The Doctor eyed Old Girl’s console. Yes, he’d just dropped Clara off… So what? He was bored, and wanted something to do. Why shouldn’t he pop on ahead and pick Clara up again in the future? No reason, he told himself. No reason I can’t just pop a few days forward… 

But why? There were other things to do, weren't there? Yes. He could always have an adventure with someone else. Ankinoit knows, he thought, no one, no one, could get bored if they were with, say, River Song?

Glancing around, as if someone were there, then quickly turning back to the console, he pulled a lever. 

Vworrrp, Vworp, vWWWOORRPPP.

Exited now, the Doctor, clad, as usual, in his tweed jacket, bounded towards the Tardis door and peered outside. He hadn’t moved. He was still parked outside the Cafe’ he’d dropped Clara off at. 

Huh. Well. “Come on, Old Girl,” He said loudly, looking up, “What’s wrong? Not here, we were just here, and River Song doesn’t like big cafes’ like this one. She likes small, cozy ones. Opps! Don’t tell!” That happened to be one of the things River Song resented about herself. It didn’t help her Psychopath reputation.

“Hrmm.” The Doctor eyed his time machine carefully. “Something wrong?”

“Brrooop,” The Tardis replied with a metallic sort of trill.

Can’t find her? Can’t find River Song? No, no. Really? She goes big. Big and obvious, Thought the Doctor. That, that, was a bit suspicious. Where was that bad, bad girl hiding? The Tardis couldn’t find someone? Since when, exactly? So… That means something is happening. What, though?

Clara hummed, happily. It was a beautiful day, and she was enjoying the peace and quiet. Sort of. For… some reason, she happened to be used to more exciting events. Okay, not for some reason, for someone. 

The doctor. Her friend. Maybe even her best friend. Or maybe… something more. Then again, they’d been through a lot together, life-and-death experiences and all, so perhaps it wasn’t too unbelievable that they were more than acquaintances. Almost dying together every wednesday did usually end up with celebrative and high spirits. Well, always. They hadn’t failed yet. 

That thought made her shift uncomfortably on the warm sand beneath her. Yet. Hmm. 

But she and the Doctor, they’d always get through it together. No, they weren't together, not in that sense. Even if the children she used to be nanny to called him her boyfriend, he wasn’t. Still, there was more than just friendship in their relationship. That’s it, She thought. Family. He was like family to her.

Very interesting family. Alien family. Weird family. Awkward family. Clueless-towards-human-behavior family. Very smart family. Not-good-at-social-interaction family. Okay, maybe family wasn’t the right word. 

And then…

 POW!

A blast suddenly came from behind her, blowing her, tumbling her, hurdling her through the air and into the cool ocean water. 

The impact slammed the breath out of her, and made her arms and legs tingle and start stinging and turning red.

She was rather deep, and the sudden change in pressure made her dizzy. Trying instinctively to breathe, and choking on seawater, she flailed weakly against the current, which pulled her deeper and tumbled her around.

Finally, she managed to fight to the surface, blinking rapidly to clear her eyes, and treading water to stay afloat.

She could see… gleaming, blinding metal. People running, screaming. Aha. Looks like a job for me and the Doctor, She mused, watching the giant - what? Robot? No, not exactly…

“I know,” began the fancy-suited man. “I know, I know. But this woman is very important, so it doesn’t matter. No, that’s not the plan. No, she’s not a decoy! We need her, not her alien scum of a husband. No! Yes, I’m talking about the Doctor!” The man huffed, annoyed. He was speaking to another man, shorter than him, who was responding so quietly that The Doctor couldn’t hear. But the Fancy-suit man was enough.

“NO!” The suit man bellowed. “No! No, what--WHAT DO YOU THINK, IDIOT!?! We’re using River Song for lab tests, not for bait. NO!” He was now at the point of screaming. “NO, THIS HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH THE DOCTOR!” 

Something has happened to River Song, The Doctor wrote. I don’t know what, and I don’t know how. But I’m going to find out. And I’m assuming this is going to end up with her yelling at me for being so dull and getting to her late. Oh well. All worth it for an adventure with the famous professor/archaeologist/murderer/psychopath/child-of-the-Tardis/well, basically everything. She dabbles.The Doctor was sitting on a metal bench, writing in his 500-year diary, and trying to collect his thoughts. Honestly, I’m not sure how this could’ve happened, but I’m sure it has -- she hasn’t been answering my psychic paper letters, or, well, anything that has to do with me. She usually does. Something is happening. I’ll find out what. I always do, it seems. The Doctor sighed, closing his diary and putting it down. He sat for a few minutes, wondering. When had he last been in contact with her…? He tapped one finger, thinking hard. Time! Why is keeping track of it so hard?!? Maybe a month or two? Wait, how long was a month…?

Clara swam closer to the hunk of metal on the beach, waves buffeting her on all sides, and her hair plastered to her face and neck. 

"Where is Clara? Show yourself and no one will be hurt."  Came a mechanical voice in her ear. The metal… thing revolved slowly, a green scanning beam moving along the beach. 

 What did the thing want with her? Because she didn't know this, she didn't know if she should hide or show herself. 

She swam even closer, till she was standing, then walking until the water was just up to her waist.

But, she couldn't let these people get hurt. "I'm here." She called in a confident voice. 

The metal thing turned towards her. She was scanned. "Confirmed. You will come with me."

Raising her chin, Clara responded, "Oh, will I? Why?"

"The ***** need information." 

(The stars mean that the alien spoke in a language even the Tardis couldn't translate for Clara.)

"Oh, do they?" 

"Confirmed."

"What do they need it for?"

A pause. "Confidential."

Clara rolled her eyes. “Fine. What is the information you need?”

“You will come. The  ****** summons you.”

Aha. This... thing expected her to obey. And, it was probably programmed for that purpose only. “No.” She said calmly, still inching forward. She was only up to her knees now.

“You will come.” The oddly-shaped metal thing repeated stupidly. 

“No. No, I won’t come.”

“Error. Error. Error.” 

“No, it’s not an error. I’m not coming with you.”

A pause. It made another, rather weak stab at it’s job. “You will come. You are summoned.”

“You think I care? Because I don’t. I’m not going. Now, get of this beach,” She continued, yelling over the sounds of panicked screams. “ You’re blocking the sun, and people are trying to tan over here. Find another beach, wherever you came from, and don’t come back to earth. I’m right, aren’t I? You’re not from here. So go.”

It seemed the thing’s controllers or superiors had been watching, because, as if it’d gotten a new order, the thing was transported in a beam of green light. Clara smiled triumphantly. It never got easier than this. So… They’d probably try again. She’d better call the Doctor. 

Clara coughed up a bit of water she’d swallowed, then walked slowly to her stuff farther up the beach. She hadn’t realized till now how weak she was. Probably because of her, you know, trying not to drown. And maybe the fear, too. The adrenaline must have hidden the exhaustion until now.

A woman suddenly appeared beside her. She had kind, rather wide brownish eyes, and short blond hair. 

“Hello, Clara. Are you okay?” The woman’s voice held a note of admiration.

“Who are you?” Asked Clara, alarmed that this stranger knew her name.

 The woman hesitated, then said, in a less-than-convincing voice, “Smith. John - no, Jane Smith.”

“How do you know my name?”

“I can’t tell you that, not now, but I’m a friend. I promise.” She added, as Clara raised an eyebrow.