up with a gasp. She spots the red lights on their collarbones and declares them DNA bombs

"Nasty things." River grimaced; she had never used them but had seen them in action. "How did you get rid of them?" She was more curious than worried. She knew her wife well. The Doctor offered her a small smile and a shrug.

13 borrows Ryan's phone (a massive mistake) and reformats it to Ryan's annoyance, as she explains that the tentacle thing zipped them as a way to take out witnesses

"You never give the Doctor any kind of technology that you like the way it is. The number of times I have had to buy a new toaster!" Amy groaned while many of the other companions nodded in solemn agreement. No technology was safe in the Doctor's clutches. Ryan grimaced; she had eventually fixed his phone but it had never been the same. Plus, she had meddled with quite a few pieces of technology in their kitchen and that wasn't mentioning what she had done with his dad's microwave oven thing.

The Doctor triggers the new app and is thrown back into a wall declaring the nap did a great job, grabs her jacket and she's off

Many of the companions shook their heads in exasperation at the Doctor's complete disregard for her safety and at the way she just casually runs off like a lunatic.

In the industrial unit, Tzim-Sha shows up as Rahul asks about his sister. Tzim-Sha refuses to answer than kills him

"That's horrible!"

The Doctor directs Yaz in the car, tracking the signal for the DNA bombs, they need the right equipment to defuse them. They reach the industrial unit, Tzim-Sha is biefly there and they chase after him as he ignores her command to stay there

"Always the running, eh Doc." Jack grinned, maybe she was newly regenerated but one thing that never changed with the Doctor was the running.

"Did you really think that would work?" Donna asked amused.

"I was hopeful."

The other three chase after the Doctor, to Graham's frustration

Rory and Mickey sighed in commiseration. They both knew what it was like getting dragged into all of this.

The Doctor loses him. Back at the industrial unit they find poor dead Rahul and find Tzim-Sha took a tooth as a trophy. The thing Ryan found is determined to be a transport chamber but why tonight? Ryan admits to touching it, he says the others would have done it too. Graham disagrees but 12 admits she would have

There was a mumble of agreement from most people in the room, excluding Rory, Mickey and the Master. Most of them couldn't deny that they probably would have done the same. Ryan smiled, glad to know he wasn't alone.

RYAN: Right, the shapes disappeared. A few seconds later, that appeared. What've I done?
DOCTOR: Hard to say, really.
GRAHAM: I suppose you'll be blaming this on the dyspraxia as well. Can't ride a bike, started an alien invasion.

"Sorry Ryan that really wasn't fair on you. It was an accident." Graham sighed, neither of them had been particularly kind to each other. Ryan just shrugged offering him a small smile to show he was okay.

They look for answers, the tracking signal has been blocked as Tzim-Sha figured out what she was doing. The Doctor runs off as she decided to build something

"You're going to make yourself a sonic screwdriver, aren't you dear?" River sighed with a knowing smile on her face. Her wife was so predictable at times. The Doctor grinned back, nodding happily, proud of her new screwdriver. Now if only she knew where it was.

Ryan and Yaz talk about everything not being Ryan's fault. Then about if they believe 13 is an alien, they decide yes

"Nice to see you two never doubted me." The Doctor grinned at the pair who smiled back, neither of them regretted leaving with her at the time, she had shown them so many amazing things.

Ryan finds an office with files and a missing persons poster. Then a computer with a video titled 'if i die click here'

"Well, that's cheery." Nardole muttered and was promptly ignored.

The Doctor is building away as she briefly explains regeneration to Grace and Graham who are watching. The Doctor declares how terrifying regeneration is but that she'll be fine in the end as they need help so that's her priority - when people need help she never refuses - then she declares this will be fun

The companions all glanced at the two Time Lords (and the Ponds at River) with a grimace. There wasn't really much they could say in comfort.

"That's just like you Doc, finding trouble and calling it fun." Jack grinned, distracting the three Time Lords (well two and a bit; or one, a bit and whatever the Doctor actually was) from their thoughts. He was maybe the closest one to understanding what it was like to die, but he could never understand the regeneration bit.

"You can't really say anything Jack." The Doctor grinned back at him, a thankful look in her eye, he nodded slightly to acknowledge the silent message.

Using spoons and other metal the Doctor creates a new sonic screwdriver

"Looks nice Sweetie. Suits you." The Doctor grinned happily up at her, practically preening with her wife's approval. The rest of the companions (mostly) managed to hide their giggles at how excited she was.

Ryan shows the video he found. Rahul's sister disappeared seven years ago and he didn't stop looking for her. 13 shows off her sonic

"Sonic Swiss army knife! Honestly Doctor." Amy sighed exasperated; the Doctor may have been a couple thousand years older but she still acted like a small child.

"And yet it still doesn't do wood." Clara grinned teasingly, gaining laughter from the rest of the companions and a pout from the Doctor.

The Doctor maps how far the object travelled (very far) and they try to work out what both aliens (Tzim-Sha and the tentacle thing) were up to in Sheffield on the same night - 13 theorises they're fighting

"That's really not good." Mickey grimaced.

"When is it ever mate, when is it ever." Rory sighed. The pair shared a smile, it was always good to find someone else semi-sane amongst everything.

13 and the fam plan what to do about the alien problem and worry about the bombs in them. Graham gets a phone call about strange things from a friend. Elsewhere in Sheffield a drunk meets Tzim-Sha and comes out dead

Everyone looked down at the floor, sad to see another death. The Doctor grimaced, just another death she hadn't been quick enough to stop.

They find the tentacle thing on a rooftop. They overload it and scan it. 13 works out it is dozens of gathering coils stitched together which gather information. She retracts her battle theory as she tries to access its information

"It's rare for you to admit your wrong Spaceman, you must be sick." Donna laughed teasingly.

"Oi! I can admit I'm wrong, I'm much more mature now." The Doctor protested but this seemed to only make things worse as the rest of her friends started laughing. Even the Master chuckled a bit in the corner drawing a glare from her which he promptly ignored.

An image is projected - Karl from the train. Tzim-Sha shows up and the Doctor steps in front of the rest of the fam after Tzim-Sha threatens to kill them

"Thanks for trying to protect us, Doc. I mean you barely knew us but were still willing to stand between us and the dangerous alien." Graham nodded to her.

"No, thank you Graham for helping me when I was sick and really hard to understand. Besides, I have a duty of care to protect you. I dragged you into this mess I have to make sure you get home safe." The Doctor took a deep breath, she didn't want to think about the last time she wasn't standing in front of someone and they got hurt. Bill had got shot through the stomach and then tuned into a Cyberman because she hadn't protected her enough.

Bill seemed to know what she was thinking and shot her a concerned look and whispered so the other couldn't hear. "It wasn't your fault. You did the best you could to protect me. I'm happy now, travelling with Heather. I forgave you a long time ago you stupid old man." The Doctor smiled softly back at her, unsure of what to say so choosing to remain silent.

Tzim-Sha doesn't appreciate their interference, the Doctor mentions its a hobby

"I think you make it more of a lifestyle than a hobby Doctor." Martha said. The Doctor shrugged; she couldn't really deny it.

Tzim-Sha works out she isn't human but 13 still can't remember who or what she is exactly. She turns the questions back on him and asks about taking the teeth. Tzim-Sha reveals its face studded with teeth

"Oh god. That is disgusting." Rose grimaced looking away from the screen. Most of the other companions groaned in disgust and did the same. They had all seen some stuff in their time with the Doctor but this was not one of the nice ones.

Tzim-Sta introduces them as a Stenza warrior and 13 winds him up to Graham's protests

"You have no hope of that. She finds that part fun." Mickey sighed. Rory nodded in agreement. The Doctor just grinned, that was one of the best parts plus it usually annoyed them into giving her information. Amy grinned at the Doctor as she mouthed 'poke it with a stick'.

Tzim-Sha is on a challenge and declares 13 has a small mind which she doesn't appreciate

"Oh no, he's in trouble now, he insulted her mind and intelligence." Clara laughed, with the other companions joining in.

Tzim-Sha explains his challenge - finding and returning home with a random chosen human without any help or weapons. 13 points out he's cheating which he argues with a threat causing her to back down a little

"You backed down real fast there. That's unlike you. You have a plan, right?" Bill asked turning pointedly at the Doctor who grinned but refused to give anything away.

"Spoilers." Amy and Rory groaned; they were both very sick of that word. River raised an eyebrow at her wife who shrugged still grinning.

Tzim-Sha gathers his info from the coil and leaves through short range teleporter. The group realises he's off on the hunt and chase after him. Cut to Karl on a crane listening to a motivational audio on his phone

"Well, that is depressing and a bit ironic looking back." Yaz sighed. Graham and Ryan were starting to shrink into the sofa in dread, they all knew what was coming soon. The Doctor kept glancing back at them worried, concern obvious.

At the building site the security guard is killed by Tzim-Sha just after having talked to his family

"That's horrible." Rose spoke shocked. "That poor man." They may all have seen a lot of death travelling with the Doctor but it never got easy, especially after seeing him talk to his family.

Karl isn't answering his phone. Tzim-Sha climbs up the crane cab towards Karl. The Doctor and fam arrive at the building site and realise Karl is a crane operator

"That's just your luck Doctor." Jack laughed.

They split up - Grace and Graham evacuate the site, Ryan and Yaz help the Doctor with the machinery to get to Karl

"I don't like where I think this plan is going Doctor." Amy crossed her arms, looking like a mother scolding her child. The Doctor had to resist the urge to shrink down in her seat.

13 explains the plan to climb up a different crane (as the coil is guarding Karl's) and starts climbing the ladders while reassuring them she has a plan

"I have to ask, is that normal? Her coming up with plans on the spot, 'cause it seems to happen a lot to us." Graham asked the rest of the companions, ignoring the Doctor who looked mildly offended.

The rest of her previous companions nodded their heads quickly, most had large grins on their faces.

Yaz asks if Ryan is comfortable doing this and reassurances him its okay if not. Ryan states he can do it

"Good on you Ryan." The Doctor grinned at him, proud.

Grace and Graham evacuate the site by wearing high-vis vests and clipboards

The Doctor turned to Ryan and Graham quietly and muttered so only they heard. "I'm so sorry. You don't have to see this if you don't want to. I'm sure the TARDIS will give you another room if you wanted to skip it."

Ryan and Graham shared a long look, having their own mental conversation while Yaz watched concerned and understanding. The Doctor shifted a bit on her seat on the bean bag, it was always horrible seeing people die, and even worse seeing loved ones die.

"It's okay Doc, we love her and both know that she'd be proud of us for everything. We want to stay, see this through." Graham answered for the pair, after what felt like for forever. The other companions had noticed the screen freeze but left the four to their conversation, they had a feeling the group needed the privacy.

"If you're sure. Don't worry if you change your mind, no one will judge you." The Doctor offered a sad smile, eyes screaming in understanding and pride. "You're right Graham, from the short time I had the honour of knowing her, I can tell she would be incredibly proud of the pair of you. I know I am, proud of all three of you. You are amazing people, my fam." The three smiled, a mix between love and sadness, this video was going to be difficult but they had each other, as cheesy as that sounded.

Karl is panicking as he spots 13 on the way to help. Ryan has a close cut as his foot slips but catches himself. They make it up to the top and the Doctor reveals she only has half a plan - to encourage Karl to jump across the gap between cranes

"That is a terrible plan Doctor." River drawled exasperated with her wife who gave her a sheepish look.

"Oh, don't worry it got even worse." Yaz added with sarcastic cheerfulness. This drew groans from the majority of the more mature members of the group and a small huff from the Doctor.

Yaz tries to work out how to use a crane with a mountain of keys as 13 goes out across the crane and comments on the height

"Glad you've noticed." Donna nodded sarcastically with a roll of her eyes.

Grace wants to stop the gathering coil despite Graham's protests that they were supposed to leave after evacuating the site

Graham and Ryan looked down at the floor knowing what was coming. They were going to stay in the room, but weren't planning to actually watch the horrible moment. Yaz offered Ryan a hand in comfort, which he took thankful for the support.

Karl reaches the end of the crane as Yaz is trying to work out the right key to start the crane. Ryan is using his phone to work out how to operate a crane

YASMIN: Every day's a learning day.

"Especially with the Doctor." Martha grinned. The other companions chuckled; it was very true. All of them knew things and could do things they would never had had the chance to do without the Doctor. They were all changed people after travelling on the TARDIS, changed for the better mostly.

The crane first goes the wrong way before they correct it. She meets Karl and encourages him to jump when the cranes are aligned, he refuses as he is scared of heights - it's his dad's company

"Well, that's just typical. You really have rotten luck Doctor." Rory said earning a groan in agreement.

Tzim-Sha is now on the crane jib. Karl is hyping himself up and ready to jump but Tzim-Sha grabs him and dargs him away. 13 runs and jumps onto the crane, barely

DOCTOR: These legs definitely used to be longer.

"Is that seriously all you have to say? You just jumped and almost fell to your death for the second time in the video and you complain about your legs being short?" Rose crossed her arms, giving the Doctor a glare based on worry. She received several glares and worried looks from the rest of the room as well.

"Well, what was I supposed to say? I survived so no point dwelling on it. Plus, it is true! I'm shorter this regeneration which is always annoying." Her statement only drew her more glares and rolled eyes. "Also, wouldn't be the first time I fell to my death." She muttered the last part with a glare at the Master who hadn't looked away from the screen.

Tzim-Sha stops at 13's shouts and takes off his mask to Karl's horror. 13 grabs put a red gizmo from her coat and threatens the recall pod Tzim-Sha came in. If she falls then that goes with her, stranding him

"At least you have something to bargain with." Clara muttered, watching concerned despite knowing the Doctor was here. She had a bad feeling about what was going to happen.

Graham and Grace work to take down the gathering coil

Back on the crane jib the Doctor and Tzim-Sha talk about humans being not important/important. Tzim-Sha threatens 13 to give him the gizmo or he'll detonate the bombs in them

"That's really not good. How do you get into these situations Doctor?" Martha sighed; she didn't really expect an answer.

13 confirms he didn't plant a bomb on Karl and calls his bluff

"I'm really hoping you have a plan at this point Doctor." Rose spoke but only received a reassuring nod from the Doctor.

Graham and Grace break into the high voltage shed and start to rewire stuff. They split up - Grace climbs up as Graham goes to watch out. Grace asks if it is wrong to be enjoying it which Graham decides it firmly is

Most people shifted in their seats, uncomfortable at being called out. It was true, it was probably wrong to enjoy the trouble so much but they couldn't help it.

The Doctor mocks Tzim-Sha before offering him a chance to stop this and change

Most of the companions smiled. That was typical Doctor, giving the bad guys a chance to leave. The Master rolled his eyes at her pushing a feeling of annoyance across at her. She promptly ignored him to his frustration. The Doctor thought back on her own words, what did they mean for her? For someone who didn't know who they were? Did it matter that she had memories missing or did she stick by what she knew? There were so many questions and so little answers and a burning anger beneath it all.

TZIM-SHA: Who are you?
DOCTOR: Yes. I'm glad you asked that again. Bit of adrenaline, dash of outrage, and a hint of panic knitted my brain back together. I know exactly who I am. I'm the Doctor. Sorting out fair play throughout the universe. Now please, get off this planet while you still have a choice.

"And you're back to normal. Saving things and shouting your name across the universe." Amy said, voice teasing.

"How doesn't everyone know who you are at this point?" Mickey asked curious more than anything.

"She keeps erasing herself from databanks and records." River explained with a snort. The Doctor grinned at her wife ignoring the disbelieving looks she was getting from some of her companions.

"Why do you do that?" Rose asked a bit disbelieving.

"I get too big sometimes. Plus, I kinda just want to be a traveller. Don't get me wrong, if I find trouble, I'll help but I don't want to be called in for most stuff on purpose. Plus, there has been a few incidents." She grimaced with the thought of the trouble with the Silence, that had been a prominent incident that reminded her why she tried to keep herself off most radars. The others glanced at her but wisely decided not to ask any more questions based on her dark look.

Tzim-Sha decides he wants to win, activates a button before screaming in pain

Everyone had tensed up in worry when Tzim-Sha pressed the button, the three newer companions felt a bit warm inside with the thought that everyone here was worried about them. They then looked confused when it was Tzim-Sha screaming in pain not the four of them on screen.

The Doctor explains she removed the bombs and put them back in the gathering coil - which Tzim-Sha took when he transferred the info from it earlier. She tells him to go home and throws the recall circuit at him, before he can leave Karl kicks him and he falls through the broken hand-rail but vanishes before he can hit the ground. 13 isn't happy with Karl's attack

Back on the ground, the mission to defeat the gathering coil works but at a cost - when it falls it knocks Grace to the ground too and mortally wounds her. Graham races to her side and arrives just in time to be forced into a promise to not be scared without her before Grace dies. Ryan, Yaz and 13 arriving too late

Graham and Ryan huddled closer to each other, decidedly inspecting the floor instead of watching the screen. Both knew what had been coming and they didn't want to leave, but they weren't going to watch it. Yaz squeezed Ryan's hand tightly in support while the Doctor shuffled closer so she was leaning back between the boy's legs.

The other companions looked down in remembrance for Grace. They may have never got to meet her, but she had seemed so amazing and lovely on screen plus she was clearly very important to Ryan and Graham. None spoke a word, all understanding that this was a time for quiet remembrance rather than apologies and sympathies.

Back on Ryan's Youtube channel, he reveals the greatest woman he ever met was his nan (Grace). He explains that she died, and that she'd taken him in after his mother died six years before.

Back on the hill Ryan is trying to ride his bike again and keeps going despite continuously falling. The Doctor watches on

"You were watching me?" Ryan asked softly, having finally glancing back up to watch the video.

The Doctor nodded with a sad smile. "She would be so proud of you Ryan." She nodded at Graham too. "So proud of both of you. All three of you are amazing people and I am so happy that I have the privilege to know you." She received three sad smiles from her fam. They all had similar thoughts about her.

Outside the chapel, 13 waits with Ryan for his dad who's never been reliable and is very late despite saying he'd be there

"Thanks for staying with me Doctor." Ryan muttered to her, remembering that he had never thanked her back then but feeling he needed to.

"You're welcome Ryan but there's no need for the thanks. I know a bit about absentee families and it's better not to be alone sometimes." The Doctor nodded but her eyes said she was far away. She ignored the mental prodding from the Master, if she wasn't so distracted, she might have mistaken it for concern.

In the chapel, Graham makes a touching speech about Grace. Later, he explains to the Doctor what he meant as he'd had cancer and been in remission as of three years ago but he'd expected to die long before Grace who had been his chemo nurse (which is how they met and fell in love). The group turn the talk of family on the Doctor

YASMIN: Have you got family?
DOCTOR: No. Lost them a long time ago.

The companions all shifted uncomfortable, wondering if she was talking about them or her family at home. Maybe even both. Any that could catch the Doctor's eyes offered her small smiles of understanding and hope.

"You have us Doctor. No matter what happens or where we are, you're our family." Amy spoke softly, eyes peering over at the Doctor sadly. The Doctor smiled back, she loved them all so much. She missed the family she had lost but these people were her family too.

They ask how she deals with her loss, and 13 explains that she carries them with her even though they're gone. Yaz asks if everything they'd gone through was normal for the Doctor who counters with the fact she's just a traveller who steps in when they can. 13 realises she's missing the Tardis and decides she need to find it

"You're not just any traveller Doctor. There is so many people that owe their lives to you." River spoke softly to her wife but the Doctor just glanced at her with eyes drowning in doubt, quickly glancing away.

Yaz points out she needs new clothes and 13 agrees saying it had been a long time since she'd bought woman's clothes

"She's right, you've been running around this whole time in ruined men's clothes that are way too big for you." Amy nodded agreeing with Yaz on screen. She, like many, were happy for the topic change. "This time you can't steal from a hospital as well." She added teasingly drawing questioning looks from the others and a sigh of exasperation from her husband.

In a charity shop the Doctor tries on various outfits as Yaz watches and judges. Finally she settles in her signature look which Yaz is a bit dubious about but the Doctor's happy

"I'm glad someone around here has some fashion sense still!" Donna chuckled. Her comment brought a few chuckles from the other companions while the Doctor complained about their lack of fashion sense which only made them laugh harder.

DOCTOR: Yep! Got any cash? Empty pockets. Also, I've been thinking about my Tardis. So you think you guys might be able to help me?

"Bloody typical, you never have any money, do you?" Rose sighed, throwing her hands up in exasperation, thinking about all the times she had to pay because the Doctor never had any money. Martha nodded in solemn agreement, thinking back to the time she had to work in a shop to support them in 1969.

"Oi! Time and space traveller. I don't think there's enough room in my pockets for so many different currencies." The Doctor attempted to defend herself.

"Yes, but you spend a silly amount of time in late 20th century/early 21st century Britain, dear, you should be prepared." River pointed out, the Doctor made a few sounds of protests before realising she had no valid reasons to defend herself with and giving up in a huff.

Back in the industrial unit the Doctor is working on a way to get back to her Tardis while Yaz, Ryan and Graham watch on and ask what she'd doing. She explains she's tracking the Tardis' unique energy using whatever she had including a bit of the Stenza technology left behind. She gets them to help with the final few things and then says her goodbyes

Her microwave timer counts down and she gets teleported but so do Ryan, Yaz and Graham. They're left floating in the vacuum of space with no one around to help and no Tardis in sight

"That's really not good. How did you manage that one, you moron?" Amy stared at the Doctor, trying to understand the mess.

"OI! It wasn't entirely my fault. I got the coordinates right but the planet had been knocked out of its rotation. We were all fine in the end, got the TARDIS back." The Doctor protested. She was ignored to her annoyance as the rest of the companions looked to the newest three for confirmation of the story. They nodded in agreement to the Doctor's story. Not wanting to say too much in case that was the next video.

"Glad to know you all have so much faith in me." The Doctor mumbled before speaking up properly again. "How about we all take a break, stretch our legs and so on before the next video?" It may have been phrased like a question but the Doctor was already standing up and wandering over to a door that had appeared on the far side of the room.

She opened it with a careless shrug to the rest of the room who were watching her. On the other side she found a long corridor, maintain the same colour scheme as the cinema room. The first door she opened was a large kitchen with an attached dining area full of chairs and tables of varying size, there even seemed to be a small lounge area full of comfy chairs similar to the cinema room. She left the door open and moved further along the corridor. A few of the others had followed her while some remained in the other room chatting.

As she moved along the corridor, she found several large bathrooms and then a series of bedrooms all labelled with their names on them. Clearly the TARDIS meant for them to be here for a while. At the end of the corridor was a door labelled 'garden', she didn't open it but did spare a thought for why the TARDIS had included it. Was it for the humans or them; something different for them when the purple carpets grew annoying? A place to escape too? Maybe a quiet space? She guessed they'd probably find out. She left the door untouched, ignoring the door labelled with her name as well.

While everyone drifted off to explore and chat the Doctor leaned against the wall further down the corridor, almost out of sight from the others. There were a few conversations she knew she needed to have but couldn't quite find the strength for. Steeling herself, she took a deep breath before pushing off the wall and going to find her current companions, there was a few things they definitely needed to know and some explanations they deserved.

She found them chatting with each other in the kitchen sitting around a small table (made only for about four people, compared to the bigger ones further in the room) shoved in a corner, mugs of tea in hand, as they watched some of the others putter around. They paused their conversation and glanced at her as she entered, most of the other of the room's occupants hadn't noticed her yet. She pulled a chair out, sitting down slowly. She shifted uncomfortable in the hard, wooden chair for a few minutes trying to find the right thing to say. The three humans were watching calmly, waiting for her to find the right words.

"You three deserve an explanation I know and I'm going to try but I've just never… I've never been good at talking about myself. It hurts too much most of the time. But you deserve something, you deserve a lot more than I can give you actually." She took a shaky breath, realising she was starting to ramble and that she just needed to get on with it.

She glared at the table, not able to look at her friends. "The videos are going to show you a lot of stuff. Not all of it good, and I just want you to be a bit prepared for that. I'm not a good man. Woman. Doesn't matter. I'm not a good person. I try but ultimately at the end of the day I'm an idiot in a box running around space and time with a screwdriver. I've not told you much about anything and it's mostly because I'm selfish. People get hurt around me and I figured that if I didn't tell you much about me, if I didn't let you get close than you would be in less danger and it would hurt less when I lose you. I'm sorry." She hung her head lower, her hair forming a semi-barrier from the three, her eyes watching her hands fidgeting in her lap while she waited for the comments she knew were to come.

"Doctor… thank you for the explanation but you didn't need to." Graham spoke first, raising his hand to silence her before she could protest against his words. "We're the ones that said yes to travelling with you, you warned us about the dangers and we still chose to come. You've taken us to amazing places and shown us so many brilliant things. You're our friend but more importantly you are family. We care about you and worry about you and I understand you trying to protect us but you don't need to. We chose to come and we are all mostly adults, we can make our own choices. I reckon there is a lot more you haven't told us and we will probably see a lot of it, but it won't change what we think about you. We've told you before, we care about who you are now not your past. You're family, Doc."

"You're right though." Ryan added. "You are an idiot. An idiot for thinking you needed to keep us distant." The Doctor couldn't help the small smile that formed on her lips, she was trying to keep her eyes dry. Had she been this emotional in her last few regenerations? No, she didn't think so. Maybe all the secrets and Gallifrey were finally getting to her. Maybe she was just old. Old and tired.

"Just promise us one thing, yeah? Don't try and keep us out. We worry about you and we want to know you more. Graham's right, you're our family. And for what it's worth, I think the fact that you strive to be a good man but don't call yourself one is what makes you a good person." Yaz smiled softly. The Doctor nodded hastily in agreement, looking up to match each of the three's eyes in turn. She would do her best to keep this promise. "Good, now the three of us are going to relax with our tea and chat. You are going to talk to some of your old friends, I think there are a few who've been wanting to grab you." Taking that as a dismissal, the Doctor chuckled but stood up leaving the three to go back to their conversations.

There were so many people she needed to talk to and so many hard conversations she needed to have. She didn't have time to do all of them in this break but there was a group of people that she really needed to talk to, more than any of the others. Three that needed apologies for how she had wronged them in the past. She had wronged most of her friends in some way but these three especially. She slinked deeper into the kitchen trying to spot her targets. By some chance they were all together; Mickey, Martha and Jack. Stood leaning against the edge of the kitchen, chatting happily with Rose and Donna. She approached slowly trying to come up with an excuse to talk to the three of them alone. She knew she needed to talk with Rose and Donna as well at some point, but the other three couldn't wait any longer. They had waited long enough as it was.

The group of five noticed her approach offering smiles which she didn't really manage to return, her expression probably more like a grimace. "I was wondering if I could talk with Mickey, Martha and Jack for a bit?" That was not what she had been meaning to say, she had planned at least some vague pleasantries first, but the words seemed to spill out of her like an avalanche. An avalanche; hits you all of a sudden, can be very destructive, and caused by instabilities, fitting.

"Of course, you bloody Spaceman. We'll be talking later though, you hear me?!" Donna smirked as she shouted over her shoulder, Rose in arm being semi-dragged away to give the four some privacy.

"What's up Doctor? Missing my handsome company already?" Jack tried to grin but it fell flat. He could sense that this wasn't just a casual conversation. They all could.

The Doctor chewed her lip, trying to think what to say. They deserved so much better than she could ever articulate. "I'm sorry." She blurted out, before she could go down a spiral that would distract her from ever saying anything meaningful.

"Sorry?" Jack asked, having shared a meaningful look with the other two. "For what, Doctor?"

"Everything. I never treated the three of you as well as you deserved. And the three of you deserve a lot. I have a mountain of excuses, but that's all they are, excuses." Martha looked like she was about to interrupt before the Doctor continued. "No, just let me say this please, then you can say anything you want. You need to know this before we continue. I should have said all this a very long time ago."

She turned first to Mickey who was analysing her, arms crossed leaning against a wall in a deceptively relaxed stance. "Mickey. You're not an idiot or a tin dog or anything like that. You're incredibly brave and amazing young man, you've grown up a lot since I first met you and that was all you. I'm just sorry that you had to grow up so quickly. You deserved far better than me dragging Rose off and then insulting you continuously. I'm sorry for that and everything else. I'm glad you're happy with Martha, you both deserve each other. You're both amazing, brave and smart people who have been wronged by so many people, including me."

She turned sharply to Martha who was standing next to her husband, more tense and glancing at said husband every few seconds. "Martha. I was horrible to you when you first travelled with me. I couldn't get over losing Rose and I took it all out on you. That was always my issue not yours. You deserve the world and I'm so happy that Mickey makes you happy. You are an amazing doctor and definitely saved my life more times than I deserve. I can't ever apologise enough for what you and your family went through in that Year let alone how much I wronged you. You never should have had to see me cry over him, and you shouldn't have to deal with him again now. You are brilliant. Just brilliant Martha. Never forget that or let anyone tell you any different, especially me."

She took a deep breath, spinning to face Jack on the other side of Mickey before she could let Martha's reaction distract her. "Jack. Handsome, brave, brilliant Jack. I have so many apologies for you, but mainly I am sorry for what happened to you. Rose didn't know what she was doing but that was no excuse for me to abandon you. I was scared and you were painful but that is still no excuse. I am sorry for calling you wrong. You're not wrong. I was wrong. I kept running away from you and I shouldn't have. You, Captain Jack Harkness, are one of the bravest and kindest people I have ever had the pleasure of knowing. You've always been there to help me but I've not always been there for you. I'm sorry."

She glared at the floor and finished before any of the three could speak. "I'm sorry for everything. I have wronged a lot of people in a lot of different ways and I will never make up for most of it but I have wronged the three of you far more than most. You three are amazing. Truly some of the best people I have ever had the pleasure of knowing and travelling with. I'm so sorry." Her knees were shaking as she almost collapse, steadying herself at the last moment. She bit her lip to stop herself from blabbering on or maybe to prevent herself from crying, she wasn't really sure which. It had been a very emotional day.

She flinched when she felt a gentle hand on her shoulder, her head shooting up to meet Martha's eyes which were wet with unshed tears. She let herself be drawn into a hug, wrapping her arms tight around her former companion. After a minute, the boys joined in, encircling the pair so they could barely breathe. Eventually, after what felt like hours but was probably only minutes, they pulled away.

"Thank you, Doctor. I'm not going to lie and say you didn't hurt me, because you did. But I forgave you a long time, you idiot. You are a dear friend, family even. We all make mistakes and you've owned up to them and apologised. You took me amazing places and made me a better person despite all the pain so thank you. I forgive you Doctor." Martha said, maintaining eye contact with the Doctor to try and engrave it in the alien's head.

"As much as I hated you at first, you made me a better person. A braver person than I ever was. I achieved more than I could have ever dreamed of because I met you and I have the best wife. So, thank you. Besides I can't say that I was particularly nice to you at the start either, so I'm sorry for that. If it makes you feel better, I forgive you, Boss." Mickey grinned, wrapping his arm around Martha's waist as she lay her head against his shoulder.

"You made us all better people Doctor. I'd likely still be a conman if I hadn't met you. I'd also be very dead. You're a friend Doctor and you understand better than any what it is like to live as long as I have. Thank you for the apology but I have to say, whatever this secret that the TARDIS wants to share with us is, it must be very bad." Jack tugged her back into his arms, holding her so her back was against his front, his chin resting on her head. It wasn't anything romantic, just a comforting hold from a friend. A friend holding her tight to try and protect her from the horror and pain of the universe, when both knew it was far too late.

"Thank you, but none of you needed me to make you a better person." She smiled sadly at the two she could see. "And, Jack. You're right. It is a very bad secret. We're more alike in some ways than you know. I'm not going to tell you as I am still processing and it will be shown anyway, plus it isn't fair on the others. But you'll know soon. Thank you for everything." It took a few minutes for Jack to release her and they delved into more neutral chat about Martha and Mickey's daily life and Jack's recent adventures. The tension had been broken and was on the mend.

It took about an hour for everyone to sort themselves out. Grabbing snacks and a drink, going to the toilet and chatting away while they stretched their legs. Eventually they all congregated back in the room settling back down on the sofas in the same positions as earlier ready for the next video to start.

Chapter Text

The words 'Spyfall Part 1' appeared on the screen in the same manner as the others had. The Doctor and her fam shared a glance, they had a very good guess about what this video would show. The Doctor cleared her throat before turning to the rest of the room to try and explain a bit.

"Erm, I think this video takes place about a year and a half or so after the last one so quick explanation for contexts sake. Got saved from space, found the TARDIS. Managed to get home after a couple of wrong landings-."

"16." Graham muttered, cutting of the Doctor who smiled a bit sheepishly before continuing.

"Okay 16, thank you Graham. Had a few adventures along the way-."

"13." Ryan mimicked his grandfather with a small grin.

"Okay, 13. Thanks Ryan. Anyway." She stopped for a second to see if anyone would interrupt her before determinedly continuing. "Anyway, eventually got home. Had a bit of trouble with massive spiders in Sheffield. This lot decided to travel with me on and off and that's about it." She checked with her fam who answered with a mix of nods and shrugs. The rest of the former companions smiled at the group; it was always good to see things never really changed around the Doctor.

"Well on with the story then." She finished with a grimace, thinking about what they were all going to see. She turned briefly to glare at the Master who only smirked, oh he was excited to see this video. The other three couldn't deny that they were curious to see what had really happened between the Doctor and the Master, she had never really explained the full story but she had been off since then.

Across the world a series of spies get murdered in suspicious ways and with no visible culprit

"Well, that doesn't look good. What trouble have you managed to get yourself into now?" Marth asked, the way the three newest companions and the Doctor were acting was making her worried. It didn't help that the Master was smirking, that was never a good sign. Whatever happened had been big and was leading up to whatever the Tardis wanted to show them.

Back in Sheffield, Ryan is playing basketball with friends as he uses the excuse of having been travelling to explain his absence

"Are those the excuses you use to explain why you disappear when you travel with the Doctor?" Rose asked curious.

"Yeah, I'm not really a great liar and don't particularly like it, but travelling with the Doctor is amazing. Even if it is hard to explain to our friends and family." Ryan shrugged. The rest of the companions nodded in understanding; it was always hard to explain to other people why they kept disappearing.

Two men in black and wearing shades turn up next to a black car

"Ooh, what have you done?" Jack sang over excited. Rose and Martha shared a glance before Rose elbowed him hard in the side, earning a (mostly fake) wine of pain from the immortal.

Yaz is at home with her family, her sister wants Ryan's number

"C'mon Yaz, just give her my number." Ryan begged Yaz who look at him with an expression of disbelief.

"No, I am not giving her your phone number so you can flirt together thank you." Yaz crossed her arms giving him a stare saying she wasn't going to back down. Graham shook his head in fond exasperation at the pair.

Yaz's dad struggles with the Alexa as the sisters argue

"Your family seems nice. I'm guessing they don't know where you are?" Martha asked, expression unreadable. The Doctor resisted the urge to glance at the Master, instead sending a worried look at Martha. It hadn't just been Martha that had suffered due to the Master, her family had gone through a lot during the Year that never was.

"Thanks. They don't know details, but they have met the Doctor and the others, you can thank the spider mess for that. Really awkward to explain." Yaz recalled, looking a bit unsure of where the other woman was going with the question.

"Do I even want to ask about the spider comment? I think you mentioned it at the start of the video." Donna asked exasperated, looking like she very much already knew the answer.

The Doctor, Yaz, Ryan and Graham shared a look before turning back to the rest of the room in unison. "No." The Doctor expanded on that slightly. "It was a messy affair, all human though, no alien. Which was a nice change, accept that man." She looked at her current companions. "The one that wasn't Ed Sheeran."

The three companions rolled their eyes at her, while the rest of the room looked even more confused. Ryan just turned to the rest of the room. "Trust me, you don't want to know." The rest of the room seemed to take that as a descent answer and let the matter drop.

At the police station, Yaz's boss isn't very happy with her continual absences, thinking she's being taken for undercover operations and reminds her she needs to be there to finish her probation. Another pair of men like those that picked up Ryan arrive for her

"Okay, so definitely all of you. What have you done now Doctor?" Rory asked, knowing who was to blame. The Doctor just grumbled her complaints about the accusation as the rest of the room laughed slightly.

Graham is at the hospital getting a check up. His doctor asks about his travelling and if he goes anywhere nice, Graham replies sometimes. Outside the hospital, a similar pair of men pick him up too

That earned some chuckles from the group. The Doctor crossed her arms with an expression she would deny was a pout. "Oi! I always take you to nice places."

"What about that death eye turtle army?" Graham asked.

"Or that junk galaxy where we got blown up by a sonic mine and ended up almost getting killed on the med ship?" Ryan added.

"Or Tranquillity Spa?" Yaz said.

"First of all, I apologised greatly for the death eye turtle army and the sonic mine. Second, Tranquillity Spar was technically Graham's fault. Third you're only mentioning the trouble, I took you plenty of nice places." The Doctor tried to defend herself. The three grinned at her, they had only been teasing. The rest of the room looked slightly nostalgic at the similar conversation and topic.

The Doctor is working on the Tardis in a garage, as she works she's on her phone messaging the group who are all very late. Then they arrive in their black cars and with their escorts

"Oh, so now you have figured out how to use a phone but you still can't spare a minute to call me?" Martha raised an eyebrow accusingly. The Doctor shrunk a bit under her glare trying to come up with a reasonable excuse. Before she could, Martha started laughing, she'd mostly been teasing and seeing the Doctor's panicked expression was worth it. The Doctor pouted at her.

The agents ask the Doctor to come with them, 13 is dubious as she describes all the stuff she has to fix in the Tardis

The room (bar the Master and River) looked at her as she continued listing rooms, looking more and more surprised. They knew the TARDIS was big, but surely, she was joking? They'd not heard of, let alone seen, most of those rooms. The Doctor didn't even seem to notice their stares just nodding along with herself on screen.

The Agents insist as Graham protests the transport

Ryan glanced at his grandad. "Loving your priorities." Graham shrugged at him; it was a bit funny looking back on it. Yaz was smiling widely, both at the interaction but also at the comment from on-screen Graham.

The car convoy is moving, guided by satnav. The four talk about the situation as they try to work out whose orders the men are under

"You realise he can hear everything you are saying right?" Amy questioned. The four just shrugged, they hadn't really thought about it at the time, too preoccupied with what was going on and trying to make a plan.

The satnav has issues before a stream of energy comes out and disintegrates an agent

"Well, that went very wrong very quickly." River declared, raising an eyebrow at the four who had been in the car.

The Doctor sighed. "And it only got worse." That didn't really reassure any of the companions. The three current companions shared a similar look to the Doctor – like they were relieving bad memories. Jack noticed the Master was grinning, and started to get an even worse feeling about what they would be seeing.

The accelerator pedal hits the floor and they swerve through traffic before coming to an abrupt halt. They try to get out the car with the sonic to no avail as the satnav starts screaming at them to die

"What is it with cars trying to kill you Doctor?" Martha shared a private grin with Donna and the Doctor, a little worried about the situation but calming herself with the fact all four were with them currently.

"What does that mean?" Rory asked bemused, voicing the thoughts of many.

In sync the Doctor, Donna and Martha drawled, "Atmos."

"Of course, you were involved in that Doctor." Jack shook his head, not even sure why he was at all surprised. That didn't seem to answer many questions for most of the group but they let the video continue, knowing if it was important it would be shown and they weren't likely to get anymore answers otherwise.

13 takes the driver's seat as it speeds backwards, more energy comes out shattering windows as they drive backwards rapidly to an unfinished ramp

"Because things weren't bad enough." Clara shook her head. That was just typical with the Doctor. Anything that could go wrong would and then it would get even worse.

13 grabs a mirror and holds it Infront of the satnav screen, a beam of energy comes out and bounces back blowing itself up, they stop the car just in time

The room seemed to collectively let out a breath they didn't know they had been holding. They knew that the group were safe (they were in the room with them after all) but still, it was hard not to get worried.

C's voice comes on the screen as 13 tells him about their driver being murdered and car attempting to kill them. C reveals he is MI6

"MI6? That's new. How do they even know about you?" Clara asked, eyebrows scrunched in confusion.

"UNIT is my best guess maybe? Aside from that I don't really know much about how they knew me." The Doctor frowned; she hadn't really had a chance to think about that at the time. She should probably investigate that actually; it wouldn't do well for them to know too much about her.

13 takes the wheel and they agree to come in if only for answers

"You can drive a car?" Bill asked raising an eyebrow.

"Bill, I am a very old alien from a highly advanced planet that has spent a lot of my time around Earth, of course I can drive a car. Used to own one back when I worked for UNIT." The Doctor said, thinking back fondly on her old car Bessie.

"Of course, her driving is only slightly better than it is for the TARDIS." The Master smirked at her, she glared back in return before turning away. There were several things about to be shown in this video she really didn't want to see again, let alone have her friends see.

At MI6 they spot the Tardis being brought in before the are led inside, Graham reveals he always wanted to be a spy which Ryan scoffs at. C shows up and talks to Graham to his confusion

The companions look confused for a minute before realising what was going on. Most of their expressions turned a bit darker or angry, sometimes they really hated 21st century prejudices. It was definitely better than it had been but compared to some of the places they had seen? It still had a way to go.

"Ah, sexism. The joys of being a woman." Clara's voice was dripping with sarcasm as she shared a sympathetic look with the Doctor. It likely wouldn't be the first or last time someone had caused trouble or mistaken her for something else just because she looked female now.

The Master scoffed at the screen; he didn't know how they could mistake the Doctor for one of her little pets. Well, it was his former idiot of a boss, but still the Doctor was far better than any of the little humans no matter her appearance she shouldn't be mixed up with them.

(C's aide whispers to him.)
C: Don't be ridiculous, Franklin. I've read the files. The Doctor is a man.
DOCTOR: I've had an upgrade. Hi.
C: Oh.

"You aren't taking any nonsense are you, Doctor." Rose grinned at the blonde who grinned brightly back.

"Honestly, I don't know what you humans are stuck about on gender. Why does it matter?" The Doctor shook her head exasperated, she loved humanity but the 21st century still had some stupid prejudices. Though to be fair, she had looked like a man for the past 13 bodies - but it didn't mean she would always look like a man. UNIT definitely would have been better, after all they'd seen Missy first-hand. But this was MI6, they barely knew she existed let alone everything UNIT knew. That was just another reason for UNIT to get back together.

C tells the group the car was just supposed to bring them in not kill them and that he's been authorised to speak for every security agency globally - they need the Doctor's help

"Something really serious is happening then. No way all the security agents just decided to agree to ask for help for a little reason." Mickey contemplated, he and Martha knew first-hand what intelligence and security agencies were like, between Torchwood and UNIT, plus their time as freelancers.

He didn't get an answer which didn't help him feel much better. The four that had experienced it shared a glance, it really hadn't been anything small.

They move through the building as C tells them what's been happening - spies are being attacked all across the world and none of them have been ordered by other agencies. In the medical area he shows a female spy who looks like they are in a coma - apparently her DNA's been rewritten which should be impossible and is well beyond human technology

"That's horrifying. What has the power to do that?" Martha asked, voicing the opinion of many in the room. Whatever this threat was it was dangerous and nothing they had seen before. Both River and Jack were combing through their knowledge of species trying to figure out a likely culprit and both coming up blank.

C gives the team various equipment to Ryan and Graham's excitement. Then he tells them the assassinated agents were investigating Daniel Barton the founder of VOR and gives Yaz a file

"Daniel Barton? UNIT was investigating him before they got shut down." Mickey stated, he and Martha may have been mostly freelance but they had still helped out at UNIT occasionally.

"Yeah, talking of. What happened to UNIT? I tried to contact them start of last year to help with a situation and got told by a rude lady that they had a budget cut and were shut down." The Doctor queried, looking at the married couple as they were the most likely to know the answers.

"Yeah, all this nonsense with Brexit and the fact nothing too bad has happened for a while meant the Prime Minister shut down UNIT citing budget cuts." Martha explained. Shaking her head disapprovingly. Then she registered something in the Doctor's question. "Wait. What was bad enough for you to try and phone for assistance?"

The Doctor grimaced alongside her current companions, thinking back on the incident. "A Dalek. Recon scout. It arrived on Earth a long time ago and was defeated but lived. It started controlling and killing people to try and rebuild its shell. It then tried to call for an armada. Managed to throw it in a supernova though eventually. Remind me to see what I can do about UNIT. This world needs to be protected and they are the best ones to do it." The Doctor nodded decisively to herself, ignoring the worried looks of the rest of her companions when the Dalek was mentioned.

They discuss Barton a bit more before 13 asks for their best man (an old friend of hers), C sheepishly reveals he fired him

"I take back every nice thing I say about O." The Doctor announced to the room, which made no sense to the majority of the room but her fam nodded behind her with grimaces on their faces. She glared sharply at the Master when no one was looking. He just smirked proudly back.

C and 13 argue, as C didn't believe in aliens or didn't care as other agencies dealt with them but they're all gone. 13 WhatsApp her friend (with a kiss) and immediately gets a response to C's shock

The Master smirked at the Doctor who was now trying her best to ignore him to his annoyance. They had spent quite a while texting and the Doctor had spent a long time going through all their messages once she'd seen Gallifrey. Looking for any signs or hints to his actual identity. It had driven her slightly insane for several days, sitting in the ruins of her planet, well of Gallifrey, ging through the texts to try and find anything that suggested O wasn't who he said he was.

The Master would never admit it, but he had absolutely enjoyed texting the Doctor, getting the chance to have her attention, the attention she normally focused on her little pets. Having the chance to talk to her like they used to do before they left Gallifrey and even the chance to talk to her like Missy had with Eyebrows. It had been thrilling and frustrating to text her without her knowing who he was, there were so many times he had almost let something slip or been disappointed when she had thought he was just some little human.

The picture the Doctor got was a fish, which only she understands

"Doctor!" Clara rolled her eyes. Of course, the Doctor was getting over excited over a puzzle while they were all in danger, and she wasn't explaining it as normal. The Doctor offered a sheepish grin at her, maybe it hadn't been the time to get excited.

C tries to get them back onto the task at hand but is assassinated. The others run for cover and escape to the Tardis as laser bolts fire

"What are those things!" Donna shouted shocked. Things had rapidly taken a bad turn.

"I haven't seen anything like that before." Jack spoke in slight awe, leaning forward in his seat to try and get a better look at the new beings.

"No, you wouldn't have." The Doctor muttered darkly.

They reach the Tardis safely

"Ooh, new TARDIS console. Nice, very yellow. Lots of crystals. Kind of hive-y." Jack grinned, leaning forward to try and inspect the new TARDIS interior like many of the others in the room.

"What are those circles near the bottom? They were on the main pillar of the last design as well." Bill asked, tilting her head to the side as if it would allow her to see them better.

"That's Gallifreyan, my language."

Bill rolled her eyes. "I know that, I mean what does it say?"

River who had started translating them when Bill had pointed them out, smiled. "Oh, you old sap." She laughed happily at the Doctor who blushed slightly.

"They're your names. All my friends, the people who travelled with me - they're your names. A reminder." She explained, fidgeting and looking at the floor.

Her friends smiled at her, a mix of feelings bursting in each of them that they were unable to articulate.

Graham and Ryan took the gadgets, the Doctor looks at the picture

"Doctor!" Donna complained. "You need to think about your priorities." She shook her head before looking at the current companions. "At least two of you mostly have your priorities straight, honestly."

Yaz and Ryan grinned while the Doctor pouted. Ryan nudged Graham who started grumbling, he'd been focused on the gadgets as he didn't know what to do about the head of MI6 being assassinated in front of him.

13 reveals the picture is steganography - another image hidden in the pixels of a picture

"Smart, love. Who's this O?" River asked her wife curious; it wasn't often she took interest in a human who wasn't her companions for very long and it seemed she had been texting this human for a while. Plus, the comment from her wife about taking everything she said about him back was making her very curious – there was definitely a story there and clearly it was relevant to the Tardis's worries.

The Doctor sighed, "You'll see."

13 reads the coordinates in the picture as Graham points out the wobbly Tardis door worried

"Doctor, you really need to pay more attention to your friends sometimes." Clara sighed exasperated. She always got distracted when she found something interesting even in the face of danger. The Doctor looked a bit sheepish, she'd been so distracted by the steganography so she could find answers she hadn't given the threat as much attention as she probably could have.

Something is trying to get in - one of the aliens. They dematerialise and escape, but worry over something almost getting in

"That is very worrying." River spoke, glancing concerned at her wife who seemed to be having a silent conversation with the Master, she was glaring and he was smirking. Whatever was going on was clearly to do with him and she wasn't sure how to feel about that.

They decide to split up. Yaz and Ryan are sent to California to investigate Barton while Graham and her go to Australia to meet her friend

"You're splitting up?" Rose asked despite already knowing the answer. The group shrugged at her in answer, they had split up and it hadn't gone particularly well.

More discussion of splitting up and 13 gives them a bio-scanner and advise, rule one of espionage - trust no one

"Bit dramatic Doctor." Clara raised an eyebrow, channelling her years of teaching.

"Well, I'm sorry, everything seemed to be trying to kill us." The Doctor threw her hands in the air in mock offense.

"That's normal with you though." Amy received a pout for her comment.

In San Francisco, Ryan and Yaz hack their way into Barton's dairy and organise an interview with Yaz as a journalist and Ryan as a photographer, Ryan is panicking a little as Yaz tried to clam him down

The room was trying to hide their laughter but gave in when Ryan and Yaz started. Looking back on it like this made it more entertaining. At the time it had been very stressful, trying to not get caught especially now knowing they had already been at a disadvantage.

Yaz and Ryan meet an aide and then Barton, introducing themselves with fake names

"First of all, I already don't like him – he is absolutely up to something." Bill declared. "Second, no offence but you aren't exactly doing well at the whole playing it cool thing."

Yaz started laughing, Ryan had definitely been struggling with the undercover thing and she couldn't have laughed at the time but looking back at it now was definitely entertaining. Ryan grinned a bit sheepish he had definitely started panicking. He poked Yaz. "Hey, you at least had your police training to fall back on." Yaz just grinned back.

Graham and 13 arrive in the Australian Outback and are met by a man with two guards

Everyone, who didn't already know turned in sync, heads snapping round to face the Master who was leaning back in his chair like it was a throne, smirking proudly.

"Well, that explains why the Doctor rescinded everything she said about O." Jack muttered, glaring at the Master who only grinned more, looking like a cat that had gotten the mouse. Martha glared sharply at the Master.

The two guards are Australian secret services sent to protect 13's friend. 13 introduces Graham and her friend O. The name is apparently stemming from an old joke at MI6. They go into O's home which is a mess

"Seriously Martian. You would've thought at your age you would at least know some manners!" Donna exclaimed exasperated. The Doctor shrugged; she may have felt a bit sorrier if she didn't know it was the Master.

She was analysing the screen, looking at both the 'house' and the interactions between herself on screen and 'O' for any sign of his true self. She felt so stupid looking back on it, knowing that his 'house' was a Tardis – she should have realised as soon as she stepped in.

Graham asks what everything is, and O explains that he's been keeping a record of all unexplained MI6 files then comments on C being shot

The Doctor glared at the Master; she should have noticed that – how had he heard about C? They had made their way to Australia within about an hour of the assassination, which wasn't much chance for them to reach out and tell as stray MI6 agent. He had definitely been behind C's assassination.

O asks if aliens are attacking and 13 explains they're rewriting DNA. O is suspiciously excited by that idea but hides it well

"As much as I am getting the feeling that I am supposed to hate you, I have to admit you are an amazing actor." Amy admitted with a shrug, she didn't really know much about the guy but everyone seemed on edge about him. She thought she maybe could recall the Doctor mentioning his name once or twice but she didn't really know what he had done to deserve all the glares. Her comment drew several disbelieving eyes her way from those that had the misfortune of knowing his crimes all too well.

"He's always liked his disguises. The Master of disguise." The Doctor sighed; eyes screwed shut as she took a moment to calm the rising anger. She had been analysing the screen for any hints of his true identity poking through the O façade and hadn't been able to find much.

"And yet the Doctor of hope keeps falling for them, despite millennia of the same games. I have had to tell you straight to your face who I was the last few times. You're getting slow, dear." The Master tilted his head with raised eyebrows, glaring at the Doctor who had been refusing to look at him.

His comment caused her to turn sharply and glare back. "You keep dying and I keep thinking 'oh, maybe this is really it this time. Maybe he's actually dead' and I stop looking for you and then like a bad penny you show up again. Besides I had thought you had run off with past you, why would I be looking for your next regeneration, let alone suspect someone I met centuries ago." The answer seemed to calm the madness coalescing in the Master's eyes as he settled with a simple nod, face impassive.

O is prepared with screens and safety  precautions and makes some comments about being targets

The whole room turned to glare at the Master who leaned back in his chair, completely relaxed and grinning smugly.

Back with Barton, Yaz and Ryan are interviewing him

"At least you thought ahead and had something to back up your story." Mickey nodded approvingly, that was far better than normal with the Doctor – they weren't completely winging it. Martha nodded along with her husband, smiling at the pair.

They continue the interview as Ryan starts duplicating Barton's security pass as Yaz keeps talking

"You've really done your research." Rory grinned, Yaz was holding her own in a very high-pressure situation. She was clearly good at her job, on the occasion that she was actually there.

Barton gets a message and leaves, Ryan managed to duplicate his access pass and Yaz got a scan - Barton is only 93% human

"93% human. That's new and definitely not very promising. You're in some serious trouble." Jack looked worried, glancing between the group and the picture onscreen. He hadn't been able to place the creatures, which didn't necessarily mean much – yes, he had seen a lot of things over the years but the universe was massive and ever expanding, there was plenty he hadn't seen.

"Yes, we are." The Doctor frowned; it had been very close at times but they had survived. Her sanity and peace of mind hadn't really come out the other side intact though. Everything seemed to spiral after this.

Something is moving outside the house in the outback, Graham protests looking outside but the Doctor never listens

Rory and Mickey nodded their heads in understanding, offering Graham commiserating looks.

The agents try to send them back inside but they are trying to get readings, O is far too excited

"You were having too much fun with that." The Doctor snapped at the Master who gave her an innocent 'who me?' look, which was ruined by the smirk.

The agents are killed as they split up. O, 13 and Graham reluctantly retreat

The Doctor glared at the Master again, as did Martha, Jack, Clara, Bill and the three current companions. They knew whatever trouble happened was at least partially his fault. The Doctor didn't care about the fact that she wouldn't have been able to save them even if the Master hadn't dragged her away, she was just too angry with him for the deception and frustrated with herself for not noticing.

He refused to meet her eyes, purposely focusing on the screen until she gave up and looked back to the screen. He only risked a glance at her when he knew she wouldn't notice it.

Alarms are going off. O activates his defences and the aliens retreat

The Doctor glanced at him deep in thought. Did he have those defences just to fool her or was it for his own protection. It wouldn't exactly be the first time his plans had backfired on him. Had he practised before? Or did he really not know it would work? The Master caught her watching him and sent a feeling of questioning-curiosity-smugness along their open bond. The two had always been connected and having opened the link again recently left it a lot more open than normal. They were too used to being in each other's minds, even after all these millennia.

One still remains, O has a backup plan and launches it. The figure is trapped in a tank and belted by energy from all sides, O is happy and shocked that it worked

"Did you genuinely not know if it would?" The Doctor asked, face blank.

The Master watched her for a minute, looking for cracks in her blank look – any emotions she let break through (he found nothing). "I didn't exactly have much chance to test it beforehand but I was hopeful."

She watched him for another couple of minutes, trying to see if he was lying, before conceding and turning back to the screen as the video resumed.

13 tries to get answers from the figure, it answers far beyond

"So, they do talk." Clara said, half to herself.

No one was particularly excited by the development. It meant they could maybe get answers but it also meant they were more than simple drones; they had some intelligence. As if they weren't unnerving enough.

13 keeps pressing for answers, the alien (Kasaavin) answers that they are stable now and want the universe

"Oh, starting off small then." Rose tried to break the tense atmosphere with some sarcasm, but it fell a bit flat. She did get a few smiles for her attempt though.

With Ryan and Yaz, everyone has left the building and they are sneaking around

Graham raised an eyebrow at his grandson. "You've been dying to say that haven't you?"

Ryan grinned but just shrugged as Yaz rolled her eyes. "You watch way too many spy movies." She grumbled.

"Hey, it saved our lives later. Plus, you enjoyed parts of it too. The parts we weren't almost dying anyway." Ryan complained as Yaz just sighed.

In Barton's office they get to work and get a bit distracted by talking about Yaz's sister

"I think you too should be focusing on the mission rather than arguing about that, as entertaining as it is to see." Graham chided the pair who shrugged a bit sheepish. They had gotten a bit too confident and distracted.

The cloned pass is beeping signalling Barton is back, Ryan hides but Yaz isn't done copying Barton's computer data

"You have no luck." Martha sighed. It was typical with the Doctor but still very worrying to see.

Download  is at 96% as Barton enters, the pair hide. Barton talks to the air, before the Kasaavin appear and the two talk/argue

"So, they are definitely working together, good to know. But you are now in some real trouble." Amy said, watching the screen. It was good to have confirmation of their theory but not always worth it if they managed to get into serious trouble, which they normally did.

The kasaavin vanish, Barton notices his computer screen is on, turns it of then leaves. Ryan and Yaz leave their hiding spot but another alien appears and takes Yaz making her vanish. Ryan apologises but runs

Ryan turned to his side, where Yaz sat, opening his mouth to apologise properly but she beat him to it. "Don't worry about it, Ryan. There was nothing you could have done. I'm okay now. Just glad you got out safe." She nudged him with her elbow to reassure him. She had been shaking up after her 'trip' and it had featured in several nightmares since but she was safe now and surrounded by people looking at her worriedly.

In an alien realm Yaz is alone

"Where are you?" Bill asked gaping at the screen. It looked spooky.

Yaz shrugged. "Honestly? No idea but it wasn't pleasant."

Back in the outback the figure in the tank is fighting, more light appears. With Yaz she is consumed by light. Ryan runs as figures are flickering in and out of existence. Back in the outback the thing is overloading the system, Yaz appears in the containment tank and the power is blown out

"Well, that explains that better." The Doctor mumbled almost to herself. She couldn't resist glancing at the Master, had he known that would happen? No, he had seemed surprised she was still alive later when he revealed himself. That had not been part of the plan but she was glad beyond belief that Yaz had survived.

Ryan calls the Doctor panicking over Yaz's disappearance. 13 reveals they have her and goes to pick up Ryan. Later on, Ryan and Yaz talk about her vanishing and Ryan promises that he won't let it happen to her again

Ryan slugged an arm around the back of sofa on Yaz's side. She leaned in, her head against his side. It wasn't a romantic gesture; they were family simply offering comfort to guard against bad memories.

At the outback, the Tardis is inside the house. Graham and O talk about his self-exile to the outback and the Doctor. O subtly points out that she doesn't talk about herself, and says he has a whole shelf about the Doctor and asks if he wants a look

"Trying to convince my friends to go snooping?" The Doctor asked giving the Master a dark look before another thought occurred to her. "Also, why do you have records on me?"

"They aren't very good ones. Only what the humans have on you. I keep my better records hidden. Know thy enemy and all that." The Master's attempts to appear neutral and uncaring failed spectacularly. The Doctor managed to hide her small grin. He may claim it was because they were enemies but she knew there was also a small part of him that was worried about her. He didn't like it when other hurt her. These videos were going to be very interesting; she was sure he may know a lot about her adventures. More than probably anyone else knew and more than she was probably comfortable with, but there were definitely things he didn't know.

The Doctor interrupts with what might be iced tea but probably isn't safe to drink

"I'm really hoping you didn't drink that. The Doctor is a terrible cook and any food she makes should never be trusted." Martha smiled, ignoring the Doctor's protests.

Yaz chuckled. "Don't worry, we learned that very quickly."

They talk about what they all found out, and they're not sure who is in charge of who (Barton or the Kasaavin). Looking through the data files the Doctor finds something - more  steganography

It hit the Doctor that he was very likely aware of the image and that was why he had used steganography to reveal his location. Subtle hints scattered around. A trail of breadcrumbs all leading to his real identity.

It reveals a map of locations for the creatures across Earth - there's hundreds

"That's really not good." Amy declared while her husband rolled his eyes slightly at the obvious statement which Amy noticed and elbowed him in the side for.

The image is changing as it is still decoding, revealing multiple Earths. O asks about who is running the show

O: Okay, okay. If you really think they're spies, we should be asking who's the spymaster? Who's running the alien spies? Because that's the person who holds the answers.

The four of them hared a glance with each other. The Master had been trying to reveal himself and they hadn't seen it. Not that the three companions were really in the position to actually figure it out but the Doctor was mentally hitting herself. She should have known.

The group think it is Barton and decide they need to visit him. They hack their way onto the guest list of a party and they go into the Tardis to get changed. O pretends to be shocked

"I'm surprised she didn't give you away. I think she still hates you for turning her into a paradox machine." The Doctor commented.

"That was a long time ago, besides we came to some agreement when I was working on her as Missy. She doesn't shock me and I do the maintenance you forget to do. Don't forget I saved you and your little pets from Mars." The Master snapped.

"They aren't pets, they're my friends. Besides, she held a grudge against Clara for a long time before she had actually done the thing that made the TARDIS hate her." Clara grumbled something to herself in the background. "Still, she should have told me."

"Erm Doc. Why are you talking about the ship like it's alive?" Graham asked. The companions had been sharing glances while the Time Lords bickered. Martha and Jack were the only two who had been around for the paradox machine, and were glaring at the Master for it, but a few others had heard the story.

"Because she is. I've told you three this before plus she was the one to bring us here remember? TARDISes aren't built, they're grown." The Doctor explained, smiling proudly of her old girl. The ship was her one true constant since she ran away, the Master may have known her longer but he wasn't always there and he continually hurt her. The TARDIS was always there, with few exceptions, they looked after each other.

At a villa the group have all changed into nice suits

Jack whistled lowly. "You all clean up very nice."

"Oi! Stop it."

"He's right sweetie. You look good in that suit. Though I think you would also look good without it."

"River!"

They make their way into the party, only mildly suspiciously. O reveals he's never done undercover work as the group splits up to keep an eye out for Barton, the Doctor telling them all to blend in

River gave her wife a look. "Sweetie, you don't know the definition of 'blend in'." The rest of the companions laughed, that was absolutely true. The Doctor tried desperately to protest, but was ignored.

The Doctor fails to understand the rules of the card games as the others attempt to blend in.

Everyone laughed alongside the people on the screen, albeit more fondly. The Doctor still looked confused, no one was willing to explain the game to her.

Yaz and O talk about luck and love

Yaz glared at the Master who just smirked smugly at her. She'd spent more time with him than either of the other really and she's started to like him – before the whole tried to kill them thing, which she still hadn't forgiven him for. Plus, whatever he had done had hurt the Doctor badly and he was the reason she had been missing for the last few months.

Barton arrives and the Doctor confronts him with the  assassinations

"Absolutely no subtly. Straight to the point. I still wonder how you are still alive you moron." Donna sighed, exasperated. The Doctor grinned sheepishly.

Barton denies it as 13 keeps pressing. Barton leaves but 13 and the others persist, chasing after him. Barton leaves in a car and they take chase on motorbikes - O holding onto Yaz, Ryan and Graham sharing as 13 leaves

Yaz grimaced slightly again at the reminder of how much time she had spent with 'O'. She had thought it was fun to hang around someone else who knew the Doctor but it hadn't exactly ended well.

She was distracted from those thoughts by Graham and Ryan grinning and muttering about the Great Kalisperon Bike-Off, that had been great fun until they had run into some trouble (as was typical with the Doctor), but unlike this video – that had been easily solved with minimal danger.

Barton's driver notices them and accelerates, Barton takes a gun and attempts to shoot at them

Ryan rolled his eyes at Graham who just grinned at him while Yaz chuckled at the pair.

They dodge the bullets as O asks if this is what its always like with the Doctor, Yaz replies that this is a quiet day

Almost in sync, everyone who knew the Master turned to glare at him again. He just ignored them, but he was radiating smugness.

Barton's car arrives at an airport hanger. Barton appears to get on a plane and the others watch from the hanger deciding what to do. As the plane starts to move, 13 sonics open the cargo hatch and they run after it

"Are you seriously going to try and climb on a plane as it takes off?" Clara shook her head before answering her own question. "Of course, you are, what else should I expect."

Yaz reaches the ramp as the plane is cleared by air traffic control. Barton's phone is ringing with a private number

"That's not a good sign." Rory sighed, this video seemed to just get worse and worse.

Graham and Ryan also make it onboard. O struggles to catch up before finally making it, claiming he'd never been good at sprinting to the Doctor's confusion. They move into the main cabin as the plane is about to take off

"At least you're all on board safely." Martha declared. Things were going badly so it was nice to see not absolutely everything ended in disaster.

13 sonics the hatch closed and they walk through the rows of seats. 13 turns back on O about the running - she'd read his file, he's a champion sprinter. O congratulates her on working it out before pointing outside the window where the house from the outback is flying through the air somehow (he makes the comment about it being a bit wicked witch of the west)

Jack glared fiercely at the Master. "I thought you hated human things, yet you know about the Wizard of Oz?" His voice was scathing, he didn't really acre about the answer he was just trying to annoy the Master

The Master glared back, holding back a sneer (barely) but didn't answer. He'd spent periods of time stuck on Earth on several occasions and been forced (*cough* chose to *cough*) watch some pop cultural things. It was kind of necessary for some of his roles – he'd spent several years as O; it wasn't like he could always avoid the references (he even enjoyed some – Blondy had really liked the Teletubbies and Missy liked lots of cartoons). But he was never going to admit that to anyone here. He was purposely ignoring the Doctor who absolutely knew the answer (they had watched several movies and cartoons together during her imprisonment at the university).

The Doctor's worked it out, and O introduces himself as the Master - her best enemy as the other three are very confused

O: Doctor, I did say look for the spymaster. Or should I say spy... Master? Hi.
DOCTOR: You can't be.
MASTER: Oh, I can be. I very much am.
RYAN: So what's going on, then? He's not really O?
MASTER: I'm her best enemy. Call me Master.

"Best enemies? What does that even mean Doc?! You never really explained who he was." Graham asked, voice revealing an edge of frustration. It hadn't been the time to play twenty questions on the plane and afterwards she had been in a bad mood, but now they weren't in immediate danger he would really like some proper answers. The other two nodded alongside him, as did many of the other companions who didn't know the Master. The ones that knew the Master exchanged looks.

"She never does. He took over the Earth and practically murdered everyone before she put it right, but she still wouldn't tell us the full story." Martha crossed her arms, still sore (and rightfully so) about the whole Year That Never Was.

"You were the one who fixed everything that year Martha." The Doctor sighed, knowing she wouldn't be able to avoid answering the question but also not quite sure what to say – the Master was a very complicated topic, their whole relationship was very hard to explain. "The full story is thousands of years long and highly complex. It's very hard to understand if you haven't lived as long as us and especially if you don't know Gallifrey. He's known me longer than anyone, even the TARDIS."

The Master was watching, stuck between amusement and curiosity of what she would say. The smirk he directed at Martha was full of teeth however, compared to the almost gentle questioning grin he sent to the Doctor. Those that knew the Master watched her expectantly while those that didn't know him leaned more towards simple curiosity.

"You and Missy both said similar things to me and I know you explained a bit about being school friends but I don't think I would still care about an old friend if they became a mass murdering psychopath." Bill crossed her arms and glared at the Master. Missy had terrified her and the knowledge that it was a past version of him that had turned her into a Cyberman still hurt. The Doctor was just thankful she hadn't brought up the whole crush thing. That was an even more complicated matter (and embarrassing – she didn't want to explain that to Martha and Jack especially).

"It's more complicated than that Bill. I know you have all the reasons in the world to hate him. Bill, Clara, Martha and Jack especially but it's endlessly complicated." The Doctor braced herself but couldn't help glancing at the Master to check his expression. She would be sharing at least part of their story and she needed to know his thoughts but as ever he remained blank. She was on her own. "We've known each other since we were eight. Initiation on Gallifrey meant you were taken from your families and forced to look into a tear in space and time, a glimpse into the Time Vortex. It inspires some people, drives others mad and some run away. The Master had a signal planted in his head. A beat of four which drove him mad until just after the Year when we figured out the truth about it. On the other hand, I stared into the gap in time and space and it terrified me. I ran all those years ago and have been ever since."

She took a deep breath to steel herself before continuing. Her hands flying clumsily in the air to emphasise her story. "We were at the Academy together. Best friends since day one. Gallifrey isn't exactly a loving place especially if you are a child but we looked after each other for all 92 years of the academy. We were roommates and spent our whole time together, we were basically inseparable. He was the only person who really cared about me for a very long time."

She took a deep breath, steeling herself to continue, "Everything just seemed to go wrong shortly after we graduated. We made several decisions that hurt each other and when I eventually left, he chased after me. He keeps hurting me but ultimately, I still miss the little boy I spent decades running through the red grass with, skipping classes with. I miss the little boy who looked after me and cared for me when everyone else told me I was useless and would never amount to anything." Her friends and family listened intensely and remained silent at the end of her story, trying to absorb everything that had been said. She was grateful there was no comments on the way her voice started to crack at the end or the tears starting to form in her eyes.

"You proved them wrong. You were better than all of them." The Master spoke up, breaking the silence. "But you left out the part where you abandoned me and betrayed me, dear." The last bit was laced with venom, a sharp contrast to the almost reverent tone of his first comments.

"You betrayed me too! And you keep hurting the people I love." She shouted back, frustration and pain rising to a boiling point. She looked up at him pleadingly. "Don't you miss it? The trouble we found as kids? the Deca? Being friends? Our families?"

"Of course, I miss it. But they're all dead and you ran from them and me a long time ago."

"Well, you two clearly have a library full of issues." Amy spoke up ignoring her husband's disapproving/worried hiss of her name. "So many questions, but first of all - 92 years at the Academy? School, right? Also, what's the Deca?" The majority of other companions were giving her disbelieving looks, none were quite brave enough or willing to speak up and get between the two arguing Time Lords. River and Rory rolled their eyes in sync (you could really tell they were father and daughter) at their mother/wife's bluntness.

The Doctor gave her a sad smile. Happy for the distraction from the Master. "Yes, the Academy is essentially school, it's how you become a true Time Lord. It's that or you join the army really, there aren't many options. At the end of the academy, you choose your name. I hated it mostly, some of my friends made it okay but I was a terrible student." She ignored the Master's chuckle. That was an understatement to say the least. He had always been the perfect student, except from the trouble that she usually dragged him into. "The Deca was a group of students we became friends with later in the Academy. A group of ten of us. I think we drove our teachers insane with our chaos, that and all the questions they could never answer. A lot of the Deca became renegades like us but they're all dead now I think." She frowned, stuck in memories. Even if they had survived the war, they were very likely to be dead now or at least somewhere else in the timeline – chances weren't high that she would run into many of them again, and even if she did it wasn't likely to be a friendly reunion.

"Wait, you said you chose your name at the end of the Academy. So, did you use your real names?" Rory asked, curious despite his usually strong sense of self-preservation and sanity. He had always been one of the saner of her companions.

It was the Master who answered after sharing a long look with the Doctor, both cycling through expressions faster than they could be read. "On Gallifrey you have a real name which only your parents and then spouse know, occasionally a sibling or someone else but that's rare. They are long and hard to pronounce for most species, plus they wouldn't make much sense to any of you anyway. Then through your childhood you go by a nickname until you finish the Academy and choose a new name for you to be known by."

"But you two know each other's real names? You're not family, are you? Like secretly siblings this whole time or something. Also, can we know your nicknames. Please. I bet they're embarrassing." Bill queried. She was always too curious for her own good. The rest of the room watched eagerly as the pair tried to come to a decision, they all wanted to know.

"No Bill, we're not family. Our families hated each other in fact. Really disapproved of our friendship." The Doctor smiled at the young girl. She was always full of questions. She also avoided mentioning the real reason he knew her real name, outside of the whole childhood friends thing. She wasn't going to explain how they had been so much more, that was so much harder to explain and incredibly painful. Distraction was their best bet to escape the questions and theories she could practically see mentally forming in many of their heads.

She was definitely putting it off now but she always avoided talking about her life before she ran away. Even River only knew vague details and parts of the story, she hadn't even told her this name. Her real name yes, somehow that one hurt less; but the childhood nickname, no. Mentally reasoning it as not important but in truth it was because it was too painful and always brought back the memories associated with it. Plus, a part of her felt like it still belonged to the two little boys running through the red fields under the orange sky of home. Or what she had thought was her home. But that was a whole other depressive spiral.

"Later, Bill. Maybe later. They're really personal and no one has called me that since I left, since I lost my family." She felt a bit guilty putting it off, refusing to tell them, but the names were personal and she wanted to hang onto them for just a little bit longer. She would tell them eventually. She was ignoring the Master, too scared to see what he was thinking. Would he be smug she hadn't shared the names or annoyed? You could never tell with him.

The room delved into a contemplative silence, everyone trying to digest what they had heard. When no one spoke after a few minutes the video restarted.

13 is in shock as she met O years ago, he's enjoying this a lot

"Oh, admit it Doctor. You liked O." The Master grinned, full of teeth.

"Of course, I did. You designed O so I would like him. Got my attention by helping me with an alien invasion then texted with me for years. Across three faces. Then you had fun revealing yourself." She shook her head almost to herself. "I should have known but I was blinded by how much he reminded me of you as a kid." Her statement seemed to take all the wind out of his sails as he practically collapsed back into his arm chair where he had been sitting forward, curled like a cat about to catch a mouse. Both were thinking back to the years of texting and all the messages sent between them. The Doctor had liked O and, though he would never admit it, the Master had liked being O for more reasons that getting one over the Doctor.

The Master reveals he shrunk the real O with his Tissue Compression device and keeps him in a matchbox in his pocket. He ambushed him on his first day of work and stole his identity, he then throws little O away

The companions collectively winced as the real 'O' was thrown away like he was nothing, they didn't even know his real name. They were also very weary of his new (as far as they were aware) weapon. Only Jack had heard about the TCE from old UNIT files.

The Master's had a lot of fun. 13 tries to warn Barton but he's gone, then they realise no one is flying the plane and the Master points out the bomb counting down from a minute

"Yeah, you are a bit madder than Missy. Not that Missy wasn't terrifying." Bill muttered, not really intending for other to hear her but the Doctor did.

"He wasn't always so unhinged. He got worse when he ran out of regenerations around about my third or fourth, maybe fifth? face. Then it was a downhill spiral until we managed to get the drums out. Missy was more like he used to be." The Doctor tried to explain her face grim.

"You didn't get the drums out, dear. That was the Time Lords after you stopped them coming back. Gallifrey's always been the reason behind my madness, Gallifrey and you. Every time. Even now, my madness is because of you." The Master's eyes were wild as he glared at her.

"No, this madness is your own. I had no true part in it, at least this time. Gallifrey I agree with but what you discovered is on them and you can't blame me for the decisions you made because of it." She barely managed to spit her words out. Just because she was the Timeless Child or whatever did not mean he could blame his current madness on her. She had no willing part in it, she couldn't even remember it.

The Doctor fails to sonic the bomb, the Master scolds her as he made it sonic proof. The Master called Barton away before take off he then calls the light aliens as the bomb is counting down. They move away from the bomb and closes the door as it explodes, decompressing the cabin and sending them towards the ground

MASTER: Yah! One last thing. Something you should know in the seconds before you die. Everything that you think you know... is a lie. Got you, finally

"What does that even mean?!" Surprisingly it was River than snapped. Her fists clenched tight, turning her knuckles white. The Doctor had never told her the full story of the Master, though she bet she knew more than the others in the room (baring maybe Jack), and the Doctor had tried her best to ensure the two never met. River was sick of seeing her wife hurt, especially by the Master who wasn't even making sense anymore – this was a who new scale of madness and she couldn't understand it.

"Oh yes. Do tell your little pets everything Doctor. Tell them the truth about Gallifrey's lies." The Master smirked sluggishly teetering on the edge of manic energy and sluggish carelessness.

She glared at him before turning to River pleadingly, even as she addressed the whole room. "You'll find out soon I imagine. It's what the TARDIS brought us here to see, I think. The Master went home and he found out a secret about the founders of Gallifrey that drove him insane. We should have both expected something, maybe not the details, but we both knew what Gallifrey was like and it wasn't nice. We've both found out endless horrors over the millennia about home but this secret was just the last straw." She frowned, refusing to say more. They would find out eventually and she wasn't looking forward to it.

The Master vanishes and the light creatures rush the Doctor making her disappear as Graham, Ryan and Yaz hang onto the seats of the crashing plane

"I really need to stop going on planes. This is the third time the plane I have been on had blown up in recent-ish years." The Doctor sighed looking thoughtful. Her companions gave her concerned looks but were too scared to actually ask. Then another thought occurred to the Doctor. She turned to the Master. "Did you really expect that to kill me?"

He simply shrugged. "Not really, I can always hope though."

The Doctor appears in the alien realm alone

"Well at least you aren't on a crashing plane." Clara sighed. At least if the Doctor wasn't on the plane, she would be able to figure to a way to save her friends. She couldn't help but think about the Zygon invasion when Bonnie had blown up her (at the time - his) plane and she had been forced to watch.

"Gee, thanks." Ryan snarked though it didn't really hold any bite, he understood what she meant. Clara just offered an apologetic smile but Ryan just smiled.

The whole group was nervous, wanting to know what happened and how they got out of the situation. Clearly, they had, as the group were all here but it didn't make it any less worrying. Especially adding in the Master's presence.

Whatever the secret the Tardis had brought them here to see, things were heating up. Especially between the Mater and Doctor – there was some real tension there and they seemed to be the only ones aware of what they were here to see but neither was eager to share.

They weren't given any time to contemplate what they had just seen before 'Spyfall Part 2' showed up on the screen. The story was continuing.

Chapter Text

No one spoke as they waited for the next episode to start, screen still displaying the words 'Spyfall Part 2', all on edge with the mess of what was going on. They had the current companions in a crashing plane, the Doctor alone in an alien realm and the Master planning to take over the world and refusing to share secrets. They all wanted to know what happened, even the fam, as they weren't sure what had gone done between the Master and Doctor which had made her so upset.

The Doctor is in the alien realm talking to herself, and telling herself not to panic. Flash to Graham, Ryan and Yaz on the plane trying to hold on as it crashes. Ryan spots a small plaque with his name on a seat

"I'm not sure if I wanted to know that or not." Ryan looked confused, they all kind of knew that she wasn't always as calm as she pretended but still it was nice to think that one of them stayed calm and reasonable.

Most of the other people in the room were occupied by the plaque, hoping that it would save the current companions from the unfortunate situation the were in.

DOCTOR: Always a good reminder when you're alone, in the unknown, all hope lost.

The companions just all looked at the Doctor who was determinedly watching herself on screen, pretending to analyse the alien surroundings. She really wasn't happy with what everyone was about to see, and they were getting closer and closer to the reveal of her 'true heritage'. She was terrified and furious and almost every ugly emotion in-between, she didn't know how everyone would react and she wasn't excited to find out. But it's not like she had much choice.

Ryan follows a series of small plaques and arrows in the plane. Back in the alien realm the Doctor tries the sonic which doesn't work, before a bolt of energy zips past her. She continues talking to herself about what is going on and how she hopes she's not in a liver again

That drew her some strange looks. "How many times have you been in someone's liver to know that?" Rose asked exasperated.

The Doctor shuddered slightly. "Too many." Everyone looked at her bemused but decided not to question it further, it was the Doctor – she was a professional at getting herself into weird situations.

Someone new arrives in the alien realm - Ada. On the plane, Ryan keeps following plaques - in 4c's seat pocket there is paper entitled How to Land a Plane Without a Cockpit. Ryan calls out to the others

"Okay that's far too convenient." Amy declared before turning to the Doctor. "How did you manage that?"

"I have a time machine remember?" The Doctor grinned, ignoring the complaints of her three current companions (who definitely remember how she almost forgot about the plane). She just offered them another grin which they just rolled their eyes at.

In the alien realm, Ada (a young woman wearing early 19th century clothes) reassures 13 that their situation will pass soon

"Who is that?" Donna exclaimed, exasperated and frustrated with all the secrets. Everyone else also looked confused, they didn't exactly expect to find someone else in the weird alien realm, let alone someone dressed like they were from the 19th century.

The Doctor smiled, with just a hint of sadness. "You'll find out." Donna just sighed dramatically at that announcement. The Master just raised an eyebrow at the Doctor who grinned smugly at him, he knew perfectly well who her latest human friend was and she may have only been around a short time but she was very annoying.

On the plane, Graham and Ryan work on the instructions, connecting a cable from a panel to Ryan's phone, on it's screen the Doctor appears to their confusion

The Doctor just grinned wildly and sang, "Time Machine!" fondly. Graham just shook his head at her, he'd been far too busy panicking about the crashing plane like a normal person at the time.

The Master rolled his eyes, annoyed at how she was running his brilliant plans to kill her favourite little pets. The Doctor sensing his train of thoughts (he wasn't sure if she actually could hear his thoughts or if she just knew him too well – he didn't want to know the answer to that question) glared at him for a minute before purposely turning back to the screen.

The Doctor on the screen reassures them they aren't going to die and that she's a recording so they shouldn't talk back to her (which they were doing). She especially reminds Graham not to panic, he protests and the Doctor reminds him to not talk back to the screen

Everyone in the room laughed at that, even Graham. Both Ryan and Yaz nudged him fondly, they'd definitely been too busy panicking to appreciate it at the time, but they were safe now and could see the humour in the situation. Graham was a bit too predictable at times.

The Doctor on screen continues giving instructions - the app on Ryan's phone opens and reveals its called Piloting Made Easy

"That sounds like a very useful app." Bill said cheerfully, turning to grin at the current companions while Nardole rolled his eyes and the Doctor grinned nodding her head.

13 instructs them to use the app to communicate with the engines via the aircraft wiring and tells them to shut the cockpit door as that's vital. Graham goes to close the door as the others listen to the instructions but a power surge cuts her off

"Well, that's just typical." Martha shook her head, the other companions seemed to agree with her.

Yaz, Ryan and Graham work to land the plane safely, with Graham sliding down the aisle as Ryan controls the plane via his app

The room broke out into laughter at the comedic, almost cartoony, sight of Graham sliding down the plane aisle.

Back in the alien realm, 13 questions what Ada means

"Oh, back to the Doctor." Clara muttered, analysing the screen, curious to see who the Doctor had met and how they had escaped.

Ada explains that she is temporarily paralysed in her mind but she will soon be freed - she's a bit confused by the Doctor's appearance as she is normally alone. More energy moves around the place as Ada asks the Doctor's exit strategy. One of the light creatures appears as 13 warns her to be wary of them and explains they are in its realm. Ada offers 13 a hand so they can leave together, while hesitant at first the Doctor takes it and they both vanish

"At least you're not in the creepy alien place anymore." Rose decided, gaining nods of agreement from most of the rooms occupants.

On the plane, they are safely flying it along the pre-programmed flight pattern, and they talk about the plan

"At least that's one less thing to have to worry about, but it means you'll probably have trouble meeting you when you land." Mickey said, turning to watch the current companions' reactions.

"Yeah, it meant we didn't have the chance to mess anything up but trouble was absolutely waiting for us." Yaz nodded I vague agreement, sharing a look with Graham and Ryan – their time on the run was short but definitely memorable.

In the Master's Tardis, which is flying through the time vortex, the Master is bragging about how he surprised the Doctor

The room collectively turned to glare at the Master who just preened like a peacock, very smug and unapologetic. The Doctor was the only one not glaring at him, she was till glaring at the screen (analysing his Tardis) but she didn't manage to prevent the vague feeling of hurt-anger-frustration-pain going across their still partially open mind link. She clamped down on it as soon as she realised she was transmitting and shut the bond as tight as she could, refusing to look at him or accept his attempts to reopen the link at the minute.

Barton is with him. They have a silver figure from Barton's office as they talk about the plan

The room glared at the Master again for that comment who just rolled his eyes this time. If they were going to glare at him every time he did something or made a comment, it was going to get very tiring very quickly.

Barton's phone beeps notifying them that his plane landed at its programmed destination, they're in disbelief that they survived

This time it was the Doctor who looked smug while the Master glared at her for ruining his perfectly laid plans (like normal).

The pair fight briefly as things start to go wrong. An alarm goes off letting the Master know the Doctor escaped the alien realm. They split up - Barton to deal with the plane and the Master to deal with the Doctor

"Plan not going as well as you would like?" The Doctor decided to try her luck by prodding the Master (not literally, though that was tempting too), backed up by her former companions. Jack looked particularly happy that she was making life difficult for the Master. The Master just ignored her but she managed to spot his annoyance before he schooled his expression.

In the 19th century at a scientific exposition, Ada and the Doctor appear as men demonstrate their inventions.

"So, you're stuck in the 19th century with no way home. This keeps getting better and better." Amy said. "At least you're not still in that creepy place though."

A man (Babbage) helps Ada off the floor as he asks after her wellbeing, though is shocked at their impossible appearance. The Doctor pretends it was a trick to the impressed audience, before scaping the crowd and asking Babbage the year which she finds is 1834.

Back in the present, at the airfield, Barton asks the ground staff if there was anyone on board which they answer with a no and tell him to inform them before testing systems like this. Hiding in a nearby hanger, Yaz, Graham and Ryan watch on

"Well at least that was explained." Yaz sighed mostly to herself. Looking back, they had definitely been lucky to avoid Barton. The uncomfortable looks on Graham and Ryan's faces said they agreed.

Ryan checks his phone to reveal they're in Essex which Graham is familiar with

"At least you are on familiar turf." Rory said, gaining nods of agreement form many of the others in the room. Small silver linings despite being in serious trouble.

Yaz outline the plan - figure out what Barton and the Master are planning. They're worried about the Doctor but push on, deciding to got to a speech Barton is giving in London without letting him know that they're alive.

"So, to summarise; you are on your own being chased by a madman allied with a creepy alien race but you are on home turf with the starts of a plan." Clara declared. "That sounds familiar." That drew some laughs from people, something similar had definitely occurred to all of them at some point.

Barton makes a call to try and get information on Ryan, Yaz and Graham

"And the universe like to remind us that things can always get worse." Amy nodded resigned.

Back  with 13, Ada is curious about how the Doctor came to be there. The Doctor touches a magnet and gets an electric shock

The room turned to look at her. "What exactly were you expecting to happen Sweetie? You really need to stop messing with things." River shook her head exasperated with her wife's habits but when faced with the Doctor's put and sad eyes gave her a lovesick smile. She really had missed her wife, but that didn't mean they wouldn't be having a serious conversation later, several conversations from the way everything was going at the minute.

Ada keeps asking questions, and 13 explains who she is

DOCTOR: I'm a traveller in Space and Time. I was in the middle of dealing with a planet-threatening conspiracy two centuries from now when I was attacked by an old enemy and exiled to the place where I found you. Oh!

"I really don't think anyone is just going to believe that Doctor, you sound absolutely insane." Rose shook her head.

Donna snorted before adding. "She is insane!" That drew several nods of agreement and laughs from the group.

"Hey! Actually, that's probably true but anyway I thought Ad might believe me as we came from the Kasaavin's realm." The Doctor started to protest before deciding they were right about the insane part, she still tried to explain her reasoning.

Ada is dubious about the explanation, but 13 persists explaining the light creatures are assassinating people in the future and that she's stranded but needs to find her way home

"I'm not sure continuing the explanation is really helping." Yaz watched the pair on screen. She really wanted to know what had gone down between the Doctor and the Master when they weren't with them. Whatever had happened had upset the Doctor and knocked her off her groove for a while plus what had happened with the Cybermen.

The Master makes a dramatic entrance to the scientific exposition. He's wielding his Tissue Compression Eliminator (TCE) which he uses to shrink nearby ladies killing them and creating panic

"What is that thing?" Martha asks horrified, glaring at the Master who bared his teeth at her in an amalgamation of a shark's grin.

However, before he could go on any rambled speech about his toy the Doctor answered first, to his obvious annoyance. "His TCE - Tissue Compression Eliminator. Does what it says on the tin. He used it a long time ago, haven't seen it for several centuries if not millennia." She mused with a grimace; it hadn't exactly been her favourite of his weapons – not that she liked any of them. Jack was the only one that seemed to know anything about it – likely because of Torchwood and UNIT files.

The Master continues attacking people as the Doctor and Ada attempt to escape. The Master catches them and orders everyone to not move. He kills another woman that moves and tells the Doctor all about the buzz killing people gives him, explaining it made him believe he was doing what he was made for

"You're completely unhinged." Martha practically spat out at him. It was moments like this that made it easy to remember he was the being that had tortured her family and destroyed the Earth for a year and she hated the reminder. Mickey curled his arm around her to offer comfort, they spent long nights discussing the Year that Never Was and he knew how much it still weighed on her mind all these years later.

Jack's knuckled were white with how hard he was clenching them and the rest of the room was glaring fiercely at the Master, watching him kill people ruthlessly was a stark reminder of his true nature despite how he behaved in the room with them. He was just leaning back in his chair, grin full of teeth, seemingly unaffected by their glares.

DOCTOR: What do you want?
MASTER: Kneel. Kneel, or they all die. (she kneels) Call me by my name.

Jack launched himself off his seat before anyone could stop him, eyes dark and anger prominent. He looked ready to punch the Master's smug grin off his face. The Doctor leapt to her feet, moving between the pair, her back to the Master as she tried to stop everything coming to violence (not that she didn't want to punch the Master – she absolutely did – but it wouldn't help anything).

She put her hand out gently to Jack's arms staring him down silently as she stopped him from reaching the Master. His eyes softened upon seeing her but his fury at the Master was still easily noticeable. He was furious at the Master for so many reasons, it wasn't helping that the secret the TARDIS wanted to show them, the secret that had the Doctor so distressed, was linked to him. Watching him make her kneel like that was just the last straw.

"Jack please." The Doctor asked softly, trying to steer him gently back to his seat next to Rose. Her words seemed to take all the wind out of his sails and as he let her guide him back to the sofa, she got a glimpse of the rest of her companions' expressions. They all looked furious, in a way she very rarely if ever saw. River made her way to her feet to join the pair still moving, unnoticed by the Doctor, her expression matched Jack's, furious with the Master and fed up off all the secrets.

As they moved back to the sofa, Jack seemed to have a silent conversation with Rose who was watching their approach carefully. She moved off the sofa, shifting to a beanbag close to Martha, Mickey and Donna's sofa. Jack and River shared a nod before pulling the Doctor down between them on the sofa, keeping a hand on her arms either side of her.

"Hey!" The Doctor complained but she wasn't given the opportunity to escape and made the mistake of looking at the River and Jack who were wearing similar pleading looks which she couldn't resist. She sighed but resigned herself to being stuck between the pair for some time.

She could see the Master watching from the other side of the room, now in direct line of sight, expression deceptively blank. It surprised her slightly, she expected him to be smug about her companions' reactions to making her kneel but he was schooling his expression. She pushed a feeling of curiosity-question-surprise at him but got nothing back. She was about to give up trying to get a reaction for the moment but as she settled on the sofa, making herself more comfort, with Jack and River still in touch with her – although the grip had turned to gentle comforting hands on her arms for now- she managed to catch a feeling of anger-jealousy-frustration-annoyance from him. It puzzled her for a second before she noticed his glances at Jack and River's hands on her and everything became clear – he was jealous of them being so close to her. An uncomfortable feeling settled in the pit of her stomach, she wasn't clear how to feel about his jealousy and purposely schooled her face, turning purposely back to the screen.

The Doctor reluctantly calls him Master and he makes her repeat it several times claiming he can't hear her

"You know I love it when you say my name, love." The Master projected across their mind link, a feeling of smugness prominent, he'd clearly recovered from (or hidden better) his bout of jealousy.

She hesitated, unable to decide what she wanted to answer with or even if she wanted to answer. She could feel the concern of River and Jack on either side of her, both knowing that she could communicate with the Master through their link. "Why?"

Her answer seemed to confuse him. "Why what, darling?"

"Everything. Why are you doing this? Why make me kneel?" The questions poured out, unsure of what she meant herself.

"I love the chaos. The destruction. It calms the anger almost as much as yo-." His thoughts abruptly cut off, as he took a dep breath to stop himself getting so worked up, eyes a pit of madness. She could have almost sworn that he was about to say 'almost as much as you do'. He refused to answer any of her attempts to re-initiate contact. Ignoring all the furious glares from her companions and her almost concerned one, he stared at the screen.

The Doctor did her own ignoring attempts, not knowing how to or wanting to deal with Jack and River's inevitable questions and concerns. The pair knew more about her and the Master's relationship than probably almost anyone else in the universe (not including several people from Gallifrey but they were all dead, she thought bitterly, so they didn't exactly count anymore) and she knew they were worried for her but it just made her want to shuffle in her seat, unable to deal with the emotions and concern, feeling undeserving of it all.

MASTER: When I arrange for your death, I expect you to stay dead. How did you escape? How did you end up here?

The Doctor focussed on the Master. "You try to kill me almost every time we meet and it never takes. Why did you think this would be different?" She hesitated before continuing. "Especially knowing what you know." Neither of them really knew how many regenerations she had, how many the Time Lords had 'gifted' her after Trenzalore but now, knowing about her 'true heritage' neither of them had any idea how long she would, could, live.

"I'm allowed to be hopeful that it will take." The Master grumbled.

"I thought I was the hopeful idiot." The Doctor decided to push her luck, despite Jack squeezing her arm to tell her to quit while she was ahead. He hated the Master but couldn't deny that the Time Lord still made him nervous at times – being tortured and killed over and over for a year would do that to someone.

The Master didn't answer, turning back to the screen with the twitch of one eye. The Doctor couldn't hide a grin but gained a nudge from River as a warning. Honestly, she wasn't going to survive between the two of them, especially knowing what was coming.

The Doctor is smug that he doesn't know everything and he isn't in complete control. She questions the alliance between him, Barton and the Kasaavin as the Master starts talking

Bill perked up, having noticed what the Doctor was doing. "You're acting as a distraction and getting him to tell you information at the same time. Well done, old man." The Doctor grinned at the young girl, who grinned back.

The Master grumbled slightly to himself. He'd been far too busy gloating and celebrating his victory over the Doctor that he didn't notice he'd been giving up information and what the Doctor's latest little human had been up to.

To the side Ada is slowly moving, interrupting the Master's declaration that he brings news from home. Ada orders the Doctor down as she fires a steam machine gun despite a man's protests that a young lady couldn't use it

"Oh, I definitely like her." River grinned, as did most of the other women in the room, Doctor included.

Ada hits the Master with the gun

"I like her even more now." Jack laughed, happy to see the Master get put in his place and for the chance for the Doctor to escape his clutches.

Ada orders everyone out, as the Doctor doesn't approve of her actions

"Doctor." Came from several of the companions almost in sync. Martha was the first to continue. "He'd killed several people and was absolutely going to hurt more, let alone what he would do to you. Ada injured him, nothing serious and it gave you the chance to escape which you desperately needed."

The Doctor was about to protest but was beaten to the punch by Clara. "She's right and you absolutely know it you idiot. Don't even think about denying it." The Doctor just sighed, knowing they were right but still not happy about it.

The Master threatens the Doctor, saying she can't run far without a Tardis. Ada pulls a pin on a smoke grenade throwing it at the master and allowing them to escape - the Doctor approves this time

"Oh, so the steam gun thing was bad but a grenade is okay?!" Nardole grumbled from his place on a beanbag.

The Doctor just rolled her eyes and said, "Shut up Nardole."

River elbowed her in the side. "Be nice, he's right." The Doctor just muttered to herself, she hadn't really meant it and Nardole knew that.

Back in the present, Ryan, Graham and Yaz attempt to stay unsuspicious. Their phones ring, Barton threatens them saying he's tracking them and is watching them - their images are on a screen saying Wanted.

"Oh, that is really bad. They know you were lying and everyone is now after you. Just because things couldn't get worst." Amy declared, things were just getting worse and worse and the Doctor wasn't even in the right century to help. Ryan, Graham and Yaz just shared a look.

Barton continues, telling them their passports have been revoked and bank cards frozen. He tells them to go off grid and see how long they last. Ryan immediately drops and smashes his phone, telling the others to do the same

"Smart." Bill nodded approvingly; she'd watched enough movies to know that getting rid of their phones was the best idea. Ryan grinned, proud of himself for not panicking straight away.

Graham does the same as Ryan but Yaz phones her family, warning them to not listen to anything they hear before Ryan grabs her phone and smashes it

Ryan sighed, turning to Yaz. "Sorry Yaz." They may have needed to smash their phones but still he had just grabbed it out of her hand while she was talking to her family.

"No, it's okay Ryan. I understand and you did the right thing. I think I just panicked a bit and wanted my family to know what was going on. I should have been better prepared with my police training but I just panicked."

Ryan squeezed her arm in comfort and Graham turned to her. "Don't beat yourself up love, it was a terrible situation and none of us were prepared for it. You're allowed to panic, no matter how much training you've had, it was still pretty scary." Yaz offered a small smile but didn't say anything, letting the video continue.

They decide they have to go dark, time to run

Martha and Jack grimaced, shooting sympathetic looks at the three. "I hope you did better than we did on the run. Got caught pretty quickly and only Martha escaped." Jack said.

"To be fair, we went to them they didn't technically find us." The Doctor debated, gaining identical looks from Martha and Jack that said 'really'.

At Babbage's home in the 19th century, the Doctor, Babbage and Ada talk about what happened. 13 realises Babbage is Charles Babbage

"Has it really taken you this long to realise?" The Master questioned, smug that she hadn't figured it out immediately.

"Oh, shut up. You didn't even know who she was." The Doctor rolled her eyes at him. The rest of the room watched on confused, barring the fam and River who knew/had figured out who Ada was.

She works out the device he is showing her is his Difference Engine, confusing him about how she's heard of it

The room laughed at that. Sometimes it was difficult being a time travel, especially when it concerned things you weren't supposed to know about.

Babbage explains while it is unfinished, when done it will perform quadratic equations. 13 then realises Ada is actually Ada Lovelace - the duaghter of Lord Byron and Annabella Milbanke

"Wait Byron? We met him during the chaos with the Lone Cyberman. That's his daughter?" Yaz asked curious, the Doctor had told them about Ada but she hadn't realised that Ada was Byron's daughter.

"Yep." The Doctor grinned.

"Wait you met Byron?" Clara asked, intrigued.

"Are you jealous? I think you've made out with plenty of literacy geniuses, you don't need to add Bryon to that list." The Doctor grinned.

"Doctor, I've always wondered. That poem he wrote, 'Darkness', I think. Was that about you?" Jack asked, looking as if he already knew the answer. The Doctor just blinked at him.

"What makes you think that?"

"You tend to leave an impression on everyone you meet and the last line of the poem is 'She was the Universe'. It does suggest your influence." Jack continued, raising an eyebrow, the rest of the room watched entranced by the conversation.

Ryan, Graham and Yaz shared a glance. "He did seem a bit obsessed with you at the end Doctor; I wouldn't be surprised." Yaz added with a shrug, for once the Doctor seemed speechless.

Ada counters, saying she is Ada Gordon, 13 realises that its 1834 - still too early for Ada to be married but her meeting them isn't a coincidence

"Always with messing up history, honestly sweetie." River sighed; fake exasperation clear in her voice as she smiled at the Doctor.

She ignored the Doctor's retuning comment of, "it's not like you're any better."

Babbage has the Silver Lady which is the figurine Barton and the Master have

"Okay so that's the thing Barton had, so clearly important in all of this." Martha said, trying to peace everything together, like most of the room who weren't apart of the adventure.

"Got it in one, Martha." The Doctor grinned, proud.

"But you're not going to tell us what it does are you?" Martha grinned back. The Doctor just grinned wider and looked back to the screen.

Babbage explains it was a gift from someone who said it was a token of appreciation from his master

The room turned to look at the Master, a mix of glares and expressions that clearly said 'really?' He just preened under the attention.

Babbage explains the figurine occasionally moves and projects images as the Doctor inspects his notes - finding a drawing of the light creature. The Doctor is talking to herself trying to piece together what is happening to Babbage and Ada's confusion

The room laughed. "Well at least that's normal." Donna announced, drawing more laughter.

Ada explains that she was first teleported to the alien realm when she was 13, with it occurring continuously through her life

"Getting a bit confident there, Doctor?" Amy grinned teasingly. The Doctor just rolled her eyes at the Scot, but couldn't resist smiling.

The Doctor thinks they were taking Ada to study her, which means they can't be in this dimension for long (as they take Ada to theirs). The map seen earlier wasn't from multiple Earth's but of multiple time periods - the creatures are spies through time as well

"Honestly that's a relief. Time I can deal with, the whole multiverse thing is far more confusing." Bill declared, Eyebrows had made her write several essays on the multiverse and similar theories and she still didn't understand all of it.

Most of the room seemed to agree with her, they were all mostly used to time travel and space travel at this point, other realities were a bit out of their comfort zone. Mickey, Rose and the Doctor shared a glance remembering their time on another world – it hadn't gone particularly well the first time and Mickey had eventually returned home and now Rose was the one stuck in another reality.

The Doctor sonics the figurine so she can get away before the Master finds her. The Kasaavin appear and she hopes to use the to get home despite Ada's warning that is a risky plan

Rory sighed. "Aren't all her plans?" His question was rhetorical, the answer was clearly yes, but his wife felt the need to grin like a maniac and shout 'Yes' to the rest of the room, causing an outbreak of giggles.

Ada grabs the Doctor's hand just before she disappears, taking Ada with her as she vanishes

Jack grinned. "Love his answer to dealing with the unusual."

Back in the present, in a new housing estate Graham, Yaz and Ryan are hiding out

"Very clever, well done you lot." The Doctor grinned at her current companions. They'd told her what had happened to them while she was gone but hadn't gone into lots of detail and she'd been a bit focused on the Master's parting message.

The rest of the room (bar the Master) seemed to agree offering nods and words of congratulations/smart thinking to the pride of the three current companions.

They're worried about the Doctor, but they decide to keep going as that's what she'd want

The Doctor sighed, taking a deep breath before looking at the three of them. "I'm sorry for worrying you all but I'm really proud of you. You did amazing. For the record though, yes, I'd love for the trouble to be dealt with but what I'd really want? I'd really want for you to all be safe and happy."

The three exchanged glances before turning to the Doctor as one. "Thanks Doc, it's great to hear. For the record though? We'd want you to be safe and happy as well." The Doctor offered a small smile at the group before turning back to the screen deep in thought. She was rarely ever safe, the way she dealt with (avoided) her emotions was by putting herself in dangerous situations so she wouldn't have to think about her feelings. And as for happy? She was happiest with her friends and family but that had been so hard lately, she couldn't remember the last time she was truly happy, with no other worries.

They continue talking, moving onto the Master and who he is, then the Doctor's past as they still don't know a lot about her

The Doctor shifted uncomfortable in her seat; she never really told her companions much about herself but she hadn't told these three anything at all really. It was only in this room, watching these videos that they had learnt so much about her and she wasn't sure how to feel about that.

The three seemed to sense her turbulent thoughts. "It's okay Doc, we understand that you don't like to talk about yourself, just maybe try and tell us some stuff before we end up in these kind of situations, okay love?"

"Thanks Graham and I'll try, no promises but I'll try." She paused, scanning the rest of the room's occupants. "That goes for everyone. These videos are going to show you plenty about each other, yourselves and lots about me so if you have a question – ask. I can't promise I will always answer but I'll try. I'll try." She received several solemn nods and small smile in return.

They investigate what they have at their disposal - including the laser shoes. They try to come up with a plan but are just happy they are together through this

The three grinned at each other, happy with their little family they'd made. The other companions also smiled, happy to see their interaction and that being on the run wasn't getting them down.

"At least you're not defenceless, as long as you can figure out how to work the tech." Mickey grinned at the group, who grinned back in answer.

With the Doctor, her and Ada reappear at a bombsite as aircrafts fly overhead. A woman runs up to them (Noor) and warns them not to move. the Doctor explains they're not a threat, and Noor is confused by their appearance and lack of knowledge of what's going on. They're in Paris 1943

"Well, that's still not the right century, but you are closer." Rose commented with a fond shake of her head for the Doctor's anticks. Of course, she decided to try and use the Silver Lady and Kasavvin to jump though time, and of course it didn't work completely. That was just the Doctor's luck. The Doctor grinned at her, seemingly knowing exactly what she was thinking.

They hear a patrol coming and Noor ushers them away, a German military car stops and the Master emerges with a beeping gizmo shouting out to the Doctor that he knows she'd there

The room glared at him in sync, which he was getting very annoyed at. Honestly, he hadn't even done very much worthy of being glared at yet – he'd just killed several humans and hunted the Doctor down.

"First of all, very quick on finding me. Second of all, really? Did you think I could hear you? We're not playing hide and seek." The Doctor asked bemused. The Master just shot her an annoyed look, they both knew exactly what he had meant no matter how much she was denying it.

In the present, a kasaavin enters the housing shell

"Not good. Straight back into trouble." Rory sighed. He really should just expect that at this point.

They're trapped in the house, but escape down the window just in time only to be blocked by a line of glowing figures. Ryan tells Graham to use his laser shoes which effectively deal with the kasaavin (that Graham can hit - he has bad aim)

"I am so glad that we stole all that spy stuff." Graham said drawing nods from Ryan and Yaz. The rest of the room were trying to hide smiles and giggles behind their hands with varying success – it was quite a sight seeing Graham shoot the lasers plus Yaz's comment. The three current companions were the first to start laughing, looking back it was a bit funny now they weren't in any real danger.

In a hanger Barton enters a room with the Silver Lady on display and an older woman tied to a chair - she'd revealed to be his mother. He has mummy issues and kills her

"Okay, he's officially lost his mind. Did he seriously just kill his own mother?!" Rose asked angrily, hands waving in the air to emphasise her point. The room seemed split between being sad for the death and angry with Barton for being the cause. He'd been a bit crazy throughout the videos but he seemed to have just gone total power-hungry psycho.

In Paris 1943, the Germans enter Noor's house. They trash the place but can't find Ada and the Doctor hiding under the floorboards even though they fire machineguns at the floor - eventually they leave and Noor helps Ada and 13 out

"You were there!?" The Master practically growled, annoyed with how close he had been, he'd known he could sense her. The Doctor grinned smugly back at him but didn't answer – clearly, she had been, they were watching the video.

The rest of the room were nervous with how close things had been, glad the Doctor and Ada were safe.

13 realises who Noor is - a British spy called Noor Inayat Khan, she's very happy to meet her

"Sweetie, as endearing as your excitement is, maybe you shouldn't go spilling someone's life story to them, you aren't supposed to know those things and it's only going to make her more suspicious, honestly." River sighed, exasperated by her wife (as usual), said wife just pouted (though she would deny it). She been excited to meet Noor and had just started rambling.

The room ignored the Master's grumbles of, "and now she has two new little human pets", from his place across the room.

Later, Noor questions who they are and Ada I confused about how the Master could also be here

"So, many questions and the Doctor's answer will probably only leave them with more." Clara grinned fondly, that was how it usually went with their adventures. The rest of the room nodded and laughed, agreeing easily. Juts when you thought you were about to get an answer form the Doctor she would leave you with more questions.

13 explains that the Master's in league with the Kasaavin and that they'd ended up in the 20th century instead of home as planned. Ada is distracted by the war outside the window as Noor mentions it isn't the first time to Ada's shock

"Right, she doesn't know about World War I even. That's not going to be fun to explain." Bill grimaced.

The Doctor asks for their help to deal with the Master and get home, she has a plan for them (two pacifists and a 19th century descendant of Byron against Nazis in Paris and multidimensional aliens)

"That sounds like a really weird film." Yaz chuckled, gaining a few other splatters of laughter from around the room.

"Glad you have a plan, Spaceman, but stop confusing the poor girls and get on with it. Let's just hope it's a good one for once." Donna said, gaining a noise of protest from the Doctor about how all her plans were good ones, and more laughter from around the room.

Back in the present, Yaz is phoning home from a public telephone box

"No offense but I'm pretty sure phoning who I presume is your family is a bad idea when you are on the run." Rory pointed out awkwardly.

"Don't worry. The Doctor isn't the only one with a plan." Yaz grinned, Ryan and Graham had similar expressions beside her.

Sonya asks what is going on as Yaz tells her not to worry. They're being tracked. Yaz tells her to shut up and not listen to anything, and not go with anyone that shows up at the door

"Troubles found you but at least you've warned your family." Martha sighed, she'd sone exactly the same when she'd been on the run but it hadn't gone well for them, she just hoped it went better for the latest companions.

The Doctor, Mickey and Jack all offered her soft smiles, asking silently if she was alright, this video was clearly bringing up some bad memories with all the parallels. Mickey reassuringly squeezed his wife's hand in comfort, gaining a small thankful smile in return.

A car pulls up and armed men get out ordering Yaz, Ryan and Graham to get down. Graham however turns the table, using his laser shoes to attack. The men get down, as Ryan reveals the phone call was part of the plan but Yaz stops him before he can tell them anymore of the plan and they steal the car

A cheer went up around the room, happy for the current companions' victory and escape. The three were grinning proudly, happily soaking in the applause.

In Paris, The Doctor is tapping a familiar four beats on Noor's morse key

"The drums." It was a statement not a question from Jack who was watching the Doctor anxious, everything about this was reminding him about the Year and whatever secret had driven the Master mad had clearly also affected the Doctor, badly. He shared a look with Martha who was the only one who would truly understand his concern about the drums, she was wearing an equally worried expression.

"Yes, only way to get his attention. Besides, it's also a double heartbeat. Our heartbeat." The Doctor gave Jack a sad look, full of understanding and apologies which didn't calm his nerve at all.

Noor is confused as it isn't a code, but it is to the Doctor and Master. It gets his attention as he initiates contact between the two

"You're telepathic?" Graham exclaimed shocked. He thought back to every time in the room that the pair seemed to have a silent conversation with a new light – they probably had been having a whole conversation that no one else was privy too.

"Oops, did I not mention that? Sorry. Touch telepaths. Don't worry I don't make a habit of going poking around in people's heads." The Doctor grinned sheepishly but cast an apologetic look at Donna. "Besides, it's how we communicate half the time on Gallifrey. I think we spent more time in each other's heads than our own sometimes as kids." The Doctor smiled sadly, caught in memories. The companions shared a look but let the video play on without anymore questions, now wasn't the time.

The Doctor and Master talk as he taunts her with her situation. They organise a meeting

"Really hoping your plan works Doctor." Jack said, watching her next to him worriedly. He didn't like the thought of her alone with the Master, no one did.

At the top of the Eiffel Tour - the pair meet with the Doctor comparing it to Jodrell Bank which the Master refuses to apologise for

"What happened at Jodrell Bank?" River asked through her teeth, full of worry for the Doctor. Like Jack, she was especially nervous about the Doctor being alone with the Master, especially with whatever secret the pair were hiding.

The Master and the Doctor shared a look, the former almost daring the latter to explain. She sighed turning to River, her expression stoic. "Nothing important."

"Doctor-."

"River please, it doesn't matter." River looked ready to push some more but stopped on seeing the Doctor's pleading expression. She sighed, reluctantly nodding. She made a mental note to find out later, she wasn't dropping the subject completely, just for now.

The Doctor asks about his shoulder and then shares her disappointment over the company he keeps especially as he isn't the normal Aryan stereotype. The Master reveals the psychic perception filter which they learned at school

"Which you would have also learned about if you had paid any attention and didn't constantly skip class." The Master raised an eyebrow at the Doctor.

"You can't really say anything, you skipped with me half of the time too. Neither of us were exactly model students." The Doctor snapped back at the Master arms crossed.

"At least I passed first time." The Master smirked.

"Yeah. Yeah. I remember. You passed with flying colours, highest marks ever. Romana was very jealous." The Doctor huffed back, voice dripping with sarcasm.

"What are you two talking about? Who is Romana? I think you mentioned her earlier as well." Amy asked, curious. They had all been watching the bickering enemies in a mix of curiosity and finely concealed anger/worry but Amy was still the only one brave enough to ask, or more likely the only one unattached. She'd never met the Master before all this, unlike most of the room (barring Rose and Mickey – but he'd heard plenty of stories to know to be wary).

The Doctor shared an un decipherable glance with the Master before answering. She had said she'd try to answer their questions. "The Academy. School. The Master passed with the highest marks ever whereas I passed with 51% on my second attempt. I was terrible at school; really annoyed my teachers, never did my homework, constantly skipped class etc." The Doctor grinned, she had hated the Academy but there were some good memories from the time, especially looking back now, most of them were to do with her friends ad general rebellion.

"As for Romana. There was a period where I was working for Gallifrey in one of my younger incarnations and Romana was sent to make sure I completed a specific mission. She decided to stay with me and travel, see more of the universe." She chuckled to herself as she continued. "That really annoyed Brax. She became Lady President of Gallifrey before the war. I don't know what happened to her after." She frowned, what had happened to Romana? She knew Rassilon had removed her from power during the war and that she had survived but she hadn't seen her on her last visit. With Gallifrey destroyed, presumably she was dead like all the others. And what about Brax? He had definitely been exiled a one point but had he been on Gallifrey when the Master destroyed it? The Doctor refused to look at the Master, she didn't want her suspicions confirmed.

The companions glanced at each other but decided it was better not to ask. Being here, seeing these videos, they were learning more about the Doctor than most had ever before. And like normal, the answer to one question only lead to more questions.

The Doctor confirms the mess is the Master's fault - the first car, C assassination etc. The Master reveals part of the plan - how he helped the Kasaavin and Barton and suggested a better plan

"You're seriously just telling her everything?" Rose asked perplexed. Villains loved to talk about their plans, yes but the Master seemed too smart to just tell his biggest enemy everything.

The Doctor spoke before the Master could answer. "He loves to gloat about his plans. Really loves the sound of his own voice."

"Almost as much as you do, dear." The Master shot back, unwilling to admit that the Doctor had outsmarted and tricked him on this occasion (like usual).

In the hanger in the present, the fam arrive. They find Barton's dead mother but Barton isn't there - he's on a screen taunting them. They ask about the missing human DNA and he tells them he let the Kasaavin test on him before the global roll out before ending the call

"You're getting some answer as well but Barton seems too confident for it all to be over." Clara theorised, worried about the group on screen like most of the room. They hadn't gotten to spend much time just chatting with each other yet but everyone seemed nice and they were looking forward to having a proper talk, once they knew how they had got away safely.

They're shocked that he killed his mum and left her, before looking at the Silver Lady.

Back in Paris, Noor is taping out morse code as Ada watches and they talk about the Doctor and if they should trust her. 13 left her phone with them as part of the plan, confusing them both

The room turned to look at the Doctor. "Did you seriously give them a mobile phone? Please tell me you at least explained how it works, old man." Bill shook her head, fond exasperation clear in her voice. The Doctor's sheepish shrug and grin was all the answer anyone needed and they all practically sighed in sync. The Doctor was incredibly smart but sometimes she was a complete idiot.

Ada and Noor look for something on the streets, using the phone to call something.

At the Eiffel Tower, the Doctor pretend to hang up the phone as it rings, hiding her sonic behind her back

The Master started to mutter to himself, ignoring the Doctor's smug grin. How had he not noticed that? Seriously, how had he just bought that? He knew to expect trickery when it came to the Doctor, he'd gotten far too overconfident and it had caused him to fail.

The Master asks why she didn't die to the Kasaavin, as 13 explains her and Yaz are time travellers so had artron energy in them, plus her nor human DNA probably confused the aliens before she pushes on the deal he made with them

Yaz watched the screen, relived to finally have an explanation on why she survived the Kasaavin, Ryan offered a comforting smile, knowing exactly what she was thinking. She manged to give a slightly shaky one back.

The Master explains the Kasaavin and Barton are just pieces in his plan which is maximum carnage, and he plans to get rid of them when they've done the dirty work. He turns the conversation on her, asking when she last went home to he confusion

"Don't glare at me like that. I know you; you wouldn't have gone back without prompting after your last disastrous trip." The Master smirked.

"What do you even know about it?"

"Admittedly not as much as I would like. I know you went back and didn't get the best reception, I heard rumours about Rassilon and a firing squad. Then they tried to make you president again, you shot someone, then stole Clara and another TARDIS." The Master raised an eyebrow in question, he really didn't know nearly as much as he would like about her return and was secretly hoping it would be shown so he could find out the details. He hated not knowing something, especially concerning the Doctor.

"Unfortunately, I think you will find out more." The Doctor grimaced before continuing, getting angrier as she spoke. "Maybe I would have gone back again, you don't know that. Maybe I would have wanted to visit my friends or family. You also didn't have to give me false coordinates in that graveyard." The Doctor glared darkly at the Master, remembering her anger and frustration when she had discovered Missy and stopped the Cybermen only to be given fake coordinates. She was decidedly not thinking about her friends and family that were almost definitely dead now, even if they had survived the war. She had spent so long thinking them all dead and when she had finally saved them and been able to go home, she had put it off thinking she had all the time in the world. Then the Master destroyed it again and she would never know. The Master huffed at her, both knew she wouldn't have gone back for quite a while, but decided not to continue the argument.

The rest of the room watched on confused by the exchange, they also wanted to know the details of this supposed trip to Gallifrey. Clara watched on with dark eyes, she knew better than anyone (aside from the Doctor) what had happened and she was still furious and upset about it. Even if the Doctor had gotten her memories back now, she'd still forgotten and she'd still been tortured for 4.5 billion years (and Clara still didn't know as much about that as she would have liked).

MASTER: I took a trip home, to Gallifrey, hiding in its little bubble universe. Not sure how to describe what I found. Pulverised? Burned? Nuked? All of the above. Someone destroyed it. Our home, razed to the ground. Everyone killed. Everything burned.

The room watched the video, speechless and shocked by the Master's declaration. They were still hopeful that he was lying, but the pair's reactions now and in previous videos suggested he wasn't. River and Jack turned to the Doctor who was determinedly staring at the floor, and that was all the answer they needed, each moving closer s the Doctor was squished between their shoulder sot try and offer some comfort (for both her and them). It hurt everyone to think the Doctor had fought to save her home only to have it destroyed once again but they had no way to express any of their feelings and thoughts before the video continued on.

The Doctor doesn't believe him as he insists that she should have a look herself. Then they hear voices, 13 reveals she sent a fake message meant to be intercepted calling the Master a British spy. The Master is angry and grabs her buy the throat and leaning them over the railing

Jack and River both look ready to jump out of their seats again and attack him. The rest of the room looked similar, furiously glaring at the Master. She was so close to escaping but she was still in danger because of this madman. The Doctor grabbed a hand each of River and Jack's trying to calm them and stop them attacking the Master, it really wouldn't help the situation. And things were only going to get worse when they realised who had destroyed Gallifrey.

He lets her go as she continued explaining and tries to run as she jams his perception filter. She gets to the lift first and leaves him alone to face the soldiers, 13 runs through Paris

The room seemed to take a collective deep breath, now that the Master was dealt with (for now) and the Doctor had escaped yet again.

She meets up with Noor and Ada on a street, as they find the Australian outback homestead sitting suspiciously - the Master's Tardis

A thought struck the Doctor and a wicked smirk slid onto her face. She turned casually to the Master who was watching with poorly-hidden apprehension. "Did you break the Chameleon Circuit?"

The Master huffed. "I have no idea what you are talking about, I happen to like it like that."

The Doctor's smirk had changed into a full out grin. "You absolutely broke it you idiot." The Master decided not to provide an answer and turned back to the screen. That was all the confirmation the Doctor needed, she cackled. So many years of him mocking her for having broken it (not that she couldn't fix it, but she liked the police box and so did the TARDIS) and he had broken his. Karma at its finest.

She breaks in and explains that is is a time machine. She promises to explain in a moment, stating she knows she sounds insane

"At least you admit it." Amy teased.

She sonics the console and it lights up, showing them the temporal map as Ada and Noor are still very confused

Bill and Yaz just said "Mood" in sync, drawing confused looks from the rest of the room, bar Ryan, who just nodded in agreement with the pair. The three didn't explain, ignoring the questioning looks they were being given.

They don't know what a computer is. 13 tries to work out the last pieces of the puzzle with the kasaavin - figuring out they were testing human DNA as Noor and Ada listen on still confused

"You are amazing at confusing people, honestly Doctor." Rose laughed, alongside most of the room at how confused she was making the pair.

Back in the present, Barton makes a speech taking control of everyone because of their devices. He sends a message to everyone's phones saying humanity is over and to prepare. He explains it isn't a joke and that the Kasaavin are going to use Humans and their DNA as storage systems

The room watched on worried, they knew Barton and the Kasaavin had been stopped, or they wouldn't be here but it was still scary to watch. Bill shivered slightly, "Yeah definitely going to be more careful on my phone now. That's just creepy." Several others nodded in agreement.

The Silver Lady lights up in the hanger, energy leaps out as the fam watch on concerned. People are revealed to be frozen by the energy coming from their phones. Barton continues talking about how a few will remain sentient to supervise but everyone else will die. Graham tries to use his shoes on the Silver Lady then the cufflinks but neither work

"At least you tried something." Martha offered, things were getting tense and their attempts to stop it clearly weren't working but at least they had tried. The three smiled, grateful for the acknowledgment and comfort.

The Master appears at the hanger in disarray and furious, stating he's had the most infuriating seventy years of his life and he'd had to escape a lot of places but is excited to see them pay

The room turned to look at the Master who glared at them annoyed, before looking at the Doctor. Several of them opened their mouths to speak, but she beat them too it. "Before you say anything, I know. But he was limited in what he could do, he had to stay where he was until he got back to the right time and the end of the 20th century/start of the 21st has many versions of us both there so he didn't have much he could do. He wasn't a danger." The group seemed to take that as an explanation mostly, with only a few more worried glances from people like Martha, Jack and Clara who had seen the full extent of the Master's schemes and personality.

The Master explains the machine is for conversion and transmission of the Kasaavin energy across the world, erasing people's DNA. Energy grabs Yaz freezing her and the Master is excited but the Silver Lady suddenly stops spinning to the Master's frustration

The room cheered again, half happy because clearly the plan had been stopped and half happy about the Master's utter annoyance about his plan being ruined by the Doctor yet again. The Master muttered away furiously to himself in the corner, shooting glares at the Doctor who just grinned back smugly then ignored him in favour of her companions (like usual – to his fury).

In the auditorium with Barton, the power goes off and Barton rapidly leaves the stage asking for extraction. Back in the hanger 13 arrives with Ada and Noor explaining it was her and that it had been close

The cheers started up again, everyone ignoring Nardole's mutter about 'unnecessary drama'.

At the Khan house - Yaz's family is freed and her dad is more convinced about his conspiracies

Yaz just groaned. "He was insufferable after this. Everything is a conspiracy now."

At the hanger the Master is annoyed as the Doctor explains how she traced the Silver Lady through time and put in a fail safe last year to detect the Kasaavin army and then shut it down accordingly

"Nice to see you've still got it Doctor." Rose grinned happily at the Doctor who just grinned back, before frowning slightly, eyebrows crinkling as she tried to work out if she had just been insulted or not.

The Kasaavin appear as the Master tells 13 she'll have to explain herself. 13 turns it back on him replaying his earlier words about using and then betraying them; smugly making a comment and modern technology and being spied upon.

"Ooh, burn." Bill grinned, happy to see the Master defeated especially by such a simple trick. She ignored the Master's glare; he was definitely still scary but she felt safer here surrounded by friends and protected by the Tardis.

The Master tries in vain to deny it but the Kasaavin envelop him, taking him to their alien realm as he curses the Doctor

He glared at her; arms crossed. He had been furious with her for letting the Kasaavin take him, especially after trapping him on Earth for 77 years. She simply smirked, smugness radiating off of her.

"Just like the old days. You always seemed to get abandoned or betrayed by your so-called allies." She declared, with a smug tilt of her head.

"And just like the old days, it's your fault." The Master shot back snappishly, it had taken him far too long to escape the Kasaavin and it had not been enjoyable.

"No, they just find out that you were using them or were planning to betray you all along. I just tend to accelerate the end result." The Doctor shrugged, failing to hide her smug smile. "I also remember having to save you from your own 'allies' several times or from the trouble you summoned and then couldn't control, remember Kronos?"

"You will never let me forget that." The Master grumbled, it had definitely come up in several of their arguments and discussions over the years.

"Nope." The Doctor declared enthusiastically, always wanting the last word. The rest of the room watched on mostly perplexed barring a few with faint ideas wither from the Doctor's stories or UNIT's files.

In the hanger, the fam turn on the Doctor for an explanation for what is going on and who Ada and Noor are. 13 introduces them and then Ryan asks about the plane - the Doctor had forgotten the plane and runs off to sort it

"I can't believe you forgot about the plane!" Yaz shouted, exasperated. She was teasing slightly but still how could she forget? The rest of the companions seemed to be in agreement with Yaz, shooting the Doctor disbelieving looks.

"Honestly, Martian." Donna added loudly.

"Well, I'm sorry I was a bit busy getting chased through time as you saw." The Doctor protested which did nothing to help her defence as the rest of the companions just sighed or rolled their eyes at her.

Back in the Master's Tardis, 13 makes the plaques and message used to save the fam in the plane. She particularly enjoys the laminator. They put them in the plane as it is being built and then goes to get her own Tardis

"Loving your priorities as usual Doctor." Clara rolled her eyes at the Doctor who grinned a bit sheepish.

Back in Paris, she returns Noor to her own time and removes this from her memory

The Doctor snuck a glance at Donna who had flinched slightly at seeing the Doctor wipe Noor's memories, she offered an apologetic frown at the ginger woman who nodded in acceptance. They seriously had to talk soon.

Then back in the 19th century at Babbage's house, Ada argues against her memory being erased but the Doctor still takes it saying she doesn't need the preview to be amazing before leaving

The Doctor winced as Donna had flinched harder that time, she hated wiping people's memories, especially after Donna and Clara, but Ada couldn't know about the future, it would have messed with history too much – even by her standards.

The Doctor is in the Tardis as the Master's words about going home come bck to her. She returns to Gallifrey to find it as he said - destroyed. She doesn't step outside. Travelling again, her phone beeps as a hologram appears with a picture of the Master

The room watched the screen appalled, it was one thing to hear it but to see it was something else.

"I'm so sorry Doctor. To have just got it back and then lose it again. That's horrible." Clara said, she may not exactly like the Time Lords but it was still the Doctor's home (or so she was aware). The Doctor just grimaced, eyes locked to the sight of her supposed home in ruins, her thoughts spiralling down darker. She was brought back to reality by Yaz.

"Doctor …" Yaz wasn't sure what she was trying to say. Sorry for all their comments? Apologies for her loss? Ask for an explanation for why she hadn't told them? The Doctor seemed to understand though and just smiled sadly, nodding at her.

MASTER [hologram]: Geo-activated. If you're seeing this, you've been to Gallifrey. When I said someone did that, obviously I meant I did. I had to make them pay for what I discovered. They lied to us, the founding fathers of Gallifrey. Everything we were told was a lie. We are not who we think, you or I. The whole existence of our species built on the lie of the Timeless Child.

The Doctor gets a headaches with images flashing as voices repeat the Timeless Child

"Wait, Doc. Didn't those rag things on Desolation say something about that to you?" Graham asked. The Doctor nodded grimly. The Master smirked at her but it wavered too much for it to have its normal effect. They had both been burnt by what he had discovered and soon others would know about it too.

Surprisingly it wasn't Jack or River that snapped first it was Martha. Martha shot up to her feet, eyes dark and fists clenched tightly. "You! How could you?! Was it not bad enough destroying Earth and torturing the Doctor for a year but now you destroy your own people! Your own home!"

"Oh, Saint Martha you know nothing. Even you would take offense to the truth. You'll all hate them as much as I do when you discover the truth about what they did to your precious Doctor." The Master's smirk was back in full force, teeth obvious in a shark grin. Then a pillow hit him smack in the face, ruining the tense atmosphere he'd created and causing him to glare sharply at the culprit – a furious Doctor.

"Leave Martha alone. What Gallifrey did was horrible but they didn't all deserve to suffer for it. The majority of them were innocent." She glared at him, only looking away to check on Martha who was being calmed by her husband and Donna, but still glaring at the Master, as was most of the room.

The Master scoffed. "You know full well none of them were innocent." They glared at each other, neither wanting to give in. The Doctor looked away first, deciding the argument wasn't worthwhile at the minute; the video wasn't over and she wasn't sure what she could say to defend them without bringing up too many old memories.

Plus, she had to stop River and Jack from doing anything stupid, the rest of the room had more self-control. Both other time traveller's hands were white with how hard they were clenching their hands into fists and both were watching the Doctor intensely.

"What does he mean Doctor? What did they do to you?" Jack managed to grit out between locked teeth, expression furious, River's matching on her other side. Their former comforting presence was starting to feel suffocating.

"I can't tell you Jack, I'm sorry. You'll find out soon though. You all will." The Doctor sighed.

"Doctor-." River started, equally furious and worried.

The Doctor just smiled sadly. "Spoilers, sweetie."

The Master continues his message, refusing to say more as it wasn't easy on him so why should it be easy for the Doctor. Later, she picks up Yaz, Ryan and Graham who comment on how quiet she'd been over the last few planets

"We're so sorry Doc. We were a bit pushy and harsh with you and you were grieving your home. We were poking our noses where they didn't belong and far too soon after all the trouble." Graham apologised, the other two nodding along apologetically.

"No, it's not your fault Graham. I didn't tell you what happened or much about me. I just figured if I kept you at a distance you would be safer. I'm sorry too." The Doctor sighed, smiling sadly as she explained to the three. They offered back their own sad smiles. They understood more about her mood over the time now and they were thinking back on all their comments with a wince. There had been several rough moments leading up to the mess with the Cybermen and this just put them all in a new light.

They push asking why she doesn't ever share stuff, she knows everything about her but they know very little about her. They wnat to know who she really is

"She never really shares much about herself. You either have to corner her or you pick stuff up during adventures." Clara frowned, trying to explain a bit more to the current companions even though she still wanted to learn more about the Doctor. You couldn't push her or you would lose any ground and trust you had.

"I'm old. Many of my memories are too laced with grief and they hurt. Plus, I have lived a long life, it would take a long time to explain even a hundredth of the things I have done and seen and lost. I decided a long time ago that none of you needed to be burdened with all that." The Doctor tried to explain, eyes dark and swirling with age old grief.

"We get that Doctor but we're your family and you don't have to hide everything from us." Donna smiled softly, for once quiet and soft, as if talking to a scared child. The Doctor smiled sadly at her, stars she loved them all but it didn't make everything stop hurting.

DOCTOR: I was born on a planet called Gallifrey in the constellation of Kasterborous. I'm a Time Lord. I can regenerate my body. I stole this Tardis and I ran away. I've been travelling ever since. The Master was one of my oldest friends. We went very different ways. Questions?

GRAHAM: Loads.
YASMIN: Can we visit your home?
DOCTOR: Another time.

"Sorry Doctor." Yaz winced, she had forgotten about her question. Now the Doctor's reaction made perfect sense.

"Like I said Yaz, no worries. You didn't know because I didn't tell you." The Doctor shrugged. "So, next video?" She received a round of nods from the room after the companions shared a glance. They knew pushing the Doctor wouldn't get them anymore answers and she was too caught up in her own thoughts to really say anything more. It was better to push on and hope the videos gave them more answers, hope the videos would show them this secret that had hurt the Doctor, that had made the Tardis bring them here. The secret that the Master had burned Gallifrey to ashes for.

Chapter Text

On the screen the words 'Fugitive of the Judoon' appeared on screen. The current Team TARDIS shared a worried look; they had a feeling they knew what was going to be shown. The three humans were curious and eager to know what had happened when the Doctor disappeared with Ruth, she had never told them the full story and now they would get to see but the last video still weighed heavy on their minds.

The Doctor took a deep breath, gaining the room's attention. "This video is set a little while after the last one but I don't think you need to know anything about the adventures in-between to understand it." The room nodded, apprehensive about what they would be shown as the video started.

In a kitchen, Ruth prepares breakfast before Lee comes in claiming he had planned to do it as it is Ruth's birthday. Ruth doesn't want anything for her birthday bar a cake which Lee assures her is sorted. Ruth leaves for work

"Anyone else getting horror movie vibes?" Bill proclaimed to the room, only getting silence in return. "No just me, okay then." That earned a few chuckles.

Ruth hands out flyers to pedestrians on her way to Gloucester Cathedral where she conducts guided tours. She tries to encourage tourists by mentioning they filmed Harry Potter was filmed

Martha grinned at the mention of Harry Potter sharing a glance with the Doctor who burst out laughing, soon joined by Martha. Their laughter drew confused looks from the rest of the group. Rory was the first one brave enough to ask. "Do we know what's so funny?"

Martha and the Doctor shared another look, grins wide. Martha was the one who answered, managing to get a few words out between her laughter "Shakespeare…. Witches…. Harry Potter."

"Well, that explained just about nothing." Amy said but she was smiling, the good mood was infectious and everyone had been so tense over the last video, it was nice for a change of pace.

The tourists leave not interested, Ruth talks with Marcia (an old lady knitting). She goes to a coffee bar where Alan the server tries to amke a heart in her coffee

A few people in the room chuckled, that was saying the least.

Alan is suspicious of Lee and tries to warn Ruth but she isn't listening, and is not impressed by his Lee dossier

"He's a bit obsessed with Lee. Who actually creates a dossier?" Rose asked the room at large, disbelief clear in her voice.

Ruth leaves ignoring his warnings. On a Judoon spaceship a scanner targets Gloucester and fires a beam

"Are those rhinos?" Bill asked, blinking at the screen confused.

The Doctor answered, "No." While the rest of the room that had encountered the Judoon, including River and Jack (who should and did know better) answered "Yes."

The Doctor gave the group a stern look, ruined slightly by how her lip was twitching up as if she wanted to smile. She just sighed, turning to answer Bill properly. "I'm pretty sure I will explain later in the video but they are essentially trigger-happy intergalactic police." She paused for a second, in which River nudged her gently. "They just happen to bear a fair resemblance to an Earth rhinoceros, yes." That gained a smile from Bill (she was doing her best to hide it but she loved River and the Doctor's relationship, their interactions were just adorable and she was looking forward to seeing more about them on screen).

On the Tardis, Ryan, Graham and Yaz are watching the Doctor who hasn't noticed their appearance until they ask her

She winced, feeling a bit guilty at the reminder that she had been so distant. "Sorry gang." They smiled reassuringly at her; things made more sense now and all their comments over the adventures between the last video and this weighed heavily on their minds. There was, however, a muttered comment from Ryan about the name though.

They ask what she's looking for, she is searching for the Master

"Ooh, chasing after me dear. That's a reversal of the normal way of things." The Master smirked at her, openly smug about her admitting to looking for him. It quickly soured in his stomach, he knew why she was looking for him and it wasn't just to see him. She ignored him, unsure how to deal with him especially with what this video was going to show. She didn't know if Ruth's reveal would make him smug or furious, he was so unstable and his moods were unpredictable at the moment, even for her. She was also terrified about Jack and River to find out about everything, their reaction wouldn't be pretty, especially with River's upbringing.

She explains the Kasaavin took them but if he escaped she could track him but hasn't been able to find anything. He left a message for her but she refuses to share what the message was. Yaz pushes asking where the Doctor goes on her own, 13 replies with home, and they ask why she doesn't take them - they ask too many questions because they are worried about her

The trio winced, shooting apologetic looks at the Doctor who offered her own apologetic glance back. They had just been curious and rightfully so with all the secrets she had been keeping and the whole mess with the Master, but there was so much history to explain for them to even get a small understanding of how she had been feeling about Gallifrey. She didn't even know how she actually felt about Gallifrey's destruction – she'd always run away and she had hated all the secrets but it had still been her home for a while and she'd had friends and family there.

An alarms sounds with Judoon talking - a Judoon warning transmission

Martha shivered slightly, her encounter with the Judoon was very memorable, they were how she met the Doctor and she had almost died alongside the whole hospital and half the earth. Mickey threw her a concerned look, as did the Doctor. She offered both of them a reassuring smile, she would be fine she just needed a second.

The Doctor explains the Judoon are intergalactic police for hire and they are dangerous. They've put a zonal enforcement field on Earth stopping people get in or out. The Doctor protests their lack of jurisdiction and she decides to slip them in hopefully before people get killed

"That really isn't reassuring. Why are they in Gloucester of all places?" Clara asked bemused. The three companions and the Doctor shared a glance.

"They were looking for someone." The Doctor answered looking a bit nervous.

"Well, that would explain the title of the video." Donna snorted.

A Judoon squad assembles

"What are they saying?" Bill asked curious, tilting her head at the screen as if that would allow her to understand the alien language.

"They're getting their orders." The Doctor answered, fidgeting.

Back by the cathedral, the Judoon appear and start scanning people as Ruth watches worried. Once scanned people are stamped with an X on their hand. Marcia confronts a Judoon asking who they are, they disintegrate her knitting and scan her to communicate in  English

"At least we can understand them now." Rose said, gaining several nods of agreement. The situation wasn't looking good but being able to understand the Judoon made it slightly better.

One of the Judoon offer her compensation for her knitting before removing their helmet to reveal they are space rhinos. Marcia runs and refuses to be catalogued, she runs into the forcefield and gets disintegrated to Ruth's horror

The room was silent, a mix of shock and sadness for seeing yet another person die for no apparent reason except being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Marcia, the brief moments they'd seen her on screen, had seemed like a lovely old lady and hadn't deserved her fate. For the companions in the room who hadn't met the Judoon before it made clear what they were like, and everyone was felling more nervous about what the video would be showing them.

Ruth is scanned and the Judoon declares she is negative for the fugitive match. Back at the coffee shop, Lee enters for the cake he ordered, Alan gives him the cake with the writing 'you can do better'

"Ooh he really doesn't like Lee." Bill cringed.

"The dossier didn't give that away?" Clara grinned at the younger girl.

"Fair enough but like, did he have to ruin Ruth's birthday cake just to annoy Lee?" Bill agreed.

"Yeah, that's more than a bit petty." Clara shook her head.

Lee is annoyed and mutters 'humans' as Alan is ready for a fight

"So, Lee's the fugitive then?" Rose declared. "I mean the whole 'human' comment suggests he isn't right?"

"Yeah, but it doesn't it feel a bit obvious? Like in a movie Lee would definitely be the red herring." Bill argued.

"This is real life not a movie though." Martha argued. "I hope not though for Ruth's sake."

The Tardis lands and the group appear from the cafe's kitchen to Alan's confusion. Lee bolts for the door

"That's definitely not suspicious." Amy drawled from her spot, leaning into her husband who shook his head slightly at his wife.

13 ignores Lee's odd behaviour and moves for the door, Graham hesitates behind and then vanishes

"Oh, so that's what happened to you grandad." Ryan said. Yaz and the Doctor grinned. Graham shook his head in exasperation, sometimes he felt like he was babysitting all three of them.

"I can't believe you didn't even notice." Graham complained.

"We were a bit busy and it's not my job to look after you." Ryan rolled his eyes.

Lee finds Ruth and they discuss the alien invasion, before Lee declares they need to get home now

"He is acting very suspicious." Donna pointed out, gaining nods of agreement from most of the room. He didn't seem to be freaking out over the whole alien thing.

The Judoon show up at the café as Alan tries to close it. When he sees the Judoon looking for a fugitive he offers them the Lee dossier. The Judoon take it but also smashes a mug

"Oh, so now Lee is definitely a target, great." Rory muttered.

Alan shoves the Judoon

Martha and the others that knew the Judoon winced. "That's a bad idea." Martha sighed, she remembered the Judoon and the hospital all too clearly.

The Judoon disintegrate him for assaulting an officer

The group looked down again. Allan may have been petty and suspicious but he didn't deserve to die like that.

At Ruth's apartment, Lee starts to hurriedly pack as Ruth watches confused. She thinks they're after Lee but is in disbelief at the idea, as he encourages her to pack quickly

"Lee absolutely knows something but at least he's trying to keep Ruth safe." Clara said, watching the screen carefully. The episode just kept getting more confusing and so far it seemed to have no link to the Doctor or Gallifrey but it must have to be a part of the secret the Tardis had brought them to see.

Outside the apartment the Judoon have located the fugitive house and start to set up. 13 interferes flashing the psychic paper at them

"Ah the good old psychic paper." Jack grinned. He was excited as he had a feeling that he was going to be showing up soon and was looking forward to everyone's reactions.

The paper declares them Imperial Regulators, as 13 rants about their lack of jurisdiction and the temporal isolator they are setting up which is made to freeze time but causes terrible collateral damage to anyone and anything in its path

The Master leaned forward, looking very excited about such a dangerous weapon. He was getting annoyed with the Doctor who had been ignoring him all episode, whatever they were going to see she didn't want him to know about.

The rest of the group were looking more nervous; they were all doing the maths in their head. Dangerous weapon + trigger happy alien police = nothing good.

Ryan agrees that they aren't using that thing. The Judoon argue the fugitive is highly dangerous

"What did he do for him to be considered so dangerous?" Mickey asked, raising his eyebrows. He aimed his question at the Doctor and current companions who were the only ones who were actually likely to know. The three companions looked at the Doctor, they didn't really know the full story. The Doctor just shifted uncomfortably in her seat, this episode was only going to get worse.

13 continues to argue they can't use the weapon and does her normal Judoon rhyming which Yaz argues mildly with her choice of calling the canal a lagoon so it rhymes

"Don't ruin it for me Yaz." The Doctor pouted, Yaz just rolled her eyes in answer smiling. River smiled softly at her wife, glad to see her in a slightly better mood. She's been uncomfortable and nervous ever since the start of the episode and it was worrying her.

13 attempts to override the Judoon's rules with a fake Earth law that states the potential arrestee is allowed arbitration from a third party, Yaz backs her up

"And now is the time during the trouble where we try to bluff our way out of said trouble." Rose grinned. Others laughed and nodded along, they always seemed to find themselves trying to lie their way out of trouble at some point.

They argue over the arbitration period as the Doctor proposes they go in to talk with Ruth and Lee. They get five minutes as the Judoon aren't up for bargaining

"I'm pretty sure that's not how that works." Rory shook his head while Amy smiled, glad to see nothing had changed with the Doctor.

They finally notice Graham is missing but the Judoon start counting down so they go in

"Hang on, it seriously took you lot that long to notice I was missing?!" Graham said, turning to the others who grinned back a bit sheepish.

On a spaceship Graham wakes up in a very large room. A voice is heard warning him about not moving until he neutralises the laser spikes

Graham groaned before blushing. He had forgotten about this. He looked nervously at Ryan, who glanced back confused. Graham didn't have anything against the kiss (honestly it had been quite good) but he didn't particularly want his grandson to see it, he knew how much Ryan and Yaz would tease him.

Graham is confused by what is going on. Jack Harkness (the voice) neutralises the defences and appears in the room

"Jack!" Rose laughed, big grin on her face at seeing Jack appear. The companions that knew him were all wearing similar grins, glad to see that he was still around to look after the Doctor. He stood up and took a few mocking bows, a grin threatening to break his face in half. It had been a long time since he had this much fun or been this comfortable. He was getting to see so many old friends, people he knew he could trust and spend some proper time with the Doctor (the only drawback so far was the Master and the tension around this big secret. When he sat back down, he was treated to an elbow in the side from the Doctor and a roll of her eyes while River only laughed.

Jack is very happy to see Graham, kissing him

"Graham! You didn't tell us about that." Ryan exclaimed; mouth open in shock. Yaz mirrored his expression, staring at Graham who was blushing.

"Don't worry Graham, he's like that with most people." The Doctor laughed, grinning at Jack who grinned back and then winked at Graham, making him blush further. He hid his face in his hands, trying desperately to hide his blush from the youngsters who were still too gobsmacked to start their teasing.

Graham is still very confused, asking if they'd met. Jack thinks he is joking and hugs him, thinking Graham is another of the Doctor's regenerations. Graham corrects him

"Jack!" Rose berated him, looking like she was about to get up to hit him. "You can't just teleport people and kiss them without knowing for sure who they are!" She nodded to the Doctor who elbowed him in the side again for Rose.

"Ow! I'm sorry. To be fair she's been male for 13 bodies and I was trying to scoop her, wasn't expecting to get a companion." Jack tried to defend himself. The Doctor just grinned and shook her head at the scene, laughing. It definitely brought her back to the old days when the three of them had travelled together before Satellite 5.

Ruth opens the door to 13, Ryan and Yaz who get let in after promising to help. Lee argues that it is a case of mistaken identity as Ruth is still in disbelief about everything. They promise they aren't harbouring a fugitive, but Yaz and Ryan are dubious seeing as their bags are packed

"Police training coming in handy." Ryan laughed.

"More common sense." Yaz grinned back.

The Doctor asks for the truth as Ryan and Yaz search the apartment for answers. 13 scans them with the sonic which tells her they're both human. She pushes for why the Judoon are chasing them

"Somethings up. They definitely know more than they are letting on." Bill declared determinedly.

On the spaceship they are being shot at as Jack reveals he stole the ship

"It never is." Rose laughed. She gave Jack a long look, as did the Doctor, which made him grin a bit more sheepishly. It was hard to forget that he had met both Rose and the Doctor because of a stolen ambulance during his old conman days.

Jack plans evasive action as he double checks Graham isn't the Doctor, Graham explains he just travels with her. Jack used the Quantum scoop and read the wrong signal so got Graham instead, he reminisces on a month at Ibiza 13

"You really don't ever change Jack." The Doctor shook her head exasperated but her grin was wide, she'd really missed him.

Graham asks why he's looking for the Doctor. Jack introduces himself and explains he and the Doc go way back. He also needs to warn the Doctor the future of the universe is at stake. Graham corrects his use of he to she, and Jack laughs eager to see the new regeneration

"And I have to say it is a spectacular site Doc." Jack grinned, nudging the Doctor in the side jokingly who was trying hard not to laugh.

Back at the apartment, the Judoon prepare the weapon. Ryan found nothing but Yaz found a hollow compartment in the back of the wardrobe

"Well done Yaz." The Doctor grinned. "Well done both of you." She hadn't had the chance to say it during the whole mess.

"Hollow compartment in the back of the wardrobe really? Can they get more cliché?" Bill threw her hands in the air.

The Doctor scans the ornate box found, and reveals it is not from Earth. A window breaking distracts them - a warning shot as time is running out

"Your times up and all you have is more questions. Typical." Clara snorted.

13 pushes for answers about the box, Ruth knows nothing and Lee pretends he doesn't either. Lee demands the box as time counts down

"So Lee is absolutely the fugitive." Rose pointed out. The current companions and the Doctor shared a glance which only Bill noticed. Bill still wasn't quite convinced that Lee was the fugitive, it seemed to easy to figure out and nothing in the Doctor's life was that easy.

Ruth is confused by Lee's demands and attitude. Lee asks if the Doctor is in charge to which she replies that it's a flat team structure

The current companions shared a grin with the Doctor as did many of the other companions in a room, the Master rolled his eyes in his corner, still annoyed by the Doctor ignoring him.

Lee asks them to take Ruth out the fire exit at the back and make sure she's okay while he takes care of the Judoon. Ruth protests as 13 presses about the box and who Lee is. He doesn't think it is any of their business but 13 decides with half of Gloucester locked down it is

"Like usual, sweetie. You aren't capable of just leaving trouble alone." River sighed at her wife teasingly.

"Like you can talk. You're worse than me half the time." The Doctor argued back, arms crossed. River just laughed at the Doctor who gave in and laughed as well after a minute.

We're down to 40 seconds, as Lee begs them to take Ruth saying he's made a mistake but can't let her die

"That's sweet. I'm glad he still wants to look after Ruth." Martha said, snuggling further back into her husband, this whole episode was making her tense, it was like the whole room was waiting for something and she didn't like it.

Lee reassures Ruth that he just needs to talk to the Judoon, Ruth isn't in agreement

"They're not overly fond of talking either." Jack said, looking a bit worried. He hadn't really gotten the chance to actually see what was going on in Gloucester, he'd just been trying to scoop the Doctor to warn her, and it was making him nervous. Whatever was going to happen in this episode was important to this big secret and he couldn't figure out why yet, he was sure his presence didn't warren them watching the episode, as nice as that would have been.

13, Ryan and Yaz decide a distraction is needed to stop the Judoon spotting them escape

The three grinned at each other.

Amy just grinned, verging on maniacal. "Ah, the classic tactic for dealing with trouble."

They decide t split up - 13 and Ruth escaping out the back as Lee goes with Yaz and Ryan to talk with the Judoon, Yaz citing she speaks their language as she's police

"Good on you, Yaz." Graham smiled at the girl proud. "You'll get to use your day job for once."

Time is up. They agree to meet at the cathedral, Lee and Ruth say goodbye to each other

The group that had been there winced, they didn't know what had happened to Lee in detail but they could guess, he'd never made it to the cathedral.

Outside the apartment, Yaz and Ryan emerge and tell them to turn off the weapon. Ryan and Yaz start to argue about the lack of fugitives but they vanish

Half the room groaned, having worked out what happened. "Seriously Jack, your timing is terrible." Rose complained, throwing him a look which made him wince a bit sheepishly. He'd noticed the looks the current companions were shooting the Doctor and had figured out his ill-timed scoop likely hadn't helped Lee.

In the apartment Lee keeps his promise and texts the word 'Follow' as the Judoon break down the door demanding his surrender. Lee does and says they can tell their boss they have him

"Question is who is the boss? And when will we finally get some stupid answers?" Nardole muttered, the room mumbled some agreements, maybe this boss would give them some answers about what was going on.

On the spaceship, Ryan and Yaz appear spotting Graham who offers a very quick explanation that they're on a stolen ship being fired at

"It's nice to get the full story now at least." Ryan declared, getting a nod of agreement from Yaz.

They're confused about who Jack is. Jack theorises Yaz is the Doctor

"Wrong again Jack. You're losing your touch." The Doctor grinned at the immortal who put his hand to his heart and mocked offense.

Graham corrects him as Jack is shocked that there is three of them, before commenting he had a dream about that once

"Jack!"

Alarms sound and Jack wars them to grab onto something

"And you always complain about my driving." The Doctor complained. The rest of the room all raised an eyebrow at her.

"Because your driving is terrible, dear. You'd think after all these millennia you would actually have some control, but no." The Master drawled from his corner, gaining some glares form the rest of the room, no one had forgotten what he'd done. The Doctor continued to ignore him, getting frustrated he tried to nudge her through their mental link but was met with a mental blank wall. Whatever was coming she really didn't want him to see.

At the apartment, a humanoid female beams in - Commander Gat. She isn't impressed by their work

"Anyone recognise her?" Donna asked the room. They had all collectively leaned forward in their seats to try and inspect the new person, hoping for answers to this mystery. The answer was mumbled mostly in the negative. The Doctor shrunk in her seat, lost in memories and frustrated with her lack of other memories; she still didn't really know much about Gat.

Gat talks to Lee, calling him old friend and saying they had a funeral for him. She commends him on his hiding place but remarks that they wouldn't stop looking ever

"Okay so they knew each other than he faked his death and hid on Earth. I feel like we're still missing something." Clara summarised what they knew to the group.

"Yeah, like what did he do that made them call the Judoon to track him down." Rose added. Everyone who didn't know what happened was trying desperately tp put the pieces together and failing.

Lee asks how they found him , Gat explains the box was made of a very trackable metal

"Very stupid if you don't want to be found. It must be important than." River said, glancing at her wife who was refusing to look away from the screen. This whole thing, the videos, this secret, everything was frustrating River – she was worried for her wife and she just wanted answers.

LEE: Yeah, well, I wanted to repair it, polish it. My service medal. Honour and courage still mean something.

"So, he was a soldier?" Martha asked. The Doctor could practically see the cogs turning in her friends' heads, she had the feeling if they had a pen and paper, they would be writing down these clues trying to solve the mystery.

"That would make sense." Amy agreed nodding.

They both reach for a drawer but Gat gets there first, sharing that they had the same training before ordering the Judoon to kill him. The Judoon are confused thinking Lee is the fugitive (who is to be captured not killed), but Gat tells them to scan Lee which reveals he is a negative match to the fugitive, confusing them

"Hah! Told you too easy." Bill announced, fist pumping into the air in her excitement. Then she realised what she had done and brought her hand back into her lap a bit sheepish.

"True you called that one." Clara conceded, smiling at the other woman. "But then who is the fugitive?"

The room lapsed into thoughtful silence for a few moments all trying to work it out, while the current companions shared a glance trying not to give anything away.

"Ruth!" Rory suddenly announced into the silence. He continued after seeing several confused expressions. "I mean, Lee seemed desperate to get her away and he's the only one that knows anything."

"That would make sense, and we did start the video with Ruth. But what has she done and why doesn't she know anything about it?" Martha agreed, many of the other companions nodding along.

"More questions! Again. Ugh." Bill complained, gaining chuckles from most of the room.

Gat apologises and calls him a faithful companion before killing him and sending the Judoon after the others

The group winced. They'd been so distracted trying to figure out who was the fugitive they'd forgotten the danger Lee was in, and the danger Ruth and the Doctor were now in.

The Doctor winced for an entirely different reason. If Ruth was her (she was Ruth? Whatever) then had Lee been her companion? Gat had hinted to that but she'd said they'd had the same training so had Lee been Gallifreyan and helped her escape? She hated the idea that she had gotten another companion killed, even one she didn't remember and she hated that she couldn't remember anything.

At the cathedral, 13 pushes for answers about Lee. Ruth is distracted by a text message on her phone - F ollow the light. Break the glass. Happy birthday. X. She gets flashes of a lighthouse. She denies its from Lee when 13 asks

"Why is she lying?" Amy asked exasperated, there always seemed to be more questions. The Doctor shrunk back further into her seat; she could remember all too clearly the lighthouse. She gained anxious looks from Jack and River who had noticed her shrink down into herself, she offered a shaky smile at the pair, which only seemed to worry them more.

The Judoon arrive and surround them

"That's really not good. How are you going to escape?" Bill bit her lip nervously, she knew they had, or at least the Doctor had but it wasn't reassuring her.

The Doctor tells them to let them go, pointing her screwdriver at them

"Sweetie, your screwdriver can't fix everything no matter how much you love it." River sighed, shaking her head. The Doctor looked back stubbornly, this was an argument they'd had several times over the years and not one she wanted to rehash here in front of everyone.

Ruth asks about Lee and the Judoon show them his death. They scan Ruth who is identified as the fugitive

"Rory was right for once." Amy said, grinning cheekily at her husband who just rolled his eyes at his wife's antics. As much as he liked being right, he wasn't liking the danger the Doctor and Ruth were in.

13 is confused, the Judoon explain the biological shielding. Ruth floors the Judoon and grabs one of their weapons threatening them

"What happened there? It's like she's suddenly a whole new person." Rose asked confused.

River's eyebrows crinkled as a thought suddenly occurred to her, she glanced down at the Doctor who was still watching the screen.

13 asks what Ruth is doing, Ruth replies that its like an instinct. She rips off the front horn of one of the Judoon and activates the communicator on its armour. The Judoon are beamed away as 13 watches horrified and confused

"I'm guessing that's not a good thing, tearing off their horn." Rory asked the Doctor who shook her head, watching the screen worriedly.

"It's a very bad idea."

On the Spaceship they are still being shot at. Yaz wants to be returned to Erath to help the Doctor but Jack is just trying to keep them alive and banters with Ryan

"You haven't changed then Captain Cheesecake." Mickey grinned.

"Oi! That's Captain Beefcake, Mickey Mouse!" Jack joked back. Rose just rolled her eyes at the pair.

Jack is confused about why he didn't scoop the Doctor then asks if there is Judoon near where he scooped them. The Level Seven Enforcement Shield interfered, he then asks if she is safe

The room turned to look at Jack in sync. "When is she ever safe?" River questioned Jack, who shook his head, he really should have known better. The best way to find the Doctor was to find trouble. The Doctor just pouted.

At the Cathedral - the Doctor is scanning Ruth with her sonic as they comment on the complete Judoon retreat and removal of the perimeter

"Shouldn't that be good?" Donna questioned. The Doctor just waved to the screen, she knew she'd explain in a minute.

That's bad news - Ruth dishonoured a captain and made it personal. 13 wants answers

"Okay so not good, just great." Amy sighed.

Ruth doesn't know anything and 13 doesn't have the decryption for the bio-shield that both she and Lee were wearing.

River and Jack were both thinking back through their memories for any kind of devices that could do that, the few they could think of that might do it were nothing good.

Martha blinked suddenly, that sounded familiar but she couldn't quite place it.

Ruth doesn't know what happened and is scared by what is going on. 14 demands to see her phone and reads the message. She theorises the words triggered the real Ruth to protect her

"So, you need to find the light then. Hopefully she knows what that's all about or you're in even more trouble." Clara summarised with a grimace, things were only getting more confusing and dangerous.

They discuss the meaning of the message - Ruth grew up in a lighthouse which she hadn't thought about for years

"A lighthouse. Well, that would definitely have a light." Donna snorted.

Ruth is sure its where she grew up and her parents are buried there - she also hasn't thought about them in years

"Okay that's weird right? Like not the normal 'not thinking about it' more as in 'not actual real memories', right?" Bill asked, waving her hands around to try and get across her point.

"Honestly I think you watch too much movies but you're right it is a bit weird." Clara teased the other woman but agreed.

They decide to go to the lighthouse

"And hopefully we will finally get some answers." Rose announced.

"I wouldn't get your hopes up." Amy said.

On the Spaceship, Jack complains about the ships security. He decides to get the others out of there before the sip's nanogenes attack him

Jack, Rose and the Doctor shared a glance at the word 'nanogenes'. "A stolen ship, nanogenes, lots of danger. Sounds like the day we met you Jack. You really haven't found a new way to make friends after all these years." Rose laughed teasingly.

"Oh, I've learnt plenty and made many new friends since we met Rose." Jack teased back suggestively.

"Jack!" The Doctor elbowed him in the side.

"Ow! Seriously Doc, it's dangerous sitting next to you." Jack complained, rubbing his side, despite his comments he made no move to change seats, he wanted to be near the Doctor when everything fell apart.

He pre-sets the coordinates and gives them a message for the Doctor - that he'll always be there when she needs him and to beware the lone Cyberman. He asks if they have met the Cybermen yet

Those that had met the Cybermen, which was most of the room winced in sync. The Doctor gave Bill, Clara, Rose and Mickey worried looks. They had been the most affected by the Cybermen and she was worried how they would react to seeing them on screen. She knew they would see them as they had been apart of the Master's whole plan on Gallifrey and she wasn't looking forward to seeing that whole mess again as it was.

They haven't. Jack explains a bit about how dangerous they are, continuing his message to not give the lone cyberman what it wants. He gets cut off as he vanishes

"Were you trying to be cryptic Jack?!" Martha exclaimed.

Jack grinned a bit sheepish. "Sorry, thought I'd have more time." He turned to the fam. "You did tell her, right? Not that it matters much now because she just saw."

The group shared a glance. The Doctor sighed before answering. "Yes, they did tell me but we didn't really get much choice in the matter." She saw Jack was about to say something but beat him to it. "It's dealt with Jack I promise, and I'm sure it will be shown soon." That seemed to appease him for now and they let the video play on.

The scoop flickers over the three and they vanish

"Did you make it back alright?" Rose asked the group.

The three shared a glance before Graham answered. "Yes thankfully, but by the time we found the Doc everything was over."

In Ruth's car her and 13 are driving down a track as 13 quizzes her on her past. They discuss growing up - which 13 isn't a fan of

Amy snorted. "That's an understatement Raggedy Man." She could distinctively remember the year of the cubes and several other instances of childishness on their adventures. The Doctor just grinned at her.

13 continues quizzing Ruth who asks if that is what she is doing, 13 admits it is

"At least you admit it." Mickey said, shaking his head, she never really changed no matter what face she wore.

"Did you think she would slip and reveal something?" Yaz asked, she was as curious as the rest ff the room to find out what happened. She knew roughly but none of the details and with the Doctor that was often important.

"I don't really know. I was hopeful for something." The Doctor answered reluctantly. She didn't really know what she'd expected, she'd just wanted answers but the answers she had gotten she really hadn't liked.

Ruth isn't even sure why she's trusting the Doctor. Ruth is getting flashes of pictures but pretends she isn't

The Doctor watched the screen carefully, analysing everything. She knew what was to come but she still wasn't quite sure about it all. She just wanted answers.

They arrive at the lighthouse. 13 looks around as Ruth starts a fire. The Doctor goes up tot the light at the top before spotting a lone gravestone outside and going back down to it

"Okay so you found a grave, why's that so important? Shouldn't you be looking for the light?" Rory asked the Doctor.

The Doctor was too focussed on the screen to answer but River seemed to have noticed what she had and answered instead. "It's blank. And Ruth mentioned both her parents being buried there but there is only one blank grave." Even though she had noticed it she still couldn't figure out what it actually meant.

"So, what's been buried then?" Rose asked apprehensive, the tension in the room was increasing and no one had any answers for all the questions they had.

The gravestone is blank and not a grave. Inside Ruth is looking at the fire alarm which says Break glass and hears voices telling her to break it and follow the light. Outside, 13 starts digging.

Martha gasped, having finally connected everything. "Doctor!" The Doctor just grimaced, nodding her head in confirmation. Martha was the only one that had been around when she was using her Chameleon circuit and she'd seen the Master use it so she wasn't surprised that Martha had figured it out while the others hadn't. But even then she may have figured out what Ruth was but she couldn't have figured out who exactly Ruth was – only the Master had any chance of that. The rest of the room watched on confused but worried. Jack was glancing between Martha and the Doctor trying to piece everything together but feeling like he was missing an important piece of the puzzle.

River looked like she had an idea of what was going on and she didn't like it. She'd never seen a chameleon circuit but the light was regeneration energy and that was distinctively familiar. The Master was unreadable, eyes dark and crazed, he had a very good guess of what was happening and he didn't know what the messy swirl of emotions threatening to break free from his chest meant.

Ruth breaks the glass and golden energy escapes into her, before she grabs a gun and changes clothes into a smart suit.

"So, she has her memories back and she's got a gun but who and what is she?" Amy asked the room, starting to get really frustrated with the lack of answers like most of the room.

Outside  the Doctor uncovers a very familiar sign that says -  Police public call box

"The Tardis! Why is the Tardis there? How is it there?!" Jack asked the Doctor, eyes alight with concern, especially at seeing the Doctor shrink further back into the sofa eyes locked on the screen. He wasn't going to get any answers as much as he wanted to shake her until she answered everything he knew that wouldn't work. The only way to find any answers would be to watch the video.

RUTH: You're probably a bit confused right now. I broke the glass. It's all come back to me.
DOCTOR: This. What is this?
RUTH: That's my ship.
DOCTOR: What?
RUTH: Let me take it from the top. Hello, I'm the Doctor. I'm a traveller in Space and Time, and that thing buried down there is called a Tardis. Time And Relative Dimension In Space. You're going to love this.
(Ruth takes the Doctor's hand and they disappear.)

"Doctor, what's going on? What does she mean? How can she be you?" Rose asked, voicing the thoughts of many of the room, she was edging into hysteria as her eyes were glued to the Doctor.

The Master was watching the screen, analysing Ruth, with an unreadable expression. "You met one." It was a statement not a question. His eyes were wild as he stared the Doctor down, meeting her eyes for the first time since the start of the video.

She nodded sharply at him, "Yes." She took a deep breath before scanning the room, taking in all the confused and worried looks she was getting from her companions, even the fam who had already vaguely known. She finished by meeting Rose's eyes. "It's complicated Rose, you'll find out soon, I think. I promise I'll explain a bit more, just watch for the moment please." She ignored how her voice broke a bit on the last word, things were only going to get worse.

"Doctor!" River tried to complain, desperately wanting answers. The Doctor just turned to her, eyes wide and pleading, they had a staring contest for a few minutes, neither wanting to back down before River reluctantly conceded "Fine but if the video doesn't explain, you will."

Inside Ruth's Tardis, Ruth wakes her up as 13 struggles to understand what is going on. Ruth argues there is no time as Gat will already have figured out where they are. 13 still wants answers as to who Gat and Ruth are

Amy suddenly let lose a loud laugh gaining several odd looks from the group. What could be so funny at the moment? "Sorry, it's just the Doctor's finally getting a taste of her own medicine. Isn't this what we all went though when we first met her?" She tried to explain to the group and as the realisation set in other joined, her in laughing. The Doctor just smiled sadly, happy to see them smiling even at her expense but still angry and confused and worried and emotionally messed up by everything.

Ruth answers that she already said - she'd the Doctor

"So, she's one of your future faces? But what are you running from?" Clara tried to work out, things were making less sense with every passing moment.

"No, she' not my future." The Doctor answered reluctantly but refused to say anymore despite the room's attempts.

The Doctor argues she can't be because she is the Doctor. Ruth thinks she's kidding then asks how she ended up like 13. 13 argues it is the other way round, that she becomes Ruth in the future. they are both adamant they would remember being the other. Nothing is making sense to either of them

"How can she not be your future? You know your past. I know your past faces." River asked the Doctor, face scrunched up in worry and concentration. She was getting more tense as everything unfolded and the Doctor's carefully crafted blank face wasn't helping.

"Please just watch River, I… I just…. I can't explain. Please." The Doctor begged her wife, voice cracking as she struggled to get her words out. River just grabbed her hand and squeezed tightly as if to reassure both of them they were still there.

13 takes out the sonic which Ruth doesn't recognise but it does reveal they are the same person

"So, she's from before you had your sonic. But how can you not remember her?" Clara questioned, frustration and worry lacing her voice. The Doctor just shook her head, gesturing vaguely to the screen, she wasn't going to answer, she couldn't answer. She could feel the weight of the Master's eyes boring into her and was refusing to meet them, she wasn't sure she wanted to know what he was thinking.

Ruth used to work for Gat once - a job you don't apply for and never leave. 13 works out Ruth had been hiding n Earth using a Chameleon Arch to hide her identity from even herself, with Lee as her protector

Martha glared at the screen at the mention of a Chameleon Arch, she really hated that thing.

"What's a Chameleon Arch?" Bill asked, curious as ever.

"It's a way a time lord can hide, they essentially become another species, in this case human, and gain fake memories, it's not to be used lightly." The Doctor tried to explain, eyes dark.

"Have you ever used it? I mean you, like the you we know." Bill asked again.

Martha answered for her. "Yes, she did. I was with her at the time and she had to hide." She hesitated for a second. "It's an absolutely last resort. She screamed for hours." That gained her and the Doctor some horrified looks. The Doctor had been through a lot over the years and anything that could make her scream was very bad. Bill looked guilty for asking, but the Doctor offered her a small smile before focussing back on the screen.

Ruth mockingly congratulates her for working out and gives points to which 13 is offended by

"She can keep the points." Ryan grumbled, Yaz and Graham nodded beside him.

They've been grabbed in a Judoon tractor beam. Ruth tells 13 to let her do the talking, as if Gat works out who 13 is she'll kill them both

"Delightful. You can be killed twice at one time." Jack sighed. "But knowing the Doctor she's not going to keep quiet long."

On the Judoon spaceship Ruth exits the Tardis, rifle ready with 13 following. Gat is waiting. They are surrounded and order Ruth to put the gun down, she reluctantly gives it to Gat

"She can't be you. You hate guns." Amy tried to argue but the Doctor refused to look away from the screen let alone answer. The companions shared a worried look.

Ruth tells Gat not to point the gun at them, she doesn't listen. The Doctor doesn't stay quiet long despite both Gat and Ruth telling her to

"That won't last long." River said, squeezing her wife's hand tightly.

The Judoon argue about Gat just killing Ruth saying they were hired to deliver Ruth to the Division. Gat argues she is there on the behalf of the contracted. 13 talks and Gat finally asks who she is. Ruth interferes saying she is nobody, 13 agrees but pries for answers about what is going on as Ruth tells her to shut up

"Doctor, I really think you should listen to Ruth and not get involved for once." Clara bit her lip, nervous. Several others nodded along, everything was confusing and it was worrying them. This seemed very dangerous even for the Doctor.

Gat reveals this goes way higher than her but the information is confidential. Ruth and 13 argue briefly about the plan before 13 reveals herself to be the Doctor too, to Ruth's frustration

"She's not capable of being quiet even if it will save her life." The Master said, expression dark as he watched the screen. A few of the companions threw him nervous looks which he ignored.

The Judoon scan her and verify. Ruth is in shock about how dumb she is, and the Doctor just kind of accepts it

"Self-burn." Bill declared, fidgeting. The tension in the room could be cut with a knife.

The Judoon want two payments for two fugitives as Gat argues two of the same Time Lord can't occupy the same space at the same time. She then mentions Gallifrey to 13's shock. The Doctor scans Gat and finds she is Gallifreyan

The companions all shared a glance. Some things were starting to make sense – at least why they were watching this video.

"If she's from Gallifrey she must be from the past then." Martha reasoned glancing nervously between the screen and the Doctor. Clara scowled at the mention of Gallifrey, even from beyond the grave it seemed they were haunting the Doctor.

The Doctor works out they must be from her past then, Ruth argues she's wrong but 13 persists

DOCTOR: I'm not wrong. I've seen Gallifrey destroyed. Twice. First by a war, second by a lunatic who I'm still trying to find. In my time, Gallifrey doesn't exist. It's gone. Forever. And if you don't know that, you're in my past. So, you are only serving at the glory of ash and bone.

"You say the nicest things, dearest." The Master drawled, trying to get a reaction, any reaction, from the Doctor. He felt triumphant when she shot him a sharp glare before seemingly remembering she was supposed to be ignoring him and turning back to the screen.

In some convolute, horrible way things made more sense now then they had then. Ruth was one of the lives she didn't remember but it left so many other questions that just frustrated her more. Who was Gat? Who was Lee? How long ago was Ruth? Was this the first time she'd escaped? Who had she worked for? Was it the mysterious Division that she'd seen in the matrix?

Gat calls it a trick, but 13 offers her mind and they make contact. 13 shows Gat the destroyed citadel. Gat still thinks it is a trick and raises the gun again as Ruth warns her not to

"Sweetie, did you really think that would make the situation better in anyway?" River asked the Doctor who glanced at her and shrugged one-heartedly. She hadn't really been thinking at the time, too confused with everything going on.

Gat fires the gun despite the warning, it backfires and kills her. 13 works out Ruth sabotaged the gun, they argue about the moral high ground

The Doctor glared at the screen, seeing it again reminded her of the fact she was responsible in some way for both Gat and Lee's deaths, even if she couldn't remember who she had been when she had been there. Yet more deaths on her conscious. She really hated guns and the way the whole room had flinched at Gat's death – a small voice whispered in the back of her head, you're responsible for that.

The Judoon declare they have witnessed a crime, but Ruth picks up the gun and argues they are in interstellar space where there are no laws so no crime. Ruth recalibrates the gun and threatens the group

"You can't be serious. There's no way you can fight your way out of there and you hate guns!" Rose threw her hands in the air; this whole video was seriously messing with them all.

The Doctor argues they never use weapons. Ruth tells her to shut up, as she warns the Judoon to stay away. The Judoon promise to always fulfil a contract

Yaz, Graham and Ryan shared a glance before turning to the Doctor who had flinched. "That's why you were -." Yaz couldn't finish her question but the Doctor seemed to figure out what she wanted to say and nodded, offering her an apologetic frown. Her loud mouth was what had got her captured by the Judoon and separated from her fam.

Back in Ruth's Tardis, they track 13's but can't get too close so she offers to drop her by her flat. 13 is still in shock about how Ruth can be her as she knows her life. Ruth states one of them has to be wrong as the Tardis materialises and Ruth kicks her out

"Unfortunately, all the evidence points to you being the one who is wrong Doctor." Jack said quietly, the words landed heavily on her chest, he was right and it hurt so much.

In Gloucester, the Doctor walks along the quay deep in thought before Yaz, Ryan and Graham arrive. They ask where she's been before mentioning Jack Harkness says hello.

Jack winced, as much as he had wanted to see the Doctor again, he apparently had terrible timing. The Doctor nudged him gently a small sile on her face, she seemed to know what he had been thinking. "It's okay Jack, thanks for the warning and keeping those three mostly safe." He nodded reluctantly.

In the Tardis, they share Jack's warning with the Doctor before asking about who Jack is. The Doctor answers he's an old friend

"Seriously Doctor? Don't I deserve a better introduction?" Jack attempted to tease the Doctor but it fell flat as she just muttered a "Yes, you do." In response which made him feel even worse. Whatever this secret was that the Tardis wanted to show them, he hated. He hated the way it was eating at the Doctor and ruining what should have been a happy thing – spending time with her friends and family.

Ryan liked him, he was cheesy in a good way

"He's always been like that." Mickey rolled his eyes, shooting the newest companions and Jack a grin. It seemed to break the tension slightly and he received relived grins back.

13 agrees and asks if he said anything more about the Cybermen. They say he was cut off before asking about the Cybermen - the Doctor says they're one of the most dangerous species she knows. Ryan makes a sarcastic comment about not being able to wait to meet them

"I definitely could have waited. Would have preferred to never have met them actually." Ryan joked but there was a serious undertone, it had been a very close thing with the Cybermen.

"Yeah, definitely nor my favourite alien." Bill grimaced, hand going to her chest as if feeling for the hole in her chest or the fake heart. Others in the room grimaced as well, the Cybermen were very dangerous and hurt most of them in some way.

Graham asks if they are in their future. The Doctor replies they always are somewhere. They pry about what happened with Ruth and the Judoon. 13 tells them Ruth was the fugitive and Ruth was her. They ask how that's possible but 13 doesn't know even as Graham reassures her there must be a simple explanation

"I really wish that was true Graham." The Doctor chuckled darkly, gaining concerned looks from the rets of the room but she refused to look any of them in the eye.

DOCTOR: Time is swirling around me. The Master, Captain Jack Harkness, Ruth. Something's coming for me. I can feel it.
RYAN: Let it come. You've got us.
DOCTOR: Ryan, I've lived for thousands of years. So long I've lost count. I've had so many faces. How long have you been here? You don't know me. Not even a little bit.

The Doctor took a shuddering deep breath before looking up towards her current companions. "I'm sorry Ryan. I shouldn't have spoken like that to you." She trailed off before she could make excuses, he didn't need to hear those, he already knew most of them. What she said may have been true but she didn't have to throw it in his face or declare it like that.

Ryan stared at her for a minute before nodding his acceptance of her apology. He understood a bit more why she'd said that now and while he probably knew more than most of the other companions about why they were here, he still knew very little and honestly everything was worrying him.

Yaz defends Ryan, as Ryan argues that they do know her - she's the Doctor and her past or future don't matter, they know who she is now. The three declare that whatever happens they'll be there to help whether she likes it not not.

"Thank you, all of you. Seriously, thank you." The Doctor took a deep breath, eyes bright, shining with unshed tears. "You're my family too." She glanced around the room. "All of you are. No matter what happens or has happened" River squeezed her hand in comfort, pulling her closer so she leaned against River's shoulder. The rest of her companions, of her family, gave her reassuring smiles. But none of them were doing very well at hiding their worry.

An alarm sounds. The Tardis is siding with them, offering a distraction. It works - multiple alerts across three continents on Earth. They decide to have a quick look.

"I guess that's finished for now." The Doctor sighed; she took another quick look round the room. "Let's have a break, we've been watching for a while now." She saw several people eager to protest, desperate to get more answers but she beat them to punch. "You'll get more answers soon I promise, but we all need a break and to stretch our legs. Come on." She pushed herself to her feet and out of River's clutches, determined to have a break from everything.

That seemed to be enough for the others and they slowly dispersed, getting to their feet, stretching and moving through to the kitchen and corridor. The Doctor watched them go, trying desperately to decide if she could get away with hiding for a while or if she was mentally prepared for some more emotionally charged conversations that she knew she would have to have.

Soon she was left alone in the main room with Jack and River who were now standing on either side of her, like bookends or bodyguards she thought with a mental snort. Even the Master had slunk away, hopefully away from the rest of the group – she made a mental note to keep an eye out for him in case of trouble.

The Doctor made the mistake of looking up at the pair on either side of her. River was staring her down, expression stern. "Explain." When she didn't start speaking immediately, River continued. "Please, Doctor. We're worried about you. We just want to help, we love you."

That only made her feel more guilty, especially knowing she couldn't even explain fully. "I can't River, I'm sorry. It's part of what the Tardis wants to show us I think and you'll need to see it with the others. Please just trust me, you'll find out soon enough." The Doctor pleaded with her wife. When River's expression wavered, she knew she'd won and it tore at her hearts.

Jack had watched the pair carefully. "Come on, let's get something to eat. I think we'll probably need the break." With that he marched out of the room with a final glance at the wives. River watched him leave, before turning back to the Doctor, eyes sad. "I trust you. I don't like any of this, but I trust you."

The Doctor watched her leave, leaving her alone in the movie room. She took a deep breath before following, she needed to have some serious conversations.

Chapter Text

The Doctor wandered slowly towards the kitchen, feet dragging as she tried to decide who she needed to talk to first. She'd managed to clear the air with Martha, Mickey and Jack last break, and she didn't know if she could answer any questions her current companions had so that ruled them out. As much as she wanted to have a proper talk with her wife (and hug her wife, and kiss her wife and just hold her so that she couldn't leave her again) she knew she wouldn't be able to have a proper conversation that wouldn't end in an argument about the whole situation and she didn't think she was in the right emotional state to deal with that (she didn't think she was in the right emotional state to deal with anything honestly, but when was she ever).

That left Bill, Clara, Rose, Donna, and Amy and Rory. She knew she had to talk to them all at some point, they all deserved honest answers and discussion for so many different reasons but who did she need to talk to first? It was likely to be the last time she had a proper conversation before the secret came out and she needed to talk to someone who wouldn't keep asking questions she couldn't answer. As much as she was dragging the walk out, she knew she had already made her decision – there was someone who needed an apology arguably more than any of the others. She needed to talk to Donna.

She finally made her way into the kitchen where most of her family had gathered, pottering around and chatting away. Some were making tea and others eating food that must have been left in the cupboards by the Tardis. She was glad to see they were mixing amongst themselves; Clara, Bill and Yaz seemed to be having fun talking, Rory, Mickey and Nardole seemed to be comparing notes on keeping their sanity. She spotted Martha at a table having tea with Graham and Ryan. She was mildly afraid to see River and Jack in a corner scheming away and glancing at her every so often, and the Master had slunk away out of sight for now. Finally, she found Rose and Donna talking loudly about something or other at one of the tables.

Setting her sights on the pair she shuffled over, ignoring the glances everyone sent her as she made her way past them. The Doctor practically collapsed into an empty chair, startling Donna slightly who had been gesturing wildly with her hands to emphasise part of a story she was telling. Donna trailed off as both Rose and her looked at the Doctor, waiting for her to say something. The Doctor opened her mouth to try and get some words out but nothing came out. She closed her mouth, swallowed and tried again – slightly more successful the second time.

"Rose, I… Can I… Can I talk to Donna for a moment?" The Doctor asked, she felt a bit guilty – this was the second time she'd interrupted a conversation Rose had been having to talk to someone else. Rose glanced between the pair as if looking for something, her face softened as she seemed to find what she'd been looking for.

Rose nodded. "Sure, but don't think you're getting out of talking to me later Misses." The Doctor smiled; eyes earnest as she nodded her agreement. Rose offered a grin and wink to Donna before moving over to join Yaz, Bill and Clara. And with that she was left alone with Donna, near the back of the room with some semblance of privacy.

She kept her eyes on the table, unsure how to start what was undoubtedly going to be an emotionally charged conversation. She was put out of her misery by Donna starting. "So, Spaceman we need to talk."

"You're right Donna. I just… I just don't know how to start."

"I'd hope you'd start with an explanation and an apology."

"I… I am so sorry Donna, I… memories are important and I took that away from you. I just… I just couldn't let you die." The Doctor glanced up to meet Donna's gaze, trying to show how much she meant what she said. Donna's eyes were hard but softening as she continued talking. "You're brilliant, the most important woman in the universe. Beings sing songs about you and I took that from you because I am selfish. I was selfish and I couldn't lose you."

"I can't say that I'm unhappy about being alive – I love the life I have, my husband, my family. I'm just angry that you ignored my decision. That you ignored what I wanted, you ignored my begging. My time with you was amazing, some of the best days of my life. The things I saw, the people I met and you took that from me." Donna glared at her hands, pausing to take a breath and calm herself down. The Doctor's hand twitched towards Donna's clenched fists on the table but simply hugged them closer to her. Shrinking in on herself as she nodded along with Donna's argument, gulping.

"I'm sorry, you didn't deserve it, any of it. It was my fault you were in that situation and I couldn't keep you safe. I couldn't tell your mother and grandfather that I had gotten you killed and I couldn't lose you. You were… You are one of my best friends in the universe." She smiled sadly at Donna, before dipping her eyes back to the table. "I understand it, the memory loss I mean. I lost my memories of Clara for a while and I recently found out I've lost a lot more memories than I even knew about." She let out a self-deprecating chuckle. "Memories are important and I took them from you but more importantly I went against your wishes. I cannot express how sorry I am for that but you have to understand I can't be sorry that I saved your life, but I am sorry for how I did it."

The silence lingered between the pair for several moments, neither saying anything. Then Donna let out a long, loud breath. "I understand that, I do. I'm still angry about my memories but I want to move forward. I forgive you Doctor and my time travelling with you was indescribably amazing. And Martian? You're my best friend too idiot." She smiled softly at the Doctor, it was the calmest she'd ever seen Donna and the Doctor chuckled, ignoring the warmth of a tear as it raced down her face. "Oh, you are an idiot, spaceman. Come here." Donna shuffled around the table and pulled the Doctor into her arms, squeezing her tightly in a hug. The pair laughed and cried as they held each other before Donna pulled back several minutes later.

"Honestly you really don't change." Donna shook her head in disbelief as the Doctor tried to subtly wipe away a few stray tears. "I do have to ask; will I keep my memories when we leave here?"

The Doctor scrunched her face up in thought for a moment. "I don't know but if you don't I swear I will find a way to give them back to you. I promise you that Donna." Donna smiled at her, before setting her shoulders and grabbing the Doctor by the arm to drag her back towards the rest of the group. Emotional conversation was done, Donna was back to being loud and brash and the Doctor wouldn't change her for the universe.

The Doctor followed in a sort of daze, accepting a cup of tea that was shoved into her hands by Graham and vaguely nodding along to any conversation she was dragged into until everyone started moving back towards the movie room. No one had really been in the mood to eat much, all too tense and nervously curious to find out what the Tardis wanted them to see. All too soon the break was over and it was time to face the music.

As everyone settled back in their seats, resuming their positions from before the break (meaning the Doctor was dragged back and trapped between Jack and River) she debated what they would be shown next – she knew there weren't many options but maybe she still had a bit of time? You can't blame her for being hopeful. That hope was quickly dashed when 'Ascension of the Cybermen' appeared on the screen. The Doctor took a deep breath and exchanged a glance with her current companions – there weren't many options for what that could mean.

"Right, there's been a bit of a time jump again." She explained to the room with paper-thin enthusiasm. "We went on a few more adventures which I guess aren't particularly relevant. I think we've skipped something important to the 'story' though." She glanced at the fam again, they nodded in agreement. "Easy to say we had to ignore Jack's warning and there was some trouble with Mary Shelley, Lord Byron and the rest of the group in 1816 and I think we may have helped inspire Frankenstein?" She took a deep breath and glanced at those she knew would be the most affected by what she had to say. "As the title says, there's going to be Cybermen, so I just wanted to give you a moment to prepare yourselves."

A few round the room looked a bit nervous at the mention of the Cybermen; Clara glowered at the screen and Bill shifted uncomfortably in her seat (she ignored the Master preening in the corner – she was spending a lot of her time ignoring him recently) but they both met her gaze when it hesitated on them. They were strong, all of her family were strong – they'd be okay, eventually. With no more comments, the video started to play.

In space, the voice of Ashad the lone cyberman is heard with the scenes of a star ship graveyard. He talks about the cybermen being defeated but that they will rise again

"Who's that?" Amy asked, curious more than anything.

The Doctor sighed, giving Jack an apologetic look. "The Lone Cyberman."

Mickey shook his head. "Why can't they just stay dead?" He muttered mostly to himself but others sighed. Nodding in understanding. To say that none of them were exactly fond of the Cybermen would be the least.

In Ireland - a man rides a bicycle before suddenly stopping as he finds a baby in a basket. He takes it home to his wife

Both the Doctor and Master startle in their seats, turning to look at each other for a moment, neither able to understand what the other was thinking before the Doctor glared and glanced desperately away. The Master's eyes lingered on her. Jack and River had watched the exchange concerned; they both had the same train of thought – the Master was key to this secret and this seemingly completely unrelated story of Ireland was suspicious, therefore Ireland was very relevant to whatever secret had brought them here.

"That's a bit of whiplash. Going from space and the Cybermen to Ireland, I mean. What's going on there?" Bill asked clearly confused, the rest of the companions shifted, equally confused. Especially the fam who had been around for the actual trouble – they knew nothing about whatever was going on in Ireland.

The man (Patrick) tells the Garda, they talk about how he just found the baby in the lane with no note. Meg and Patrick agree to look after him until the parents are found

"Okay so we have an abandoned baby in Ireland and an army of Cybermen in space. They don't really mesh well." Martha mused; eyes scrunched up as if trying to connect puzzle pieces that don't match.

"Maybe the baby is the Lone Cyberman and we're seeing his past?" Bill offered an idea, only half joking.

That drew a slight laugh out of the Doctor, although it had a slight undercurrent of hysteria. "Sorry Bill, you need another theory."

The room turned to her, even the fam as they didn't know anything about Ireland, eager for answers. "You know who the baby is then?" Yaz asked the question the whole room was thinking.

The Master looked at her, curious to know what she would say, he raised an eyebrow at her. She shot a quick glare at him before turning to answer Yaz. "Yes, kind off. It's complicated. Honestly its best to just watch, answers are coming." She exhaled sharply, answers were coming alright, no matter how much she wished they weren't.

Time flashes forward. The baby becomes a boy. A letter arrives and the baby (Brendan) is officially their son. More time passes and we get flashes of Brendan's life. Then he gets ill

"So, we're getting quick flashes of this kid's life, he must be relevant." Rose announced decidedly, they were all getting very frustrated with the lack of answers and this mix of stories was worrying them. The rest of the room agreed with her but couldn't think of why the kid was relevant.

On a planet's surface, the Doctor is tracking down the coordinates given to then by Shelley, Graham, Ryan and Yaz are lugging equipment along

"You still aren't capable of landing where you need to." Amy grinned, shaking her head fondly at the Doctor. The Doctor pouted in response drawing laughs from most of the room.

They fins a village, and Yaz makes commando jokes about Graham to Ryan's horror

That drew some chuckles, glad to see the group still well, despite the trouble the room knew they were likely to get into soon. Ryan nodded his head in agreement with himself on screen. Yaz just grinned and nudged him, while Graham shook his head at their anticks.

Yaz wants to know what they're walking into. The Doctor explains they're in the far future in the aftermath of the CyberWars. The Cybermen have hunted down and killed most of humanity, she adds if it is a consolation the wars almost wiped out the Cybermen too

"Sorry to tell you but that's not much consolation, Spaceman." Donna drawled, rolling her eyes at the Doctor. The Doctor just grinned, shrugging a bit sheepish.

"It's far in the future, well after you lot. Humanity ultimately survives I promise." The Doctor continued trying to reassure the room, they just looked at her more incredulous.

"You're an idiot." Clara shook her head.

"Everyone knows that Clara." The Doctor grinned.

13 uses her sonic to scan the area and finds a collection of human life signs. A total of seven - the last human settlement on this side of the universe

The companions watched the screen worriedly. During their travels with the Doctor, they'd found a lot of trouble but it was never nice to be told your species was near extinction.

"Seven?!" Martha asked, looking at the Doctor like she hoped she would say she'd been lying.

"Yes, this side of the universe. There are others elsewhere. Probably." The Doctor tried to reassure the group, but their faces told her they weren't very reassured.

At the village, Feekat and Ravio talk about fixing the Gravcraft, it needs another day at least

Rory sighed. "I'm going to go out on a limb here and say they don't have a few days."

Nardole nodded. "Seeing as the Doctor's here I doubt they have a few hours."

Feekat is worried as they don't have much time, right on que two spaceships arrive and another boy runs over

"Turns out they don't even have a few minutes." Mickey shook his head. The danger was starting.

Ethan claims Feekat said they wouldn't find them, they were wrong. 13 and the fam arrive offering help. Ravio points a waepon at them

"Honestly Sweetie. What else were you expecting? You need to stop sneaking up on people." River reached out to grab the Doctor's hand, squeezing it in comfort, even as her tone showed her exasperation. The Doctor grinned but shrugged unrepentant, they all knew she wouldn't stop; she absolutely found some enjoyment out of it.

Feekat asks who they are and where they came from. 13 introduces them and says to not worry about where, just that they are there to help

"Yeah, I don't think they have time for that explanation." Bill said.

"That's if they would even believe it." Rose agreed, smiling at the other girl.

Ravio lowers her weapon. Yaz, Ryan and Graham split up to set up their equipment. The Doctor briefly ask about the group's situation - they've always run before but their escape craft is damaged. 13 orders people to hide in the buildings and not to run, asking them to trust them

"Seriously Doctor?" Jack shook his head. "You just showed up and you're already ordering poor confused humans around. They have no reason to trust you."

"Don't exactly have much time to actually explain who we are, besides they're desperate and they need the help." The Doctor said, small frown on her face as she focused on the screen.

Graham sets up his gizmo as Ethan watches - a neural inhibitor system

"A what?" Bill asked, confusion obvious on her, and most of the companion's, faces. River and Jack nodded along, seemingly having an idea what the machine was.

Ethan doesn't know what that is, and neither does Graham. From his understanding it un-supresses the emotions and pain sensations in a Cybermen which sends them a bit mad

Clara winced at the reminder of Danny, and the Doctor snapped her head round to her as she remembered what had happened in the graveyard. Clara took a deep breath and offered a small smile to reassure the Doctor she was okay. She hadn't forgotten Danny but it didn't hurt as much as it used too, her time with Me had helped. That whole day had been crazy and she'd gone over the edge in her grief – she'd betrayed the Doctor and he'd still helped her. She did shoot the Master a quick glare, he'd been responsible for most of that mess and clearly, he hadn't learnt since then.

Ethan asks if it will help, Graham hopes so but tells him to get safe anyway. Yaz is also setting up her gizmo with Ravio watching - this time is a particle projector which sends particles of gold into the air as Cybermen are allergic to it

"They are?" Rose asked, she'd never heard that before. The rest of the room had equally confused looks, that was new information to all of them.

Ravio leaves to get the Garvraft ready. Ryan sets up his and Yedlarmi joins him, working out he has a rudimentary  forcefield

"All this tech is new, usually we're just running into trouble with little to no preparation." Clara mused, shooting the Doctor curious looks.

"We had the warning so I thought we'd try and be prepared for once." The Doctor tried to explain, before frowning slightly, it really hadn't gone to plan in anyway.

Yedlarmi's little brother Fuskle joins them, and he uses the device to reassure his brother things will be okay

"He's looking after his brother at least." Mickey acknowledged, gaining a few nods in agreement. The room was worried about what would happen to these humans they were meeting, trouble was coming.

The Doctor scans again as Feekat asks what she's doing. 13 is trying to work out here they're coming from but the Cybermen are sending a jamming signal to confuse them. The survivors only have two guns and one is broken

"It's not like you'd use the guns anyway Doctor." Amy berated. Sometimes the Doctor could be a tad (very) insensitive.

Feekat explains they're not soldiers, just refugees. The Doctor cares and tells them to get safe inside. It's activation time

"So, you have seven scared humans, a broken ship and some tech that might not even work against the Cybermen. The situation doesn't look great." Martha clarified, looking resigned to the bad odds.

"Don't forget the Tardis is half a mile away so they can't escape that way." Mickey added.

"Oh great. Thanks for the reminder." Mickey squeezed his wife's hand in comfort as she looked more stressed about the trouble the people on screen were obviously in.

They hold their ground as the devices power up and Cyberdrones start flying. The drones target the devices, they get down just in time but the gizmos are gone

"Well, that's just brilliant." Donna said, sarcasm soaking her voice. The little defences they had were completely destroyed already and the drones were firing down upon them.

Fuskle runs and Ydlarmi chases as the Doctor shouts at them to not run. Another survivor, Buskle encourages Fuskle to a  building before she and another woman runs. Everyone who ran gets killed, as they hold Ydlerami back

The room looked down, giving the group a moment of silence. The companions couldn't get it out of their head that that was almost half the group of surviving humans dead in one go. And the fact that one of the last humans had just watched his brother killed.

The drones fly off as the survivors come out. The Doctor tells them to get to their ship, but they're sick of fighting. The Doctor tells them it will be a massacre and she will buy them some time to escape

"And how exactly are you going to do that Doctor?" Jack asked accusingly, arms crossed and worry clear on his face. He could tell they were very close to the truth about this secret and he really wasn't liking how much trouble they were all in. The only reassurance was the fact they were all here in the room safe.

Feekat conceded, ordering the others to the ship or to get supplies. The fam lay out the situation as the Doctor gets frustrated before snapping at them in her worry

DOCTOR: I know! Listen to me. Do not argue. Go with the humans. Help them. Get them out of here. You won't make it back to the Tardis alive. Make sure you're with them.

The trio turned to stare the Doctor down, they hadn't liked the decisions then and they didn't like it now knowing the consequences. The rest of the room was also staring the Doctor down.

"Do you really expect them to just leave you behind? I don't think any of us would do it, we're your family." Rose asked the Doctor, an edge of desperation to her voice.

The Doctor shifted uncomfortable in her seat. "I put you in so much trouble and I need to keep you as safe as I can." She argued, determined to get her point across.

"We agreed to come, Doc. You made sure we knew how dangerous it would be before we left, we made our decision and you need to respect that." Graham announced decidedly, then offered a small smile. "Besides your our only ride home." The Doctor was still frowning but nodded at the trio, worry clear in her eyes as she turned back to the screen.

They argue asking how she'll hold them off but she says its not a discussion

"So, you have no idea and you're just being recklessly stupid then." River glared, worried about her wife, frustrated with all the secrets and angry with the universe as a whole.

"River -." The Doctor tried to start, cautiously.

"No. Don't. You can't expect us to just leave you in danger while we run. We chose to come with you but you can't just order us around or make us abandon you in danger." River argued, frustration and nerve clear in her colder-than-normal tone.

"I put you in these dangerous situations, I'm responsible for you." The Doctor argued back. She took a deep breath to calm herself before continuing, her voice breaking slightly. "I can't lose you; I can't lose anyone else."

That seemed to take the wind out of her sails and River's expression visibly softened. "I know sweetie, but we don't want to lose you either." The Doctor swallowed at that but nodded her concession for the moment, she wasn't giving up on the argument she just didn't ant to continue it now.

They refuse to leave her. 13 decides they are and is frustrated with herself with how reckless she has been with them. They're confused about her attitude. The Doctor says they're human and if captured will be converted. She orders them to get safe saying she'll find them

Bill flinched visibly on her beanbag, drawing looks from most of the room. The majority of companions looked at her confused for several seconds before remembering what she'd mentioned earlier about being converted into a Cyberman.

The trio of current companions shared a look, that whole interaction had a whole new layer of meaning now that they knew about Bill. Her loss was still too fresh in the Doctor's mind, no wonder she'd been so terrified about them getting hurt. At the time they'd been so taken a back by the Doctor's shift in attitude and angry with her decision that they hadn't noticed how terrified the alien was but it was all too clear watching it now; she was terrified about losing them.

"Doctor-." Yaz started, unsure what to actually say but knowing she had to say something but she was interrupted before she could decide.

"No." Bill had squared her shoulders and was glaring the Doctor down. "What happened to me wasn't your fault. No don't interrupt just listen for once." The Doctor who had opened her mouth to argue, closed it again and nodded slowly, watching the young girl carefully. "What happened to me was horrible but I am okay, I am safe and happy with Heather now. But you don't get to use what happened to me to be mean to your friends. You don't get to use what happened to me to scare them off, or use it as an excuse to throw yourself into danger alone. Yes, it should make you more careful and yes it should mean you give them a fair warning. But ultimately? Ultimately, it's their choice and you don't get to make it for them. Understand?" Bill maintained eye contact with the Doctor awaiting a response.

"Bill, I-."

"Understand?"

"Yes." The Doctor sighed, squeezing her eyes tightly shut for a moment before meeting Bill's eyes again. "I'm sorry. Are you going to be okay?"

"I'm okay you stupid old man, I promise." Bill offered a small smile and that was all the Doctor needed to know she'd be alright, nodding and offering her own small smile. Then she glanced up to her current trio of companions who'd been watching the conversation with conflicting emotions.

"I'm sorry you three, I just wanted you to be safe." The Doctor offered the group.

"We know but we're a family Doctor. We chose to be there and we want you to stay safe as well. It's a two-way street. But thank you for the apology." Yaz spoke for the group. The matter was settled for the moment and the video was allowed to continue.

Ashad appears, the Doctor says she'll stop him, just her and him. More cybermen appear detecting lifeforms, proving her wrong

"It never is." Rory sighed; the rest of the room nodded in commiseration. None of them were liking the danger the group was all in.

Bill was focused on something else though. "He's not fully converted." She muttered shocked. The Doctor glanced at her, realising where her train of thought was going.

"I'm sorry Bill, I know what he looks like but he is fully converted, there's no hope for him." The Doctor tried to explain, she didn't know how to tell her the rest – that'd he'd chosen this, they'd just have to watch.

The Cybermen want to delete the humans, 13 comes up with a new plan to protect them - act as bait, she runs

"I'm not sure if I should be glad or not to see your plans haven't evolved since we saw you last." Amy debated; it drew some chuckles out of the group but the atmosphere was still tense.

Graham is running as Ashad and the Cybermen spot them. Ryan gets cut off from Graham and Yaz but tells them to keep running

The rest of the companions turned worriedly towards the trio as if checking they were actually there and safe. The current companions shared a glance, happy to see the others cared but nervous about what they were going to see on screen. Graham and Yaz nudged Ryan, who was stuck between the two, as if to remind themselves he was safe – they'd all been scared when they had ended up separated.

They keep running and make it to the Gravraft, they're not ready and are missing Feekat and Ethan but they are out of time. They realise Ryan isn't with them either. But its' too late and they're being shot at. They get inside the ship even as Graham fights to find Ryan

"Glad to see your worried Grandad." Ryan joked, nudging Graham.

"Course I am, Ryan. I'm just glad you found the Doctor again." Graham said, ignoring the joking tone of Ryan's initial comment. He'd been too worried at the time to really appreciate it.

They take off, Bescot protests because their equipment didn't work and their friends are dead

"Hey! It's not their fault the tech didn't work. At least they tried something." Martha protested, arguing with the people on screen.

"Martha, love. They can't hear you." Mickey squeezed his wife's hand in comfort. Martha just shot him a look that made him raise his hands in mock surrender.

They fight over leaving without the others, but decide if they aren't here then they are already dead. Yaz and Graham argue they need to be let out to find Ryan and the Doctor but its too late - they take off

"Just great, you've been separated with no way of contacting each other and half of you are still in danger. Just brilliant." Donna announced shaking her head. That was just typical wasn't it?

13 watches the Gravraft shakily take off. Ryan finds her and they take cover as they are shot at

"At least the two of you are together." Clara said, trying to find the silver lining in the massive dark cloud of trouble they were in.

13 has a cylindrical hand grenade thing which she sonics and Ashad prowls the building. Ethan and Feekat watch from elsewhere, Ethan comes out of hiding to surrender, pretending it is just him

"Very brave." Jack shook his head, concern for the group causing his brow to crinkle. "Brave but stupid. He'll be able to tell he's lying." He glanced at the Doctor as if hoping to hear that he was wrong but the Doctor refused to meet his eyes, focussing on the screen.

Ashad commends him on bravery but calls him a liar before shooting at Feekat's hiding place making him fall out

The room looked down again, another person dead with someone else in danger. Things weren't looking great.

Ashad debates leaving them alive for now to share the message that all of humanity is falling as the Cybermen rise. 13 disagrees, throwing her grenade and shouting at the group to run

The room let out a collective breath, glad to see the Doctor save Ethan. The group was still in some danger but they hadn't had to watch more people killed on screen and they were out of immediate danger for the second. Yaz and Graham were watching the screen eager to know what had happened when they hadn't been there – they'd shared stories but it was something else to see it.

Ryan wants to find Graham and Yaz but Ethan saw them leave on the Gravraft. 13 tells Ryan to concentrate, they can't make it to the Tardis so they have very limited escape options. She asks how fast they're feeling

"And as usual it's time to run." Amy grinned. "If there's one good thing about adventures across time and space with you Doctor, it's the fitness routine."

"One good thing?! Not seeing time and space? The running. Typical." The Doctor complained, while the rest of the companions laughed.

Ryan works out the plan is to steal the Cybermen's ship

"Ooh, I like that plan Doctor." Jack grinned, nudging the Doctor slightly trying to get a response.

She rolled her eyes but grinned back, only a little bit shakily. "I figured I'd take a leaf out of your book for once."

River laughed. "Please, I think you've been stealing ships since before any of us were born."

The Doctor made a face of mock offense. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

River and Jack shared a glance, mischief clear on their faces before answering in sync. "The Tardis."

The Doctor grinned a bit more sheepishly at that and the rest of the room chuckled at the interaction, glad to see the group smiling.

13 hot wires the Cyberfighter, commenting about how she used to hot wire warp drives for sun on a weekend as a teenager, or the equivalent at least as they didn't have weekends or teenagers. Apparently it used to make people mad but she declares herself the real winner now

The room chuckled at how excited the Doctor was messing with the Cybership and not uncurious about the mention of her childhood that was so rare.

The Master raised his eyebrow at the Doctor from where he'd been sitting quietly in the corner, carefully watching the video waiting for what he knew was coming, eager to see the Doctor's companions' reactions to the truth. Her mention of childhood memories brought him out of his own thoughts and back to the present. "Everyone was always mad at you anyway; you were always finding trouble."

The Doctor met his eyes for the first time in a while, for once having a non-literal mental conversation. "You say that like you weren't next to me helping me find or make trouble." She argued, stuck somewhere between reminiscing and defensive – they both knew what was coming and neither were quite sure they were ready.

Ethan helps as the engines come on. 13 declares it is going to make Ashad cross and to hold on

"Like you actually care about making him cross. You're probably hoping for it." Rose said, the Doctor just shrugged grinning slightly.

The Cybermen watch their ship get stolen.

Back in Ireland, Brendan is a young adult getting ready for a job interview

"And we're back to Ireland." Bill sighed, the room was a bit on edge with worry over the group being split up and in danger with the Cybermen and now they were back seeing Ireland with no idea why it was relevant.

He has an interview with the Garda, he's asked why he wants to be a guard and Patrick answers for him - that he wants to serve

That caused the Doctor to flinch. She still wasn't quite sure how the memories lined up, so many were still missing (more were missing than she had probably), but she knew at one point she had worked for the mysterious 'Division' and she still had no idea what they did.

The sergeant tells Patrick to let Brendan answer for himself, Brendan declares he wants to make a difference. The sergeant is the same one from the day Brendan was found

"Is it just me or have they not really aged much. Brendan's the only one that seems to be older." Clara pointed out; eyes wide as she watched the screen.

"Maybe its just because Brendan was a kid, makes the ageing more obvious?" Martha offered an explanation with a shrug; she hadn't really noticed it.

"No, I think Clara's right. Okay so something weird is going on in Ireland too. Great." Amy agreed.

Back in the future on the Gravraft. Yaz and Graham talk about where they are and what they're doing. They need to find the Doctor and Ryan and decide that between the two of them they'll work it out

"Good on you two. Stay strong and together." The Doctor nodded at the pair who grinned back, she wasn't trying to be condescending and they knew it.

Yedlarmi and Ravio argue about the controls, Ravio is pushing it too hard but the life support is low. They're not sure they're going to make it

"So, they seem to have a destination in mind which is good but it'd be nice not to crash for once." Martha said, looking to Yaz and Graham who shrugged but didn't answer her silent question. They couldn't say things hadn't ended in explosions.

Yaz asks where they are going and the refuges answer to Ko Sharmus at the boundary - the only known point of safety supposedly. The boundary is apparently a gateway between this galaxy and the next - it will spit them out randomly in another part of the universe so the Cybermen can't follow

"How does that work?!" Jack asked, forehead scrunched up as he mentally went through his knowledge of future tech to try and figure out how this gateway could exist. River seemed to be doing the same thing on her other side. The Doctor was stuck between the two trying her best not to look at the Master who was giving across the impression of smugness though their link.

Alarms start sounding. Things are going wrong on the ship, Ravio claims it is all fine

"That's not fine." Donna decided, her voice showing no room for negotiation, not that anyone in the room was likely to argue.

They admit it's not fine

"At least she admits it." Mickey shrugged, with a small worried smile.

The whole system is melting down and Bescot says to get down, then there is an explosion

The group whipped around to check on the pair that had been in the ship who were offering small reassuring smiles that they had survived. The Doctor watched the pair for several minutes, she didn't know what had happened to them when they were separated, they hadn't had time to share stories and the adventure hadn't ended well.

In the cyberfighter at warp speed, Ryan is feeling sick. 13 offers a ginger humbug that she had in her pocket to help

"And why do you have ginger sweets in your pockets?!" River thundered, turning her whole body towards the Doctor next to her who shrunk slightly in her seat. It didn't help she could feel Jack's confused/angry glare from the other side of her and the Master's messy bundle of emotions across the room.

The rest of the room turned to the pair, a mix bag of confusion and worry. Most of them hadn't heard that tone from River and were confused over her anger about the sweets.

"River! Why are you shouting at her for having sweets? You know what she's like she usually has sweets in her pockets." Amy was the only one brave enough to ask her daughter the thought on most of their minds.

"Because, mother, they're ginger sweets." River gritted out, not taking her eyes off the Doctor. When silence met her announcement, she continued her explanation. "As I'm sure you'll remember the Doctor mentioned earlier that ginger was different for Time Lords. Ginger acts like alcohol for them. So, I would like an explanation for why you have something you know will get you 'drunk' so to say, on adventures when you need your full concentration?" The last part was directed towards a rather expressionless Doctor.

The Doctor couldn't hide her wince at the explosion of noise that met River's answers. They all wanted to know why and when and how and so many questions she didn't want to answer, but she'd promised to try and River wasn't going to let her get away with it.

She took a deep breath to steady herself, glancing up at her current companions first, they were the only ones that really deserved the answer – it was them that she could have put in danger with her stupid choices. "I just needed a break from everything sometimes. I didn't ever have any when we were in actual trouble but sometimes when you were all at home or asleep, I'd just have some time to myself and I couldn't help it. It helped me deal with the memories and Galif-… I'm sorry, I know it was dangerous but I never did it when I was with you, I swear." Her pleading answer was aimed to the trio watching her with eager eyes, apprehension clear on their faces.

"God Doc. It's not that we're worried about. Well, a little bit. But the fact that you were essentially drinking away your worries and memories is." Graham choked out, looking a bit pale with the revelation.

"I'm sorry." She answered for lack of anything else to say. She let out a small squeak when River grabbed her, she'd been so focused on her fam she'd been ignoring her wife. River pulled her against her side, so that she was tucked into her side and curled an arm around the Doctor, trapping her in a sort of hug. "River!"

"You shouldn't have those sweets but I can't and don't want to control you. Just let me hold you. I think we both need the comfort." River explained, holding her wife close to her. She felt the moment the Doctor agreed, as she practically sunk into her side, energy leaving her.

Ethan has programmed in the boundary as well, knowing that's where the others will be heading. At warp drive they should get there before them, he's been scanning for them but can't find them

"You're heading to the same place, that's good." Bill muttered; the room was still a bit too tense to really appreciate it though.

Ethan shares that his dad taught him how to hijack cyberships and destroy them when he was four. He was born in wartime - the cybermen determined to destroy the last of humanity

If the mood in the room wasn't already tense it would have been now. They'd gotten so focussed on the Doctor they'd forgotten the horrible fact of humanity almost being wiped out in a war against the Cybermen.

A hologram appears - Ashad. He says they know where they are and are going to find them. 13 isn't worried, she asks if he's consulted the Cyberium about her. She's stopped them before and will do it again

"Cyberium?" Clara asked, raising an eye at the Doctor in a way reminiscent of her school teacher days.

"It's what Ashad wanted when we found us in 1816. What Jack warned us not to let the Lone Cyberman get. He got it. It being a kind of AI with all the knowledge of the Cybermen, it's incredibly dangerous in his hands, well his mind." The Doctor explained, frown fixed on her face.

Ashad claims the Cyberium does know her but 13 and humanity will be destroyed. Ashad claims to have been a willing recruit to the Cyber Empire, he was first denied but understands now he chosen to revive the Cyber race

"He chose to be converted?!" Rose and Bill exclaimed at the same time; expressions clearly horrified. The Doctor grimaced but nodded.

"There's something wrong with him even before becoming a Cyberman then." Bill continued, mixed between disbelief and horror. That wiped away any worries she had about a partial conversion.

13 tell shim there's not glory in any of this and argues the anger that drives him is a human emotion, that real Cybermen have no emotions. Ashad just accepts it to her surprise

"Seriously Doctor?" She just shrugged; she really hadn't expected him to admit she was correct.

Ashad claims the Cyberium gave him understanding, everything is n him for the ascension of the Cybermen and beyond. 13 ask about the beyond, and Ashad tells her the death of everything is within him

"And that is a truly worrying statement." Amy announced with a grimace. The 'death of everything' was never a good thing. She didn't miss the glance the current companions and the Doctor shared which only increased her worry. Nothing good was coming.

In Ireland with another time jump, Brendan is chasing a thief next to a cliff. He demands the thief return the bag he stole

"Ireland again! And another time jump." Bill declared, slightly redundantly at this point but she'd started and was going to continue announcing the jump between stories.

The thief just pulls out a revolver

"That took a turn suddenly." Yaz blinked, chewing her lip slightly in worry. She had the advantage of knowing most of what happened with the Cybermen at least but she had no clue about Ireland and that made her more nervous. She also couldn't help with emphasise with young Brendan - she knew the dangers of work as a policewoman.

Brendan argues he doesn't need to do that, Michael (the thief) orders him to move. They change places so Brendan is on the cliff edge, he tells Michael he knows he doesn't want to use the gun. Michael shoots and Brendan fall backwards off the cliff, landing with a thud. The Sergeant runs along the beach

The room watched the screen a mixture of shock and horror clear on their faces. They really hadn't been expecting that turn of events. The Doctor risked a glance at the Master who met her eyes but kept his expression and emotions guarded – they both knew exactly what had happened. They were getting tantalisingly close to the truth and the Doctor wasn't sure how she could deal with the emotional mess that was inevitable. She was already wishing she still had those ginger sweets even if no one would approve.

Brendan sits up with a gasp, claiming he's fine. He asks which way the thief went before getting up and running off

"The hell?" Bill let out then blushed a bit at the volume she'd shouted it. The sentiment seemed to echo through the room though, all shocked by what they'd just seen.

"But he was dead! He was shot and even if he survived that, he fell off a cliff! How?!" Rose asked the room at large despite none of them having answers outside the Doctor and Master.

The Doctor just sighed, which she thought to herself she seemed to be doing a lot lately, but gave a vague answer to try and appease the room at least for now. "I promise it will be explained soon, just watch please." She was so distracted by the rest of the room she missed the looks River and Jack exchanged over her head, they both had a theory forming and they weren't liking it at all.

Later Brendan is checked over by a doctor, he claims ot have been lucky but Patrick and the sergeant share a look

"They know something. They absolutely know something." Bill pointed out, everything was making less and less sense.

Later, Meg reads the newspaper with the article - miracle fall officer receives commendation

Back in the future on the Gravraft, the group are alive

"Back to trouble in space then. Glad you're still alive." Mickey offered the current companions a smile. The whole room was glad to see them well on screen even though they knew they had survived as they were in the room with them.

Ydelarmi says to give it time

"Well, he's a bundle of fun." Nardole muttered.

They all fail at end-of-life speeches as Yaz tried to work out what they can do. Everything is shut down as they need to convert the little power they have left. There is a thud on the hull

"That doesn't sound good." Rory sighed, closing his eyes tightly for a second as if would make the danger disappear.

They don't know what it was, they think they are in the middle of space and Ydlerami continues to be a pocket full of sunshine leading to Graham calling him Eyeore

That comment earned a few chuckles from the room, glad for the break from the tense atmosphere that kept creeping in to suffocate them.

They decide they're not going down without a fight. Yaz decides to take a look out, she finds bits of dead Cybermen floating in space

"That's not good. Let's hope they really are dead." Clara declared, shooting the pair a nervous look every so often.

Ravio decides it must be one of the last battel sites, Graham wants reassurance they're dead as the ship turns

"A ship. That's good right?" Rose asked hopefully. The look that Graham and Yaz shared didn't reassure her.

Yaz can also see dormant ships and lets Graham have a look. Graham spots a close ship with a docking bay. They decide to channel the last of the remaining energy off the systems to try and make it

"Look at you two with the brilliant ideas! Ten points." The Doctor grinned proud of the pair while the three current companions bemoaned the reappearance of the point system.

Venting the air pressure could spin them enough but it also might kill them. They decide to do it as they are dead if they don't try. Yedlarmi thinks they've gone mad. Yaz argues saying they're not mad, just hopeful

"Half the time I think they're the same thing." Donna grumbled. The Doctor grinned madly, that explained a lot about her then.

Graham tells them to not panic and not take any deep breath as they won't come, Yaz shares they've been stranded in space before

The trio and the Doctor shared a look remembering their first proper adventure as a group when they'd ended up stuck in space while trying to find the Tardis. It seemed like so long ago now. They'd come so far and seen so many things since then.

They go ahead with the plan and the Gravcraft tumbles towards the Cybercruiser, slotting into the coking bay. They  succeeded

A cheer broke out across the room, happy for some good news at last.

They enter the ginormous ship, triggering automatic sensors which set everything going again as they came in. They decide to have a look around. A cyberfighter drops out of warp nearby

"Out of trouble in one way and straight into trouble in another way." Martha shook her head. "Typical."

With the Cybermen - they track the humans to the carrier ship

The room glanced at the pair worried, they were practically trapped on the giant ship with Cybermen coming after them, things weren't looking good and they still didn't know where Ryan and the Doctor were.

On a new planet, the Doctor hails Ko Sharmus from the Cyberfighter. An older man comes out of a tent and reponds to the hail

"At least you two have found the right place. Graham and Yaz just need to find a way there to meet you." Rory said, glancing between the trio and the Doctor.

The group on the Cyberfighter celebrate that they made it, 13 introduces herself and the old man introduces himself as Ko Sharmus. 13 is a bit shocked as she thought Ko Sharmus was a planet not a person

The room turned to look at the Doctor. "Did you really think Ko Sharmus was a planet?" Amy asked, disbelief clear in her voice as was a tone of fondness.

The Doctor shrugged. "You never know, wouldn't be the first time I met a sentient planet." That drew her some more looks but she didn't offer any more information and the video continued playing.

Ko Sharmus asks what they want, Ethan tells him they're human and came to cross the boundary. Ko Sharmus says no

"What do you mean 'no'?" Donna protested for the sake of the people on screen, the rest of the room seemed equally annoyed and disbelieving.

13 aka what he means, Ko Sharmus argues there are no more humans

"Well, he's in for a shock." Rose grinned.

13 declares he's wrong, they've stolen a Cybership but aren't Cybermen and are friendly with more to come. She hangs up to land the ship

"I don't think you're capable of flying anything properly, Doc." Graham teased, happy to see the pair semi-safe. The Doctor just pouted while the others laughed.

Ko Sharmus watches them land.

Back on the Cybercarrier, they are exploring. Graham is cheerful because they are alive, Yaz is laughing at him, exclaiming he's come a long way

The pair shared a grin, they really had come a long way since meeting the Doctor. Watching the videos just made the difference all the clearer. To think that he'd wanted to run away the first time he had heard the word 'aliens' and now he was coming up with plans to save the last of humanity in the middle of space in the far future.

Ydlerami leads the way to Cybercontrol as he has raided a carrier before. They find out the ship is a War carrier and ask the question what was it  carrying

"Why is there always bad news with the good news?" Mickey complained.

Jack however seemed to have suddenly had an idea. "If it's a carrier and you being there is waking up all the systems then -." He trailed off, worry clear in his face. The grim expressions on Yaz and Graham's faces told him everything he needed to know. His words had clearly got the rest of the room thinking as they looked even more worried than they were before.

They reach Cyber control and find systems still intact. They can use it to reach Ko Sharmus and maybe even cross the boundary. Graham jokingly warns Ydlerami to be careful as he almost sounds positive

"Really Grandad?" Ryan shook his head at Graham's antics.

"What?" Graham protested confused.

Ravio and Graham split up from the rest to look around. Graham jokes he was born careful when Yaz tells him to be, then Yaz agrees with his answer

Graham shot Yaz a look while both her and Ryan started chuckling. The rest of the room started as well after a few minutes, glad to see the group in a good enough mood to make jokes despite the clear danger.

Yderami reboots the ship one section at a time. Graham and Ravio are on level 139 as the ship staggers, they think the others got them moving

"That or you're being boarded. Personally, I'm voting for your idea." Jack said, glancing at Yaz and Graham who didn't answer either way.

They talk about the future with some awkward flirting as they explore. Graham uses some cockney rhyming slang and Ravio calms him strange, which Graham argues with but Ravio likes strange

"Are you flirting? Ew, Graham." Ryan complained, looking a bit ill at seeing Graham flirting with someone. Yaz just started laughing at his expression and Graham's confuddled one.

The lights don't come on and the doors close behind them. Graham kicks a pod and it powers up. Ravio puts a blue disc on the pod and it reveals its contents - they're on a troop carrier. They're surrounded by Fresh Cybermen, warrior class, ready to fight

"Oh no."

"That's an understatement."

The lights come on revealing tons of pods as they work out they're surrounded by thousands of Cybermen on each floor, and there are several hundred floors. And they're in the middle of stealing the ship

"Because things couldn't get much worse." Clara sighed. The companions' faces showed their concern for the pair. They had nowhere to hide from the Cybermen waking up on the ship and they had other Cybermen already hunting them. Five humans against thousands (if not more) Cybermen really weren't good odds. Things really weren't looking great.

Back  in the docking bay, Ashad and the other two Cybermen arrive.

On planet at the boundary, 13 greets Ko Sharmus, trying to work out what time of day it is

"Priorities Doctor!" Donna berated. The Doctor offered a sheepish grin but underneath the paper-thin grin she was worried about Yaz and Graham. She knew they were safe, she knew they came out unharmed but it was different to see everything, to see all the danger they were in, the danger she had put them in.

Ko Sharmus is in disbelief over there being three of them, just when he was losing hope. 13 introduces them then asks about the defences

"Technically it's only two humans with another five on the way hopefully but I don't think its time to get into all that." River said, squeezing the Doctor's arm. She still held the Doctor trapped against her, not that she minded that much – she was happy to be back in her wife's arms but she was slightly (extremely) concerned about escape routes for when everything was revealed.

In Ko Sharmus' hut, he reveal she fought in the war before bing captured and put in a human interment camp for processing. He luckily managed to escape with some others and managed to find the boundary, they built a shelter as the word spread and others came

"But where is everyone else?" Martha asked, inspecting the screen as if waiting of other humans to appear. Ko Sharmus' attitude and response to seeing them wasn't particularly promising.

It's only him left though as the others all went through. Ko Sharmus decided to stay in case others came. Ethan asks if the boundary is real, Ko Sharmus declares it is and offers to show them

"Yes, please do. I want to see this magical boundary." Jack said mostly to himself. Leaning forward in his seat with a glance at the Doctor and River (who seemed to share the same sentiment), eager to see this so called 'boundary'.

On the Cybercarrier at Cybercontrol an alarms sound letting them know they've been boarded

"Good, you know you're in trouble. Now you have a chance to hide or escape." Rose nodded. Half the time it seemed they had no warning and danger appeared before they could plan anything. Yaz and Graham at least had a chance to do something before they were completely trapped.

Yedlarmi opens the comms channel warning Ravio and Graham about being boarded. They don't reply the first but do the second

"Sorry Graham." Yaz offered Graham a small smile, she'd been worried when they hadn't answered the first time. Ryan was looking between the pair nervous; they really hadn't gotten into detail on how close they'd been.

Ashad and escort enter the Warrior storage area, claiming ascension is near

"Really not good."

At Cybercontrol they argue about what to do as they can't take this many dormant Cybermen to the border but they don't have another ship. Graham and Yaz are determined to not give up while the others despair

Graham and Yaz shared a glance, they didn't know what else to have done at the time and thankfully they seemed to have made the right choice. The rest of the room were watching the screen, concern obvious on their faces which was nice to see. Ryan was glancing between the two worried, it was different seeing the danger on screen, when it was actually happening - they didn't normally have much time to react to anything.

The Doctor grinned proud to see how much they'd all changed since she'd first met them, they'd grown in confidence and here they were helping others and surviving against all odds.

They spy on Ashad to learn he's opening pods

"Great just great." Nardole grumbled.

Ashad and his escort fire lasers at the Cybermen in the pods making the Cybermen scream

"That is terrifying. What are they doing?!" Bill frowned at the screen; she really didn't like the Cybermen but whatever could make them scream like that was not good.

At the boundary, the four are staring at the sea. Ko Sharmus explains this is where it starts and he's seen people go through and hopes they're alive somewhere safe. 13 mentions its a big risk, a leap into the unknown everyone has been taking - Ko Sharmus says it better than the alternative. He says to step closer as it responds to proximity

"So, he has no actual clue what it is or how it works, great." Amy rolled her eyes. "But you're going to go poke it anyway because that's just what you do." The Doctor just offered a shaky smile and shrug, they were getting so close to the truth and it was slowly eating away at her.

The Doctor walks forward and a purple vortex appears, Ko Sharmus admits to having no clue what it is but it gets them out of there

"I think I'd want to understand what the glow-y thing was and If I would survive it before I ran through it." Rory argued, gaining a few nods of agreement and a few sheepish looks from those who would have absolutely just gone through said glow-y thing.

In Ireland, Brendan is old and retiring from the Garda at a little ceremony and is presented with a gift - a clock.

"Ireland again. You're definitely right Clara, Brendan's the only one ageing." Bill announced, watching the screen carefully.

"Something weird is going on there." Graham agreed.

"What gave it away Grandad, Brendan not dying after being shot or falling off a cliff?" Ryan snorted; sarcasm clear in his voice but also the undertone of concern. No one knew what was going on in Ireland but, just as with the Cybermen, it was nothing good.

Outside the Garda office, old Brendan meets his father and the sergeant who haven't aged. They take him to a back office and handcuff Brendan to a chair, putting headphones on him and the clock on the table

"What are they doing?!" Rose asked apprehensive. It seemed clear to the room that whatever was going on – the Sergeant and Patrick knew, Brendan was at the centre of it all and it wasn't anything good.

PATRICK: We have to get rid of everything, I'm afraid.
SERGEANT: Thank you for your service. We're sorry you won't remember it.
(The Sergeant turns on the machine and Brendan writhes and screams.)

Martha gasped, hand racing up to her mouth as she connected some strings. River and Jack also seemed to have finally figured something out glancing worriedly at the Doctor who hid her face in River's side. The clock had definitely helped connect a few ideas, whatever was going on with Brendan it was directly linked to Gallifrey and this secret, their theories were worrying them and they just wanted confirmation they were wrong at this point.

The rest of the room was oblivious to this exchange, simply watching the screen in horror. The Master schooled his face deceptively blank – he didn't want the Doctor to know how he had reacted the first time he had seen the truth and that was all he could think about watching the screen, knowing who it was in that chair screaming.

On the Cybercarrier, they've made it to the Boundary or close enough to send a signal to warn the others. The pods start opening as the warriors step out, and Ashad tells them they're coming for them

The room watched the screen but were still too shocked to actually say anything. The danger was obvious but they were here safe and everyone's emotions were all over the place to really register much for the moment. Brendan's screams still haunted them.

Yaz sends a signal to the Doctor on all frequencies, the Doctor responds, and Yaz warns them they're on a Cyber battel cruiser with Ashad and a lot of troops waking up

"Good you've got contact." Mickey nodded, squeezing his wife's hand. He was worried about how she'd reacted to Breandan and he hadn't missed how she kept glancing between the screen and the Doctor, worry clear across her face – she'd worked something out that he was missing.

Graham warns the group the soldiers are coming as he closes he bulkhead door

"That won't hold them for long." Jack muttered worried.

"It's better than nothing." Graham argued back, not really that bothered by the comment he knew Jack was just worried. They all were.

13 tells them to get off the ship, but they're trapped and the soldiers about to break in. 13 shouts for Yaz but something happened at the boundary

"Bad timing." Rory muttered, watching the screen anxiously, everything seemed to suddenly be happening at once.

The Doctor is in shock while the others are confused, Ko Sharmus has never seen that before. Through the boundary is Gallifrey

"How? Why? That's honestly one of the worst things that could happen right now." Clara said, shooting the Doctor worried looks. She really didn't need the reminder of what had happened with her home when her friends were in such serious danger. The rest of the room seemed mixed between shocked at the appearance of Gallifrey and worried for how the Doctor would handle it and scared for the danger they were all in.

Yaz and Graham shared a glance that definitely explained a few things, they hadn't gotten much of an explanation regarding the planet and boundary the first time. Then they glanced at Ryan and all three seemed to have the same thought – they would finally find out what had happened through the boundary and hopefully what had happened to the Doctor that led to them all being brought here.

The Doctor just glared at the screen, ignoring the Master pushing at their bond and River squeezing her arm in an attempt of comfort. Things weren't ending they were only just starting.

(The Cybermen push the door open.)
DOCTOR: How is Gallifrey here?
(Then a figure jumps in.)
MASTER: Wow! Oh! Ah! That's a good entrance, right? Be afraid, Doctor. Because everything is about to change... forever.

"I was wrong." Clara declared in the ensuing silence that suffocated the room. "He's officially the worst thing that could happen right now." She glared at the Master who preened in his seat, smugness radiating off him – oh, he was so excited to see their reactions and the Doctor dealing with those reactions. He wanted to see their interaction again, he wanted her attention all for himself.

The Doctor just managed to grab Jack's arm before he lunged to his feet to try and punch the Master. She glared him down when he whirled around to try and escape her grasp. He must have found something in her expression as he reluctantly settled back down on the sofa, poised on the edge ready for action. Instead, he glared at the Master who smirked back seemingly unaffected. "What have you done? Because destroying Gallifrey wasn't enough. What have you done to her?" He practically spat out, the Doctor kept a light grip on his arm to prevent him changing his mind and taking a leap at the Master. She was just glad that River had her other hand otherwise she thought River might have also had a go at the Master.

"Do. What did I do to her? For once you'll be glad to know I did nothing Freak. Gallifrey did everything I simply showed her the truth." The Master practically purred, his eyes focussed on the Doctor rather than Jack, he wasn't sure what he wanted to see in her expression but he didn't get it, the Doctor was too busy looking round the room to focus on him. That thought turned sour in the pit of his stomach – of course even now he still didn't have her attention.

"What does that even mean?" River argued reaching the limits with her frustration, glaring fiercely at the Master, annoyed that his focus was till on the Doctor and no one else.

The Master laughed, a laugh edging on hysteria and madness. "Yes Doctor. Why don't you tell your little pets what they did to you? Why don't you tell them the truth about the Timeless Child?" That got her attention. The Doctor met his eyes, hazel eyes meeting hazel eyes both a swirl of madness, grief, fury and indescribable sadness. She couldn't even begin to untangle the mess of emotions that she was getting through their bond, maybe he had been more affected by what he had learnt than she first thought.

"-tor… Doctor?!" The Doctor's attention snapped away from the Master and back to Jack who had clearly been calling her name for a while based on how worried he looked.

"Sorry. What is it Jack?" She mumbled out, thoughts still focused on the Master and Timeless Child.

That did nothing to alleviate Jack's worry. "What did he mean Doctor? We've all had enough of the secrets. Please." He was practically begging at the end which was unusual for him. She spared a glance around the room taking in all the anxious, concerned and frustrated looks. Martha in particular looked like she was holding back tears – had she figured something out? If any of her companions, outside of Jack and River, were likely to piece it together it would be her or Clara. Martha had seen the Chameleon Arch after all and what had happened in the Ireland part with Brendan was probably close enough to worry her.

She forced her focus away from that mystery and back to Jack who looked like he was about to start calling her name again. She took a deep breath to try and calm the jittery feeling slowly taking her over, it didn't work but she pushed forward anyway, they were waiting on answers. Answers she wasn't prepared to give. She glanced between Jack and River before leaving her eyes on the blank screen. "You're about to find out. Let's continue."

Chapter Text

No one was given a chance to speak before the words 'The Timeless Children' appeared on the screen. Apparently the Tardis agreed with the Doctor - they just needed to watch. It was finally time.

At the boundary, 13 asks how the Master is there. The Master tells her to take his hand, and she refuses

The pair had a staring contest, anger obvious to the rest of the room. There was a history there that none of them knew anything about, like with most interactions regarding the Doctor and the Master. River grabbed the Doctor's hand again, squeezing it to ground her back to the present. The Doctor finally looked away from the Master, offering a small smile to River to try and reassure her.

The Master resorts to threats to get what he wants (as normal)

The Master received glares from the rest of the room, which only made him smirk at them all, unrepentant. This time the Doctor refused to look at him, focusing purely on the screen to his frustration.

13 concedes and takes his hand, promising to be back. The Master says she won't before pulling 13 through the boundary to Gallifrey

"What are you planning?" Martha gritted out, glaring fiercely at the Master, she didn't like how he had said she wouldn't be back and all theories forming in her head about this secret were starting to scare her.

The Master didn't provide her with an answer, offering a grin full of teeth at her before glancing back at the Doctor. His enjoyment at antagonising her pets soured when she still refused to look his way (instead reassuring Martha, Jack and River) and when he remembered how this particular encounter ended.

The Doctor watched the screen, she hadn't noticed how soft his voice had been. It wasn't like his normal madness, he'd been entirely focused on her and what he'd found in the Matrix.

Ryan wants to go after her but Ethan wants to wait for the others. The debate is cut off by the arrival of the Cybership

"I appreciate the worry Ryan, but it would have been too dangerous and Ethan was right, you needed to wait for the others." The Doctor offered a small smile to Ryan, who smiled back nodding. Graham and Yaz smiled at him too, they'd definitely been glad to be reunited.

On the Cybercarrier, they're running. Bescot covers for the group but gets killed before she can join them

The group looked down. Sad to see yet another person die, especially so close to escape. The tension in the room was high – between Graham and Yaz being in danger with the Cybermen and the Doctor with the Master, no one could relax.

The others escape as Ashad claims the ship.

On Gallifrey, the Master is showing off his work, talking about running through the streets as children and hiding in alleys from Borusa as they skilled classes. He wants her to ask why he did this

The companions inspected the screen, stuck between a mix of awe at seeing the Doctor's home and worry for the Doctor's situation. The interactions between the Master and Doctor kept leaving them with so many questions they wanted to ask, but the room was too tense. Amy, ever the brave one, decided her curiosity outweighed the risk.

"Who's Borusa?" Rory closed his eyes tightly, constantly concerned about his wife's lack of self-preservation (although he couldn't deny his own curiosity – he just wouldn't have asked at this time).

The Master and Doctor shared a glance, seemingly having a silent conversation debating who would answer. For once they weren't glaring furiously at each other but seemed oddly reminiscent, it wasn't often they actually discussed their shared childhood bar the occasional off-hand comment. It was the Doctor who answered (the Master's argument being that the humans were her pets).

"He was our tutor as children, hence the skipping classes. He went a bit mad with power later on though." She paused, eyes a swirling mix of conflicting emotions (as was the way whenever her past or Gallifrey was brought up). "He died in the Time War ultimately." She glanced a look at the Master again, who seemed equally conflicted about Borusa – they both had plenty of good and bad memories about him. No one knew what to say to that, simply letting the video continue as the new information sank in.

She asks and the Master refuses to tell her. 13 wants to know if he's happy with all the death, he is. He's going t take her on a tour through the ruins of the capitol and warns her to not even think about getting away to helping her friends

"I'm always going to think about it." The Doctor shot across, back to glaring at the Master (she couldn't make her mind up whether ignoring him or reacting to him was better, well actually she had – ignoring him would be better but she kept forgetting that fact).

The Master wasn't given time to answer before Jack jumped in, perched on the edge of the sofa, body tightly coiled. "What is she supposed to do? Let you drag her around and gloat about destroying your home while her friends are in danger?" He snarled at the Master, any potential patience with the Time Lord gone between seeing the interactions on screen and the knowledge that he knew whatever this secret was. The Master just smirked at him so Jack added an extra remark, one that he knew would gain a reaction. "Maybe you don't know her as well as you like to say you do."

It got a reaction alright, just not the one he had expected. He had expected anger or gloating about how he knew her better than anyone, he'd interacted with the Master and read enough UNIT files to know he coveted his knowledge and relationship with the Doctor, however messed up that was. Instead, the Master's smirk dropped as he schooled his face blank, seemingly deflating in his seat. Jack was conscious of the Doctor's sharp inhale at his comment but focused on the Master's reaction, that was truly bewildering. He was about to chase after an answer but the Doctor grabbed his arm, causing him to turn to her. Her eyes were sad as she shook her head, he closed his mouth confused but knowing the Doctor was serious – this was not something he wanted to chase.

On the Cybercarrier, the group escape down the access ladder, Ydlerami tells them that Bescot was killed and wants to go back for her

"No offense but that's a terrible idea. What would they do with her body? You'd just end up getting caught and killed." Mickey stated, frowning. He understood the sentiment and that they were grieving but it was a terrible idea.

Yaz and Graham shared a glance, they'd thought the same. They understood their grief and fears but it would have gotten all of them killed. And they'd been focused on getting back to Ryan and the Doctor.

Graham argues, but Ydlerami remembers she had nightmares about being converted and doesn't want that to happen, he feels he owes her and is losing hope

"You can't give up hope, if you do then you have no chance at surviving." Rose muttered mostly to herself, chewing her lip slightly, everything on screen was making her nervous.

Graham reveals he has a plan but it might be very dangerous and not work, but he and Yaz agree that's kind of their speciality

"I feel like that's a dig at me." The Doctor attempted to joke, trying to break some of the tense atmosphere.

The rest of the room glanced at her. "He's right, Sweetie. All your plans are insane." River saved her form the suffocating silence, reigning in the tense atmosphere for the moment.

The Doctor was stuck between smiling at hr wife, thankful for the support and pouting at the comment. She ended up on fond indignation. "Hey! They work! … Usually."

"Heavens know how." River squeezed her hand tightly, an attempt to comfort both of them. She was resisting the urge to kidnap her wife and leave the room entirely; she wasn't liking the glances the Doctor kept sharing with the Master or any of their interactions on screen. She could tell they were getting very close to this secret and she was already sure she was going to despise it.

They open up a pod and Graham shares his plan to use the armour to disguise themself and get off the ship

The room turned to look at Graham, a mix of reactions to his plan. The Doctor seemed stuck between being proud and worried while the rest of the room varied form awed to disbelieving.

"I'm not sure that's how it works." Bill muttered, shivering with bad memories. Not many people heard her, too distracted by Jack.

"I like your style Silver Fox." Graham would forever deny blushing at that comment from Jack (and Ryan and Yaz would forever take great please in reminding him he had).

They aren't convinced about the plan, mentioning a Cyberman will be full of human remains, Graham's unperturbed

"Loving your attitude throughout this Graham." Bill laughed earning a slightly unsure smile back from Graham. The Doctor smiled softly, glad to see Bill not reacting negatively to the reminder of the Cybermen, instead focusing on Graham and Yaz.

They can't fake it for long but its the only plan they have. Ravio says she can disable the suits connection to the shared neural network and they decide to go with it despite it being insane

"That's typically the way with the Doctor." Donna offered a rueful grin, gaining chuckles from the rest of the companions while the Doctor pouted.

At the boundary - Ko Sharmus reveals his weapon store, Ryan isn't convince by the idea

Graham and Yaz nudged him, grinning. The Doctor grinned at him too, all three remembering Ryan's first attempt with weapons. Their humour gained a few curious looks.

"I'm guessing there's a story there." Rory said pointedly, looking between the group.

Ryan groaned, ignoring the other three's snickering but answered anyway. "Our first proper adventure when we were trying to find the Tardis, I decide to ignore the Doctor and try and use a gun. It didn't go well." Ryan grimaced a bit embarrassed.

Yaz wasn't merciful and offered the rest of the story between chuckles. "He couldn't figure out how to work the gun and came running back tail between his legs when the robot things started shooting at him."

The full explanation drew some chuckled form the rest of the group while Ryan hung his head in an attempt to hide his embarrassment.

Ko Sharmus tells him he can be a pacifist later, he needs to survive today.

On Gallifrey, the Master continues his tour with the Citadel. He is talking about his plans to change the place and talks about old memories - graduation, assassinated presidents and how much fun it all was

"You're completely unhinged." Amy declared matter-of-fact. She had never met the Master in person before all this and now she was quite glad that was the case. The Master just grinned, all teeth, at her.

The Master gets a notification - the Cybermen are at the boundary and he hails them

The room went back to glaring at the Master, angry for all the destruction and his blasé manner towards his destroyed home. Bill and Clara glared fiercely, neither enjoying the reminder of their last interaction with the Master and Cybermen together.

The Doctor could barely hide a flinch as the Master listed the destruction. They were getting so close and she wasn't sure how she was going to cope; she was terrified how they would all react.

The Cybermen answer his hail. Ashad asks who he is and the Master introduces himself, offering to be best friends

Bill shuddered slightly in her seat, unseen to most of the room. The Master and the Cybermen interacting on screen were bringing back horrible memories that she'd been working to move past. The Doctor and Clara were the only people that noticed her darkening mood. The Doctor frowned, tempted to go and reassure Bill but knowing it wasn't likely River and Jack were going to let her leave her space between them (plus she didn't want to be that close to the Master at the minute).

Clara noticed the other young woman's change in mood, and offered an understanding smile. She remembered all too clearly Bill's story of being converted and the Master and Cybermen weren't exactly bringing back nice memories for her either. The understanding in Clara's expression seemed to reassure Bill who smiled softly back. Neither one of them noticed the Doctor watching them both proud and sad. She was glad to see her friends getting along but she hated that they had reason to share fears and past traumas. It seemed she never learnt her lesson.

He explains the boundary and tells him to just come through, offering Gallifrey.

"You're seriously going to give your own planet to the Cybermen?" Rose asked shocked, gaping at the Master.

The Master stared her down with madness in his eyes. "I burnt Gallifrey to ashes, I can do what I want with the planet." Rose looked away first, while the Doctor just glared at the Master.

13 argues against them being brought there and says it is just between them. The Master scolds her, before promising to roll out the red carpet, red as it is soaked in the blood of their people

The Doctor couldn't hide her flinch that time. River pulled her closer to her side again, squeezing her hand tightly while Jack practically growled looking ready to jump up and punch the Master again. The Master watched their movement, face deceptively blank (he hated how close she was to the freak and half-breed, but he didn't know how to feel about anything else – he was mad but the Doctor always induced an ugly swirl of mixed emotions he couldn't describe).

It was a startling reminder to the rest of the room about the situation. They'd spent the last video shocked and horrified by the existence of only seven (now four) humans left in the future and here the Doctor was being reminded she was one of only two of her species left. It put things in perspective a bit.

The Master sends navigation patterns and tells them to land in the ruins and send a death squadron or whatever they call it. He suggests killing the last three humans as they're weak and it shouldn't take long. He cuts off the communication

The Doctor glared at the Master, furious at his disregard toward her friends and the other human's lives. This time Jack wasn't alone in looking like he was fantasising about punching the Master – most of the room shared the expression.

Graham, Ryan and Yaz shared a glance. That explained all the Cybermen suddenly deciding to attack. Not that they weren't always going to attack, just why at that time.

Clara, Bill and Martha's glares were particularly dark and spectacular. All had very good reason to hate (and fear) the Master.

Ashad sends three execution units (six Cybermen) to the planet before they set a course for Gallifrey

On Planet, Ko Sharmus, Ethan and Ryan ready themself for the incoming Cybermen

There were a few small smiles at the confused looks on Ryan and Ethan's faces but the room was far too tense for anything else. Everything was heating up – Graham and Yaz were in trouble on the ship, Ryan was in danger at the boundary, and the Doctor was at the Master's mercy in the ruins of her home planet.

More Cybermen beam down as the group on the Cybercarrier watch

"You could use it to get to the boundary too." Martha grinned, happy to see at least something good amongst all the trouble.

Ko Sharmus wishes the other two luck as more Cybermen beam down

"Good moto." Nardole muttered, no one paid much attention to him, all to focused on the screen.

On the Cybercarrier, Ydlerami and Ravio are cutting up the armour. Yaz and Graham talk briefly, Graham worrying about not getting out of this but Yaz reassures him they will

Yaz and Graham shared small smiles, both remembering this interaction and infinitely glad they had survived and managed to reunite with Ryan and the Doctor, but they stuck by what they had said. It wasn't too often they spent time alone just the two of them but in some way they had enjoyed the chance despite the danger.

Graham compliments Yaz, saying she is the best person he's ever met and she's doing her family proud, Yaz is honoured and then responds with Graham not being such a bad human himself - look she'd from Yorkshire alright, that's high praise

That managed to surprise a few laughs out of people, it helped knowing that all three of the companions were here safe, so they had survived no matter how dangerous things got on screen. It was nice to see such a pure interaction though between the pair. It was a break from all the danger and tension that they desperately needed. Ryan just rolled his eyes at the pair.

Ydlerami and Ravio finish - they're ready

Meanwhile, Ashad is going after the humans on the ship when they have no surveillance of them

"They know that you're there." Clara said worried. Yaz and Graham offered her reassuring smiles, glad to see her care but not wanting her to overly worry (they hadn't missed some of the Doctor's worried glances at Bill and Clara throughout the video – it wasn't difficult to guess there was a history with the Cybermen there).

At the Citadel, 13 asks about the Master's plan. The Master tells he she'll have other things to think about, as he's finally going to show her the truth when he told her everything she knew was a lie before

The group looked up at the mention of the truth, they were all desperate at this point to find out what secret had led to the Tardis bringing them together like this. None of them liked the idea of the Master being the one to reveal it to the Doctor (or being anywhere near the Doctor actually) but they couldn't deal with all the secrecy anymore.

The Doctor glared at the Master, furious at how much he enjoyed telling her, then the realisation of what was coming hit her again and she glanced away, staring determinedly at the screen - she didn't want to relieve the horror of the mess in the Matrix but it wasn't like she was going to get a choice. The only small silver lining was the chance to analyse the story, to see it again and not be so focused on everything else going on.

DOCTOR: Do you really think I'm going to believe anything that comes out of your mouth?

The Doctor shrunk down in her seat, taking her hand back from River and curling both her hands into fists. Her fury curled along her mental link to the Master, whipping at his end of the bond. It made him straighten up in his seat, curious about this strain of fury. It was a different level to her constant anger over the episode so far.

"Thinking about something dear?" The Master asked, trying to disguise his curiosity under an attitude of uncaring. The Doctor's head snapped to look at him, her eyes swirling with the fury he could steal feel lashing at his mind.

"Remembering the last time I trusted information you provided." The Doctor gritted out. The rest of the room were watching the exchange wearily, River kept moving a hand as if to grab the Doctor's hand again but always stopped short.

"I told you I was going to come back, but of course you don't believe-." The Master snarled, feeling his own fury rise, he'd thought they'd already had this argument about Missy leaving.

His building rant was stopped by the Doctor. "No." That froze him, his anger leaving his body all at once. Now he really was confused, he probably wasn't even hiding it from the rest of the room. The Doctor took a noticeably shuddering breath, knuckles turning white as her fists clenched and unclenched in repetition. "The coordinates, Master."

He couldn't ignore the shiver that made its way uninvited through this body at hearing her say his name, she didn't do it often but oh, how he loved to hear her say his name. Then the words caught up with him, the coordinates? Oh. His realisation must have been visible as she hissed out something that made no sense before looking back to the screen. His eyes remained glued to her; Missy hadn't hesitated in giving her those coordinates but he hadn't thought it would have made her so furious. It had been a small trick, his (her?) way of getting the last word. Clearly it had affected her much more than he thought it would have, he'd known she'd be angry but this level of fury? Maybe he didn't know her as well as he thought he did.

The Master introduces the Matrix - the databank of all Time Lords loving and dead. This was what started it, he explains he was just playing around and hacking when he found the truth - and now its time the Doctor sees it too

"You've always loved hacking the Matrix, any chance you got." The Doctor said, deceptively calm. Unnerving the Master, when she was this calm – well there was a reason she was called the oncoming storm. "It never ended well for you, did it?" The Master refused to look at her for once, he knew she was trying to get a rise from him (and usually it worked) but his emotions were doing cartwheels and he didn't want her to see his turmoil.

13 is surprised by a glowing field surrounding her as she asks what he means - he's trapped her in a paralysis field

"Doctor!" Rose cried out almost instinctively, jolting forward in her seat at seeing the Doctor in obvious pain. She hadn't been the only one, most of the room's inhabitants had startled forward or shifted in their seat as if they could enter the screen and help.

Yaz, Graham and Ryan couldn't help but feel a bit guilty. They knew they'd been in their own danger but it was still hard to see the Doctor in pain and trapped with the Master. It wasn't logical but feelings rarely were.

Seeing the Doctor trapped on screen seemed to be the last straw for Jack and River. Jack leapt up form his place on the sofa while River grabbed the Doctor and tucked her close to her side, placing a gentle kiss on her forehead. Almost of planned, the Doctor was so distracted by River that she wasn't able to grab Jack before he made his way across the room. It happened quicker than anyone else in the room could realise, giving them no chance to stop him (not that they wanted too).

Jack prowled across the short distance to the Master's armchair and punched him hard in the face, causing the Master's head to snap to the side, a red mark already growing indicating the truly dramatic bruises that would grace his face in time. Jack snarled at him once, fist twitching as if he wanted to punch him again but an aborted noise from the Doctor (trying and failing to escape River's clutches) brought him back to reality. He took a deep grounding breath before making his way back to the Doctor's side. He looked far too proud of himself, as did River. With a jolt the Doctor realised they had planned it, they had plenty of time during the last break and she'd seen them scheming away.

The Doctor managed to escape River's embrace finally, shifting to sit in the middle of the sofa, just not touching either of the other time travellers sharing it with her. She watched the Master bring a hand up to gently feel the sight of the punch, stretching his jaw to test the movement. He just raised an eyebrow at her, far too smug for having just been punched in the face. The Doctor managed to tear her eyes away from him to finally face Jack and River. (She was ignoring the rets of the room who were watching the group like it was a very interesting new drama, most of them looked far too happy to see the Master get socked across the face).

"Jack-." The Doctor started, not actually sure what she was going to say. On one hand she really couldn't condone his actions (and she didn't like the idea that River and Jack were clearly scheming together) but on the other she couldn't deny he'd kind of deserved it and she had pushed him in the Matrix so was she any better?

"No Doctor." Jack started expression determined. "He's had that coming for a long time, for so many reasons." Well, she couldn't exactly deny that either. She just frowned at the pair who seemed to find that satisfying another an answer.

13 begs for her friends, asking him to not let the Cybermen get them if the history between them means anything at all. The Master is offended at her attempt to appeal to the better nature he doesn't have. The history between them is the rage and pain in his heart. He tells her he is sending her deep in the Matrix to see the truth, and to brace herself as it is going to hurt

"Did it hurt you?" Martha asked sharply, watching the Master who had been analysing the screen with a dark expression.

The Master starred at her blankly for a moment before letting out a hollow laugh (which sent shivers down the backs of most of the companions). "Everything to do with the Doctor always hurts. But I'd imagine you'd know that Martha Jones."

"Smith. Martha Smith. The Doctor shows us the best of the universe and sometimes the worst. Yes, it hurts at times but there's also joy and love, it's worth it in the end. But I'd imagine you'd know that Mr Saxon or you wouldn't continue to chase after her." Martha's answer was scathing and seemed to genuinely surprise the Master who just grimaced and glanced away from the rest of the room, pointedly not looking at the Doctor.

The Doctor in turn was ignoring him too, instead focussing on Martha, worried about how the Master's remarks had affected her. Mickey was squeezing her hand tightly in comfort but it didn't look like she needed it, she looked proud of herself, expression similar to Jack's when he had punched the Master. Maybe this was semi-therapeutic, the whole facing your demons thing that people always talk about (not that the Doctor wanted to face any of her demons, let alone the ones about to be shown on screen but as usual she didn't get a choice).

"Erm, what does he mean about 'sending you into the Matrix', like how and what?" Bill asked, hand raised as if she was still in school. She was far too curious and purposely ignoring the tenser atmosphere. A few other nodded along, happy someone had voiced the question that was on their minds.

The Doctor chewed on her lip for a minute debating how to answer the question. "The Matrix is complicated, technology far beyond Earth. It's a kind of supercomputer that allows simulations of environments and can predict future events. Like the Master said it also stores the consciousness of Time Lords when they die and each Tardis is connected to it so it has all the experiences of the Time Lords." She tried to explain, pausing to let that sink in before continuing. "When he says he is sending me in, he means he is connecting us to the Matrix through the Matrix Chamber that we are in, immersing us in the simulated reality, simulated memories almost. Think one of those VR headsets that are around in your time, but nothing like that."

That answer seemed to satisfy or confuse the group even more but either way no one asked anymore questions.

On the Cybercarrier, Ashad stalks along a wall of pods where the group are hiding. He opens one and looks inside the eye socket where Yaz is hiding

Both Bill and the Doctor flinched at seeing the tear fall down Yaz's cheek. Both muttering quietly to themselves, "Where there's tears, there's hope." The few people near them that heard glanced at them, curious and concerned but both shook them off. They didn't want to talk about it.

He is distracted by a clang and looks at another pod. A Cyberguard tells him of their proximity to the boundary and Ashad leaves. The group decide they need to get off the ship now as it crosses the boundary

"That was far too close." Ryan muttered worried; he really hadn't known quite how close it had gotten. The rest of the group seemed to agree but were happy to see the plan was mostly working.

In the Matrix, the Master asks if 13 is suffering comfortably

That comment drew a few angry twitches from the group but most were far too focused on the screen. This was it - they could feel it. All the secrets and questions were finally going to be answered, whatever the Tardis had brought them here to see they were about to see.

The Doctor glared at the screen, analysing every word. She'd been so focussed on the Master's plot and her friend's safety that she hadn't given the story the full analysis it had deserved. She'd spent plenty of time in her cell debating and investigating the story mentally but it was something else to hear and see the Master's delivery again.

The Master was also watching the screen but not as intensely as the rest of the room. He'd played the memories over and over when he'd first discovered them, he'd taken them apart and put them back together, not wanting to believe them. He was far more eager to see the Doctor's little pet's reactions and how she would deal with them. He periodically glanced back at the Doctor who looked like she wanted to set the screen on fire with her eyes, he couldn't deny how delighted he was to see that fury, it wasn't often he truly saw the depth of the Doctor's fury and it was normally a treat he savoured.

He starts his tale - before everything they knew, including the Time Lords, there was an explorer named Tecteun from a sparsely populated planet called Gallifrey

"Gallifrey?" Rory jolted not having realised he had spoken until he'd noticed the glances from the rest of the room. "I mean I know the secret was to do with Gallifrey but that long ago? Why is it relevant?"

The Doctor just sighed. "Please Rory, just watch - you'll understand soon. The Time Lords have always kept secrets about Gallifrey and the founding is full of holes in knowledge and myths, but this secret? I should have expected something like this. Just watch, please." The Doctor pleaded, she muttered most of it to herself giving the impression that she hadn't really intended for them to hear some of it.

Tecteun was the first of the Shobogans, Gallifrey's indigenous race, to develop space travel

"Shobogans?" Rose asked. She hesitated when she realised that she'd asked the question when the Doctor had just asked for them to watch but didn't rescind her question, she was curious and wanted answers.

"The indigenous race, before there were Time Lords." The Doctor answered without taking her eyes off the screen, she kept shrinking further down in her seat, as if hoping the sofa would swallow her whole.

Dangerous and simple space travel. She explored the galaxies and on one journey to the far edge of a galaxy she found an impossible gateway. A boundary to another world, beneath the monument she found an abandoned child seemingly from across the boundary

"They abandoned a child!" Donna spat out, shocked and furious. It wasn't a question, not really but the Doctor just shrugged, face schooled carefully blank. River and Jack shared a worried glance, both reaching to take one of the Doctor's hand each in comfort, they were finally getting secrets but it was clearly hurting the Doctor. The Master was practically vibrating in his seat, smiling with far too much teeth – they were so close.

Tecteun made the choice to recuse the child and adopted them. They explored the universe and as the child grew older they returned to Gallifrey. Tecteun was a scientist though and wanted to understand her child

"That doesn't mean you experiment on them!" Clara protested, she'd worked at a school and knew first hand how horrible some parents could be to their children. The rest of the room seemed to agree, they could understand the desire for answers but it was a kid.

She looked for clues about the child's identity but found nothing. It remained a mystery until, when playing with a friend - another child - the child fell from a cliff in a tragic accident

"Ireland." Martha breathed out; eyes wide as she connected some more dots glancing to the Doctor in worry. River and Jack seemed to have made the same connection, squeezing her hands tighter.

"The Timeless Child is Brendan? Brendan is a Time Lord? How is that Ireland?" Amy asked rapidly, looking more and more concerned as theories went through her head. Some things were making more sense but there were so many more questions.

"Just watch please." The Doctor's voice broke slightly as she pleaded making the group fall silent to let the video continue.

Tecteun thought the child lost but the child regenerated - the first regeneration of anyone on Gallifrey

"Regeneration. That's how you change your face isn't it?" Graham asked, concern clear in his eyes as he took in the Doctor's slumped posture. Both the Doctor and River nodded in answer.

"That's why you can regenerate? Because of a lost child from who knows where. That's the secret that is haunting both of you?" Clara asked, disbelief and annoyance battling in her tone. She'd been expecting so much worse from the way both the Master and the Doctor were acting (not that an abandoned child dying wasn't bad but she'd expected so much worse).

The Master and Doctor shared a long look, before they turned their dark eyes on Clara. "There's more." They answered in sync, emotions clouding their voices that she couldn't quite place. Their answer really wasn't reassuring to anyone in the room.

The CyberCarrier lands on top of the Citadel

"Now that's just rude." Rose muttered; arms crossed. There was plenty of places to land that wasn't directly on top of the citadel.

Across the boundary, Ko Sharmus fights back against the invading Cybermen, they fall for a trap but quickly destroy it to his annoyance as he thought it would last longer

"They never do." Mickey bemoaned, glad for a break from the tension of the Matrix but still wanting answers like most of the room. It was reassuring to catch up on the companions and remaining humans, to find out how they escaped the danger.

They shoot at Ko Sharmus who starts the next part of the plan - Ryan, who's worried about his aim

"You can do it, son." Graham reassured Ryan, who smiled at him but answered back.

"You know it's already happened right?" Graham just shrugged, he hadn't been there at the time and was eager to see what had actually happened.

Ryan aims a device at a dozen Cybermen and scores - destroying them to his joy

"Well done Ryan. You finally got that shot." Yaz nudged him teasingly, grinning. "Maybe your next Basketball game will go better." Ryan just grinned back, still proud and very willing to ignore the teasing.

"Don't get too overconfident, eh." Graham nudged Ryan, still smiling though.

There's more behind them unfortunately, they hurry to get inside

"He's right. There always is more." Rose complained, drawing agreeing nods from the rest of the room.

Back at the Citadel. The Master talks with Ashad, telling him not to worry about the Doctor as she is fully under his control. He offers Gallifrey as a gift and offers to help put the wrongs his species have done to them right

The room glared at the Master, for both the sympathy towards the Cybermen and the comment about the Doctor. No one was happy with the idea of the Master teaming up with the Cybermen. Bill and Clara were especially uncomfortable, shifting unconsciously in their seats. The Master's plans may rarely work the way he wanted but to didn't mean they didn't hurt anyone, both of them were primary examples. The Doctor shot both of them a worried look, she knew this video was likely to bring up bad memories for both of them. The pair just offered small reassuring smiles back to her, not wanting her to worry about them when she was dealing with her own mess.

Ashad asks why, the Master thinks they have a common goal, and Ashad reveals his plan to destroy all organic life

"Personally, I don't like that goal." Bill declared. That was a bit of a difference from normal, usually the Cybermen were just trying to convert any humans they found not destroy all life.

The Master asks his method to do so, Ashad tells him about the death particle he has in his chest which the Cyberium created through him

"That's why you shouldn't have let him have the Cyberium." Jack complained, half-jokingly, hoping to get a proper reaction of the Doctor.

"It wasn't like you gave me much information to work with! Plus, there wasn't much choice at the time, we dealt with it." The Doctor threw her hands in the air, glad for the distraction from her spiralling thoughts. Jack just grinned at her knowingly.

The Master points out the flaw in his plan - Cybermen are part organic. Ashad mentions that the new Cyberwarriors are purged of organic parts and will be fully automations, and he will ascend to join them when his work is done

"So that's what they were doing with the Cybermen in the ship." Rory said, finally connecting the dots like most of the others in the room. It was nice to have some answers but the answers themselves were not nice.

The Master isn't impressed by the robot plan - saying it lacks vision and offers some notes

"First of all, I hate you. Like from what I have seen here and what the others have said you, I do not like you. And I hate how you are working with the Cybermen. But I do have to agree with you on the whole robot thing, kind of gets disappointing after a while." Amy declared, pointing at the Master who looked almost bewildered at the attention and declaration. Rory closed his eyes tightly, rubbing at his forehead as if to ward off a headache caused by his wife.

Ashad is offended that he questions the plan, the Master tells him anyone can make a robot, Ashad grabs the Master by the throat

"What is it with you two and being calm while having someone literally grab you by the neck?" Jack asked, he was starting to notice a pattern.

The pair shared a glance, before turning to Jack and answering in sync. "Experience."

The Master offers to help him be the dominant force in the universe and Ashad releases him. The Master offers to show Ashad something he's been storing after asking about the conversion processor on his ship. He reassures Ashad the Doctor is waking up in the Matrix but his consciousness will deal with her

The Doctor grimaced realising what the Master meant by being a hoarder, that was where he'd gotten the bodies for his hybrid Time Lord-Cybermen creations. No one else in the room was aware of them yet and so had no idea what the Master had meant but none were very pleased about the reminder that he'd destroyed Gallifrey, the fact that he was helping the Cybermen or the Doctor being trapped in the Matrix.

Back in the Matrix, the Master continues his story. Tecteun, having seen the regeneration, dedicated her life to studying her child, detailing every fragment of genetic material

"She experimented on the child!" Now Donna really was furious, face almost the same colour as her hair. The rest of the room seemed equally emotional.

"That's the secret? The fact that you can regenerate because a lost child was tortured and experimented on?!" Clara asked, eyes wide in shock. God, just when she thought Gallifrey couldn't get any worse she was proven wrong.

"Please tell me you didn't know that Doctor! Tell me you didn't know what your home was built upon." Rose pleaded; eyes furious.

The Master and Doctor shared a glance (which they seemed to be doing a lot). The Master raised an eyebrow to match his questioning smirk; the question was clear – was she going to tell them or let him (in the video). She turned away from him and back to Rose who had watched the exchange, expression darkening.

"No, neither of us knew anything. The myths of Gallifrey's creation were always built around three beings – Rassilon, Omega and the Other. The stories say that the three are responsible for discovering the technology for time travel but not much else is really known, especially about the Other. Gallifrey's founding has always been surrounded in mystery. Please just watch, there's still more." The Doctor explained to the group, who reluctantly took the explanation.

River had paled dramatically as the video had continued, seeing another child have their 'mother' hurt them was bringing up memories she'd long since buried, her own childhood of pain and expectations. The fact that she was able to regenerate because a child had been hurt, experimented on, caused a terrible ache in the pit of her stomach. It was made worse by the fact that the Master was still speaking – there was clearly more to the story and she wasn't going to like it.

It took years and several of the child's regenerations. As Tecteun grew older it became an obsession as she worked tirelessly

The room was watching, eyes wide in horror at seeing a child tortured and experimented over and over, being killed over and over, who knows how many times. But no one made any noise, unsure what to say to express any of their emotions. The Doctor was just analysing the screen, feeling oddly detached from the whole affair – it still hadn't really settled in her head that the child in the video was her (according to the Master – he'd lied on several occasions but this was something else for him to lie about and she knew he wouldn't be that messed up if it wasn't true and she couldn't deny that it did explain a few things).

Jack wasn't taking the video well. If anyone knew the pain of death it was him, add in that the child had to regenerate every time – a clearly painful process from what the Doctor had told him over the years. The whole video was making him sick to the stomach in a way he rarely felt and he could tell there was still more to come.

She needed to understand regeneration, and finally she did. She tested her theory on herself, splicing the genetic ability to regenerate into herself

Martha let lose an almost hollow, cynical laugh. "Oh, so she will torture and kill a child repetitively but won't test the theory on someone else in case it goes wrong."

"'I'm sure it's purely selfish, after all she spent all this time on the experiment shouldn't she get to benefit from it first?" Amy added, voice hard in anger and full of cynical sarcasm at the end. The Doctor had the sudden realisation that Amy really wasn't going to take the truth well – her own daughter had been taken away and hurt, had given up her regenerations to save the Doctor's life and she was about to be told that the Doctor likely would have been able to regenerate herself anyway.

Both their husbands looked at them worried, offering comfort in their own ways. No one in the room was happy about what they were seeing, to say they were furious would be an understatement. They had all heard how the Doctor talked about Gallifrey, and how much she didn't speak about it. Clearly there were good reasons for her running away, if her people were like this – willing to experiment and torture a child (not that any of them thought humans weren't capable of that or any race in fact but they were focused on the story at the minute).

The Master admits to not having know any of this, then adds they're nearly there

"There's more?" No one was sure who said what they were all thinking.

Gallifrey evolved and Shobogans grew, building the Citadel. They discovered the ability to time travel and with Tecteun's work became a self-appointed ruling elite. Tecteun proposed gene-splicing in the ability to regenerate into future generation of Citadel people but restrict the regeneration to a max of twelve times

"What regeneration are you both on?" Bill asked the Master and the Doctor, curious and nervous for the answer. How many times had they benefitted from a child being tortured?

The pair shared a glance which spoke volumes to the rest of the room. Not that any of the were aware of the last part of the story, although the suspicion was sneaking into the minds of several people in the room. It was the Doctor who answered, not trusting the Master. "We don't really know. More than 12 certainly, but an exact number? I don't know." She frowned; she really didn't know. As far as her memories told her she'd had 14 faces but did the metacrisis Doctor count as a regeneration? She also didn't know what regeneration the Master was on - he'd spent time hoping bodies did that count?

The rest of the room frowned unhappy about that, not liking the lack of answers and the glances the pair kept exchanging. But they let the video continue, not quite sure what to say.

The timeless child was the genetic code for all Citadel Gallifreyans. They renamed themselves Time Lords and the rest is history

"What about Ireland? And what happened to the child?" Clara asked almost frantic, there was still so many questions that the video hadn't answered, questions the room were desperate to know.

"Just watch Clara, please." The Doctor sighed, dreading the next few minutes that she knew were coming. Lara opened her mouth to complain or say something else but a look from the Doctor silenced her.

The Doctor wants to know what happened to the child but the Master just laughs at her

Jack, River and Martha had finally connected the dots, staring at the screen in renewed horror before glancing at the Doctor who was determinedly glaring at the floor. The Master's reaction to her question had solidified their theory but they were desperate for it to be wrong. After all it was one thing to know a child had been tortured and killed repetitively but for it to be your friend, your family that had suffered? That was a whole other matter.

MASTER: Oh Doctor, really? Haven't you worked this out yet? The child is you. You are the timeless child.

The Master's words on screen drew gasps of shock and horror from the rest of the room, while the few that had already worked it out just looked down upset to have their fears confirmed. The Master was basking in the room's reactions while the Doctor remained glaring at the floor, not wanting to see her friend's faces.

"Doctor-." Yaz's voice broke as she uttered the word, unsure what to actually say. What do you say to someone that has just had their whole life turned upside down? Yaz, Graham and Ryan were all stuck thinking about how the Doctor had been acting the last time they had seen her, how had she managed to deal with this and still try and save the day?

"That's why we're here, isn't it?" River asked, not continuing until the Doctor looked up at her (but she still refused to meet her eyes). "The secret the Tardis brought us here to see. The Timeless Child, an unknown child tortured and experimented by someone who should have cared for her. And that child was you."

"Apparently." The Doctor managed to croak out in answer, not really sure what to say, she was sp focused on the pain in River's expression. Pain that she rarely saw, showing how much this was affecting her wife.

"How many times were you forced to regenerate?" Martha whispered, horror and dread clear in her voice.

"I don't know." The Doctor answered, sharper than she intended. It hurt, that she didn't know, it could have been so many – the video showed several and that was only until Tecteun found the formula. What about after? How many before Ruth? After Ruth? She didn't even have a rough idea.

"How are you doing with that knowledge?" Clara asked gently, eyes wide and watering. She'd been to Gallifrey and seen how they had all acted, it was no wonder the Doctor had run away all that time ago.

"Fine. I'm fine. Can we please not talk about this now? The video isn't finished yet." The Doctor decided, tone laced with anger and far harsher than she had intended it to be but she really didn't want to speak about this.

"You're never fine Doctor. Least of all know." Jack answered, his own voice heavy with a mix of emotions she couldn't quite decipher. "We'll let it go for now because you're right there is still more to see. But we are talking about this later. No matter how much you don't want to. Understand?"

The Doctor nodded but that didn't satisfy Jack who asked again until she verbally answered in the positive. She was already planning ways to escape that conversation.

The Doctor refutes this but the Master assures her she always has been.

Back across the boundary, Ko Sharmus and Ethan are running through the maze of tents, designed that way so only he could navigate it

"Smart. Stops anyone but you knowing how to navigate it." Mickey nodded impressed. The group was thankful for the chance for a break, it gave them a way to relieve some of the tension that had gripped the room. Plus, they were all still eager to know how the current companions had escaped the Cybermen.

Ryan mentions actual doors but Ko Sharmus had limited materials

"I don't think door would keep the Cybermen out much longer." Rose pointed out. Ryan just shrugged it would be better than fabric tents. Almost anything would be a better defence than fabric tents.

They're given guns and told to hide and shoot as they can. The Cybermen hunt them down as they fight back, but Ko Sharmus laments there being too many

"There always is." The Doctor muttered darkly. She'd been watching the screen anxious to know how they had all escaped and found their way to the Matrix Chamber.

Ethan is found

"Oh no." No one wanted to see any of the remaining humans die, especially after all they had escaped.

Ryan kills a Cyberman and then he and Ko Sharmus almost shoot each other. They can't find Ethan before a Cyberman announces they have found him and have ten seconds to surrender before he is killed

"Ten seconds! Seriously at least give them a chance." Donna protested, watching the screen worriedly like the rest of the room. No one told her the obvious fact that the Cybermen didn't want to give them a chance and instead wanted them all dead.

Ethan tells them to not come for him. They surrender and run to them but the Cybermen keep counting down

"Oh god."

Weapons fire as Ko Sharmus and Ryan burst in to find four Cybermen standing over the bodies of two others, with Ethan safe. A Cyberman removes their helmet revealing Yaz

"Go Yaz!" Bill cheered, happy to see a friendly face.

Graham can't get his helmet off and asks for some help

The room let lose a few cheers, happy to see both Ethan safe and the group all reunited (bar the Doctor). There were also a few chuckles at Graham's comment but they were all very glad to see his plan had worked and they had escaped.

On the Cybercarrier, the Master gets a tour of the storage vault, he reveals he's heard of the Cyberium and wants to actually see it

"You'd heard of it?" The Doctor asked the Master. She hadn't heard of it and she'd dealt with the Cybermen far more often than he had.

"Of course, dear. It had the potential to be a very powerful assistance in my plans." The Master smirked, preening at her attention and the fact he had known about it while she hadn't. He loved being several steps ahead of her and that rarely happened these days, or well, not for long usually.

The Doctor snorted. "I should have known, you always liked to find the most powerful artifacts and weapons. And you've had a thing for the Cybermen recently. Not that either has ever served you well." That took the smirk off the Master's face, to the Doctor's enjoyment.

Ashad reveals it won't leave him while he lives

"Don't give him any ideas." Martha huffed; arms crossed. She didn't like the Cybermen but she also really didn't like the Master. There was no winning in this situation.

The Master accepts that, going to walk away but quickly turns and shrinks Ashad with his TCE. Silver liquid escapes and floats in the air

"That's just wrong." Bill said, cringing at the sight of the liquid-y thing. Others on the room seemed to agree with her based on their expressions.

"Kinda abstract." Rory muttered drawing some weird looks from the group while Amy chuckled at her husband.

The Master admires it, commenting about how he thought if Ashad was compressed it would activate the death particle ending everything and he would have been okay with that but nope they're still alive

The Master's comment hit the Doctor suddenly like a hammer. This whole time he'd been okay with dying, had wanting to die. It was such a startling reversal from his normal plan of living at all costs. The realisation overpowered the last of her common sense and she opened up the mental link fully, it had been lying almost dormant between the pair since their last conversation, almost waiting.

"Did Gallifrey's foundation hurt you so much that you want to die? You've always put survival above anything else but all you've done recently is try to die." The Doctor sent a package of feelings amounting to curiosity-concern-questioning-fear-confusion across with her words.

The Master jolted slightly in his seat, unseen to anyone but her (as she'd been the only one looking for it). He hadn't been expecting her to open the link fully again anytime soon. "Worried, dear? I know the whole dying thing is usually your thing but I'd thought I'd give it a try."

His response annoyed her, leaving her unsure what to say until it was too late and the video continued. She realised that seemed to be what he had wanted.

Now Ashad is miniaturised with the death particle still in him. The Master regrets his lack of clever remark as he killed Ashad deciding to use it next time

"There better not be a next time." The Doctor reprimanded the Master, she wasn't happy to see him kill Ashad but it had left her one less thing to deal with. The Master just sent a pulse of smugness across their bond, there would always be a next time.

The Master requests an alliance with it, wanting to combine all Cyber knowledge with all Time Lord knowledge. The Cyberium accepts and enters the Master, shocking and hurting him as he takes it in

The Doctor frowned at seeing the Cyberium enter the Master, she knew first-hand how painful it was. Ryan, Graham and Yaz seemed to make the same connection. "God Doc, it must have really hurt you when you took it from Shelley then." Graham said, not really expecting an answer, he was sure he already knew anyway.

The Doctor just grimaced, shrugging. It wasn't the worst thing she'd felt but it wasn't the nicest bar a long stretch. Graham's words had caught the attention of the rest of the room though.

"You had it in you?" Amy asked, curious more than anything.

The Doctor nodded, purposely ignoring the way the Master's head had snapped to her when he'd heard she'd had it before him. "It was the only way to keep it from Ashad at the time but the only option was to give it to him in the end." The explanation drew nods from the rest of the room, glad for a bit more of the story.

In the Matrix -

MASTER: This is no time to be sleeping. Is it hurting, Doctor? I hope it's hurting, because it really hurt me.

"It hurt you?! How did it hurt you? The only person that gets to be hurt by this is the Doctor!" Martha practically shouted at the Master. She had reached her limit with the Master hurting the Doctor in the video, using the knowledge he'd learnt to hurt her.

Her shouts angered the Master and he stood from his chair, knuckles turning white as he clenched his fists and hissed his answer. "Because Mrs Jones. It means that my life is also a lie. It means everything I am is because of her. It means my people only exist because we tortured a child. It means what I am is because of the Doctor's pain. That they tortured the Doctor!" His eyes widened as he realised what he had let slip in his anger, collapsing back in his chair like a puppet whose strings had been cut. He was breathing heavily, breaths easily heard in the silence of the room.

No one knew what to say to that and the Master snarled at anyone who made a move to open their mouth so they let the video continue reluctantly.

The Doctor refuses to accept it, believing it all to be lies. The Master assures her it is all true for the first time in his life. The Doctor is stubborn, saying she remembers her life, her childhood and growing up. The Master agrees but says it happened but wasn't her first life - the truth had been hidden from her so their founders could have a noble creation myth

"How many lives have you had?" River asked her wife, eyes sad. She knew more than most what the Doctor had gone through in her life and to know that there were lives that the Doctor didn't know? Made the ache in her chest all the more apparent.

"I don't know. I … I don't know anything." The Doctor whispered, voice breaking. River pulled her close, putting her chin on the Doctor's head and letting her hide her face for a while. She didn't see the sad looks from Clara and Bill who had preached the importance of memories to the Doctor before, or the understanding ones from Donna and Jack who knew the pain of missing memories all to clearly but their missing memories were limited. Who knows how many lives the Doctor was missing?

The Doctor asks why they would lie

The group watched the interaction between the pair on screen in mounting horror. It was rare to see the Doctor so off-kilter and she certainly was not coping well with everything there. None of them could resist shooting her concerned looks which she ignored in favour of focusing on the screen. She couldn't cope with their concern and pity, she just wanted it all to be over.

The Master wishes it wasn't true but is infuriated with how she always behaved like she was different, special. He's angry because part of her is inside him, that he is because of her and he cannot bare that

"I acted like I was special?" The Doctor laughed, a horrible cynical grating sound. Glaring at the Master, she hadn't had the opportunity to dispute anything he said at the time. But she had plenty now. "What about how you acted? Little Koschei, always the perfect little time-lord to be."

She hadn't realised what she'd said, to caught up in the emotion of it all, stuck in old memories of their shared childhood. It was the silence of the room that let her know something was wrong, her head whipped around the room trying to see why no one was saying anything at all. Seeing them all glance between her and the Master, eyes wide, made her go back over what she'd said until she realised. Her own eyes widened, hands going up to cover her mouth.

"Well done, Theta." The Master's voice revealed his fury. "You couldn't do anything right and everyone knew it. One us had to be perfect and you clearly weren't going to even try." His words were calculated even in his emotional state, he'd learnt his lesson.

They had a stare off, expressions dark but neither willing to back off. They never discussed their shared childhood amongst others and rarely discussed it full stop. There were so many conflicting emotions surrounding both their memories, so much pain in the past.

It was Amy that interrupted their staring contest. "Koschei? Theta?" Her questions drew the attention of both Time Lords, or rather the Time Lord and the Timeless Child. The Master shuffled back in his seat, attitude still dark and unapproachable while the Doctor lightened slightly, facing Amy. This mess was her fault and they were her friends so she would be the one to deal with it.

She sighed, mostly to give her time to decide what to say. "The nicknames I mentioned before. The names we use as children before we choose our own officially." She waved a hand vaguely at a glaring Master. "He was Koschei from the House of Oakdown. I was Theta Sigma from the House of Lungbarrow." She looked around the group, meeting everyone's eyes one at a time. "Please don't call us by them. It has been a very long time and neither of us are those kids anymore." She received nods from her companions but she knew she'd have to deal with it again likely.

The Doctor wants to see the rest but the Master isn't sure she could cope. He's right - she demands to know, she has a right to her own life

"Doctor-." Jack started slowly, tone suggesting he was dealing with a feral animal. It was rare to see the Doctor lose control like that and even rarer to see her resort to physical violence like she had on screen.

"Not now Jack." The Doctor brushed it off, focus completely on the screen. He couldn't talk when he had just punched the Master earlier, she was allowed to be a bit unhinged.

The Master agrees but doesn't think it will make her happy

"You're doing this whole thing to hurt me. Why would you care about this making me unhappy?" The Doctor shot at the Master, arms crossed. "Or did you just want to see me beg?"

"I showed you so that you would hurt as much as I do." The Master hissed back.

"No, you showed her because you wanted her to know the truth of her past." Clara said, eyes wide like she'd suddenly come to a realisation. "You showed her because you still care about her. That's why no matter what happens you still chase after her, you don't ever permanently kill her."

The Master glared at Clara, snarling. "What do you think you know?!"

"Why did you destroy Gallifrey?" Bill asked, seemingly coming to the same realisation as Clara, sharing a quick glance at Clara. Both of them had known Missy, had seen the relationship between Missy and the Doctor.

"Because they deserved to die for lying to me!" He snapped, looking frighteningly like a cornered animal. Clara and Bill were onto something.

"Maybe that was part of it but there's more to it." Clara shook her head, staring the Master down.

The weight of the room's eyes and the heightened tension caused him to snap. "I burnt Gallifrey to askes because they hurt her! Because they were all guilty! … We're all guilty." His expression could only be described as broken. The Doctor was chocked up, completely unsure what to say for a rare moment in her life. His words, his guilt would explain his desire to die. He's always hated when anyone else really hurt her, he was a possessive idiot in that way and would have seen Gallifrey's lies as a betrayal. It would explain the change from Missy to this mad, unhinged regeneration to some degree. She looked at him, taking in al the little details, unsure what she was actually looking for. He refused to meet her eyes, huddled up in his chair like a broken child.

A Time Lord is talking about the non-intervention laws but sometimes there are times when it is necessary to interfere and that is the Division's job. They were tested and had the best results ever seen. The Doctor has seen the images of Ireland before, the Master shushes her. The Time Lord continues to say the Division does not exist, that they are not there before getting cut off as the scene vanishes

"What happened?" Rose asked, confused by the sudden stop. The other seemed to share her feelings but the Doctor just shook her head and waved to the screen.

The Doctor wants to know what the Master has done, but he hasn't done anything. Everything has been redacted, erased long ago. There was once a lot of stuff but it is all like the other scene now, and he's tried everything to get it back. It's unrecoverable

"They erased your life." Donna muttered, reaching a hand to her own head. The Doctor flinched, both at the reminder of what she had done to Donna and what had happened in the Matrix.

The Doctor wants to know how much was lost and the Master declares it impossible to tell. It took up a lot of space in the Matrix but the glitches of Ireland are buried deep and the final trace. Tecteun put a visual filter over it so if found it wouldn't look remarkable, the Master put them in her mind as she tracked the Cyberman. He theorises it was left as a clue, gift or apology potentially from Tecteun

"Why would she do that? Why leave a small section of memories for the child you tortured but not anything else?" Martha shook her head, just when they got some answers they were left with more questions. No one had any answers for her.

PATRICK: We have to get rid of everything, I'm afraid.

"How many times did they erase your memories? How many lives do you not remember?" Clara asked, verging on desperate, she usually preached how important memories were and now it was shown that the Doctor was lacking so many.

"I don't know." The Doctor was getting sick of saying that. She was getting sick of remembering that. She hated not knowing something.

Another flash of the scene in Ireland where Brendan gets his memory erased, but this time we can see the inscription on the clock - For Services to the Division. The Master wants to know what they did to her, how many lives has she had?

"Ruth!" Rory announced out of the blue drawing the attention of the rest of the room. "I mean, she was you and that other Time Lord – Gat – mentioned the Division." He tried to explain, fumbling through the words a bit.

"So, Ruth was one of your past regenerations that you don't remember. You escaped for a while but must have gotten dragged back at some point." Amy added to her husband's argument. The chuckled slightly. "Clearly running away is a very old habit of yours."

The room nodded along - the theory sounded good. It explained a few things but not much. No one was comfortable with what had happened to the Doctor but none knew what to say or how to help her. They were dancing around the real issue and they all knew it but they didn't know what else they could do.

The Master urges her to wake up, declaring her broken but its all over now to her confusion

"What did you expect? For her to just lie there and let you destroy everything? She's the Doctor!" Jack snarled at the Master who glared back unflinching. He didn't have to explain himself to freaks.

The Master reveals when he killed everyone he kept the bodies cold in case they'd be useful. He wants to create a new race - putting together Time Lord organics with the ability to regenerate and self repair together with Cyber armour. He beckons in his new Cybermen wearing Time Lord helmets and cloaks

"You're a monster." Martha declared, glaring fiercely at the Master. The idea of a mix of Time Lords and Cybermen was a horrifying thought, both races were dangerous enough on their own.

"I see myself more as Frankenstein." The Master smirked, all teeth, at Martha. He was proud of his experiment and it was a very good distraction from all the secrets he had revealed, ones he had never intended to leave his mind ever.

"That's what I said."

He orders them to shoot one of themselves so they can test it, they do

"Completely unhinged." Bill muttered to herself. This Master was a stark difference from Missy. Both were terrifying but in different ways.

The fallen Cyberman regenerates

The room watched in mounting horror, seeing the Cyberman regenerate was terrifying. A perversion of Tecteun's own experiments. Bill, Clara, Rose and Mickey, being the ones who had dealt with the Cybermen the most, seemed especially terrified. All were stuck thinking about what devastation they could cause if they left Gallifrey.

Graham, Yaz and Ryan shared a glance, they hadn't seen the CyberMasters much and were very thankful for that. They were also thankful that they had been destroyed completely.

He declares them the CyberMasters. He declares this the end of the universe itself then leaves her alone in her paralysis field

The companions were getting increasingly worried at seeing the unveiling of the Master's plan. The Doctor wasn't in any state to deal with him and the rest of the group were still dealing with the other Cybermen. How had they managed to escape?

Across the boundary, the newly arrived group is in awe of the boundary. They decide to step through, with the fam wanting to help the Doctor. Yaz is brave enough to walk forward first

"Brave as ever Yaz." Graham nudged her, while Ryan grinned on her other side. She just rolled her eyes at the pair, desperately hoping the rising heat in her cheek's wasn't visible, she'd just been so worried about the Doctor she hadn't cared about the risk.

She arrives on Gallifrey and is followed by the rest of the group. Yaz declares they are going to find the Doctor and rescue her as the others despair about finding her. The refugees agree to help, with Ko Sharmus declaring he's lived longer than expected anyway, he wants to blow up some more things while he has time

"Like his attitude. And your confidence Yaz." Jack nodded, smiling. The Doctor had a chance if her friends were coming to rescue her. The rest of the group grinned at the current companions, glad to see them off to rescue the Doctor.

In the Matrix, 13 is greeted by Ruth. Ruth is just confused to see her as she is to see her, suggesting 13 summoned her

"Ruth? But isn't she you? What's going on Doctor?" Rose asked, voicing the thoughts of many in the room. Even the Master had perked up in his seat, he didn't know how she had escaped from the Matrix and, although he would never admit it, he was curious to see how.

13 tries to puzzle together where Ruth fits in to her timeline and asks how many more of her have there been. Ruth doesn't know the answers and asks if she did would they even help. 13 is determined they would, as everything she had learned means she isn't who she thought she was

"I deserve to know my past." The Doctor whispered to herself. She'd agreed with Ruth at the time because they were in trouble and had limited time to stop the Master but it didn't mean she didn't want; no deserve to know who she had been. Just because it wouldn't change her didn't mean she didn't want to know.

Clara flinched slightly in her seat. She had only just heard the words but it rung far too close to what she had said to the Doctor after escaping Gallifrey. He'd been trying to protect her, maybe not in the right way, but he'd done everything to protect her but, in the end, he'd ended up with more missing memories. She couldn't help but feel a bit guilty about that even knowing there hadn't been much other choice.

Donna hadn't heard the Doctor but was still thinking about their conversation before the last video, the Doctor had hinted towards this but she hadn't expected memory loss to this extent. She knew first hand what missing memories did to a person, even just a few years and here the Doctor was potentially missing lives worth of memories. It made her still burning anger over her taking away her memories cool slightly.

Jack reached out to squeeze the Doctor's hand. He had heard what she said and understood it well. He'd become a conman and left the Time Agency because they'd stolen two years of his memories. She had mentioned they were more similar than he thought earlier. Abd they were, both missing memories – taken by people they had worked for. Both time travellers far older than they should be. Both desperately trying to be good even when it wasn't possible to be good. Both hurt and tortured and killed over and over. Both knowing the pain of dying was never as bad as seeing people they cared about dying.

Ruth isn't convinced, asking if she's ever been limited by who she was before. 13 agree but is tired as the Matrix is sapping the life out of her, Ruth declares there is no time to be tired - there's still work to be done and people need the Doctor

"That does sound like you Doctor. You've just been told life changing news literally and you're still focused on trying to save the day." Amy shook her head, fond exasperation clear in her voice. The Doctor just shrugged; it wasn't like she had many other options.

The Doctor admits to not knowing how to stop the Master

The Master grinned smugly at her which she quickly ignored.

Ruth corrects her that she does and reminds her of a question that's been annoying her - the one thing he said she didn't understand. Ruth encourages her to get out, mentioning she should return the favour of the place blowing her mind, before vanishing

"Well, that's just cryptic. Like if you're going to offer advice at least be clear instead of talking in riddles." Bill complained, gaining groans and chuckles in agreement.

13 works out Ruth's hint - all that history its too much stimulus and might work. She's beat the matrix before, she can do it again

"You have?" Clara asked, eyebrows raised in question.

The Doctor just smiled. "Long story, maybe another time." Clara rolled her eyes at the answer but knew she wouldn't get anymore information out of the Doctor at the minute so let it go so the video could continue.

The Doctor talks to herself, before concentrating on all her memories, overloading the system and exploding the paralysis field

The group watched eagerly, trying to take in the glimpses of all the past Doctors and the memories flashing across the screen. The Master just watched the screen, expression blank, he was stuck in his own spiral of memories at seeing all the past Doctors. The people that appeared in the flashes were oddly pleased, happy to have been included in the memories the Doctor used to escape. They were glad to know she still thought about them, even after all this time.

At the Citadel, the fam and co have finally found the Doctor

"Good, you've found the idiot." Donna declared decisively. They'd all been worried at seeing her lying on the ground unmoving, the Doctor was rarely ever still and it was unnerving.

They're happy she's not dead. 13 tries to organise her thoughts, and warns the group of the Master's plan - they need to stop him but they shouldn't be there, humans aren't allowed on Gallifrey

"You're not okay Doctor. You really shouldn't be rushing around to deal with everything." Martha said, concern obvious. It was likely the Doctor was close to dealing with shock or being overloaded with everything, between the garbled words and being not quite sure what was going on, plus she was obviously still in some pain. Even if she wasn't, it probably wasn't the right time to have to deal with the Master's latest evil plan.

"Don't have much choice. I have to be okay. Don't have time not to be." The Doctor argued, she was used to compartmentalising and dealing with trauma later, this wasn't much different. She ignored the concerned glances everyone gave her in favour of watching the screen.

They have explosives if that helps, and a vague plan. They want to blow up the Cybership by strategically placing bombs around it and near enough to the core

"Definitely liking that plan." Jack grinned. The three current companions grinned back proudly.

The Doctor agrees with the plan, telling them to do it as they can't let the CyberMasters leave but they need more. The Master's seen to everything

The Master smirked, far to smug. It was always gratifying to know your evil plans were (nearly) meticulously planned. Most mad evil geniuses didn't have to deal with the Doctor and her crazy solutions.

Something's  been bugging the Doctor, something he said to her

"And as usual you're having a one-sided conversation with yourself without explaining anything." Rose shook her head fondly. It definitely brought back some good memories.

The group ask what she means. 13 means Ashad, and they work out he had the death particle. They could use a timer on an explosive to set it off if they can get off the planet first

"You're on Gallifrey." River said, grin stretching across her face.

Rory looked at her worried. "Are you okay River? Of course, they're on Gallifrey they have been for a while." He looked like he was about to cross the room to check her temperature, ever the nurse.

"I'm fine dad. I mean they're on Gallifrey. Gallifrey where there are Tardises." Her words caused the rest of the room to grin as well, reaching the same conclusion River had. A Tardis was a very good escape plan.

They split up, agreeing to meet in the corridor below the carrier as the group goes to plant the bombs and she chases after the Master

The Master just grumbled in his seat, unhappy to see how quickly his plans were unravelled by a traumatised Doctor and her little human pets. The Doctor just pushed a felling of smugness across their link which he promptly ignored.

They set up the bombs as 13 tracks the Master. She finds shrunken Ashad and scans him

"You have the bomb." Mickey nodded, happy to see the plan was going well so far. It wasn't likely to last long, so it was nice to see it while it lasted.

The Doctor nodded back before glancing at the Master. Had he really left it there so she would find it and use it to kill both of them? Had that really been part of his plan? She knew she wouldn't get any answers, he was purposefully dimming their mental link. He was hiding.

They work out the Master did it and the death particle is still there, but what happened to the Cyberium?

The Doctor grimaced at the reminder of the Master taking the Cyberium, that answered her question.

The Master contacts to her telepathically, he left a false trail and gift. They agree to meet up in the Matrix chamber one last time, no one else

"You're really just going to meet up alone with him after everything he's done?" Jack shook his head in disbelief, he really should have known she'd still do something stupid like that. The Doctor shrugged at him, what else had he expected?

Ko Sharmus sets the last explosive on the Cybercarrier, but there's been an error - the main trigger device has already set the rest of the others going. Time to run

The group grinned. "As scheduled, time to run." Amy grinned. One thing they could bet on in their adventures with the Doctor was there would always be running.

The Cybermen detect the humans and start to hunt, finding the bombs but its too late - the Cybercarrier explodes

Cheers went up around the room at seeing the Cybership blown up. That was one less threat to worry about, their plan was working. Ryan, Graham and Yaz grinned, it had been a great explosion and felt very satisfying after all the danger they'd been in because of the Cybermen.

They all make it off safely. They meet in a traditional hexagonal console room, and Ryan identifies it as a Tardis

"You were right River." Rory smiled at his daughter who smiled back. She was grateful to have more time with her parents and wife even with all the secrets and messy emotions.

"Anyone else think it's weird seeing it like that and not the cluttered mess the Doctor's usually is?" Bill asked the room.

"It's not a mess!" The Doctor protested drawing laughs from the rest of the group which just made her pout. It really wasn't a mess – she knew where everything was. Well, where most things were. Absolutely, where what she needed was. Most of the time. Occasionally. Okay so maybe it was a little bit messy. Only a little.

The refugees are confused

"Oh yeah, they have no idea what a Tardis is. That's going to be a shock." Jack grinned. He knew the Doctor always enjoyed seeing her companion's reactions to the Tardis and he could understand the reason. The Tardis was beautiful and twenty-first century humans were not prepared in the least to see such a marvel of technology.

Yaz explains it will take them home, as 13 warns to not touch anything. They only have one explosive left and its hand detonation only. The Doctor accepts that and takes it

That made River sit up turning to the Doctor, suspicion clear on her face. "What are you planning?"

The Doctor schooled her face into an innocent look, which only managed to make River (and the rest of the room watching) more suspicious.

They want to know what she's planning. 13 reveals her plan to use the death particle on Gallifrey to stop the Master and his new Cybermen. There's no other option, she needs to finish this alone

"Are you seriously trying to go off alone to destroy your planet and yourself? Again!" Clara protested. "I thought we discussed you going off alone."

"This was before that, and yes I'm going alone. There is no point in us all getting killed and the Master is my problem." The Doctor argued. She purposely turned back to the screen, there was no point arguing about it, it was in the past.

The Doctor explains the Tardis will take them all back to Earth and the refuges can settle in the 21st century, the fam aren't impressed with her

"See, even the other humans know it's a stupid decision." Rose pointed out which the doctor ignored. All her companions were against her in this but all she wanted was to protect them.

13's serious though, willing to die in a heartbeat for the universe, and for her fam

The group glanced at her concerned. Several of the videos had already shown how willing to die the Doctor was, this wasn't reassuring in the least.

Yaz tries to stop her but 13 pushes past as Ryan tells Yaz to stop. 13 leaves with some parting words

DOCTOR: Live great lives.

"We're discussing your self-destructive tendencies later." River announced, leaving no room for argument. She interrupted the Doctor as she opened her mouth to protest. "No, no arguments. Later." The Doctor closed her mouth, turning decisively back to the screen, after a small glance at her fam with apologetic eyes. She didn't regret saving them but she did regret having to leave them. It hit her then that that had been the last time she had seen them until now.

In the Citadel , the Master is waiting with his CyberMasters, which 13 isn't impressed with as they agreed to meet alone

The room shot the Doctor the same look, which simply said, "Really?!"

The CyberMasters aim their weapons at the Doctor. 13 asks if he's going to kill her, the master declares he wants her to live so she can witness his triumphs

"Did you honestly just say you wanted her to live? Can both of you just make up your minds on whether you want to kill each other or yourselves or not!?" Bill threw her hands in the air, shooting disbelieving looks at the pair who were decisively not looking at each other or Bill or anyone else.

13 notices he isn't looking well - the Cyberium doesn't agree with him. The Master declares he has broken her and used the Cyberium to create a new race, and now he shall conquer everything

"It's hurting you. You barely have any control over it. I remember what it was like." The Doctor said, shaking her head at the Master. He just ignored her not wanting to admit how right she was, he hated admitting she was right – it made her far too smug and unbearable.

13 disagrees, arguing he didn't break her and he needs to try harder. That his gift to her has only made her more, that he wants her to be scares because he is scared of everything but she is so much more than him

The Master flinched at that. Those words had been stuck repeating in his head since the Doctor had said them, the worst thing was he knew she was right. The Doctor noticed his darkening mood through the mind link and couldn't resist getting a peak further into his head to try and see what had caused such a sudden downward spiral in his mood.

When she connected the dots, she couldn't resist talking to him. "I was lying. I'm not better than you, I'm not better than anyone. But neither are you. You're my equal." She'd been so hyped up and messed up with everything that had happened throughout the day she had just spat out the first thing she knew would hurt him, not caring that it had been a lie.

His dark spiral halted, giving way for a new wave of self-hatred and cautious hope. He didn't give a verbal answer but she knew he was taking in what she had said, so she retreated from the link to focus back on the screen. There was still more to come.

The Master is a bit shocked and asks why they're there. The Doctor reveals the explosive with Ashad stuck to it. The Master tells her he left it for her to see if she would do it, take out everything organic on the planet including the two of them

"To protect people, the Doctor would do almost anything." River stared the Master down.

The Master just smirked. "Almost."

13 declares she would. The Master encourages her to do so, practically begging her, saying she may have made him but he destroyed her

"Oh great. You're both self-destructive." Amy muttered. The room had tensed up at seeing both of them about to kill themselves.

The Doctor and Master were ignoring the glances the rest of the room were giving them in favour of staring at each other. For once the Doctor hadn't been fully prepared to kill herself, likely because she would also be destroying the Master. The Master was just watching her, trying to puzzle out why she hadn't done it (bar the fact she was a coward, which she was).

"Did it hurt you so much that you wanted us both to die?" The Doctor asked, quite even across their link, she wasn't sure she wanted to know the answer.

"Everything hurts. This was the only way to get your attention. Only I get to kill you and only you get to kill me." The Master's soft honestly was a startling difference from his normal attitude and left her unsure what to say.

"Life hurts but our relationship doesn't have to. If you want my attention, call me - don't hurt my friends." She answered, with a rush of emotions she couldn't quite explain. She didn't want to hope, it wouldn't be the first time the Master had let her down and he wasn't likely to change now, but maybe things didn't have to be quite so painful.

13 hesitates, lowering the explosive

The room let out a collective breath, glad to see the Doctor put the detonator down. River squeezed the Doctor's hand, causing her to turn to face her wife who offered a small smile. It was good the Doctor hadn't destroyed herself but there was still the issue of the Master and the Cybermen-Time Lord hybrids to deal with.

The Master says the universe will suffer for her weakness but Ko Sharmus interferes to his annoyance

"You already broke the no extra guests rule." Bill pointed out; she was promptly ignored by the Master.

Ko Sharmus explains he followed her out, the group tried to stop him but he needed to make sure these things were gone

Graham, Ryan and Yaz shared a glance. Yes, they had tried to stop him but they had also hoped he would be able to save the Doctor and it seems like he had, just in time too.

Ko Sharmus tells them he was part of the resistance that sent the Cyberium back through time but ut clearly hadn't gone far enough. He needs to end this, his journey ends here but the universe still needs the Doctor. He tells her to run

"And yet more running." Rory muttered. The room was honestly glad to see Ko Sharmus save the Doctor.

The Master tells her not to but she runs anyway

The Master glared at the Doctor, still furious to see her leave a human to kill him while she escaped. Not that the human had succeeded in killing him but still, it was the principal of the matter. It didn't help the Doctor was ignoring him again, all his schemes for her attention and she still paid more attention to the little humans than him.

The Doctor sonics her way into a Tardis as Ko Sharmus confronts the Master. The Master orders the CyberMasters to kill him but its too late, he triggers the explosive as he is gunned down

The room looked down in honour for Ko Sharmus' sacrifice. They knew the Master hadn't been destroyed in the blast (as he was unfortunately in the room with them) but they way he was glowering at the screen and Doctor, suggested his plan had been stopped and the CyberMasters destroyed.

The Capitol explodes

On Earth at a housing estate, a detached house appears and Ravio steps out shocked to be on Earth. Yaz follows less happy

YASMIN: We're home. She got us home. But what happens to her?

"I'll be fine Yaz. I'm just glad you got home safe." The Doctor smiled at her current companions. They'd said they had gotten home safe and she knew she had put in the right coordinates but it was still good to actually see them arrive safe.

"You got them to the right place? That's rare." Martha joked.

"Hey I got you home safe and at the right time and place, mostly." The Doctor protested.

Rose laughed. "Maybe us but I remember Sarah Jane saying something about Aberdeen." That made the Doctor blush in embarrassment, she'd mostly forgotten that.

"Sarah Jane?" Bill asked curiously.

"Sarah Jane Smith, she travelled with me in my third and fourth face and I've run into her several times since then. She's a reporter and investigates the weirder stuff. That's how Rose and Mickey met her." The Doctor explained, smiling fondly at the mention of her Sarah Jane. She wondered how Sarah Jane would react to seeing her like this.

She ignored Mickey's muttering about a tin dog in favour of Yaz's question. "Where were you supposed to drop her off? I'm guessing it wasn't near Aberdeen."

The Doctor blushed again, why did Rose have to bring this up. "Croydon's not that far from Aberdeen." Everyone burst out laughing at that, causing the Doctor to try and hide her face in her hands. She knew all her companions meeting would only lead to her embarrassment.

In a quarry, the Doctor steps out from a tree - the Tardis has a working chameleon circuit. She decides to leave it there and walks over to greet the familiar blue Police Box in front of her

"You just left the other Tardis where anyone can find it?" Jack asked.

"It's not like there's many people around plus the chameleon circuit actually works. No one will find it. Besides, what was I going to do with two Tardises?" The Doctor reasoned; Jack just shook his head fondly at her.

The Tardis powers up as she walks in, she promises to pick the others in a second she just needs a moment

"You were coming back for us?" Yaz asked, she knew the Doctor had said she was but she still liked the confirmation. Graham and Ryan seemed to agree with her.

"Of course, I was. You're my fam. I just needed a minute to think." The Doctor smiled reassuringly. That was one of the things that had kept her going in prison so far – the fact that her fam was waiting for her to escape and come back.

The rest of the room watched the exchange, the wording was worrying them and they hadn't forgotten that the Doctor had arrived separately to the three current companions. Clearly something had gone wrong.

A klaxon interrupts her and three Judoon beam in to her confusion

"Seriously! What now?!" Clara complained, throwing her hands in the air. Just when things seemed to be finished and the danger over, something else happened. Just typical.

They declare a Judoon Cold Case, Fugitive the Doctor and her sentence is whole of life imprisonment in a maximum security facility. The Doctor is teleported into a cell in an asteroid in deep space, still in shock at what just happened

"Well, that's just typical. You get out of trouble on Gallifrey and find it elsewhere instead." Amy huffed.

"So, what did they get you for?" Jack asked slyly, teasing grin prominent.

The Doctor grinned back. "Mostly evading them last time with Ruth then they took into consideration another 7000 crimes."

Jack laughed. "You've been busy." Then he paused, glancing back at her. "Only 7000?" The rest of the room laughed as well.

Yaz, Graham and Ryan shared a glance, so they were stuck at home and the Doctor was really stuck in prison. It was reassuring to know she hadn't abandoned them and really had planned to come back, now they just had to figure out how to get her out of prison.

Just as the room calmed down, taking in that the video was finished, the Tardis appeared in front of the screen. "Goodbye! Or is it hello?" She announced cheerfully, giving the group a second to take in her presence before continuing. "You've all now seen the truth. But there is still so much to see. The next videos are stray adventures, some holding more weight than others. They will allow you to learn so much about each other and offer comfort and answers. Enjoy!" With that she disappeared.

Looking around the room, the Doctor sprung to her feet, taking advantage of the group still taking in the Tardis's words. "Well, that's the video done. I think we should have a break, maybe try and get some sleep; it's been a really long day." With that she sped out the room, dodging River and Jack's attempts to grab her. She was making her escape while she could.

She walked swiftly (barely avoiding running) down the corridor heading towards the Garden in hopes no one would look for her there first. She needed a break from everyone else before she dealt with anymore emotionally charged conversations. She reached the door quickly and slipped in, shutting the door quietly behind her.

The room was beautiful. It was only one of the Tardis's many gardens, but it was one of her favourites, which was likely why the Tardis had included it. She took in a deep breath of artificial garden air as she looked around the space. It looked like a normal picturesque park, trees in full bloom around the edges with well-groomed flower patches and grass. Simple wooden benches were placed around the room to fully enjoy the space, she liked the simplicity of the space and it was always peaceful.

She crumpled to the ground, her back to a bench in the furthest corner of the park from the door, half hidden by some bushes. Everything was crazy. She'd gone from being stuck alone in prison, trapped with her thoughts and now here she was surrounded by friends and family (and the Master, whatever he was to her) watching her adventures. There were so many things she didn't want them to see but at the same time she was so happy to be able to spend time with them. She couldn't put into words how much her hearts ached form them some days.

She was allowed ten minutes on her own before River and Jack found her, hiding in her little corner, head to her knees. She heard them approach before she spotted them, they were muttering quietly to each other as they explored the garden room, not in any hurry. She didn't look up even when she could see their feet, both were standing in front of her, blocking any route of escape.

"Oh sweetie." River sighed softly before kneeling down in front of her, reaching out to settle a hand on one of her knees. She heard Jack grunt as he settled down in a crouch in front of her as well.

She gave up on her attempts to ignore them, they weren't going to leave her alone. She raised her head, and met River's eyes which were almost watering. It finally hit her how much River must have been affected by the video, she wasn't exactly one for tears unless the situation really demanded it, she was more likely to shoot something than cry about it.

"As lovely as this is ladies, do you think we can actually sit on the bench for this conversation, my knees are killing me." Jack interrupted, pushing himself back to his feet with a groan and settling on the bench.

"You're just getting old Jack." The Doctor teased, letting River pull her to her feet and settle her on the bench. Like in the tv room she was squished between the pair, leaving no room for escape.

"You can talk!" Jack exclaimed. His words caused her to flinch which didn't go unnoticed by the pair.

Jack sighed, "Sorry Doctor." Silence reigned for several minutes, the only sound in the room was the artificial bird song projected across the room. All three time-travellers were lost in thought, unsure what to say.

It was River that finally broke the silence. "How are you feeling?" Her voice was quiet but reassuringly steady.

The Doctor opened her mouth to spout out a quick answer but a sharp look from River stopped her. She took a deep breath before going to answer, honestly this time (she wouldn't get away with anything else between these two). "I don't know. I'm angry and frustrated and confused. I don't think its really hit me, I'm not sure I believe it still."

"Do you think the Master lied?" Jack asked, not accusing just a simple question.

"Honestly? No. He's really broken up about it and it would explain a few things but-." She waved her hands one-heartedly unable to vocally express what she wanted to say, the pair seemed to understand anyway.

"I know it's not quite the same but I get it. I was furious when I discovered the Time Agency had stolen two years of my memories and I hate that I don't know what I'm missing. But it led me to you and Rose and I don't regret that. The time I spent with you are some of my fondest memories and it opened so many doors and gave me so many things I would never have had otherwise." Jack explained softly. "Do I still think about those memories? Yes. Would I still like them back? Yes. Does it change who I am? No."

"Thank you, Jack." The Doctor whispered. It wasn't often that Jack talked about his missing memories but she had known they affected him. It was nice to hear his honesty and reassurance. She hadn't expected the conversation to go like this but she was glad it had; she wasn't sure she could handle any shouting.

"Come on, the others are all waiting for us." River tugged her back to her feet, linking her hand with her wife's before leading her back across the grass and towards the door. She couldn't help but drag her feet a bit, unready to deal with – well, everything. Jack strolled beside them, sharing one of his latest stories in an attempt to distract her, which she appreciated despite it not working.

She was practically dragged along the corridor and towards the kitchen. As she entered, she spotted all of her companions settled around one of the biggest tables – with enough seats for everyone. They were all chatting away, purposely ignoring their entrance despite the fact that she knew they had spotted their presence. The only person suspiciously missing was the Master. River seemed to realise what she was thinking and leaned down (curse her short legs) and whispered in her ear. "He disappeared into his room just after you left." Well, that meant he wouldn't be causing any trouble at least.

River settled her into a seat on the far side of the table, facing the door, with Jack and River taking a seat on either side of her again. Next to River on her left was Amy and then Rory with an empty seat at the end of the table. On Jack's side was Rose then Donna, with Nardole at the head of the table that side. Next to him was Marth, then Mickey. Clara was directly opposite the Doctor, with Bill then Yaz, Graham and Ryan on her right.

The talking quietened down as the three of them settled down in their seats. "So, dearly beloved we are gathered here today -."

"Jack!" Half the group shouted, dissolving into fond laughter. It helped break up the remanets on the tension that had been hanging onto the room, no one sure how to beach the topic they were here to discuss.

"How are you doing Doctor? With everything I mean." Clara asked, eyes wide as she stared the Doctor down.

The Doctor shrugged. "I don't know. Prison has given me plenty of time to think. I'm angry about everything but it doesn't change who I am now … Do we really have to discuss this?"

"Yes, sweetie. We're worried about you. The last few videos have shown you aren't really taking care of yourself." River said, reaching under the table to grab the Doctor's hand again.

"I have bad days. We all do. But when I was given the chance to just end everything in the Matrix Chamber I didn't, that should mean something." The Doctor sighed, not looking up from the table.

"And it does, Doc. But that doesn't mean that one day something similar will happen and it won't be one of your good days. We're just worried love." Graham said softly.

The Doctor shifted in her seat uncomfortable, it wasn't exactly a lie but there wasn't anything she could do about it. She didn't lift her gaze from the table and left the room to descend back into silence.

"Okay, we're far too tired and emotional for any real conversation. Let's all get some sleep before the next video. Doctor, we're here for you no matter what. Actually, that goes for everyone here, we're family and if you need anything we'll all be here." Jack announced, jumping to his feet with a clap. He met everyone's gaze before heading back out towards the corridor.

The rest of the room took that as their que to do the same, slowly dispersing from the kitchen back out to towards the corridor where the doors leading off to their rooms were. All the doors were labelled with everyone's names, the Tardis having managed to recreate their rooms here. Everyone had their own rooms, barring Martha and Mickey, and Amy and Rory who both had shared rooms as married couples. Despite being married, River and the Doctor had separate rooms as thy both had different tastes and sometimes needed a break from each other.

Soon the kitchen was empty of everyone but the Doctor and River who hadn't moved from their seats on the table, just watching the others dispense silently. It had been a very long and emotional day. When they were finally alone, River turned to her wife, squeezing her hand. "Coming to bed, Sweetie?"

The Doctor shook her head. "I need a few moments of peace first. You go on ahead, I'll be there soon." River watched her for several minutes, searching for something in her face before nodding her agreement.

"Alright, but don't stay up too long. It sounds like we have even more fun to look forward to." River winked before standing and leaving the room with one last glimpse at the Doctor who offered a small smile. Then she was alone.

River was right, it seemed like the Tardis still had plenty to show them and the next few days (or however long they would be there) would be long. The last few videos had been very emotional and it had been a shock to her system to be around so many people after being alone in her cell for son long. But she couldn't regret it, she loved being able to spend time with her friends, her family again. People she had thought were lost to her.

The pain and embarrassment of them all seeing her adventures, seeing things she had never wanted anyone to see, was maybe worth it for the chance to be with them again, even if only for a short while. She couldn't make up her mind, there were certainly some things she had never wanted anyone to know – some just embarrassing and others she was scared to be revealed. She dreaded everyone finding out about her time in her confession dial, Clara's especially. Both River and Clara knew about it but neither knew the details.

River knew more than almost anyone about her adventures, they'd had plenty of time to talk during their twenty-four years of domestic bliss on Darillium but it didn't men she knew everything, just like how the Doctor definitely didn't know everything about River's adventures. They both still had their secrets and they were both aware of that, it was okay with them, they understood the reasons for them. Jack also knew a fair amount between his own experiences, travels across the universe and UNIT files but there was still plenty he knew nothing about. That just left the Master who likely knew the most about her. Maybe not individual adventures but the most about her, especially before she had met any of her companions or any of these companions really.

The rest of the group knew varied amounts, some more and other less just because of what had happened on their adventures and what regeneration she was on. It would be interesting to see what the Tardis would show them and there were definitely some adventures she would be happy to watch but there were so many she was dreading. But there wasn't anything she could do about it.

With a sigh she pushed herself to her feet and walked through the empty corridor towards River's room, she felt like she needed some company and if there was one thing she wanted right now. It was to just be able to hold her wife again. She really needed some actual sleep if she wanted to be able to deal with the next while. After all, there was plenty more to come.

Chapter Text

Without any real concept of time, people started trickling into the kitchen at varying times. It had likely been several hours at least and most people had been thankful for the chance to truly relax and get some sleep, as it had been a very long and emotional day.

When they woke up and got ready everyone made their way to the kitchen, despite it never being discussed. They spent the time waiting for everyone to be up and ready, chatting away, eating and sharing stories of life both with and without the Doctor. It was a nice change from the tense atmosphere that had permeated the room the day before (if time was real and therefore days) and no one was awake enough for any emotionally charged conversations yet.

Soon everyone was ready and unanimously it was decided to make their way back to the screen room, ready to see what they would be shown next. There were mixed feelings towards the videos; on one hand it allowed them to see each other and share laughs over some of their more fun adventures but in the other hand there were plenty of things that no one wanted to relive.

The Master was the last one to arrive in the screen room, having avoided the kitchen and everyone else in general since the end of the last video. The group was all settled in their previous seats, with the only change being Rose having joined Martha, Mickey and Donna on their sofa, she'd happily settled next to Donna. As with the previous videos the screen went blank and the word 'Rose' appeared on the screen.

Everyone promptly turned to Rose with questioning looks and grins. She just smiled. "Guess whatever we're going to see is about me."

The Doctor smiled at her. "Maybe it's the first time we met?"

Rose just laughed at that, nodding. That would be fun to see if not a bit embarrassing at times. Mickey groaned; if the Doctor was right this was definitely going to be embarrassing for him. Martha grinned at her husband's worry – he'd mentioned he had changed after meeting the Doctor but she was excited to see what he had actually been like first-hand.

The rest of the room was eager and curious, the meeting of Rose and the Doctor would likely be a nice break from the tension of the last few episodes. It would be nice to see how the pair met as well. With no one discussion, the video started.

At the Tyler flat in London, Rose gets out of bed as her alarm clock goes off. She dresses and says goodbye to her mother who is watching tv

"Oh no, this is going to be embarrassing, isn't it?" Rose groaned with Mickey nodding nearby, Martha was just grinning excitedly.

The Doctor grinned. "Well, your mum is going to be on screen, so -."

"Oi!" Rose complained but she was grinning. Jack had started chuckling, he wasn't even bothering to hide his excitement at seeing his original Doctor again, or his joy at seeing Rose. The days when it was just the three of them were some of his favourite memories.

Rose arrives at  Henrick's department store

"Oh yeah this is definitely the day we met." Rose sighed, but it was ruined by a smile. They were some good memories despite the chaos. The room looked at her confused, how could she tell that just by arriving at work? The few that knew were grinning wildly.

"What year is it?" Yaz asked curious, it did seem a bit older.

"2005, god I was only 19. Seems like not that long ago. What year are you guys from?" Rose answered.

"2020. Ryan and I were only 6 in 2005." Yaz answered sheepishly.

Rose groaned. "That makes me feel so old." A few others around the room nodded while the rest started laughing. The Doctor was laughing especially hard, as was Jack.

The day passes as Rose works, she meets Mickey, her boyfriend, for lunch then goes back to work

"Wait you were dating Mickey?" Bill asked, pointing at Mickey, seeing their offended looks she rapidly continued. "I just mean, like, he'd obviously married to Martha. Just a bit weird to think he was dating you first. No offense."

"No offense taken. Yeah, we were dating but we're happy now and we're still friends." Mickey answered, squeezing Martha's hand in reassurance (not that she needed it, but he liked to make sure).

The store closes and a guard orders Rose to deliver a plastic bag as everyone else leaves

"Well, that's just rude." Donna complained. Rose just smiled at her then glanced ta the Doctor. It was weird to think that if she hadn't had to deliver the money, she probably would have never met the Doctor.

Rose takes the bag down the lift into the basement looking for Wilson (the chief electrician) to give him the lottery money. She calls out for him so she can leave but he doesn't answer

"Impatient." Jack teased, grinning. He really couldn't contain his excitement over this episode. The pair had mentioned how they'd met but only with infuriating one-liner and vague mentions as was typical with the Doctor. It would be great to hear, well see, the full story.

"You try working at a shop all day then see how patient you are." Rose argued.

"I know how you feel." Martha smiled at Rose, before shooting a pointed look at The Doctor who grinned sheepishly.

She hears a clattering noise down the corridor

"So, you're in the basement of an empty shop and the person you're looking for is missing. Plus, there are weird noises coming from the room. You're definitely in trouble and should get out of there." Rory summarised with an exasperated sigh. He already knew she wasn't going to do the sensible thing.

Rose just shrugged. "If I did, I wouldn't have met the Doctor." The Doctor grinned at her for that, leading to Rose grinning back. She didn't regret meeting the Doctor.

Rose keeps looking for Wilson, turning on lights and finds boxes and dummies. A door slams behind her and when she tries to open it, it won't

"Typical. How do doors always lock at the most inconvenient times?" Clara shook her head.

"Maybe you should learn to pick locks." The Doctor suggested with a teasing smile.

"And maybe you should put a wood setting on your sonic!" Amy countered.

The Doctor only smiled wider, tilting her head in a vague nod at Amy. "Fair play Pond. But picking locks is fun, very good skill to learn. Jo was very good at it."

"Jo?" Yaz asked, curious at the mention of someone else. She was ignoring the lock picking skill suggestion as a police officer (probationer but still) she couldn't really condone it.

"Jo Grant. Well, Jo Jones now. She travelled with me in my third incarnation mostly. She's likely in UNIT files as we both worked for them at the time. Saw her not that long ago, alongside Sarah Jane." The Doctor smiled - it was a softer smile brought about by fond memories.

She did manage to see a small smile on the Master's face at hearing Jo's name but he quickly schooled his expression into a blank look. She knew he'd had a soft spot for Jo, she was probably the only one of her companions he had ever liked. They had spent some time to go on several occasions when he used her as bait for the Doctor. She still wasn't quite sure what the pair had discussed during those occasions.

There's more noises behind her as she calls out to whoever it is. A shop dummy watches her then sneaks closer

"Wait is that dummy moving?" Graham asked incredulous.

"Unfortunately." The Doctor and Rose said at the same time before turning to grin at each other. A few people around the room had a good suspicion of what was coming but they didn't voice their suspicions, letting it be a mystery for the rest of the room. It was more fun that way.

Rose isn't amused by the joke as more dummies start moving, she asks if its Derek

"What did Derek do for you to think it was him?" Martha asked, a mix between disbelieving and curious. She was enjoying the episode so far; she'd gotten over the Doctor a while ago and was happy with Mickey now. She was very excited to see a young Mickey and fairly curious to see why Rose had meant so much to the Doctor.

Rose shrugged. "He was just the troublemaker of the shop staff. It's not like I was going to just assume the answer was aliens. That would be crazy."

"I think at this point we're all crazy." Clara pointed out.

"True."

Mor dummies start moving as Rose backs away, the lead dummy raises its arm as they back her into a wall. Then a hand grabs Rose's wrist and 9 appears, saying run

"Of course, that's the first word you say to her. It's one of your favourite words." River shook her head, fond exasperation clear in her voice. The Doctor just grinned at her before grinning at Rose. She was very happy for the change of pace in episodes, and the chance to see a young Rose and Mickey.

"Wait that's you?" Bill exclaimed, leaning forward in her seat to analyse the Doctor on screen. Many of the people in the room were doing the same thing. (Even the Master although he was doing it more subtly, this wasn't a Doctor he had really encountered).

"Yep, my ninth incarnation. Well, tenth technically but the ninth one to call themselves Doctor." The Doctor explained with a furrow in her eyebrows. This was getting confusing. Then she paused, there was something else she should probably clarify. "He's just out of the Time War." She added softly but the room could still hear it.

That dampened their spirits slightly. At that point the Doctor had just thought they'd killed their own species and were alone in the universe. Even if they hadn't, they had still just survived a massive war, it was bound to leave an impression.

"I see why everyone called him Ears." Bill attempted to joke and ease the tension. It worked.

"Oi!" The Doctor protested while the rest of the group burst out laughing.

9 leads Rose through the basement as the Autons (shop dummies) chase. They escape int the lift as 9 pulls off the arm of the lead Auton before the doors close

"Good you're out of immediate danger." Rory nodded happily.

Amy just grinned. "Yeah, but now it's time for questions that he's not going to answer leaving her even more confused." That drew grins and chuckles from the group while the Doctor spluttered offended. She didn't do that. Did she?

In the lift, Rose is shocked that 9 pulled off its arm. She asks if its students pulling a prank

"Love how that's your first thought." Clara grinned. She knew all too well what teens could get up too.

Rose chuckled. "Yeah, was trying to think logical. Wasn't exactly going to go – 'oh look it's living plastic. Aliens!'" That drew laughter from the rest of the companions. That was true, their first thought usually wasn't aliens (at least non-ironically) before travelling with the Doctor.

9 asks why it would be students, Rose doesn't know

"Is this really the time to be discussing that?" Graham asked.

The Doctor shrugged, her lips twitching but she managed to control her urge to grin. "Seemed important at the time."

Rose decides they're students because they're pulling a prank, 9 congratulates her then tells her they aren't students

That gained laughter from the room. Rose was laughing especially hard, it was weird seeing everything from this angle, especially knowing what she knew now. Jack was grinning happily, enjoying the chance to see his first Doctor again, he liked the Doctor in any incarnation but the first one he met was always going to have a special place in his heart. He had the feeling that was true for all her companions.

Rose decides that when Wilson finds them he'll call the police, 9 informs her Wilson is dead

The mood plummeted. All the cheer gone with the sudden announcement of Wilson's death. Things hadn't been looking good when he hadn't answered but they hadn't really lingered on that thought or expected the Doctor to be so blunt. They looked down for a minute, a small moment for another person dead.

"Don't have to be so blunt about it, Spaceman. Honestly, do you ever learn manners?" Donna shook her head. The Doctor just smiled sadly; she was never particularly good with things like manners. For a Doctor she had a terrible bedside manner.

Rose doesn't appreciate the joke and has had enough of all this

Rose buried her head in her hands. God it was embarrassing seeing herself that young and clueless sometimes. She was sure she was going to become embarrassed several times across these videos, well at least Mickey would also have to suffer in this video.

"That's fair. The Doctor isn't explaining anything as usual and you've just been attacked." Rory pointed out, gaining a smile from Rose. Her first meeting with the Doctor had been a rollercoaster of emotions, actually most time with the Doctor was a rollercoaster of emotions.

9 sonics the lift as they get out and Rose asks who he is and what they are. The Doctor tells her they're creatures made of living plastic controlled by a relay device on the roof. He has a small bomb to deal with that problem. He tells her to go home and not tell anyone about this (or she'll get them killed) and he's going to go blow it up and might die in the process

"Okay. Two questions. One: Living plastic, really? Second: Bomb? You hate weapons." Clara held up two fingers, to emphasise her point. The whole room was looking at the Doctor with mixed emotions.

The Doctor shrugged, expression blank. "One – yes, living plastic really. They're called Autons and I've dealt with them several times before and since then." She took a deep breath. "Two – this was only about a week at most since the end of the Time War. I wasn't in a good mindset."

Silence reigned in the room for several minutes. Everyone absorbing what the Doctor had said. It was really hitting Rose the change the Doctor had undergone from their first meeting to the last time she had seen him, and not just the physical change of regeneration.

Amy broke the silence. "I have a third question." The Doctor looked at her expectantly, preparing to answer another difficult question. "Beans on toast, really?"

That shocked a small smile out of the Doctor. "Well, I don't know what you all eat." She knew exactly what Amy was thinking about – their own first meeting when she was a little kid and he (at the time) had been eating all her food.

He shuts the door then opens it again, introducing himself as the Doctor and ask her name, which she tells him is Rose

DOCTOR: Nice to meet you, Rose. Run for your life!

"At least you were nice enough to introduce yourself after that mess." Martha said, voice clearly full of sarcasm. The Doctor just grinned at Martha and Rose who both rolled their eyes at her.

On the street she runs across the road just in time to see Hendrik's explode, she runs past a police telephone box parked in an alley nearby

"Brilliant explosion." Jack whistled, watching the screen eagerly. The Doctor just rolled her eyes at him.

Rose had perked up at seeing herself on screen run past the Tardis, she hadn't paid any attention to it at the time. The rest of the room grinned at seeing the Tardis.

Back at her flat, the explosion is on the news. Rose's mother, Jackie, is on the phone gossiping about it as Mickey arrives

The Doctor laughed at hearing Jackie on the phone, it was just all so typical of her. Rose just groaned embarrassed while Mickey chuckled, he'd missed Jackie.

"Well done, Doctor. You made the news!" Jack nudged her, causing her to nudge him back harder. He just grinned at her.

Mickey is worried as Rose hadn't been answering her phone, she reassures him she's fine. He asks what happened but she claims she doesn't know

Mickey snorted. "Oh no, you didn't know anything." The Doctor and Rose just grinned wildly at him. "Glad I've finally seen what happened exactly." The rest of the room were watching the interaction both on and off screen eagerly.

She claims she wasn't in the shop and didn't see anything

"Absolutely nothing." Jack teased. Rose just rolled her eyes at him.

Jackie offers an interview with someone from the Mirror, Rose takes the phone and hangs up

That gains laughter from the whole room.

Jackie tells her she needs to find a way to make money now that her job is gone, then Jackie is back gossiping on the phone about how close to death Rose had been

"No offense, but your mum is very … eh." Bill trailed off unsure how to end her sentence.

"Bloody dramatic? Crazy? Over the top? Yeah, I know. She's still like that, not even jumping universes changes her." Rose just smiled.

Mickey tries to convince Rose to go to the pub with him as he wants to see the match, even as he tries to pretend its for her benefit. Rose isn't having it, knowing he just wants to see the end of the match

The room laughed at that while Mickey ducked his head a bit sheepish. Martha turned to Rose with a smile. "He still does that." That just made Rose laugh even harder.

"Nice to know not everything changes." She grinned back at Martha. Mickey had the sudden fear of the pair teaming up against him.

Rose encourages him to go, saying she's fine. She brought the Auton's arm home

"Wait, you brought the arm home?" Ryan asked incredulous.

Rose nodded. "Didn't realise until I got home. It was not a good idea looking back." That statement was very worrying to most of the room.

Mickey pretend to be strangled by the arm then leaves, taking the arm and throwing it in a bin

The Doctor looked up at the screen, realisation hitting her after all these years. "That's why-?" She asked Rose.

Rose nodded while the rest of the room looked on confused.

The news talks about the fire - fifteen fire crews in attendance and little chance of saving the building

"Seriously impressive fire. Where did you get the bomb, Sweetie? Just asking for a friend." The look the Doctor gave River let her know how little she believed that. Jack was grinning on her other side; he'd been having the same thought.

The next morning Rose's alarm goes off but she doesn't have anywhere to go

"A lie in sounds nice." Nardole sighed. He was mostly ignored as normal.

Jackie and Rose discuss potential jobs, Jackie goes on about claiming compensation for her ordeal

Jackie's comments drew more chuckles from the group while Rose just shook her head at her mother on screen.

Something rattles at the door and Rose complains about Jackie not tailing the cat flap done, but Jackie claims she did. The screws for the cat flap are on the floor

"I think you owe your mum an apology." Mickey teased. He was a lot less worried than the rest of the room, as he knew what had actually happened. Rose just stuck her tongue out at him.

Then the flap moves. Rose opens it to find its the Doctor trying to look through. She opens the door

"Really, Martian?!" Donna raise her eyebrow. The Doctor just shrugged. She was not getting into another fight about the Martian comment. Donna was never likely to stop.

The Doctor asks why's she here, Rose answers she lives there, and the Doctor asks why she does that

"You're an idiot." Clara declared bluntly. The rest of the room was just staring at the Doctor incredulous.

The Doctor smiled. "Yep."

9 claims he must have the wrong signal as she's not plastic, calls her a bonehead and then goes to leave

"Rude." Amy berated the Doctor but it was ruined by a smile. The rest of the room was also smiling at the very typical Doctor behaviour.

Rose pulls him inside and tells Jackie he's part of the inquiry when her mother asks

"Nice lie." River nodded approvingly.

Jackie flirts with the Doctor and he shuts it down quickly

The room burst out laughing. The Doctor, Mickey and Jack who knew Jackie were laughing especially hard. Rose had buried her head in her hands to hide her red cheeks.

"Did she really try to flirt with you?" Rose groaned, deeply embarrassed. The Doctor just laughed more; it was very funny looking back.

Rose makes coffee for them as she tells him they should go to the police. 9 isn't paying any attention, instead flicking through a book

Rose glared at the Doctor. "Were you seriously not paying any attention to me?"

"Sorry." The Doctor offered slightly sheepish, but it was ruined by the smile and insincere tone.

"You get used to it." The Master announced form his corner where most of the room had been ignoring him. They spared a couple of cautious glances at him before turning back to the screen unsure what to say.

Rose keeps talking as 9 continues to be distracted. The Doctor sees his reflection and inspects it, as if seeing it for the first time

The room looked at their current Doctor. "Did you not know what you looked like?" Martha asked.

The Doctor shook her head, frowning slightly. "No, hadn't had a chance to look. I regenerated and then found the Autons trail almost straight after." That dampened the cheerful mood slightly. It was never a nice reminder that the Doctor had just survived the Time War.

9 accepts it, saying it could have been worse but commenting on the ears

"Hah! So, you admit it!" Rose pointed out triumphantly, the Doctor just smiled shaking her head fondly.

Rose continues talking, as 9 messes with a pack of cards and sends them flying everywhere

The room looked at the Doctor with the same expression of 'Really?' She shrugged, turns out she didn't have any talent with cards in that face. Rose just rolled her eyes, seeing the Doctor not pay any attention to her on screen. She'd been far too distracted trying to get answers and here the Doctor was messing about. Typical.

Rose wants an explanation, the cat flap rattles

The group glance worriedly at the screen, they hadn't quite forgotten the issue of the Autons despite their enjoyment of watching the Doctor and Rose on screen.

9 asks if she has a cat, they don't. The Auton arm grabs the Doctor by the throat

The exchange between the Doctor and Rose about the arm earlier suddenly made a lot more sense. Rose felt a bit guilty for not noticing or believing the Doctor to begin with but was reassured by the fact she knew what happened. Mickey was very glad the arm hadn't decided to try and do the same to him.

Rose is oblivious to everything, coming in from the kitchen with mugs of coffee. 9 is being strangled but she takes no notice

The room glanced between Rose and then back to the screen, then back to Rose. She was looking a bit sheepish, offering a small apologetic look to the Doctor who just smiled. She understood. The rest of the group forgo asking questions in favour of finding out what happened.

Rose says she told Mickey to chuck it out, and thinks 9 is joking around. She asks his name - Doctor, what was it?

"Ah the famous question that she is never going to answer." Clara grinned at hearing the familiar sentiment. They all asked the Doctor's name and they were never going to get an answer. The Doctor just smiled mysteriously in response while both River and the Master looked smug – both of them knew the Doctor's name.

9 manages to throw off the arm, it grabs Rose's face instead. 9 pulls at it until it falls on top of him as he smashes the coffee table. They finally get it off and he uses the sonic to stop it moving. Jackie is oblivious in another room

"Is it a Tyler family thing to not notice trouble?" The Doctor teased Rose at seeing her mother oblivious to them fighting with the arm.

"You can't say anything Misses." Rose countered.

9 makes a pun about the arm being armless, Rose isn't impressed and hits him with it

"Nice one Rose." River grinned. The rest of the group was laughing at the interaction while the Doctor pouted slightly in her seat.

9 goes to leave despite Rose's protests that he can't just leave like that

"Honestly Doctor. Stop confusing her and actually try answering some questions for once in your life." Amy complained.

The Doctor tilted her head to the side as if she was weighing the merits of that suggestion. "Let's see … Nah."

Rose declares he has to tell her what was going on, 9 decides he doesn't

"This is seriously how you two met?" Bill asked disbelieving.

The two shared a glace. "Yep. Like I said I wasn't in a very good mindset and I was not looking for someone to travel with me. I just wanted to deal with the Autons and move onto the next patch of danger." The Doctor explained.

She definitely hadn't been looking for a companion but Rose had changed his mind, and he was glad for that. She smiled at Rose – a mix of a thank you and apology for her attitude. Rose just smiled back, understanding clear in her gaze.

Outside the flats, Rose says she'll call the police and tell everyone. She is trying to sound tough but it doesn't work

"I don't think the police would believe you." Clara pointed out.

Mickey frowned. "They wouldn't." Rose and the Doctor winced at the reminder of how much time they had missed and the trouble it had caused Mickey. Rose mouthed an apology to him and he just smiled back, he'd forgiven them a while ago.

She asks who he is, he tells her the Doctor. They go in circles for a while

"You realise you weren't actually answering my questions?" Rose said.

"Yes, I was." The Doctor argued.

"Not to normal people's standards." Rose countered. The Doctor held up her hands in mock surrender, smiling.

Rose asks if it is meant to sound impressive

The Doctor crinkled her eyebrows at that. It wasn't supposed to be impressive it was just who she was. At the time she really hadn't wanted to try and explain the full story or anything really.

Rose asks if he is the police

"You thought he was police?" Yaz asked disbelieving.

Rose shrugged. "Again, wasn't exactly going to go straight to the alien thing. He had a bomb and was investigating stuff I just figured he was with law enforcement. Didn't really know what to think."

The Doctor tells her he's just passing through, she wants to know why the Autons are after her. 9 tells her they aren't, she just got in the way

"Rude, Spaceman." Donna berated. The Doctor just offered another apologetic smile at Rose who smiled back. It was very weird seeing everything from this point of view.

They were after 9, Rose got in the wat at the shop and almost ruined the plan. The reason its looking for her is because she met him

"What did you do to make the plastic angry at you?" Amy asked.

"The Autons." The Doctor corrected. "I don't know, probably blowing it up didn't help. Plus, it may have remembered the last time I stopped the Autons."

She risked a quick glance at the Master, the last time she'd thought the Autons on Earth he'd been there as well causing chaos as normal. Those were fonder memories of their encounters before everything really spiralled out of control.

Rose tells him he's full of it, which he accepts

"At least you admit it." Martha sighed. The rest of the room was chuckling slightly.

She wants to know who knows about it all, but its just 9 on his own

DOCTOR: Well, who else is there? I mean, you lot, all you do is eat chips, go to bed, and watch telly, while all the time, underneath you, there's a war going on.

"That is absolutely not everything we do." Bill pointed out.

River turned to the Doctor; concern evident on her face. "You do better when you travel with someone."

The Doctor sighed, understanding her wife's concern but not enjoying it. "Like I said, bad mindset. Travelling with someone would have reminded me that I was the Doctor and I wasn't ready to be the Doctor again and forget everything that had happened. I couldn't bear the thought of losing anyone." She explained quietly so only those close by could hear. The rest of the room was trying their best to give the couple some privacy to varying degrees of success.

That made River frown more so she squeezed her hand and continued talking with some false cheer injected into her voice. "It doesn't matter anyway. Rose didn't give me the chance to spiral. I did travel with someone." River didn't look very convinced but let it go for the moment.

Rose asks for him to start at the beginning, how do they kill the living plastic? 9 tells her its controlled by a signal, which if he stops it kills it. He asks if she's alright

"So now you're concerned if she's alright?" Clara asked not unkindly.

"She was taking everything very calmly at that point." The Doctor shrugged.

Rose asks what the bigger plan is, 9 replies they want to overthrow the human race and destroy them, then asks if she believes him

"Don't they always." Rory complained. His statement drew nods of agreement from the rest of the room.

"Why do they always attack the Earth?" Yaz asked the Doctor.

"No idea, maybe they just like Earth." The Doctor suggested, not particularly serious.

Rose claims to not but is still listening, she want to know who she is really

"I don't think you're going to get a straight answer." Ryan muttered. The Doctor never really gave straight answers, especially when it was regarding who she was.

The Doctor gives a speech about the world turning below their feet, and how he can feel it. Then he tells her to forget about him and go home

The room turned to look at the Doctor, a mix of awe and disbelief clear on their faces. It was Rose who finally voiced their thoughts. "Did you really expect me to just forget you after that speech?"

The Doctor shifted in her seat unsure how to answer. "I was hopeful at the time but I'm glad you didn't." That gained her a soft smile from Rose.

Bill smiled as well. "Nice to see you've always been good at speeches." That made the Doctor smile wider, glad for the slight change in topic direction. The rest of the group nodded their agreement, if there was one thing the Doctor was good at (bar running, finding trouble and coming up with weird answers to problems) it was speeches.

9 leaves towards the Tardis with the arm, Rose walks away before hearing a noise and turning back to find the Tardis gone. She arrives at Mickey's flat and Mickey greets her with a kiss

Martha glanced away from the screen upon seeing the pair kiss. She wasn't jealous or anything it was just a bit awkward seeing your husband kiss his ex-girlfriend, even if it was just on a video from years ago. Mickey squeezed her hand in reassurance of his presence, he was finding it very weird himself – seeing himself on screen like that.

Rose wants to use his computer, he agrees as long as she doesn't read his emails

The room turned to Mickey with mischief clear in their eyes. Martha was smirking next to him. "So Mr, what did you not want her to see in your emails?"

"Nothing! I swear." Mickey answered far too quickly. He got many side-eyes and dubious disbelieving looks as the group reluctantly turned back to the screen. Mickey let out a sigh of relief before shooting his giggling wife a small glare which swiftly morphed into a smile at seeing her in such a good mood.

Rose searches online for the Doctor, then living plastic, then Doctor blue box. She finally finds a link about him saying to talk to Clive

"The computer is old." Ryan declared. Yaz and Bill, the other youngest people in the group nodded along.

"It's not that bad. I remember those days." Graham protested, but he did have to admit that computers were much better these days.

The Doctor was distracted looking at Rose incredulous. "Did you actually google me?"

Rose just grinned. "Well, it wasn't called googling back then but yeah. What did you expect me to do?"

"Not that!" The Doctor exclaimed.

Jack was laughing happily next to her. "Already internet famous Doctor and you've only just regenerated." The Doctor just sighed.

Mickey drives Rose to Clive's house concerned about meeting a random guy off the internet, Rose reassures him that Clive has a wife and kids but he's not convinced

The room started laughing at Mickey's determined declaration. Rose finally took pity on him, "Thank you for being worried for me Mickey." He just sighed, but smiled at her. He'd been worried about her after the explosion and hearing about this mysterious man. Things made more sense seeing it like that but still he'd had a right to worry.

Rose knocks on the door as Mickey sits in the car. A small boy opens the door as Rose asks to see Clive, the boy calls back to his das saying its one of his nutters

The room burst out laughing at that. Even Rose and Mickey were grinning, it was definitely funnier looking back like this.

"See even the kids know you're a nutter, Doctor." Jack teased, grinning lazily.

"Oi! The kid was talking about his dad not me!" The Doctor protested. She was drowned out by the group's laughter.

Clive arrives at the door introducing himself, Rose jokingly warns him about Mickey waiting in the car

"At least you made him aware." Mickey sighed. Martha just chuckled.

Clive promises no murder and waves at Mickey

"He seems nice." Rory said.

Rose nodded. "From what I remember he was. Maybe a bit crazy and obsessed but nice enough."

Clive's wife is shocked about a female reading his website

That made the room laugh again. "Loving her disbelief." Amy chuckled.

In Clive's shed he shows her his research and discusses his crazy theories about the title of Doctor being passed from father to son

"You're right, he's crazy and obsessed." Donna nodded.

Clive shows her some photos of the Doctor in the crowd at Kennedy's  assassination

"What were you doing there? When did you go?" Rose asked. Those questions had always bugged her but she'd never actually gotten around to asking.

"Just ended up there like I normally do. Mild alien invasion, nothing to worry about really, all dealt with. As for when – remember how I left and came back before you agreed to travel." The Doctor smiled.

"But you were only gone for a second!"

"Time Machine." The Doctor sang proudly. The rest of the group watched on confused.

Rose decides it must be his father

"Nope." Rose just rolled her eyes at that.

More photos, this time of the Daniels family in 1912 who mysteriously cancelled their trip to New York on the Titanic

"What happened to not interfering in history, sweetie?" River asked pointedly.

The Doctor grinned. "They were friends and helped me out with a little problem so I figure I'd do them a favour." River just shook her head in fond exasperation. "Besides you really can't say anything River. You're worse than I am."

Then 1883, a sketch of the Doctor who washed up on the coast of Sumatra after Krakatoa exploded. Clive tells Rose that when the Doctor is around he brings death

The Doctor flinched at that, face automatically going blank which didn't go unnoticed by the group. They immediately burst out into loud complaints, distracting the Doctor from her downward spiral of thoughts. She smiled thankfully at the group.

Outside a wheelie bin on the street moves closer to Mickey's car

"Did that bin just move?" Graham asked worriedly. Mickey grimaced but nodded. He wasn't looking forward to this.

Clive tells Rose if she's seen the Doctor then they're all in danger

"No, it means there is danger but the Doctor is going to sort it out." Rose declared defensively; arms crossed.

Mickey watches the bin, before getting out of the car and lifts up the bin lid

"That's a bad idea." Clara muttered. Mickey just groaned; it had definitely been a stupid decision but like Rose he hadn't really expected aliens to be causing trouble.

Mickey shuts the bin lid but finds him stuck to the plastic, the bin growls and pulls Mickey inside with a burp

"The hell?" Bill exclaimed, expressing the thoughts of most of the room. Martha turned worriedly to her husband who offered a reassuring smile.

Clive shares his final theory that all the Doctor are the same man - an immortal man, an alien from another world

"Ding, ding, ding! We have a winner." The Master declared, waving a hand from his corner in a false uncaring attitude. She shot a glare at him before turning back to the screen, decisively ignoring him.

"Well, he's not wrong." Nardole muttered.

Rose returns to the car where a plastic Mickey sits waiting. Rose declares Clive crazy but remains oblivious to Mickey not being Mickey as they drive off

The room was mixed between laughing and weird disbelief at the Plastic Mickey.

"Did you really not notice that wasn't me?" Mikey asked a bit hurt.

"I'm so sorry Mickey. I was so focussed on the whole mess with the Doctor and just wasn't paying any attention. That's my fault and I'm sorry." Rose tried to explain, offering a sincere apology, something she should have done a while ago if she was being honest with herself.

"Thanks Rose, I really appreciate that. And for the record I get it. Seeing the video, I get why you were so obsessed better now." Mickey smiled softly at Rose who smiled back. There was a reason they had been friends, they'd grown up together but so much had happened between them, plus getting stuck in separate dimensions didn't help. Maybe this would give them a chance to get back to how they were before everything, back to being good friends.

At a pizza restaurant Rose and Mickey are talking, Rose still oblivious to Mickey as she complains about her life choices. Fake Mickey wants to talk about the Doctor but Rose wants to focus on herself

"This is so embarrassing. God, I'm sorry Mickey." Rose groaned while the rest of the room was stuck between chuckling and disbelief. Mickey just grinned.

Fake Mickey continued to ask questions about the Doctor

"The plastic was really focussed on you, Doctor." Bill nodded.

"Autons, Bill. Autons not plastic." Everyone ignored her.

Rose thinks the Doctor is dangerous. Fake Mickey kind of glitches as he wants answers

"That's more than a little freaky." Martha said with a disgusted look on her face, Rose chuckled but nodded in agreement. Mickey shook his head at the pair of them but privately agreed, it was incredibly freaky to see.

A waiter arrives with champagne that they didn't order. Fake Mickey demands to know where the Doctor is as the waiter insists in the champagne. They look up to find the waiter is the Doctor

"And there you are. Right on time." Jack grinned, happy to see the Doctor come to Rose's rescue. The rest of the group was grinning too.

The Doctor shakes the bottle and sends the cork into plastic Mickey's forehead, after a second he spits it out

"That's disturbing." Clara made a face that showed exactly what she was thinking. The rest of the group seemed to agree based on their expressions. It made the Doctor laugh, their weird contortion of faces.

Plastic Mickey gets up and turns his hand into a chopper, Rose flees as Mickey attacks. 9 grabs the Auton and pulls of its head as the other customers scream

"Was your answer to that seriously to just pull his head off?" Jack asked, shaking his head at the Doctor who just grinned unrepentant.

"It worked."

That doesn't stop fake Mickey, Rose sets off the fire alarm

"Because things couldn't get more disturbing." Bill grimaced.

"Good idea with the fire alarm." Martha smile at Rose who grinned back.

She shouts for everyone to get out, Rose ad 9 run through the kitchens with the head as the body wrecks the restaurant before following

"Why are you taking the head with you?" Yaz asked.

"Just watch."

Outside the restaurant, 9 seals the exit and they find themselves in a dead end alley with the Tardis. Rose wants 9 to open the locked gate at the end of the alley calling his sonic a tube thing

"'Tube thing', that's brilliant." Amy cackled.

9 is very casual and says nah, suggesting they go into the Tardis instead as Rose panics and the Auton hammers on the door

Rose just groaned, shooting a vague glare at the Doctor. "You could have just told me." The rest of the room was chuckling at the screen.

"Nah, more fun this way." The Doctor grinned, Rose just glared more, not really meaning it though.

Rose runs around the Tardis before the Auton smashes the door and she makes up her mind, running into the Tardis

Rose's reaction to seeing the Tardis for the first time made the whole room laugh (and the Master mutter some unkind comment about primitive species but he was ignored). Even Rose chuckled at seeing her first reaction, it was definitely entertaining to watch.

"See told you. Very entertaining." The Doctor grinned.

Rose is still concerned they'll be followed, 9 reassures her the hordes of Genghis Khan couldn't get in then tells her to shut up

"You really need to stop encouraging people to try and attack the Tardis, Sweetie." River scolded the Doctor.

"You really can't say anything River." The Doctor raised an eyebrow. "If anything, you're worse than me. Do I need to bring up Hydroflax again?"

"Once again, Sweetie. I married the diamond." River argued, but her grin revealed she wasn't particularly annoyed. The Doctor just rolled her eyes, but still smiled at her wife.

We get a view of 9's Tardis

The group gaped at the old Tardis, doing what they always did when they saw a new version of the Tardis – comparing it to their own. Jack and Rose were grinning, happy to see their original Tardis and original Doctor. They had so many fond memories of both, it was nice to see them again even just on screen.

9 is going to use the Auton head to track it back to the original source

"Glad you've finally explained that." Rory muttered. A few others nodded along, happy for one question to be answered at least.

Rose realises the inside is bigger than the outside, and asks if it and he are alien. 9 confirms they are and asks if that's alright, Rose says yeah surprisingly calm (most likely the shock)

"Love how calm you are about this." Yaz smiled.

"Thanks, you weren't too bad yourself." Rose smiled back.

The Doctor explains they're in the Tardis and what it stands for, then Rose breaks into tears

The room whipped around to face Rose who blinked. She'd kinda forgotten she's broken out into tears.

"Are you okay cockle?" Graham asked, all grandfatherly concerned.

"Yeah, I'd forgotten about that. Everything just caught up with me and I was worried about Mickey but I'm good now. Thanks for the concern though." Rose answered, biting her lip.

"Just as long as you're alright now, love."

9 decides its culture shock but Rose is concerned about Mickey, and asks if they killed him

Mickey smiled softly at Rose, glad to see despite all the drama she was genuinely worried about him. She offered a smile back.

The Doctor hadn't thought about that

"Doctor!" Was shouted by several people across the room. She held out her hands in mock surrender.

"Sorry! To be fair, I hadn't actually met him and was focused on the Autons trying to invade Earth." The Doctor tried to protest; the room just shook their heads at her before focusing back on the screen.

The plastic head melts on the console as Rose berates 9 for not thinking about Mickey

"I was wrong, things can get more disturbing." Bill grimaced again, while the room watched in horrified fascination as Plastic Mickey melted.

The Doctor sets the Tardis off to try and follow the signal before it fades. They land and 9 goes for the door but Rose tells him he can't go out as it isn't safe

The room looked confused before realisation slowly set in. "Right, he didn't actually explain what the Tardis can do." Martha said, shaking her head again at the Doctor who just grinned sheepishly.

Jack grinned, "You're about to get a surprise."

They arrive at Westminster, they lost the signal but got close. Rose is shocked that they moved asking it it flies. 9 explains they disappear and reappear but she wouldn't understand

The group rolled their eyes at the Doctor, he was so focused on the Autons and not paying any attention to Rose's questions. Rose just shook her head, he was always insulting other species, and honestly it was true. Only River, the Master and the Doctor had any clue how to fly the Tardis. Well Jack knew some stuff, more than most at least.

Rose asks about the body, 9 explains it would have melted with the head and asks if she's going to keep wittering

"Honestly, Spaceman. Be nice, it's not like you're actually explaining anything." Donna complained, gaining a sheepish look from the Doctor. It seemed she'd always been a bit rude and socially awkward, that didn't appear to change between bodies.

Rose is still focused on Mickey, 9 calls him a kid, and Rose argues he isn't a kid

"Sorry Rose." The Doctor sighed; she'd definitely been more than a bit rude. "And Mickey." She added quickly.

"I'm still a bit mad about Mickey, but I was wrong. We were both definitely both still kids, it makes me feel old just to say that." Rose sighed, it was weird seeing herself complain about not being a kid (well, Mickey not being a kid but still) especially now she was older and had seen so much more than she had ever thought she would.

"Everyone seems like a kid to me sometimes. But I still should have been a bit nicer seeing as I dragged you into it all." The Doctor said. She glanced at Bill who was offering a small smile to let her know she was thinking exactly what she was. Their time in Scotland looking for the Lost Legion had shown that card – almost everyone was a kid to an ancient time travelling alien.

9 says its because he's trying to save everyone on the planet (fairly insultingly)

"Oi, we're not apes!" Donna complained.

"Yes, you are." The Doctor and Master countered in sync before realising they had done so and turned to glare at each other. They turned quickly away, back to the screen instead.

Rose asks if he's an alien why does he sound like he's from the North, 9 mentions lots of planets have a north

"You sound like you are from the North again this face. It's nice." Rose realised, grinning. She'd loved her first Doctor's accent (not that she didn't like her second Doctor's accent but there was just something comforting about her first Doctor's northern drawl).

The Doctor grinned. "Regeneration lottery."

Then she asks about the police public call box and he explains its a  disguise

"Not a very good one." Amy snorted.

"I like it and so does the Tardis." The Doctor pouted.

Then she wants to know what the Autons have against them. 9 says, nothing, Earth has plenty of food for the Nestene  Consciousness

"That's not reassuring in anyway, you realise that right?" Clara asked, looking like she was already resigned to the answer. The Doctor just shrugged; it hadn't been meant as a reassurance just a fact.

Graham, Ryan and Yaz shared a glance. "This anything like that Praxeus stuff, Doc?" Graham finally asked.

"Completely unrelated, don't worry Graham. Well, apart from the loving plastic thing but both have been dealt with anyway." The Doctor tried to reassure her current companions who looked unnerved by the reminder of Praxeus.

"Praxeus?" Martha asked concerned.

"Trust us, you don't want to know." Ryan declared which seemed like enough of an answer for the rest of the group who turned back to the screen.

9 has the way to stop it - a tube of anti-plastic

"Anti-Plastic? Really?" Rory asked in disbelief.

"Yep!" The Doctor answered cheerfully, very proud of herself (even though it hadn't quite worked according to plan).

First they need to find the transmitter though, the Nestene need a transmitter to boost the signal to control every piece of plastic. 9 explains it would look like a huge circular metal structure like a wheel close to them in the middle of London, but can't find it (Rose has)

The group started chuckling at the Doctor's complete obliviousness. Jack started nudging the Doctor teasingly as he laughed while the Doctor just smiled, unable to hide her red cheeks.

Rose looks at the London Eye but 9 doesn't catch on for a moment, before realising and saying fantastic

"Fantastic? Is that what you said in that face?" Amy asked, still grinning at her obliviousness. At seeing the Doctor's answering nod, she continued. "Better than Geronimo."

"Or Allons-y." Martha added. The Doctor just pouted at all the teasing; she knew her companions getting together would just lead to her embarrassment.

Rose ad 9 run across Westminster Bridge as 9 talks about all the plastic in the world that could come alive, the first thing Rose thinks about is breast implants

"Is that really what you thought of first?" Mickey laughed, while Rose just shrugged blushing a bit.

"Love your thinking, Rosie." Jack laughed happily, clapping his hands.

"Don't call me Rosie, Jack."

"Sure thing, Rosie."

They reach the transmitter and use a manhole to get below it to the Consciousness, the hatch has red light inside

"Of course, you're going underground, things can never be nice to us." Rory complained.

Donna had glanced at the Doctor, remembering her own experience underneath the Thames. The Doctor noticed her glances and seemed to connect her thinking after a minute. She shot Donna a questioning glance which Donna just replied with a (slightly) shaky smile. That Christmas Day under the Thames had certainly left an impression in so many ways.

They enter a multi-level chamber. Inside a vat is the Nestene Consciousness. Rose wants him to put in the anti-plastic and leave but 9 says he isn't there to kill it, he needs to give it a chance

"Sweetie-."

"No River."

"Not everything wants a chance Doctor. Not everything deserves a chance." River continued, ignoring her wife.

"I've got to try River. Especially back then, after what I thought I'd done. After what I had done. I have to try." The Doctor said softly, earning a sad but understanding look from her wife. They could have that argument another time.

9 declares that he seeks a peaceful audience according to the Shadow Proclamation

"You're referencing the Shadow Proclamation. I'm pretty sure you break it every week." Jack laughed. The Doctor just grinned and shrugged.

The stuff in the vat flexes and answers apparently, 9 asks permission to approach

"You can understand it?" Bill asked confused.

"I speak a lot of language. You pick them up when you travel as long as I do." The Doctor grinned. It had definitely come in handy a lot through her travels.

Rose spots Mickey and runs to meet him, Mickey is fine if not very confused and scared

"Glad to see you're alright and not plastic." Martha smiled at her husband.

He grinned back. "So am I."

Rose shouts to 9 that they kept Mickey alive to which he isn't surprised having suspected that, Rose isn't happy about that

"Doctor!"

9 talks to the Consciousness telling them to get off the planet (in less polite words)

"Ah, my favourite kind of diplomacy." Jack grinned, hand to his heart while the Doctor just rolled her eyes at him.

The Consciousness argues but 9 is having none of it, its definitely an invasion. Dummies grab the Doctor and the anti-plastic falls from his pocket

"And as usual your attempts at diplomacy doesn't work and the alien is going to continue their plans of world domination." Amy declared with an exasperated sigh.

9 rushes to explain the anti-plastic was just insurance. A door slides back to reveal the Tardis

DOCTOR: No. Oh, no. Honestly, no. Yes, that's my ship. That's not true. I should know, I was there. I fought in the war. It wasn't my fault. I couldn't save your world! I couldn't save any of them!

The Doctor flinched at the reminder of the Time War, which didn't go unnoticed by anyone. River pulled her wide closer to her, squeezing her hand to help ground her back in the present. The Doctor offered her a shaky thankful smile, it had been a bad time back then but Rose, and then Jack and the rest of her companions had helped.

9 warns Rose to run as it is starting the invasion

"That's not good."

Rose phones her mum

Martha grimaced. "You're trying to warn your mum." It was a statement not a question but Rose nodded anyway, glad someone understood.

Jackie is in town, Rose warns her to go home  immediately

"I don't think she's going to believe you if you tried to explain." Clara pointed out.

Rose just shrugged. "I had to try and warn her at least."

"No, I get that." Clara acquiesced.

Jackie ignore her as the call is breaking up. The Consciousness starts transmitting the activation signal as Rose declares it s the end of the world

"Bit dramatic." The Doctor smiled.

"Yeah, was a bit premature on that one. The world has almost ended several times since then." Rose grinned.

"And before then. Yet you're all still here spinning away happily on this planet." The Doctor chuckled.

Clive is out shopping with his family when the Auton's come alive, they shoot Clive

The room paused, looking down for a moment of silence for Clive. Rose was frowning, she'd never known that Clive had been killed by the Autons.

Back underground, 9 shouts at Rose to run but the stairs are gone

"Fair point against the running plan." Yaz nodded, she was a bit nervous about the trouble the group were in onscreen but they seemed very blasé about the whole thing and were here safe so clearly, they had escaped unharmed.

The Autons try and push 9 int the vat as Rose and Mickey run to the Tardis but they don't have the key, Mickey is panicking about dying

Mickey groaned, hiding his face in his hands. He'd been very young, looking back, and had matured a lot since then. His start with the Doctor may have been very rough but it had given him opportunities he probably never would have had otherwise. His experiences had helped him grow more confident, plus it had given him a job he enjoyed and a wife he loved.

Back in town, Autons start attacking people including Jackie who hides

The group watched worriedly at all the chaos unfolding but as Mickey, Rose and the Doctor seemed mostly unconcerned they assumed everything had gone mostly okay.

The Nestene identify 9 as a Time Lord. Rose runs around the chamber towards the Doctor as Mickey shouts to leave him

"Oh, thanks Mickey." The Doctor said, teasing clear in her voice.

"No worries. Always glad to help." Mickey answered back, voice soaked in sarcasm. They had long since gotten over their troubles from back then. The pair shared a grin while Rose sighed, rolling her eyes at their antics.

Rose grabs an axe as she declares she may not have A levels or a job but she does have gymnastics medals

The room let out a cheer, happy to see Rose save the day while the boys were occupied. Rose grinned, proud of herself. It was weird to compare her situation now to her situation back then – everything had changed so much, but she loved her life and didn't regret her decision to travel with the Doctor.

Rose chops a rope and uses a long chain to swing round the catwalk, kicking a few Autons into the vat also dropping the anti-plastic into it. The Nestene scream and turns from gold to blue

The group grinned, happy to see the Autons dealt with so easily (comparatively to normal). It was nice when things were resolved quickly and easy, nice but unfortunately rare.

9 grabs her as she swings back, explosions start as the signal stops and all the attacking Autons collapse. 9 and Rose run to Mickey at the Tardis, they all go in and it dematerialises

"Good, you're all safe." Martha smiled at the group.

Rose and the Doctor shared a glance that made Mickey instantly nervous. "Wait till you see Mickey's reaction to the Tardis." Rose grinned, aiming her comment mostly at Martha who grinned back excitedly while Mickey groaned, he'd been right to be nervous.

The Tardis rematerializes elsewhere and Mickey runs out terrified

The group burst out laughing while Mickey tried to hide his face in his wife's shoulder, but she was laughing so much she was shaking, making hiding very difficult.

Jackie phones Rose to warn her it isn't safe and to not leave the house, but Rose doesn't answer

Rose frowned, no wonder she had worried her mum so much after that. Disappearing for a year had been bad by itself but disappearing for a year after the chaos in London and not answering the phone – well that really wasn't good.

Rose goes over to Mickey as 9 stays by the Tardis. Rose declares 9 useless, and he'd be dead without her

"Thank you, Rose." The Doctor smiled earnestly; she couldn't remember if she had actually thanked her back then but it wouldn't' hurt to do it twice. Rose just smiled back softly.

9 agrees and thanks her, before offering that she could come with him as the Tardis travels anywhere in the universe. Mickey tells her to not as he's an alien, a thing

"Rude, Rickey." The Doctor teased, ignoring Rose who looked like she wanted to face palm.

"Sorry Doctor, I wasn't particularly nice." Mickey admitted with a wince at seeing himself on screen. No wonder he and the Doctor hadn't gotten on well to start with, well alongside the kidnapping Rose for a year.

"It's okay, I wasn't particularly nice to you to start with either." The Doctor shrugged.

9 makes it clear Mickey isn't invited. Rose asks if it is dangerous, 9 answers it is, and Rose refuses saying she has to find her mum and look after Mickey

"You said no?" Martha asked, she'd never realised that Rose had initially said no. From the rest of the group's expressions, they also hadn't been expecting that.

Donna grinned. "Glad to know I wasn't the only one that said no to this idiot the first time."

"You said no as well?" Rose asked Donna.

"Yep, but I ended up running into him again and deciding to give it ago after some begging." Donna shrugged.

"Hang on! There was no begging. I distinctively remember you chasing me down and asking to come!" The Doctor complained. Rose and Donna just turned identical grins on her which made her pout, she was feeling teamed up on.

The Doctor conceded and the Tardis dematerialises

"How long was it for you?" Rose asked curious, she knew she had mentioned it had been longer for her earlier and she was curious now.

"Maybe a week or two, I can't quite remember." The Doctor shrugged. Rose shook her head; time travel was still so weird sometimes.

"I'm glad you came back." Rose simply said.

"So am I." The Doctor smiled softly.

Rose goes to leave but the Tardis returns
DOCTOR: By the way, did I mention it also travels in time?
ROSE: Thanks.
MICKEY: Thanks for what?
ROSE: Exactly.
(Rose kisses Mickey on the cheek and runs into the Tardis.)

"That's what got you?" Amy asked, shaking her head. (She was ignoring the fact that the time travel part had gotten her too – the Doctor had still been late for her twice).

Rose smiled. "I think I regretted saying no as soon as he left, so I'm glad he came back." She explained. Then she turned to Mickey. "Sorry for leaving with no explanation though, Mickey." Mickey just smiled offering a nod, that was water under the bridge.

The Doctor clapped her hands, gaining the attention of the room. "Well, that's that. What's up next?"

Chapter Text

As if on que, the screen turned blank and the words 'Heaven Sent' appeared on screen. The Doctor blinked at the screen, well that didn't really give away any clues about what the video featured. She turned to the rest of the room, having been lulled into a (false) sense of comfort after the ease and niceness of the last video.

"Anyone have any clues about what this could be about?" The Doctor asked.

"Absolutely none but enjoying the mystery tour of your adventures. Besides Doctor, you're what the videos are about if you don't have nay idea it isn't likely we will." Jack pointed out. It was a fair point, they would all feature only in a certain number of videos while she would be in almost all of them if they were about her – therefore she was more likely to know what the video would show.

No one else spoke up so the video started to play. The Doctor was suddenly hit by a strong sense of apprehension, she didn't like not having an idea of what they would see.

12's voice is heard saying as you come into this world, something else is born

"Oh, it's Eyebrows!" Bill perked up, recognising the voice of her old tutor. The Doctor smiled at her excitement. Knowing it was her twelfth incarnation (as the Doctor) also helped narrow down what the video could be showing.

"Maybe it's one of our adventures? Or maybe it will be about Clara?" The Doctor smiled at the pair, she was desperately hoping it was one of their nicer adventures, there were some she was sure she didn't want anyone to ever see. Clara and Bill both smiled back, excited to see their Doctor on screen.

Cogs turn as we wiz round a large stone building with screens hanging off the walls full of  static

It hit the Doctor suddenly what they were about to see and she rocked back in her seat suddenly, shrinking down. "No not this. Don't make me watch this. I don't want them to see. I don't want to see this again." She started muttering, eyes wide. She had never told anyone fully what had happened in her confession dial, not River nor Clara, no one. She didn't want them to see this, she didn't want to have to go through this again.

Her muttering and startled reaction drew the room's attention to her in an instant. River grabbed her hand almost desperate, turning her body to completely face her wife. "Sweetie. Breathe, please just breathe. Doctor. Doctor, please you have to breathe." The Doctor hadn't even realised her breath was coming out more aged and uneven the more worked up she got. It was only at River's voice did she realise how much she was struggling to breathe, even with her respiratory bypass.

It took several minutes until she managed to focus on River's words and hold, allowing her to calm herself and bring her breathing back to relatively normal. "Good, just keep breathing normally Doctor." River paused a second to let her calm herself before starting in on the interrogation. "Now what's got you all panicked? What do you not want us to see?"

It took all her efforts to keep calm in the face of the room's expectant and concerned looks, they were all eager to know what had caused her to panic so much, most of them had never seen her in that kind of state and honestly, it had shocked them.

The Doctor's eyes darted all over the room, desperately searching for an escape route but she was trapped by her friend's concern. She took a shuddering breathe before managing to finally squeeze out two words. Two words she knew would explain everything to those that knew. The only two words she could currently manage. "Confession Dial."

Her words seemed to knock the breath out of Clara, whose eyes widened in startled shock before closing for a minute to allow her to deal with the emotions those words induced. River inhaled sharply; the Doctor had told her a little about her (then his) ordeal in the confession dial but never any details. She would have had to be a fool to miss the trauma it had caused him though. The Master leaned forward in his seat, eager for answers to this mystery, he knew very little about what had happened upon the Doctor's return to Gallifrey and desperately wanted to know the full story – especially seeing the Doctor's reaction.

The words meant very little to the rest of the room, who were all shuffling uncomfortable in their seats. They could see how badly those that knew had reacted and that was worrying them. They had just been settling down after the relatively pleasantness of the last video, but clearly this one was going to be hard.

Clara took a deep breath before sitting up in her seat, drawing the room's attention to her. The only people not watching her was the Doctor – who was still working on calming herself down – and River who was helping the Doctor clam down, but keeping half an eye on the rest of the room.

Clara finally started to speak. "I know I mentioned it earlier but I guess we're going to actually see it. This one is going to be difficult for both of us for several reasons. All you need to know is that we ran into a trap which went wrong and I was killed." The shocked looks and gasps drew Clara's attention and she hurried to continue her explanation. "I got too prideful and I made a mistake which got me killed and the Doctor trapped but I don't know the full details. Between the Doctor and the Master – then Missy – all I know about the confession dial is that it is essentially a Gallifreyan's will, given to their greatest friend before they die. Gallifrey tricked the Doctor and used his to trap him for a long time." She took another breath, long was a major understatement. "I think we are about to see what happened to the Doctor while he was trapped." She finished, sad eyes turning on the Doctor who offered a shaky smile in an attempt to reassure her that everything was okay. It didn't convince anyone.

The room looked at the Doctor in a new light, concern obvious in all their gazes. Clara's revelation had unsettled them and they were suddenly anxious about what they would see. To put the Doctor in that state it must have been terrible in a way they couldn't articulate. Reluctantly they let the video continue. The Doctor's eyes were attached to the screen, dread pooling in her stomach and River's hand in hers offering comfort.

12 is heard again, talking about how as you live the other thing moves towards you, slowly but it never stops. You rest, it does not, then one day you stay somewhere too long and it catches up and then your life will be over

"Are you telling a horror story Doctor?" Jack tried to joke but it fell flat, everyone far too apprehensive and worried about what was coming. The Doctor's reaction said everything about how bad this episode was going to be.

We're in a teleport chamber and a blackened hand grab a lever and pulls, the hand falls and turns to dust as the cogs turn

"Whose hand was that?" Martha asked, looking unnerved by the disintegration of said hand.

The Doctor grimaced, eyes dark. So, they wouldn't be seeing her first time in the place – she wondered when they would be starting and how this video would play out. "Just watch." The room glanced at her worried, but got the feeling they wouldn't be getting any answers anytime soon.

12 appears in the teleport chamber coughing and gasping

"Definitely Eyebrows." Bill said, noticeably less excited know. She still felt a swell of happiness to actually see her first Doctor but his state and everything they had been told was unsettling her, she knew the Doctor had monsters in his (her, their, whatever) closet, everyone knew that, but it was something different to actually witness the formation of one. The Doctor offered a small smile but her eyes were still a swirling mess of unreadable emotions.

The cogs stop as he leaves the chamber. We get a glimpse of Clara's death, and he scoops up a handful of sand from the floor

"That's how you died?!" Rose asked startled before realising what she had said and continuing. "Sorry, that was really unsensitive. Are you okay?"

Clara smiled at the other woman showing no hurt feelings. "I'm okay thanks, it has been a while since that for me. Honestly, it's a bit weird seeing it like that. The full story is long but basically, as you probably guessed, the raven was not really an actual raven." She shrugged with a bittersweet smile. It had been a while for her since then, she'd spent what felt like years travelling with Me, but time was a challenging thing to keep track of when one is a time traveller.

No one was quite sure what to say to that so allowed the video to continue. Shooting concerned and confused looks between the Doctor, Clara and the screen every so often.

DOCTOR: If you think because she is dead, I am weak, then you understand very little. If you were any part of killing her, and you're not afraid, then you understand nothing at all. So, for your own sake, understand this. I am the Doctor. I'm coming to find you, and I will never, ever stop.

Clara flinched at the Doctor's declaration. It was a startling reminder of his fury at Me just before her death. A swirling mess of emotions were playing a tug of war in the pit of her stomach. On one hand she was glad to see the Doctor affected by her death (not that she would have ever though he wouldn't care, the Doctor just struggled with emotions, especially as Eyebrows). On the other hand, she hated what his fury and her death had driven him too, the decisions he had made because of it, what he had suffered because of it. They'd never had a proper chance to actually discuss everything that had happened but she wasn't sure she actually wanted to see what he had endured for her sake.

The rest of the room was startled by the anger the Doctor displayed, it was a rare event for them to see it like this but it was always a stark reminder that they weren't human, that they were an ancient alien who had seen more than anything they could ever understand. It made it abundantly clear that this was going to be a painful video.

The Master leaned forward in his seat, a small smirk tugging at his lips. It wasn't common to see the Doctor rage, their beautiful rage. And while he was apprehensive (and furious) about Gallifrey's meddling, he was delighted to see the anger mounting in the Doctor – when he unleashed it, it was sure to be spectacular.

The Doctor shrunk down further in their seat; they really didn't want to have to go through this again, even just watching it. She didn't want anyone to see what had happened in those almost endless years of torture or what had happened on Gallifrey, especially after everything they had just seen about the Timeless Child. This was going to be painful.

12 explores the tower, leaning out a window to try and see the ground

"You are very high up." Mickey pointed out worriedly. It left less room for a escape plans being high up. The Doctor just grimaced, she knew exactly how high she'd been.

12 works out based on the equipment he's not more than a light year from where he was and he's in the same time zone

"You don't know where you are?" Yaz asked, more curious than anything. She could easily admit it was a bit weird to see the old man on screen and think that was the Doctor, she was so used to her Doctor.

"I was teleported away after Clara's death. I didn't know why or by who so it took me a while to work everything out." The Doctor admitted quietly. She'd been so furious and grieving Clara that it had taken her longer than it should have to work out what was going on. Plus, it wasn't like there were many clues available or time to debate it, and there was the issue with only getting her memories back when she found room 12.

He finds a courtyard and walks clockwise. He says when the sun sets he will be able to work out his exact location, he wants revenge even though Clara told him not to

Clara turned to the Doctor, her own rage bubbling its way to the surface. Yes, this had already happened but she was still allowed to be angry. "Don't you dare! It was my death. My pride and stupid mistake. You don't get to take revenge or ignore me!"

"Clara-." The Doctor tried but was ignored.

"No, you absolute idiot! I hate how far you went and I know you realised but it was my mistake and you suffered for years." Clara finished her rant, eyes wide with a mix of fury and sadness.

"Clara." The Doctor stated, voice blank of emotions. She waited patiently until Clara met her eyes. "Clara. You are my responsibility when you travel with me. All of you are. You made a stupid mistake, yes, but I encouraged your attitude and we were in that situation because it was a trap for me. I'm sorry for ignoring what you wanted but I'd just watch you killed on my watch." The Doctor was eerily calm, eyes deep and showing the full extent of her sorrow.

Clara watched her for a moment, speechless. Then her brain kicked back into gear. "You're an absolute idiot. I chose to travel with you, we all do, and it was my pride that caused my death. It wasn't your fault and you don't deserve this." She gestured at the screen to emphasise her point.

"You were my responsibility. You are all my responsibility when you travel with me." The Doctor announced. Her tone steely and showing that she wasn't going to move on the matter.

"You're an idiot." Clara declared, knowing she wouldn't get anywhere else with this argument at the minute but making a mental note to find the Doctor after this mess and have a proper talk.

The Doctor just shrugged with a small smile. The rest of the room watched the interaction unsure that they should be watching.

He finds a spade with soil on it, he declares he hates gardening

"Are you seriously complaining about gardening?" Amy asked, shaking her head in disbelief at the Doctor.

Donna was also shaking her head. "You really need to work on your priorities." The Doctor just grinned.

12 wants whoever is around to come out, his day can't get any worse he wants to make someone else's bad

The room collectively flinched at the friend dying in agony comment. Clara turned to the Doctor - sadness clear in her large eyes as well as some residual anger at her wishes being ignored. The Doctor frowned; it hadn't been a 'day' by any stretch of definition but the ordeal in her confession dial wasn't anything compared to Clara's death. What was one death when you had died so many times before, compared to the death of someone you loved.

On a screen we get a black and white image of him from someone looking through a narrow slit in the wall

"You're being watched." Rory declared nervous.

"Yes." The Doctor answered simply. Her grimace made it clear to the rest of the room that it wasn't anyone nice.

He finds a figure in pale grey veils standing at a slit, he back away as he watches it move along the corridor on the screen. It's dragging a leg making an audible thump with each step. 12 wafts away a fly and runs down a narrow corridor to a door which is locked. He is trapped by the figure at the other end of the corridor

"What is that thing?" Mickey asked. The whole group was watching the screen with increasing concern. The Doctor was trapped with seemingly no escape.

"That's the thing chasing you?" Jack asked the Doctor, glancing to his side to find her frowning at the screen.

"Yes." Was the only answer she provided, eyes never leaving he screen. It didn't comfort anyone.

The Doctor knows them, has seen them before

"How have you seen it before?" Rose frowned. She would have thought something like that would be hard to forget.

The Doctor's expression just got darker and infinitely old. "Just watch." The companions exchanged worried looks over her head.

He tries the door again, and mentions he knows a trick with doors - if you're a little bit nice (telepathically) they might open. The door unlocks

"Are you serious?! Why have you never done that before?" Bill complained. That little skill would probably have been very helpful with the mess with those weird alien wood bugs.

The Doctor just shrugged. "Don't usually have enough time." Several companions rolled their eyes or shook their heads at that comment.

He tells a non-existent Clara he still has it

"Oh Doctor." Clara sighed; voice quiet in her own kind of grief. It was really hitting her that while she had had a chance to deal with her death and separation with the Doctor trough travelling with Me, the Doctor had been on his own dealing with his grief and being tortured for years.

The Doctor smiled softly, eyes filled with an indescribable grief and sadness that made Clara feel that little bit worse. The rest of the room shifted uncomfortable in the face of the sad atmosphere. They couldn't help but think about how the Doctor had reacted to their departure – no matter how nice or mutual it was. Bill already had some idea how the Doctor had reacted after her death and a few of the others had seen the Doctor's reactions after a previous companion's departure but they were still guiltily curious.

He opens the door but there's just a solid wall behind it. The Veil comes closer

The tension in the room increased even more, there really was no escape seemingly and they didn't know what the Veil wanted or was capable of.

12 admits he can't see a way out and that he's scared of dying

The room watched the screen in such a mix of emotions that it left most of them speechless. River squeezed the Doctor's hand and softly muttered to her. "It's okay to be scared of dying Doctor."

The Doctor shrugged before slyly glancing around the room to check if anyone was listening in. The only other person who seemed to be paying attention to their conversation was Jack who looked so sad but understanding.

"Before you attempt to make excuses Doctor. Having experience dying doesn't make it any less terrifying. I should know, all three of us know that." Jack added in softly.

Great, now she had both of them on her case again. It hurt just a little, the reminder that all three of them had died so much. Especially the reminder about River's deaths, she'd given up several of her regenerations to save her life and it turns out that she probably didn't even need them. She didn't answer either of them, too caught up in her depressive spiral of thoughts. She missed the concerned look the pair shot each other over the top of her head as the video continued.

The Veil had reached out a four fingered hand but stops dead with a clang as the Doctor spoke, even the flies are frozen. 12 asks what he said to make it stop

"Okay that is seriously creepy. What is that thing?" Bill asked, face displaying exactly what she thought.

The rest of the room seemed to agree based on their faces. River, Jack and the Master appeared to be mentally combing through their experience with aliens to try and place the Veil, the Doctor knew they would have no luck with that. She was honestly a little surprised that the Master hadn't put things together considering that he knew Gallifrey was behind everything. She realised she hadn't actually answered Bill when she felt the weight of everyone's eyes upon her.

"Just watch Bill, please." She sighed; things were only going to get worse.

Cogs audibly turn and part of the walls in the towers rotate, the wall behind him moves and he runs into the room

"The castle moves too! Because things can't get more confusing and annoying." Mickey shook his head. Martha was leaning against him with a small smile.

12 finds a bedroom with a vase of flowers and a peeling painting of Clara on the wall as the cogs stop

"Why is that there? How is that there?" Clara asked looking as bewildered as she sounded.

The Doctor bit her lip for a second trying to think of what to say. "I think the video will explain but if not, I will at the end of it, okay?" Clara visibly thought for a second before nodding her agreement. The Doctor was pretty sure the video would explain but if it didn't, she would honour her word and tell them about why the painting was there. That's if no one worked it out first.

12 picks up a jeweller's eyeglass and inspects the painting, the screen shows this and the Veil is arriving again

"It's coming for you again." Nardole pointed out rather redundantly. He was promptly ignored.

12 declares the painting very old

Clara flinched slightly at the reminder of how long the Doctor had been in the confession dial. She knew she had mentioned it near the start of this mess but was pretty sure that everyone else had forgotten that detail or not connected it to their current situation at least. She wasn't sure she wanted to know how long he had already been in there.

12 sees a fly land on the paining and he drops the glass to turn and face the Veil. The Doctor tells a story from his childhood - an old lady died and they covered her in veils but as it was a hot summer day the flies came. It gave him nightmares for years, he wants to know who is stealing his nightmares

"That thing is from your nightmares?" Donna exclaimed, looking stuck between horrified and reluctantly curious.

"I think that would feature in my nightmares too." Bill muttered, the picture the Doctor painted wasn't appealing in any way, nor was the Veil on screen.

The Doctor frowned for a moment trying to decide whether or not to just explain everything now or make the same excuse she had with Clara. The weight of the room's eyes made the decision for her. "The confession dial is supposed to be used as a kind of purification after a Time Lord dies so it is a mental construct based on that Time Lord. This whole mess-." Here she waved at the screen to emphasise her point. "Is made specifically for me. My nightmares, my grief, me. You'll see more as the video continues, I'm sure."

The room seemed to accept this despite their concerned looks. The Master however had a rather speculative look on his face, she was sure she'd never told him the story of the old lady, but he had clearly worked something out.

12 plucks petals from the flowers

"Why are you killing the flower?" Rose asked with a raised eyebrow. Despite how casual he looked about it on screen, she'd learnt long ago that he tended to do weird things like this for a reason.

"You'll see." The Doctor grinned for the first time in a while, happy to see someone had noticed.

12 wants to know why he's there, he grabs the eyeglass again and dodges around the Veil

There were a few chuckles at seeing the Doctor wear the eyeglass but most were too tense and worried to really enjoy the sight.

12 asks if it is a torture chamber and that whoever did it should know better. The eye glass drops again as he refuses to share any secrets

"When do you ever tell anyone anything?" Jack chuckled. "If your friends can't get secrets out of you, why do your enemies seem to think you will tell them anything?"

The Doctor smiled at him, glad for the distraction from the torture chamber comment and the fact that there was no edge to Jack's comment. He was just genuinely trying to cheer her up and distract her. "I know, they never learn."

He ducks under the Veil's arm and grabs a stool to fend it off. He throws the stool at a window breaking it, claiming the Veil wouldn't see this coming before diving through the broken window

The room's heads snapped to her in near sync while she winced slightly. It was River who voiced their thoughts first. "Doctor!"

"River." She said back just to be a bit petty and in a hopeless attempt to diffuse the tension suffocating the room suddenly.

"Don't you dare do that." River snapped, ignoring her. "You can't just throw yourself out a window!"

She was very temped to mention it wasn't the first or last time or the fact that River had done it as well but she figured that would only make the situation worse, so for once wisely kept her mouth shut.

Amy snorted out of the blue. "You seem to have a thing for falling. I mean you fell out of the Tardis, almost fell from the crane and I'm sure plenty of other times that I can't quite think of right now. One day it's going to kill you."

"Oh, it already has." The Master snorted without any humour form his little corner, drawing the room's attention to him. Most of the room had been attempting to ignoring him but his comment was too much to ignore.

The Doctor winced; she'd definitely not wanted t mention that little detail. She was glaring at the Master when she heard Martha's guarded voice. "What do you mean?" The Doctor knew that Martha hated having to ask the Master anything so it meant this was something she really wanted the answer too.

Now the Doctor had a choice: tell the story herself and draw their attention back to her or let the Master tell it and put his 'delightful' spin on it. Yep, no question about it. "My fourth regeneration, I fell off a radio tower and landed wrong, the fall killed me and I regenerated into my fifth face." She was right, her quiet comment drew the room's attention back to her in an instant. The Master's gaze felt heavy even as she ignored it in favour of inspecting the floor.

"Fell?" Jack asked with a tone that suggested he really didn't believe that. His glances at the Master definitely told the room what he believed to have actually happened.

"Yes, I was fighting the Master and he was up there but no he didn't push me as much as he likes to claim that is what happens. I slipped as stupid as it sounds." The Doctor sighed; trying to get the explanation out quickly before Jack or anyone else tried to fight the Master.

"Glad you've finally admitted it dear. Though it was inevitable with that stupid scarf of yours, I always told you it would kill you one day." The Master smirked.

"My scarf was cool, besides it didn't kill me either." The Doctor argued. She was carefully not mentioning how she had slipped because the Master had adjusted the tilt of the radio dish, she didn't want to give him any credit or give anyone else reasons for more fighting.

Their little argument had thankfully largely distracted the room from her stupid decisions on screen and the video started to play again as they had a small stare off.

He's in the Tardis

"Wait, what? How did you get into the Tardis?" Yaz asked, glancing between the screen and the Doctor. The rest of the room was doing something similar, all confused by the sudden jump from the Doctor falling to the Doctor entering the Tardis.

"I didn't." The Doctor answered with a small knowing smirk.

"You realise that doesn't explain anything, right Doc?" Graham added in. All the answer he got was the Doctor's smirk which wasn't reassuring.

We get mixed shots of him in the Tardis and falling further down. He is arguing with nobody, declaring he had to jump as the first rule of interrogation is you're the only irreplaceable person there

"Why do you sound like you have lots of experience with torture chambers?" Martha asked, sounding like she was already resigned to the answer.

"Because I do." The Doctor answered like it should be obvious.

"Doctor." Martha sighed.

"What?" She asked but received no actual answer, just sad looks from the majority of the room.

According to 12 you have to show them who's boss and die faster. Rule one of dying, don't, second rule is slow down. 12 appears to almost freeze mid air and there is a Clara in the Tardis with her back to him

Clara jolted in her seat, glancing swiftly between the screen and the Doctor with a scrunched-up expression revealing her confusion. Her eyes visibly widened as she seemed to make a connection. "That's not me. I know that's not me. You said that the confession dial reflected you – your nightmares and your grief. That's why the painting is in the castle and why I'm there – I'm a reflection of your grief." Clara finally declared softly; eyes widened to reflect how sad that thought made her.

The Doctor just nodded slightly to confirm her theory, unsure what to actually say. At least it saved her from explaining later.

Clara just sighed, eyes closed and expression pained before turning back to the screen with just an, 'Oh, Doctor."

12 explains you have to assume you are going to survive. enter the storm room in your mind and think. His storm room is the Tardis, showing off and telling someone how he escaped and making them laugh

Bill tilted her head slightly turning to the Doctor, ever curious. "Is that seriously how you figure out how to get out of trouble?"

The Doctor just shrugged one-heartedly. "It works."

He is dying and is very excited to know how he is going to survive

"You finally admit it." River teased, nudging the Doctor slightly and gaining a small smile in return. It was a good distraction from the imminent danger the Doctor was in onscreen.

He has one hope - salt

"Salt?" Amy asked incredulous.

"Salt." The Doctor nodded proudly, although it was tinted slightly by the knowledge of what was awaiting her in the water. She ignored Amy rolling her eyes at her lack of clarification.

He smelled it earlier, so the castle stands in the sea

"But falling into water from high up isn't any better than hitting concrete, right?" Rose pointed out, glancing around the room to check she was right. A few people nodded their agreement. The Doctor just gave a small smile and waved to the screen.

Falling into water from a great height doesn't guarantee survival, so he needs to work out how far he is falling and how fast

Rose sat up slightly grinning proudly at the Doctor who grinned back.

Calculations roll on a scanner as 12 explains he used the stool to see how long it took to splash (7 seconds) and worked out atmospheric density (flower petals) and strength of local gravity (jeweller's eyeglass falling) etc

"You think you are so clever." River teased, shaking her head in fond exasperation at her wife's antics.

"I am clever." The Doctor protested while the rest of the room started snickering at the duo.

"Keep telling yourself that sweetie." River grinned which pulled at the Doctor's heart strings and lightened the weight she was feeling from watching these memories.

He hits the water on time and goes unconscious, he floats downwards as the Tardis goes dark for a moment before lighting up again

"Doctor!" Bill exclaimed at seeing the Doctor floating unconscious underwater. She kept glancing between the screen and the Doctor as if to reassure herself that she wasn't there anymore. Others in the room were doing something similar.

"I was okay Bill, promise." The Doctor smiled reassuringly. It wasn't exactly a lie, the almost drowning wasn't the painful or deadly part of these memories.

Not-Clara writes on a blackboard - Q1 what is this place? 12 wants to know why they can't just sleep

"Oh Doctor." River muttered, squeezing the Doctor's hand while glancing worriedly at her.

Q2 - what did 12 say to make the Veil stop? 12 tells Clara he can't always win, but she underlines it seven times on the blackboard

The room became tense, all its inhabitants hearing the underlying questions and fatigue under the Doctor's seemingly innocent questions. Clara couldn't help but feel a bit thankful that she was still there helping the Doctor even if it was just in the Doctor's mind.

River squeezed the Doctor's hand in an attempt to comfort both of them, giving her wife a pointed look that said they would be talking about this at some point soon. She was only comforted slightly by the fact that she'd spent twenty-four years with the Doctor shortly after this mess and helped him deal with everything even if her hadn't always told her the details.

Light reveals the sea bed is covered in humanoid skulls

The room's eyes widened drastically at seeing the sea of skulls and a few let lose gasps at the unexpected sight. "Whose skulls are they? How many people have died there?" Amy asked, glancing worriedly at the Doctor.

The Doctor was grimacing, which really didn't reassure anyone, "Just watch."

"But you said this was your confession dial, based on your fears and everything. Are they people you knew?" Clara theorised worriedly. That was a lot of skulls.

The Doctor managed to look even more uncomfortable if that was possible. "In a way, just watch please." Several people in the room looked like they wanted to argue but the Doctor had already turned back to the screen and they knew they wouldn't get any more answers out of her.

Now conscious, 12 swims to the surface before climbing out shortly after. There is a central tower with four spokes off it on 2 levels, together it looks a bit like a cog wheel

"Cogs? Like in a clock?" Rory muttered almost to himself. Only those closest to him heard and Amy gave him a considering look – she'd been thinking something similar but neither were quite sure what it meant.

Dripping wet, 12 finds a fire with a pair of boots and clothes already dry by the fire. He warms himself and compares the clothes to find them identical to his own. He swaps his with the dry ones, putting the wet ones exactly as he found the dry ones

"At least you don't have to run around in wet clothes." Jack wiggled his eyebrows suggestively, startling a snort out of the Doctor.

"Why are there identical clothes there?" Martha asked, face scrunched up in thought. She was purposely ignoring Jack's comment, as was the sane thing to do typically.

"Just watch." The Doctor answered, the room was getting very tired of that response and their expressions told the Doctor that.

He finds a dining room set for one then a storeroom with a hexagonal hole in the flagstone and chalk arrows pointing in. There's sand in the bottom

"Someone else is there. Or has been there at some point." Rose declared looking worried.

The room looked at the Doctor with expectant gazes, looking for answers. The Doctor just shrugged uncomfortable with this topic of discussion. "Kind of, just watch please."

12 asks why it follows, on the blackboard it says wrong question and 12 asks what the right question is

Clara frowned; expression full of sadness. She was still conflicted about the Doctor picturing her to help him.

"Is that really how your brain works?" Bill asked, still wanting more clarification on that point. She couldn't help but wonder if the Doctor had ever pictured her when doing this?

The Doctor just smiled at the younger girl who looked torn between shaking her head fondly and rolling her eyes at the non-answer answer.

Not why, what? 12 works out it is trying to scare him, its all about fear that's why he can see it following him. A killer puzzle designed to scare him to death, he calls it Christmas

"Please tell me you're not enjoying this." Jack asked sounding already resigned to the answer.

"The puzzle is fun but the whole experience was not. You'll see." The Doctor explained with a small smile. It wasn't a secret that she enjoyed working out puzzles and finding her way out of trouble – it was always a good distraction from everything. She noticed River rolling her eyes beside her.

"Oh, you can't say anything River. You're worse than me." The Doctor argued.

"I have no idea what you're talking about sweetie." This time it was the Doctor who rolled her eyes at her wife.

He walks down a corridor and opens a creaky door

"Of course, the door creaks. Because there isn't enough of a horror movie atmosphere." Rory sighed.

He finds a garden, the door slams shut and a bell rings. In the centre of the garden is an empty round bed with a recently dug rectangle. 12 finds a clean spade, he gets the hint that someone wants him to dig and starts

"Guess you're digging. So much for hating gardening." Amy teased. The Doctor just grinned at her.

"I think that we would all dig in this case." Ryan pointed out. The rest of the room had to agree with that.

12 talks to himself about what Clara would do, which is the same as 12, commenting that's what killed her

Clara flinched at that. The Doctor winced as well, she never thought anyone would see anything from this. She was about to try and say something (what she wasn't quite sure yet)but Clara interrupted her.

"No don't say anything Doctor. You're right, it was what got me killed and I've already dealt with that. It's okay." Clara offered a small smile at the Doctor who sent back her own small apologetic smile. They definitely needed to talk about that (and everything else) properly at some point but now was not the time.

12 talks aloud about something being buried in the garden or it being a trap. He also declares he isn't the first prisoner (the skulls). He works out with a building that high and creature that slow he has an hour

"Are you just shouting at air? Really Spaceman?" Donna raised her eyebrow.

The Doctor shrugged. "I figured someone was watching and even if there wasn't I like to speak out loud."

Martha snorted. "We all know that. It's getting you to stop talking that's usually the problem." That caused a few chuckles around the room while the Doctor just put up a few protests, too happy to see her friends get along and the distraction form the video to really care.

He digs as the Veil comes closer

"It's coming for you." Mickey said rather redundantly. It wasn't like they could help the Doctor on screen.

When a fly buzzes in his face he runs to check a screen seeing wood with flies on it. He opens a door to find the veil screeching at him

Half the room jumped or let lose a little shriek at seeing the Veil jump out from behind the door.

"Jump scares too. Really getting that horror movie vibe now." Bill exclaimed, one hand over her heart as if to try and calm her racing heartbeat.

12 slams the door shut and jams the spade under the door handle declaring that due to the physics of a triangle the Veil loses

"You're so smug." Rose shook her head. The Doctor just smiled, she was allowed to be smug.

The door stops shaking as the Veil leaves. 12 works out it can set traps but that's okay as he is good with traps

"Good at escaping them and good at making them." The Doctor grinned, she's had plenty experience of both over the years (she pointedly did not glance ta the Master who had been watching and analysing the screen intensely – whatever conclusions he was coming too he wouldn't share).

"Rose is right, you're very smug." Amy announced, the Doctor just pouted while the rest of the room chuckled.

He checks a screen to find a picture of the storeroom with hexagon on the floor. He gets back to digging, night falls and he is four feet down as he checks the dark sky

"How long were you digging?!" Yaz asked. It was rare for the Doctor to focus on one thing for so long unless necessary and digging for so long sounded horrible even to her – who had far more patience than the Doctor.

The Doctor grimaced, "Several hours." The rest of the group shifted uncomfortable. They all knew how much the Doctor would have hated that but clearly it was necessary. Occasionally they would get distracted by their own conversations and forget this was a torture chamber for the Doctor.

DOCTOR: No, no. That's not right.

"What's 'not right'?" Graham frowned not liking how worried the Doctor seemed about something.

It was River who worked it out. "The stars." She glanced worriedly at her wide who nodded grimly.

"You realise that still explains nothing for the rest of us?" Amy complained but the pair ignored them.

The spade hits something solid, he clears the last soil and finds the words 'I Am in 12' carved into stone. Flies buzz and the veil jumps down into the hole. 12 falls back as it reaches for him

"Oh god." Rose muttered very worried about the imminent danger the Doctor was in. The rest of the room was on the edge of their seats as if they could leap up and help the Doctor onscreen.

"I am in 12? What's in 12?" 12 what?" Jack asked, equally worried but all too aware that the Doctor likely got out of the trouble. Both were watching the Doctor who looked back with sad eyes before gesturing to the screen.

We're back in the Tardis storm room as 12 tries to work a way out of the situation. On the blackboard is the words 'Tell no lies'

"You told the truth!" Bill announced, eyes wide with the realisation. Her announcement helped a few that hadn't made the connection, they all turned to the Doctor who was grinning proudly at Bill. The Doctor nodded towards the screen.

12 works out it wants the truth, confession. Truths he's never tod before if he wants to stop the Veil. he's being integrated

"So Gallifrey is torturing you because they want something you know?" Yaz pieced together.

"Yes." The Doctor answered simply with a small frown.

"But what do they want to know? What has made them so desperate that they did this?" Martha asked. The Doctor knew plenty of secrets that Gallifrey didn't and they hadn't done anything like this before.

The Doctor and Clara share a glance, both the only ones that knew about the Hybrid and neither willing to spill the secret yet. "Just watch." Clara said quietly but with a steely tone that left no room for arguments.

There's issues with that, 12 shares, there are some secrets he can never tell for anything. He's very scared and alone

The room glanced worriedly at the Doctor. It was so rare for her to admit to her fears so it really let them know about the state of her mental health. River squeezed the Doctor's hand tight in comfort, she hated the idea of the Doctor dying alone and scared as did most of the room. It was even worse when they realised that ultimately, he had regenerated alone and sacred before falling into her current companions.

In the Garden again, 12 confesses to not leaving Gallifrey because he was bored. That that had always been a lie

"Everyone knows that, dear. I hardly think that will be enough." The Master drawled from his corner, looking as if he couldn't care less about anything happening on screen. It was a complete lie but none of the humans in the room needed to know that, especially after the mess he had made during the reveal of the Timeless Child video. He was also curious to know if the Doctor would finally admit why she had run away, not that he would ever admit that. The Doctor just ignored him in favour of watching the screen – the pain was still to come.

The Veil wants more. The Doctor admits to running because they were scared

"Oh Doctor." Several companions sighed while the room all gave her unbearably sad looks. The Doctor ignored them all, too caught in her depressive spiral of thoughts. Had the Timeless Child had an affect on why she ran away? Or was it entirely her fears? Either was possible, she hadn't been thinking much just grabbed Susan and ran, far too scared of what could happen.

The Veil withdraws and the castle moves as the Doctor escapes the hole and runs

"So, when you make a confession the castle shifts?" Rory asked to which the Doctor nodded.

"You're in the middle of nowhere. Why is there a castle in the middle of nowhere?!" Donna complained, hands in the air to emphasise her point. The Doctor just frowned sympathetically.

In the bedroom, 12 talks about how the day someone dies isn't the worse, its all the days they stay dead

Clara just looked at the Doctor with such a sad look that she glanced away, back to the screen unable to deal with the well of emotions it arose in her. It wasn't the first time the Doctor had experienced grief (not by any stretch) but it was possibly the longest time she had been left alone to dwell on it.

He'd been timing the Veil, flies arrive at 57 minutes

"You've learnt to time it." Jack realised, watching the Doctor tap out the seconds. River's expression darkened upon seeing the action, he'd done it when he got nervous or scared during their twenty-four years on Darillium, a nervous tick he had struggled to unlearn. The Doctor just grimaced in answer.

He runs down the corridors, explaining that if he draws the Veil to one side of the castle and he runs to the other extreme -

"Like a penguin with its arse on fire." Bill muttered drawing confused looks from everyone who heard her and a wide honest grin form the Doctor.

He gets a max of 82 mins to eat, sleep and work

"How did you function like that?" Clara asked horrified. She was hating this episode more and more as it progressed and the uncomfortable feeling in the pit of her stomach told her that the worst was still to come.

"I need less sleep and food than humans." The Doctor shrugged nonchalant, trying to play it off.

River stared her down. "You still need far more than that if you actually want to still function for any length of time." The Doctor didn't back down from River's worried/angry glare. It wasn't like she had to function long like that before everything reset, but they didn't know that yet and she wasn't going to reveal that fact until she absolutely needed too.

His work is finding room 12, he's keeping track in his notebook as numbering is very odd and jumbled up. Back in the garden the hole is filled in

"Wait what?" Rose asked bewildered at the dirt being filled in again. The Doctor gave a small smile at her reaction (and expression, and most of the room's expressions) before gesturing to the screen.

12 explains if he leaves a room long enough it reverts to the state it was in when he arrived

The room nodded glad for an answer to at least one of their questions. That was a rare phenomenon – getting an answer to a question so quickly. It was also an interesting idea, but there were still more questions – like why did everything clean up after itself? And how?

He eats a meal as he explains he thinks he's in a closed energy loop to maybe hell but that doesn't scare him as its just heaven for bad people. He's more worried about how long he will be there

"Heaven for bad people? You really are an idiot. Of course, it is." Amy sighed dramatically, all Scottish and cross.

"Do you even believe in Heaven and Hell? I mean you're not actually from Earth." Bill asked.

"I spend a lot of time around either Earth or humans, I've picked up bad habits." The Doctor shrugged, but the small smile revealed her slight teasing.

The Veil approaches as he eats, it never stops

"That's what we want to know too." Rose crossed her arms.

In the teleport chamber

DOCTOR [OC]: There are two events in everybody's life that nobody remembers. Two moments experienced by every living thing, yet no one remembers anything about them. Nobody remembers being born and nobody remembers dying.

"Ominous and worrying statement." Jack muttered. He was really not liking where this episode was going or what the Doctor (on screen) was implying. He snuck a glance at her from the corner of his eye but she was just frowning at the screen – that was not reassuring or alleviating any of his fears.

12 finds a skull with power leads attached to its temple and connected to a console, he asks if that's why they stare into the eye sockets of a skull

"Calm down Hamlet." Martha rolled her eyes at the Doctor's drama.

"I'm more worried about why there is a skull with leads attached. Who attached them? And how did Mr Skull die?" Mickey pointed out.

"Mr Skull?" His wife asked, turning to him with an incredulous look that drew a few chuckles from the rest of the room. He just shrugged but was grinning too much to actually mean it. The Doctor was just glad for the distraction from the questions – they would all find out at some point and none would like the answers.

He takes out the power leads. 12 finds the word 'bird' written in the dust/sand and is confused as he hasn't seen any

The room seemed as bewildered as the Doctor was. "I haven't heard or seen any birds." Ryan announced. The rest of the room nodded in agreement, all searching back in their memories of the episode.

"You wouldn't have." The Doctor announced ominously but as typical refused to say anymore.

Cogs turn as the word vanishes, a wall slides away to reveal a spiral staircase

"Ooh, secret passage way." Jack said in an attempt for a joke that fell flat.

12 climbs the stairs to the battlements at the top of the tower and puts the skull on the crenulations overlooking the sea

The room turned to the Doctor. "Why did you bring the skull with you?" Clara asked, shaking her head exasperated at his antics.

The Doctor's expression flickered between a small smile and a grimace before settling into a blank look. "Just felt right." How did you explain that it was so the cycle could continue (the skull fall into the sea) and also she just liked talking to something – she had spent ages on Trenzalore talking to the head of a Cyberman after all.

12 thinks he is missing something terrible

"It always is." Nardole muttered and was mostly ignored as usual.

Back  down the stairs he eventually finds door 12 and opens it to find it blocked

"You found it." Bill grinned like many of the others in the room. At least one mystery was about to be solved. Though they started frowning at seeing just a wall, that wasn't what they had expected nor was it very helpful.

Their high spirits swiftly dissolved at the Doctor's grimace. "I did."

12 calls out to see if anyone is there, and then calls it a lure and trap. Then he's back on the battlements and stares at the stars

"Are you finally going to tell us why the stars are wrong?" Amy asked, looking pointedly at her daughter and the Doctor. The Doctor waved back to the screen in answer drawing an exasperated sigh from Amy.

He's following clues to someone else's game - one everyone else has lost. He knows how to move the wall as long as he doesn't run out of confessions but there's still something he wants to know. Flies buzz

"It's found you."

Who has messed with the stars - they're in the wrong place for the time zone. He can feel time travel and knows he didn't time travel to get there

"You can fell time travel?" Rose asked incredulous. The rest of the room was watching with similar expressions (bar the Master who looked faintly smug).

"I told you when we met that I could feel the turn of the Earth as it hurtled around the sun. I am a Time Lord or well … you know what I mean. Of course, I can feel time travel." The Doctor answered, faltering slightly at the reminder of the lack of knowledge surrounding her own species and life prior to what she remembered.

The Veil comes up behind him. 12 keeps talking, saying if he didn't know better he's thought he'd be seven thousand years in the future

"Seven thousand years?!" Several people exclaimed. Clara and the Doctor just grimaced, seven thousand years was nothing as they would soon see.

"Just watch, please."

The Veil reaches for him but the Doctor mentions the Hybrid and it pauses

"I'm guessing that's what Gallifrey wants to know about?" Yaz asked, gaining a nod from the Doctor. The Master had perked up at the mention of the Hybrid, he hadn't known this was what the confession dial nonsense was all about. In truth he knew very little outside the fact it had happened (to his frustrations), he couldn't deny he was curious to see what the Doctor knew about it.

He tells the Veil about the legend behind it, how a creature - half Time Lord, half Dalek, the ultimate warrior was prophesised to come but no one knew what side it would be on. 12 admits to knowing the Hybrid id real, where and what it is. Then confesses to being afraid. The Veil leaves and castle moves causing the skull to plumet into the sea with the rest of the skulls

The room all shifted uncomfortable at that. They were worried about how the skulls had all fallen into the sea and they were terrified by the idea of the Hybrid. The idea of something being half Time Lord and half Dalek was horrifying – neither species was very nice at all and something that could combine both was nightmare fuel. Even worse than the Master's hybrid of Time Lords and Cybermen.

Martha had a small thought niggling at the back of her mind. There was something wrong with the idea of the Hybrid but she couldn't quite place her finger on it. The rest of the room watched the interaction with concern. The only small silver lining in the encounter was that the Doctor had escaped.

12 runs back to room 12, the wall blocking it is gone. He keeps timing the Veil's arrival as he moves down the corridor with sonic sunglasses on

There were a few snickers and chuckles at seeing the sonic sunglasses – most having forgotten their existence, but the room was mostly too tense for any comments. They could see the Veil following the Doctor and they had the horrible feeling room 12 wasn't going to be as helpful as they wanted it to be.

He removes them as he reaches a wall of crystal - a dark rectangular shape can be seen through it. 12 puts back on the sunglasses as he declares it the last square on the board - the Tardis one confession away

"What is that stuff?" Bill frowned, leaning forward in her seat to try and get a better view of the crystal. The Doctor just waved towards the screen.

River, Jack and the Master had all figured out what it was and were alternating between glancing at the screen and the Doctor, none were liking where this was going. They all knew she wasn't going to tell Gallifrey any of her secrets and there wasn't many other options available.

12 declares the crystal Azbantium, 400 times harder than diamonds and twenty feet thick blocking the way out

"How are you going to get through that?! I don't remember seeing any heavy machinery." Amy snarked purely out of worry. The rest of the group seemed to be having similar thoughts.

"It's never that easy." The Doctor muttered drawing several concerned looks towards her. That was very ominous and worrying. Everything about this video was ominous and worrying – the Doctor on their own, trapped in a torture chamber made by Gallifrey, grieving the death of a friend. That was a recipe for disaster.

He remembers Bird

"Bird? I don't think a bird is going to help here Doctor." Rose argued.

Donna snorted. "It would have to be a bloody big bird." That startled a small smile out of the Doctor.

In the Tardis, 12 is angry about how he can't keep doing it, why can't it be someone else's turn?

"What do you mean Doctor?" Jack asked wearily, sounding and looking like he was about to approach a wounded animal. He really wasn't liking where this was going. Both the video and the Doctor's rant.

"Please Jack, just watch."

"Doctor-."

"Just watch."

Clara wants to know how he is going to win, 12 wants to lose just this once

The whole room was turned towards the Doctor concern obvious as she shrunk in her seat, pulling her knees up to her chest as if to hide. She knew why she couldn't lose – Gallifrey couldn't know the secrets she knew and (more importantly) she needed Clara back.

Clara was the only one with any idea of why he was really unable to lose and she looked so sad that the Doctor couldn't meet her eyes.

It would be easy to lose, to just tell them what they want to know about the Hybrid

"You would never."

The Veil arrives as 12 is sitting on the ground in a chance cut part way into the Azbantium. In the Tardis, 12 is running around

DOCTOR: I can't keep doing this. I can't! I can't always do this! It's not fair! Clara, it's just not fair! Why can't I just lose?

"Oh, Sweetie." River sighed, an underlying sadness and depth to it that broke the Doctor's hearts slightly. She didn't like being the one to cause River sadness.

"I'm fine, River." The Doctor put on a blank face to try and allay some of River's worries. She'd ben in a bad place back then and it really wasn't helping her argument about being okay now.

"You never are." There was nothing she could say to that.

The Blackboard says no. 12 tells her he can remember it all and she'll still be gone, he sits down distraught

Seeing the Doctor distraught on screen seemed to be Clara's limit. She practically leapt up from her seat and made her way over to the Doctor, dragging her out of her seat and into a hug.

"I'm still not sure I'm a hug-y person." The Doctor muttered into Clara's shoulder. It was a small relief to release she was still taller than Clara even if only by a little.

"I'm not sure you get a choice." Clara muttered back; voice choked up in emotion. She pulled back after several minutes, leaving her hands on the Doctor's shoulders to force her to face her. "Now listen here, you idiot. You are allowed to be sad. You are allowed to grieve. You are allowed to cry. But what you are not allowed to do is destroy yourself in your grief! You have to keep moving because that is who you are, be sad but don't let it stop you."

The Doctor swallowed, but nodded slightly. This video was bringing up so many memories and emotions that she had long since dealt with (read: buried). Finally, Clara released her and moved back towards her seat, leaving River and Jack to drag the Doctor back down onto their sofa. The rest of the room had been looking away in an attempt to give the pair their privacy but Jack and River had kept a careful eye on the pair's interaction – unwilling to let the Doctor out of their worried sight at the moment.

Clara finally speaks telling him he's not the only person to ever lose someone, he needs to get over it and break through. Get off his arse and win

Clara nodded along with the imaginary version of herself in the Doctor's mind, giving the Doctor a pointed look. Clearly, the Doctor already knew all that (as it was in their mind) but it was good to see it verbalised on screen. It wasn't surprising that the Doctor knew how to deal with grief, it wasn't like Clara was the first of their companions to leave or die – they all did at some point.

The rest of the room couldn't help but guiltily think about if the Doctor had mourned them as much as they seemed to be grieving Clara on screen.

Back in room 12, the Doctor stands to face the Veil as it enters. He tells it there are no more confessions but he will tell the truth

"What are you planning Doctor?" Jack asked worriedly. The answering grimace was really not reassuring.

12 punches the Azbantium and cries out in pain

"Doctor!" Half the room shouted at seeing the Doctor purposely hurt themself.

"What the hell do you think you're up too?" River demanded fury raging with her concern.

"It was the only way out." The Doctor protested, purposely trying to stay calm in the face of River's fury.

"Punching your way through a wall of Azbantium!?" River argued.

"Yes. What else was I supposed to do?"

"I don't know! Figure something out, you always find a way out." River was verging on begging at this point.

"I did. This was the only way River. I promise, I wasn't just doing it for fun. It was the only way." The Doctor practically pleaded for River to understand.

The fury in River's eyes had been drowned by her sorrow and concern. "I hate seeing you hurt like this." The simplicity and honestly of the statement broke the Doctor's heart.

"I know, I'm sorry. There was no other way." She met River's eyes in an attempt to show she truly meant it. River took a second to calm herself, squeezing the Doctor's hand painfully tight but she barely noticed. The Doctor reluctantly turned to the rest of the room. "Just watch please. There is more to come."

"More?!" Jack protested looking like he wanted to pry all the answers out of the Doctor now but she just shook her head and waved to the screen, they would just have to watch.

Clara couldn't help but feel guilty, he was going through all this pain for her. Yes, it was to keep secrets from Gallifrey as well but mostly it was to get her back. The Master's eyes were dark and furious at seeing the Doctor hurt by Gallifrey yet again.

He declares the Hybrid a dangerous secret that needs to be kept, and keeps puncing the wall, crying out each time

The whole room watched the video concern and sadness clear in their expressions. They hated seeing the Doctor in pain like this but there was nothing they could do now and the Doctor wasn't likely to appreciate any attempts to help.

12 refuses to tell it anymore. Instead he's going to get out of there, find the people that put him in there and stop them. He keeps punching eventually doubling over in pain

Several people across the room made wounded sounds or the start of protests. River had pulled the Doctor closer to her side again in an attempt to comfort herself. Jack had also shifted closer to box her in properly, hating seeing the Doctor wounding herself purposely. And there was still the danger of the Veil coming after the Doctor onscreen too.

"Of course, you're still focused on stopping the bad guys." Jack muttered to her.

"Bad guys?" The Doctor asked with a raised eyebrow. She was the least bothered by everything on screen at minute – it had already happened and it wasn't the worst part of the experience, despite how painful it had been.

"You know what I mean." That received a small smile from the Doctor which Jack couldn't bring himself to return.

It's going to take a while so he offers to tell a story - the Brother's Grimm

"When did you meet them?" Clara asked, partly in an attempt to distract herself from the scene on screen and partly because she was genuinely curious.

"You know I can't quite remember." The Doctor answered, faces scrunched up as she tried to think back. She was sure she had met them in a couple of faces.

"It's very typical you to be telling a story while trying to punch through rock." Amy shook her head in disbelief at the Doctor who just shrugged with a small smile – it wasn't like she had much else to do and it was a nice distraction.

"Azbantium."

"That's what I said."

Who are apparently on his darts team

That drew several looks from the room. A mix of exasperation and disbelief, but no actual questions or comments. They were all far too used to the Doctor name dropping famous people.

The story starts with an emperor who asks a shepherd's boy, how many seconds in eternity? The Veil reaches for the the Doctor, closing its hands around 12's eyes and causing him to scream as steam rises from his skin. He falls to the ground and the Veil is teleported away as the screens go to static

"Doctor!" The room cried out at seeing the Veil attack the Doctor. The Doctor just grimaced – here was the painful part.

"Doctor. What did it do to you?" Clara asked scarily calm but with an underlying tension. Unlike the rest of the room - she knew how long he had spent in the confession dial but not what had gone on in it. She hated the knowledge that she was part of the reason the Doctor was suffering.

The Doctor hesitated. She knew they weren't going to like the answer but they were going to see it shortly so it wasn't like she could actually lie. Her hesitation just increased the tension in the room, everyone's eyes were glaring into her. Taking a deep breath and mentally preparing herself before answering. "It killed me. Or well, just about."

The protests and cries deafened her for a moment, all of them asking for an explanation as she was clearly with them and this wasn't how she had regenerated. "I promise the video will explain. Can we please just watch it?" She managed to speak over the rest of the group. No one looked happy about it but there were no further protests.

In the Tardis store room

DOCTOR: People always get it wrong with Time Lords. We take forever to die. Even if we're too injured to regenerate, every cell in our bodies keeps trying. Dying properly can take days. That's why we like to die among our own kind. They know not to bury us early.

12 drags themself up a spiral staircase

The room was watching the screen in horror. All of them shooting the Doctor concerned looks periodically as if to remind themselves she was safe amongst them. Martha and Jack couldn't help but think of the Master dying in their Doctor's arms after the Year That Never Was – he'd been determined to burn his body alone.

The Master himself was leaning back in his armchair but was all but calm and relaxed. A tight ball of fury was coiling away in his stomach. He found himself regretting the destruction of Gallifrey – he should have taken much longer to kill them, really make it hurt, rather than the quick destruction he had caused. No one got away with destroying the Doctor, no one.

The Doctor was grimacing slightly at the screen, more out of seeing the state of herself (himself?) on screen than the actual pain and memories. She had spent so long in the confession dial – the pain didn't become any less painful but she had gotten good at distancing herself from it. Spending time with River and then staying busy had helped, it hadn't given her much time to linger on the memories.

12 estimates it will take him a day and a half to reach the top of the tower, if he's lucky he has that long left to live

Several people made choked sounds at that. None of them could imagine dying for a day and a half, let alone still having to try and do something about it while dying in agony. River was close to breaking the Doctor's hand at this point but the Doctor couldn't find it in herself to protest as long as it comforted her wife. It didn't help that the Doctor was visibly wearing their wedding ring on his burnt and broken hand. The sight and sounds from the screen were enough to help fuel future nightmares for most of them.

12 keeps dragging themself along the floor, leaving a trail of blood. He explains the place is his own torture chamber, designed for him alone. There were never any other prisoners, the stars aren't wrong and he hasn't time travelled

"They're all your skulls. You've been there for seven thousand years, dying over and over." Clara managed to choke up. Anger and guilt swirling away in the pit of her stomach at the realisation which was only made worse by remembering how long he had actually been in the confession dial. The rest of the room had reached a similar realisation.

"I think you may beat me in number of deaths Doctor." Jack muttered; a deep sadness attached to his words. He really wouldn't wish his fat eon anyone. "Always have to one up me." The Doctor just shrugged, expression carefully schooled blank - there was still more to come.

He reaches the teleport chamber room. 12 declares that he's just been there a very long time. Like how every room resets the teleport should do the same. If he adds energy he should reset to his original condition as a copy of him still exists in the hard drive, he just needs to find the energy

The site of the Doctor struggling to do anything and everything, in so much agony and all alone drew tears into several people's eyes. River had to hide her head in the Doctor's shoulder for a moment to compose herself.

He puts the power cables to his temple and says to get energy you need to burn something

"Please tell me you're not about to do what I think you're about to do." Rose begged. They had all made the connection and all seemed horrified by the idea. Too many things were finally adding up and they made a truly terrifying picture.

The Doctor's grimace was all the answer the group needed. They watched on horrified and traumatised as their friend burned themselves only to re-start the whole mess.

The dying Doctor takes the lever and pulls it down, sending power to the teleporter. His hand falls to the ground and he uses the last of his energy to write bird in the dust as the cogs turn and teleporter powers up. 12 asks Clara how long he can keep burning the old him to make a new one. The Tardis goes dark as the burnt hand turns to dust and all the bloodstains disappear. We're back to where we started

"I hate Gallifrey." Clara announced at seeing the Doctor burn himself. Her anger winning out over her own guilt and grief. An anger at the Doctor for ignoring her wishes, an anger at the situation, and an anger at Gallifrey for doing this to the Doctor.

"Clara-." The Doctor started to protest.

"No. First what they did to you as a child and then this?! I don't agree with the Master destroying them all but some of them were monsters." Clara argued, hand waving around to emphasise her anger.

The Master was coiled away in his corner as if ready to leap into action. "They deserved to burn for what they did to you Doctor. If I had known about this, I would have made them suffer more, dearest."

The Doctor turned her own anger on the Master. "The sins of a few shouldn't have meant that all had to be destroyed."

"This isn't the first time they've hurt you and if they'd been allowed to continue, it wouldn't have been the last! Don't forget that I know more than any of your little pets, I know more than anyone what Gallifrey has done to you!"

"They didn't all deserve to die, Koschei." The Doctor protested weakly. The fury in his eyes quelled slightly at his childhood name but he refused to back down, maintain eye contact until the Doctor finally turned back to the screen. The pair ignored the rest of the room watching them.

We get a scene from the start - 12 appears in the teleport and declares he's coming for the people that put him there

The room winced at seeing the repeat of where they had started. It was painful to know the Doctor had been going through this for seven thousand years, alone with their grief, nightmares and pain, but it was worse to realise they didn't actually know how long the Doctor had been stuck in the confession dial. No one was willing to ask, far too scared of the answer.

We get flashes of stuff we've already seen - 12 throwing the stool out the window and diving out, the ocean of skulls, exchanging the wet clothes, putting the skull on the battlements and then he punches a little bit more of the Azbantium wall

The group watched in horror at the familiar scenes being played again to show the Doctor repeating everything. They couldn't imagine doing that for seven thousand years and yet the Doctor was sitting here amongst them like it hadn't even affected her. Well, that wasn't quite true they couldn't help but remember how she had reacted upon figuring out what episode they would be seeing. Maybe it still did affect her.

Later on the tower, he decides he's twelve thousand years in the future

The jump in time made the group shoot more concerned looks at the Doctor. Clara just winced unable to deny her guilt, she felt far too complacent in this despite knowing that it wasn't her fault really. He was doing all this for her, no matter how much she wished he wasn't.

Then six hundred thousand years in the future

The large jump in time this go around finally gave Jack to ask the question they all wanted to know the answer to but dreaded.

"How long Doctor? How long did you spend in there dying?" His tone was quiet but steely.

The Doctor bit her lip, frowning. Should she answer them? No, probably not – they'd see. "Just watch Jack." Her own tone suggested that she wouldn't budge on the matter.

"I really hate those words."

The cycles keep going

How many seconds in eternity and the shepherd's boy says ...

Two million years in the future

The group winced and got more horrified as the time jumps got larger and larger. Realising the Doctor had spent so long dying over and over.

Twenty million years in the future

The shepherd's boy says, there is a mountain of pure diamond. It takes an hour to climb it or go around it

"I'm starting to see why the story is relevant." Bill muttered mostly to herself. Everyone hated seeing the Doctor like this, watching them die over and over in agony and alone, but she couldn't help think it was worse for her. This was her Doctor, her tutor and crazy grandfather figure. Maybe Clara, Jack and River had it worse (she knew it wasn't a competition) but it was almost physically painful to see her Doctor in so much pain for so long. In a way she couldn't help but be relived that the Doctor had been forced to regenerate after her death/conversion, it meant the Doctor hadn't had time to try and get revenge or do anything spectacularly stupid. She would have hated for the Doctor to go through this much pain for her – it made her ten years of waiting for him seem so little compared to his millions of years.

More flashes

52 million years

Every 100 years a little bird uses the mountain to sharpen its beak

"And there's the bird." Someone muttered, but everyone's gaze was firmly fixed to the screen as the horror continued. They'd been right in comparing it to a horror movie, just not for the reasons they'd thought.

And when the entire mountain is chiselled away, the first second of eternity will have passed

Well over a billion years in the future

It hit Clara like a hammer that a billion years was only about a quarter of his time in the confession dial. She didn't think she could cope with seeing much more of the Doctor's pain. She glanced at the Doctor (as she and most of the others in the room had been doing periodically), who had been watching the screen with a blank face – her attempt to act nonchalant like the whole thing hadn't affected her. Clara wasn't sure who the Doctor was trying to fool, it wasn't like anyone in the room was going to believe that.

Two billion years

It sounds like a long time, but 12 thinks ...

The Azbantium wall finally gives way, bright light floods in and the Veil explodes

The room gave a loud cheer at finally seeing the Azbantium give way. The Doctor's billions of years of torture were finally over. Only Clara and the Doctor were aware that it had not been just two billion years (as the video had implied) but had in fact been over double that but neither were going to mention that to the room. Two billion years was bad enough. No seven thousand years had been bad enough, two billion years was indescribably horrible. Four and a half billion years was about the same age as the Earth was in the twenty first century. The idea of the Doctor being tortured for as long as the Earth was old was incomprehensible.

DOCTOR: Personally, I think that's a hell of a bird.

"Of course, you would." River muttered looking down at her wife with eyes fill of sorrow. The Doctor really hadn't gone into any detail of this during their years on Darillium, for understandable reasons – no one would really want to remember this amount of trauma. And knowing the Doctor she likely didn't want to worry River, the idiot.

12 walks out a portal created by the hole he made in the Azbantium wall and ends up on a dry planet. The portal closes and a small round metal object falls to the ground. 12 picks it up to find a miniature castle surrounded by water before cogwheels fill the space and the cover closes. It's his confession dial

"Your confession dial." Clara stated. She never thought she would come to hate the sight of it when she was first presented with it by Missy.

"What happened to it?" Martha asked, wanting to know that it couldn't hurt her again.

The Doctor grimaced. "It's somewhere deep in the Tardis, nowhere else is safe as much as I hate it." That answer seemed to satisfy the group (on this matter at least) and the video was left to continue.

A young boy runs up to him and 12 tells him to go to the city and find someone important and tell them he's back and know what they did. If they ask who he is, to tell them he came the long way round

"You're not going to get a nice reception." The Master stated. He knew that from personal experience. The Doctor grimaced, that was an understatement to say the least.

The boy runs off towards a towering Citadel revealing the planet to be Gallifrey

"You're on Gallifrey." Rose said, rather redundantly but the Doctor answered anyway.

"Yes."

Amy gave her a thoughtful look. "You mentioned you'd been back to Gallifrey once since saving it and it went badly. I'm guessing this is that visit."

"Unfortunately."

12 speaks to the confession dial, figuring they can probably still hear him. They have the prophecy wrong - the hybrid isn't half Dalek as that is impossible, the Daleks would never allow it

That was a small relief to the group. They'd mostly forgotten the reason the Doctor was being tortured in favour of the fact the Doctor was being tortured but it was still a relief to know that the Hybrid wasn't part Dalek. None of their encounters with Daleks ever went well. Martha finally made the connection that had been bothering her before - their encounter with the Daleks in New York. The Daleks had killed one of their own for being part human, of course they wouldn't allow a Hybrid to exist. Let alone one that is a mix of Time Lord – their fiercest enemy.

12 puts on his sonic sunglasses

DOCTOR:  The Hybrid destined to conquer Gallifrey and stand in its ruins i s me

The room turned to face the Doctor, both because of the statement and at the realisation that the video was finished. There were so many things they all wanted to say but none were quite sure where to start. It was Clara that finally breached the silence.

"Do you mean 'me' as in you? Or Me as in Ashildr?" Clara asked. She was glad the torture was finally over but was dreading the vents she knew was to come. Upon seeing the Doctor's hesitation, she realised something else. "Did you even know what the Hybrid was? Or were you just bluffing so you could get back to Gallifrey?" The 'and get me back' was silent but heavily implied for those that knew about that part.

"I had my theories but I didn't actually know for definite." The Doctor finally admitted. "I just needed Gallifrey to think I knew everything. Ashildr made some sense as a hybrid between the Mire and Humans but nothing else would fit. I don't even know what species I am so it is possible that I could be the Hybrid but unlikely as I didn't ultimately destroy Gallifrey." She turned from Clara to face the Master. "The person that would make most sense would be the Master – he was the one who destroyed Gallifrey 'breaking a billion billion hearts to heal its own', sounds like something he'd do. Plus, there was the whole Cybermen/Time Lord Hybrids." The Doctor continued to theorise.

"So basically, you have no actual idea." She heard Amy mutter in the background but the Doctor was too busy in a staring match with the Master.

Clara nodded along with the Doctor's theories thoughtfully. "Ashildir mentioned it could be a combination of two people, specifically me and you." She pointed out. The Doctor nodded, that was after all the whole reason one of them had had to forget the other.

River then joined the conversation. "What if it was two people but not Clara and the Doctor, but the Doctor and the Master. Two possibly different warrior species and both stood in the ruins of Gallifrey, both attempting to heal their own hearts." Her theory caused the aforementioned pair to stop their staring contest and turn to face River.

"It fits about as much as any other theory." The Doctor nodded resigned to the fact they might never know for sure.

"Does it really matter? Gallifrey has been destroyed so it has already happened, it doesn't matter the cause." Jack argued. They were really getting distracted from the actual video. Having gained the group's attention, he continued. "Can we discuss the video now?"

The Doctor shared a glance with Clara, as the only people that had been around for the whole mess. "Not yet. There's more to see still." The Doctor declared, quite glad for an excuse to not talk about the video. From the concerned looks and frowns the group were sending her they had realised that. "Let's continue."

Chapter Text

The words 'Hell Bent' appeared on the screen before anyone could contest the Doctor's decision. The room was apprehensive about what they would see, especially with the way Clara and the Doctor kept exchanging glances. The companions couldn't deny they were slightly excited to see Gallifrey undestroyed and the possibility of seeing more Time Lords but the Doctor's talk of her return wasn't suggesting anything pleasant about what was coming. They weren't given any more time to debate what was coming before the video started.

Nevada USA - a truck pulls up at a diner and 12 gets out the passenger side, wearing his sunglasses and guitar slung on his back

"What?" Bill asked, blinking at the sudden change in location and atmosphere. The group was so distracted by her question (and their own similar thoughts) that they didn't notice the Doctor's eyes widen in realisation before she sunk further into the sofa. She'd forgotten about the diner, that she'd been talking to Clara without recognising her – this was going to be painful in so many different ways.

The Doctor was brought back from her spiralling thoughts by River nudging her slightly in the side, apparently her wife had noticed her drifting attention and was concerned based on the look she was being given. Offering a small smile of reassurance, she turned to Bill who was watching her expectantly waiting for an answer.

"What's wrong?" The Doctor asked, hiding a teasing smile. She knew exactly what the group was confused but she was allowed a bit of fun. Especially with how hard this video was going to be.

Bill gave her a mildly disgruntled look that said she knew exactly what the Doctor was doing but asked anyway. "How are you suddenly in America? What have we missed?"

The Doctor smiled a bit, an odd mix between fond (of Bill) and sad (about what was coming). "I think there's been a bit of a time jump and we will go back to where we were soon." She shot a warning/apologetic/sad look towards Clara, whose eyes were reflecting the same idea.

Her answer appeared to satisfy the room as they turned back to the screen expectantly.

He enters Eddie's Diner

Amy was scrunching her eyes up, leaning froward in her seat as if trying to get a better view of the diner. "Is that the diner from our whole American trip? Before the mess in 1969? When you -." She waved her hand to try and encompass the whole fake death mess. Her words caused her husband to blink and lean forward to try and see what his wife was talking about.

"You know what, it does look like it." Rory agreed.

The Doctor blinked; she was sure she'd mentioned something about that during her time there but then again most American diners looked the same to her. "It's not the same one, but you're right it looks pretty similar." She knew for a fact that it wasn't the same one seeing as this one was a Tardis. Unless so had the last one – no that was silly, she would have known. Plus, Clara hadn't been there (or Ashildir who she was pretty sure had been travelling with Clara – she couldn't see Clara leaving her alone at the end of the universe).

Music is playing as the waiter greets 12 - it's Clara

"Wait, no. What?" Rose gawped. If the room had been confused beforehand then they were utterly bewildered now. The Doctor pushed down the urge to let lose a manic laugh, instead focussing on the group and doing her best not to look at Clara. She wasn't sure she could handle seeing how Clara was reacting to this.

The Doctor sighed but tried to answer without giving too much away. They'd just have to watch for the full story. "Like I said time jump. I think we mentioned that I forgot Clara – these are the events leading up to that." Several people looked like they wanted to ask more questions but they weren't given the chance.

"Just watch please." Clara asked quietly. The group settled at that, hearing the underlying tension in Clara's tone – this was going to be painful enough, she didn't want to drag it out.

12 doesn't have any money but offers to play the guitar

"You never have any money." Martha snorted with a pointed look at the Doctor. She was never going to forget her time as a shop girl when they'd been sent back in time by the Angels. Clara just gave her a sheepish smile.

Clara agrees as 12 sits down. He uses the sonic sunglasses to power the electric guitar

"Of course, you use the sonic device for your guitar. If it wasn't Clara, you'd utterly confuse any poor humans nearby." River sighed, shaking her head in fond exasperation.

"Nah, they'd come up with some sort of rational explanation like they normally do. Rarely phased that lot." The Doctor brushed off the comment. It was very true and River knew it. The human race seemed to collectively forget they got invaded by aliens every time it happened. Plus, she'd gotten up to some antics during her time at St Luke's University – Bill had shown her an online site (What was it? Maybe Rabbit – no that was a cuddly human pet. Or was it Red Bat? – no maybe that was one of those comic book characters Bill liked. Ribbit? No that was what frogs said according to human toddlers. She was sure it was Red something, oh well) that some of her students has started, documenting said antics.

The humans of the group (aka the majority of the room) seemed stuck between being proud of their species' collective ability to forget/deny aliens and offense about her faith in said ability.

12 realises Clara is English and asks how she got out there. Clara returns that 12 isn't English and first replies with magic before suggesting she took a plane

"You did not do that." The Doctor pointed out, finally looking at Clara for the first time since the start of the video. It was weird seeing this conversation, knowing that it was Clara and what Clara knew.

"Technically I didn't actually say I did, I just implied it." Clara argued, smiling slightly. She seemed to know exactly what the Doctor was thinking, offering a small smile of reassurance. They both knew this video was going to be bad, they really needed to stop trying to apologise to each other for the minute otherwise they'd never get anywhere.

12 came by magic

"You came in a truck." Donna snorted. "That's not exactly magic, Martian." She was a nit unsettled by the whole idea of this episode – seeing the Doctor in so much pain in the last video was horrible. She'd only ever seen him/her/them like that after the fiasco on Midnight – and that still haunted her (when she had memories of it anyway). But the confession dial was infinitely worst and this whole thing with Clara forgetting him? It hit far too many triggers – she honestly was stuck between wanting to understand and see what happened and not wanting to know at all.

The Doctor offered a small smile, far too aware of where Donna's thoughts were drifting. "How do you think I ended up in America in the first place." She pointed out, not willing to admit she didn't quite know. She was pretty sure Clara had dropped her off and the truck had picked him up and taken him to the diner. Then when Clara had left, he'd found the Tardis and not thought twice about what he was missing. Or rather she'd thought about it a lot but (obviously) couldn't remember.

Clara asks if he's been travelling as he strums the guitar, he replies he has from time to time

"When do you do anything but travel?" Amy snorted.

"And find trouble." Rory added.

"And cause trouble when you can't find it." River concluded. The parent/daughter combo seemed very proud of themselves, wearing matching grins. Their delight (and words) entertained the rest of the group as well based on the chuckles and laughs that broke out.

12 plays a melancholy tune as Clara asks if it is a sad song.

DOCTOR: Nothing's sad till it's over. Then everything is

"But nothing can start until something ends. And a beginning brings new happiness that makes the sadness just that bit more bearable." The Doctor muttered quietly to herself. Jack and River were the only ones to hear her, both giving her such sad looks that she couldn't meet their eyes, turning back to the screen instead.

The Doctor thinks the song is called Clara

The atmosphere in the room turned that bit sadder. The group was curious to find out what had led the pair to this point, especially with how the last video had ended. Bill swallowed her words; she knew the song was familiar – sometimes when the Doctor fought no one was listening he would play it in his office. She'd never asked about it, getting the feeling the Doctor wouldn't answer any questions she asked and it seemed far too personal.

Clara wants to know about her

Then we're back on Gallifrey - 12 walks away from the city and to a familiar old barn

"Good, we're back on Gallifrey." Martha announced.

"I don't think that's necessarily a good thing in this case." Mickey suggested, drawing an annoyed look from his wife.

"You know what I mean."

"That's the barn from the first video – when there was three of you. Why do you keep going back there?" Bill gestured to the screen. She hadn't been the only one to recognise the barn but she was the first to ask.

The Doctor shifted uncomfortable in her seat, unsure what to tell them. She noticed out of the corner of her eye the weird look Clara was giving her, come to think of it she'd mentioned something about the barn during the first video too, hadn't she? "I grew up around there." Was all she said.

Her answer raised a few eyebrows and several people looked ready to start asking more questions but were cut off by the video resuming.

At the Citadel, Rassilon the Lord President is in the council chamber in full regalia as bells toll

"Now that's an outfit." Rose grinned. The rest of the room were barely hiding (or not even trying to hide) their snickers.

"Please tell me you've worn that?" Amy asked, grinning manically at the Doctor. "It's even better than some of your outfits, which is saying something."

"We all had to wear robes as a kid and unfortunately I have worn similar things since then. So has the Master." The Doctor grimaced, thinking back on those bad fashion choices. She gestured vaguely to the Master who looked far too smug for her liking. Then the second part of Amy's words caught up to her. "Hey! What do you mean? My fashion sense is brilliant." Now the room was outright laughing. The Doctor was absolutely not pouting no matter what anyone told you otherwise.

"What's with all the collars?" Bill questioned. It was certainly an interesting style choice.

For some reason Bill's question made the Doctor blush. "Erm, well eh ..." She managed to stutter out while the Master watched from his corner amused. River was outright laughing at her wife's misfortune.

"What my wife is failing to explain is the neck is a very sensitive area on a Time Lord." River purred, giving the Doctor a specific look, which made her blush even more furiously.

"River!" The Doctor protested, face practically alight with how red it was.

The General approaches Rassilon as he asks about the bells, they both want to know what's going on

"I'm guessing the bells mean something. Based on how bothered they all look and the Master's expression." Rory asked. The Master, upon hearing the Cloister's all ringing, had raised his eyebrows and given the Doctor an almost impressed look, as if he was surprised she'd managed to accomplish that much trouble in so little time (which was ridiculous – he should be used to that not impressed, it wasn't anywhere near her record).

"They're essentially a warning bell." The Doctor explained, gaining nods of understanding from the group.

"Ah, so they know you're in town." Donna grinned. The Doctor was stuck between grinning in agreement and protesting that they weren't ringing because of her (which wouldn't be particularly true) but wasn't given a chance to decide before the video continued.

Gastron is at the Cloister entrance as the General warns him to stay at the perimeter and tells him its okay to be afraid down there

"Why should he be scared?" Martha asked confused. The last time they'd seen the Matrix hadn't exactly been pleasant but tat was more due to the Master's presence and the things he had shown the Doctor. The place itself hadn't seen dangerous or scary.

The Doctor and the Master shared a glance (as the only ones who had grown up on Gallifrey) but Clara did shiver slightly in memory of the place, the soldiers definitely had the right to be scared.

Finishing their silent exchange, the Doctor turned bac to the rest of the group to answer. "Last time we saw the Matrix it was through the Matrix Chamber which is the purpose of the room. This is the Cloisters, which actually houses the Matrix instead of just providing access to it. Because of that, it's well guarded." She refused to explain anymore, leaving the rest of the room to linger on the slightly ominous statement.

Gastron reports the sliders are everywhere and we get a glimpse of a shadow of a Time Lord gliding past. The General chides him for his language and Gastron corrects himself to Cloister Wraiths

"Okay that's kinda creepy." Bill announced, leaning back in her seat.

"More than a little." Clara muttered more to herself than anyone else, she hadn't forgotten her time in the Cloisters for multiple reasons.

The General warns him to not approach and just wants to know if the bells are ringing, they are

"Lots of trouble then." Nardole said, going mostly ignored despite the rest of the group appearing to agree based on their expressions.

Rassilon declares they are facing great danger and then asks where the Doctor has gone

"So, they think you're responsible too." Rose smiled but it swiftly shifted into a frown when the Doctor spoke.

"They always do."

Ohila enters with two bodyguards, declaring 12 has returned back to the beginning. Rassilon isn't impressed, declaring the Sisterhood of Karn have no business here. Ohila is here for the drama

"Ah, she's there for the drama." Amy grinned. "How long have you known her? She's clearly known you long enough to anticipate drama the moment you turn up. Not that it takes anyone long to learn that but she knew you back in the first video when you regenerated before the war."

The Doctor bit back the urge to sigh at Amy's antics but decided to answer anyway, it would be less painful that way. "A long time. She doesn't really like Rassilon-."

"Who does?" The Master interrupted casually.

"She doesn't like Rassilon." The Doctor continued ignoring the Master's interruption. "But she is sort of a friend, or a good acquaintance maybe? She was there for the drama, to annoy Rassilon and maybe help me if it would annoy Rassilon."

"My kind of gal." Amy grinned. Clara just managed to stop herself from commenting, Ohila had been around for the mess that was going to come and even if she hadn't been directly involved in the confession dial, she'd been complicit.

At the barn, the cloister bells can be heard. 12 climbs the ladder to the bed as an old woman enters fussing about the bells ringing. She notices the Doctor and tells him he shouldn't be here as she just put it all back for the boys if any want to come

"The boys?" Martha asked curiously. The companions had all been watching eager to find out more about Gallifrey and the Doctor.

The Doctor hesitated not really wanting to explain but wavered under the expectant looks from the whole group and the curious-questioning look from the Master. "I spent part of my childhood there. It was a sort of safe space, I guess. A few others thought the same." She finally answered being purposely vague. She was ignoring the knowing sad look Clara was giving her, she clearly knew something else that she wasn't telling her.

"But it's in the middle of nowhere." Rose pointed out, blinking at the new knowledge about the Doctor's childhood.

"It's in the drylands, away from the Capital but still in sight." The Doctor shrugged, not willing to explain more. She was not ready for the group to see what was coming next.

The woman sees his face and realises who he is, she declares they'll kill him

"She knows you." Bill realised, turning to watch the Doctor, eager for an explanation. "How does she know you?"

The Doctor sighed. Clearly, she wouldn't be getting away with limited information. "She was there when I was a child." She glanced at the Master quickly before continuing. "The Master and I aren't actually very old for Time Lords you know. We just travel a lot more than they normally do."

The room immediately broke out into chatter and shouts all demanding more information, it was Amy's Scottish drawl that broke through the noise finally. "Explain Doctor." Her tone left no room for arguments but the Doctor was still tempted to try and wriggle out of answering the question. Aware of her mentality both Jack and River boxed her in further to make her aware there was no escape from the questions.

"Barring my time in my confession dial and whatever is happening with the Timeless Child thing." She waved away, faking a more blasé attitude to the horrible life experiences she'd gone through and bulldozing to the actual explanation, ignoring the winces from several people across the room. "A Time Lord can live for a thousand or so years in a regeneration, there hasn't actually been any studies done on life expectancy and the War messed some things up. But think, a thousand odd years with 12 regenerations, that's at least 12,000 years. The Master and I are only about 3000 years give or take several centuries which is only a quarter of that vague lifespan. Compare that to humans, who live to about 70 on average in your time and we would barely be adults by your standards."

The Master interrupted, face blank. "Don't be getting any ideas. That's only comparing life spans, we have been adults since before your Christ was born." He snapped, not willing for the humans to get any ideas based on the Doctor's bad wording. She narrowly avoided rolling his eyes at him.

"Anyway, my point is we live a long time usually. The Time War killed a lot of people and there has been other troublesome things over our years but there are still people – still were people on Gallifrey that knew us as Time Tots and plenty are far older than us. Because we travel the universe, we've gone through our regenerations far more rapidly than normal. If we were still on Gallifrey with no wars we would only be in about our third or fourth incarnations, but I'm on my fourteenth ish and who knows what one the Master is on." She finished the explanation. It was a good point, which regeneration was the Master on? He'd run out before the Time War but had been re-loomed for the war. There'd been his war incarnation, the blond, crazy one - Saxon, Missy and his current face. So maybe his fourth incarnation of his second official cycle, and he could be in the twenties for all she knew if she was counting all his faces.

The room was oddly quiet, all taking in that new information. Most of them were used to thinking that the Doctor was ancient and old, which she was, but to know she wasn't even very old for her species was, frankly, weird. Maybe it explained why most of the people that travelled with her were young adults – they were at about the same stage in their life span in a vague way.

The thoughtful quiet was interrupted by Amy chuckling to herself, she looked up upon feeling the weight of the room's eyes. "Sorry, it's just - Time Tot?" She started chuckling again. The rest of the humans started chuckling as well while both Time Lords looked at the group confused (but thankful for the distraction).

Outside the barn, 12 sits at a table as the woman places a bowl of soup in front of him. The villagers have gathered to watch

"Everyone has come out to see you." Mickey raised an eyebrow at the sight of the group gathered around the Doctor who was just eating soup.

It was the Master that spoke, lounging in his seat, far too smug, pretending as if the last exchange hadn't just occurred. "She is quite famous on Gallifrey." He turned lazily to the Doctor whose hackles raise din apprehension. "What is it, dearest? Enemy number 1? Or is that me at the moment?" The Master practically purred. The voice went well with the way his body was draped across the chair, he'd always been cat like (especially when under the Cheetah Virus and then after – the Doctor wasn't quite sure that he'd ever fully gotten rid of it) and she couldn't help but picture him with cat ears and a tail lazily flicking away.

She tried to bite her lip, but a few chuckles and a wide grin managed to escape gaining bewildered looks from the rest of the room and the Master at her unexpected good mood. His bewildered look made the picture all the better and she wasn't even trying to stifle her chuckles anymore. The room seemed to silently agree to leave her alone as she had clearly finally gone completely mad.

12 raises a spoon in salute. The ground shakes as a huge craft hovers above the ground, pointing its guns at the Doctor

"Why are they pointing a gun at you?!" Donna exclaimed. She appeared as if she wanted to jump into the screen and hit the soldiers over the head with their own guns. She wasn't the only one.

"They were worried about why I was there – it was usually nothing good when I was around." The Doctor took a deep breath, hesitating slightly before continuing. "And the last time I was home I almost destroyed it to end the Time War." She finished quietly. That took the wind out of the sails from most in the room.

Gastron's voice is heard warning all non-military personnel to step away from the Doctor, no one moves. He repeats himself and begs them to at least move the children but still no one moves

"Like he could control them." Rose snorted. The group were getting worried about the soldiers and the Doctor's word about her return but were glad to see that some people on Gallifrey were still protecting him/her in some way.

Gastron turns his attention on 12, asking him to lay down any weapons and accompany them to the capital

"When does the Doctor use actual weapons and not their stupid screwdriver?" Amy asked, raising her eyebrows high. Clara purposely didn't look at the Doctor, having not forgotten what he did later in the episode.

The Doctor just muttered about her sonic not being stupid but didn't say anything else, the room was getting far too tense and the worst was still to come.

12 drops the spoon and stands up, the villager part to let him through as he moves towards the craft. Gastron repeats his order as he keeps the Doctor in the craft's sights. 12 says nothing as he digs his land in the sand and draws a line to Gastron's confusion

"You're very quiet." Martha's forehead was furrowed in thought. "What do you want?"

"Why do you think I wanted something?" The Doctor asked, more curious than anything about Martha's reasoning, it wasn't like she was wrong.

"Like I said you're quiet and you've drawn a line in the sand." Martha argued. The Doctor just smiled cryptically, not going to actually answer to Martha 9and the rest of the room's) frustrations.

12 returns to his meal as Gastron orders him to come back

"He will not." Bill muttered with limited humour.

The villagers applaud the Doctor as Gastron states it is an order and he's in a military vehicle

"When does the Doctor ever follow orders?" Jack snorted.

At the council chambers they are watching on a holo-screen. Rassilon wants to know his plan as Ohila comments 12 is finishing his soup

"She is absolutely there for the drama." Yaz grinned, enjoying seeing Ohila spread seeds of chaos amongst the Time Lord officials.

Back at the barn, 12 lies on the bed and twiddles his thumbs. The General suggests talking to him but Rassilon reminds him that words are the Doctor's weapon

"Oh, so they have learnt something about the Doctor after all these years." River announced sarcastically, she'd heard enough about the Time Lords, and Rassilon in particular, to dislike them. The Doctor squeezed her hand as a reminder they were both here safe.

There's a knock on the barn and 12 steps out to find the General with Gastron and nine armed troopers. The General welcomes him home and gives him the greetings of the High Council. 12 has already turned and gone back inside

"Why did they think you would want to be greeted by soldiers? You hate soldiers." Martha shook her head. It was however, helping her theory that he wanted something. The Doctor just shrugged; face schooled carefully blank.

Rassilon wants to know who 12 thins he is, the General replies that he's the man who won the Time War

The Doctor flinched at the reminder. She'd only just managed to save it and it wasn't like it had done them any good when the Master had razed them to the ground.

12 puts on his jacket as there is more knocking on the door, he opens it to find six Time Lords in full regalia bowing to him, he slams the door shut

"Who are the official looking dudes?" Ryan asked the Doctor. Everyone's eyes were on her, all wondering the same (bar the Master who had raised an eyebrow to see them all there with so little fuss).

The Doctor glanced quickly at the Master, apparently aware of what he was thinking and dreading how he was going to react to the rest of this video before turning to Ryan. "Those 'official looking dudes' as you call them are … were Gallifrey's High council." They were the High Council before she'd kicked them off Gallifrey and before they'd all been killed. Even if they had been off planet at the time of the Master's rampage, she was sure they were dead, the Master wasn't likely just to forget them.

"So … important people." Ryan continued.

"Yes, important people." The Doctor clarified with a smile.

Rassilon is getting frustrated and wants to know what 12 wants, suggesting revenge. Ohila reveals he doesn't blame Gallifrey for the Time War, he just blames Rassilon

"As he should." The Master nodded. "The Time War was only one of Rassilon's crimes." Unconsciously he was tapping away a familiar beat – the beat of four drums. The Doctor gave him a concerned/berating look before turning to watch Martha as she visibly connected the dots.

"He's what you want." Martha finally decided, getting a small nod from the Doctor in conformation.

"Eh. Who is he?" Graham asked a bit awkwardly.

The Doctor and Master shared an unreadable look for a second before the Doctor finally answered. "The president of Gallifrey. Like the Master he was brought back to help win the Time War, a bad decision as he is mad. He was one of the founders of Gallifrey supposedly."

"Went mad with power, then?" Rory contributed.

Again, the Doctor and Master shared a long look before answering, in sync this time. "Something like that." Which was not reassuring in any way.

12 is back in the barn holding his confession dial as the woman knocks again. 12 exits to fine Rassilon there with the General, Gastron and the nine troopers. The Doctor walks up to the line in the sand he drew and refuses Rassilon's hand, throwing the confession dial into the line and ordering Rassilon to get off his planet

The room blinked in shock at seeing the Doctor so bluntly make the demand. They hadn't quite been expecting that, although they weren't quite sure what they had been expecting. A smug grin crawled its way onto the Master's face before he cackled at seeing Rassilon's face. Ge had wondered why the old man hadn't been on planet when he had destroyed Gallifrey (he'd had great fun tracking him down and killing him repeatedly until he stayed dead).

"I knew you had it in you, dear. I'm not surprised that he was what made you snap."

The Doctor considered the Master carefully for a minute, all too aware of the rest of the room watching them. Finally, her curiosity won out. "I heard a rumour about you and Rassilon." The Master raised an eyebrow, but his wide grin suggested he knew what she was about to ask. "Something about you shoving white point stars down his throat until he regenerated? Would you be willing to share some more details later?" His cackle was well worth the shocked expressions on her companion's faces.

Rassilon tries to defend himself saying they needed to know about the Hybrid, and that if he'd told them what he knew he could have walked out of there

"You could have left at any time?!" Donna turned on the Doctor, furious and confused about why she had let herself been tortured for so long. Clara's expression turned unbearably sad, all too well aware about why the Doctor had stayed.

"The information was dangerous and I needed to get to Gallifrey." The Doctor explained, eyes filled with the same steely determination that they were on screen. She didn't regret her decision, even with Clara having left her. She may have gone too far but Gallifrey couldn't have been made aware of what she knew and she had needed Clara back.

The Doctor repeats his order to get off his planet. Rassilon gets angry, telling him he has nothing, and that out in the Dry Lands where there's nobody who matters there are no witnesses. 12 replies with 'me too'

The group watched the exchange, in a mix of eager and nervous about what it was all building up too. The Doctor was far too calm to not have a plan but Rassilon was dangerous and there were lots of soldiers surrounding them. The Doctor herself was watching the screen with a carefully schooled expression, knowing what was about to come.

Rassilon orders the soldiers to take aim at the Doctor and fire in his command

"What?!" Was the general consensus across the room. River had turned to the Doctor, eyes alight in concern and anger at seeing her wife in danger yet again. The Doctor offered a small reassuring smile, everything would be okay as she was here with her.

"So, they torture you for billions of years and then just decide to kill you after all?" Jack asked, seeking clarification from the Doctor.

"I was no longer in a controllable environment and was not going to answer anything. The danger outweighed the opportunity for answers." The Doctor shrugged, far too blasé about her own life and torture.

The General and troopers are reluctant to obey

"Good. They're not outright stupid." Amy crossed her arms, expression furious.

Rassilon repeats himself asking what's wrong with them. The General tells him 12 is a war hero and that some of the soldiers served with him, but Rassilon just repeats his orders again

"They can't actually." Bill declared unsure. "Can they?"

The troopers reluctantly raise their weapons fire as 12 closes his eyes and Rassilon turns his back, he orders them to fire and laser gun shots ring out

The room was on the edge of their seats, expressions all shocked and worried, throwing confused and concerned looks at the Doctor who hadn't looked away from the screen. Suddenly most of the group were understanding why Clara had declared her hatred of the Time Lords. They had expected the Doctor to speak his way out of the situation as normal, not just stand there while he was fired upon.

In his seat in the corner, the Master was clawing at the arms of his chair. Eyes and expression dark as he debated whether Rassilon had dies painfully enough to make up for this (the answer was unfortunately no).

Clara had been watching the screen worried and sad. She knew the basics of what had happened as the Doctor had provided a human simplified version to her in the diner but it was an entirely different thing to see it like this.

Back at the Diner, 12 asks for a lemonade

The room whipped around to the Doctor who was purposely avoiding their eyes, expression wide with innocence. It wasn't her fault how the video was cut.

He's telling this story to Clara who comments he likes a cliff-hanger, and repeats the simplified version that he went back to his home time

The room blinked at the sudden change in locations and dramatic decrease in tension. They'd forgotten all about the diner after getting to see what was going on in Gallifrey.

Clara pours them both a drink, and asks if it was Glasgow

"Glasgow?" The Doctor asked Clara, knowing now that it was her 9and therefore, that she knew everything) she was confused on why she'd suggested Glasgow.

Clara shrugged with a grin. "You sound like you're from Glasgow and it's where we ended up after you regenerated and the whole dinosaur in Victorian London affair." She waved her hand to encompass that whole mess (and the ensuing mess of being abandoned in Glasgow after going to fetch coffees).

The Doctor nodded her surrender to the sound argument, turning back to the screen. She caught Bill mouthing 'dinosaur in Victorian London' to herself in disbelief out of the corner of her eye.

12 replies with space Glasgow, and Clara accepts that continuing that there was a gang boss that wanted to kill him. 12 emphasises the try part

"I'm going to guess then Sweetie, that he wasn't successful." River raised an eyebrow at her wife who grinned with a shrug. River already knew that she hadn't been so she didn't feel the need for any explanations – especially as the video was likely about to show it.

Back outside the barn, the General and Rassilon finally look and find the Doctor still standing with the barn door covered in scorch marks

Despite knowing the Doctor was okay and with them, the room let out a sigh of relief at seeing the Doctor on screen completely unharmed.

Rassilon is in disbelief that they all missed, asking if they are afraid of an unarmed man. He grabs Gastron by the scruff of his neck and demands he explains. Gastron does, explaining there was a saying - the first thing you notice about the Doctor of War is that he's unarmed, for many it's also the last

It was a startling reminder for most of the room of the Doctor's part in the war as a solider. They'd seen him at the end of the war but it was a completely different thing to hear about him when he was an active soldier in the middle of the war, and it was hard to picture frankly. The companions couldn't deny the words were chilling.

Gastron drops his rifle and walks forward crossing the line to stand by the Doctor, saying he was at Skull Moon

The Doctor closed her eyes and took a deep breath to try and fight back the onslaught of memories the words induced. It hadn't been her plan, to get them to all choose her side, not exactly anyway. She'd just wanted Rassilon gone and out of the way and the chance to get Clara back.

Back at the Diner, Clara asks if it was a story or it actually happened. 12 counters that all stories happened, that's where memories go when they're forgotten

Amy smiled softly at the words which tugged at her heart strings as they were so close to what her Doctor had said to her on several occasions.

Back outside the Barn, more troopers drop the rifles and join the Doctor

The group started grinning as they saw the soldiers drop their guns and choose the Doctor over the president. It was always good to see the Doctor get the recognition he/she deserved, usually all they found was pain and accusations.

Rassilon orders them to not move, but the troopers continue to cross the line. Rassilon gets more frustrated and activates his gauntlet

Yaz turned to Ryan, both sharing a grin. "The infinity gauntlet." Yaz's words drew a mix of reactions – those who were around on Earth in the right time all grinned (having had a similar thought) while those not in the right time or on Earth just looked very confused.

Graham rolled his eyes at the pair while the Doctor watched the exchange bewildered, she hadn't been expecting that reaction upon seeing Rassilon gauntlet.

RASSILON: How many regenerations did we grant you? I've got all night.

The Doctor flinched sharply, hunching down in her seat. Several people in the room drew in a sharp breath, other glared at the screen. Rassilon wasn't likeable in anyway but gloating about that had crossed the line.

The Doctor was stuck in her thoughts. Had Rassilon known? He must have as one of the founders which meant he had been gloating without her even knowing. Acting like he had gifted her regenerations when in fact she had (unwillingly) given him and all the other Time Lords theirs. How many times would he have to kill her until she stayed dead? Was there a limit?

The Master was almost growling in his seat having reached the same conclusions as the Doctor. He was decisively ignoring how similar Rassilon's words were to his on the Mondasian ship. River and Jack both scowled darkly, knowing if they ever came in contact with him 9due to wibbly wobbly timey wimey) they were going to punch his smug face hard.

Four gunships arrive at the Barn

The room grew a bit nervous at seeing the ships arrive, it was one thing for the Doctor to have gotten the foot soldiers on his side but those ships outnumbered them and had rather large guns. The group were all glancing at the Doctor who appeared perfectly calm – which wasn't quite as reassuring as it should have been (the Doctor tended to be calm in the face of some of the worst dangers, especially when it was only them in danger).

Rassilon congratulates the General for sending for reinforcements. The Doctor corrects him that the General didn't, he did

"So smug." River sighed, but her tone gave away her fond exasperation and pride. "You always do love causing revolutions."

The Doctor smiled softly at her, unable to deny her accusations although it hadn't quite been her priority at the time.

The last troopers join the Doctor as the gunships turn their weapons on Rassilon, to his increasing anger as Rassilon declares Gallifrey his

Both the Doctor and the Master scowled darkly at that. No one was willing to mention how similar they looked in that moment.

The General steps between Rassilon's gauntlet and the Doctor, telling Rassilon, with respect, to get off the Doctor's planet. The General then throws down his gun and stands by the Doctor, there are not six gunships aiming weapons at Rassilon

The room was grinning alternatively at the Doctor and the screen, glad to see that (in their typical fashion) the Doctor had turned a deadly situation into a victory.

"You don't do things in half, do you Doctor?" Rose shook her head fondly. The Doctor just grinned sheepishly with a small shrug.

"A couple hours on Gallifrey and you start a full scale coup." Jack shook his head, "And a successful one too, only you Doctor."

Later in the council chamber, the Doctor, General and Gastron watch a small craft leave the Citadel

"Good riddance." The Master muttered darkly.

The General explains Gallifrey is at the end of the time continuum for its protection, the end of the universe roughly

"Like Utopia?" Martha asked, head shooting to face the Doctor. She glanced quickly at Jack whose own expression looked troubled, all three were ignoring the Master.

"Even further than Utopia." The Doctor answered calmly, none of them liked the reminder of that mess as it led to the Year.

12 is aware as he came the long way. The General mentions Rassilon may not be able to find anywhere to go

"Good."

12 tells them Rassilon isn't president any more, and the General asks if this is going too far as Rassilon used to be a good man. The Doctor isn't done here though, the High Council are on the next shuttle

The group glanced apprehensively at the Doctor; he was starting to edge towards a darker version of himself. The one they saw only in more extreme or emotionally involved situations. Clara gave her a worried look while the Doctor scowled at the floor – she'd gone too far but the High Council and Rassilon had had it coming for a long time.

They step out the lift to the cloisters

"Of course, you're going to go into the creepy place that no one goes into." Bill groaned while the Doctor just smiled cryptically.

Ohila arrives, not surprised to find them here. 12 mentions she's a far way from home but she tells 12 at the end he should expect the company of immortals

"We're not immortals." The Doctor argued pointlessly to Ohila on screen.

"Eh, Doctor. You're talking to the screen." Rory pointed out. The Doctor ignored him while Amy nudged him.

"You're about as close as one can get to immortal, Doctor." Jack said, tone serious and old in a way he rarely showed. The Doctor fixed him with an unreadable look.

The Doctor wants to know if she knew what they did to him with his confession dial. The dial is supposed to be a purification ritual for a dying Tie Lord, not a torture chamber for someone living

The atmosphere in the room darkened in the reminder that the Doctor had just been tortured for billions of years. Despite how casual he was being about it on screen, there was no way it wasn't affecting him. They had seen how it had affected the Doctor in the room with them and she'd had time to deal (or ignore as the Doctor tended to do) with the trauma unlike the Doctor on screen.

Ohila tells him he was imprisoned on Rassilon's command as he feared the Hybrid. Ohila wants to know why 12 banished Rassilon - was he being cruel or cowardly, the Doctor replies theyll see

"That's ridiculous." Clara finally snapped, she'd been coiling in tighter on herself since the firing squad and now the anger had nowhere to go but out.

The group had turned to look at her, the Doctor looked ready to argue (in Ohila's favourite) but Clara fixed her with a glare that silence her.

"No Doctor. From what we've seen he locked you up for billions of years in a torture chamber because he wanted information. His desperation for answers led to the situation that killed me and he expects you not to fight back. And from what we've heard and the looks you've shared with the Master - those are the least of his crimes. You're allowed to be scared and furious. But you're not being cruel and you're not being cowardly. Rassilon was cowardly for locking you up like that, you are protecting others like you always do." Clara ranted, hands waving to emphasise her point.

"But-." The Doctor tried to argue, she knew she had gone too far.

"No. No arguments. Yes, you did stupid stuff later but not now. You are allowed to be scared Doctor." Clara finished with a glare that dared her to argue.

At the council chamber and seated at the head of the table with Ohila opposite watching carefully

"Wait, did you become President?" Yaz asked startled. Like many un the room they hadn't connected the dots between kicking the former president off the planet and then becoming president himself.

"Yep." The Doctor shrugged.

"Again?" The Master snorted. "I'm guessing it didn't last much longer than the other times. You're far too predictable dear."

"It isn't the first time you've been president?" Rose asked, stuck between shocked and exasperated.

"It is the third time technically." The Doctor admitted reluctantly. Apparently, she was predictable in the way that she always stole a Tardis and ran away.

"We really shouldn't be surprised by that." Martha grinned.

"How did Icicle take it that you became president again?" The Master asked smirking.

The Doctor's scowl reminded him suddenly of the fact he had destroyed Gallifrey which meant everyone they knew. "I didn't kill him." The Master said quietly, the Doctor only raised an eyebrow in disbelief. "I didn't see him. Or Romana and your other friends." The Doctor's expression softened minutely; it was a weight of her heart to know he hadn't killed them but it didn't necessarily mean any of them were alive.

The group had watched the exchange confused but quiet. In typical Amy fashion she decided she wanted answers despite the off-putting atmosphere. "Icicle?"

The Doctor's head snapped to face her instead of the Master. "Braxiatel." She answered softly. "My brother."

Several people in the room audibly chocked, all of their expressions revealing that they had expected anything but that. The Doctor bulldozed forward, ignoring their reactions. "He was an art collector and politician. Always wanted to be President, I don't know if he ever managed it. I haven't seen him since the end of the Time War." She finished quietly; eyes focused on the floor. The more time they spent here, watching these videos, the more information she was giving away. Things she had never told her companions before.

"I'm sorry Doctor." Jack said softly, she looked up to meet his eyes only to find sad understanding. She remembered then that he had mentioned a brother of his own, lost a long time ago a few times during their travels, during rare moments of quiet reminiscence of things lost. She nodded at him before turning back to the screen, not wanting to discuss the matter anymore. She hated the Master slightly for bringing Brax up, yet she was glad to finally have an answer to a question that had been haunting her since learning of Gallifrey's destruction at his hands, he hadn't killed her friends or family. He'd destroyed everyone else but he hadn't killed her family with his own hands – small silver linings, it was a lot more than she usually got from him.

12 tells them is they want to know about the Hybrid why didn't they just ask, the General counters that if the Hybrid is a threat why didn't 12 just tell them

"Why didn't you?" Bill asked seriously.

"Because they didn't ask." The Doctor answered, equally seriously. "And because the information was dangerous."

The Doctor asks what they know as the General sits. The General tries to tall him but the Doctor keeps interrupting him when he theorises instead of telling facts

"You're being purposely difficult." River sighed exasperated.

"I'm allowed to be after what they did." The Doctor protested.

The General continues that all Matrix prophecies agree the Hybrid will one day stand in the ruins of Gallifrey, unravel the Web of Time and destroy a billion billion hearts to heal its own

"You know, I can understand why they feel a bit threatened by that prophecy." Yaz announced, drawing a few nods from some of the group.

The Doctor asks what colour it is

"Doctor!" Donna exclaimed; voice full of exasperation.

"What?!"

Obviously no one knows and 12 remarks prophecies never say anything useful as Ohila tells him to stop pretending to be a fool. The Doctor works out they want him to save them

"They must be desperate." The Master smirked from his corner.

The Doctor glared at him, unable to forget that he had destroyed Gallifrey. "Almost as desperate as they were during the war, as they resurrected you and Rassilon."

The Doctor agrees to save them but says he needs help - he wants to use an extraction chamber to talk to an old friend

"That's what you're actually after." Jack realised, feeling a bit stupid for not putting it together sooner. "Clara."

Clara glanced at the Doctor worried for what was to come. The Doctor glanced ta her for a second before nodding to Jack to confirm his theory. She was also worried about their reactions.

Back on Trap Street, we see Clara moments before her death

"Oh Clara." The Doctor mumbled; eyes glazed over slightly as if she thought she was somewhere else. "They're always brave."

Clara glanced at her worried about the almost vacant expression on the Doctor's face. She'd purposely left so that the Doctor hadn't had to watch her death and yet she never seemed to be able to escape it.

The rest of the room watched the screen, eyes wide at seeing more of Clara's 'death'. River and Jack, however, were more focussed on the Doctor. The pair were mumbling quietly to her and squeezing her hand to try and bring her back to the present. It took a few minutes before the Doctor blinked rapidly for several seconds and her eyes finally met River's relieved eyes.

Her death is interrupted by a door opening allowing a flood of white light to enter. The Doctor beckons her threw saying he can save her, Clara follows 12 through the door.

"Time Lords have some serious tech." Bill whistled.

"Very Spock." Rose giggled, entertaining and distracting both Jack and the Doctor who had been watching worriedly. The trio chuckled at the reminder of their first meeting while the rest of the room watched confused.

Clara and 12 come back out in the extraction chamber, Clara wants to know where she is and 12 is cagey with answers

"You can never just explain everything can you?" Martha sighed exasperated.

"There isn't usually time." The Doctor argued but Martha just rolled her eyes at that answer.

The Doctor admits it his place as Clara is distracted by the fact she should be dead

"Very observant." The Master sneered from his corner, going mostly ignored by the rest of the room.

12 tells her to forget about it as it doesn't matter

"Dying does tend to matter, Doctor." Amy argued.

Clara realises what he said and works out they are on Gallifrey

Clara shook here head. "I still can't believe you finally found it." She frowned at the reminder of both the first time the Doctor had thought they'd found Gallifrey and their resultant temporary split (due to them lying to each other) and what had already happened in the video. "In some ways I wish you hadn't."

The Doctor watched her with a troubled look, thinking about similar memories. She honestly couldn't say if she was glad she had found Gallifrey again or not.

Clara is confused, asking if she missed something

"Oh, not much, just you being tortured for billions of years." Clara said, voice full of sarcasm and anger. If the Doctor had had his way, she would have never found out about the Confession dial. The Doctor glanced at her again, eyes apologetic which only made Clara angrier.

12 mentions they're several billion years in the future and the universe is almost over so she's missed a bit. The General interupts to say they only have few moments with her

"I'm guessing that didn't go to plan." Rory raised an eyebrow getting a sheepish look from both the Doctor and Clara. It honestly depended on whose plan you were thinking about. The General's – no, the Doctor's – vaguely.

Clara is distracted by everything wanting to know who the General is and then something is wrong with her ears as the General wants to know what she knows about the Hybrid

"Your ears?" Rose asked confused. Neither the Doctor or Clara answered. Clara did, however, reach down to try and find her pulse in an almost unconscious movement when no one else was watching.

12 tries to brush over it as a side effect, Clara isn't believing him. The General wants to tell her

"Tell them what? What are you trying to hide Spaceman?" Donna asked, eyes narrowed at the Doctor who was looking anywhere but her eyes. Instead of an answer she just waved at the screen.

The Doctor admits her physical processes have been time looped and she's frozen between one heartbeat and the next, that's why her ears are weird - she can't hear her heartbeat

"That's freaky." Bill declared before realising what she'd said and glancing to Clara. "Eh, sorry?"

"It's fine. Don't worry." Clara waved her off. It was definitely freaky to start with and she still tried to find it every so often but she'd kind of grown used to it during her travels with Me.

Clara wants details that the Doctor isn't willing to share. The General tells her they extracted her from the time stream just before she died and once they're finished she will be returned as her death can't be altered

The Doctor was watching the screen with darkening eyes, she knew the trouble was about to start properly. She bit her lip unsure whether to warn the group or to apologise to Clara or what to say in general.

The group had been watching the screen with growing tension, suddenly aware that things were about to heat up again. Clara kept glancing between the screen and the Doctor, equally unsure what to say. She'd been desperate for an explanation at the time and the Doctor hadn't been wanting to provide one which had only worried her more.

Clara wants 12 to talk to him but 12 is scheming. He tells the General he'll try not to break his jaw and then punches him, grabbing his sidearm and pointing it at the man

"Doctor!" Several gaps and exclamations came from the group, having been completely blindsided by the extreme actions the Doctor was suddenly taking on screen. From what they'd heard from conversations in the room, they knew things had gotten bad and the Doctor had done some stupid things but this was more than they had expected.

"I know, I know. Please just watch." The Doctor tried to appease with a wince at her onscreen actions. She didn't exactly regret saving Clara but she had gone too far and the General hadn't deserved what she'd done to them. She was purposely ignoring the smirk the Master was giving her.

The General warns him he can't do this. 12 argues he can and then tells everyone to stay where they are (with a bad joke about not taking a selfie)

There were a few startled snorts at the bad joke but the room was too tense to really appreciate the Doctor's attempts of humour.

The General keeps protesting and warns him the gun is the sidearm of the President's personal security, it doesn't have a stun setting

The room was practically on the edge of their seats at that declaration, glancing between the Doctor (who refused to look away from the screen, expression blank) and the screen itself, not liking where this was going.

The Doctor refuses to let Clara die even as she begs she doesn't want this and the General reminds him Clara has already been dead a long time, if he tries to change it then it might fracture time

"I'm sorry Clara." The Doctor said quietly but sincerely.

Clara narrowed her eyes at the Doctor, crossing her arms. "What are you sorry for?"

The Doctor winced at the harsh tone but met Clara's eyes as she answered. "For ignoring your wishes. You didn't want that and I ignored you and did what I wanted anyway." She bit her lip but decided complete honesty was best. "I'm not sorry for saving you, I'm sorry, but I can't be. But I am sorry for going against your wishes."

Clara watched her for a moment, analysing her for something unknown before nodding her acquiescence. "I guess that's as good as I'm going to get. Thank you for the apology but you're still an idiot."

The Doctor smiled softly, relieved. "Everyone knows that."

The Doctor asks what regeneration the General is on (the tenth) before telling him good luck, the General returns the sentiment

"At least one of you are polite." Donna announced, giving the Doctor a look from the corner of her eyes to make her aware she was not the polite one in this situation.

The Doctor shoots the General and then orders someone else to get him a human compatible neural block

"A neural block and stealing someone form the time stream? Naughty, naughty Doctor." The Master smirked, all teeth. Far too happy to see the Doctor causing chaos on Gallifrey and breaking the rules. The Doctor purposely ignored him to his frustration.

A technician hands a device to the Doctor before 12 drags Clara out

Then we flash back to the Diner where 12 is strumming his guitar

The room blinked at the sudden change of scene, having gotten so caught up on Gallifrey again they'd largely forgotten the Doctor was telling this story to Clara.

Clara comments 12 must really like Clara as he killed someone for her, and he doesn't seem the type

The Doctor scowled darkly, she had very few limits when it came to her friends and family. Especially when Gallifrey came into the picture, she'd lost too many companions to Gallifrey. Both Zoe and Jamie had lost their memories of their adventures when her second face had been forced to regenerate and exiled to Earth.

The rest of the room watched the screen quietly, mostly caught up in their own thoughts. All couldn't help but wonder if the Doctor would have done the same for them.

Back at the Citadel they are running. Clara is in disbelief that 12 killed the General, and 12 tells her it was her or him and that she would stay dead

A few people opened their mouths as if to make a comment but Clara scowled at them all. "Don't. Just don't." Everything had happened so quickly she hadn't really connected what being on Gallifrey meant and she didn't need everyone pointing it out to her now.

They get into a lift as 12 reminds her they're on Gallifrey and the General will regenerate

"That doesn't mean you just get to kill him!" Clara protested, there really hadn't been time for this argument at that point and she felt the need to point it out now.

The Doctor sighed. "No, it doesn't. I shouldn't have but I couldn't let you stay dead. I'm not asking you to forgive me but I am asking you to understand why I did. I'm not saying that makes it right, I just want you to understand."

Clara's expression softened slightly. "I do, I just hate what you did for me and what they did to you." The Doctor nodded her own understanding, turning back to the screen instead of meeting anyone's accusing eyes.

Back at the extraction chamber, the General regenerates into a black woman as Gastron orders medics up

"It seems so easy there." Amy frowned, thinking about the time they'd witnessed River regenerate as well. Then comparing both to the Doctor's regeneration, they both seemed easier and less painful than the Doctor's.

The Doctor grimaced. "Yes, I'm sure you're thinking about River as well." She squeezed her wife's hand. "I've always struggled with regeneration. It's always been more painful than others seem to experience. I've always been more confused afterwards and had significantly less control over it." She admitted with a shrug, trying to come across as blasé about the whole matter.

"You think that's because of the … ya know … Timeless Child thing, Doc?" Graham asked, eyes crinkled in concern.

"Maybe." The Doctor answered unconvincingly. It was a possibility, not that there was any real way to test it, especially now.

Gastron asks if the General is okay, she is and asks how men deal with all the ego (as it was her first male regeneration)

The woman all laughed at that while the men shuffled in their seats uncomfortable with the woman's enjoyment. The tension was leaking out of the room slowly, while the Doctor was definitely acting more 'alien' than normal, he hadn't actually permanently killed the General. Not that shooting him was good but it could have been much worse.

Ohila arrives and Gastron asks where the Doctor is. Ohila tells them where else, but the greatest danger on Gallifrey

"That does sound you." Rose smiled. The Doctor just made an innocent look that fooled absolutely no one.

"Out of the frying pan and into the fire, or so they say." Mickey added, earning a smile from Rose and the Doctor.

12 and Clara leave the lift and enter the Cloisters, as Clara asks about how Gallifrey got unfrozen, 12 doesn't know as he didn't ask (not wanting them to feel clever)

"And you would hate that." River rolled her eyes at her wife who just smiled unrepentant (in that matter at least). There really hadn't been much time and she could only focus on getting Clara back.

12 throws away the gun and it stops at the feet of a weeping angel cherub entangled in cables

Those that had met the weeping angels eyed the statue warily.

Clara wants to know what a neural block is, 12 refuses to answer leading the way further into the Cloisters

"You're avoiding the answer which means it is nothing good." Martha decided, eyes narrowed at the Doctor who kept her face schooled blank.

At the Diner, Clara asks what he took. The Doctor tells her it was the only thing that could keep Clara safe, it would wipe her memory of him

Donna flinched while the rest of the room turned to face the Doctor expectantly. They'd had some idea about a memory wipe based on what the pair had mentioned before but they hadn't quite been expecting it like this. None of them were sure what to say and the Doctor kept her gaze fixed on the floor, expression troubled. Clara's expression was equally troubled, it wasn't any easier hearing about it the second (or was it third?) time..

Back at the Cloisters, they keep moving amongst all the screams. 12 explains the Cloister Wraiths or Sliders guard the Matrix, and they're safe in there

"I'm pretty sure going into the dangerous place that everyone is too scared to enter is the opposite of safe." Bill pointed out. "Although it is a very you plan." The Doctor just grinned in answer in answer waving towards the screen while Clara rolled her eyes.

12 reveals the Sliders only attack if they try to leave and Clara asks how long they plan to stay

"Doctor, that plan will only work as long as you want to stay and seeing as everyone is after you, I don't think you want to stay long." Jack raised an eyebrow at the obvious flaw in the Doctor's plan which only made the Doctor grin more.

12 continues, revealing they also attack if you try to stay

"Brilliant. Why is it safe there again?" Amy asked sarcastically.

Clara asks him if he realises how that went, 12 admits to

"At least you admit it." Clara sighed. The Doctor shrugged unapologetic; she'd had a plan. One of her only good plans in that whole mess. She could feel the weight of the Master's eyes on her but she was purposely ignoring him for the moment.

A Slider glides past with its face flickering as it howls

"Definitely not safe." Yaz muttered, grimacing at the creepy sight of the Slider.

Back in the extraction chamber, the General and Gastron monitor 12 and Clara's movements. They decide to surround the place as Gastron comments that no-ones ever made it out the Cloisters

"You're going to be the first then." Rose grinned.

The Doctor looked conflicted for a minute. "Not quite." Several people gave her confused looks but she had already turned back to the screen.

Ohila corrects them, not quite no-one

"Someone else escaped? Why don't they know about it?" Ryan asked the Doctor.

"Just watch." The Doctor answered, eyes never leaving the screen.

"I hate that answer." Jack muttered.

In the Cloisters, 12 points in a direction as he reveals there are stories about a secret way out and if you find it the Sliders let you out. they're interrupted by a Dalek saying exterminate

Several of the group had jumped when they heard the Dalek, glancing worriedly at the Doctor and Clara. They really didn't need to be dealing with the daleks as well as everything else.

12 reassures Clara it's okay and to look at it

"How is a dalek okay?" Martha asked sharply, the Doctor just gave her an apologetic look but waved to the screen for an explanation.

The Dalek wants them to exterminate it, Clara realises its been trapped and 12 explains its been neutralised. Its trapped in cables that are alive. They're in the biggest database in history and that people stupid enough to break in get filed

Several people in the group shivered, that sounded like a horrible fate. Unnoticed to most, but not the Doctor, River flinched. The Doctor immediately whipped around to face her wife, face open and sad at the reminder of River's fate and her decision to trap her in the Library Database. River offered a small smile as she schooled her face back to hide her hurt, squeezing her wife's hand to offer comfort when the Doctor didn't look convinced. The Doctor still didn't look reassured but let it go for the moment.

They move past the Dalek as it keeps begging them to kill it. Further on they find a weeping angel which keeps moving but is entangled in cables, then a Cyberman grabs her ankle but 12 pulls her free

The group watched nervously, decidedly unhappy to see so many dangerous aliens, ones they had fought during their travels with the Doctor, in the same room as Clara and the Doctor. It didn't matter what the Doctor said about them, they could never be comfortable being in a creepy crypt like that with enemies on all sides.

The Doctor warns her to stay away from them as the Matrix uses them as a defence, and therefore the secret exit must be close. They arrive at an area with a glowing interlocking circle pattern on the floor but don't notice immediately. Clara is asking about the database as 12 realises where they are

"You found it." Amy grinned. It was rare for things to go so well and it never lasted very long, so it was always best to enjoy it while they could.

Clara also notices after a moment and several 'oh's

The group chuckled at seeing the interaction between the Doctor and Clara on screen, glad for a break in the tension. The Doctor and Clara, however, shared an apprehensive glance, both far too aware of what was still to come. The Doctor especially was nervous, most of the group were still under the impression she had spent two billion years in the confession dial, not four and a half. She really didn't want them to know the truth, but she also knew she didn't have much of a choice.

The Doctor decides it must be a service hatch and tries to work out the key as he explains the database to Clara in a very complicated way

"Er, Doc?" Graham asked awkwardly, rubbing the back of his neck. "You mind explaining that in bit more simple terms?" The Doctor just smiled and waved towards the screen in answer.

Clara did not understand the explanation

Graham smiled at Clara; glad he wasn't the only one. Several other sin the room smiled too.

12 simplifies the explanation to it being a big computer made of ghosts and guarded by more ghosts, Clara asks if simplifying hurt, it did

The group laughed again, happy for a break in the danger that seemed ever present in this episode. It was also nice to hear the Doctor actually explain themselves for once.

Clara asks why a computer would need to protect it from those that made it and 12 says all do in the end and to just wait until the interne starts, that was a war

"You're joking right?" Bill asked nervously, expression revealing how unsure she was. "Doctor, right?" The cryptic grin the Doctor gave her did nothing to reassure her or any of the others.

Back at the extraction chamber, they are still being monitored. Ohila and the General go down to a nearby lift as Gastron stays to monitor

"They won't come in, will they?" Rory asked nervously. The Doctor smiled at the concern, simply shaking her head in answer. The pair were too sensible and knew the dangers the Cloisters presented, they would never enter.

In the Cloisters, 12 explains that there was a student at the academy who got into the cloisters and vanished for four days. The student showed up in a completely different area of the city claiming the Sliders talked to him and showed him the secret passage, they just need the code

The Doctor refused to look away from the screen despite being all too aware of the weight of the Master's gaze upon her. She didn't want to see his expression. They'd still been friends, close friends, when she had disappeared into the cloisters as part of a dare. When she'd finally emerged he'd berated her for ages out of concern (not that he would ever admit that). She felt his familiar presence requesting entry to her mind, once he realised she wasn't going to verbally answer him.

"Am I finally going to find out what happened to you in there?" The Master asked, his mental voice drenched in curiosity.

"As I told you back then, it didn't feel like four days. But yes, you'll find out what happened. Happy?" She shot back with false frustration.

"Endlessly, dearest."

12 gets out his notebook. Clara asks if the student told the Doctor the secret, 12 claims he didn't tell anyone and went completely mad, was never right in the head again

"That's not encouraging in anyway. You do realise that Doctor?" Rose asked, sounding like she was already resigned to the answer. The Doctor, as if to prove her point, just grinned. Clara just rolled her eyes in the background.

The Doctor continues the story saying the last he'd heard the student had stolen the moon and President's wife. Clara asks (knowingly) if the President's wife was nice, 12 tells her it was actually the President's daughter and he didn't steal the moon, he lost it, revealing himself to be the student

"You were the little kid that escaped the Cloisters?" Martha asked. "I shouldn't even be surprised at this point." She rubbed her forehead, as if warding off a headache. The Doctor just grinned, shrugging.

"Why did you steal the moon and the President's daughter?" Yaz asked full of curiosity.

The Doctor shrugged again. "First of all, like I just said, I didn't steal the moon, I lost it. Which was an accident and I'm still not quite sure how I did it. As for the President's daughter, well she wanted to come. I gave her back eventually." The room just shook their heads in fond exasperation at the Doctor, all mentally filing away this new information about the Doctor's childhood.

Clara knew it, 12 claims he was a different person back then - eccentric, mad and rude

"So you've never changed then." Amy chuckled, starting several others off as well. The Doctor just pouted, but couldn't resist smiling too.

Clara wants him to look her in the eyes and tell her how long it has been for him since he last saw her

The mood in the room suddenly spiralled downwards at the stark reminder of the Doctor's years of torture. The room couldn't deny they were interested to see how Clara reacted to learning what happened to the Doctor onscreen. Clara, however, was just watching the Doctor with sad eyes as she tried to ignore everyone around her.

12 plays the avoidance game, saying he was stuck in a place for a while because they wanted info but it doesn't matter. Clara then asks about the missing velvet coat, it was very doctor-y

"I looked like a magician." The Doctor raised an eyebrow.

"I'm glad you finally admit it but stop trying to change the subject." Clara glared the Doctor into submission.

12 says he changed it as he couldn't be the Doctor all the time

That startled the group, and not in a good way. It was never good when the Doctor stopped trying to be the Doctor, point in case - the Time War. River and Jack shared a concerned look over the Doctor's head, the Doctor had her eyes focused on the screen unable to gather enough strength to deal with the room's reactions and trying t brace herself for what was coming.

He presses grooves and they make clicking noises, he almost has the code. Clara presses, wanting to know what happened to him

"Oh Doctor." Clara muttered sadly. She hadn't felt any better for knowing, even worse now that she knew the details but she couldn't help but feel like she needed to know, needed to know what the Doctor had gone through to get her back.

The General and Ohila have arrived, it's quiet

"That's never a good sign with the Doctor." Nardole muttered.

The General says they're going in but they'll stick to the perimeter, warning people to not enter the Cloisters and not stary further then three steps from the lift, as Gastron reports that 12 seems to be telling Clara a story

"Good." Rose announced, arms crossed. At least that was one less imminent danger. None of them would actually enter the Cloisters but they could still be dangerous, the room was just choosing to ignore that, to focused on what was being said.

12 admits to Clara about the Azbantium wall but tells her you break through anything given time, the lift door opens

Clara and the Doctor both flinched, bracing themselves for the truth about to be revealed. The rest of the group hadn't noticed their reaction, far too focused on their own thoughts, which was that two billion years was a long time. Little did they know.

Clara wants to know how much time the Doctor was trapped, he doesn't answer and she orders them to stay back - they take a step back

The room let out a breath they didn't know they were holding, glad to see that they weren't going to be a danger in that way and could be reasoned with. They were eager to see what the Gallifreyan's would tell Clara and how the pair would escape with so many eyes on them.

Clara wants to know about the Hybrid and why it is so important. 12 admits it wasn't important, what was important was convincing them he knew something so he had something to bargain with, he wanted to save her

"It wasn't worth it." Clara announced quietly but with a steely tone, eyes locked on the Doctor.

The Doctor met her gaze, expression equally determined. "That's not your decision to make."

Clara wants to know how long even as 12 insists it was fine

"You're never fine, Sweetie." River muttered, pulling her wife close. She had a horrible feeling building in the pit of her gut about how long the Doctor had been in the confession dial, something was tugging at her memories to let her know something was wrong and she really didn't like it.

Clara demands an answer from Ohila and the General - how long was he in the confession dial, Ohila finally answers

OHILA: We think four and a half billion years.

The room descended into shocked silence. All gaping at the Doctor, whose eyes were locked on the floor. Clara just watched, eyes wide and sad. Two billion years was bad enough, but double that? It was unthinkable.

"Four and a half-." River broke off, staring at her wife who refused to meet her eyes. "Why didn't you tell me on Darillium?"

"I did." The Doctor mumbled into her wife's arm where she was hiding her face.

"No, you mentioned you'd spent some time stuck in one place. You never mentioned how long." River shot back, anger building, born out of frustration and concern.

"I didn't want to talk about it." The Doctor argued defensively. "Besides how is four and a half any worse than two billion years?" The Doctor was back to acting blasé to try and mask her trauma (like normal).

"It's over double the length for one thing, Doctor. And two billion years was horrifying enough. You're not okay." Jack butted in to the argument.

"I'm always okay." The Doctor finally emerged from River' side, eyes immediately turning to the screen to try and avoid meeting anyone's gaze.

"You're never okay." River argued.

"I have to be." The Doctor finished quietly, leaving no room for arguments. "I have to be."

The General tells her he could have left any time if he just told them what he knew, Clara turns on 12 for confirmation which he just shrugs at, saying if they said so

The room all shot concerned and worried looks at the Doctor who ignored them all, not able to meet their eyes. they hated when the Doctor got like this - evasive around important things that affected her because she was uncomfortable discussing them

Clara drops to her knees and asks him why he would do that as she was dead and gone

Clara was nodding along with herself on screen, she knew full well why he had done it, but it didn't mean she agreed with it or was happy with his decision.

The Doctor answers he had a duty of care, then that he's almost through and they'll be able to get to the old workshop where there will be Tardises

"Your favourite thing to do on Gallifrey." The Master nodded. Fury clear on his expression, for once not directed at the Doctor, but instead at Gallifrey (again). In some ways the Doctor was glad Gallifrey was already destroyed before the Master had learnt about the Confession dial.

"Her favourite thing?" Yaz asked confused, glancing between the Master and Doctor who seemed to be having a silent conversation. No one answered her.

Clara declares she has something to say despite 12 telling her they don't have time. Clara tells him her time is up and says something to her which is hidden. Clara then stands up and walks over to the General and Ohila

The room shifted uncomfortable in their seats. They all wanted to know the pair planned to escape and none could deny that they were curious to know what Clara had said. The Doctor and Clara shared a glance.

Clara tells them they are monsters, that they are hidden at the end of time because they are hated by everyone, but by no one more than her

"Cheers to that." The Master muttered with a glare at the screen. The rest of the room agreed with him but none were willing to voice it and earn his attention or ire. It was one thing to hate Gallifrey for their (admittedly long) list of crimes (and that was just against the Doctor) but it was entirely another to destroy the planet. The companions that had asked the Doctor to visit Gallifrey had the odd sense of thankfulness that they hadn't, having seen what they'd seen, it likely wouldn't have gone well.

Ohila asks what she said to the Doctor. Clara refuses to tell them except from one part - not to worry as they'll be looking at her

"That's your plan." Amy grinned. The rest of the room shared her thoughts, all eager to see them escape from Gallifrey's clutches once and for all.

The trap door is open and light can be seen. The General demands to know what the Doctor is going to do now

"Why would she do that?" Donna snorted.

Clara declares them stupid, saying he's back on Gallifrey what do they think he's going to do? The familiar sound of s time rotor is heard as Clara tells them the Doctro is stealing a Tardis and running away, bye!

"Ah, your favourite thing." Yaz nodded finally understanding.

"How many times have you run away from Gallifrey at this point, my dear?" The Master asked, tone blasé and knowing.

The Doctor rolled her eyes at his dramatics but answered anyway. "At least four or five times at this point. Every time they put me in a position of power at least."

A classic column Tardis materialises around Clara

"Very white and clinical." Bill mused, analysing the Tardis on screen.

The Doctor smiled. "It takes them a while to pick up any sort of personality. Most Time Lords don't have one so they never bother." that entertained a few people in the room based on the snickers.

In the Tardis, Clara comments on his speed and 12 admits to backing up a bit

The room was grinning wildly at seeing the Doctor back in his element, and escape imminent.

Ohila demands 12 face her, calling him boy. The Doctor opens the door and pokes his head out

"I still want an answer to that, Boy?" Clara declared.

The Doctor looked at her with a 'really?' look, but sighed and answered anyway. "Like I said, she's known me a long time and she'd older than me." Clara nodded, accepting that with a small mischievous smile.

Ohila tells him he has broken every code he lived by, and 12 says the universe owes him this. Ohila tells him he is just giving her hope as the Doctor asks what is so bad about hope, Ohila calls hope a terrible thing

The group watched the exchange silently, unsure what to actually say. The Doctor just scowled at the screen, hope was rarely a bad thing. Yes, she'd gone too far and yes the universe owed no one. But she was still glad she had stolen Clara.

12 closes the door and the Tardis dematerialises as they watch. The General asks where he is going, and Ohila tells him the same place as always - away

The Doctor grinned at that, it was true. She rarely had a place in mind when she ran (usually Earth during her later escapes) and her Tardis' (admittedly) erratic piloting had definitely helped her escape Gallifrey and the CIA on countless occasions..

12 asks Clara's opinion on the Tardis, she isn't keen on the classic white

"Exactly, does bring back some memories." The Doctor smiled, reminiscing about the old days. while she would never trade her Tardis's current look for anything else, she couldn't deny she had plenty fond memories in it's original style.

The Doctor tells her to check her heartbeat as it should restart when they break free of Gallifrey's time zone, then starts spouting nonsense about the future

The group watched the screen apprehensive, things were rarely that easy and they knew the pair hadn't ended up happy together based on their interactions here in the room and the scenes in the diner, and the room was nervous about what else could go wrong.

Clara still doesn't have a pulse

The Doctor and Clara shared a glance. The Doctor's eyes dipped towards Clara's wrist in question, to which Clara shook her head. She still didn't have a pulse and doubted she ever would again.

12 says they just have to fly further, but Clara is worried about what the General said about time fracturing

"Is that anything like the crack?" Amy asked, suddenly very apprehensive. Rory and River seemed to have come to the same idea, all watching the Doctor for an answer.

The Doctor smiled reassuringly. "Very different, don't worry." The trio nodded, relieved.

"Crack?" Martha asked nervously, unsure she actually wanted to know.

The Doctor, Amy, Rory and River exchanged a glance before grinning in (frightening) unison. "Spoilers."

12 claims they were exaggerating as time always heals

"You have a lot of experience with that?" Donna raised an eyebrow pointedly.

The Doctor shrugged a bit sheepish. "More than most." She admitted.

The Doctor asks if she still trusts him, Clara says not when he's shouting then asks where they are going. The Doctor tells her they're going forward in time to the last hours of the universe where no one will be able to trace them so he can make adjustment

The room watched the screen, getting more and more nervous about the way the Doctor was acting. His behaviour paired with the still mysterious neural blocker and the pair's behaviour in the room was not painting a happy picture.

Clara asks about the neural block again

River, Jack and the Master were the only ones with any idea what the blocker did and they kept giving Clara and the Doctor pointed glances. They'd put together some of the dots and figured out what was likely to happen. The rets fo the room was still largely in the dark.

They've arrived and check for a pulse again but there is still none. Clara is still worried about time not healing, about how the universe might need her to die

DOCTOR: The universe is over! It doesn't have a say any more! We're standing on the last ember, the last fragment of everything that ever was. As of this moment, I'm answerable to no-one!

"Doctor." Jack said surprisingly gently.

"I know, I know. Don't say anything please." The Doctor interrupted, head in her hands.

They are interrupted by four knocks on the door

The group turned in unison to face the Master who held his hand sup in surrender, an innocent and curious look on his face, directed mostly at the Doctor. For once the famous four beats hadn't come from him.

Clara wants to know how anyone could be there why 12 bemoans the fact it is always four knocks

The Doctor glared at the floor. Four knocks was never a good thing, the sound of her own heartbeat and it was never a good thing.

The Doctor says he does this one alone, telling Clara Me is out there as he leaves the Tardis with Clara inside

"What?" Rose blinked confused. the rest of the room seemed to share her confusion, turning to look at the Doctor and Clara who were staring at each other.

"Not what you're thinking. Just watch." The Doctor waved to the screen pointedly.

They're still in the Cloisters just forward in time, there is light this time as the Citadel has crumbled to dust. 12 speaks to Me/Ashildir reminding her off his earlier words that the universe would be a very small place when he was angry at her. Me sits in one of two armchairs with a chess set sat atop a small table

"Who is that?" Amy asked with a raised eyebrow, clearly the Doctor and likely Clara, were acquainted with this strange woman.

Clara and the Doctor shared a glance before the Doctor answered. "Clara's girlfriend. Ashildir, or Me as she goes by now. We saved her a long time ago and it went wrong. She's effectively immortal. Kind of like you Jack but not because of the same thing. She's also the reason Clara's dead." The group was a mic of reactions at that revelation.

"She didn't kill me." Clara protested.

"First, I notice you didn't protest the girlfriend bit, so congrats." Clara rolled her eyes at that. "Second, it was her that planned the trap and carried out the plan, she is at last partially guilty."

"I'm the reason I died, not Me."

"Yes and no, she's guilty and I'm guilty. There's plenty of guilt to go around Clara, it's not a finite thing." The Doctor argued back. Clara threw her hands up in the air in exasperation while the rest of the room watched on arguably more confused then they were to start with.

12 says hello, and Me comments on how he isn't surprised to see her. The Doctor repeats Ohila's earlier words about expecting the company of immortals at the end of everything

"You argued against that." River couldn't help but tease her wife.

"I'm a time traveller, it's different." The Doctor argued.

"Some would say it isn't." River raised an eyebrow.

"Well I say it is." the Doctor declared, arms crossed childishly.

Ashildir reveals it's just her left

"Wait, I'm not there?" Jack turned to the Doctor, excited. "Am I dead? Doctor, please tell me, do I finally stay dead?"

The Doctor glanced quickly at Martha, which didn't go unnoticed by Jack who raised an eyebrow in question. His hand gripping the Doctor's arm to prevent nay attempts to (physically or verbally) wiggle out of answering his question. "Yes Jack, you stay dead eventually. I think Martha and I were even there at your death, not that we knew it was you at the time. No I won't say any more."

Jack smiled, nodding to himself, undeniably relieved. Not dying was a good thing on some occasions but he was glad he wouldn't live forever. He'd long since given up on staying dead and he was glad to be proven wrong.

12 asks how she is sustaining the reality bubble, Me avoids the question and talks about how its beautiful watching stars die

"She's as good at you at not answering questions." Mickey snorted. The Doctor made an ugly face, uncomfortable with being compared to Me.

The Doctor argues it is sad, Ashildir counters is it both, but he can't understand that as he doesn't like endings and Clara is long dead.

"Not something I understand." The Doctor snorted. "I've seen so many endings which is why I hate them." She scowled at the screen, she understood in a way Me didn't. Ashildir forgot all those she had lost (which was it's own kind of torture) but the Doctor was cursed with remembering in great detail all those she had lost and those she had failed. She understood ending far too well. Yes, they could be beautiful, but it was hard to appreciate beauty in the moment, the sadness cloaked it for a long time.

12 blames Me for Clara's death, Ashildir refutes that

ASHILDR: No, I didn't. Neither did you. She did. She died for who she was and who she loved. She fell where she stood. It was sad, and it was beautiful. And it is over. We have no right to change who she was

Clara nodded along with Ashildir on screen. It was the same things he'd been trying to convince the Doctor of all video, that her death had been her own choice, but she couldn't quite agree with Ashildir's dismissal of the Doctor's knowledge of endings. The Doctor knew she could just be blinded by her grief.

The Doctor tells Me to go to hell which should be in about five minutes

The room watched the interaction mostly in confusion. They only knew the basics of Clara's death and Ashildir seemed deeply involved which explained the Doctor's anger but the whole situation was frankly absurd, worrying and sad. The Doctor had just escaped torture for billions of years, something she had gone through to save a friend only to be told it was essentially all for nothing. It didn't matter if the Doctor had been right or wrong (well, it did a little), they were traumatised and grieving and needed a hug more than they needed mental arguments and accusations.

Ashildir asks 12 if he knows why they run, he answers because it is fun, but Me counters with it being because they know things can't last forever

The Doctor flinched at that. there were so many reasons for running, so many reasons she had run away every time. She wasn't stupid, she knew she hadn't run because it was fun (well not the important times) but Ashildir didn't need to be rude ad point it out.

12 argues it can if you steal a time machine. Ashildir changes the topic to the Hybrid, saying with five minutes left its time to tell the truth

"That would be nice but the Doctor rarely does that." Amy declared. The Doctor glanced at her quickly before looking away again, it was true. One of the first things Amy had learnt was rule 1 - the Doctor lies.

In the Tardis, Clara uses the sonic sunglasses to get the scanner screen on and watch the pair outside

"Clever." Martha nodded approvingly. The rest of the group were in agreement, nodding at Clara. Sometimes the only way to get the truth was to force the Doctor's hand or use stealth.

Ashildir asks what about the Hybrid story that the Wraiths told him made him so scared, 12 claims to not know and not remember it

"Still lying." The Master muttered, earning him a glare from the Doctor to which he only raised an eyebrow, asking for the Doctor to argue. That made her relent, turning back tot the screen.

Ashildir claims he does and asks who the Hybrid is. He tells her she is the Hybrid

"It is?" Bill asked unconvinced, the conversation at the end of the last video suddenly making more sense.

The Doctor grimaced but answered. "No one actually knows who it is and likely never will. It doesn't matter now anyway."

Ashildir argues she is human with a bit if Mire, but the Hybrid is supposed to be half Time Lord, half Dalek

"Mire? How did that happen?" Jack asked the Doctor, a mix between confused and reluctantly impressed.

"That's where the immortality thing came into play. It's a long story Jack." She could see him go to argue so she continued. "I'm sure if it is important, we will be shown it." He stared her down for another minute before nodding his surrender for the moment.

The Doctor says it isn't, that the prophecy only says two warrior races but the Daleks and Time Lords made assumptions. Humans and Mire are both warrior races so his theory about Me fits

"No it doesn't" The Doctor sighed reluctantly. She hadn't really fully believed it was Ashildir but it had given her something else to be angry about, another reason to hunt her down. He'd wanted it to fit because he was too scared of the other possibilities.

Ashildir has her own theory, the Hybrid could be Half Time Lord, Half Human. Then she asks why he spent so much time on Earth as he is a high-born Gallifreyan. 12 scoffs at it, asking if she thinks he is the Hybrid and ran from Gallifrey because he was scared of himself - it doesn't make sense

"Is she suggesting you're half human?" River's eyebrows almost disappeared into her hair.

"There was a rumour for a while." The Doctor purposely left out she had encouraged that rumour for a while. "Besides you are half human, half Time Lord.

"Because of a unique phenomena that no one else replicated and I have never been to Gallifrey so I could hardly be the Hybrid." River argued.

"I know, I wasn't suggesting that. Just that it was possible." The Doctor backed up, hands up in surrender.

She was rescued (some could say) from River's wrath by a seemingly innocent question from Yaz.

"Why do you like Earth so much?"

Now the whole room was watching the Doctor, eager for an actual answer. It wasn't the first time the question had been asked, the Doctor just never gave a real answer. She was biting her lip, trying to decide if she could avoid answering the question again but the weight of the room's eyes told her she couldn't. Taking a deep breath she opted for honesty but not the full story. "I read about it as a kid and was fascinated." She shrugged nonchalantly. The room continued to stare her down no one believing that was the full story for a second. The Doctor let lose a small sigh. "Susan was fascinated. When we ran away she was eager to come here so we did. It reminds me of her."

The room was quiet, absorbing what she had said. Bill broke it with more questions, in an unusually soft tone. "Your granddaughter? The girl in the picture on your desk?" The Doctor simply nodded, eyes unbearably ancient and filled with unspeakable grief.

Ashildir claims it makes perfect sense and asks if it is true, 12 asks if it matters, it doesn't as she has a better theory

"Of course she does." Someone muttered, the Doctor wasn't sure who. Her eyes were locked to the screen, eager to finally finish the video.

Ashildir proposes the Hybrid is two people instead of one - a combination of a powerful Time Lord and a passionate young woman similar to him

The room turned to the Doctor expectantly, waiting for her opinion on that theory. "It fits about as much as any other theory, but again I doubt we will ever actually know." The room nodded their acceptance of that turning back to the screen to see what unfolded next.

12 refutes that they are just friends as Ashildir asks how they met - which was Missy

The room turned to the Master who was lounging in his chair, pride radiating off of him. "Guilty." The group glowered at him while the Doctor just rolled her eyes.

Ashildir comments on Missy's love of chaos then asks what they're going to do next if he is willing to risk all of time and space because he misses her

The room shifted uncomfortable with Ashildir's words. The Doctor scowled at the screen, she knew she'd gone too far, but who wouldn't go to the end of the earth (or time/space) for someone they loved? Friends, family, significant others, did it matter? If you loved them you would do anything to protect them.

The Doctor tells her they aren't doing anything next as he knows he went to far; he's going to take her back to Earth, somewhere safe and then wipe her memory of him

Donna flinched again at the reminder. The Doctor may have apologised and she may understand the necessity of the mind wipe but I didn't mean she could just forget (hah) that it had happened. Clara's eyes were sad and weighted down with the knowledge of what was to come. Bill's brow was furrowed, she was starting to connect some dots.

Ashilidr argues that might not be what she wants, 12 says he has it done it before telepathically but this time he has something better - the neural blocker

"The neural blocker." Rose mumbled.

Donna was stuck on the word 'usually', it suggested she hadn't been the first to have her mind wiped but she couldn't bear to ask. She wasn't sure she wanted to know the answer.

12 tells her its painless, then Ashildir asks when he is going to tell Clara, the Doctor answers now

"You knew?" Martha asked the Doctor quietly.

The Doctor shrugged. "Clara's not stupid. None of you are. And I left the sunglasses there on purpose." Clara gave her an unreadable look, unsure whether to be happy for the compliment or angry about how the Doctor wasn't going to tell her to her face.

Clara uses the sonic ti turn the screen off as Ashildir and the Doctor enter the Tardis, Clara pretends to have been checking her pulse and not listening in

Clara sighed, she really wasn't sure who she was kidding. All three of them had known that she'd been listening in.

He comments he'd surprised Clara isn't shocked to see Ashildir, Clara confirms she was watching on the monitor

Clara realised that the Doctor had asked about Ashildir purely to get the conformation she'd heard.

Clara grabs the glasses and moves away from the console as the Doctor picks up the neural block. Clara tells him not to do whatever he is about to do, he reassures her it won't hurt, she'll just pass out for a moment and then wake up and be fine

The room shifted uncomfortable in their seats, unsure they had the right to be watching this, as it seemed very personal. They knew it hadn't gone as planned based on the pair's interactions in the room and couldn't deny their curiosity to see how it had actually gone.

Clara gets him to admit that she'll have forgotten him, he claims it is the only way to protect her as they could use the picture of him in her mind to find her

Clara and the Doctor kept glancing at each other as the video continued, not meeting anyone else's eyes. Clara knew why the Doctor had tried to do what he had but it didn't mean she liked it or had to accept it. She was however glad the Doctor finally had her memories of her back.

Clara admits to using the conic sunglasses on the neural block, Ashildir was right they are too alike. She reversed the polarity and if he tries to use it it will go off in his face

The room was leaning forward, eyes never leaving the screen as the video progressed, unsure what to say. The Master scowled in his corner, of course the Doctor had taught the humans her nonsense about revering the polarity, There was a reason the Doctor hadn't done well at the Academy.

Doctor is offended that she tried to trick him, having wanting to protect her

CLARA: Why? Nobody's ever safe. I've never asked you for that, ever. These have been the best years of my life, and they are mine. Tomorrow is promised to no one, Doctor, but I insist upon my past. I am entitled to that. It's mine.

Clara watched herself on screen, standing fast in her beliefs. She couldn't disagree with herself but she also didn't like that the Doctor had lost his memories instead. In an ideal world, none of them would have lost their memories, in the ideal world Gallifrey wouldn't have meddled. But the universe wasn't ideal, despite the Doctor regaining her memories.

The rest of the room watched on in silence, almost in awe of Clara's determination.

12 admits he is right and asks what he is doing

The Doctor's almost easy acceptance was shocking, this whole situation really had shaken him. The Doctor hadn't gotten a break in a long time and it was starting to really show.

Clara asks what happens next. The Doctor isn't sure she actually managed to reverse the polarity, but it will do something to one of them like a flip of a coin. The Doctor tells her this has to stop, he went to far and one of them has to go. They'll find out what they did together, like they did everything else - they both hold the neural blocker

The group watched the video silently, all knowing now what was coming but unable to look away.

Clara asks what if they just don't and fly away together, 12 says that would be great, neither stop. They wish each other good luck and press the button, it whirrs for a few seconds

"Very undramatic." Amy mumbled in almost disappointment. For such a large life decision it was very unassuming and underwhelming.

They have to wait. Clara declares that she doesn't think she could ever forget him, 12 tells her she won't have to. he drops the neural block before swaying and leaning against the council, he tells her to run like hell before slumping to the floor

The group watched in an almost silent grief or respect at seeing the Doctor slump down, as he lost his memories of a friend he'd gone to the end of time for. He had been tortured for billions of years and he was going to forget all about the person he had survived it for. Clara's eyes were unbearably sad at seeing this again, it had been bad enough the first time.

The Doctor is saying goodbye even as Clara begs him not to. He tells her to run and laugh, to never be cruel or cowardly but to make amends if you are

It hit Clara suddenly that these words of goodbye were also his own words of goodbye before he regenerated. Which only made her so much sadder and guiltier. It had been almost physically painful to hear the Doctor say good bye like that but it was so much worse knowing all that she knew now. The Doctor's own eyes were just old and filled with their own sadness, more for the loss of her memories then her actual fate on screen.

The rest of the group watched with their own sadness, it was horrible to see the Doctor saying goodbye to Clara like this.

Clara is sorry as she didn't mean to do this but 12 reassures her it is okay because he broke his own rules and he accepts it. He asks her to smile for him one last time

That didn't help anyone in the room. The Doctor had spent four and a half billion year being tortured, been almost killed on her return home and then lost a friend she'd given so much for and all they wanted was a smile. River pulled the Doctor closer to her side to try and comfort them both, she was watching through watery eyes at the Doctor on screen. She knew she saw him shortly after this and that put a whole new meaning on their reunion.

Clara has tears running down her face as she asks how she could smile, 12 tells her not to worry as he'll remember it before finally passing out. Then we're back to Nevada

"Back to Nevada." Bill muttered, eyes teary at seeing the Doctor pass out. She'd finally made the connection between the Doctor's hesitation to remove her memories after the pilot mess. She'd said something about what the Doctor would have felt like if it ha happened to them and she realised now (with some guilt) that it had, and that was why the Doctor had stopped.

The Doctor is lying on the ground when an American asks if he is alright. He doesn't know how he got there or where he is. The American tells him that Clara asked him to look after him but he doesn't know where she went, 12 doesn't know who Clara is. The American is the one that drove him to the diner

Clara flinched at the reminder of the Doctor's memory loss. It had been painful to talk to the Doctor in the diner and see no recognition in his eyes. She spotted the Doctor looking at her out of the corner of her eyes an turned to face her. The Doctor's eyes were old and full of sadness, she mouthed an apology to Clara for she knew all too well what it was like to be unrecognised by those you loved. Clara managed to pull together a weak smile.

At the diner, 12 explains he knows her name was Clara and they travelled together and he knows the details of the adventures (like the Mummy on the Orient Express to Ice Warriors on a submarine) but he doesn't know what she said or looked, there's just nothing there

Several people across the room raised eyebrows at the mention of some of the pair's adventures but no one asked any questions, unsure whether they would actually get any real answers.

The Doctor is trying to look for her

Both Clara and the Doctor looked infinitely sad at that. The rest of the room glancing at them in concern but unsure if there was anything they could say to make it better.

Clara says she could be anyone if he doesn't know who he's looking for, including her. 12 declares if he saw her he'd absolutely know it was her

Both the Doctor and Clara flinched at that. the Doctor had forgotten she'd said that and was regretting it deeply now. She turned to Clara. "I'm sorry."

Clara just smiled sadly. "So am I."

He thinks they were here together once and glances at the tables before correcting himself, it was Amy and Rory he'd been here with

The pair nodded but stayed silent. They had already discussed the similarity of this diner to the one back before the Doctor had 'died' and the mess with the moon landing.

The Doctor hasn't found his Tardis yet, its been moved from London but he's looking. He comments on how the diner used to be on the other side of the hill as Clara tells him someone might find his Tardis for him. Clara goes for a door but hesitates as the Doctor starts playing the guitar again, talking about what Clara said in the cloisters which the Doctor doesn't remember

CLARA: You said memories become stories when we forget them. Maybe some of them become songs.

The room remembered then what the Doctor had said about the song near the beginning, how it was titled 'Clara'. For Bill it gave a whole new meaning to the Doctor's sad days where he would sit in his office or the Tardis, playing the guitar and looking at the photos on his desk. She was glad she'd never questioned it.

The Doctor keeps playing as he said that would be nice and turning away. Clara agrees before opening a door and revealing the diner to be a Tardis. She goes in and it dematerialises leaving the Doctor alone in the Nevada desert, except for the blue Police Telephone Box covered in art

"The art." The Doctor asked. "Was it Rigsy?"

Clara nodded. "Yes. Found it in London and figured you'd like it back." The Doctor smiled softly nodding mostly to herself.

In Clara's Tardis, Ashildir is studying a Gallifreyan instruction manual, she can't work out the Chameleon circuit so they might be stuck as an American Diner, Clara is fine with that

"Do these Chameleon circuits ever work? I mean, the Doctor's is broken, the Master's is broken and now yours?" Yaz asked, looking at all three she'd mentioned.

"They're very finickity." The Doctor shrugged, it wasn't like she'd tried very hard to fix it. After all both the Tardis and she liked it the way it was.

The Master however protested (as he tended to do when his dignity was at stake). "I spent centuries with a working circuit, it only recently broke." The group ignored his protests, it was safer for everyone.

Clara still has no pulse, her death is a fixed event and needs to happen. She's not scared about despite what everyone says, she decides they have some wiggle room before she needs to go back to Gallifrey and be put back into the moment of her death and actually die. Clara sets coordinates as she tells Ashildir they're going to Gallifrey the ling way round. The American Diner whizzes through the Vortex

"You can tell you've spent a lot of time with the Doctor." Rose grinned. It was easy to tell when anyone had spent a substantial amount of time travelling with the Doctor sometimes.

"Maybe we'll run into each other again." Clara smiled at the Doctor who nodded eagerly. Then another thought occurred to Clara. "Wait, how do I go back if the Master had destroyed it?"

The Doctor answered reluctantly. She hated the thought of Clara's death no matter how much she knew it had to happen. "You should go back to a time before he destroyed it. You have a bit more wiggle room by not being a Time Lord and having not seen it's destroyed state in person." Clara nodded her understanding, offering an understanding of the Doctor's reluctance to answer.

Back in Nevada, 12 enters the Tardis which lights up as it starts to power up. He puts down the guitar and goes up to the gallery with the Blackboard which says 'Run, you clever boy, and be a Doctor' written on it. He puts back on his velvet jacket and grabs his old sonic. He snaps his fingers and the doors close, he sets it flying. The Tardis dematerialises and the paint crumbles. In the Time Vortex the two Tardises cross paths

The group watched the last part of the video in silent respect, unsure what to actually say. Clara smiled happy to see the Doctor back to normal and getting changed back into his normal outfit - he was back to being the Doctor. Bill couldn't help but grin at seeing the Doctor's familiar outfit and the conic screwdriver. She wasn't sure how long it was before the Doctor met her in his timeline - she knew he'd been teaching at the university at least seventy years before she'd started but who knows how long he'd been travelling before that.

The Doctor took a deep breath, closing her eyes for a moment to calm the wave of memories the video had induced. Having calmed herself she finally turned to the rest of the group. "Why don't we watch one more video before we have another break?" The group nodded their agreements as the screen turned black. They all looked to see what was going to come next.

Chapter Text

The group watched as the words 'The Husbands of River Song' appeared on the screen. As soon as the words registered the whole room turned to River, a mix of emotions prominent on their faces. Most of the group just looked confused and curious, while the Doctor, Amy and Rory looked exasperated.

"River? Is there something you want to tell us?" Amy raised an eyebrow at her daughter who was doing her best to not look amused. Next to her, the Doctor was stuck between entertained at her wife's predicament and annoyed at the reminder of her wife's antics in matrimonial affairs.

"Mother dearest, I'm sure the video will explain." River answered, not quite knowing what to say to her parents (she did her best to keep the worse of her adventures away from them) and mentally combing through what they were actually about to be shown.

The Doctor had finally given in and started chuckling, earning an annoyed look from her wife. "Do you think this will be about Hydroflax?" She asked, a mischievous grin lighting up her face. Oh, she absolutely couldn't wait to see Amy and Rory's reactions to that … on second thoughts maybe not, they'd be angry with her for the River's doubts.

"It said 'husbands', Sweetie. As in plural." River pointed out, raising an eyebrow to make an expression that was entirely Amy.

"Of course. We can't forget Ramone, can we?" The Doctor shot back, unable to keep a touch of jealousy out of her tone.

River's eyes softened ever so slightly at that. "Don't worry, you're still my favourite." The Doctor practically preened at that while the rest of the room watched on mostly confused but highly entertained. (The Master was scowling darkly in the corner, unnoticed by the rest of the room).

"Anything we need to know before we learn more about what River's been up to across space and time?" Rory asked with a resigned sigh. Really, he should be used to the antics of the rest of his family (wife, daughter and daughter (formerly son) in law).

River and the Doctor shared a look, both coming to the realisation the full scope of what was likely about to be shown to the whole group. "If it is what we think it is then it takes place shortly after the last video for me. River, anything they need to know from you?"

"I don't think so." River answered, face crinkled in thought. The pair were given several exasperated looks but no more comments were made and the video began.

On a human colony on Christmas day in 5343, we fly across a snow-covered planet past a crashed red flying saucer crash-landed and to a village

"What's with the flying saucer?" Amy asked unable to hide her grin at seeing the more typical UFO.

"Spoilers." River grinned. The room groaned at the non-answer with Amy and Rory especially annoyed at the resurgence of their least favourite word.

The Tardis is down a little street with a sign hanging from the door - Carol Singers Will Be Criticised

The room laughed at seeing the sign hanging from the Tardis. "Oh, it's definitely the grumpy old one." Clara grinned, happy to see the Doctor in a better situation (hopefully) and humour. She'd been worried about him after Gallifrey, hence the waitress thing, but she hadn't been able to keep up with him afterwards.

Nardole looks at a piece of paper and mutters to himself as he navigates the streets

"Nardole!" Bill visibly perked up upon seeing the familiar face. The whole group turned to the quietest member of the group. He did a little wave upon seeing the group watching him.

"Yes, Bill. This is how I had the unfortunate chance of meeting Nardole." The Doctor announced, but the smile on her face told the group she didn't mean it.

River nudged her anyway. "Be nice, Sweetie." The Doctor just grinned.

A choir sings Hark the Herald Angels

"Of course, it's Christmas. You always find trouble at Christmas." Donna bemoaned, remembering far too well the 'Christmas star.' The Doctor just sighed, nodding their head in agreement. It was rare they had any luck around Christmas, it didn't matter where she was.

Nardole turns around and finds the Tardis, checking the piece of paper before deciding that he's arrived. He knocks on the door and 12 answers with a pair of felt antlers sticking up from his head

The room burst out laughing at the ridiculous sight of Eyebrows with fake antlers. The Doctor just pouted as the room enjoyed the comedic sight.

"Why?" Clara managed to ask between giggles.

The Doctor just waved to the screen seeing no point in explaining when she was about to do so on screen. She couldn't deny she was excited to see River's embarrassment at not recognising her and all the comments she had made, but she wasn't excited for Amy and Rory's reaction to the ending.

12 asks if there is anything on his head, and then asks Nardole to describe it

"You didn't know what was on your head?" Rose asked, grinning.

"It wasn't my choice of head gear but the Tardis was trying to cheer me up." The Doctor gave in and explained. It quietened the chuckles, the reminder of what the Doctor had just gone through. At least they could always rely on the Tardis to be there for the Doctor, even if they weren't.

Nardole tells him he has antlers and 12 is not impressed

The room burst back into laughter unable to hold it in the face of Eyebrow's confusion and annoyance over the antlers. It helped they had all been so tense over the last few videos, it made this small bit of humour so much more entertaining.

12 goes back in the Tardis, leaving the door slightly ajar, he scold the Tardis for trying to cheer him up with holographic antlers, the Tardis makes and engine noise as 12 thanks it

The group smiled, happy to see one thing that never changed. The Tardis would always look after the Doctor; case in point this whole affair.

The Doctor returns sans antlers. Nardole asks if he sis the surgeon and 12 decides that's close enough, yes

The room turned to the Doctor. River looked very close to face palming; she was staring to see how the whole situation had come about. Of course, it was Nardole's fault.

"You are not a surgeon." Martha pointed out with a raised eyebrow. "You are barely capable of basic first aid most of the time despite your name."

The Doctor was struggling with either being offended or amused at that comment. "I never said I was a medical doctor. Besides he came to me, and everything worked out. Mostly."

The whole room just sighed at the Doctor to her confusion.

Nardole thinks 12 knows what is going on, 12 does not

"Because he was the wrong person, Nardole." River sighed exasperated. She had a feeling this was going to be her near constant state for parts of this video. The Doctor just grinned at her wife.

Nardole informs him there is a medical emergency then starts to leave, 12 agrees to come once he hears there will be no singing

"Of course, that is your first worry." Clara shook her head, all too used to Eyebrow's behaviour.

Nardole tells him they weren't sure where his capsule would land, 12 tells him he's never sure - sometimes you're sure and the next minute everyone turns into lizards and a piano falls on you

"No, you are just a terrible pilot." The Master snickered. The room was mixed between hating that it was him speaking and agreeing with his words.

The Doctor audibly huffed, arms crossed in an offended manner. She knew there was no point arguing it (and she wasn't actually that offended), she trusted the Tardis despite not always liking it at the time.

"Lizards?" Bill asked incredulous. The Doctor grinned shrugging, but offered no actual answer.

Nardole question that slightly, and 12 informs him its been a long day

"A long life." The Doctor muttered to herself, too quiet for most of the room to hear. Unnoticed to the Doctor, Jack and River had heard and shared a concerned look over her head.

They walk down a street, behind them a man carrying a medical bag arrives - the actual surgeon they'd been expecting

The Doctor grinned while River sighed, rolling her eyes. "Nardole!" Nardole avoided anyone's eyes.

They arrive outside the saucer, a Nardole points it out 12 is confused

"Have you seriously not noticed the flying saucer?" Amy asked in disbelief. The rest of the group was giving the Doctor similar disbelieving looks.

The Doctor shrugged slightly. "it's not like I've been there at that time before, I didn't know if it was normally there." The room just shook their heads at her.

12 did not realise the flying saucer was there, asking if it was new

The group chuckled a little at the typical Doctor behaviour.

A figure exits the saucer, a hood obscuring her face until she speaks - River Song scalds the pair for talking so long.

"River." Rory smiled, recognising his daughter's voice. Amy was also watching her, glad to see that even when they were gone, the Doctor and River were still together.

Nardole introduces 12 as the Surgeon and River comments on how he doesn't look anything like his pictures, a reoccurring issue for the Doctor

River groaned, suddenly remembering showing him the photos later and all the comments he had made. The Doctor was just chuckling at his wife's embarrassment. She'd been so excited to see River, it had been a chance to see someone she loved and the first time she'd laughed properly since losing Clara.

River isn't impressed

The Doctor pouted. "I wasn't that bad, was I?" She knew she (then he) had looked a bit bedraggled but surely, he hadn't been that bad. Older than River was used to but age rarely mattered when it came to time travellers (as long as everyone was past the age of consent).

"Of course, not Sweetie." River said patronisingly, adding a tap to her head to emphasise it. The Doctor pouted even more at River's teasing while the rest of the room chuckled.

12 is offended saying he's in his best suit, River argues its not even a suit

"It is better than most of your normal fashion choices however." River conceded.

"Hey!"

12 asks if he knows her, and River informs him he doesn't before throwing back her hood to reveal herself to the Doctor, making him grin

It pulled at River's heart strings, seeing the Doctor so happy to see her. Especially, knowing now the details of what the Doctor had just gone through (who knows how long it had been for them in their personal timestream, though she had mentioned it hadn't been long) and she hadn't even recognised her husband. Though as he'd mentioned, that was an ongoing problem. Still, she thought she'd always be able to recognise the Doctor anywhere. Then again, she had thought he had used up all his regenerations so it wasn't like she was entirely unwarranted in her lack of recognition. Sensing River's spiralling thoughts, the Doctor squeezed her hand and offered a small smile when River met her eyes.

River doesn't recognise him, she's Doctor Song at the minute and occasionally Professor)

"I'm guessing time travel?" Mickey snorted, referring to the title change. River winked in answer.

"What do you teach professor?" Graham asked curious.

"Archaeology." River answered with a smile at the older man. She then elbowed the Doctor who had let out a derogatory snort.

"You match." Bill announced, head tilted to the side in thought. Upon seeing both River and the Doctor looking at her, she tried to explain. "I mean you're both doctors and professors. The Doctor taught at St Luke's for at least seventy years after all."

River and the Doctor blinked having not made the connection, it seemed even unconsciously they tended to mimic each other.

River wants to know how 12 knows her, 12 is still excited replying tis complicated and people usually need a flowchart

"You're incorrigible." River sighed but couldn't hide her smile. The Doctor had made so many comments and jokes that she had mostly ignored. Watching this again with the knowledge of who he was certainly put a new perspective on everything.

River threatens them both for using her name, 12 keeps trying to make jokes

"You two are disgusting." Amy made a face at the pair. She wasn't entirely surprised by her daughter's more murderous tendencies; she'd seen plenty of examples over the times they'd met. Plus, Melody hadn't exactly followed the rules. The rest of the room was watching confused by the interaction, they were still very confused by the whole daughter-parent thing, unsure how it worked.

River leads him in as they are losing time, she informs the Doctor the problem is with her husband

The room turned their heads to look at the Doctor who was watching the screen with a weird mix of humour and jealousy on her face. River was refusing to look anyone in the eyes, all too aware of how embarrassing things were going to become. Jack was watching the screen with unbridled entertainment. The rest of the group was just confused.

She informs him her husband is dying, he is frozen in shock before declaring he needs a bigger flowchart

The room broke out into chuckles at that. River just sighed exasperated with her wife, "I don't think there is a flow chart big enough to explain our timelines, Sweetie." The Doctor just grinned at her wife.

"How many people have you married?" Rose asked River. She wasn't sure how to feel about the time traveller. She'd mostly gotten over her feelings for the Doctor, being happily married to John but it was still weird to think about River having married the Doctor.

"Not that many."

"Too many."

River and the Doctor answered in sync, turning to face each other as soon as the words left their mouths. River raised an eyebrow. "You can talk. How many times have you gotten married?"

"Less than you! And that's only the people I know about." The Doctor argued. "You're answer to everything in life is to either shoot it or marry it."

"I like that philosophy." Jack grinned. He was enjoying this video so far, happy to see the Doctor in a better mood and also to see the relationship between the pair.

"Of course, you would." The Doctor muttered while River winked at Jack.

They enter the main chamber of the Saucer, cloaked figures draw swords then return to their resting places as River announces herself

"Are those ninjas?" Bill asked, far too excited by the thought.

The Doctor smiled at her enthusiasm. "Not quite."

Hydroflax and River flirt

"It's bad enough hearing you flirt with the Doctor, I don't want to see this." Amy made a face at the screen while the Doctor nodded in agreement (for only semi-related reasons - River shouldn't be flirting with anyone else). Rory and River just sighed at the pair.

Hydroflax is revealed to be a huge red armoured figure with a small male head on top, 12 is still confused about the husband thing

"You married a robot?" Ryan asked, eyebrows raised. "Not that I'm judging." He hurried to add when the room turned to face him.

"He's a cyborg technically. The body is robotic the head is not." River explained. She was getting the feeling that she would be doing a lot of that in this video.

River warns him they are being watched by four billion people - as seen on screens around the room

"Why are they watching?" Martha asked, incredulous.

"Their king was dying." River shrugged, she had been more focussed on the diamond then the screens.

She also explains they are surrounded by warrior monks with laser swords so to stay still and keep his hands by his side

"The Doctor isn't capable of staying still." Clara shook her head. The Doctor was stuck between being offended and pleased.

"Sentient laser swords?" Yaz however was focussed on another part of River's statement. No one gave her any answers, the only three who had been there were already facing the screen again.

The Doctor pushes on the husband issue, confirming Hydroflax is her husband and no one else

"That makes more sense now." River muttered to herself. It was typical that the time she needed a surgeon for a diamond in her 'husband's' head, she had instead got the Doctor.

"I would hope so." The Doctor huffed next to River. She was undeniably jealous, as she had been through most of the video when it was actually happening. Rver just gave her an amused look and squeezed her hand tightly.

River still does not recognise him and 12 doesn't tell her why she should

"Why didn't you tell her?" Rory asked, glancing between the screen and the pair in the room. He was a bit uncomfortable watching his daughter flirt with Hydroflax, at least he knew the Doctor (not that their flirting was any better) but the pair didn't seem too traumatised so he was more relaxed about where the story was ending. He couldn't deny he was eager to see more about River's life without any of them, he had never got to spend as much time with his daughter as he had always wanted to.

River raised an eyebrow to tell the Doctor she was thinking the same thing. The Doctor just sighed, glancing between the father-daughter duo before answering. "It would have complicated things at that moment. Plus, I'd just rocked up and suddenly my wife is proclaiming her love to someone else, every time I tried to tell you, something else got in the way." She admitted. She'd been so excited to see River and then disappointed when River hadn't recognised her. That was her curse, like she'd once told Clara - she changed her face and suddenly no one would see her. It was made all the worst by it being River, someone who had always seen her, even when she (then he) hadn't seen her. River's expression softened ever so slightly at that explanation.

River goes to Hydroflax as 12 grumbles how he doesn't like Hydroflax to Nardole

Several members of the group snorted at seeing the Doctor clearly jealous and grumpy while his wife ignored him. They couldn't deny t as entertaining and they were reassured it hadn't been too bad by the way the pair were acting with each other in the room, so they felt safe enough to be amused.

Nardole tells him off for crossing his arms as 12 complains about not like lying down people

"You talk utter nonsense, I swear." Martha shook her head. Most of the room was giving the Doctor disbelieving looks or laughing at the obvious jealousy.

River rubs it in by calling Hydroflax her only husband and one true love

The Doctor retreated from River, pulling her hand away to rest it on her lap. Even knowing River had been lying, it still hurt to hear. River met her eyes and whispered softly, so that no one else would hear, "You're the one I love, Sweetie. For better or worse, across all of time and space." River grabbed the Doctor's hand back, gently pressing a kiss to the back of it while the Doctor watched mouth slightly open but utterly speechless at River's declaration. The Doctor's state didn't deter River who smiled softly but sincerely at her wife. She understood the Doctor's pain of being unrecognised all too well. She'd gone from twenty-four years of bliss with her husband straight to meeting a version who didn't know her. She was just thankful for this time here with her wife and family.

More flirting and insinuations about their married life that 12 does not enjoy

The Doctor's face crinkled in annoyance and jealousy at the reminder. Amy and Rory just made disgusted faces, not wanting to know about that aspect of their daughter's life. The rest of the room was split between being uncomfortable and being entertained. River was unrepentant.

12 keeps crossing his arms despite being repeatedly told not to

"You're just cross in general." Clara snorted. The Doctor shrugged but didn't argue, it was true. Eyebrow's had been cross and grumpy with his attack eyebrows.

Hydroflax is dying

"Wait. Why is he dying?" Mickey asked. The room had been so focussed on the drama unfolding between the Doctor and River on screen they had mostly forgotten the Doctor was there (by accident) for Hydroflax.

River and the Doctor shared a glance that said a thousand things before smiling and turning to answer Mickey in sync. "Spoilers."

River informs Hydroflax she acted against his instructions and sent for the best surgeon in the galaxy

"You sent for the finest surgeon and ended up with this idiot." Rose said, gaining a (mock) betrayed look from the Doctor and a grin (of agreement) from River.

"How does that work? I mean the Doctor is in now way a surgeon. Was he even able to help?" Martha asked, forehead crinkled in thought.

"He helped, just not the way I had planned." River grinned at her wife who grinned back.

"So the normal." Martha snorted.

The crowd on the screens cheer as 12 realises the situation he has got himself into. Nardole works out 12 is not the surgeon and is now very panicked

"Don't be mean to Nardole." Bill protested but the effect was ruined by her chuckles. Nardole was rapidly nodding along.

12 wants some hints which Nardole can't provide, too busy panicking

The room was laughing at the interaction between Nardole and the Doctor on screen. Bill was grinning wildly, neither Nardole or the Doctor had fully explained how they had met and she was excited to see everything. River was shaking her head at them both, but the effect was ruined by her smile. She'd missed the exchange the first time.

12 goes to Hydroflax and River tells him to bow as Hydroflax is a king

The room broke out laughing again at the Doctor's offended/confused look. Even River couldn't hide her grin, knowing what she knew now and not actually being in any danger made their whole exchange so much more entertaining.

12 refuses to bow

"There is no way he will bow. She only bows to people when she actually respects them." Clara smiled. The Doctor nodded, absolutely fine with that assessment. Clara was right, she saw no point in bowing to anyone who didn't deserve it. Hydroflax definitely didn't deserve it and that was without the whole being-married-to-River thing.

He uses the excuse of his back before making a dramatic declaration of his back not being able to carry the weight of societal dead weights

The whole room turned to the Doctor who made a purposely innocent look that fooled no one. That seemed to be the last straw for many of them as they burst out laughing at the Doctor's dramatic little spiel.

River tells the Doctor there is something in Hydroflax's brain killing him, 12 continues making jokes

Several people snorted while River just sighed exasperated with her wife (but at least a little part of her was pleased to see the Doctor jealous over her).

The Doctor raise an eyebrow at River. "You can't say I was wrong with my assessment." River didn't dignify that with an actual answer.

12 continues to make things worse as Hydroflax gets angry

"Were you trying to make everything worse?" River asked the Doctor with a pointed look.

The Doctor shrugged, unregretful for her behaviour toward Hydroflax. "It just happens."

River tells Hydroflax to rest while she discusses the procedure with 12, she kisses his forehead

Amy, Rory and the Doctor all made similar disgusted faces at seeing their daughter/wife kiss Hydroflax like that.

River and 12 leave the chamber as the crowds on screen cheer

In the corner, the Master had been suspiciously quiet for the whole video. He'd been making annoyed faces at the screen anytime no was glancing his way. His whole mind was swirling with ugly emotions at seeing the Doctor (his Doctor) so happy with her wife. He also had the strange feeling that he knew the name Hydroflax and was scouring through his mind to figure out how he knew the name.

With the doors closed, 12 decides the joke is over but River does not understand

"I'm surprised you lasted this long." Nardole muttered and was promptly ignored. It was weird watching a video he was so involved in.

12 informs her he's the Doctor, River misinterprets it telling him he has an operation to perform

River (and several other people, including Jack and Clara) winced at River's brush past the Doctor trying to confess his identity to her. The Doctor just watched the screen with sad eyes, she'd been so distracted by the better moments that she'd almost managed to forget there were parts of the video she wasn't eager to see again.

River squeezed her hand, distracting her from the spiral her thoughts had taken her in. "I'm sorry Sweetie." She muttered softly.

"It's fine River, you weren't expecting me." The Doctor replied before getting even quieter. "At least you knew me."

"That doesn't mean it's fine." River answered back, eyes soft while her tone was firm. She was mostly ignoring the last comment (and how much it hurt) far too aware of the Doctor's distraction tactics.

River shows a hologram of Hydroflax's head revealing he has a diamond lodged in his head, which should have killed him immediately but didn't

"A diamond!?" Donna exclaimed. "How'd that get in his head?" The rest of the room was also gaping at the screen. The Master, however, raised an eyebrow - he recognised that diamond. River and the Doctor shared another glance before just waving at the screen in answer (to the room's continued frustration).

It entered at speed, we get no more details

"Illuminating." Jack grinned at River. The pair had had some time to talk over the breaks and immediately connected; sharing several things like being semi-immortal time travellers that had met (and loved) the Doctor. They also had a similar sense of humour, which was why his comment gained a grin from River. The Doctor suddenly had a panicked look on her face as she came to the realisation about how close the pair had gotten.

12 recognises the diamond as The Halassi Androvar

Jack whistled in appreciation and the Master (unseen to everyone but the Doctor who knew him best) gained a sparkle in his eye that usually signified the start of a plan.

The rest of the group just raised their eyebrows. "I'm guessing that means something?" Graham asked. The Doctor, River and Jack all nodded slowly.

River explains Hydroflax was leading a raid on the Halassi vaults and in the ensuing fight it blew up in his face and he ended up with the most valuable diamond in the universe in his head

"So an impressive diamond lodged in his head." Amy summarised, turning a pointed look at her daughter. "What are you up to?"

"Nothing mother." River's replied innocently. Amy snorted, unbelieving.

River wants to know if he can remove it, 12 considers it deciding it will be hard to manoeuvre because of how small it is. River corrects him, she wants the head removed not the diamond

The room swivelled to face River all sharing similar 'what the hell?' expressions. The Doctor was just shaking her head, fondly exasperated at River's antics.

"River." Rory started, rubbing his forehead as if to ward off a headache.

"Yes, dad?" River said, face innocent and unrepentant.

Amy snorted. "Of course, you want the diamond. That's why you married him. The pair of you were arguing about it earlier, you want the diamond." She took a deep breath while Rory just watched her in disbelief. "Is this really what you get up to when we aren't around?"

River offered no answer, just grinning before turning back to the screen.

The Doctor is shocked and stares at River for her declaration

A few people snorted at the Doctor's expression.

12 argues that would kill him, River says probably

"River!" Rory exclaimed with a long sigh. Amy just snorted which wasn't helpful.

Jack just cackled at the interaction between the pair. the rest of the room was stuck between entertained and confused shock, which seemed to be a near constant from the group for this video.

She married the diamond - the Halassi hired her as they want the diamond back

"So you decided the best way to get the diamond was to marry him?!" Clara asked, raising an eyebrow at River. She'd only really had the chance to meet her once but this did seem perfectly on track form what she'd learnt about her over her time with the Doctor.

"It worked." River argued.

River tells him she's an archaeologist, he corrects her to add murdered and thief, she vaguely agrees

"At least you admit it." The Doctor muttered. She didn't understand archaeologists (well she did, it was half the reason she travelled - to understand other worlds and people) but River's choice of archaeology made some sense for her (she'd been looking for her) and she enjoyed it. There were only two archaeologists she had ever really gotten to know and love (one she married, another a dear friend (Benny Summerfield, who she hadn't seen in so long)) and she still couldn't help but find archaeology entertaining.

River just rolled her eyes at her wife, but couldn't contain her smile.

She empties a bag saying the head would fit in there

"I'm sorry. You're planning to kill him and steal his head for a diamond!?" Martha blinked, struggling to compute how the Doctor had ended up with someone like River. They were good together but they seemed so different at times, it didn't help that they were missing most of the story which would help make it make more sense.

"Just you wait, it gets worse." The Doctor snorted, but smiled besotted at her wife.

12 wants to know if this is what she'd like when not around him, but doesn't finish his sentence confusing her

"Not around us." Amy finished, fully aware that it wasn't quite what the Doctor was going to say but it was the same sentiment.

"I have to do something to keep busy." River answered with a shrug.

River is very clam about murdering Hydroflax, encouraging him to get on with it as 12 is in shock

"River!" Rory sounded almost like a strangled cat, eyes closed to calm himself. Times like this made it easier to connect River to their childhood friend Melody. The rest of the room looked equally shocked, gaping between the screen and River. Jack, however, wasn't helping the matter as he sat cackling away next to the Doctor (who was hiding her face), he knew he liked River.

She says she employed him to do this, informing him of Hydroflax's bloody reputation including eating his enemies dead or alive

"You know what, go for it River." Amy declared upon hearing more about Hydroflax.

"Amy!" Rory complained but his face told the room how torn he was. Hydroflax's history had definitely gone a way to assuage the shock of River's murder plans.

She states his thinking face looks weird

That startled a few snorts out of the group.

12 wants more info and River thinks he's over-thinking

Rory just exhaled sharply, rubbing his forehead desperately. He could have gone the rest of his life without learning more about River's dubious morality.

12 again tries to tell her he's the Doctor

River winced at that. She'd not noticed how many times the Doctor had tried to tell her who he was, she'd been busy with her plans and confused by her 'surgeon's' supposed lack of information despite the info pack she had provided when she'd hired him. She'd brushed the Doctor off so many times which surely hurt him (and when he was already down - it had been bad enough that the Tardis had been trying to cheer him up), she knew how much it would hurt to go unseen by someone you loved. The Doctor squeezed her hand, offering a soft smile to reassure her.

River decides 12 reminds her of her second wife

That split the room; half of them boggled over the idea of how many spouses River had and the other half was entertained by the whole matter. The Doctor just turned to River; "But I'm your favourite wife, right?"

"Well my second wife could do this spectacular thing with -." River started, purposely teasing the Doctor who spluttered. "Yes Sweetie. You're my favourite spouse." The Doctor smiled, utterly besotted with her wife, which was a mutual thing.

Hydroflax interrupts them, monks in tow

"You've been caught." Rose announced worriedly. They'd been so busy watching the exchange and getting caught up in River's murder-y tendencies that they'd forgotten about half the actual problem.

River tries to talk her way out but Hydroflax heard the plan

"You can't lie yourself out of this one River." Jack chuckled, he was a bit worried but knew the Doctor and River combined were a force to be reckoned with. They would get themselves out of trouble, faster if they worked as a team. River shrugged, she'd figured that but it was worth the try.

Hydroflax removes his head, putting it on a table as the body steps back

"You didn't know he was a cyborg?" Bill asked River. She would easily admit she was slightly in awe of the other woman and she was half in love with River and the Doctor's relationship.

"I was mostly focussed on the diamond and wasn't actually interested in him." River admitted, she'd been a bit put out to realise Hydroflax was a cyborg (although it made some sense).

12 informs her she married a cyborg without realising

"No need to sound so smug Sweetie." River nudged her wife, who grinned unashamed.

Hydroflax threatens them

"He's lovely." Rose muttered, earning a few snorts from the group.

Arguing  about being married and still trying to kill each other

"Pot calling the kettle black." The Doctor teased her wife. River hushed her.

River introduces herself and declares she is going to take back the stolen artifact in a dramatic speech

"You look so smitten, Doctor." Clara smiled softly. The rest of the group watched the screen, all coming to the same conclusion - they could suddenly see a bit more about why the Doctor and River were married, she was making passionate speeches in the defence of innocence just like the Doctor would.

River reveals her sonic trowel and uses it to zap the monk's swords before attacking Hydroflax's body

"That's still embarrassing." The Doctor muttered, River nudged her in the side.

12 picks up the head and tells him to not hurt River or else

"Thank you Sweetie." River whispered softly to her wife, appreciative of the Doctor's defence of her - even while she didn't recognise him.

"Anytime Sweetie." The Doctor whispered back, squeezing her hand.

Hydroflax orders the body to ignore 12 until the Doctor opens the garbage disposal and holds the head above it

"Doctor." Several people shook their heads at her antics and comments. The Doctor just grinned unashamed while River squeezed her hand.

Hydroflax backs down and River returns to 12's side. River puts her sonic trowel to the head and tells nobody to move or the head gets it

"A sonic trowel? You really are married." Martha just laughed.

"I know it's ridiculous." The Doctor nodded, having got the wrong idea from Martha's comment.

"Not any worse than a sonic screwdriver, Martian." Donna snorted, making the Doctor pout while the rest of the group started laughing.

12 is not impressed with the sonic trowel

"More important things than that at the moment." Yaz pointed out, a bit more nervous about the danger the pair were finding themselves in. She was also still in some shock about the Doctor having a wife, she known since they'd introduced themselves but it was different to actually see it on screen, especially as the Doctor never mentioned her.

The body and head ague with each other, the body refusing to ignore the threat as the head wants

That caused a few chuckles from the room despite the tenser atmosphere with the danger increasing. It was a bit surreal to see a headless robotic body ignoring commands from a bodiless head and saying the word 'chill'.

River and 12 discuss the body, falling easily into sync

The room grinned at the duo working together in tandem without a thought. River and the Doctor shared a smile, happy to know they just seamlessly went back to working together.

River calls it sexy while 12 disagrees

"Both of you are sexy."

"Jack!"

River reveals a wrist communicator and talks to Ramone about emergency extraction for two

"So you do have a back up plan, good." Amy announced, smiling proudly at her daughter. She'd been a bit surprised to see River alone with no plan, it wasn't her normal way (unlike the Doctor).

River tells 12 to put the head in the bag, as the head argues against it

"Yes you will." Bill laughed.

12 puts the head in the bag and zips it up to muffle the threats as River tells the head to zip it

"You made that pun on purpose." Nardole muttered. He'd been forgotten both on screen and in the room.

The Doctor, River and bag are teleported away, the body begins to track them

The room relaxed again, happy to see the pair get away, at least for now.

They reappear back in the village, a few feet off the ground before falling into the snow

"The joys of teleports." Jack commiserated.

River and Ramone talk about locating Damsel and the capsule as 12 lies in the snow and laughs

The room couldn't deny the warm feeling they got at seeing the Doctor genuinely laughing. Purely happy for what was likely the first time in a long while. He'd gone through so much in recent videos and the first bit of luck he got was meeting his wife again.

River wants to know what's funny, 12 is finding being threatened by a head in a bag hilarious

The reality of the situation did make most of the room chuckle and laugh along with the Doctor, it was a surreal experience. But most of their adventures with the Doctor were a bit like that, full of surreal things they could never really explain to anyone who hadn't travelled with the Doctor.

12 doesn't approve of what's going on but hasn't laughed in a long while

The more joyful atmosphere in the room dipped again, all too aware of how true that statement was. They were just glad the Doctor was finally able to take a break and be with someone they loved.

River joins in with the laughter

The room started laughing again; both because of the scene and the fact that River and the Doctor were laughing. Amy and Rory were unsure how to feel about the video so far - on one hand they were learning more about their daughter's life but on the other they weren't quite sure they wanted to know about all her dubious decisions (not that they would love her any less, thy just didn't wanted to hear details about their child's sex life).

12 thinks River is just pretending to not recognise him, she still doesn't know asking who he is

River let out a long exhale of breath, the Doctor had been trying so hard and yet she hadn't made any of the connections and realised who he was. She hated the reminder of that, the Doctor had already been through so much he hadn't needed to go through this too. Seemingly aware of her wife's thoughts, the Doctor turned to face River and muttered "Your wife." It took River a moment to understand what she meant - she was answering onscreen River's question.

"Yes you are." River muttered back, pulling her wife closer. It had two purposes - the person she loved was in her arms and safe, and the Doctor wouldn't be able to see River's expression very well and therefore have a difficult spotting the pain.

Ramone arrives apologising about the teleport height, River immediately kisses him and introduces him as her husband. The Doctor really isn't impressed

"How many times have you been married?!" Rory exclaimed, uncomfortable with the thought of how many times his daughter had married complete strangers (to him). Amy wasn't helping as she was too busy cackling away at the Doctor's expression.

"Really dad, it's fine." River sighed, fondness as clear in her tone as the childish annoyance at the repeated question. The rest of the room was watching the screen in a mix of pure bewilderment and amusement, all a bit unsure of how they were supposed to feel about the drama surrounding River and the Doctor - they really didn't know the pair's story enough to understand the weird dynamic they had.

Ramone argues they aren't actually married, River informs him they are she just wiped it from his memory because he was being annoying

"River!" Rory sighed, already getting far too used to his daughter's antics (and hating that). "You can't just wipe people's memories!"

River's words hit far too closed to home after the last video however, and the room tensed up. It seemed both wives in their marriage had a habit of wiping people's memories.

Ramone is struggling to locate Damsel, 12 wants to know who this Damsel is

The room was watching the exchange with slowly growing grins, most of them had a suspicion about who Ramone and River were referring too and the name was very entertaining.

"Is damsel -?" Martha grinned, not finishing her words instead waving vaguely in the Doctor's direction.

The Doctor's pout was all the answer the room needed but River confirmed with a wide grin anyway.

River asks if he's been thorough as Damsel has 12 faces, she shows a row of photos of the Doctor in a wallet as 12 looks at his old faces which end at 11

"You have picture's of the Doctor in your wallet?" Mickey asked River.

"No, that's my spotters guide to the Doctor. Makes him easier to find." River answered with a grin as the rest of the room started snickering. River turned pointedly to the Doctor. "Or it did before she gained the ability to have more faces I don't know." River's teasing was met with an impressive pout from the Doctor which only entertained the room more.

Ramone couldn't find him but River is sure he'll be here, hence why she crashed Hydroflax's ship there

"You purposely crashed the ship there because the Doctor would be there?" Rose asked, from what she had seen of River so far it didn't seem like the other woman needed the Doctor's help to get out of trouble really so the statement was a tad confusing.

"What better escape plan then time travel?" River answered with a knowing smile.

That made Rose and the rest of the group grin. "Ah, you needed the Tardis." Clara said.

River shrugged, fake nonchalance clear. "Well seeing the Doctor wouldn't be too bad if needed."

"Hey!"

The Doctor is Damsel, short for Damsel in distress as he needs a lot of rescuing

That entertained the room greatly, they all burst out into snickers and laughs which only increased as the Doctor tried to protest that assessment of her character. Her protests fell on death ears as she was ignored by most of the room. River taking pity on the Doctor, pressed a gentle kiss on her forehead which made her go cross eyes to try and look where she'd been kissed. Which had the unfortunate effect of making the room laugh harder.

12 asks about another unknown face but River tells him he has his limits, then they go to find him

That dampened the mood in the room - the realisation that no one knew if the Doctor actually did have limits, and if so what they were. The Doctor, keen to ignore the more depressing thoughts trying to claim a spot at the forefront of her mind instead decided to tease River. "I'm glad you're so impressed by my abilities."

"Sweetie, I've seen you try to fit as many Jamie Dodgers in your mouth as you could and then almost choke on them when you tried to speak. It takes a lot for you to impress me." River smiled back, as thankful for her wife's distraction as she was annoyed at the Doctor's inability to deal with her traumas.

"I'm sure I can think of some ways to impress you." The Doctor tried to flirt. It was an impressive try, if not lessened by the deep blush on her cheeks and slightly awkward wording.

"Please no flirting when we can hear you!" Amy shouted from across the room, bringing the rest of the room's watching eyes to the married couple's attention. Some how the Doctor managed to turn even reader while River only waggled her eyebrows suggestively.

"Of course mother. We'll be quieter next time." River's comment earned a strangled sound from her father who looked like he would rather be anywhere else but hearing this.

Back  at the Saucer, the body is interrogating Nardole

"You forgot Nardole." Bill announced, turning to the Doctor. "Again."

"Actually this was technically the first time." The Doctor argued back, as was the joys of time travel.

"Not the point."

Nardole is terrified and very easily agrees to help the body track down River

"Nardole!" River protested half-heartedly. She couldn't really blame him and they had left him, but a bit more protests would have been appreciated.

The body decides to take the info by uploading Nardole which involves cutting Nardole's head off

The room turned to look at Nardole, confused on how he was with them whole after what they had just seen on screen. Bill, however, looked like a lightbulb had just lit up in her brain, she was the only one (outside the Master, River and the Doctor) who knew he was a cyborg himself. Things were suddenly making more sense.

Nardole's head is now on top of the body as they leave the Saucer, he does not like it

On one hand the group was glad that Nardole seemed mostly alright (despite being beheaded and mounted on the robotic body of Hydroflax), and on the other the sight of Nardole like that was entertaining.

Nardole argues he did not agree to this

"I mean technically you did agree." Ryan pointed out.

The body deploys stumpy metal wings and takes off to chase after River as Nardole informs it he's scared of heights

"Oh great, the angry robot body is chasing after you now." Rory muttered mostly to himself.

Back at the village Ramone is worried about finding Damsel, 12 is lagging behind criticising him

"Ooh, you're jealous." Jack sang, enjoying the drama far too much.

"I was not." The Doctor protested (despite knowing she absolutely had been and still was).

"Yes you were Sweetie." River shot down any of her protests before they even began.

River decides they can't wait around, 12 agrees that he could be busy saving civilisation or battling giant robot fish

"Giant robot fish?" Donna gave him a 'really?' look that declared exactly how stupid she thought he/she sounded.

"Weirder has happened." The Doctor argued, thinking back mostly to the fog fish she'd met during her eleventh face. Amy and Rory seemed to have the same thought, though they had mostly been stuck on the crashing ship. No one could argue against the Doctor's words, it was very true - weirder had and did regularly happen.

The arrive at the Tardis and River declares they'll steal it to 12's shock

The room burst out laughing at the Doctor's befuddlement at River's declaration. The dynamic between the pair seemed to swing between highly entertaining and depressing. They were just glad they were mostly seeing the entertaining side.

Ramone argues they could use the hopper which is close by but River declares she needs time travel

"You have a plan." Clara declared, sure of her words. River's smug grin was confirmation.

12 is still stuck on the stealing part, River hushes him telling him he won't understand

That set the room (which had just calmed down) off again, laughing at River brushing off the Doctor and the Doctor's face.

Martha who was one of the first to calm down, was giving the Doctor, River and the screen assessing looks. "You don't know that he knows what it is." She directed her words at River and despite it being a statement, River nodded anyway. "You're going to treat him like a confused an awestruck human. You're going to treat him like he does us when we first meet him." Martha declared. Her words had several other perk up, eager to see that. River and the Doctor shared a look but didn't offer an answer.

12 argues they can't just steal the Tardis

"Why not?" Rose asked. "You did." The Doctor's protests were halted before they started while River just laughed.

River argues she has a key and uses it to open the door

"You can't argue with that Doctor." Jack announced teasingly, sharing a wide grin with River while the Doctor looked between the two suspiciously.

12 keeps trying, saying that Damsel sounds dangerous ish

The room just turned to look at the Doctor with 'really?' expressions (not at the words, more for the weak defence - the Doctor was dangerous, but someone who didn't know would not figure someone with the name 'damsel' was dangerous).

River tells him she can steal it and return it without the Doctor ever knowing it has been gone (the benefits of time travel), 12 declares he'd know, but River states he hasn't before

That caused the room to start laughing again. the Doctor's expressions were comedy gold. River especially was appreciating them more this tie around, with the full context of who the Doctor was. At the time she'd been mostly annoyed by his arguing delaying them, but now it was just mostly funny (and a bit annoying that she had actually admitted several things to him).

River says goodbye to Ramone, who tells her to be careful

"When are either of you careful? I can't even tell which one is worse than the other!" Amy snorted. She was far too used to their antics of finding/making trouble.

"She is." The pair answered in sync, pointing at the other.

Ramone goes to leave as River warns 12 the box isn't as it appears on the outside. The Doctor is excited as it is finally his turn

The room turned to face the Doctor who was now grinning wildly, a sparkle in her eyes that hadn't made an appearance for a while. River just snorted, remembering his little display.

"You enjoy people's reactions to the Tardis far too much." Clara rolled her eyes at the Doctor who's grin didn't waver at all.

The Doctor goes over the top dramatics and does a whole spiel about it being bigger on the inside to River's annoyance as she tries to work

The room was laughing at the Doctor's false astonishment and River's clear annoyance at the scene he was making. River rolled her eyes at her wife, she'd enjoyed that far too much.

"I hate you." She muttered but her tone was too fond for even a stranger to think she meant the words.

"No you don't."

River gets a drink as 12 finishes, they're interrupted by beeping

"That's probably not good." Mickey declared. Noises like that when you think everything was finished were usually never good.

They check the bag where the head has powered down to conserve energy, then work out the beeping is a homing beacon

"That's how the body is going to find you." Yaz nodded. "You need to leave quickly."

They decide it is past time to leave but as River activate the time engines it just judders and makes sick noises

"Wait, you know how to fly the Tardis?" Rose asked, unable to keep a bit of jealousy out of her voice. She wasn't the only one, many of them looked a bit envious (even those that had helped 'fly' the Tardis during the whole planets in the sky mess).

"Yes, I was taught by the best." River answered with a sift smile of understanding.

"The Doctor?" Donna asked with disbelief clear on her face.

"The Tardis." That startled a few chuckles and snorts out of the group while the Doctor protested.

12 tells her she's doing it wrong, River argues she isn't. The Doctor points to a button suggesting she should press it

The Master snorted. "You really have no clue how to actually fly a Tardis."

The Doctor just glared back, arms crossed with a humph. The rest of the group watched a bit confused while River just snorted.

She informs him that button evacuates the waste tank on deck seven and 12 quickly decides to avoid deck seven

That drew a few chuckles from the group.

Something is interfering with the engines - with a life form registering as both inside and outside at the same time a safeguard triggers

"Oh, the body is outside." Bill realised. "Good safe guard for normal situations."

With the body out and head in the door won't engage properly and won't take off. 12 tries again to tell her who he is but she won't catch on

"I'm sorry Sweetie." River mumbled to her wife. She really should have realised at that point - he'd known far too much and wasn't nearly as shocked a she should have been.

"Don't worry about it River. You were a bit busy." The Doctor mumbled back. They'd been in a high intensity situation with oncoming danger, it hadn't really been the time for an explanation to her identity.

Back in the village Ramone is walking down a street but stops as he hears Nardole call to him

"Oh no." Someone muttered, everyone' eyes were focused on the screen, all knowing what was about to occur.

Nardole asks for help and Ramone enters the alleyway to find the body holding a gun to Nadole's head on its shoulders

The room glanced between Nardole in the room and the scene on the screen, things were definitely heating up again.

Nardole apologises and tells Ramone to do as it tells him

Back on the Tardis, River and 12 discuss what to do with the head with 12 making more bad jokes

Several people shook their heads at the Doctor's typical attempts for humour in dangerous situations.

River wants to know if all the sarcasm helps, 12 thinks the universe would be better if it did

That got a few snorts and nods of agreement from around the room.

River decides with the body coming and them being unable to take off the only thing to do is kill the head

"River!" Rory made a strangled sound with his head in his hands.

12 argues against this plan, the head suddenly wakes up and 12 drops him face down

"Ooh, that's got to hurt." Jack winced.

Hydroflax tells them if they kill him the body will burn the world

"Good incentive to not kill the head." Rose sighed, that was just typical.

In the village, the body wants Ramone to take a message to River

"I don't think anyone is going to like his message." Mickey muttered.

In the Tardis River want to know how, Hydroflax explains and 12 catches on that he's powered by a stabilised black hole. River is confused about what medical school the Doctor went to

"None." Martha shook her head.

With that power source, the body could take out the solar system

"Yeah that's bad. Don't kill the head."

"Thanks for that Bill."

They asks why Hydroflax didn't threaten that earlier, he answers he didn't want to endanger his people but he's cross now

"That is not a good reason." Clara raised an eyebrow at the screen.

Ramone bangs on the Tardis door declaring he has a message, River shouts him in but the body kicks the doors open

"Oh no." Rory muttered as the danger increased by the second. He was glancing worriedly between the screen and his daughter, only calmed by the fact she was here safe.

Ramone's head is now on the body and the message is death

"Definitely not a good message." Mickey mumbled.

The body grabs River and the head orders it to kill her as Ramone apologises, 12 darts past the body and shuts the doors allowing the time engines to start and the Tardis to take off with a lot of shaking - making the body drop River

The room let out a collective breath they didn't know they'd been holding. Glad to see Rive rout of immediate danger but still on edge with the mess that was occurring on screen.

The body tries to kill them on Hydroflax's orders but they keep escaping as 12 asks where River set the coordinates to

"Stop arguing Doctor, just do as she says." Amy declared, worried for the pair of them.

River grabs the bag as 12 grabs the head and throws it to her, both avoiding the body trying to kill them

The group watched the (almost) seamless teamwork (minus the arguing) in some awe. They kept getting glances of the depth of the pair's relationship an understanding and it said a lot about how well they could work together and trust each other.

They run out of the Tardis as they land. They come out in a baggage hold, River leading the way and dragging 12 along by the hand which he is confused by as people don't do that to him

"No you do that to people. Aww, you're her companion." Rose grinned, she remembered clearly (even without having watched that video recently) how the Doctor had grabbed her hand and ran during their first meeting. The mix of Rose's words and the screen caused a few snickers to break out in the group.

River hushes him and he argues he is not a hushing person

"No, normally you just tell people to shut up and call them stupid." Clara raised an eyebrow while the Doctor made a 'who me?' expression that fooled absolutely no one.

They enter reception and a computer reveals they are on a star-ship cruise called Harmony & Redemption. Flemming walks up to them

"Fancy. You're on an inter-galaxy cruise?" Jack asked, nodding his head in appreciation of the ship.

"Of a sort." River answered with a cryptic smile. Those that knew her well, narrowed their eyes at her aware she likely had a plan but they just couldn't work out quite what it was.

The Master was watching the screen itself with a thoughtful look, he'd thought he'd heard of that ship. His eyes widened slightly as he remembered why he had heard of the ship - oh, the Doctor wasn't going to like that.

Flemming recognises River by name, saying her table is open. River asks about his family and Flemming tells her his twins are still digesting their mother so good

"Wait what!?" Bill exclaimed sitting up a bit straighter, she glanced at River and the Doctor as if asking them to confirm she had misheard.

The rest of the group looked just as startled (bar Jack who had run into aliens like that before and weirder). River and the Doctor simple shared a glance before waving at the screen in answer - they weren't going to spoil the upcoming events.

Flemming assures River it was a lovely ceremony with tears and a little screaming, they both laugh

The room shifted uncomfortable at hearing that, all giving River some dubious looks. She definitely balance don the edge of morality sometimes and it was startling for them to see it so blatantly like that.

River asks Flemming to deadlock seal the baggage hold, he hesitates until she reminds him of a previous incident involving dragon eggs

"Do I want to know?" The Doctor asked, raising an eyebrow at her wife's mention of dragon eggs. The humans in the group (aka most of the group) were blinking at the casual mention of dragons - it wouldn't be the weirdest thing they'd seen or heard of but still - dragons.

"No."

The baggage hold is deadlocked, and Flemming asks if 12 is for dinner, 12 answers he is but quickly changes his answer as Flemming says he'll get the chefs to prepare him

That startled a few laughs out of the group, the Doctor's completely calm attitude. They were all still a bit unsettled by the casual mention of eating people though - what kind of ship were the pair on?

River tells Flemming 12 will be joining her, Flemming then asks about the bag offering to take it. Muffled sounds from the bag are covered up with 12 claiming an irritable bowl

"Really that's the excuse you come up with?" Martha asked, shaking her head in (fond) disbelief and exasperation.

"What was I supposed to say? 'Sorry excuse the talking head in the bag'?" The Doctor protested, she would never admit she had panicked slightly and came up with the first thing she could think of.

"I'm not sure he would have been perturbed by that with the way he's mentioning eating people." Martha argued back.

"Touché."

River chucks the bag of threats to 12 as she freshens up, squirting a spray at her head and golden energy transforms her clothes and hair to more appropriate attire

The group watched on slightly envious of the perfume and ease that River just changed. "Where did you get that?" Amy asked her daughter curiously.

"That would be telling mother." River smirked. Amy just rolled her eyes at the typical River answer.

RIVER: Not bad for two hundred, eh?

"You're two hundred?" Yaz blinked shocked, her expression was shared by several people across the group.

"Half Time Lord. Very long story, which we may actually see parts of." River shrugged nonchalant, it wasn't like she was the oldest in the room (that honour went to the Doctor and the Master, followed by Jack). Plus, she was a bit self-conscious about it all, or rather her history with the Doctor - it would be interesting to see some things again but there were so many things she didn't want to see or let anyone else see.

Several people looked like they wanted to ask more questions (they knew so little about River) but the Doctor, River, Amy and Rory's matching pained expressions halted their words. River was right, if it was important they would likely see it anyway.

River tells him she has an augmented lifespan (long story) when he repeats her words

"That's an understatement." River muttered to herself. The Doctor squeezed her hand in comfort which earned her a small smile from her wife.

In the dining room, 12 asks what they're doing. Now that she has the diamond River plans to sell it

"Sell it? I thought you said you were hired to return it?" Rose said accusingly. River just sighed and waved to the screen, there was no point trying to explain herself.

The Doctor asks bout the Halassi and River asks if he was born boring or had to work at it

"Both." The Master drawled from his corner, and was promptly ignored by the room bar a sharp look from the Doctor.

She explains the cruise is for the rich murders and psychopaths of the galaxy, it was easy to find a buyer

"What's your plan?" Amy asked with a raised eyebrow at her daughter.

"You'll see mother." River smiled smugly while the Doctor rolled her eyes.

She takes a drink from a waiter, continuing that even staff have to have a history of killing, she's very relaxed for a cruise full of horredous criminals

The room shifted uncomfortable with how relaxed and familiar River seemed on such a ship.

At reception, the concierge tells Flemming there's an issue with the baggage room

"That's not going to be good is it?" Graham sighed. River and the Doctor shook their heads in confirmation.

In the dining room, River is reading something but comments on the Doctor's audible frown

"She's right." Clara grinned. Bill and Nardole nodded along as they were the only ones that really interacted with Eyebrows. The Doctor just pouted as her friends teamed up against her.

The Doctor is worried about the deadlock seal, River reassures him they can only be broken by geniuses which Hydroflax is not

The group watched the screen a bit more nervous, they had a sneaking suspicion about the Concierge and Flemming and the baggage hold.

River tells 12 about how she posed as a nurse and only took a week for him to marry her

"A week?" Martha shook her head, reluctantly a bit impressed. River shrugged with a smile, it hadn't exactly been hard.

River is holding her diary as she tells 12 that falling in love is the easiest lie you can tell a man, they will believe any story they're the hero of

The men in the room shifted uncomfortable while the woman smirked. Although the group was a bit uncomfortable with River's attitude.

12 tries to tell River but a waiter interrupts saying River's guest has arrived and should be there soon. The Doctor ask bout the diary and why it is so sad, River tells him its nearly full and the person who gave it to her was the kid to know how long a diary you'd need

"Doctor ..." Amy started but trailed off unsure how to articulate her worry. She and Rory exchanged a concerned look, they'd never known the fate of their daughter and this was starting to worry them. The Doctor just gave her a sad look full of understanding but no actual answers - they'd see.

Amy's words seemed to cause a realisation for a few others. "You gave her the diary?" Yaz puzzled out, looking at the Doctor who nodded, expression carefully blank.

12 says he sounds awful and River vaguely agrees as she puts the diary away.

DOCTOR: Not somebody special then?
RIVER: No. But terribly useful every now and then.

The room shifted uncomfortable with the exchange but knowing how personal it seemed - said nothing. The Doctor shifted a bit out of River's hold, more to get a better look at her face then to create some space.

"Doctor." River started softly, expression earnest. "I was lying. Please tell me you know that."

"You weren't completely wrong." The Doctor started but River's stare made her halt and sigh before continuing. "I know you were lying. You were scared and I was a virtual stranger. We've discussed this during our time on Darillium, please can we just watch for now."

"For now Sweetie." River reluctantly agreed.

At the security office, on a screen Ramone asks to be let out of the baggage hold. They comment on how nervous he is but Ramone says he'd the only one there

"He's not technically lying, clever." Jack mused but he was more nervous now then he had been at the start of the video. Things had taken a turn to be more tense and emotional.

Flemming goes to let him out, saying he'll just stick his head round the door

"That's all he needs." Mickey muttered with a concerned look.

In the dining room the buyer arrives

"He's creepy." Bill grimaced, gaining a few nods of agreement. The Doctor grimaced, they had no idea.

He introduces himself as Scratch a representative of the Shoal of the Winter Harmony

"Oh, wasn't that the brain things in New York?" Nardole realised with his own grimace. The Doctor nodded while the rest of the room watched the exchange confused - the words meant nothing to them.

River doesn't care about the details, just wanting her payment. Scratch runs a hand along his scar n his face and pulls his head open

"Ugh. That's gross." Rose made a disgusted face that was echoed across the group.

"That would put me off my food." Martha agreed.

Scratch removes a metal globe from his head and puts it on a napkin River provides before closing his head again

"Wise idea with the napkin, I would not want to touch that." Donna declared.

Scratch explains the globe will transfer the money to whatever account she chooses when instructed. River puts the bag on the table and warns him he might have to dig around a but for the diamond

"You're giving him the head?" Ryan asked.

River and the Doctor exchanged a look which only concerned the room more. "That was the plan." River eventually answered

"That is not reassuring." Rory sighed.

Scratch asks if he's being tricked before revealing the rest of the dining hall if filled with diners of the same species, all watching on

"That's really not good. You're outnumbered." Clara analysed the screen with concern, things were not looking good.

River receives the globe, promising no tricks, as Scratch allows the transfer of a hundred billion credits as agreed

Jack whistled in appreciation. "That's a lot of credits."

River accepts it and suggests he might need a spoon or something

"I think you should stop talking River." Amy glanced at her daughter concerned. She had an odd feeling things were about to go drastically wrong again (it tended to be the case when the Doctor and River were together).

The Doctor and River shared a silent conversation, both frowning, which was not helping ease her worries in anyway.

Scratch  makes a declaration that they do this for their distant king

"Please don't tell me what I think it about to happen is about to happen." Martha groaned. The Doctor and River's grimaces were all the answers the room needed.

River starts to unzip the bag uncaring of Scratch's declaration until they start chanting Hydroflax, she zips up the bag again

"Smart move River." Jack snorted at seeing River zip up the bag. This was just typical when adventuring with the Doctor. Murphy's law seemed to take full affect around him - whatever could go wrong would. The room was all watching as the tension increased again, there was now two dangers and the group was greatly outnumbered with no visible escape route.

This is awkward, they don't want to hand over the bag

The group snorted at the Doctor's humour. "That's a bit of an understatement, Doctor." Rose said.

In the baggage area, Flemming begs for his head and comes up with a bargain as he knows who River is really married to

"Really?! You're luck is terrible." Amy announced looking between the married couple in concern.

"How does he know who you are married too?" Bill asked River confused. She really didn't seem the type to give out information like that, especially to people like Flemming.

River frowned, glancing at her parents and the Doctor who were all aware of the reason Flemming knew. "It's a long story and unfortunately a lot of people knew for a while. But the Doctor keeps deleting herself from any sort of database for reasons adjacent to that." Her answer was vague but seemed to satisfy the group for now - they were used to not getting actual answers for ages.

Scratch wants to know why they delay in the dining room, as he has paid. 12 and River fumble to come up with an excuse to explain the head of their king in a bag

The group watched the exchange with growing tension. There was no way to escape this - either they refused to hand the bag over or they let them find the head, neither was going to go down well. They couldn't deny the exchange was at least a bit entertaining - the way the pair were stuttering to try and find an excuse.

They try to hand over the bag and leave quickly before Scratch opens it

"Get out of there quickly, please." Rory muttered, glancing nervously between the pair in the room and the screen.

Scratch declares they will stay as he doesn't like surprises, he starts to unzip the bag

"I can't watch this." Clara muttered.

The Doctor snatches the bag back and stands on a chair declaring he can't just stand back

"What are you doing?" Yaz asked the Doctor with raised eyebrows. She was used to the Doctor's crazy plans but this seemed especially dramatic.

"You'll see." The Doctor grinned.

The Doctor does a over-dramatic speech and holds up the head before declaring they must find the truly devout as the diners hiss and watch on

The room was grinning at the Doctor's crazy idea - it was a very 'Doctor' scheme and their craziest ideas tended to work for some strange reason.

T hey start to auction the head, choosing people at random and naming prices, the Doctor then wakes the head up by stabbing an ear - Hydroflax wakes up screaming as the diners all bow down on the floor

"Run!" Rose declared. They had earned themselves some time and now they needed to use it to put some distance between themselves and Scratch.

River grabs the Doctor's hand and they run for the doors but Flemming blocks the way as the body enters, River and the Doctor are grabbed by security

"Great, because things couldn't get much worse." Bill muttered. They were all watching with concern, just when they thought the Doctor and River might have a chance at escape things got worse.

Hydroflax wants to return to the body but the body scans him and declares the damage irreversible and he is useless now. The body incinerates the head revealing the diamond

The room watched almost blankly as Hydroflax was killed, he hadn't exactly been an innocent or nice person so they couldn't really regret his death. They were more concerned with the danger River and the Doctor were in and the suggestions of whose head the cyborg was now after.

Flemming snatches River's diary

"Oh you don't touch someone's diary." Donna declared.

He tells the body that if it wants a head there is none better than the Doctor's and River's diary is the ultimate guide to him, River is pissed he's got her diary

"How do you manage to get yourselves into these situations?" Jack asked the Doctor incredulous.

"In this case I blame River." The Doctor teased.

"At least half this situation is your fault." River argued back.

"It was more than half your fault."

"I got us out of it."

"It was a team effort."

"Oh so the escaping was a team thing but getting into the danger was my fault."

"Exactly."

Flemming reads through the diary, commenting on events such as the Pandorica and a picnic in Asgard as River fumes

Amy and Rory shared a glance with the Doctor and River at the mention of the Pandorica. The pair of them were getting increasingly concerned with where the video was going, although they had relaxed a bit upon seeing Flemming with River's diary - there was no way River wasn't going to get revenge on him for that, she didn't let anyone near her diary.

Flemming remarks about a film being made about the Crash of the Byzantium

"Did they?" Amy asked. "Was it a horror movie?" Neither River or the Doctor answered her, too focussed on the screen and what they knew was about to occur. Amy's words was not reassuring anyone about her time travelling with the Doctor.

River wants to kill him as Flemming continued reading, getting to Jim the Fish

"Who is Jim the Fish?" Graham asked. No one answered him, most of the room was equally confused.

Flemming reveals River has just been to Manhattan

Amy and Rory flinched at the mention of Manhattan, it definitely put River's attitude in perspective for them. "Oh River." Amy said softly, giving her daughter a sad but understanding look. It seems neither the Doctor nor River were in the best headspace - at least they had each other. The Doctor squeezed River's hand, she hadn't missed that comment the first time around but it hadn't been the time or situation to say anything about it.

Scratch interrupts, agreeing the Doctor's head would be great

"How would that even work? Like would you head regenerate?" Bill asked, head tilted to the side in puppy like curiosity.

"You know what? I have no clue." The Doctor answered, face scrunched in thought.

"And lets hope you never have to find out." River sighed at her wife's antics.

Flemming adds a lot of people on the ship would be happy to see the Doctor's career ended

"Always nice to know you have enemies. Means you're doing something right." the Doctor said, voice full of false cheer.

"Or something very wrong." The Master countered with a smirk. The Doctor just glared at him before turning to focus on the screen, she had more important things to worry about than him at the moment.

The body uses Nardole's head to check if River is the Doctor's wife, he confirms she is

The room turned to look at Nardole in silence. The cyborg shifted in his seat uncomfortable after a minute at the silent eyes on him.

Flemming wants to know where the Doctor is

"Right next to you." Clara declared, she was starting to see how this situation was about to go downhill again.

River admits she doesn't have a clue as Flemming argues she must know as he loves her, River says the Doctor has never loved her even as Flemming calls her a liar

"River." The Doctor mumbled, shifting closer to her wife again, moving her hand up to give it a kiss. "Of course I love you."

"I know Sweetie, we talked about this on Darillium." River answered. "But thank you for saying it."

"He better!" Amy announced, more than vaguely threateningly from half way across the room. She was really not liking the direction this video was suddenly taking. the rest of the group was watching the screen with no little amount of confusion - they could se how clearly the Doctor loved River but the Doctor wasn't always good at expressing their emotions, they all knew that well.

The body scans River to confirm she isn't lying, she's not. Flemming argues he's correct and River is the woman who loves the Doctor

RIVER: Yes, I am. I've never denied it. But whoever said he loved me back? He's the Doctor. He doesn't go around falling in love with people. And if you think he's anything that small or that ordinary, then you haven't the first idea of what you're dealing with.

The room shifted a bit uncomfortable with watching what seemed like a very personal and emotional declaration. No one voiced it but several of them disagreed with River's words. The Doctor's problem was the complete opposite, they loved too much and too fiercely and it always meant they were left alone eventually. The Doctor was giving River such a sad look through her little speech, finding it all the harder to watch it the second time with no imminent danger, but she made no comment. She had spent twenty-four years on Darillium happy and they'd had a long time to discuss their feelings and insecurities.

Flemming keeps arguing that if River is in trouble the Doctor will come to her recuse as River denies it

"Yes I will." The Doctor mumbled into River's shoulder, leaning closer so she was practically tucked into River's side.

"I know Sweetie. And I will always come when you need me." River answered back, putting an arm around the Doctor to keep her close.

Flemming declares the Doctor is probably already there, River disagrees saying to scan the ship for two hearts and stupid clothes, you can't miss him

"What's wrong with my clothes?" The Doctor muttered to River but she was ignored by everyone. they were all to focused by the drama unfolding on the screen. It seemed this was how River was going to find out about the Doctor's identity.

12 tries to interject but River keeps going saying wherever the Doctor is its not caring about her and she's fine with that. According to her, the Doctor isn't sentimental enough or in love enough to be there with her

The room couldn't take their eyes off the screen despite how personal it felt to the pair. Amy and Rory wanted to make a comment about their daughter's insecurities but they also didn't want to overstep or embarrass her so they made a silent decision to talk to her next break. A few people in the group couldn't help but agree with River's sentiment, they always seemed to find themselves falling in love with the Doctor and she never did the same for them, or at least not in the way they wanted.

The Master was scowling in his corner unnoticed by the entire room. He hated this video. Hated seeing how sickeningly in love his Doctor was with the hybrid. He was the only one close enough to understand who the Doctor was, the only one that was close to being on the Doctor's level yet the Doctor always left them and abandoned them.

River finally meets the Doctor's eyes and the penny drops. There is a pause before 12 whispers hello sweetie, and River comments on his roots

"That's your first comment!" Amy exclaimed. She was glad to see River finally realise who was with her, hopefully it would help her insecurities, but she was unbelievably exasperated with their antics. "You two are unbelievable." River and the Doctor looked far too proud of that fact.

12 can't resist teasing her a bit, throwing her words back at her light heartedly

The room watched the screen with a lighter atmosphere, of course the first thing the pair did was tease each other. Now that they were on the same page the group felt more confident about their escape.

River and the Doctor work out exit strategies as the others listen on confused by the change in tone and direction of the conversation. 12 declares there are four exits - two concealed and one in the ceiling

"That's only three." Yaz pointed out. It was good to see the pair back in planning mode, so calm and confident with their ability to escape - it was reassuring.

The Doctor just grinned and waved at the screen while River rolled her eyes.

River adds the one in the floor but 12 doesn't like that one as its too tight

Yaz nodded her understanding, not even bothering to hide the wide smile on her face at the interaction between the pair. She could admit she was slightly in awe of River despite her dubious morality - she was a spectacular person who seemed almost constantly in control (the Doctor being a rogue factor that would knock anyone off their groove).

Flemming asks what they're talking about but River shushes him, before a clock chimes two o'clock

"Your plan?" Amy asked.

River smiled. "My plan."

River proposes the hypothetical that a meteor strikes the lower deck, asking where would be the safest place to stand, funnily but not coincidentally, they are in the exact right place

"How did you know about it?" Graham blinked. The Doctor and River raised an eyebrow at him, waiting for him to connect the dots. "Right time travel." Graham nodded, feeling a bit embarrassed for having forgot. Ryan and Yaz both gave him teasing grins.

12 registers River's escape plan as the computer alerts them to the meteor storm about to hit them

"You're so smug." The Doctor echoed River's words from earlier.

"I'm allowed to be, darling." the Doctor smiled but didn't deny River's claim, she definitely was allowed.

River reveals she's an archaeologist and dug them up in the future when asked how she knew, saying she'd see them in four hundred years

"So badass." Bill whispered to herself with a grin.

"Thank you." River answered which caused Bill to jump, she hadn't thought anyone had actually heard her. She stared at the screen, hoping desperately she wasn't blushing but knowing she likely was.

The floor gives way and 12 and River drop in to the reception, River talks about a book called History's finest exploding restaurants

"You think I can borrow it?" Jack asked, entirely serious. River winked while the Doctor watched concerned - she was seriously regretting the fact that they had met.

12 asks what River thinks of his new body, she asks how he got it as there are supposed to be rules, the Doctor tells her a thing a happened

"A thing always happens with you." Martha shook her head while the Doctor just shrugged, it was true.

River catches the diamond as a boom sends it flying, there's a bit of flirting about how good River is

"Could you two stop flirting and actually escape?" Amy raised an eyebrow at the pair, while Rory just groaned next to her.

"Sorry mother." River answered completely unapologetic which only made Rory groan more.

They make their way to the bridge but the body drops in on them

The room had mostly forgotten the cyborg with all the drama that had occurred between River and the Doctor. They were slightly concerned but mostly comforted by the fact the pair in the room seemed completely unfazed by its appearance.

They decide to conquer and divide, River starts to drive as the Doctor deals with the cyborg

"Sensible choice. River is the better pilot." Clara nodded.

"How do you know that?" The Doctor protested, going through her memory to find a time where River had driven/piloted with Clara.

"Almost anyone would be better than you." Clara raised an eyebrow.

"She's got you there Sweetie."

More flirting

"You are both terrible." Rory declared, head in hands.

"Oh poor baby." Amy teased her husband.

"I take it back. All three of you are terrible."

The cyborg wants the Doctor's head, the Doctor doesn't want to give up his head. Instead the Doctor gives him the money globe and sparks fly from the neck connector - the Doctor's introduced it to the best firewalls in the galaxy

The room grinned at seeing the cyborg so easily defeated finally - things were finally going the Doctor and River's way (despite the whole crashing spaceship thing). Of course the Doctor defeated it with one of their unusual and crazy unplanned plans.

The cyborg does not understand, 12 retrieves River's diary

"Thank you for saving my diary." River whispered to the Doctor.

"Anytime."

The Doctor makes a bad pun which he even admits wasn't very funny but he had to say it

That drew snorts out of the group. "I'm glad you finally admit you aren't funny old man." Clara grinned while the Doctor just smiled back, unable to be annoyed by the comment when she had just admitted it herself (and happy to see Clara in a better mood).

12 runs up the stairs to join River who is trying to use her sonic trowel on the ship's systems. Surface impact in two minutes, and everyone else has already left - River declares they should too

"At least one of you is semi-sensible." Rose declared.

"It won't last long." Amy snorted.

They get into an argument about who's married more people as they try to get the ship under control

The room watched the exchange entertained, they'd heard the pair have similar argument in the room with them and it was nice to know some things never changed.

"I'm not sure that's the time to have that argument." Donna pointed out with a raised eyebrow at the pair who shrugged unrepentant.

River recognises the planet they are crashing into - Darillium. She reminds him he always says they're going to go there for diner but cancels last second, 12 wants to continue that tradition

"Oh Doctor." River mumbled to her wife as she pressed a kiss to the Doctor's forehead. She understood now while he had kept cancelling and was almost thankful for it despite how much she had hated it then. The stories she'd heard had scared her more then she would admit.

12 uses his sonic on the console declaring he can use the internal teleport power cell to boost the thruster as River comments on it

Jack narrowed his eyes at that. He wasn't quite as much as a the expert as the Doctor and River (and the Master) but he felt something fishy with that statement. It didn't help River was giving the Doctor a stern look.

He hands a cable to River telling her to hold it, he teleports her away declaring crashing spaceships his job. She's not happy with him

Amy and Rory let out a breath at seeing River at least temporarily out of danger, they knew it wasn't likely to last long with the Doctor still in danger so they were enjoying it for the seconds it lasted.

River is teleported to the Tardis and immediately pilots it to the Bridge, materialising around the Doctor as he protests

"The pair of you are idiots. You both need to leave." Amy declared giving them both a stern look like misbehaving toddlers (which they acted like a lot). The pair just smiled at each other and then her which made her narrow her eyes.

River exits the Tardis, swiftly followed by the Doctor. They argue about whose job it is, before deciding its getting a bit close and they should go back in the Tardis. they do so just in time

"Finally." Rory muttered. Things had been getting far to close for everyone's liking. As heartfelt and honest as the declarations had been it really wasn't the time.

The impact sends them flying, 12 recovers first and checks on River who is  unconscious

The group watched in concern as the pair went flying from the impact, no one taking their eyes of the screen or making any comments so they didn't delay finding out if they were hurt. They let out a breath they didn't know they'd been holding at seeing the Doctor move around and check on River.

River is fine. 12 picks up the diamond which landed on the floor. He opens the door to find burning wreckage promptly closes it again and jumps a bit forward in time before going out again

"The joys of time travel."

Alphonse runs over wearing a hard hat, he asks if the Doctor saw the ship come down and says he's been searching for survivors. The Doctor commends him but tells him there isn't any and if there were they likely wouldn't be worth it

The room felt some sympathy for the man, the Doctor's compliments were worth quite a bit for some unknown reason. It was good to see a genuinely nice person just trying to help and the group was interested to see what the Doctor was up to.

The Doctor looks to two tall pillars of stone asking about the Singing Towers of Darillium, they've arrived at last

The group turned to the Doctor and River confused by that statement - clearly there was something going on here that they didn't understand. River, the Doctor and Nardole just looked sad.

The Doctor declares they should build a restaurant there with a view of the towers, he gives Alphonse the diamond telling him the reward would be substantial, when Alphonse asks why 12 is giving it to him, 12 just says restaurant

"Of course you give away the most valuable diamond in the universe so you can take River on a date." Jack shook his head, smiling. It was so very typical Doctor behaviour.

The Doctor goes back into the Tardis where River is still unconscious. He sends the Tardis forward again, exiting into a busy restaurant. He asks for a reservation on a balcony with a view of the towers - the only one available isn't available until Christmas day in four years time, that's not a problem for 12

"That's a really good use of time travel." Clara looked far too thoughtful about that, especially knowing that she had her own Tardis with Me. The Doctor narrowed her eyes at Clara suddenly a bit nervous about what Me and Clara were getting up to across time and space.

In the Tardis, River wakes up and goes outside. The receptionist greets her by name and tells her the Doctor is waiting for her on the balcony. River uses her transformation spray again before she is led to her table

The group watched quietly as the atmosphere seemed to take an almost melancholy/sad feeling. They couldn't help but feel what was about to happen was important although they had no idea why - as most of the danger seemed to already be done with.

On the balcony, River arrives to find a familiar red metal body with a familiar head on top

"But what?" Rose asked, blinking at the site of the robot. The room had all tensed at the sight but the Doctor just smiled reassuringly and waved at the screen.

Ramone greets her, explaining the Doctor find them in the wreckage and patched them up, the bad part is all gone and Nardole and him part time on top

"So that's how you met Nardole?" Bill asked the Doctor who grinned.

"Yep, made him his own body eventually."

The Doctor interrupts, he's cleaned up and carries a gift

"You clean up nice Doctor."

"Jack!"

He gives her the box, River opens it to reveal a sonic screwdriver which she is very happy about

"Of course you'd give her a sonic." Martha shook her head but was smiling at the pair, happy to see them together.

Donna, however, was frowning slightly, she'd thought for a while that she had vaguely recognised River but the sonic and diary had just confirmed it. She glanced almost frantically at the Doctor who frowned, eyes sad, but nodded - she was right in her thoughts. Donna's heart broke just that little more for the Doctor, watching the screen with a new perspective.

She thanks him and kisses him on the cheek. He tries to compliment her but she rightfully guesses he has no concept of style or people changing

"I'm impressed you tried. You're terrible with that stuff as Eyebrows." Clara grinned at the pair, she was quite happy to have seen them properly. Her only actual interaction with River had been Trenzalore and the Doctor never really wanted to speak about her but it was clear he loved her.

"She's not much better now." Yaz grinned ignoring the Doctor's protests.

"She never is." Rose laughed.

River gazes at the Singing Towers listening to their music, before asking why the Doctor is crying

"It's beautiful." Martha muttered, but like all the other she was watching the Doctor and River.

12 declares it is just the wind, River argues and pushes asking why he's sad. The Doctor turns the question back on her as she repeats her earlier answer of her diary almost being full, she'd worried, the Doctor tells her not to be

Despite the Doctor's comment the room couldn't help but be a bit worried, things had suddenly taken a sad turn. Donna, Bill and Nardole were especially sad as they had some idea of what happened. The interaction just solidified Amy and Rory's determination to talk to their daughter soon.

River remarks on the stories about them, one of which says the last night they spend together is at the Singing Towers of Darillium, she wants to know if its true but he just answers spoilers

"What happens to her?" Amy demanded, unable to take it anymore.

"Amy."

"No Doctor. What happens to River?"

"It's okay Mother." River tried to intercede while the Doctor just looked so deeply sad that it terrified Amy and Rory more.

"No it's not River." Rory joined in.

"It is, its already happened for me and I will see the Doctor again. Stories aren't always true and they don't always know everything." River declared, tone leaving no room for arguments.

The Doctor looked so hopeful at that declaration, pressing closer to River. She was still facing her wife's parents though. "We'll talk during the break, I don't think there is much more left." Amy and Rory nodded reluctantly, understanding that was the best they were going to get at the minute.

River gets why he kept cancelling now and starts to spiral as she wants him to find a way around it, the Doctor declares not everything can e avoided forever, every night is the last night for something and every Christmas is the last Christmas

Clara flinched at the words fake Danny had said to her during the weird mess in the North Pole. The rest of the room was watching the exchange unnerved at seeing River almost breaking down, it seemed so out of character for her and the exchange seemed so personal, they felt a bit guilty for watching it.

River argues that the Doctor will find a way to save the day like they always do

DOCTOR: No, I don't. Not always. Times end, River, because they have to. Because there's no such thing as happy ever after. It's just a lie we tell ourselves because the truth is so hard.
RIVER: No, Doctor, you're wrong. Happy ever after doesn't mean forever. It just means time. A little time. But that's not the sort of thing you could ever understand, is it?

The Doctor turns the conversation back to the Towers, but River is more focused on him

The group had nothing to say at the scene unfolding before them, all a bit in shock as the pair of time travellers almost seemed to be saying goodbye.

River finally asks how long a night is on Darillium, the Doctor reveals it is twenty four years

More than one person let out a little chocked or relieved noise at the Doctor's words. The whole situation was still unbearably sad, knowing it could be the last time they saw each other, but it gave them some time at least. The music from the towers seemed to say everything they were all currently feeling.

River cries happy tears, declaring she hates him, they both know she doesn't mean it. Together they lived happily for some time

The room was silent as the final word disappeared, unsure what to actually say about that rollercoaster of an episode - it had seemed so innocent at the start but had ended on such a heartfelt and emotional moment. The Doctor gave one last kiss to the back of River's hand as her wife gave her a soft look full of her love - both of them thinking back to their domestic bliss on Darillium. The Doctor then turned to the rest of the room. "I think we all need a break, the last few videos have been ... intense."

There was several grumbles of agreement as people started to stand up and stretch their legs. The group slowly dispersed, leaving the screening room in search of a walk or something to eat, conversations striking up about anything and everything. Soon the only people left in the room were the Doctor, River, Amy and Rory.

Amy leaned forward in her seat, eyes locked on her daughter and the Doctor. "Start talking."

Chapter Text

The Doctor shifted out of River's arms, settling herself on the edge of the sofa so she could face her wife's parents properly. This conversation had been a long time coming. She spent a few minutes just taking in the site of Amy and Rory, it had been so long since she had seen the pair of them and it hadn't exactly been a nice parting. She hadn't even got to say a proper good bye to Rory, he'd been there one minute and then gone the next with Amy choosing to follow him.

She took a deep breath as she saw Amy getting visibly annoyed at her silence. Rory and River were watching the pair carefully, ready to intervene if necessarily. "What do you want to know?"

"What happened to the pair of you after Manhattan? What happened to River? What did you do to our daughter to make her believe you didn't love her?" Amy rattled off questions, gaze never leaving the Doctor.

The Doctor glanced at River, who was frowning at her mother's questions, then turned back to Amy. "After Manhattan we separated for a while. As you know our timelines are going mostly in the reverse of each other, so the next time she saw me was Darillium like we just watched. As for your last question; I don't know, only River could answer that." She was purposely trying to keep her tone calm and sensible as she knew how quickly this could dissolve into shouting – she'd never done well with parents.

River decided to inject. "It was my decision, Mother. To separate after Manhattan, it was for the best at the time, neither of us were in the right mind set." She purposely didn't answer the question about the Doctor's love, that was far too complicated and something she didn't want to get into with her parents.

"I don't care if it was your idea River." Amy raised an eyebrow at her daughter, still not satisfied with the pair. "What happened after Darillium? What happened to our daughter, Doctor?"

The Doctor glanced at Rory who just levelled his own gaze on the Doctor, that was a question he also desperately wanted an answer too. "Amelia-."

"No, Doctor. No avoiding the question, we deserve to know what happened to our daughter! For once in your existence just be honest with us: what happened to River?"

The Doctor took a deep breath, she'd known this question was going to be asked as soon as she'd seen the scene on Darillium and she'd been avoiding telling Amy and Rory the truth almost as long as she'd known. "Our timelines are going backwards most of the time-."

"We know that and you just reminded us." Rory interjected.

"I'm getting there I promise. As I was saying, our timelines are backwards." She hesitated, knowing how quickly this conversation was going to derail. "When I was in my tenth face during my travels with Donna, I got a message on my psychic paper. It told me to go to the Library, when we arrived, we met with a group of archaeologists. Things quickly went wrong in a terrible way, and to save 4022 people, the leader of the group sacrificed herself. That person was Professor River Song, it was the first time I had met her but not the first time she'd met me."

Amy and Rory just watched her for a moment, taking that information in. She risked a glance at River who was staring at her parents, expression blank. Amy took a breath, likely to calm herself. "So, you're saying-."

"I'm saying, the first time I met River she died."

"Every time we met River, when we discovered she was Melody, you knew the whole time? You knew how our daughter would die?" Amy asked, tone icy.

"Yes." The Doctor declared bluntly, there was no way around it.

"Mum, dad. It has already happened for me. The Library wasn't the end for me. And you know the danger of interfering in timelines. She couldn't tell me, no matter how much she may have wanted to." River tried to defend the Doctor, no matter how time passed or what happened she still loved the Doctor, no matter how much of an idiot they could be.

"That doesn't make it right River." Rory declared; frustration clear.

"We lost you, our time with you, our daughter, because of him, her, them whatever. If we'd never met them, our Melody would have been safe." Amy exclaimed, anger overtaking her. She'd been comforted by the idea after Manhattan, that the Doctor and River had been together and here the pair were telling them they hadn't stayed together.

Silence reigned for several moments, all taking in what Amy had said. The Scotswoman seemed to finally register what she had actually said and her anger evaporated, hand coming up to her mouth in shock but eyes determined.

The Doctor's expression went blank at Amy's words, knowing how true they were. She ignored River, instead focussing on her little Amelia. "Do you regret leaving with me?" She asked quietly, honestly curious to know, almost desperate to know.

Amy's eyes softened slightly. "No, I don't regret travelling with you. No matter how much I want too sometimes, I can't." Her tone was equally quiet, sincere and honest. "What I do regret is missing half of my daughter's life, not getting to raise my child properly. Losing my child and having no clue what she went through. The pain of losing my child is a pain that nothing could ever compare to."

The Doctor's eyes drifted to the ground, relief blossoming at Amy's declaration quickly being overridden by horrible understanding. "I know the pain of losing a child. I have lost all my children, my grandchildren, my whole family. I know nothing compares to that pain and I don't have words for how sorry I am that you had to go through it because of me."

"I'm sorry too Doctor." Amy said softly, so many unspoken words transferring amongst the group.

The new silence only lasted a couple of minutes before Rory broke it. "You have a brother." The group all turned to him, bewildered by the sudden change of topic. "River, I mean. We adopted a son, Anthony. You're a big sister River."

"Anthony. Anthony Williams." River muttered to herself, turning the words over in her head. She'd checked in on her parents as much as she could (which wasn't much) and read all her mother's books but hearing about her brother was amazing.

"We looked for you River, in 1969. When you were on the streets in New York. We couldn't find you." Amy added, almost apologetic.

River was starting to look overwhelmed at the new information, she'd never gotten much time with her parents when they knew they were her parents, and knowing they had looked for her as a child? It wasn't a feeling she could describe. "Thank you." She said for a lack of anything better.

"Maybe we could spend some time together while we are here? Hear some more of your stories and we'll tell you some about your brother, if you want that is?" Rory offered River, a recognisable olive branch.

"I'd love that dad." River answered smiling wildly, she'd spent so long wanting her parent's attention and care, and here her dad was offering it on a silver platter.

Amy however was focused on the Doctor. "I don't regret travelling with you." She repeated. "But there is still more we need to talk about and I'm sure the videos will show us plenty we'll need to discuss, just not now. Let's just enjoy the moment of peace we've been given." The Doctor nodded, gaze drifting every so often to her wife who looked so hopeful it was almost painful. She knew she couldn't escape further questions but Amy had gotten the big answer she had wanted for now.

It took a while for everyone to start drifting back, all knowing to give the group some time to clear the air in peace. They came back in small groups, chatting away and sharing stories of both life with and without the Doctor.

They settled back down into their old seats, still talking until everyone had gathered again in the screen room. When everyone had sat back down and conversations slowly died out, they started to turn back to the screen, curious but nervous to know what they would be shown next. The screen turned black as the words 'The Eleventh Hour' appeared almost on queue.

"What do you think this one is about?" Clara asked, directing her words mostly at the Doctor (who was the reasons they were watching the videos in the first place). The Doctor just shrugged, there wasn't much clues in the title.

"Maybe it's one of your adventures during your time as Chinny? He was your eleventh face, right?" Bill suggested.

The Doctor nodded thoughtfully. "That's a good idea. I guess we'll just have to see." With that the group turned to the screen, apprehensive and curious about what they were going to see this time.

The Tardis is out of control, it flues over London with the Doctor hanging from the threshold, sonic between his teeth and trying to climb back into the Tardis. He finally manages to climb back in and shuts the doors as the Tardis continues flying wildly

"Oh." The Doctor breathed out as she realised what the group was going to be seeing this time. She carefully edged a look at Amy and Rory who was watching the screen as curious as the rest of the group, no one else knew what the video was about yet, not that she would have expected them to. Her quiet words drew a curious glance from River and Jack who were the only ones that had heard her, but she offered no answers, they'd see.

In a bedroom, a little red-haired Scottish girl – Amelia – is saying a prayer

"Is this-?" Amy turned to the Doctor, recognising her younger self, Rory seemed to have also reached the same realisation based on the look on his face.

"Yes." The Doctor nodded. The rest of the group watched curious, all they could figure out was it was one of Chinny's adventures with Amy and Rory.

"Is that you?" Martha asked, squinting at the screen to try and match the little girl's face to grown-up Amy's.

"Yep." Amy grinned; she was sort of looking forward to seeing this again. The start was already raising feelings of nostalgia, it would be fun to see the beginning again in some strange way.

She prays to Santa, declaring it Easter now but its an emergency; there's a crack in her wall and her Aunt Sharon say its normal but she says its not as she hears voices at night. She asks for someone to come fix it, maybe a policeman

"You are adorable." Rose grinned, several of the other companions were smiling r chuckling at baby Amy's prayer to Santa. Amy was just laughing unashamed.

"You were praying to Santa at Easter?" Rory asked, grinning at his wife. The nostalgia at seeing Amy as a kid was very strong.

"Oh, leave me alone." Amy rolled her eyes at Rory.

She hears the Tardis materialise with a crash outside, she grabs a torch and runs out to see the Tardis had crash landed on the garden shed. Amelia thanks Santa

"Wait, you met the Doctor when you were a kid?" Martha asked Amy, several of the other companions were also looking at her. They didn't know how that would work.

"Yes, but he's terrible at controlling the Tardis." She grinned as if that answered everything. The group didn't ask any more questions getting the feeling they would find out what Amy meant soon. The Doctor just pouted.

The Tardis doors open outwards (to the sky as its on its side) and a grappling hook appears to hook onto the side as a soaking wet Doctor climbs out

"Why are you wet?" Donna asked incredulous, face crinkled at the Doctor. The whole group was looking at the Doctor confused by the scene playing out in front of them. The Doctor was bad at piloting the Tardis but not usually that bad.

"Spoilers." The Doctor smiled.

The Doctor asks for an apple, saying its all he can think about and he loves apples, he adds he might be having a craving which is new

"You've just regenerated." The Master declared form his corner, recognising the symptoms of regeneration in the Doctor.

It was more of a statement than a question but the Doctor nodded with a small smile. Their conversation had drawn the rest of the group's attention, several of the companions nodding along now realising that it did make sense. Those she had seen (namely Martha, Mickey and Jack) realised it wouldn't have been long after they had last seen her (then him)

"What happened?" Rose asked. "I mean to make you regenerate." The Doctor frowned glancing at both Donna and the Master briefly, both looked confused upon seeing her gaze focussed on them.

"Radiation poisoning." The Doctor admitted with a shrug, facing Donna she added, "Wilf was with me." Then she glanced at the Doctor. "Just after you went back into the Time Lock." The Master's expression was slightly troubled to those that knew him well (aka The Doctor), he hadn't realised how quickly the Doctor had regenerated after their last meeting in those incarnations.

"Grandad? Why was grandad with you?" Donna exclaimed, utterly confused. She knew they had vaguely met but she didn't know they'd spent much time together.

"He was the one who found me to let me know some trouble was happening. He came along on a bit of adventure." The Doctor answered vaguely not wanting to get into details, if it was important, they'd probably see it later. Honestly, she missed Wilf sometimes, he'd been such a nice man, very grandfatherly. The Doctor mused that Graham would probably get along well with Wilf – maybe she should introduce the pair.

Donna narrowed her eyes at the Doctor's avoidance but let it go for the moment, she could ambush her later.

He sits on the edge of the Tardis looking inside, Amelia asks if he's okay. The Doctor says he had a fall, down into the library so it was a big climb back up

"That doesn't explain why you are wet." Bill pointed out; face crinkled in confusion. The Doctor just grinned and waved at the screen.

Amelia comments on him being wet, the Doctor says he was in a swimming pool, and Amelia points out he said he was just in the library, the Doctor adds so was the swimming pool

"Why was the swimming pool in the library?" Ryan asked very confused. He'd seen the library and there definitely wasn't a swimming pool in the room.

"Ask the Tardis." The Doctor shrugged; it wasn't like she controlled the Tardis layout.

Amelia asks if he's a policeman

"She is absolutely not a policeman." Yaz grinned, the Doctor just grinned back.

"I'm as much a policeman as Amy is." Amy groaned at the reminder, eyes widening as she realised it might be shown.

The Doctor asks if she called the police, but Amelia just asks if he came about the crack. The Doctor asks what crack then falls to the ground in pain

The room glanced between the screen and the Doctor concerned. Those that had been with the Doctor during a regeneration or post-regeneration knew how bad it was on the Doctor, and they were worried about how this time had went, especially with no (adult) around.

Amelia asks if he's okay, the Doctor says he is and its perfectly normal as a breath of golden energy comes out his mouth

"It's only normal for you, Spaceman." Donna snorted. The Doctor shrugged instead of pointing out that she was one of three people here that could regenerate and that wasn't touching the several other semi-immortals in the room.

Amelia asks who he is, the Doctor says he doesn't know yet as he'd still cooking. He then asks if it scares her, Amelia says its just a bit weird

The Doctor smiled at Amy who rolled her eyes but grinned. Even if that hadn't been what she (the he'd) meant it was good to know she hadn't been scared.

The Doctor corrects her to the crack in the wall, asking if it scare her again. Amelia says it does

"Do you always throw yourself into trouble moments after regeneration?" Clara narrowed her eyes at the Doctor who was suddenly not meeting anyone's eyes.

The question made the Doctor have a serious think – did she? Thinking back at least the last few regenerations - Tim Shaw, the Clockwork Droids and dinosaur, Prisoner Zero and Sycorax to name the last few post-regeneration adventures. Huh, guess she did. She winced, "Maybe?"

The room just groaned, several people rolling their eyes at her, but other were also noticeably holding back small smiles, glad to see nothing ever changed.

DOCTOR: Well then, no time to lose. I'm the Doctor. Do everything I tell you, don't ask stupid questions, and don't wander off.

"Ah, starting with the rules early." Jack grinned.

The Doctor nodded serious, "Yes. I hoped if I started quickly, she'd actually listen." She glanced at Amy, "Should have known there was never any hope of that." Amy just grinned proud of herself.

"Learned from the best." She shot straight back at the Doctor.

The Doctor walks into a tree, saying its early days so steering is off

There was a burst of laughter at seeing the Doctor walk into a tree. Amy and River laughing the hardest (like mother, like daughter apparently). "Your 'steering' was off for that whole regeneration. You were like a clumsy house cat, always falling off of things and running into others. And don't get me started on your dancing!" Amy shook her head fondly. Rory, River and Clara (who had known her in that incarnation) all nodded along solemnly.

"Hey! What was wrong with my dancing?" The Doctor protested.

"That's what you focus on?" Amy raised an eyebrow before sighing dramatically. "It was terrible! You looked like a drunk giraffe!" The Doctor continued to protest while the group all laughed.

In the kitchen, Amelia asks if he's a doctor why does his box say police

"Asking the serious questions." Bill grinned, thinking about some of the semi-similar questions she'd asked during the mess with Heather/the Pilot. Amy grinned back at the younger woman.

The Doctor bites an apple and spits it straight back out calling it disgusting, saying apples are rubbish and he hates them

"An apple a day keeps the Doctor away." Rose laughed with several others joining in upon hearing her words.

"Manners Martian, seriously!" Donna exclaimed making the Doctor look a bit sheepish.

Amelia points out he said he loved them; the Doctor disagrees saying he loves yogurt, that's his favourite. Amelia gets him yogurt which he pours in his mouth and spits out again

"That is disgusting." Yaz announced with a disgusted grimace.

He hates yogurt, calling it stuff with bits in it. He says it's a new mouth with new rules, trying to explain its like eating after cleaning your teeth and everything tastes wrong

"That's a vaguely good way to describe it, well done Sweetie." River considered, patting the Doctor's arm patronisingly. The Doctor just preened with the praise (to the enjoyment of the rest of the group). "Of course, as usual you're being very dramatic about it all though."

"Hey!"

The Doctor twitches and Amelia asks what's wrong with him. The Doctor says it's not his fault, asking why she won't give him any good food, saying she's Scottish so fry something. Amelia gets a frying pan out while the Doctor dries his hair

"Doctor! She's seven, you can't ask her to fry something!" Martha exclaimed shooting the Doctor a glare making her shrink down in her seat. Amy was just laughing at the Doctor.

He eats the bacon she gives him and spits it out again, asking if she's trying to poison him. Next beans which are declared evil. Then they try bread and butter

"Are you going to actually eat anything?" Mickey grinned.

Amy and the Doctor just exchanged a glance before laughing while Rory rolled his eyes used to their behaviour.

The Doctor throws the bread and butter out the door hitting a door as he shouts at it to stay out

The group burst out laughing at the Doctor's dramatics. "I can't believe you hit a cat!" Amy cackled; she was finding this particularly funny especially compared to the first time around where she'd been mostly confused.

Amelia offers carrots, to which the Doctor calls her insane. He declares he knows what he needs – fish finger and custard. A moment later he's eating fish fingers and custard as Amelia eats ice cream

"That looks so wrong." Bill complained, grimacing. The rest of the group seemed to share her opinion based on their expressions.

"Actually, it tastes a lot better than it looks, surprisingly." Amy admitted, making the Doctor smile brightly at the defence of her food choice. Rory reluctantly nodded along too but no one looked convinced.

Amelia declares him funny; the Doctor says that's good, asking her name

"You've raided her kitchen but never actually asked her name? Honestly Doc." Graham sighed fondly, he'd admit easily that it was still a bit weird seeing all these other blokes and knowing they were the Doctor but sometimes they'd say or do something, and he could see his Doctor in them.

She introduces herself as Amelia Pond. The Doctor loves her name, declaring it like a fairy tale before asking if there in Scotland. Amelia says no as they moved to England which is terrible

"Hey!" Protested all the English people in the room (aka everyone but River, Jack, the Master, the Doctor, Nardole and Rory (who was used to his wife's antics).

"It's true and I ain't taking it back!" Amy argued, her Scottish accent coming out a bit stronger. She loved her heritage, and she'd never lost her accent no matter how long she'd lived in other countries.

The Doctor asks about her parents, wondering if they're upstairs and suspired they haven't woken them up

The group suddenly realised how good a question that was, why hadn't they seen any adult. Surely, they would have heard all the commotion? Rory, River, Amy and the Doctor shared a glance all thinking about the crack.

Amelia says she doesn't have parents, only an aunt. The Doctor says he doesn't even have an aunt and Amelia says he's lucky

Amy frowned at that comment, it had seemed fine as a little kid but knowing what she did now it was just sad. She glanced at the Doctor a bit worried but she was focused on the screen, expression never wavering.

The Doctor asks where his aunt is, turns out she's out leaving Amelia alone

The group shifted a bit uncomfortable at that but several of them had grown up in single parent households and knew that sometimes there wasn't much other options as horrible as it seemed, plus no one was really prepared to comment on Amy's homelife with the way she was glaring at them all as if daring them to say anything.

Amelia says she isn't scared. The Doctor agrees, sharing that she wasn't scared by him or the Tardis, saying it must be a hell of a crack in her wall to scare her

Amy, Rory, River and the Doctor all shivered, that was an understatement to say the least. The rest of the group watched them, more nervous now having seen their reaction – clearly this crack was nothing good.

In her bedroom they find the crack which has a slight w shape across her wall. The Doctor says she's had cowboys in there but not literally. Amelia gives the Doctor an apple with a smiley face in it explaining she used to hate apples, so her mum added faces on them

Amy and the Doctor grinned at seeing the apple, it had been one of the hardest pieces of evidence to the Doctor's explanation of who he was after he came back.

The Doctor keeps the apple for later, going back to the crack which doesn't go all the way through the wall, asking if that's true where the draught is coming from. He scans it with his sonic

"The crack isn't just in the wall is it, Doctor?" Jack said slowly, suddenly getting much more nervous about the situation. All his senses were saying the crack was important and dangerous. The Doctor grimaced and waved back at the screen which really did nothing to reassure Jack.

The Doctor declares it wibbly-wobbly timey-wimey, asking if Amelia knows what the crack is

All the companions who had heard the phrase 'wibbly-wobbly timey-wimey' grinned at the familiar phrase despite the tension building in the room.

The Doctor declares it a crack, but if you got rid of the wall the crack would still be there as it is a split in the skin of the world – two places in space and time that are pressed together which shouldn't be. He confirms she can hear stuff from it, Amelia says she hears a voice

"I'm going to go out on a limb here and say that's really not good." Bill declared looking worried.

Amy, Rory, River and the Doctor shared a look before answering in syn. "It's not."

The Master and Jack (and vaguely Nardole) who understood a bit more about space, time and technology than the rest of the group looked even more worried than the others. Declaring that 'not good' was putting it extremely lightly. The Master was scrolling through the list of things that could cause such a crack, the list was very short but very worrying. A glance at the Doctor offered no answers as she was avoiding his gaze.

There is a growl from somewhere, the Doctor empties a glass of water from Amelia's bedside table and uses it to listen to the crack

There were a few sighs at the Doctor's continued lack of manners (regarding emptying the cup of water) but the room was too tense, most of them on the edge of their seats leaning forward to see what would happen. Rory and River who had heard the story of what happened, were inspecting he screen carefully. They knew broadly what was going to happen, but it was a different matter to see it play out like this.

On the other side the Atraxi declare Prisoner Zero has escaped. Amelia agrees that's what she heard, asking what it meant. The Doctor declares it means that on the other side of the wall is a prison missing a prisoner, asking if she knows what that means

"Where did the prisoner escape too?" Nardole muttered quietly, reaching a conclusion before most of the room. His words were too quiet and the room too tense so that most people didn't hear it, and those that did paid it no attention.

She needs a better wall, and the only way to close the crack is to open it fully, saying the forces will invert and it'll snap shut, before adding 'or' and trailing of

"Or what? I don't like the sound of that Doctor." Donna snapped, concern obvious on her face, the Doctor speaking like that was never a good thing and here he was with a defenceless 7-year-old girl.

Amelia asks what but the Doctor just asks if she knows when grown-ups say things will be fine but you know they're probably lying, when Amelia says yes, he says everything will be fine

"Doctor!" Rose (and several others) groaned, glad for the honestly but knowing exactly how unreassuringly that would have been for them let alone a 7-year-old girl unused to aliens and trouble. Amy was just smiling softly at the Doctor thankful for the honestly instead of trying to completely cover everything up like an adult normally would.

The doctor holds Amelia's hand as he sonics the crack, widening it and flooding the room with light – a giant eye looks through the crack repeating the news that Prisoner Zero has escaped

"An eyeball! Why is it just an eyeball?" Martha muttered to herself with a sigh, she really shouldn't be surprised after all her travels with the Doctor.

Amelia asks what it is, a bolt of light hits the Doctor, and he doubles over as the crack close. He declares he knew it would close, and everything good now

"But what was it? And what did it do to you?" Rose asked, frustrated by the lack of answers (like usual).

Amy, Rory and the Doctor shared a glance but offered no answers, the group would see soon, although he true extent of the cracks wouldn't be revealed in this video (they didn't think). Both Jack and the Master looked unconvinced by the easy 'closure' of the cracks – it was far too easy and something was nudging at their minds, they didn't think the matter was done with so simply.

Amelia asks if that was Prisoner Zero. The Doctor declares it was probably Prisoner Zero's guard which sent him a message through his psychic paper – it's the same message about Prisoner Zero escaping. He asks why they're telling them unless … unless Prisoner Zero escaped through there, adding he couldn't have as they'd know

"But where did it go? Surely you would have seen him?" Yaz asked, face crinkled in thought. She'd immediately gone into policewoman/investigation mode upon seeing a mystery, her time with the Doctor had certainly helped better those skills. Once again Amy and the Doctor shared a look but answered no questions, it was starting to really frustrate the group.

In the corridor, there's a door across the way and two more by the staircase. The Doctor says it's difficult as it's a new him and nothing works yet, but he knows he's missing something, just out the corner of his eye

The Doctor winced, she'd been so close to figuring it out and if the Tardis hadn't started calling, she would have figured it out then and there. Amy frowned having reached the same conclusion, they'd been so close.

The Tardis cloister bells ring and the Doctor starts shouting no, saying he need to get back there, running to the garden. He shouts that the engines are phasing and its going to burn

"Always one situation after another with you Doctor." Ryan said, the Tardis burning really didn't sound good and the whole situation was frustrating and worrying the whole group.

Amelia asks how a box can have engines; the Doctor tells her its not a box but a time machine. Amelia asks if it's a real time machine

"It's like the opposite from me." Rose mused drawing the room's (confused) attention. "I mean when the Doctor first asked me to travel, he mentioned the space aspect but not time, and with little-Amy he mentioned time but not space." The Doctor blinked having not ever made the connection, he'd been so busy panicking at the time he hadn't really been focusing on much.

The Doctor says not for longer if he doesn't stabilise it, adding a five-minute jump to the future and back should fix everything. Amelia asks to come but the Doctor says it isn't safe saying he'll be back in five minutes

Amy and the Doctor shared a glance and a silent conversation, it really hadn't been five minutes, not even close to five minutes. But watching the video like this and knowing what would happen, that was probably for the best, she couldn't help but wonder if everything would have turned out alright if she'd travelled with the Doctor at 7? Would she have ever married Rory? Had River? Who knows how things would have ended up.

Amelia claims everyone always says that the Doctor asks if he looks like people saying to trust him as he's the Doctor

"You say your name like it explains everything." Rory said, all too aware of rule 1 – the Doctor lies – and he couldn't help but think back to the hotel with the (alien) minotaur where Amy's faith in the Doctor had almost got her killed. The Doctor shot him an understanding look, face dark, as she thought about similar things.

He jumps into the Tardis with a Geronimo! Amelia hears a splash before the doors close and the Tardis dematerialises. Amelia runs back to her room and packs a suitcase, not noticing one of the doors across from hers is now open. Wrapped up in a duffel coat and woolly hat, Amelia sits on her suitcase in the garden, waiting for the Doctor to return

The group watched as the Doctor disappeared apprehensively, they had an odd feeling it hadn't been five minutes – between knowing Amy hadn't travelled with the Doctor at that age, the conversations that had occurred throughout their time in the room and the Doctor's ability to pilot the Tardis it didn't seem likely.

The tension in the room rose again upon seeing the open door at the end of the corridor, no one missing the look Amy and the Doctor shared upon seeing it, they had a funny feeling they knew where Prisoner Zero was and it was not reassuring.

The group couldn't help but smile at seeing little Amelia pack her suitcase and get dressed so eagerly, sitting in the garden waiting for the Doctor to come back, it was an endearing sight. Rory particularly smiled fondly at the young version of his wife, personally he was quite glad the Doctor hadn't arrived back in time – he might have never gotten to marry Amy otherwise.

The Tardis rematerializes, steaming in the daytime with no Amelia in sight as the Doctor stumbles out. He's shouting for Amelia, declaring he worked it out and knows what he was missing, shouting that she needs to get out of there

Amy smiled fondly at the Doctor's worry. It was nice to know that she'd been his first thought and he'd come tumbling out of the Tardis in a panic to save her. The rest of the group was on edge, the Doctor's panic together with knowing he was late was only making them more worried about what would happen.

He runs into the hallway calling for her. He runs to her bedroom shouting that Prisoner Zero is there. A floorboard creaks behind him, and he gets knocked unconscious by a cricket bat as he turns to look

"Doctor!" A few people shouted at seeing the Doctor suddenly knocked out, especially after having their suspicions confirmed in regards to Prisoner Zero's location. Amy was trying hard to hide her grin from the group, not wanting to ruin the surprise, unnoticed by the group the Doctor shot her a wounded look, vaguely rubbing the back of her head like she could still feel the phantom pain.

In the coma ward of Royal Leadworth Hospital, a female doctor (Ramsden), and male nurse (Rory) walk through. Ramsden is disbelieving of Rory's claim that all the come patients spoke seeing as they are coma patients

"You're a nurse." Martha blinked having not made the realisation yet. Rory smiled a bit shyly (he was a bit concerned about how he was going to be conveyed). Martha smiled back brightly. "God to have another actual medical professional around. God knows this lot is accident prone, the Doctor especially." Rory laughed at that, he had a feeling he would get along great with Martha and made a note to search her out next break for a conversation. Both medics ignored the Doctor's spluttering protests.

Ramsden asks why Rory is wasting her time, Rory claims it's because they called for her. One of the coma patients says Doctor. Then they all are repeating Doctor

"Wrong Doctor, Nina." Clara muttered; concern obvious. It was never good when things were getting odd and no one was sure how the coma patients played into the equation but it didn't look like anything nice. She got a few glanced from the group at the nickname but no one wanted to ask.

Back in Amy's corridor, the Doctor wakes up to see a young woman in a skirted police uniform using her radio – adult Amy. She's describing the Doctor and asking for back up, saying she has him restrained. She tells him to sit still when she sees him wake up

"I thought you said you weren't police?" Bill asked confused. Rory and the Doctor's snickers only made her (and the rest of the group) more confused. Amy was shooting the pair glares that would have terrified anyone else and huffed before waving to the screen in a mimic of the Doctor's usual avoidance of answers, she didn't want to answer at that moment.

The Doctor works out he was hit with a cricket bat

"You deserved it for your obsession with cricket in your fifth face." The Master smirked from his corner, now that had been a Doctor he'd loved to annoy. He'd been part of their formation and had spent so long chasing the blond, sometimes he missed the Doctor's old regenerations (particularly ones from before everything went very bad, he had an especially soft spot for the Doctor's third face, not that he would ever admit it).

The Doctor glared at him; arms crossed with a humph but offered no comment.

Amy argues he was breaking and entering, he's cuffed to a radiator. The Doctor says he needed the whack on the head to help the new him

The group gave the Doctor bewildered looks, it was very typical Doctor behaviour if not slightly worrying. Yaz, Graham and Ryan couldn't help but think back to the Doctor getting hot against a wall by her newly made sonic device, she had seemed equally peppy about getting hurt back then too.

Amy tells him to shut up as she has back-up coming; the Doctor says she's a policewoman, asking what she's dong there and asking for Amelia

The room turned to the Doctor, with expressions almost pitying. "You didn't figure out that she was Amelia?" Rose asked, they'd all made the connection (although they did have help with having Amy in the room with them).

The Doctor frowned, watching the video now it did seem a bit more obvious. "I hadn't been expecting to be so late and find a grown-up version of Amy, I was expecting a little kid." She tried to explain.

Amy asks if he means Amelia Pond. The Doctor agrees, asking where she is as she promised her five minutes but the engines were phasing so he thinks he went too far, he asks if something happened to her

Amy was watching the screen, unable to deny the relief at seeing the Doctor so worried about her. She knew he hadn't meant to be so late but it was something else so see it like this.

Amy tells her Amelia hasn't live there in a long time – six months in fact. The Doctor declares he can't be six months late, he'd promised, again asking what happened to her. Amy talks into her radio again saying to hurry up as he knows something about Amelia Pond

"Were you purposely messing with him?" Rory asked his wife with a fond smile; he couldn't deny he was slightly excited to see the whole adventure instead of hearing about the large parts he'd missed.

"He'd broken into my house and looked identical to someone from over a decade ago! What would you do?" Amy argued quietly so that no one else would overhear. Rory raised his hands in surrender at his wife's argument, she raised a fair point.

In the coma ward, Ramsden is surprised as she didn't think they were conscious. Rory tries to tell her something else, but Ramsden cuts him off saying she'd heard, and he's a good nurse but they've been patient enough with him

"You've seen something weird and no one's believing you." Mickey declared knowingly. No one had ever believed his tales about the Doctor when Rose disappeared so he was all too familiar with that feeling. Rory nodded, glad that someone understood (although he got the feeling the whole group would, they all dealt with a special brand of weird, the Doctor being weird thing number 1).

Rory claims to have seen the coma patients outside wandering the village, Ramsden says they're under 24-hour supervision and he can't have. He tries to give her his phone, which is also a camera, but Ramsden's beeper goes off and she tells him to take some time off staring now

"You had evidence, and she wouldn't even see it." Donna snorted degradingly, that was just typical. Rory was just glad the group didn't even hesitate in believing him.

Back at Amy's, the Doctor demands to speak to whoever lives in the house now, Amy says she lives there and the Doctor protests saying she's police

The group just looked at the Doctor for several minutes. The Doctor looked back unblinking. Eventually Martha gave up and huffed at the Doctor. "Police are people too Doctor, they still have to live somewhere." The Doctor just smiled a bit sheepish; she'd been too focused on little Amelia to really be thinking properly.

Amy says yes, but she still lives there, asking if he has a problem with that. The Doctor asks how many rooms there are, telling her to count them as it will change her life

"Could you not just tell her instead of being purposely cryptic?" Clara raised an eyebrow.

"Hey! She was being cryptic too!" The Doctor protested but was ignored in favour of the group chuckling.

Amy counts five rooms. The Doctor corrects her to six, telling her to look where she doesn't want to, the corner of her eye, behind her

"Perception filter." Jack declared; he'd been wondering how Prisoner Zero had stayed unnoticed so long.

The Doctor nodded with a grimace, especially with the knowledge of what was going to happen next.

Amy declares it isn't possible, as the Doctor explains it's a perception filter on the door and he'd sensed it last time. Amy is distracted by the fact there's a whole room she'd never noticed as the Doctor continues to explain the filter stops her noticing, and there's something hiding there so she needs to uncuff him. Amy admits she lost the key

"You lost it? But how's the Doctor going to get out of the cuffs?" Yaz asked, she still wanted answers about Amy not being police but the whole situation was suddenly taking a kind of horror movie turn.

Amy just grinned with a shrug while the Doctor pouted, she was glad at least someone was thinking about her.

The Doctor asks how she lost it before telling her to stay away from the door, begging her to listen to her while she does exactly the opposite. He asks himself why no one listens to him, asking if he ha that kind of face

"Yes." River grinned. "You've had 14 faces that no one listens to." She did so enjoy teasing her wife.

Amy goes into the room which is empty with boarded up windows and packing boxes, as the Doctor asks about his screwdriver out in the corridor

"Anyone else getting horror movie vibes?" Bill asked. "No, just me, okay."

Amy declares there's nothing there, but the Doctor says whatever it was stopped her seeing the room so why would she be able to see it

"Oh yeah that's absolutely helpful. Well done, Spaceman."

The Doctor asks her to get out, and Amy comments on his screwdriver as she found it in the room. The Doctor says it must have rolled under the door, Amy adds, dubiously, that it must have also jumped on the table

"You need to get out of there now." Rose muttered. Like the rest of the group, she was on the edge of the seat, concerned with how things had suddenly got dangerous again. They kept glancing between the screen and Amy in the room to reassure themselves she was there safe.

The Doctor tells her to get out of there, Amy picks up the screwdriver which is stuck to the table with gunk

A few people made disgusted faces at seeing the gunk, but no one made any comments, the tension was too thick.

The Doctor is still shouting at her to leave, as a snake-like thing with sharp teeth slithers behind Amy

"That's Prisoner Zero?" Graham asked, turning to the Doctor and Amy who nodded with matching frowns. The Master, Jack and River were all scrolling through their mental index of alien species to try and identify it.

The Doctor asks what she's doing, as Amy claims there's nothing there. The Doctor reminds her about the corner of her eye, telling her to not try and see it as it will kill her. He tells her to not look but she turns around and stares it in the face, screaming

Amy grimaced at that, unable to deny it was at least partially her fault for not listening to the Doctor and just getting out. Plus looking back, it wasn't anywhere near the worst or weirdest things she'd seen, just the first. The tension in the room just increased, everyone's worry skyrocketing at seeing Amy in danger with the Doctor unable to reach them and no one else coming.

The Doctor shouts for her to get out, and Amy finally runs to the Doctor, where he grabs the screwdriver from her and locks the door before trying to free himself. He encourages the screwdriver, asking what the bad alien had done to it

Clara sighed, "I think you should be more concerned with the imminent alien danger than your sonic being on the blink." The Doctor looked unrepentant.

Amy asks if the door will hold it. The Doctor agrees sarcastically saying its an interdimensional multiform from space, of course they're scared of wood

"No need for the sarcasm." Amy rolled her eyes, she was calmer than most of the room (the benefits of knowing what was going to happen) and frankly, enjoying seeing her first adventure with the Doctor. She loved Rory and even their new life (most of the time) but she did miss the Doctor sometimes, he'd been such a big part of her life for so long it was weird to not have him in it now.

There's a bright light in the room and Amy asks what its doing. The Doctor doesn't know but tells her to run as she said back-up is coming so he'll be fine. Amy admits there's not back-up

"Because you're not actually police." Yaz said unsure. Amy nodded in answer.

The Doctor recalls her message on the radio, and Amy admits she was pretending as she's a kissogram

The whole group seemed to make the same 'oh!" expression at once. Their comments suddenly made far more sense. Amy was glaring at the group again, daring them to make a comment.

Amy takes off her hat, letting her read hair fall down. The door collapses to reveal one of the male coma patients with a black dog

"That's how you keep seeing the comma patients." Martha realised; her words aimed at Rory who nodded.

Amy tries to say it's just a person, but the Doctor tells her to look at the faces as the man barks

"That's kinda freaky." Bill frowned, leaning forward to get a better look at Prisoner Zero/the comma patient.

Amy is confused. The Doctor explains its one creature disguised as two – a multi-form but a rushed job as it got the voices mixed. He asks where it got the pattern from as it would need a psychic link – the coma ward where the patient it's mimicking has a picture of him with a dog at his bedside

"He's stealing the appearance of comma patients, allowing him to walk around town without being noticed." Rose summarised earing a proud smile from the Doctor.

The Doctor tells it to stay back, declaring they're safe as Amy sent for back-up. Amy reminds him she didn't call for back-up. The Doctor says he knows, it was just a lie to save their lives before correcting himself for Prisoner Zero saying they're not a threat as they don't have back-up

"Sorry Doctor." Amy grinned; she'd been so new to the whole thing it was kinda weird to see. The Doctor had been trying so desperately to get them out of there safe and she wasn't helping much. The Doctor just smiled back in understanding; it was easy to see how much Amy had changed when comparing the one in the room to the one in the video.

The Atraxi declare the human residence surrounded. Amy asks what it is, and the Doctor tells her it's back-up, once again correcting himself to say they're safe as they have back-up

"How did they only just find Prisoner Zero? Surely he couldn't have been hiding for however long you've been gone." Clara asked the question that seemed to be on most of the group's minds. The Doctor just smiled a bit ruefully but waved to the screen, she was sure she'd explain it later.

The Atraxi warns Prisoner Zero to leave the human residence or it will be incinerated. The Doctor corrects himself to say they're safe apart from the incineration

"Oh yeah, nothing to worry about there. Just a light bit of incineration." Donna snorted, didn't that just sound familiar.

The Atraxi repeats itself as the Doctor struggles to work the sonic to free himself – he finally does

The group smiled at seeing the Doctor finally free themselves, they had a better chance of getting away now they weren't literally chained to a radiator.

The Doctor tells Amy to run as the Atraxi repeats itself again

"Ah, the start of the running." Rose grinned with most of the group grinning too, it was definitely a staple when it came to the Doctor.

In the garden, the Doctor asks about the kissogram thing, asking why she was pretending to be a policewoman. Amy argues he broke into her house, so it was that or a French Maid, demanding for him to tell her what's going on

The group chuckled at that, the tension easing at seeing the pair out of immediate danger and bickering away. "Was my job really that important in that exact moment?" Amy complained, she really would have appreciated a better explanation though she'd long since given up on expecting that with the Doctor.

"Absolutely." The Doctor answered unashamed, grin bright on her face.

The Doctor explains it's an alien prisoner hiding in her spare room disguised as a man and his dog, while other aliens threaten to incinerate her house, adding does she have any questions. Amy says yes, and the Doctor says he does too. The Tardis won't let them in as its still rebuilding

"Great so no Tardis but lots of aliens wanting to kill you." Martha sighed, wasn't that just typical.

Amy tries to get him to move but the Doctor is distracted by the shed, which he smashed to pieces the last time he was there

"Oh yeah. How long were you gone? I mean I know Amy's grown-up now but..." Bill asked, question not needing to be finished. Amy and the Doctor shared a look before smiling and waving to the screen in sync.

Amy says there's a new one, trying to get him to move again. The Doctor is still distracted, saying the new one is old, twelve years old in fact. He's twelve years late

"Twelve years?" Jack whistled. "Wow, you really are a bad pilot."

"Hey!"

Amy says Prisoner Zero is coming, the Doctor asks why she said six months, saying it's important. Amy snaps back asking why he said five minutes, the Doctor is confused

"You still hadn't realised she was Amelia?" Rory asked, he would have thought the Doctor would have realised earlier.

"I was a bit busy with all the aliens and threats on incineration, Roman." The Doctor protested; she felt personally justified by her lack of recognition from her perspective of event in the video at least, but watching it from this view did make it more obvious.

Amy finally drags him away as he's still dealing with the revelation. The Atraxi repeating its threat

The room was getting more nervous at the Atraxi's threat, the further the pair got from the house. Something was sitting right for them, something was wrong. And not just with the whole escaped prisoner out to get them thing.

In the village lane, the Doctor says she's Amelia, and Amy says he's late

"Frequently." Amy muttered to herself, it hadn't been the last time the Doctor had been late, nowhere near.

The Doctor is distracted by the idea that she's little Amelia, asking what happened and then lingering in the fact that she hit him with a cricket bat. Amy, however, is just repeating he's late, by 12 years

"You're both very focused on this matter and I get that. But shouldn't you be at least a bit concerned for the whole alien threat?" Rose asked a tad awkwardly.

The Doctor and Amy shared a glance before answering in sync. "Nah." Rory just groaned at the pair; he really should have expected this upon their reunion.

Amy says twelve years and four psychiatrists, the Doctor asks why four, and Amy tells him she kept biting them as they said he wasn't real

"Feisty, I like you." Jack smirked flirtatiously at Amy who winked back.

"Oi! Married." Rory protested, earning a roll of the eyes from Amy.

"I like you two. I'm willing to share."

"Jack!"

The Atraxi's warning is coming from an ice cream van's speakers, and Amy declares they're being stalked by an ice-cream van

There were a few chuckles at that comment and the absurdity of it but the tension was starting to build again, that feeling of something being wrong was only getting stronger.

The Doctor asks what he's playing, but the ice man is confused as it's supposed to be Claire De Lune

"Doctor. Sweetie. Did you really think he was purposely playing that in an attempt to get people to buy ice cream?" River sighed in fond exasperation at her wife whose protests fell on death ears.

The warning is also on the radio, and people's phones, and iPods. Amy asks what is happening as the warning just keeps repeating

"I'm starting to think they don't mean Amy's house." Martha said worriedly. The glance shared between Amy, Rory and the Doctor only made her more concerned.

The Doctor barges into Mrs Angelo's home, an elderly lady fighting the tv remote as its on every channel. The Doctor apologises for bursting in but they're looking at faults in TVs in the area and crimes. He goes to look at the tv.

"You're just bursting into someone's house! That's how you got hit with the cricket bat lats time." Rose shook her head, exasperated. The Doctor never learned.

Mrs Angelo says its on every channel, and she was just on the phone about it. She greets Amy by name asking if she's a policewoman now. Amy says sometimes as Mrs Angelo declares she thought she was a nurse, or a nun. Amy adds she dabbles

The room was chuckling at Amy's uncomfortable state. Clearly the old lady knew her but not her job and no one was willing to admit that they wouldn't have told her either. Rory was smiling at his wife's situation while Amy just sighed, a small smile twitching at the edge of her lips.

Mrs Angelo asks Amy who her friend is. The Doctor asks about it being Amy and not Amelia now, citing it was a great name. Amy declared it a bit too fairy tale

The Doctor shifted uncomfortable, all too aware of how much she was to blame for that change. Amy had just repeated his own words back to him, twelve years later.

"But it was a brilliant fairy tale." Amy offered unusually soft at seeing the Doctor shift uncomfortable in her seat. The pair shared a silent conversation while the rest of the group looked away getting the feeling this was a very private conversation. Rory and River were the only ones who didn't look away, both far too involved to pretend otherwise.

"It always is." The Doctor muttered back equally softly, twinged with a deep grief.

Mrs Angelo feels like she knows him, saying she'd seen him somewhere before

"How would she have seen you before?" Ryan asked bewildered, the Doctor had literally only had that face for like half an hour and only met Amy. The Doctor just grinned far too amused while Amy groaned, she'd forgotten about that. Their reactions only confused the group more.

The Doctor agues it's a new face so she can't have, he asks Amy what kind of job a kissogram is. Amy says she goes to parties and kisses people while wearing outfits, the Doctor declares she was a little girl five minutes ago. Amy declares he's worse than her aunt, and the Doctor says he's the Doctor and he's worse than everyone's aunts, before adding that's not how he's introducing himself

"I'd hope not." Clara grinned while the rest of the group laughed at the Doctor.

On the radio the Atraxi's warning is coming through in every language – they're broadcasting to the whole world

"Definitely not talking about the house." Bill declared, nervously. That was really not good, the whole group was getting more and more nervous especially with their growing suspicions on what the Atraxi were threatening to do.

The Doctor looks out the window and Amy asks what he's looking for. The Doctor works out with the planet's basic molten core they'll need a 40% fission blast

The group all grimaced as their suspicions were confirmed, the Atraxi weren't focussed on the house or even the town – they were planning to incinerate the Earth, just brilliant.

A young man comes in as the Doctor keeps speaking. He says they'll need to power up first so assuming a medium sized starship that should give them twenty minutes

"Even better, a threat of incineration with a time limit, delightful." Martha announced with a sigh. The rest of the group seemed to share the same sentiment.

Amy asks twenty minutes until what. The young man – Jeff, asks if he's the Doctor. Mrs Angelo agrees, saying he'd the Raggedy Doctor from all of Amy's cartoons when she was little

The whole group started grinning as they realised what was happening. The Doctor was grinning wildly, and Rory was trying to hide his grin (he was in elbowing distance of Amy after all) while Amy tried to hide her blush by putting her head in her hands.

Amy whispers at them to shut up while the Doctor questions the cartoon thing. Jeff is stuck on the fact it's really the Doctor

"You made cartoons about the Doctor?" Jack grinned, very entertained by the thought. The rest of the group seemed to share the sentiment; they could understand the obsession though none of them would admit it.

"Shut up, I was a kid." Amy glared.

"That wasn't all she made." Rory grinned before the grin faded as he was elbowed in the side, hard.

Amy tells Jeff to shut up before asking about the time limit. The Doctor tells them the Atraxi aren't talking about Amy's house, they're talking about incinerating the whole Earth, they have twenty minutes until the end of the world

"You've just regenerated, came back twelve years late and now you have twenty minutes to stop the world being incinerated. Do you ever stop Doctor?" Rose asked, concern clear in her voice alongside fondness, not everything seemed to change despite the face change.

The Doctor just shrugged with a blank look; it was true she didn't stop. Stopping meant letting all her thoughts catch up to her and she didn't want that. If she was busy, she wasn't focusing on the past.

In space the giant eye is only one of many spaceships above

"Great, there's lots of them." Nardole muttered. Amy and Rory shared a glance they hadn't realised how outnumbered they had been, and things had got very close near the end.

The Doctor and Amy go out onto the road and the Doctor asks where he is, Amy informs him he's in Leadworth

"Leadworth? That's a change from London." Martha declared; she hadn't even really heard of the place.

The Doctor asks where the rest of the place is, Amy tells him the nearest city is Glouster half an hour away by car, which they don't have. The Doctor is unimpressed by the limited resources – they have twenty minutes to save the world, and he only has a post office, which is shut

"Lots to work with." Donna snorted. Amy and Rory shrugged, they'd both grown up there and even they could admit there wasn't much around.

The Doctor questions the duck pond they walk by, asking why there isn't any ducks. Amy tells him there never is, and why it's important

"I don't think that's important at the minute Doc." Graham said, he was far more worried by the threat of incineration in twenty minutes than the duck-less duck pond.

The Doctor clutches his chest as he declares he doesn't know, and he's not done yet. A disc covers the sun like a total eclipse as Amy asks why it's going dark

"That's not good."

"Not at all."

The Doctor tells her they're looking through a forcefield as the Atraxi sealed off the upper atmosphere in preparation for boiling the planet. He then comments on all the people coming outside to look and watch the end of the world through a video phone

"Oh lovely, that's how I'd always wanted to die." Bill snorted.

Amy declares it isn't real, pointing out he said he had a time machine. The Doctor points out she believed him then, Amy counters that she grew up

"You should never do that." The Doctor grinned at Amy who rolled her eyes at her.

The Doctor says you should never do that, then tells himself to shut up as he missed it. He thinks back to what he saw, moving past everyone looking at the sun to focus on Rory photographing people instead. The time is 11:30

The group watched fascinated at the insight into how the Doctor's mind worked, although only a few of them noticed what the Doctor had actually noticed. The tension was increasing again with the time limit counting down to certain doom and painful death.

The Doctor tells Amy they have twenty minutes to the end, and she can either run to her loved ones or help him. Amy says no and drags him to a car, slamming his tie in the door before taking the keys from the driver and locking it

The group burst out laughing at seeing the Doctor dragged around and then trapped again, it was completely contrary to what they had expected but seemed so in character for the fiery red head they started to get to now here in the room. Amy was cackling loudly at the Doctor's expression while the Doctor pouted, she'd been trying to forget about this.

The Doctor asks if she's crazy, Amy asks who he is. The Doctor tells her to look at the sky reminding her about the depleting time, and Amy is undeterred, telling him to talk quickly

The group watched the exchange in a mix of entertainment (mostly at seeing Amy dealing with the Doctor's dramatics) and worry (as they really didn't have the time to waste). It was interesting to see another introduction to the Doctor, both a different face and a different companion and overall, they were enjoying it despite the worry over the constant danger.

The driver – Henderson – asks for his car keys back calling Amy by name. Amy tells him to get a coffee, which he does

"Does everyone in town know you?" Rose asked upon seeing yet another person address Amy by name (and seem vaguely scared of the fiery Scotswoman).

"It's a small town, everyone knows everyone." Amy shrugged, with Rory nodding along next to her (everyone certainly knew Amy at least).

The Doctor tosses Amy an apple – one with a face carved in it, still fresh.

DOCTOR: I'm the Doctor. I'm a time traveller. Everything I told you twelve years ago is true. I'm real. What's happening in the sky is real, and if you don't let me go right now, everything you've ever known is over.

"You're so dramatic." River shook her head, but the fondness was clear in her voice. The group had perked up upon seeing the familiar apple, it was certainly good proof he was who he said he was, but Amy didn't look like the kind to just believe.

"But you love me anyway." The Doctor smiled, utterly besotted.

"Unfortunately." River teased while Amy rolled her eyes at her daughter's (equally) dramatic habits.

Amy doesn't believe him, the Doctor tells her to believe for twenty minutes, Amy unlocks the car asking what they're going to do

The group grinned at seeing Amy relent and free the Doctor, now they could finally start saving the world. Amy smiled softly mostly to herself, she hadn't been lying to the Doctor earlier, she didn't regret travelling with her, and she was very glad she had believed him then.

The Doctor declares to stop the nurse, running until he reaches Rory and grabs his phone, asking why when the sun is going out, he's photographing a man and his dog

"Oh." Ryan muttered having, like most of the room, finally figure out the reason the Doctor had been so focused on Rory. Rory was watching interested, things were making a lot more sense now seeing the full story. He was glad he'd helped save the world, even unintentionally as it had been.

Rory greets Amy, Amy introduces Rory as a friend, Rory corrects her to boyfriend, which Amy only semi-agrees with

Amy smiled at Rory who just sighed at his wife's behaviour, she really didn't change. The Doctor and River smiled fondly at the age-old dynamic between the pair, they were used to it, and it wasn't odd to them as much as it was to the rest of the group. The others in the room however were shifting a bit uncomfortable, especially Rose and Mickey, it was a tad too like their situation to be comfortable, but clearly, there much have been something different seeing as the pair were happily married.

Rory works out who he is, as the Doctor asks him to answer his question. Rory is shocked as he was only a story and game

"A game? Does everyone in the town know about the Doctor?" Clara laughed.

"Everyone knew about Amy, so everyone knew about her 'imaginary friend'" Rory shrugged with a small grin, he hadn't appreciated the danger they'd all been in at that moment, more focussed on the Doctor's sudden appearance. The rest of the group was chuckling while Amy glared at her husband.

Rory finally answers the Doctor's question – he's photographing the man and dog because he's in a hospital in a coma. The Doctor says the words alongside him

"If you knew, why did you ask?" Martha sighed; the Doctor really did never change.

"I needed the confirmation." The Doctor shrugged with a smile.

The Doctor had worked it out, as the multiform needs a live feed with a living but dormant mind. Prisoner Zero arrives and the man's face barks at them. Rory is confused that there's a Prisoner Zero too

The room grinned at Rory's bewilderment and Amy's annoyance; it was weird to think about the Doctor being someone's childhood 'imaginary friend' in a way, but it was certainly fun to watch the group's early dynamics. Although they were all still a bit nervous about the danger evolving. River was enjoying the video the most, she'd been told the story several times, but it was a whole other thing to actually see the story play out like this.

One of the spaceships come down (giant eyeball looking thing), and the Doctor explains its scanning for non-terrestrial technology. The Doctor uses his sonic (distinctly non-terrestrial) to make streetlights explode, car alarms go off, a woman's mobility scooter speeds off, and even a fire engine runs by on its own

"Doctor!" Several people berated upon seeing the poor woman in the mobility scooter lose control of it. The Doctor held her hands up in surrender.

The Doctor declares he thinks someone will notice, then his screwdriver explodes and the spaceship retreats as the Doctor shouts for it to come back as Prisoner Zero is there

"I don't think they're gonna hear ya, Doc." Graham announced, mixed between entertained at the events and concerned over the still present danger and time limit. The Doctor just sighed; she'd been so frustrated by her sonic dying at the worst moment.

Prisoner Zero leaves down a drain, as Amy points out what it did

"Literally going done the drain." Bill snorted at the odd sight.

The Doctor explains its hiding in human form, and they need to force it into the open with no screwdriver, no Tardis and only seventeen minutes. In the coma ward, Ramsden is talking to the patient – Barney – whose shaking as the multiform slithers into an air vent above Barney's bed

The group watched the video, tensions rising again, as everything seemed almost hopeless, and time was continuing to count down. They had no clue how the three had managed to stop the world getting incinerated in less than twenty minutes, but they must have seeing as the world hadn't ended then and everyone was alive.

Amy comments on it living in her house for twelve years. The Doctor says multiform can love for millennia, and Amy points out its suspicious that the Atraxi shows up again the same time he did. The Doctor explains the Atraxi were following him as they saw him in the crack and got a fix on him while looking for Prisoner Zero – they're late because he is

"I guess that's kinda good in a way, bar the multiform living in the house for that time. I mean, at least you didn't have to deal with this when you were seven." Yaz debated. The group was just glad for finally getting that explanation.

Rory asks what he's talking about, confused about how the Doctor's real as he was just a game from when they were kids, and Amy used to make him dress up as the Doctor. The Doctor demands his phone

The group started chuckling at that while both Amy and Rory groaned in embarrassment this time, they'd never thought anyone else would learn about their games about the Doctor when they were kids but now the whole room new and the Doctor was grinning wildly. Mickey and Graham were nodding in commiseration with poor Rory's bewilderment at the whole situation, they hadn't believed either but still gotten dragged into everything anyway.

The Doctor flicks through the photos on his phone, asking if they're all coma patients – the Doctor corrects him that they're all disguises for Prisoner Zero. Amy questions the dog with the Barney disguise

"Good question, what is with the dog?" Rose announced, pointing first at Amy then at the Doctor in search of an answer.

The Doctor explains the coma patient dreams he's walking a dog so Prisoner Zero gets a dog. The Doctor then demands a laptop, asking Amy's friend's name – not Rory, the good-looking one. Rory isn't impressed, he's even less impressed when Amy immediately says Jeff

There were snickers at the exchange as well as a few pitying looks at Rory who just sighed, far too used to the pair doing that to him. Amy just grabbed his hand and squeezed it with a smile, she didn't need to say anything for him to know how much she loved him.

The Doctor needs Jeff's laptop, telling Amy and Rory to get to the hospital and clear the whole floor and phone him when they're done. Rory is still confused by everything as Amy pushes him to his car

The group watched with grins at Rory was still utterly bemused by the whole situation but still went along with Amy while the Doctor ran off, the group was finally starting to look like they may actually save the day (thankfully).

Jeff is lounging on his bed with his laptop. The Doctor appears and demands the laptop, Jeff protests. The Doctor takes the laptop and sees what Jeff was looking at before telling him to get a girlfriend

The group burst out laughing at that, especially Amy and Rory who knew Jeff personally.

"You kinda deserve that Doctor for just bursting in and grabbing his laptop." Jack grinned while the Doctor nudged him in the side.

Mrs Angelo enters asking what he's doing. The Doctor explains the sun's gone wonky so there's a big conference call somewhere with all the world's experts panicking, and they need him. He finds the call, pointing out NASA, Jodrell Bank, Tokyo Space Centres, and Patrick Moore. Mrs Angelo likes Patrick Moore, and the Doctor says he'll get her his number

"Of course, you've met him." Mickey shook his head, who hadn't the Doctor met?

Jeff says he can't hack onto a call like that, the Doctor disagrees and does just that – he shows them his psychic paper as Patrick Moore asks who he is

"How are you going to convince them you are trying to help?" Clara raised an eyebrow to which the Doctor just grinned and wiggled her eyebrows making Clara sigh fondly.

The Doctor says hello and says to watch before they turn him off. He shows them Fermat's Theorem with real proof, never seen before. Then why electrons have mass, and other things. He tells them whoever he is, he's a genius and to look at the sun – they need all the help they can get so pay attention

The group watched with growing grins as the Doctor eased into their usual style and wowed a group of professionals all in search of saving the day in their typical (dramatic) fashion. It lifted their hearts to see the familiar behaviour even in a different face. Amy and Rory watched with wide grins, they'd missed this part of the adventure (although Jeff had mentioned what had happened) and it was great to finally see it.

Elsewhere, Amy and Rory run into the hospital. ON the call, the NASA representative asks the Doctor what he's doing. The Doctor explains he's writing a computer virus on his phone which he is going to send to all their computers, telling them to send it everywhere, asking if they have any questions

"A computer virus? How is that going to help?" Martha asked bewildered, it didn't seem very relevant to catching Prisoner Zero and stopping the Atraxi.

"You'll see." The Doctor answered with a proud grin. Amy and Rory who knew what the virus did were grinning along too, glad to be in the know for once.

Patrick Moore asks who his lady friend was as the Doctor tells him to behave. Another man on screen asks what the virus does, and the Doctor explains it's a reset command which will get into the Wi-Fi and reset every counter it can – clocks, calendars etc all will default to zero at the exact same time. He adds he could be lying and why should they trust him, but he'll let his best man explain – then whispering to Jeff he's his best man

"You're going to get their attention. Tell them where Prisoner Zero is." Bill declared, eyes wide in realisation. The Doctor nodded proudly with a large smile.

The Doctor tells Jeff, that in ten minutes he's going to be a legend and everyone on the screen will be offering him any job he likes, but first he needs to be brilliant an get them to trust him and get them working. Jeff asks why him, and the Doctor points out its him bedroom, now go. He runs out as Jeff gets ready to start, the Doctor pops back in to tell him to delete his internet history

The group chuckled at the last comment but were still mostly riding high on the Doctor's little speech. Having the Doctor's attention on you like that was an amazing thing and had inspired so many people over the years to do amazing things. Even those like Jeff who only briefly met the Doctor, they certainly left a lasting impression.

At the hospital, Rory realises something has happened as they can't get through, he suggests calling the Doctor. Amy does and tells him the situation, the Doctor tells her to look in the mirror. Amy remembers she's wearing a police uniform, asking if the Doctor's on his way and saying he'll need a vehicle

"Good thing you're still dressed like a police officer." Yaz grinned, she didn't mind having the uniform abused like that for extreme situations like this, there wasn't much more extreme adventures than the world almost ending (again). Amy grinned back; it was good to have her old job be useful for other things for once.

The Doctor has commandeered a vehicle – a fire engine

"You're such a child." River laughed upon seeing her wife on the fire engine. The rest of the group was also lasting, none of them could deny that childish urge that said it looked like fun.

Amy and Rory are in the hospital and run into the coma ward which is a mess. A woman with two girls meets them and starts saying there was a man with a dog, and Ramsden and the nurses are dead

The group looked down for a minute for the people who had died off screen because of Prisoner Zero. Rory was lucky, in a way, that he'd been sent home earlier. The group was all anxious to see how the final confrontation was going to end as time was still running out and they hadn't even found Prisoner Zero.

Amy calls the Doctor and tells him they're in but so is Prisoner Zero. The Doctor tells her to get out of there and the mother keeps speaking but its not actually the mother who is speaking

"Prisoner Zero's changed his appearance." Rose muttered worried, reaching the same conclusion as the rest of the room and Amy and Rory on screen. That was not good.

It's the kid with an adult's voice. Amy and Rory back away and Prisoner Zero realises they have the voices wrong again, opening their mouth to reveal their sharp teeth

"Fair reaction mate." Mickey nodded in commiseration to Rory who sighed, glad there were some semi-sane people in the room. He'd seen a lot since Prisoner Zero, but the alien hadn't been a nice or gentle introduction to all of time and space.

Doctor asks Amy what is happening over the phone. Amy and Rory run and bar the doors of the hospital wand with a broom

"They're a bit busy to spend time chatting, Doctor." Donna said, eyes never leaving the screen.

Amy explains they're in the hospital ward but Prisoner Zero is getting in. The Doctor asks what window they are to Amy's confusion

"You're not-?" Jack asked but his grin was growing on his face. The Doctor's answering grin told him all he needed to know, and he burst out laughing.

Amy tells him which window as the broom gives up and Prisoner Zero gets in. Prisoner Zero talks about watching Amy grown up, waiting for her magical Doctor to return but he won't this time. Amy gets a text from the Doctor saying to duck, which they do just in time for the fire engine ladder to crash through the window and the Doctor enters. He asks if he's late before answering himself – they have three minutes left

"Three minutes!" Martha blinked. "Cutting it a bit close Doctor." The Doctor shrugged; three minutes was nothing.

Prisoner Zero asks what his plan is, calling him a Time Lord

"Great, it knows what you are. That's usually never a good thing." Nardole grumbled.

"Shut up Nardole."

The Doctor tells Zero to take off its disguise and the Atraxi will find it, and no one dies. Zero argues the Atraxi will kill him, and if he is to die then let them all burn. The Doctor points out it came to Earth via opening a crack in space and time and to do the same to leave, Zero says they didn't open the crack

The group shifted suddenly uncomfortable, the feeling of something being wrong hit them full force. The crack was important for some reason and not in a good way.

The Doctor points out someone opened the cracks. Zero mocks the Doctor about not knowing where the cracks came from, before adding the universe is cracked, the Pandorica will open, and silence will fall

"What does that mean? Doctor, what does that mean?" Jack asked, tone suddenly serious. He'd heard a few rumours (it was hard not to) but nothing concrete and the things he had heard was worrying.

"It's okay Jack, we dealt with it all." The Doctor answered, equally serious. Her face was troubled, and her hands were fussing with her trousers.

"Doctor-."

"Leave it, Jack." The Doctor shared a long look with Amy, Rory and River they'd dealt with the cracks, the Pandorica and the Silence but all had been painful and brought up bad memories that none of them were prepared to get into at the moment. If it was important, it would be shown.

The Doctor ignores Zero, declaring they're off. The clocks all say 0:00. The Doctor explains that his team are working and spreading the word all over the world – the word being Zero. He suggests the giant spaceship in the sky might take that hint and be able to track the computer virus back to the source – the source which is the phone in his hand

"Clever." River smiled at her wife who preened at the compliment while the rest of the room snickered at the interaction. None of them would deny there were impressed with the Doctor, but none of them would admit it (t would make her too smug).

A bright light appears outside, and the Doctor declares he thinks they found them. Zero argues the Atraxi are limited and won't be able to detect them while they're in their disguise – they tracked a phone not them

The group who had been finally starting to worry less at the almost clear victory were suddenly concerned again - Zero made a good point.

The Doctor adds his favourite bit – the phone is filled with pictures of Zero and all its disguises which are being uploaded at that minute. He adds he's won with no Tardis, no screwdriver and two minutes to spare, saying 'who da man' before adding he's never going to say that again

"Please never say that again." Clara groaned. The Doctor said a lot of stupid things (like a lot) but there were some limits.

"Don't worry, no plans to." The Doctor smiled. The group was finally starting to feel like the situation was coming to an end, Prisoner Zero seemed trapped with no escape and in time just about.

Zero says they'll take a new form, and the Doctor argues it can't as it would take months to form a psychic link. Zero says they had years, and Amy collapses as the Doctor begs Amy to stay awake and hold on. Zero transforms into a gangly man with ripped shirt and floppy hair, and the Doctor is confused about who it is supposed to be (him)

The group had leaned forward in their seats as Prisoner Zero took the Amy and the Doctor's form feeling like they really should have expected s twist like this at the last minute. They were all glancing between the group on screen and in the room worried.

At the Doctor's words they all turned to face her confused. "Did you not know what you looked like?" Bill blinked; head tilted in confusion.

"Hadn't exactly had a chance to look in the mirror yet. Bit busy with the world almost ending." The Doctor pointed out. The group nodded their concession to that point.

Rory points out its him, and the Doctor asks if that's what he looks like, Rory is confused about him not knowing

"Bet that confused you." Graham nodded. The Doctor's comments about being a man had confused him upon their first meeting, he couldn't imagine how confusing this had all been for Rory who thought the Doctor was Amy's imaginary friend.

Doctor says it's been a busy day before asking why him if Zero is linked to Amy. Little Amelia comes out to hold Zero's hand saying it's not mimicking the Doctor but Amy who's still a child inside dreaming of the magic Doctor to save her. The Doctor argues she's dreaming if him because she can hear them, telling Amy to listen and remember the room in her house that she couldn't see and what she saw when she went inside, and to dream about that

The group was leaning forward in their seats as the tension increased once again, they were reaching the end (they hoped, they weren't sure what else could go wrong) and things were finally starting to look hopeful again.

Zero transforms to a perfect replica of their real form, the Atraxi locate Xero and Zero warns the Doctor silence will fall before they disappear

The room let out cheers at seeing Prisoner Zero disappear, glad that was dealt with finally, although they were all a bit unnerved by Zeros' last words, they really didn't like the sound of this Silence.

Rory points out the sun is back to normal which is good, as things are over, right? Amy wakes up asking what happened, as Rory tells her the Doctor did it. The Doctor says he didn't

"Eh, yes you did?" Rose argued, looking as confused as most of the group. Amy and Rory just rolled their eyes knowing what was coming next. The Doctor waved to the screen in answer to Rose's question.

Rory asks what he's doing, and the Doctor tells him he's tracking the signal back saying sorry in advance for the phone bill. The Doctor phones the Araxi citing article fifty-seven of the Shadow Proclamation, saying Earth is a fully established level five planet which they threatened to burn. He asks if they thought no one was watching, telling them to come back.

RORY: Did he just bring them back? Did he just save the world from aliens and then bring all the aliens back again?

There was a burst of laughter at Rory's summary of the situation and appropriate disbelief, both Mickey and Graham were nodding in commiseration once again. The rest of the group was grinning, bursting with excitement for the interaction they knew was about to come.

The Master, in his little corner, rolled his eyes at the Doctor's dramatics. Of course, he wasn't going to let anyone get away with threatening to burn his favourite little planet. He would never admit it but he was enjoying the chance to get to see the Doctor's faces he hadn't met properly (during his time as O didn't count) as annoying as it was to watch her with all the annoying human pets. He was justifying his enjoyment of the videos as a chance for information gathering (who was he kidding).

Amy asks where the Doctor is going – the roof, but first the locker room where he steals some clothes saying he's saving the world, so he needs a descent shirt. Goodbye raggedy, time for a show

The group watched excitement building. Several of them suddenly thought back to the group's comments about stealing clothes from a hospital which made a lot more sense now.

Rory is still stunned about the fact the Doctor summoned aliens back to Earth- real, deadly aliens – then he sees the Doctor taking his clothes off, and tells Amy about it

The room burst out laughing at poor Rory who couldn't seem to catch a break. Rory just groaned at his panic and the embarrassment at the Doctor undressing while Amy cackled.

The Doctor tells him to turn round if it embarrasses him. Rory asks if he's stealing clothes now, pointing out they belong to people. He then turns to Amy asking if she'd not going to turn around – she's not

That made the group laugh all the more, they were enjoying the dynamic between the three. It was an odd dynamic, but it did seem to work for them somehow.

On the roof the Doctor is wearing a new shirt with several ties around his neck as the Atarxi hover overhead. Amy asks if it was a good idea as they were leaving. The Doctor says leaving is good but never coming back is better, before turning to the Atraxi and declaring the Doctor will see them now

"How long have you been wanting to say that?" Clara sighed, shaking her head at his antic fondly. She was enjoying seeing her first Doctor again, as attached as she had gotten to her second. It was nice to see how he had regenerated and met Amy and Rory, but she couldn't help but compare it to his regeneration into Eyebrows with her.

"Who says I haven't before?" The Doctor grinned which only made Clara sigh louder.

The main Atraxi (giant eyeball thing) drops to the roof and scans the Doctor declaring him not from Earth, the Doctor agrees but says he put a lot of work into it, before focusing on which tie looks best

The group just sighed collectively at the Doctor's split focus. Though, truthfully, none of them were fooled, as distracted by the ties as the Doctor seemed, they all knew he was focused on the threat of the Atraxi.

The Atraxi ask if the world is important, and the Doctor counters with there's six billion people there but better question is if Earth is a threat to the Atraxi, reminding them they're monitoring the whole planet

The group watched excited and eager to see wat would happen. They could feel a speech coming and the Doctor's speeches were always dramatic but brilliant. The Atraxi had said something stupid and they were eager to see the Doctor deal with them.

The Atraxi says they aren't, so the Doctor asks if they've committed any crimes by the laws of the Atraxi, which is also a no
DOCTOR: Okay. One more. Just one. Is this world protected? Because you're not the first lot to come here. Oh, there have been so many.
(The projection shows the Daleks et al.)
DOCTOR: And what you've got to ask is, what happened to them?
(A run through of all the previous Doctors, then this Doctor steps through the projection with a jacket and bow tie.)
DOCTOR: Hello. I'm the Doctor. Basically, run.

"You're so dramatic." River announced but she was grinning wildly, just like most of the room. There was a reason so many people knew, loved or feared the Doctor. Seeing the Doctor like that was always a dramatic affair and so interesting and exciting to watch. Amy and Rory shared a glance, that had been their first proper introduction to the Doctor, was it really hard to believe they'd chosen to go with him?

The eyeball goes back to its ship, and they leave very quickly. The Doctor takes a glowing Tardis key out of his pocket as Amy asks if they're gone for good. The Doctor is already running out the hospital

"Doctor, you can't just run off like that!" Donna berated. The Doctor was good at running; to, from and into trouble but this was an extreme. He hadn't even answered any questions!

Amy grumbled, shooing a glare at the Doctor who offered an apologetic smile, she'd been really late – twice.

Back in Amy's garden, the Tardis is waiting for him. He asks what she has in store for him before looking round the new interior, which he definitely likes

The group watched the Doctor's expression upon seeing the Tardis, a bit frustrated to not get to see the new model themselves yet.

Amy and Rory arrive just in time to see it dematerialise

"Did you seriously leave without answering any questions or saying anything?!" Martha exclaimed, narrowing her eyes at the Doctor who looked very sheepish and guilty.

"Maybe?"

Some time later, at night, the sound of the Tardis wakes Amy up and she runs outside. The Doctor is standing by the Tardis and apologises for running off, but he got excited with the new Tardis, he hoped to the moon and back but she's ready for bigger now. Amy is stunned he came back

Clara glanced between the screen and group in the room before reaching a conclusion and turning to the Doctor to ask, "How long were you gone this time?"

The Doctor shrunk down in her seat a bit at the room's sudden attention on her, but she waved to the screen instead of answering.

The Doctor says he always comes back and asks if there's something wrong with that. Amy points out he kept the clothes he stole, the Doctor says he just saved the world again so yeah, sue him, he kept the clothes

"You have a massive wardrobe, but kept the clothes you stole from a hospital?" Rory pointed out with a raised eyebrow.

"I liked them." The Doctor shrugged, unrepentant.

The Doctor declares bow ties are cool after Amy comments on it

"No, they are not." Amy snorted, making the Doctor pout.

Amy asks if he's from another planet, and just accepts it when he says he is

"You're taking that very calmly." Rose smiled at the red head.

"Him being an alien made sense, and it didn't seem very crazy compared to everything else that happened that day." Amy shrugged but smiled proudly of herself.

The Doctor asks if she wants to travel with him, check out some other planets. Amy asks where, and the Doctor says wherever she likes. Amy informs him all the stuff with Prisoner Zero happened two years ago

"Two years!" Yaz blinked. "You're really bad at arriving back on time." The Doctor just pouted while the rest of the group grinned at the truth in Yaz's words.

The Doctor apologises for Amy's fourteen total years waiting, saying she's waited enough, asking if she'll come. Amy says no

The room blinked at that, for some reason they'd always thought everyone said yes straight away and yet they'd seen Rose say no first and now Amy, plus Donna had admitted to saying no the first time too and the current fam hadn't planned to travel with the Doctor originally but instead got taken along by accident. Rory especially was a bit shocked; he hadn't realised that Amy had originally said no.

The Doctor pointed out she wanted to come fourteen years ago and Amy argues she grew up. The Doctor says he'll fix that, opening the door and letting Amy in

"You're going anyway." Bill grinned, seeing Amy go in despite her words.

"Of course, I am." Amy grinned.

She takes in the new Tardis interior

The group watched fascinated at seeing yet another model of the Tardis, all doing the traditional thing of comparing it with the one they'd known. Amy and Rory grinned widely at seeing their version of the Tardis, although they were still annoyed at the Doctor's disappearance act (again).

The Doctor asks if she has any comments saying he's heard it all. Amy declares she's in her nightie

The group laughed at their subversion of the expected comments, they hadn't even really realised that Amy was in her nightie. Amy blushed at that comment, unable to forget that during their first proper adventure on Starship UK she'd still been wearing her nightie.

The Doctor tells her not to worry as there is plenty f clothes in the wardrobe. He then asks with all of space and time, where does she want to start. Amy states he's convinced she's coming, asking why. The Doctor says she's a Scottish girl in an English village and he knows how that feels

The group glanced at the Doctor concerned but the Doctor's eyes were determinedly focused on the screen, not looking away to meet their concerned gazes. There were so many layers to that comment, and no one was prepared to start peeling away at them quite yet.

Amy watched the Doctor for several minutes, she really hadn't understood how much the Doctor understood back then, it was only now looking back with all the information she had that she really got it.

The Doctor adds despite how long she's lived in England she still has her own accent, so she's absolutely coming. Amy asks if he can get her back for tomorrow morning. The Doctor declares it's a time machine so he can get her back for five minutes ago, asking what is tomorrow. Amy refuses to answer, saying there's nothing on

The group all narrowed their eyes at Amy, that comment and then the denial was suspicious to say the least. Now it was Amy's turn to avoid everyone's eyes. Rory squeezed their hands which were still joined, he knew what tomorrow was, but they'd discussed and gotten over that mess a long time ago, they trusted and loved each other.

A new sonic arises from a slot in the console and he thanks the Tardis, typing away on an old typewriter which is a part of the console

The group grinned at seeing the Doctor get a new screwdriver and happily typing away on the console like normal, it was a very familiar movement even if both the Doctor and the Tardis had a different appearance.

Amy asks why her, the Doctor counters why not. She presses the question, and the Doctor counters does he really need a reason? Amy points out people always have reasons; the Doctor asks if he looks like people – to which Amy answers yes

The room watched quietly as Amy countered the Doctor well for having just met them, usually it was a skill that took them a while to learn – when to chase answers and when to let things go. They couldn't deny they were also curious – why any of them? Was it really just they were there at the perfect moment? Or was it something more? After all the Doctor met a lot of people but not many travelled with them.

The Doctor declares he's been running around on his own for a bit, by his own choice, but he's started talking to himself all the time and it's starting to annoy even him. Amy asks if it's just because he's lonely, the Doctor promises it is

Amy narrowed her eyes at that, sensing it wasn't the complete truth now that she knew the Doctor better. Oh, she didn't think he was lying, just that he wasn't telling the full truth. But did it really matter in the end?

DOCTOR: So, are you okay, then? Because this place, sometimes it can make people feel a bit, you know.
AMY: I'm fine. It's just, there's a whole world in here, just like you said. It's all true. I thought. Well, I started to think that maybe you were just like a madman with a box.
DOCTOR: Amy Pond, there's something you'd better understand about me, because it's important, and one day your life may depend on it. I am definitely a madman with a box. Ha ha! Yeah. Goodbye Leadworth, hello everything.

The group grinned at the Doctor's acknowledgment, excited to see the start of the Doctor and Amy's adventures. Amy and the Doctor shared a smile, both thinking back to all the great adventures they'd been on, things they'd done and seen when it was just the two of them.

The Tardis takes flight, and we get a glimpse in Amy's bedroom where a wedding dress and veil are hanging on the back of the door

"You were getting married!" Several people exclaimed, the comment about being back for tomorrow suddenly making a lot more sense.

Amy just shrugged but had a small smile on her face at their shock while Rory just sighed exasperated with his wife. "Yes, I got back in time don't worry." Amy answered knowing full well that wasn't what the group had been asking and enjoying the power she suddenly had.

The Doctor just shook her head at Amy's antics before drawing the group's attention to herself. "Well, that was fun. Everyone ready to see what's up next?"

Chapter Text

The group watched as the screen turned black and the words 'The Doctor's Daughter' appeared on screen. Almost as soon as the group registered the words, they all turned to the Doctor, mostly in confusion. The Doctor's face was crinkled in thought, she wasn't quite sure what the video title could be referring too and she wasn't sure she wanted to watch this video (but like always she wasn't going to get a choice).

Martha and Donna, however, seemed to be the only people in the room who had an idea of what the video could be about, sharing a concerned look unseen to the rest of the group.

"Doctor? Do you know what this is about?" Amy asked, confusion obvious in her tone and on her face. Most of the group was aware the Doctor had children at one point but they'd never thought they'd hear or see anything about them.

"I'm not sure…" The Doctor said, expression concerned. There were so many things this video could be about and none of them would be nice to watch.

"Doctor." Donna started. Voice unusually calm and quiet, setting the Doctor on edge immediately. It took a few seconds for her to be able to meet Donna's gaze only to find Martha giving her a similar look which only made her all the more on edge. "Do you think this could be about Jenny?"

The Doctor's hearts froze and stuttered. Jenny. She hadn't even considered her youngest child who'd died so soon after being born. Based on the videos they had seen so far, that would make much more sense than going back to her original days on Gallifrey or most of her other ideas.

"I guess we'll see." She answered, schooling her face blank. The group all shot her a concerned look, most of them had no clue what they had been talking about with Jenny but based on their reactions it wasn't going to be a nice video.

Donna, Martha and the Doctor are hanging onto the Tardis' console

"That's worst than your normal piloting. And that's saying something." River raised an eyebrow at the clearly out of control Tardis. The Doctor pouted while Donna and Martha nodded enthusiastically.

Unnoticed to the rest of the group Donna and Martha shared another look – this was definitely going to be about Jenny.

They're getting thrown around

"Hand! Why do you have a hand in a jar!" Yaz exclaimed at seeing the jar, most of the group looked equally concerned/disgusted.

"Wait did you say it was yours?" Ryan added, having caught the last part of the Doctor's sentence.

Jack, Rose, Mickey, Martha and Donna were the only ones that knew anything about the hand and all had their own reactions to it. Jack and Rose looked mostly nostalgic upon seeing it, thinking back to their own travels with Pinstripes. Martha and Donna both were too worried about the video itself to focus much about the hand – it had been weird enough at the time but they were used to the Doctor's Doctor-ness at this point. Mickey just shook his head; he'd been around for all the nonsense with the hand (both it getting cut off and then the meta-crisis) and he'd been hoping to never have to deal with it again.

The Doctor focused on the rest of the group who had no idea about the hand. "Well, it's a long story involving a sword fight on Christmas Day and them Jack finding my severed hand and well, like I said long story." The Doctor tried to explain in a ramble before giving up when faced with the group's disbelieving looks. Those that knew the story were snickering at the rest of the group's expressions.

Martha explains the hand

"Like a lizard!" Bill announced looking far too excited. The Doctor hid her hands under her legs, suddenly nervous Bill might try to experiment.

"It was only because I'd just regenerated. I can't normally." She quickly explained, not wanting to give any one any ideas.

Donna and the Doctor argue about him being impossible

Donna sighed loudly and dramatically, rolling her eyes at the Doctor while Martha grinned. "Not the point, Spaceman."

Bang as they land

"So, you two were travelling with him?" Clara asked Martha and Donna. It would explain some things as they had seemed to know each other before arriving in the room.

"No." Martha snorted. "Donna was travelling with him but I'd helped deal with an incident on Erath and the Tardis essentially kidnapped me." That earned a few raised eyebrows but no further comments, they'd heard weirder.

They're in a tunnel

"Why does the Tardis bring us anywhere she does?" Amy snorted. Everyone knew the answer to the question though – because someone needed help.

Martha and Donna discuss the excitement of the  adventure

The pair grinned at each other, despite the adventure being unplanned they'd enjoyed each other's company. The rest of the group were also grinning, all of them understanding exactly what the two were talking about – they all got a similar feeling no matter how long they had travelled with the Doctor. The Doctor just smiled softly at the group; glad they were getting on.

People arrive with weapons pointed their way

"Why does that happen so often? Like we arrive somewhere and usually end up being threatened at some point." Bill asked the group collectively.

"It's absolutely the Doctor's fault." Rose announced.

"Yea – Hey!" The Doctor protested as she realised what Rose had actually said, making the group burst out into giggles.

They're to be processed as they have clean hands

"That does not sound good." Ryan declared.

"Yeah, what does your hands being clean have to do with anything, Doc?" Graham asked, adding onto his grandson's words.

"Just watch, please." The Doctor muttered in answer, eyes never leaving the screen as she realised what was about to happen. Donna and Martha shared a concerned glance, they both knew exactly what was about to happen.

The Doctor's arm is put in a machine

"What are they doing? What does the machine do?" Mickey asked face crinkled in thought. He wasn't liking the looks Martha and Donna were sharing. No one answered his question, the Doctor just waved back to the screen.

The machine hurts

"Doctor!" A few people exclaimed at seeing the Doctor with his arm trapped in the machine and clearly hurting. The group was glancing worriedly between the screen and the Doctor in the room.

"I'm alright." The Doctor reassured, smiling at their concern before focussing back on the screen.

A tissue sample is taken and then accelerated, the Doctor is released

Jack, River and the Master looked thoughtful, slowly putting together the clues in the video title and what was happening on screen together. None of them voiced their ideas but both River and Jack glanced concerned at the Doctor – the way she, Donna and Martha reacted to the video suggested it didn't end well. The Master had a thoughtful look on his face mixed with some pity and understanding, he was the only on to have known the Doctor's first family and children and knew the pain of losing your children all too well himself.

The rest of the group just looked puzzled by the machine but relieved the Doctor had been released.

A young blonde woman emerges

"What the-? Where did she come from?" Rory asked blinking at the woman just appearing out of the machine.

Donna, Martha and the Doctor shared a glance before the Doctor answered. "Please just watch, I'll explain soon I think."

She is handed a rifle

The group shifted suddenly nervous about seeing the armed group grow and still having no answers. No one made a comment, the tension in the room rising as the group waited on an explanation.

She's the Doctor's daughter

"What!" Half the group seemed to exclaim at once, glancing quickly between the group in the room and the screen.

"I think we're going to need more of an explanation than that Doctor." Amy demanded, not leaving any options.

The Doctor still hesitated before sighing and giving in. "It's a bit like asexual reproduction – there is only one parent. They take samples of cells, my cells in this case, and rearrange them and make a person rapidly. Basically, kinda, well – yeah that's what happens. Mostly."

She got a few exasperated looks for the end of her explanation but the group was more focussed thinking back on Donna, Martha and the Doctor's initial reactions. The video title made a lot more sense now but they had a sinking feeling in the pits of their stomachs that it wasn't going to end well – between the trio's reactions and the fact they had never met or heard of the girl before.

She says hello

"Is it just me or doesn't she look a bit like Rose's daughter might?" Jack said, eyeing the Doctor, who was looking anywhere but him, Rose and the screen.

"Jack!" Rose hissed, blushing. She couldn't deny that she'd had that thought too, that this girl looked like the child of her and the meta-crisis Doctor (who had started going by Corin) but she would have never said it.

She's a soldier

The group shifted uncomfortable again, it was very weird and unsettling seeing the Doctor's 'daughter' as a soldier when the Doctor was well known for hating guns and soldiers.

Technically his daughter, he doesn't clarify

"Why do you always do that?" Clara sighed exasperated with the Doctor's antics which apparently never changed.

"What?"

The Doctor explains

The Doctor nodded along with her on screen exploration while the rest of the group watched on, mentally comparing the two explanations (and Doctors).

The Hath come and shots are fired

"Hath?" Jack asked, he recognised the name. "I didn't think they were particularly aggressive?"

"There's exceptions in every species, but most of this mess was built on misunderstandings." The Doctor answered, expression dark with thought in remembrance of what the misunderstanding had lost her.

Donna and Martha shared a glance which didn't go unnoticed by Jack who was already worried by the Doctor's darkened expression.

They see the Hath as they take cover

"That's an … interesting look." Bill said. "Not that I'm judging!" She added quickly. The Hath were an interesting species but hardly the weirdest any of them had seen.

The Hath grab Martha

"Martha!" Mickey exclaimed, glancing worriedly at his wife next to him. Most of the room had turned to her with concerned looks upon seeing her get separated from the others, as if they were checking she was still safe with them.

Despite knowing they were okay; it was always worrying to see one of their own in trouble on screen. Martha just smiled, nudging Mickey slightly in reassurance, she was happy to see that everyone was worried about her. They were all really starting to bet to know each other, spending time chatting during breaks and it was nice to know they cared about her.

They blow up the tunnel

Martha smiled softly at the Doctor; she couldn't deny the joy at seeing him so worried about her on screen. They'd had their troubles during their travels (both with their relationship and due to where they landed in the Tardis) so it was always relieving to know the Doctor really had cared for her (even if not in the way she wanted at the time). The Doctor offered her own smile back, understanding shining in her eyes.

They run

The group shot another round of concerned looks at Martha upon seeing the roof come down.

The group argues about Martha's loss, Donna and the Doctor aren't happy

"Thanks Donna." Martha smiled at Donna, glad for the defence from the fiery ginger. She's got on so well with Donna during the occasions they'd met and she'd considered the other woman a close friend before she lost her memories, but it was nice to see Donna defend her so soon after their first meeting which was only (during the Atmos mess just before this).

"It's was true then and still is now." Donna smiled back, firm in her defence. She really did like Martha, and one benefit of getting her memories back was getting a real friendship back with the other woman.

Doctor and Donna are taken to the General

"When does the Doctor ever make sense?" Yaz grinned.

"Yaz!" The Doctor whined while the rest of the room laughed and nodded in agreement. The rest of the group were starting to rub off on her current companions, and she didn't like it (she did).

Martha is with an injured Hath

"Been kidnapped and just woken up but you still go straight into Doctor mode." Mickey grinned besotted at his wife who just grinned back. Donna and the Doctor had both perked up at seeing Martha and the Hath, they'd never known the full story and were very interested to see Martha's side of everything.

Martha helps them

"Feels like a shoulder?" Donna snarked, good naturedly, grin prominent on her face.

"What else was I supposed to go off of?" Martha grinned back.

Martha takes control

The group sighed in relief at seeing Martha safe and in her element. They'd all gotten nervous upon seeing all the weapons aimed at her but were glad to see the injured Hath intervene to protect Martha. Mickey grinned proudly at her wife while Martha just rolled her eyes at her husband's behaviour but couldn't hide a grin.

Back with Donna, the Doctor's daughter doesn't have a name

The group shifted uncomfortable at the reminder of the Doctor's new daughter who only apparently knew how to fight, not even having her own name.

"That's all she knows?" Amy looked troubled; this was starting to remind her too much of her daughter's situation. Little Melody was raised to kill the Doctor and here all the Doctor's daughter knew was how to fight.

The Doctor's face was equally troubled. "They were grown in the machine rapidly as soldiers so are imbedded with military tactics and fighting skills." Amy nodded, distracted with her own thoughts, that did nothing to reassure her.

Donna names her Jenny

The group smiled at Donna glad to see the girl get a name, they were all a bit concerned with the way the Doctor was acting but no one knew what to say about it.

In the corner, unnoticed to almost everyone, the Master snorted degradingly. Raising an eyebrow at him, the Doctor initiated contact across their dormant mental link. "What?"

"Jenny? Not a very Time Lord name, though I shouldn't expect anything better from a human naming it."

"Jenny was not an it. And it doesn't matter, she liked the name and that is all that mattered, Susan was the same." The Doctor faded off slightly at the end at the reminder of Susan, who preferred the human name to her actual name. She didn't mention that despite being grown from her cells, Jenny hadn't been a Time Lord (or whatever she actually was).

She felt the Master hesitate, both for the mention of Susan and the way she had referred to Jenny in the past tense, no matter their current relationship they both knew all too well the pain of losing their children. And knew the pain the other had gone through, knew the other's children. There were a small number of topics they never touched even during their worst fights and their lost children was one of them.

"Your family has always had a way of ignoring Time Lord convention." The Master finally settled on, possibly the most neutral but also nicest thing he could say to her at the moment. This was one thing he was not going to mock her for.

The Doctor protests being a parent

The group glanced between the screen, and Donna and the Doctor in the room with them, they weren't liking where this was heading or the Doctor's behaviour. The Doctor's expression was dark upon watching the interaction on screen, she'd tried so hard to deny her connection with Jenny until it was too late. Donna just looked sad, glancing at the Doctor with almost pitying looks. Martha on the other hand understood more than the rest of the room but still looked a bit confused.

The protests continue

"Okay, that's enough! What's up with you?" Rose turned on the Doctor, fed up of their behaviour on screen, especially when faced with Jenny's innocent reactions. The rest of the group seemed to agree, fixing hard eyes on the Doctor in the room, eager for an explanation. The only ones not watching the Doctor like that was Donna and the Master. Jack and River both looked on the fence, they wanted answers but they already suspected what answers they would get.

The Doctor eyes the group, assessing, she knew they all wanted answers (they always did) but was she prepared to give them? (usually, no). Base don how they were watching her, she knew she wouldn't get out of this without some kind of answer. Taking a deep breath to steady herself she started, "I've had children before and the pain of losing them is something I wouldn't wish on anyone. If I opened my heart to Jenny, what were the chances it wouldn't get broken again?" Her voice was soft and seemed to take the anger out of the group, their expressions softening.

The younger members of the group (Yaz, Ryan and Bill) understood the least but those like Jack who knew the pain of losing children too, understood all too well. He reached out and pulled the Doctor sideways across their sofa into a hug, the pair silently mourning their lost children and grandchildren, offering comfort to each other. The rest of the group had glanced away, feeling that they were watching something so private. The sinking feeling in the pit of their stomachs only got heavier, they all suspected that Jenny didn't get out of this alive and they figured that Donna probably wouldn't let the Doctor get away with this behaviour for much longer.

They discover they're on Messaline

"That doesn't sound promising." Nardole muttered. A few people glanced at him but didn't say anything, they'd all been thinking the same thing.

Lots of people are dead

The room gaped at the level of dead, so many generations deceased and now Donna, the Doctor and Martha were in the midst of everything and separated, because things couldn't get worst. Donna, Martha and the Doctor shared a glance, that may generations made it seem like the war had been going on for a long time but perceptions could be deceiving.

Donna and the Doctor make sarcastic comments

"The pair of you are so sarcastic and sassy together." Clara sighed fondly at the pair who grinned wildly.

Martha snorted in agreement, having been one of the few to truly experience the chaos the pair created. "Heavens know how the universe is still standing when faced with the pair of them."

They're underground

"Good question." River nodded thoughtful, that had been bugging her too. She could swear she'd heard something about Messaline but couldn't quite remember why.

They meet General Cobb who decides they are from a pacifist group

"I love it when they provide a backstory for you without any prompting." Bill grinned.

"It's definitely always helpful." Yaz nodded along with Bill, also grinning.

The Doctor searches for answers about the Hath and the war

"Are you finally going to get some answers?" Rory asked the Doctor and Donna. He, like most of the group, was already eager for answers (like what happened with most of these videos). All they'd heard was they were at war with these Hath, and were using machines to grow generations of soldiers.

The Doctor and Donna shared a glance before nodding. "Kinda. Remember there's always several sides to a story." That did not reassure the group.

The Hath have a similar room

"So, the Hath are doing the same with the machines?" Graham asked Martha, as she had been the one taken by the Hath. Martha nodded in answer. The group were relived to catch a glimpse of Martha, still safe with the Hath.

Cobb describes the war and history

The group listened carefully to Cobb's side of the story, they were already thinking that not everything he was saying was the truth based on what they'd seen so far and what the trio had said in the room.

The surface is dangerous. Donna notices numbers on a plaque

The Doctor grinned proudly at Donna, no matter what she said to the contrary, Donna would always be amazing. She asked all the right questions, the important ones that led to the truth when they had actually been able to answer them.

Countless generations have gone by, they live to fight

The group shifted uncomfortable with Jenny's declaration; it would be bad enough coming from anyone but from the Doctor's (essentially new-born) daughter? It was terrible. They really weren't liking the way anyone was acting or what was being said, things seemed to be about to escalate badly. It didn't help that no one was actually answering the pair's questions, they were just avoiding and talking about everything being lost to time.

Martha is shown a map

"At least you got a map." Mickey pointed out to his wife who nodded, honestly watching this, she almost preferred spending the time with the Hath then Cobb.

So are the Doctor and Donna

"Okay, so you're both getting to see a map. That's good." Ryan declared; it was always nice to get your bearings during this kind of mess.

The Doctor wants to find Martha

Martha smiled at the Doctor, glad to know she was still the Doctor's priority. They'd both been trying so hard to meet back up despite the chaos going on around them. The Doctor smiled back, in some ways not travelling together had been the best thing for their relationship, it had given them both the distance needed to realise and deal with their feelings (Martha's crush and the Doctor's grief at Rose's loss).

Donna protests the machine being used on her

The Doctor waved triumphantly at Donna, she'd had her own reasons for not wanting to get close to Jenny, but she was eager to point out that Donna hadn't liked the idea either. Donna just rolled her eyes at her, ready to argue that it was an entirely different matter (Jenny was already alive, she was protesting the procedure), but the video continued before she could (to the relief of many in the room).

JENNY: You're no better than him. I have a body, I have a mind, I have independent thought. How am I not real? What makes you better than me?

The room shifted uncomfortably, they kind of agreed with Jenny, but most of them were 21st century humans and seeing Jenny grown so quickly in the machine was weird.

They're looking for the Source, the Doctor is curious

"You're so excitable." River shook her head at her wife, who just smiled up at her unapologetic.

It's a creation myth

"It's probably not a good idea to call it a myth to the people who believe it." Jack raised an eyebrow pointedly.

"That sounds like you know from experience." The Doctor argued back.

"Wouldn't you like to know."

The Doctor plays with the map as Cobb keeps talking

"You've decided the myth was nonsense and started messing around. Typical." Rose rolled her eyes at the Doctor's behaviour. She'd known this Doctor well and was very familiar with their behaviour, even after she wasn't travelling with him.

"It wasn't nonsense, there's usually some good information in myths, but extreme believers like Cobb aren't the kinda people you can argue with." The Doctor shrugged; she'd paid attention but their was a lot of non-useful information surrounding the vaguely useful information.

The Doctor reveals more tunnels on the map

Several people just sighed exasperated with the Doctor, who was so happy with himself for finding the tunnels. It was good to know, as it gave them more options for getting to Martha but it was such typical Doctor behaviour.

They appear to Martha too

"Well, that explains that." Martha grinned at the Doctor.

Cobb orders them to move out, the Doctor protests the fighting

"Okay, that escalated quickly." Amy raised her eyebrows at the screen. None of them were liking Cobb's attitude but this had gone from winning a war to straight up genocide. The group was glancing at the Doctor out of the corner of their eyes, there was no way they were going to let that happen.

DOCTOR: Then you need to get yourself a better dictionary. When you do, look up genocide. You'll see a little picture of me there, and the caption will read, over my dead body.

The Master snorted in his corner, smirking. "There's another reason for your picture to be there, dear."

The Doctor glared at the Master; hands clenched as she tried to avoid flinching at the Master's accusations. The rest of the group glared at the Master; they were constantly trying to forget he existed but the Time Lord made it very hard to do.

Doctor and Donna protest

The Doctor got a few looks for her comment on screen but most were getting nervous as things were building quickly. Cobb was going to war and the Doctor was about to be put in a cell and Martha was still missing with very little idea of the trouble coming her way. Things weren't looking good.

They protest being called a couple

The group spluttered a few laughs at the pair's rapid denials, both of them in the room pulling faces at the very thought.

"Priorities, Doctor." Clara shook her head.

Amy added on to Clara's words. "Shouldn't you be protesting the jail thing and not your relationship?"

Donna and the Doctor shared a look, before turning to the room at large. "No."

Cobb declares he has an army as the Doctor says he'll stop him. Cobb asks what the Doctor has on his side

"Friends."

"A sonic screwdriver."

"Sarcasm."

"Experience."

"A life."

"A brain."

The group offered answers, some more serious than others. None of them liked Cobb and were all eager to take a chance to mock him (even though he was on screen and none of them would ever meet him).

The Doctor and Donna are locked up, Jenny is sent with them

"Awkward." Bill sang quietly. It wasn't quiet enough as the rest of the room heard her and several people snorted in agreement. Between the Doctor ignoring Jenny, and Donna being there, things were absolutely going to get awkward..

The Hath celebrate as Martha fears she started a war

Martha sighed in relief, glad to know she wasn't actually responsible for the war suddenly escalating. The Doctor and Donna had given her an overview of everything from their side but it was good to actually see the full story. Half the room gave her understanding looks, they'd all been there and thought they'd done something terrible.

Donna notices more numbers

The Doctor grinned at Donna again, proud of her for realising the numbers were important and then not letting go of that thought. She was so much more brilliant than she thought she was.

The story is a myth but its based on something real

"That's usually the way it usually ends up." River nodded along with the Doctor's theory. As an archaeologist she knew that better than most people, so many stories that were passed along through time and became myths usually had some basis. The Doctor smiled at her wife, all too aware of River's train of thoughts.

DONNA: So the Source could be a weapon and we've just given directions to Captain Nutjob?

The rest of the group nodded along worried with Donna's declaration, turning to the Doctor worried about her answer. The Doctor just smiled at them, "In this case we were lucky it wasn't exactly a weapon, but they already had enough of those to cause trouble." Her expression turned troubled at the end of her sentence. Donna and Martha shared a sad look, all too aware of what kind of trouble Cobb had caused, the irreparable damage he had done with the weapons he already had.

The others however were unaware of that, and missed the look Martha and Donna had shared, so they were relieved to know they hadn't just given directions to a weapon.

They need to escape and stop the war

The group was nodding along with the Doctor's plan, smiling fondly at the familiarity of the adventure (bar Jenny). When the Doctor started asking about Jenny watching her, the room glanced between the screen and the Doctor – also curious why she was watching them.

Doctor protests Jenny calling him a soldier

The Master was cackling in his corner, "Oh my dearest Doctor, she's figured you out perfectly so quickly. She's really your kid, you should be proud." The Doctor shot him a glare but only met a raised eyebrow. She turned her gaze to the floor; she'd been so uncomfortable with Jenny's accusations as they'd hit too close to the truth. She'd been trying to run so hard from her past as a soldier during the Time War but it just kept coming back to haunt her no matter what she did and how far she ran.

The rest of the group watched uncomfortable, stuck between glaring at the Master (on principal) and enjoying the sight of Jenny reading the Doctor so well. It was tinged with the knowledge of the Doctor's past as a soldier, which did take away some of the enjoyment, but it was still entertaining to watch the Doctor deal with his daughter.

Donna encourages Jenny

The group snorted at Donna's enjoyment of the situation, but couldn't deny they would be the same in the situation. It was always fun to see the Doctor ruffled and thrown in these kinds of situations, when the danger wasn't immediate.

The Doctor sonics Donna's phone and calls Martha

"Took you a while to think of that." Martha raised an eyebrow teasingly at the Doctor who just sighed, feeling very attacked at the moment.

"First of all, it wasn't like we'd had much time before. Second, I didn't want Cobb to know we could communicate. Third, you could have also called me." The Doctor argued, a pout on her face (which she would deny if anyone said anything).

"I'll agree to your first two points but I only have the Tardis's phone number which is unhelpful in this instance, I didn't have Donna's, so your last point is mote." Martha smirked, enjoying teasing the Doctor and the good spirits for the small time they would last. The Doctor just pouted more.

Martha answers the phone

"I think they should be asking about that seeing as you are the one that got kidnapped." Rose pointed out, to which Martha just shrugged.

The Doctor vaguely explains Jenny

"You were really struggling with Jenny, weren't you?" Amy asked the Doctor softly, understanding her struggles in some way. Her issue was almost the opposite, she hadn't known who her daughter was for so long and then discovered her baby had been taken to become a weapon. While the Doctor was struggling to accept their daughter despite knowing who she was.

The Doctor just nodded; expression sad but understanding the underlying message in Amy's question.

They compare notes on the fighting

"At least you know about the trouble now though." Rory said. It was better to be aware of how terrible the situation was then to get surprised and have to deal with it completely unprepared. Not that any of their preparations usually worked, it was just the principal of things.

10 tells Martha to not move and stay safe

The room turned on the Doctor. "You know there is no way she's just going to stay there knowing there's trouble brewing, right?" Clara raised an eyebrow.

"I don't think any of us would just stay there and do nothing." Bill added pointedly, the rest of the group nodding along. Martha smiled, glad for the defence while Donna just shook her head at the Doctor's stupidity.

Martha declares she can help

"Oh Martha, I never doubted that. I know you could help, you're brilliant at helping. I was just worried, especially after you got separated from us." The Doctor focussed on Martha; expression guilty as she realised what her words had suggested to Martha. She'd been so focussed on the mess with Jenny and the war, and worried about Martha that she hadn't realised how it all had sounded. Something she had often done with Martha as she was starting to realise.

"Thank you, Doctor." Martha answered softly. She'd definitely doubted it at the time, mostly with her history with the Doctor but watching the video like this, spending time with everyone was making her more comfortable and self-assured with her relationship with the Doctor (not that she was anything less without that, that was something important she'd learned after her time with the Doctor).

Her phone dies

Half the group sighed and shook their head at the Doctor's stupidity. Of course, Martha's phone died right at that moment, the universe seemed to ate the sometimes.

Cobb leads his army

The group watched Cobb start his preparations for war nervously, the reminder of the feeling of something being wrong building again – this was not going to end well.

The Doctor declares Jenny belongs with Cobb, Donna argues

"You tell him Donna." Mickey cheered, Donna smile wavered however. She was conflicted about pushing the Doctor to actually accept Jenny. It was absolutely the right thing to do, but it had caused the Doctor so much pain in the end.

Donna listens to Jenny's heart and makes the Doctor do the same - two hearts

"She's a Time Lord?" Yaz asked, blinking at the Doctor whose expression had turned dark again.

"Not really, more like River than anything else." The Doctor answered, thoughts stuck on the fact that despite Jenny having two hearts, she hadn't been Time Lord (or whatever she was) enough to save her in the end.

River gave her a soft look, squeezing her hand in comfort. The dreadful suspicion of Jenny's ultimate fate was only getting stronger with each comment and she had very little idea how to actually comfort the Doctor on this matter. During their time on Darillium the Doctor had had some nightmare about her lost family and she'd always struggled to comfort her after them. The only kind of experience she had with this kind of grief was with her own parent's loss of her, she'd never had the parent's side of things.

Donna asks if she's a Time Lord then

"A Time Lady technically, but gender is irrelevant. Human languages don't really have the pronouns to express anything but your boring two or three genders. You're a very backwards species." The Master rolled his eyes at the offended sounds some of the humans made.

"I hate him." Bill started. "But he's unfortunately kinda right."