(Jared's POV)
Clara's bedroom…
It is the day before Christmas in Clara's new home, with a staircase and front door. All the decorations are up and that very rare meteorological event for London - snow in December - can be seen through the windows. A crash and a sudden heavy fall of snow past the bedroom window wakes Clara and I.
"Argh!" Santa said, while bells jingle. "Moron! Numbskull! Elf!"
"That's racist!" Ian yelled.
"Of course it's not racist, you are an elf." Santa said, nearby.
Clara gets out of bed while I got out of my sleeping bag. The brunette puts on a dressing gown as I am already in my pajamas. I open the door onto the flat roof between three sides of the roof, which has a skylight in the middle. Clara's bedroom has the only entrance to it from her attic bedroom. There are wrapped presents and small orange fruit scattered all around. Three figures are looking at a sleigh standing on its end against the roof.
Clara's roof…
"Chimneys?" Santa asked.
"I'm sorry!" Ian cried.
"I'm just checking that you can see these massive chimneys."
"I, er, they, they're hard to miss."
"Well, as you've clearly demonstrated, Ian."
"Donner! Donner and Blitzen. Come on down. Down here, boys." Wolf said.
There are three members of species Rangifer tarandus flying around, bells jingling on their harness, and one has a glowing red nose.
"Going from hanging out with Tari and Theo to this." I said, looking at Santa and his elves. "I don't know if this is an upgrade or a downgrade hanging out with Weiss' grandfather."
"A downgrade. Weiss' gramps looks different there than here, Jared."
"Good boys, good boys. Good boy. Rudolph?" Wolf asked, looking at the reindeer.
"Just, just clear all the tangerines up. Pick 'em up. All of them, Ian." Santa said, annoyed.
"You know no one really likes the tangerines, don't you?" Ian asked, as I know that this is Dan Starkey out from under the Strax makeup.
"How dare you! That's my signature gift. That and the walnut."
"Down here, boys, come on. Come. Rudolph?" Wolf asked, and his name is embroidered on the back of his jacket.
Ian looks up from gathering tangerines, "Er, sir? We've been seen."
"Hello." Santa said.
"Hello." Clara said.
"Hey." I said, grabbing Clara's hand.
"Hello, ha ha!" Wolf said, excitedly.
"Hello, humans." Ian said, looking between Clara and I.
"You can't call them humans."
"It's not racist. They don't mind."
"Hush up, both of you. Oh, sorry about this, children. We are just three passing, perfectly ordinary roof people, doing some emergency roof things. Carry on. Merry Christmas. If, if it is Christmas, I mean. Heh, heh. I don't much care for things like that, myself. Pfft. I mean, Christmas." Santa said, laughing.
"Are you Santa Claus?" Clara asked.
"Me? No. Oh, no. It's ridiculous. Heh, heh. No, no, no." Santa said, while Clara sees the reindeer fly past behind him.
"Rudolph! Rudolph! Down here now!" Wolf said, worried.
"All right, fine, yes. Yes, it's me. Ha! Guilty. How did you recognise me?" Santa asked.
"You know how you grew that beard as a bit of a disguise? People have picked up on it."
"Okay. No. Hang on. Stop. Shut up. What? Seriously, you, you're Father Christmas. You're Weiss Schnee's grandfather. You're real here like you are on Remnant." Clara said, squeezing my hand.
"Of course I'm real in both realities." Santa said.
"How could he not be real?" Wolf asked.
"I get Remnant since it's a world filled with fairy tales." I said, looking at Santa. "But I forgot Santa could be real here too."
"Huh? How do you both think those presents got under the tree every year? By magic?" Santa asked.
"Well, we thought it was our mums and…." Clara said.
"Mums and Dads?" Ian and Wolf asked, at the same time.
"It had to be Clara's parents for her and my parents for me." I said, looking down at the ground. "They had to save money to be able to give us what we wanted for presents."
"Ho, ho!" Santa said, excitedly.
"Well, of course it was." Ian said.
"I mean, it makes perfect sense." Wolf said.
"Yeah, your mums and dads, one day a year, for no particular reason, just out of the blue, suddenly decide to give you, Clara, and give you, Jared, a great, big pile of presents." Ian said, looking between Clara and I.
"No, no, no. Because they love you so much. It's a lovely story, dears."
"Yeah, but it's time to start living in the real world, yeah?" Ian asked.
Santa has got his notebook out, "Okay. Right. Clara Oswald. Mostly favours travel books, science kits, strict ban on hair products. Marginal for the naughty list, '93. Tut, tut, tut. Believer until the age of nine. And Jared Shay. Right. Mostly video games, anything electronic, strict ban on clothing. Marginal for the naughty list, '08. Tut, tut, tut. Believer until the age of nine too. Why did the both of you stop?"
"Because you're a fairy tale. I grew out of fairy tales." Clara said, sadly.
"Same." I said, frowning.
"Did you, Clara, Jared? Did you really?" Santa asked, letting out a sigh.
The Tardis materialises next to Clara's roof door.
"Clara, Jared, I want you both to step inside the Tardis." The Doctor said, exiting the TARDIS. "I don't want either of you to talk, I want the two of you to do as I ask. Please."
"That was good, with the box." Ian said, happily.
"Hmph. Not often we get upstaged on a rooftop. Hmm." Wolf said.
"Yes, I'm really here. I'm back. Now get inside the Tardis." The Doctor said, as Clara and I obey silently and shut the door. "I know what this is. I know what's happening, I know why Jared left Silica City, and I know what's at stake."
"I don't think you do, Doctor. But I promise, before this Christmas Day is done, you will be glad of my help." Santa said.
"Happy Easter." The Doctor said, going into the Tardis.
"Ooh, brutal!" Wolf cheered.
"Cool exit line, though." Ian said.
"Be sure to save some room for a tangerine, Doctor." Santa said.
"Nobody likes the tangerines." The Doctor said.
Tardis…
"I'm really back here. This is, this is real, yeah?" Clara asked.
"Yeah. This is real." I said, and the Doctor started setting coordinates. "The first season of Meta Runner was rough."
"Doctor? Talk to me. I never thought I was going to see you again. What is going on out there? What's happening?" Clara asked, while the time rotor starts spinning overhead. "Oh, that noise. Never knew how much I loved it."
"There's something you have to ask yourself, and it's important. Your life may depend on it. Everybody's life. Do you really believe in Santa Claus?" The Doctor asked.
"Do you know what? Yeah. Right now, here, I think I do." Clara said, smiling.
"Whatever I thought wasn't possible. It's now possible." I said, happily. "I absolutely believe in Santa Claus."
(Open POV)
Corridor…
On a massive icesheet, with green aurora borealis shimmering on the horizon, is a cluster of huts and vehicles with caterpillar tracks, and a satellite dish. Inside, a young woman is wearing a headset with a mini-cam and looking very nervous. A woman speaks to her through her earpiece.
"You are now twenty feet from the infirmary. In a moment, as soon as you're ready…" Ashley said, over the speaker.
Control room…
They have her on a monitor, and are recording the feed. The place is full of screens and illuminated keyboards, also dangling light bulbs and some easy chairs.
"We'll disable the security protocols." Ashley said.
An older Scots woman speaks.
"Your neural link is good and holding. We stand ready to abort and extract at the first sign of an anomaly." Bellows said.
The man in charge - Michael Troughton, son of the second Doctor, Patrick, speaks.
"We're going to be with you…" Albert said.
Corridor…
"...every step of the way, Shona." Albert said, over the speaker.
"We're all depending on you…" Ashley said, over the speaker.
Control room…
"And we know you won't let us down. Shona, I'm opening the door." Ashley said.
Auto door lock system 036-8514//412 DR07 PURGE.
Corridor…
"I need the toilet!" Shona said, worried.
Control room…
"No, you don't. We're monitoring your bodily functions." Bellows said.
"And how are you monitoring that? Cos that's rude!" Shona said, over the speakers.
Corridor…
"That is perverted." Shona said.
Control room…
"Do you remember my briefing, Shona?" Albert asked.
Corridor…
"Yeah. Well, no. I remember some of it." Shona said.
Control room…
"Some of it?" Ashley asked.
"How much?" Bellows asked.
Corridor…
"Till he put his hand on my knee." Shona said.
Control room…
"…and then I was just grossing." Shona said, over the speaker.
"It was intended as a comfort." Albert said.
"For whom?" Bellows asked.
"All I could see was his nose, with all the little hairs coming out of it." Shona said, over the speaker.
Corridor…
"Have you seen those? It's like he's got insects trapped up there, all trying to escape with their wee, wiggly legs." Shona said.
Control room…
"Okay. Let's just go through this again." Ashley said.
Corridor…
"There are four sleepers inside the infirmary. You're fine, so long as they don't wake up." Ashley said, over the speakers.
"She's in range." Bellows said, over the speakers.
Control room…
"Shona, I'm unsealing the infirmary." Ashley said.
Corridor…
"From now on, everything you think and feel, everything you see, will be available to them." Ashley said, over the speakers.
Control room…
"Most of it's fine, like traffic noise when you're sleeping, so long as you don't think about them." Ashley said.
Corridor…
"So long as you don't look at them. So don't think about them…" Ashley said, over the speakers.
Control room…
"Don't look at them." Ashley said.
Infirmary…
Beep and the doors slide open. There are figures on the beds covered in sheets.
"I thought there was going to be music." Shona said, sadly.
"We've got your playlist…" Bellows said, over the speakers.
Control room…
"Ready to go." Bellows said.
"Focus on the words of the song, try to remember what comes next." Ashley said.
Infirmary…
"That will work like interference." Ashley said, over the speakers.
"Here comes your earworm." Bellows said, over the speakers.
Merry Christmas Everybody by Slade starts playing.
Control room…
"Keep your eyes on the floor." Ashley said.
Infirmary…
"Shut them, where possible." Ashley said, over the speakers.
"Are you hanging up your stockings on the wall?" Slade asked.
Control room…
"Focus on the music and move forward through the infirmary." Ashley said.
Shona closes her eyes and moves to the beat.
"It's the time that every Santa has a ball. Does he ride a red-nosed reindeer?" Slade asked, while Shona hums and goes into a dance. "Does a ton-up on his sleigh?"
"Do the fairies keep him sober for the day?" Slade and Shona asked, at the same time.
"Oh, dear Lord, she's not actually…" Bellows said, scoffing.
"If dancing works, it works." Ashley said, happily.
"This is insane." Albert said, annoyed.
Infirmary…
"So here it is, Merry Christmas, everybody's having fun." Slade and Shona said, at the same time.
Control room…
"This is working." Ashley said, happily.
Infirmary…
"Look to the future now, It's only just begun. Are you waiting for the family to arrive? Are you sure you've got the room to spare inside?" Slade and Shona asked, at the same time.
Warning Exterior door. Low temperature past this point. 01-180-2. The locking wheel starts to turn, then it opens. Shona, who is on her knees playing air guitar, screams.
Control room…
"Shona? Shona, what's wrong?" Ashley asked.
(Jared's POV)
Infirmary…
"We've, we've got ghosts!" Shona said, terrified.
"Ghosts?" Ashley asked, over the speakers.
"Yeah, yeah. It's a skeleton man and a couple in nighties."
The Doctor, Clara, and I enter. Clara has sensibly gained a parka and sheepskin booties. I am wearing a heavy blue winter jacket and sneakers. The door closes behind us.
Control room…
"Oh. Right." I said, as we look at the figures on the beds. "I forgot about them."
"Doctor? Jared?" Clara asked, on the monitor.
"No, no, no, you're making me think about them." Shona said, on the monitor.
Infirmary…
"Don't make me think about them!" Shona said, worried.
"What are they?" Clara asked.
"Spoilers." I said, and the figures start to sit up slowly. "I, um…"
"Look. Just don't ask, yeah? And don't look. Don't make me think about them." Shona said, sadly.
The sheets fall from the figures' faces to reveal blank slimy carapaces.
The Doctor scans them with his screwdriver as they get out of bed, "Deaf. Blind. How can they see us? How do they even know that we're here?"
"They can only see you, yeah, if you see them. So just, so just don't look, don't even think about them." Shona said.
"Oh, telepathic. They can home in on their own image in someone else's brain. Third-party perception. Mind piracy. We're being hacked." The Doctor said, his eyes widening.
"What does that even mean?" Clara asked.
The Sleepers are all standing.
"The visual input from your optic nerve is being streamed to their brains. Stop broadcasting. Close your eyes." The Doctor said.
Clara and I obey. The images of the alien heads stretch and morph.
"They're still coming, aren't they?" Clara asked.
"It's because you're still thinking about them. So long as you retain them as an active memory, they can still home in. Think about something else." The Doctor said.
"How?" Clara asked.
"Saw you. In a dream Are you who you seem?" I asked, singing.
"Why is she and Jared singing?" Clara asked, looking between Shona and I.
"Was it always in the cards for me. To be aimless?"
"They're running interference. They're trying to distract themselves." The Doctor said, his eyes widening. "Three hundred and four minus seventeen."
"Sorry, what?" Clara asked.
"Jared's singing a song from RWBY. He's thinking about his family. That's his comfort zone. Don't worry about him, worry about us." The Doctor said, sadly. "Do the math, Clara. Plus twenty. Just do it!"
"Five hundred and seven." Clara said.
A crack like a mucus filled maw open in the carapaces.
"Minus fourteen, times four." The Doctor said.
"One thousand nine hundred and seventy two." Clara said.
"Stop being so good at arithmetic."
"I can't help it!" Clara cried.
"Danny Pink! What is Danny Pink up to right now? He's probably flirting with your neighbour or texting women of low moral character."
After seeing Danny in her mind, Clara opens her eyes and slaps the Doctor's face, hard. The Sleepers, who are now very close to us, close their maws.
"Don't you dare. Don't you dare say that." Clara said.
"You don't have the right to say that to her." I said, walking up to the Doctor to shock him, hard.
"I was only…" The Doctor said, looking between Clara and I. "Jared, you didn't have to shock me."
"I did. Why did you think I ran away to Silica City? I've been bottling this up for months, Doctor. Danny Pink is dead."
The Sleepers growl.
"No, he's not." The Doctor said, looking at me.
"He's dead. Danny Pink died, and I couldn't change that outcome." I said, letting out a lot of tears. "I wish I could have. There was one fan fiction I read years ago where someone managed to save Danny Pink. So Danny and Clara could still be together. I wish I was able to do it too, but I couldn't."
The infirmary door opens and the rest of the crew run in with very, very big guns.
"Go, run, now, now, now!" Ashley said, angrily.
The Doctor turns to grab Shona, "Come on, quick, quick, quick, come on!"
Something like a glutenous spider drops down on a thread of mucus from the ceiling.
"Here they come!" Albert said, terrified.
Then lots of them.
"No!" The Doctor said, worried.
One heads squarely for the Doctor's face. A big explosion which destroys the exterior door. A tangerine rolls in from the snow, followed by a troop of varicoloured slinkies and toy robots. Rudolph rears up, with Santa on his back, viewed through the hole where the exterior door used to be. Santa dismounts.
"Whoa, whoa! Ah! Good boy." Santa said, walking into the infirmary, followed by Ian with a balloon toy, and Wolf with an air gun. "Well, now. What seems to be the problem? This is the North Pole. We don't want any trouble here."
Rudolph bellows.
"Hey, Rudolph." Santa said, using his car key fob to 'lock' Rudolph. Beep! "Easy, son. Oi! Sleepy heads! It's Christmas Eve, early to bed."
Santa claps his hands and the Sleepers return to their beds.
"Who the hell are you?" Ashley asked.
"Oh, take a guess. Go on, push the boat out. Tooth Fairy, maybe? Easter Bunny?" The Doctor asked.
"Shut your mouth, wise guy, or you get yours." Ian said, holding a balloon animal.
"It's a balloon animal." Wolf said, holding a toy gun.
"That's a toy gun."
"Yeah, well, at least it's unsuitable for children under four. Parts small enough to swallow, so watch out."
"Why did the world of Meta Runner make more sense than this?" I asked, crossing my arms.
Santa sighs.
"Now, this is ridiculous. Am I, am I dreaming?" Shona asked.
"Oh, very good." The Doctor said, happily.
"I need to know exactly who you are, and what's happening here." Ashley said, looking at Santa.
Santa gently points Ashley's gun away from his midriff, "Hello, Ashley. Lead scientist on a polar expedition. Oh, that microscope really paid off, didn't it? Now, your mum and dad wanted me to get you a toy one, but sometimes, I take a chance."
"Who are you? Why are you dressed like that?" Ashley asked.
"Why do you think?" Santa asked.
"Come on, this is mental. This is totally not happening." Shona said, scoffing.
"I got three words, Shona. Don't make me use 'em."
"What three words?"
"My. Little. Pony."
"Shut up, you." Shona said, annoyed.
"Yeah? I've got lots more, babe." Santa said, smirking.
"I will mark you, Santa." Shona said, making claws of her hands.
"Was Shona into Pinkie Pie or Applejack?" I asked, walking towards Clara.
"She was more into Fluttershy." Santa said, looking at me.
"Fluttershy? Really?"
"Shut up." Shona said, sadly.
"Okay, Doctor, Jared, are one of you going to explain? What is going on?" Clara asked, looking between the Doctor and I.
"It's an invasion, Miss Oswald." Santa said.
"An invasion of, of what, elves?"
"Whoa! That is racist." Wolf said, annoyed.
"Elfist!" Ian said, angrily.
"Yeah. Which is a bit hypocritical, from someone of your height." Wolf said, and he is ever so slightly taller than Clara.
Santa fetches a large transparent specimen container 16367//KB from his saddlebags, "Huh? You seen them before, Doctor?"
"I've heard of them." The Doctor said, frowning.
"The Kantrofarri." Santa said.
"Colloquially known as the Dream Crabs."
"Yeah. Depending on how many of those are already on Earth, the human race may well have seen its last day. So, are we going to stand about arguing about whether I'm real or not, discussing which pony from Friendship is Magic Shona was into, or are we going to get busy saving Christmas?" Santa asked.
"Oh, ho, ho! Santa goes badass!" Ian cheered.
"He's giving me the feels." Wolf said, happily.
"Shut up. That's a, that's a verbal warning. Please, stop it." Santa said, annoyed.
Laboratory…
"Is it dead?" Clara asked.
"Um…" I said, while the Doctor and Ashley are looking at the Dream Crab in the container. "Uh…"
"It's okay, Jared." Clara said, walking over to me to hug me. "You don't have to answer."
"I don't know. Possibly." The Doctor said.
"I'm assuming extra-terrestrial." Ashley said.
"Oh, definitely."
"Then how can you have heard of these things?"
"Guess."
"Because you're extra-terrestrial, too."
"Do you believe that?"
(Open POV)
Control room…
Shona is interviewing the three newcomers in an alcove. Santa has got a mug of drink. Ian is flicking through his smart phone.
"If you are Santa…" Shona said, looking at Santa.
"Mmm hmm." Santa said.
"What are you doing here?"
"It's the North Pole. And I own it."
"He means the actual pole." Ian said, happily.
"It goes right through the middle of the workshop." Wolf said, smiling.
"I've got a selfie with it."
"Show her. Look at Ian."
Ian holds out the phone with the photo on it.
"The North Pole isn't an actual pole." Shona said, letting out a sigh.
"Course it is. Look." Ian said.
"If it was an actual pole, it would not be stripy."
"It's got to be stripy." Wolf said, scoffing.
"Otherwise, you couldn't see it moving round." Ian said, annoyed.
"Mmm. It's actually basic physics."
(Jared's POV)
Laboratory…
"Why's it called a Dream Crab, for a start?" Ashley asked.
"So, why not come up with a theory?" I asked, grabbing Clara's hand.
"Because it generates a telepathic field."
"And? What else?"
"Alters perception."
"So, what does that mean?"
"I seem to be doing all the work here." Ashley said, annoyed.
"Meaning we can't trust anything that we see or hear." Clara said, squeezing my hand.
"Go to the window." The Doctor said.
"Why?" Ashley asked.
"Because it gets worse."
Ashley looks out at an incongruous blue Police [public call] Box, "What is that?"
"That's how Clara, Jared, and I got here." The Doctor said.
"In a box?" Ashley asked.
"Technically, in a telephone kiosk."
"How?" Ashley asked, laughing.
"Because it's a spaceship in disguise. You know what the big problem is in telling fantasy and reality apart?" The Doctor asked.
"What?"
"They're both ridiculous."
(Open POV)
Control room…
"It's Christmas Eve!" Shona said, angrily.
"Yeah. You don't have to tell me that." Santa said.
"Yeah, well, then why aren't you out delivering presents?"
"Technically, I am."
"Well, you're not. You're stood right there."
"Oh, Shona, grow up, love."
"Yeah, do the math, baby." Ian said, smirking.
Shona takes notes.
"There's not just one Santa delivery team. How could there be? There are five hundred and twenty six million four hundred and three thousand and twelve children all expecting presents before tomorrow morning. So, hmm, that's twenty two million children per hour. It's impossible! Obviously, I've got a second sledge." Santa said.
(Jared's POV)
Laboratory…
"So we don't know what is real and what isn't?" Clara asked.
"Pretty much." I said, sadly. "I don't even know whether whatever I did in Silica City was real or not."
"Are we in danger?"
"Maybe."
"Oh, we are well way past danger, Clara, Jared. If I'm right, and I usually am, we're dying." The Doctor said, looking between Clara and I.
"Then how do we stay alive?" Ashley asked.
"I like you. Straight to the point. I want you to show me how you first encountered those creatures, and what happened to those people in the infirmary. I notice you all wear mini-cams, so I assume that there is footage." The Doctor said.
"Is it possible I'm about to work with someone who might be a dream?"
"If it helps, so am I."
"We have footage on the drives. I'll see what I can pull up." Ashley said, happily.
"Ashley, what's this polar base for? Why are you all here?" The Doctor asked.
"It's a long story." Ashley said, leaving the room.
"What you said about Danny. Unacceptable." Clara said, looking at the Doctor.
"I know. Clara, I had to flood your mind and Jared's mind with random emotion." The Doctor said, looking between Clara and I.
"Random?"
"Clara, you and Jared never told me he was dead. You said he made it back."
"Well, I lied. I lied, so you'd go home to Gallifrey instead of fussing about us." Clara said, and I looked down at the floor.
"I lied. I didn't go to Vacuo to hang out with Team RWBY. I ran away to Silica City to not think about what happened to Danny." I said, letting out a sigh. "Still, you found Gallifrey, Doctor. Good job."
"I never found Gallifrey. I lied, so you'd stay with Danny, Clara. And Jared, I knew you went to Silica City. You're not exactly quiet." The Doctor said.
"So we're dying, then?" Clara asked.
"Yes."
"Why?"
"Oh, complicated."
"How long do we have?"
"No idea."
"Just. Doctor, give me and Jared something to do."
"Trust nothing. Accept nothing you see. Whatever happens, interrogate everything."
"In case it's a lie." Clara said, while I looked up at the Doctor.
"In case it's a lie, right?" I asked, laughing a lot.
"In case it's a lie." The Doctor said, looking between Clara and I.
Control room…
"Reindeer can't fly. They just can't." Shona said, scoffing.
"No. No, they can't. It's a scientific impossibility. That is why I feed mine magic carrots." Santa said, happily.
"Shona? Are you okay?" I asked, walking over to Shona.
"Yeah. Yeah, yeah. I'm trying to talk sense into er, Beardy-Weirdy." Shona said, frowning.
"You don't seem much like a scientist." The Doctor said.
"That's a bit rude, coming from a magician."
"Why are you out here? What brought you to the North Pole?"
"Long story, isn't it?"
"You missed the killer question."
"Sorry, what?"
"Beardy-Weirdy."
"Yeah?" Santa asked.
"How do you get all the presents in the sleigh?" The Doctor asked.
"It's bigger on the inside."
"Like the TARDIS?" I asked, taking out chocolate chip cookies out of my sling bag.
"Ooh!" Wolf chirped.
"Doctor?" Ashley asked.
Professor Albert is gnawing on a turkey drumstick, "Sorry. Starving."
"What am I looking at?" The Doctor asked.
The monitor says Headcam: Carter.
"Footage from a week ago. A side expedition from our main mission." Bellows said.
"What is your main mission?" The Doctor asked.
"Long story. Ice cave directly beneath this base. Now, look at what we found." Bellows said, as a cluster of Dream crabs hanging amongst icicles. "Dormant at first."
"Until you looked at them too long. Till you thought about them." The Doctor said.
"Exactly."
"Sleeping. Probably been down there for centuries."
"And it wakes up when you think about it?" Clara asked.
The Dream Crab twitches in its container.
"They can detect their own mental picture in any nearby mind." The Doctor said.
"That's Bellows' theory." Ashley said.
"It's like it responds to the presence of any data concerning itself." Bellows said.
"Oh. That was always the legend. You think about a Dream Crab, a Dream Crab is coming for you." The Doctor said.
"You know, they creep me out." I said, and the Dream Crab twitches the container off the table, and it breaks. "No wonder I wanted to delay this one."
"This is where it gets really nasty." Albert said.
"Only now?" Clara asked.
A Dream Crab descends onto the headcam and it goes into static.
"Okay, then what?" The Doctor asked.
Bellows switches the image to the infirmary, with them putting the Sleepers into bed. Albert's drumstick is a never-ending feast.
"They're a bit like Facehuggers, aren't they?" Albert asked.
"Face huggers?" The Doctor asked.
"You know, Alien. The horror movie, Alien." Albert said, smiling.
"There's a horror movie called Alien? That's really offensive. No wonder everyone keeps invading you." The Doctor said, scoffing.
"First, they just slept. Couple of days, just lying there." Bellows said, sadly.
"And then they became aggressive." The Doctor said.
"If we got close enough, yeah." Ashley said.
"It would take the Dream Crab a little while to take control. Depends how much of the host brain was…"
"Was what?"
"Digested."
"Are they still alive under those things?"
"Depends what you call alive." The Doctor said, frowning.
"Are they suffering?" Ashley asked.
"No. No, no. no, no, no. The Dream Crab induces a dream state. Keeps you happy and relaxed, in a perfectly realised dream world, as you dissolve. Merciful, I suppose."
"Compared to what?" Albert asked.
"Compared to that turkey leg you keep eating. Could you rewind for me? I'd like to see them dormant again. Clara, Jared, could you fetch me the dead one?" The Doctor asked, looking between Clara and I.
"Maybe we could fetch you a cup of tea while we're at it." Clara said, grabbing my hand.
"A cup of tea and some jelly babies." I said, squeezing Clara's hand.
"Ooh. Yes, and a punch in the face and being shocked to death, too." The Doctor said, smiling.
"My very next suggestion." Clara said, smirking.
"Same here. Clara will punch you and I'll shock you to the point of regeneration." I said, laughing a lot.
"Fair enough." The Doctor said.
Laboratory…
Clara steps on shards of broken glass.
"Clara, it's empty." I said, seeing that the table is empty. "This is bad."
"Doctor?" Clara asked, seeing part of the broken container on the floor.
"Let's find it." I said, going underneath the table with Clara to look at it closely.
The Dream Crab and another Dream Crab descend from the ceiling. Clara and I gasp.
(Open POV)
Control room…
"What's wrong?" Ashley asked.
"We're thinking about it. Clara! Jared!" The Doctor cried.
(Jared's POV)
Laboratory….
"One hundred minus forty two is three hundred and fifty eight times three is one thousand seven hundred and seventy four minus thirty two is one hundred and forty two divided by seven is twenty and, and, and a bit. Think about something else. Think about something else. Danny Pink, Danny, Danny. Danny Pink, I love you." Clara said, looking over at me.
"It's okay, Clara." I said, while the Crabs are visible through the slats of the table. "I know you loved Danny Pink immensely."
"And I'll never see you again, and I'm sorry. I'm sorry I lied. I am sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry…" Clara said, as she looked over at me.
Mucus falls in a long stream in front of Clara's face and my face, and we scream, then we stupidly turn around to look upwards. The Dream Crabs breaks the slats apart and drops.
Tari's room…
The video opens with Tari sitting in her room and turning on her first live stream.
"Er... Um... Oh, there we go. Um, hi ! Hi everyone! My name's Tari, I... I mean Bluejay9." Tari said, coughing awkwardly. "Today I'm gonna be playing some Battle Blaze!" She looks down at her computer. "Uh... I've never done this streaming thing before, so I don't know if I should be talking, or if that would be annoying or... So, sorry in advance, heh heh... Oooh, an assault rifle! Good start!" She waits then starts shooting at somebody who fires back. "Oh, no no no no no, no!" Another player comes along. "Oh! I don't think he's seen me. Just stay right there…" She aims. "Gotcha…"
The computer starts ringing.
"Sorry Theo, but I'm busy right now." Tari said, while Theo calls her, and the blue haired girl hangs up then tuts in annoyance because the player is gone. "Oh…"
"Hey Tari!" Theo said, on the computer. "Wanna play Ultra Jump Mania? I'm getting bored in here!"
"Theo, not now. I'm in the middle of streaming…" Tari said, annoyed.
"Why not stream my game? There's a new Crab DLC!"
"Because a Battle Blaze competition is coming up in a few days and I need to practice!"
"But… the crab story… The Craaabbbs!" Theo cried.
"Augh! I'll talk to you later Theo. I'm in the middle of the match!" Tari said, ending the call only to the respawning screen, since she was shot and demolished in game.
"Hey!" Theo said, angrily.
"Augh…. Great." Tari said, annoyed.
"Hey Tari!" Sofia said, popping in with me. "Whatcha doin'?"
"She's playing Battle Blaze!" I said, excitedly. "Doing anything cool with it?"
"Oh, hey Sofia, Jared, just streaming…" Tari said, happily.
I turn and see a blackboard with JARED!! written on it.
"You're finally doing it?!" Sofia exclaimed, gasping. "Sup chat! You guys are in for some super sick gameplay from Tari here. So make sure you follow!"
"Don't forget to donate some bits!" I said, taking out some chocolate chip cookies out of my sling bag to snack on them.
"Uh… thanks Sofia, Jared, but would you mind uh…" Tari said, sadly.
"Oh Tari, there's this new mod I made you should totally check it out!" Sofia said, pulling up a new mod of Battle Blaze for Tari. "It'll revolutionize your gameplay!"
"What the?! Sofia! Who needs a list of info?!" Tari exclaimed.
"You do, Tari." I said, tossing a chocolate chip cookie into my mouth. "You need it more than us!"
"Jared does have a point. Information is power, Tari! And you now have 962% more information than any other player!" Sofia chirped.
"Why would I need to know what my character's breath smells like?" Tari asked.
I pick up the blackboard eraser and wipe over the word, turning it to DYING!!.
"Yo, did you guys see my good pants?" Lamar asked, popping in. "I got a date tonight with Sakura-chan."
"Is that another body pillow? How many do you have exactly?" Tari asked.
"Don't worry about it. Hey, wait… You streaming?"
"Yeah she is! Aren't you proud of her Lamar?" Sofia asked.
"I know I'm proud of her." I said, trying to rub it out again. The word transforms to YOU then ARE then DYING!. "Tari streaming is pretty awesome."
"All right all right! 'Bout time you got out that hustle! Okay this is shout out from AnimeKing20! Any of my fans watching right now, yo, follow this chick cuz she bad!" Lamar yelled.
"I'm…bad…?" Tari asked.
"Yeah! You bad!"
"I think that's a good thing." Sofia said, whispering to Tari.
"It's totally a good thing." I said, munching on a chocolate chip cookie. "Like, saying 'cheesy' is a bad thing back home."
"You are dying." The Doctor said, his voice in my head.
Now the whole room is lined with blackboards with the word DYING! written on them. The Doctor's voice echoes from a distance.
"Dying! Dying! Jared! Jared! Jared!" The Doctor said, angrily, in my head.
"Anyway, you're playing the wrong game. Viewers don't wanna see FPS games anymore. Here, let me show you where it's at." Lamar said, pulling up Nova Explorers.
"A dating sim?" I asked, closing my eyes and the scene returned to bright and pleasant. "Seriously?"
"Jared, your Nintendo Switch has visual novel games with dating simulation elements on there." Lamar said, smiling.
"Ah guys! I'm trying to practice here!" Tari said, worried.
"But you'll have your own audience. No one else streams Nova Explorers!" Lamar said, excitedly.
"There's a reason for that, Lamar. Let go of the mouse. Tari needs to test my mod!" Sofia said, worried.
There is now a blackboard at the back of the room behind me, saying JARED!!.
"Jared!" The Doctor said, his voice in my head.
"I'm not using that either!" Tari yelled.
"What?! But Tariiii!" Sofia cried.
"Give it back!"
"I know what would be a fun game." I said, happily. "Minecraft!"
We all start fighting over the mouse.
(Open POV)
Laboratory…
The Doctor is holding Clara's hand and Jared's hand. They are lying on the floor with Crabs over their faces.
"Clara, Jared, you're dreaming. You're dying. Can you hear me? Clara? Jared?" The Doctor asked.
"We did try to waken the others. No stimulus worked." Ashley said, sadly.
"Okay, we kill them. We find a way to kill them and we get them off of them. How do we kill them?"
"There's no way to kill them without killing your friends, too. And as a scientist, may I just say, I don't like the way you're talking."
"Santa." The Doctor said, running over to Santa. "In the infirmary, you told the Sleepers to go to bed, and they obeyed you."
"Sorry, doesn't mean I can get that creature off them." Santa said, frowning.
"No, but you can get back in there unharmed." The Doctor said.
"What? You're asking Santa for help? He doesn't exist." Shona said, scoffing.
"And how would you know that? How did you become an expert on what does and doesn't exist?"
"I can commit several million housebreaks in one night dressed in a red suit with jingle bells, so of course I can get back into the infirmary." Santa said, happily.
"Good. Because there is only one way that I can communicate with Clara and Jared." The Doctor said, smiling.
(Jared's POV)
Tari's room…
"Give me that!" Lamar yelled.
"Tari will really like modded Minecraft." I said, looking at the monitor.
We all keep on fighting over the mouse and controller as well too.
"Oh. Hey guys! I was just in the middle of fighting a crab! He had a gun!" Theo chirped.
"What the hell are you all doing?" Masa asked, popping in.
We stopped fighting.
"Uh…Hey Masa… We're uh…streaming?" Tari asked, chuckling.
"Streaming? Tari, this is a covert base of operations. Shut it off now!" Masa said, while he is trying to shut it off.
"Relax, Masa. This whole place is secured by my proxy network. So you don't need to worry your angsty little head." Sofia said, happily.
"It's still way too risky."
"Don't worry, Masa. Lucks won't find us." I said, smiling. "As Sofia said, our network is masked."
"Masa, you're the one that said I needed to practice in a competition environment!" Tari said, worried.
"This is not what I meant…" Masa said, and Sofia bites on his arm. "OW! HEY! SOFIA! STOP BITING ME!"
Sofia is still biting on Masa's arm, "MAKE ME!"
More of the mouse cursor going around.
"Go, Sofia, go!" Lamar cheered.
"Give me a S. Give me an O. Give me a F. Give me an I. Give me an A. What does that spell? Sofia!" I said, excitedly.
"Get it off!" Masa said, terrified.
"Tari, your stream is looking really weird right now…" Theo said, appearing on screen.
"Oh my gosh, this isn't happening…" Tari said, sadly.
"Just let me do it! No, I got it!" Masa said, angrily.
"Augh! Come on! Get off! Hey!" Sofia said, looking at Masa.
"Just- you're in the way!"
The practice runs file has been brought up.
"Take one." Tari said, in the recording, as she accentuates her voice. "What's up y'all?! It's your girl Tarinator in the house!" She speaks in her normal voice. "Nope, no! Can't do that!"
"Yeah. That one was bad." I said, sadly.
Another take happens as Tari uses another accentuated voice.
"Uh hey everyone, Blue Haired Bandit here…" Tari said, before she spoke with her normal voice. "Augh…. no, that's just as bad…"
"It really was." I said, rolling my eyes.
Another take as Tari starts off with another accentuated voice.
"Uh, hey guys, it's duckgirl18 and…" Tari said, before speaking in her normal voice. "Ew. Nope! Nope!"
Out by the stream, Tari is getting embarrassed as Lamar, Sofia, Masa, and I were looking on.
"Thanks for watching everyone!" Tari said, talking very fast. "Gotta go bye!"
Tari shuts off the stream.
(Open POV)
Laboratory…
The Doctor is lying next to Clara and Jared with a Dream Crab on his face.
"Have we just killed him? Have we just made it worse?" Ashley asked.
"He thinks he can join the dreams, and get them out. Have a little faith." Santa said.
(Jared's POV)
Hideout…
"Okay, run us through this one more time." Tari said, holding a cartridge of Fast Food Fight.
"Well, Tari, you and Jared have warped into video games that have lunged you both into fiery war zones, forced the two of you to race at high speeds and pushed your physical endurance to its limits. But for today's training, we're going to be working on your problem solving skills and social interaction with video game NPCs." Sofia said, looking between Tari and I.
"Social interaction?" Tari asked, mourning. "That sounds like a lot of work."
"You know we suck at social interaction!" I said, angrily. "It really is a lot of work!"
"Too bad! 3, 2, 1, go!" Sofia said, pressing the crest as she makes Tari and I get warped into Fast Food Fight.
Fast Food Fight…
"Ugh- ehhhhh hello? Anyone here?" Tari asked.
"Hello there!" TheOdd1sOut said, excitedly.
"Oh! H-Hello…" Tari said, grabbing my hand.
"Hey." I said, squeezing Tari's hand. "What's up?"
"The both of you don't look like you're from around here…" TheOdd1sOut said, looking between Tari and I.
"What makes you think that?" Tari asked, giggling and laughing.
"Is it because we're awesome?" I asked, laughing with Tari.
"Hmmm… I don't know." TheOdd1sOut said, checking Tari and I out. "There's just something weird about the way you two move."
"Fair enough. Well, my name's Tari, this is Jared.. Are you the… guide of this area?" Tari asked.
"That's correct! My name's the TheOdd1sOut, and I'm here to show YOU TWO…" TheOdd1sOut said, when a drumroll happens. "…how to make a Sooubway sandwich!"
"Don't you mean a Sub…"
"That or a Jersey Mike's." I said, happily.
"Nope! I definitely meant Sooubway!" TheOdd1sOut said, whispering. "It's a legal thing."
"Okay, well, I could go for a sandwich." Tari said, smiling.
"Same. How do you have a hoagie?" I asked, looking down at TheOdd1sOut.
"Okay, first off, we start with turkey italiano on wheat bread, extra meat, extra cheese, toasted, with all the vegetables, except banana peppers and jalapeños. Are you two with me so far?" TheOdd1sOut asked, making the sandwich in front of us.
Tari is already eating the sandwich with her mouth full, "Uh, could you go through that one more time?"
"Yeah." I said, eating the sandwich with my mouth full. "You were talking too fast, James."
Tari and I chuckle.
"YAAAAAAAAHHHHH!" Arin said, jumping from somewhere as he then smacks Tari's sandwich and my sandwich out. "GRUMP SMASH!!! Take that!" He stomps on them. "And that!" He chops on them. "And one of those!!"
Arin 2 finger pokes the sandwiches.
"Whoa, not cool!" TheOdd1sOut said, angrily.
"I take it you don't like sandwiches…Mister…Uh?" Tari asked, looking at Arin.
Arin is setting fire to the sandwiches, "My name's Arin, I'm here to purge the world of poopy garbage sandwiches like this one!"
"Tari, TheOdd1sOut and Arin are from my time." I said, as Arin kicked the sandwiches. "I don't know how they're here."
"They are?" Tari asked, looking at me.
"Yeah." I said, sadly. "Don't know how they ended up as a video game though."
"Alright, buddy, them's are fightin' words." TheOdd1sOut said, getting ready to fight.
"James, maybe you shouldn't fight the guy holding a flamethrower." I said, looking at TheOdd1sOut.
"Ahem. Have either of you heard about our lord and savior Wondy's?" Arin asked, looking between Tari and I.
TheOdd1sOut whispers as Tari and I were about to say something, "Legal thing."
"I'm more of a Five Guys kind of person." I said, frowning.
"Five Guys is a bit expensive, Jared. I'll show you both how to make a much better sandwich. One bathed in both beauty, AND simplicity." Arin said, happily.
"Okay, sure." Tari said, smiling.
"Show us, Arin from Game Grumps!" I said, excitedly.
"My sandwich is simple, pretzel bun, beef patties, bacon, and if you want to get experimental, honey." Arin said, making the sandwich in front of us. "And…" He chuckles. "…and peanut butter. Oh god, yes, the peanut butter!"
"Wait, honey and peanut butter? I'm not sure those belong in a burger." Tari said, sadly.
"They don't." I said, rolling my eyes. "Why would they?"
"Well, they do in the Grumps-Burger." Arin said, smirking.
"Hey, stop filling their heads with nonsense! Being a sandwich artist is about mixing the ingredients that you have in bigger and better ways, not just throwing things together!" TheOdd1sOut yelled.
"Maybe, if you're boring. The art of the sandwich is to take ANYTHING, and make something beautiful with it, like a burger filled with frosting."
This makes Tari and I gag from disgust.
"Come on, Tari, Jared, let's make a PROPER sandwich, with PROPER ingredients." TheOdd1sOut said, happily.
"Ay, Wondy's is all about proper ingredients. Made fresh, not frozen, right?" Arin asked, chuckling a bit. "DAMN IT WONDY'S, SPONSOR ME ALREADY!!! I'LL TREAT YOU RIGHT, I SWEAR!"
"Sooubway is about freshness too! It's right there in the motto…" TheOdd1sOut said, whispering to Tari and I. "…and eating Sooubway won't cause you to spend your evening in the bathroom."
"Hey, when I eat Wondy's, I suck it down and poop like a regular man, PLUS, Wondy's is actually 'fast' food. Eating at Sooubway is like riding the actual Sooubway. It takes freaking forever!" Arin growled.
"God, I wish I ended up in the dream with the Doctor, Clara, and Danny." I said, sadly. "Why did I get the two Meta Runner shorts?"
Arin and TheOdd1sOut are squaring up to each other angrily.
"I don't know." Tari said, grabbing my hand. "Maybe your subconscious fell back and chose these two adventures we had together."
"SOOUBWAY!" TheOdd1sOut said, angrily.
"WONDY'S!" Arin yelled.
"Hey, food based violence never solves anything." Tari said, sadly.
"Not unless you're Team RWBY and Team JNPR having a food fight." I said, frowning. "This is just an argument."
"Yeah."
"You two are right, let's go with real violence!" Arin said, bringing out a purple lightsaber.
TheOdd1sOut brings out a blue lightsaber as well too. A lightsaber duel happens as both Arin and TheOdd1sOut start clashing together as they exchange blows with each other. They quickly escalate the duel as they start fighting rapidly in quick successions as they both are screaming intensely. TheOdd1sOut then smacks Arin to the ground as the ground explodes but they keep on fighting with immense power.
"Hey guys! Come on, eh! Stop! Uh!" Tari said, bringing out a sketch pad. "Wouldn't you guys like to, uhh…" She sketches something in her notepad and then reveals that she sketched a rubber duck. "…draw something? Oooooh! Look at the calm little ducky! Ooooooh! Quack! Quack?"
Tari sighs in exasperation.
"Ugh. This sucks." I said, looking down at the bread and cheese there. "I wish I had a grilled cheese sandwich."
"That might work." Tari said, getting a flash of inspiration and idea as her AI vision activates. "Hm…"
TheOdd1sOut then start to fight with just their fists and kicks alongside with Arin as they are having a massive fight sequence there. As they are having their fight in the background, Tari is calmly cooking with me making sure she is okay. At one point, Arin chases TheOdd1sOut in the background for some reason. The next scene shows TheOdd1sOut hit by a fireboats by the dragon as he is on the ground near defeated as Arin pulls up with his lightsaber again.
TheOdd1sOut pulls something out of his pocket to throw it at Arin, "Pocket Sprinkles!"
Arin gets hit as he recoils and bends over, "OH GOD! MY EYES!"
TheOdd1sOut laughs like a villain as he opens a jar.
"There! All done!" Tari cheered, holding two grilled cheese sandwiches. "Do you like this, Jared?"
"Yeah." I said, grabbing a grilled cheese sandwich from Tari. "Thanks."
I began munching on my grilled cheese sandwich I got from Tari.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" TheOdd1sOut said, pouring some sort of goop onto Arin.
"Ahem." Tari said, getting the attention of TheOdd1sOut and Arin. "Gentlemen…I present to you, the ultimate sandwich! Something that no person can possibly hate! Classic ingredients, done with taste of simplicity…" Both TheOdd1sOut and Arin are getting interested there. "…the grilled cheese sandwich!"
"It's as good as the peanut butter and jelly sandwich!" I said, making a PB&J sandwich. "Also known as the PB&J. The sandwich elementary school kids loved eating at lunchtime."
"WHOAAAAAAAAAA!" Arin and TheOdd1sOut said, at the same time.
It shows a level complete as a jingle plays as they are both satisfied.
"Great job, Tari, Jared! And you said you couldn't talk to people." Sofia said, over the speaker.
"Ahhhh!" Arin yelled.
"WHAT WAS THAT?!" TheOdd1sOut exclaimed.
"Ahhhhh! No, no, no, calm down! That was just Sofia." Tari said, happily.
"Yeah. It was only Sofia." I said, smiling. "She reminds me so much of Yang."
"What's a Sofia?!" Arin exclaimed.
"Well, she's our friend in the real world!" Tari cheered, and both TheOdd1sOut and Arin are puzzled. "The world we're in right now is a video game."
"Are you saying we're NOT real?!" TheOdd1sOut exclaimed.
"OUR EXISTENCE IS MEANINGLESS!" Arin cried.
"No, no! You ARE real, it's just, your world is inside OUR world. Okay, if our world was like a sandwich, then, THIS world would be like a pickle…in the middle of it!" Tari said, smiling nervously.
"Tari, Theo handled this way better." I said, laughing a lot. "This is why interacting with VTubers would be easier too."
"Yeah. At least they would understand that analogy."
"Ohhhhhhh!" TheOdd1sOut said, his eyes widening.
There is a moment of silence there. Then both TheOdd1sOut and Arin start screaming in absolute terror as they run around in panic a bit.
"CONSCIOUSNESS IS A LIE!" TheOdd1sOut said, terrified.
"DUST IN THE COSMIC BALLET!" Arin said, worried.
"Ugh…" Tari said, facepalming in frustration.
Laboratory…
The Doctor wakes with a cry and the Dream Crab falls off him. Clara's Dream Crab and my Dream Crab leave our faces and we cough.
"Clara? Jared? Clara, Jared, look at me, Clara, Jared! Clara! Jared! Breathe, breathe. Breathe. Breathe." The Doctor said, sadly.
The Dream Crabs are on their backs, twitching, then they turn to dust.
"Jared, where were you?" Clara asked.
"I was with Tari and the others." I said, sadly. "It's a long story."
A little later, we retrieve pieces of carapaces and put them in specimen jars while Shona brushes the remains into a dust pan.
"So these creatures, when their feeding goes wrong, they die?" Bellows asked.
"The carnivore's hazard. Food has teeth too. You both okay?" The Doctor asked.
Clara is checking herself in a mirror, looking for the hole in her head, "No."
"Nope." I said, clutching the strap of my sling bag. "I was in the middle of two arguments with Tari. That wasn't fun."
"Good. There are some things we should never be okay about." The Doctor said, looking between Clara and I.
"There doesn't seem to be a wound." Clara said, grabbing my hand.
"No. And the pain's still there, isn't it?" The Doctor asked.
"Yeah. I guess ending up in those Meta Runner adventures was to remind me of that pain." I said, letting out a sigh. "At least Clara ended up with Danny on Christmas Day."
"Is it the ice cream pain? Just here? Cos I've got that." Shona said, sadly.
"It's the cold, I think. Some sort of reaction." Bellows said, frowning.
"But only on one side, just that spot there. Doesn't that strike you as odd?" The Doctor asked.
"Well, we've all got it." Albert said.
"Okay, so why do we all have that pain?" Clara asked.
"Theorise." The Doctor said.
"Don't treat me and Jared like beginners. We were dreaming, then we woke up. I know that." Clara said, squeezing my hand.
"I know that my adventures with Tari, Theo, Masa, Sofia, and Lamar were real. They had to be real and not a dream." I said, looking down at the floor. "It couldn't have been a dream. Doing the first season of Meta Runner."
"Do you? And have you ever woken up from a dream and discovered that you're still dreaming? Dreams within dreams. Dream states nested inside each other. All perfectly possible, especially when we are dealing with creatures who have weaponised our dreams against us." The Doctor said.
"I don't know about anybody else, but I'm pretty certain I'm awake right now." Bellows said.
"Which is odd, when you think about it."
"Odd? How is it odd?" I asked, clutching the strap of my sling bag.
"Impossible, in fact. How can any of us be awake?" The Doctor asked.
"I don't understand." Shona said.
"Remember how we all first met, in the infirmary?" The Doctor asked.
Infirmary…
The Doctor chivying Shona to move, "Come on, quick, quick, come on."
"Go! Run, now!" Ashley yelled, as a memory.
"All those creatures coming down from the ceiling, attacking us." The Doctor said, as a voice over.
"Here they come!" Albert said, as a memory.
Clara and I were screaming.
"Crap." I said, grabbing Clara's hand.
Laboratory…
"We never stood a chance. How did we survive that?" The Doctor asked.
"Don't know." I said, looking at the Doctor.
"Well, we, we were rescued." Shona said.
"Yeah, we were rescued. And who was it that rescued us?" The Doctor asked.
Control room…
The man in the red suit is on his mobile phone.
"No, no, no, no. I need you to do the east coast right now. Well, otherwise you're going to be delivering to the islands in broad daylight. Yeah, listen. Please try and remember that our mugshots are on every Christmas card. Yeah, just get it done, head towards the northern lights. Yes, I remembered to switch them on." Santa said, walking away.
"The Helman-Ziegler test." The Doctor said, handing the crew manuals. "The only reliable dream test that I know. Ah. Your base manual. I take it none of you have memorised this."
"Oh. I haven't, I haven't read it." Shona said, sadly.
"These books should be identical in the real world. But as they don't exist in your memory, in a dream, they can't be. Agreed? Clara. Jared. Give me any two digit number." The Doctor said, looking between Clara and I.
"Page fifty seven." I said, squeezing Clara's hand.
"All right, all of you, turn to page fifty seven and look at the very first word. Right, when I point at you." The Doctor said, pointing at Ashley.
"Isotope." Ashley said.
"Well?" The Doctor asked.
"Extremely." Bellows said.
"Inside." Albert said.
"Chocolate. Why did I get chocolate? What's that about?" Shona asked.
"This can't be right. We must have got it wrong, that's all." Albert said.
"Well, we'll do it again. Clara?" The Doctor asked, looking over at Clara.
"Twenty four." Clara said, while I looked down at the floor.
"Twenty four." The Doctor said.
"We." Ashley said.
"Are." Bellows said.
"All." Albert said.
"Shona? Whatcha got?" I asked, still fixated on the floor.
"Dead." Shona said, frowning.
"Since the attack in the infirmary, nothing has been real?" Ashley asked.
"The attack is still going on. This is it!" The Doctor said, excitedly.
"We've been dreaming since then?" Albert asked.
"Oh, for Easter's sake! Of course you've been dreaming. Haven't you been paying attention?" Santa asked.
"Rudolph. Did you see the nose?" Ian asked.
"The North Pole? Come on, with stripes?" Wolf asked.
"This…"
"Is…"
"A dream!" Ian, Wolf, and Santa yelled, at the same time.
"How much more obvious do you want me to make it? Because I can text the Easter Bunny, you know." Santa said, smirking.
"Seriously? You're trying to help?" The Doctor asked.
"As you stand here, chatting, chatting, your lives are ending. Unless you wake up, unless you free yourselves from these dreadful creatures, they're, they're going to destroy you."
"You're a dream who's trying to save us?" Shona asked.
"Shona, sweetheart, I'm Santa Claus. I think you just defined me." Santa said, smiling.
"This makes perfect sense. The Dream Crab tries to make the dream as real as possible to trap you inside it. It creates dreams within dreams so you can never be sure if you are really awake. But your brain knows something is wrong. Your subconscious fights back. This is your mind trying to tell you this isn't real." The Doctor said.
"So it gives you me. Sweet Papa Chrimbo."
"It gives you comedy elves, flying reindeer." Ian said.
"Exactly." The Doctor said.
"A time-travelling scientist dressed as a magician." Santa said.
"Classic!" Ian cheered.
"No. No, no. Hang on. No, no, no, no." The Doctor said, annoyed.
"Living in a phone box." Wolf said.
"It's a spaceship in disguise."
"You see how none of this makes any sense?" Santa asked.
"Shut up, Santa." I said, annoyed. "This makes perfect sense to me."
"I have watched over you all your lives. I've taken care of you from Christmas to Christmas."
"But you're not real." Bellows said, sadly.
"And yet that never stopped me. All of you, come near. Come here, come on. Join hands." Santa said.
"Look. No. Look, we don't need all this touchy-feely stuff." The Doctor said, annoyed.
"Shut up, Doctor. Join hands. Come on, concentrate."
"Why?" Bellows asked.
"You are deep inside this dream, all right, and it is a shared mental state, so it is drawing power from the multi-consciousness gestalt which has now formed telepathically and…" Santa said, looking at Bellows.
"No. No, No, no, no. Line in the sand. Santa Claus does not do the scientific explanation." The Doctor said, scoffing.
"All right. As the Doctor might say…" Santa said, in a Scottish accent. "Oh, it's all a bit dreamy-weamy."
"Why don't you just go and, and make a naughty list?"
"I have, mate, and you're on it. And Jared's on the nice list, because he spent four Christmases in this fan fiction book so far. He's probably going to spend a fifth with Team RWBY after he survives this."
"Don't give me that. Look, you're supposed to be warm and friendly and cheerful."
"Oh, yeah. Well, look at your great bedside manner." Santa said, in a Scottish accent.
"Don't be so hostile."
"Doctor, shut up and behave." I said, squeezing Clara's hand.
"This is very sweet. But right now I have an alien life form wrapped around my face, and apparently it's digesting my brain. When you speak, how do I know it's not the Dream Crab?" Ashley asked.
"Ooo, good question. Spoken like a scientist." Santa said.
"Can I put it another way? Why would the part of our brain that is trying to keep all of us alive choose you for a face?" Clara asked.
"Is anyone else asking that?"
"Yeah, yeah. Yeah. All of us. All of us. Why you?" Shona asked.
"Why me? It's the North Pole, it's Christmas Day. You're dying. Who you gonna call? Just one last time, huh? One last Christmas, as if your lives depended on it. Please! Ho, ho, ho. Believe in Santa. Jared obviously does, after denying it for a while." Santa said, happily.
"That is true." I said, as we all shrugged and formed a circle. "Christmas has been my favorite holiday as of late. It was only dangerous around the Doctor and Sherlock."
"I'm not very good with this holdy-hand thing." The Doctor said, annoyed.
"Tough." Clara said, and I squeezed her hand.
"I will hold Clara's hand and Jared will hold Clara's hand, but that's it." The Doctor said.
"Shona, take his hand." I said, looking over at Shona, who immediately grabbed the Doctor's hand.
"Oh no, I'm fine, I'm fine. This is very Christmassy, isn't it?"
"Okay, so what do we…" Ashley said, frowning.
Santa, Ian and Wolf have vanished.
"Where did he go?" Bellows asked.
"We're waking up. That part of the dream is over. We're on our own now." The Doctor said, his eyes widening.
"Well, then. What do we do?" Albert asked.
"That pain in your head. Make it worse. Head towards it." The Doctor said.
"So when we wake up, what do we expect?" Ashley asked.
"Only a few moments will have passed at the most. The attack is still in progress."
"I'm scared." Shona said, frowning.
"Congratulations. That means you're not an idiot." The Doctor said, happily.
"It's not like the last time." Clara said.
"Well, last time wasn't real." I said, looking down at the floor again.
"Good luck. Stay calm. And God bless us, everyone." Ashley said.
Whiteout.
Infirmary…
Dream Crabs fall from the faces of the four scientists, the Doctor, Clara, and I, as the Sleepers clutch their sides and writhe. We all cough violently to clear the mucus as the Dream Crabs twitch and turn to dust.
"Run!" The Doctor yelled.
One of the Sleepers grabs Clara's arm.
"Argh." Clara said, sadly.
"Clara!" I said, terrified.
"Jared!" Clara said, worried.
"I got you!" I said, when the Dream Crab opens its maw and I pulled Clara free. "Thank goodness!"
Clara and I are staring at the pink tube inside the gap.
"Clara? Jared? Come on!" The Doctor said, angrily.
"Out, out, now! NOW!" Ashley cried.
We back out with the guns and the doors close.
Corridor…
Bellows hits a stray hand with the butt of her gun until the doors can fully shut.
"Everyone all right? Good. Bye." The Doctor said, happily.
"Sorry, we'll just go and…" Clara said, while we walked down the corridor.
"No need for chatting, you two will only get attached. This isn't Facebook."
Outside the base…
"So, what about the Dream Crabs?" I asked, squeezing Clara's hand.
"Oh, they're fine." The Doctor said.
"And the people that they're eating?" Clara asked.
"Beyond help."
"Doctor, the others are still in danger."
"Only if they're stupid. There are polar bears on this ice cap. Am I supposed to do something about that, too?"
"We know Dream Crabs are still on Earth."
"And we know that the Dream Crabs are dangerous." I said, letting out a sigh.
"There are lots of dangerous things on this funny little planet of yours, Clara, Jared, most of which you eat. I'm the Doctor, not your mam." The Doctor said, walking to the Tardis.
"Doctor? If Santa was only in the dream, why was he on my roof?" Clara asked.
"Doctor, four signifies death in some Asian cultures." I said, looking at the Doctor. "There were four patients in there. And the crew there had four manuals."
"Hurry! Do you know what I hate about the obvious?" The Doctor asked.
"What?" Clara asked.
"Missing it."
We run back inside.
Control room…
On the monitors, the Sleepers are back on their beds.
"As you were. No saluting. Are you the same people as before?" The Doctor asked.
"Of course they are." I said, letting go of Clara's hand. "Shona, Ashley, Bellows, and Albert."
"Oh, sorry, I deleted you." The Doctor said, looking at the crew.
"Well, that's not a very nice attitude, is it?" Shona asked.
"Four manuals, yes?"
"Yes, why?" Ashley asked.
"One each." The Doctor said.
"One each, yes. What's the problem?" Albert asked.
"Well, the problem is, you can't see the problem. For instance, you, gobby one." The Doctor said, throwing a manual to Shona.
"I have a name, actually." Shona said, annoyed.
"Doesn't matter. I don't need it. When we first met you in the infirmary, what were you doing?"
"Mmm. It's a long story."
"Uptight boss one." The Doctor said, tossing another manual to Ashley. "What is the primary mission of this polar base?"
"It's a long story." Ashley said.
"Sexy one. What brings you to the North Pole at your age?" The Doctor asked, tossing a manual to Bellows.
"It's a long…" Bellows said, pausing. "…story."
"Okay, why are they all giving the same answer, because that is a tiny bit freaky." Clara said, looking at the Doctor.
"If you think that's freaky, try this. We were in the Tardis. Why did we come here?" The Doctor asked.
"It's a long story." Clara said, and the penny drops. "Doctor?"
"Jared, you said you went to Silica City. Why did you go there?" The Doctor asked, looking at me.
"It's a long story." I said, looking down at the floor.
"Dreams. They're funny. Ha, ha, ha. They're disjointed. They're, they're silly. They're full of gaps. But you don't notice, because the dream protects itself. Stops you asking the right questions. For example, why do you have four manuals, one each, when you have a crew of eight? Or did you forget about your friends in the infirmary here?" The Doctor asked.
"But we woke up." Albert said, frowning.
"Dreams within dreams, I warned you."
"This isn't a dream. I know it isn't." Bellows said, scoffing.
"No one knows they're not dreaming. Not one of us. Not ever. Not for one single moment of our lives. Clara? Jared? Page number. Make it a good one." The Doctor said.
"Page twelve. After Volume 12. If RWBY ever gets renewed for three more seasons." I said, happily. "Or it could also mean twelve, for the Twelfth Doctor."
Everyone of the crew opens their manual at the number of the Doctor.
"Very." Ashley said.
"Very." Albert said.
"Very." Bellows said.
"Dead." Shona said.
"And who's going to be the first to admit it?" The Doctor asked.
"Admit what?" Ashley asked.
"That the pain is still there."
"Actually, I think it's getting worse." Shona said, sadly.
"Yes, there is an alien organism in your brain, eating it. Of course it's getting worse."
"Doctor? What are they doing?" Clara asked.
"Shit." I said, as on the monitor, the Sleepers are sitting up on their beds. "Meta Runner was so much easier than this."
"Factually, getting up. Significantly, sensing the endgame." The Doctor said, in awe.
"How?" Clara asked.
"I don't understand." Ashley said, frowning.
"Well, look at them. Go on. Look at them. Look at them properly. Look who they are. They're you. The Sleepers are you." The Doctor said.
"I sure hope Meta Runner was real." I said, looking at the close up of a name badge - Prof Rona Bellows.
"I hope so too, Jared. You liked watching that when I wore tweed and had a bow tie."
"How can they be us?" Shona asked, looking at the monitor, seeing a copy of herself.
"Because we're dreaming, all of us. This base isn't real. None of us are actually standing in the room. I'm probably asleep in my Tardis. Clara, Jared, you must be in bed. God knows where the rest of you are, probably scattered all over the world. But wherever you are, the Dream Crabs have got us, and we're all being networked into the same nightmare." The Doctor said.
"What are they doing?" Bellows asked.
The Sleepers are walking towards the cameras.
"It's your subconscious again. The Sleepers represent the part of your mind that's already surrendered to the attack. These are dream images of what's coming to kill you." The Doctor said.
"That's me? That's actually me?" Albert asked.
"No, it's a metaphorical construct representing a psychic attack within a shared dreamscape. Do please keep up." The Doctor said, scoffing.
"But it's me." Albert said, at a loss for words.
"Please don't get too close, Albert." I said, sadly.
Sleeper Albert puts its hand up to the camera, and Albert leans into the monitor.
"Why?" Albert asked.
"This isn't a dream." I said, rolling my eyes. "It's a nightmare."
Albert gets grabbed by the Sleeper's hand and pulled through the monitor with a scream. The Doctor, Clara, and I try to grab him.
"No! Clara! Jared!" The Doctor cried.
Ashley and Bellows reach out to their Sleeper images on the screens.
"Look out, they're coming through. Out! Outside, now! Run, run, run, run! Run! Clara, Jared, run. Run, all of you, run. Run!" The Doctor said, terrified.
The Sleepers are in the control room.
"It's not working!" I said, trying to shock the Sleepers, but it didn't slow them down. "It usually works, Doctor!"
Outside the base…
The Doctor bars the door and sonicks the lock. Shona, Ashley and Bellows have acquired duffel coats.
"We'll freeze to death out here." Bellows said, scoffing.
"But it, it's just a dream." Shona said, sadly.
"This dream just killed your friend. Start taking it seriously." The Doctor said, looking at Shona.
"Where's Albert? Where's the professor?"
"He probably just woke up somewhere in the real world, dead. If we don't wake up now, we'll do the same."
"But how?" Clara asked.
"I don't know." The Doctor said, and the Sleepers thump the door, making fist marks in the thick metal. "The TARDIS! Come on! Come on!"
"Doctor, that's not the real TARDIS." I said, squeezing Clara's hand.
"Well, let's hope that I dreamed it really well, then." The Doctor said, happily.
The TARDIS doors open, and Sleeper Doctor, Sleeper Clara, and the Sleeper of me come out.
"It's us." Clara said, in awe.
"Of course it's us. We're dreaming too." The Doctor said.
"Oh, my God." Shona said, at a loss for words.
"How is that possible? How can there be so many?" Bellows asked.
"Son of a bitch." I said, when we are surrounded by dozens of Sleeper versions of ourselves.
"The logic of a nightmare." The Doctor said, while Ashley lights a flare.
"So tell us how to wake up. Because you're always talking like you're so clever, going on and on. So tell us what to do!" Shona cried.
"We have to leave this place." The Doctor said.
"Leave it?"
"How?" Bellows asked.
"Use your imagination." The Doctor said.
"Excuse me?"
"Dream yourselves home."
"But how?" Bellows asked, panicking.
"Come on, it's Christmas, the North Pole. Who you gonna call?" The Doctor asked.
"Santa Claus!" I cheered, hearing bells jingling. We look up to see a bright red light fly across the full moon then swoop down to land. "Santa!"
"Hyah! Whoa! Whoa. Ah. Get in the sleigh." Santa said, while we got in the sleigh. The Doctor sitting next to Santa and Clara and I behind him. "Fortunately, I know all your home addresses. Yah!"
Rudolph, Donner and Blitzen pull the sleigh up into the sky.
Sleigh…
"So what happens now?" Clara asked.
"Hyah!" Santa yelled.
"This is us just waking up, right?"
"Could be. Well, I hope so. Waking up or…"
"Or?"
"Just focus on this. Do you two believe in Santa Claus?" The Doctor asked, looking between Clara and I.
"We've always believed in Santa Claus. But he looks a little different to us." Clara said, putting her arms around the Doctor.
"Yeah. Doctor, you've always been our Santa Claus. Oh look! It's the River Thames!" I said, pointing down at old Father Thames. "We're back in London!"
"Hey. You want to take the reins, Doctor?" Santa asked.
"You're a dream construct, currently representing either my recovering or expiring mind." The Doctor said, scoffing.
"Yes, but do you want a go?"
"Yeah. All right." The Doctor said, taking over the reins as we passed St Pauls. Everyone, including me, goes ooo!. "Sorry, sorry, sorry."
We slalom between roof tops.
"Easy! This way." Santa said, happily.
"No, no, no! Oh, ho ho! Ah!" The Doctor said, excitedly.
"Up a bit. Lift up. There we go."
"Look at me. Look. Look at me!" The Doctor yelled.
We reach the Houses of Parliament as Big Ben chimes midnight. Everyone, including me, whoops with excitement as we fly around it, we head off north westerly and climb above the cloud layer.
"Look at me! I'm riding a sleigh. I'm riding a sleigh. Yippee ai-yay!" The Doctor said, as we head upwards. "Oh. Maybe you could…"
The Doctor gives the reins back, panting for breath.
"Yeah. I can't wait to fly around London on a broomstick with Harry Potter." I said, smiling.
"Yeah, yeah." Santa said, holding the reins. "You have ages till you get to that, Jared."
"I work in a shop." Shona said, smiling.
"I'm sorry?" Ashley asked.
"I thought I was a scientist. That's rubbish."
"Finally, something that makes sense." Bellows said, happily.
"You're horrible, you." Shona said, scoffing.
"Perfume." Ashley said.
"What?"
"I'm an account manager for perfume. Does this mean we're waking up?"
"Possibly. With any luck, we'll all wake up in our proper times and places." The Doctor said, smiling.
"Proper times?" Clara asked.
"Well, we could all be from different time zones. Time travel is always possible, in dreams."
"We might not know each other? Not any of us?" Shona asked.
"No, possibly not." Ashley said.
"Well, you know what we should do? We should swap numbers. We should have a reunion."
"Bellows!"
(Open POV)
Bellow's home…
Bellows wakes up in a bright room with a piano.
A young girl comes into the room, "Gran! Dinner's ready."
"Yeah, sorry, I must have dozed off." Bellows said, putting her glasses back on, sees where she is sitting with a bit of disappointment, then wheels herself past the crumbled remains of her Dream Crab on the wooden floor.
(Jared's POV)
Sleigh…
"Er, now I'm pretty sure I can remember my number so, if you memorise it, then you text me, we can go for a curry and…" Shona said, happily.
"The chances of you remembering any of this are very slim." The Doctor said, frowning..
"Well, don't say that. We'll remember, won't we, Ashley? Ashley?"
Ashley wakes up in bed, with her Dream Crab dying beside her. She leaps out of bed with a scream.
"Am I next? Is it me now?" Shona asked.
"Shona, you're going home. You're surviving." Clara said, smiling.
"You'll live." I said, grabbing Clara's hand.
"Do you two want to hang out sometime? We can just hang out." Shona said, looking between Clara and I.
"Sure." Clara said, squeezing my hand..
"Santa, can I stay a bit longer?" Shona asked.
Shona has vanished.
(Open POV)
Shona's flat…
Shona wakes up on her sofa with the Dream Crab twitching and squealing on the floor before it turns to dust, "Gross!"
Shona picks up the piece of paper with her Christmas Day Itinerary on it. 1. DVD (Alien) 2. DVD (The thing from another world) 3. Dad comes round. 4. DVD (Miracle on 34th Street.) 5. THRONES marathon. 6. Forgive Dave??? She thinks for a moment, then picks up her marker pen and ticks number 6.
(Jared's POV)
Sleigh…
"It's a pity we have to wake up, really. It's not really something we do every day, is it?" Clara asked.
"Christmas everyday. I did four Christmases in this entire fan fiction book." I said, sadly. "I wish Christmas lasted forever."
"No, no. Strictly once a year." Santa said, letting out a sigh.
"We stay, we die, Clara, Jared." The Doctor said, looking between Clara and I.
"You're always such a downer, Doctor." Clara said.
But the Doctor has gone.
(Open POV)
Volcanic ledge…
The Dream Crab falls off, he sits up coughing in the place where Clara threw the Tardis keys into the lava.
"Clara! Jared!" The Doctor cried, dashing into the Tardis.
(Jared's POV)
Sleigh…
"You really should be waking up too, Clara, Jared." Santa said, looking between Clara and I.
"Just a little longer." Clara said, frowning.
"A lot longer." I said, sadly.
"Why?" Santa asked.
Clara rests her head on my shoulder, "Every Christmas is last Christmas."
"Hyah!" Santa said, angrily.
The sleigh flies in front of the full moon.
Clara's bedroom….
The Tardis materialises outside the house. The Doctor carries specimen jars into her bedroom, where Clara is still in bed with a Dream Crab on her face as I am sleeping in a sleeping bag on the floor, with a Dream Crab on my face.
"Oh, Clara, Jared. I might have known that you two would be the ones to sleep in. Okay, I tracked the psychic signal here. I'm pretty sure that I know how to do this now. One of the advantages of actually being awake. So, you just hold still. I've just got to zap the neural centres." The Doctor said, doing so with his sonic screwdriver. "Okay, there you go."
The Doctor pulls the Crab off Clara's face then pulled the Crab off my face and puts them into specimen jar 16367//K8.
"The Dream Crabs must have got to me first then found you both in my memory. The others were collateral damage. Well, good to see you properly at last. How long has it been? Clara. Jared." The Doctor said, looking between Clara and I.
Clara switches on her bedside lamp to reveal her grey hair and wrinkled skin. I have grey hair and winkled skin too.
"Oh, you know. About sixty two years. Doctor, we have missed you very much, you stupid old man." Clara said, laughing.
"Spaceman, you shouldn't have kept us waiting." I said, laughing with Clara, and we went into a group hug with the Doctor. "Missed ya, you old git."
"I've missed the two of you, too." The Doctor said, smiling.
Clara's living room…
"These are Christmas hats, I've seen people use them. You put them on and absolutely anything seems funny." The Doctor said, happily.
"Oh, probably won't work on you." Clara said.
"Probably not. You want to try?"
"Sure." I said, looking at the Doctor.
"Go on, then." Clara said, and the Doctor put the yellow paper crown on her and the blue paper crown on me and we became our younger selves. "Can you really see no difference in us?"
"Clara Oswald, Jared Shay, you will never look any different to me. So, how was it then?" The Doctor asked.
"How was what?"
"The sixty two years that I missed."
"Oh, how was our lives, you mean?" Clara asked.
"Did the two of you get married?" The Doctor asked.
"We did." I said, looking down at my wedding ring.
"Yes. But there were plenty of proposals." Clara said, grabbing my hand.
"Clara, they all turned you down though?" The Doctor asked.
"I turned them down. Jared and I got married, because he was the closest to me. We travelled. I taught in every country in Europe as Jared wrote articles about them."
"Clara, we learned how to fly a plane." I said, smirking. "What a year that was. You kept making the plane fall."
"That was because you flirted with me while we were in the air."
"Regrets?" The Doctor asked, looking between Clara and I.
"Oh, hundreds. We just wish there were time for a few more." Clara said.
"Yeah, they're always the best part. Christmas cracker. We should do one. No one ever matched up to Danny, eh?"
"There was one other man, but that would never have worked out."
"Why not?" The Doctor asked.
"He was impossible." Clara said, sadly.
"Doctor, you were impossible for Clara. You would have always outgrew her." I said, frowning.
The Doctor holds Clara's hand and my hand to help us pull the cracker, "We should do this every Christmas."
"Because every Christmas is last Christmas." Clara said, and the cracker is pulled.
"I'm sorry. I was stupid. I should have come back earlier. I wish that I had." The Doctor said, looking between Clara and I.
"Do you, Doctor? How much do you wish that?" Santa asked.
"No. I'm not still…"
"Wakey, wakey!" Santa said, angrily.
Volcanic ledge…
Once again the Dream Crab falls off.
"Clara! Jared!" The Doctor cried.
Clara's bedroom…
Again the Dream Crabs are sonicked, this time from young Clara's face and young me's face.
"Doctor. Are we young?" The Doctor asked.
"No idea." The Doctor said, getting a mirror for Clara to look in. "Is that any good?"
"Oh, that's good." Clara said, at a loss for words.
"That's really good, Doctor." I said, in awe. "Thank goodness. This adventure is finally over."
"The Tardis is outside." The Doctor said, looking between Clara and I.
"So?" Clara asked.
"So, all of time and all of space is sitting out there. A big blue box. Please, don't even argue."
Clara thinks about it with a big grin on her face, then gives the Doctor her hand and kisses his cheek, "Merry Christmas, Doctor, Jared."
"Merry Christmas, my Impossible Girl, Doctor Disco." I said, grabbing the Doctor's other free hand.
"Merry Christmas, Clara Oswald, Jared Shay." The Doctor said, smirking.
Outside Clara's home...
"Well, look at the both of you, all happy. Especially you, Doctor. You're never happy. That's usually, Jared. That's rare." Clara said, looking between the Doctor and I.
"Do you know what's rarer? Second chances. I never get a second chance, only Jared gets second chances, so what happened this time? Don't even know who to thank." The Doctor said, happily.
"Maybe I should thank the Law of Cycles, Neo-Queen Serenity, or Lady Palutena. One of those three goddesses. I got my second chance with Team RWBY. And my second chance with Clara Oswald." I said, smiling.
We get into the Tardis and it dematerialised. The change of camera focus reveals a tangerine in the ivy on her window ledge.
I then felt like I got a massive headache the moment he entered the TARDIS console room. Especially, after what I have been through with what happened in Remnant, Series 8 of Doctor Who, and going through the third and fourth seasons of Sherlock.
CAL...
I open my eyes and I realize that I'm back in CAL, that virtual world in the 51st century.
"Hi." Charlotte said, looking at me. "Are you okay?"
"Why am I here?" I asked.
"Because you wanted to be here, darling." River said, walking up to me for a hug. "Team RWBY of this world told me that you missed them."
"After everything I've been through, I needed this. Thank you."