Continued from Deep Breath ― IV
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"Are we going to talk about earlier at all?" Lucas asked, watching as Jupiter tidied up the desk, straightening things out.

"There's nothing to talk about." She replied, not looking at Lucas as she went and put a book back on one of the shelves.

"Do you really believe that?" Lucas questioned her. "Or are you just trying to make yourself believe your own words?"

Jupiter turned back to look at him, opening her mouth to reply just before the door to the study opened, Clara and Sky poking their heads in and effectively silencing Jupiter from saying anything else.

Clara raised an eyebrow at two of them. "Are we interrupting?"

"Not at all." Jupiter quickly assured as she and Lucas turned to them. "What's up?"

"Thought maybe we should go talk to Vastra." Sky told them.

Jupiter nodded. "Good idea." She said as she and Lucas followed them out of the room.

***

Vastra looked up when there was a knock at the door of her conservatory, seeing Jupiter, Lucas, Clara and Sky all back in their regular clothes. "Please come in." She told them.

Clara and Jupiter entered the room along with Lucas and Sky. "We're not interrupting?" Clara asked.

"I should be glad of your company." Vastra shook her head, gesturing for them to sit. "What can I do for you?"

"Well..." Clara began as they did. "Until the TARDIS comes back, none of us being quite sure of when exactly that will be, we're stuck here. Got any vacancies?"

"You would be very welcome to join our little household, all of you." Vastra gave them a smile. "But I have it on the highest authority that the Time Lords will be returning for you very soon."

"Whose authority?" Lucas asked, frowning slightly.

"Well, the people that know them best in all the universe."

"And these people would be...?"

Vastra smirked. "Mister Lucas Harper, Miss Clara Oswald, and the Twins of Time: Skyler and Jupiter Pond. All of whom perhaps have, by instinct, already dressed to leave."

"Can't help but hope while we exercise our patience." Clara shrugged half-heartedly. "Still not sure who the Doctor and the Glorious are anymore."

Vastra held up a finger, hearing the sound wheezing, then smiled. "It would seem, my dear, you are very wrong about that. Give them hell. They'll always need it."

"I don't think we ever stop." Jupiter smirked as she, Clara, Lucas and Sky all got to their feet.

"Thank you, Madame Vastra." Sky added.

"It was a pleasure seeing all of you again." Vastra nodded before she watched them make their way out of the room.

"Jupiter." Marguerite said, entering the room just as Jupiter was leaving, Lucas, Sky and Clara going on ahead. "Here are your parents' wedding rings."

"Oh, thank you so much." Jupiter told her as the rings were placed into the palm of her hand. "All fixed?"

"Yeah." She nodded with a small smile before Jupiter turned to continue on her way. "But there's actually one little thing I should tell you."

Jupiter paused and glanced back at Marguerite, raising a curious eyebrow.

"And what would that be?"

***

Sky smiled as he inspected the TARDIS. "All better now, Idris."

Said box let out a hum of agreement just as Jupiter caught up with them.

Coming to a stop, Jupiter looked back and forth between the Impossibles and the TARDIS. "Well, go on. You two have the honors."

Lucas and Clara shared a look before they stepped forward, both of them pushing the doors open together.

***

The two friends paused at the sound of Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata as it flowed throughout the console room, making them look up to see a certain someone on the upper level as she sat behind a beautiful and shiny black grand piano that seemed to be in its own little nook.

Lexi paused in her playing and looked up at the sound of the companions' entrance. She smiled at them. "Hello."

"I didn't know that you played." Lucas remarked, nodding at the piano as he and Clara walked further into the console room, Sky and Jupiter shutting the doors behind them.

"Neither did I." Lexi chuckled softly, looking down at her fingers that rested on top of the ivory keys. "I didn't used to, but now the knowledge is just sort of... there."

Clara nodded absently as she looked around at the room, taking note of the various changes. "I see you've redecorated."

"Yes." The Doctor suddenly spoke up, turning around in the leather chair that was placed next to where Lexi's piano was. "We have."

"I don't like it."

"Not completely convinced myself." The Doctor told her as he got to his feet. "I think there could be more round things on the walls. We used to have a lot of round things. I wonder where I put them."

"Don't pay attention to him, Idris." Lexi said as she stood up from the shiny black bench that stood behind the piano. "You're still gorgeous."

"She is actually very pretty." Lucas agreed, looking around.

The new console room wasn't much different from the last TARDIS's design, with a straight-forward console and some round things on the walls. The upper level was a bit bigger to accommodate Lexi's piano; and the walls were also lined with numerous bookcases, a wooden desk and a chalkboard as well as a podium.

"And the clothes?" Clara raised an eyebrow, eyeing the new outfits the duo now wore.

The Couple of Time looked down at the ensembles they had chosen, then grinned. The Doctor had chosen to wear a white collared shirt and dark blue Crombie coat with red lining, dark blue trousers, and black boots that looked a little similar to what his previous self had worn. Lexi, in comparison, had chosen a black thick-strap tank top and red leather biker jacket, dark blue skinny jeans, black leather combat boots, her D&G necklace around her neck, and her light blonde hair softly curled with the ends just barely brushing her shoulders. And, as her own (literally) true personal touch, Lexi now also wore the TARDIS blue knitted fingerless gloves that her previous self had knitted at the end of her and the previous Doctor's stay on Trenzalore.

"I'm the Doctor." The Doctor told them as he and Lexi slowly walked down the steps together towards where their companions and children were. "I've lived for over two thousand years, and not all of them were good."

"But some of them were great." Lexi added, rounding the console to come face-to-face with the Impossibles and the time twins. "I don't have many regrets because you help make me better."

"I, however, do have a lot of regrets because of the many mistakes that I've made." The Doctor told them as he came to stand behind Lexi, putting his hands on her shoulders.

Lexi smiled, glancing back over her shoulder at him. "Don't you think it's time you did something about that?"

"Er, a thing." Jupiter spoke up, the Doctor and Lexi looking to her as she pulled their wedding rings from her jacket pocket. "Marguerite fixed these so they'd fit you again, you know, if you still want them."

"Of course we still want them." Lexi couldn't help but smile as Jupiter handed them their rings; the Doctor taking Lexi's and sliding them onto her left ring finger, and Lexi taking the Doctor's wedding band and sliding it onto his left ring finger.

"No matter what we look like, we always will have these." The Doctor gave Lexi's hand a squeeze before they looked back to everyone.

"There's also... something else." Jupiter informed them, biting her bottom lip slightly. "Apparently, Marguerite put a sort of... spell on the rings. Like a charm, if you will. The sizes will change with your bodies when you regenerate."

"Ooh, efficient." Lexi pursed her lips, nodding as she held her hand out to gaze at her sapphire 'engagement' ring and wedding band.

"There's something we never figured out, though." Lucas chimed in, raising his hand. "Who put that advert in the paper?"

"Better question," The Doctor began as he turned towards the console before pulling a lever, putting the TARDIS in motion before turning back to Lucas and Clara. "Who gave you our number?"

"What?" Clara blinked.

"Remember, a long time ago? You were given the number of a computer helpline, and you ended up phoning the TARDIS." Lexi nodded. "Who gave you that number?"

"The woman." Lucas recalled. "The woman in the shop."

The Couple of Time exchanged glances. "Then there's a woman out there who's very keen that we all stay together." The Doctor looked over at Clara and Lucas, the TARDIS making a noise as it landed somewhere. "How do you both feel on the subject?"

Clara and Lucas looked to Sky and Jupiter, who both seemed just as eager to hear their answers.

"Well, it's not like we're going anywhere." Jupiter laughed, smiling at them. "Now, come on, please tell us."

The two friends shared a look, taking deep breaths before-

Clara's phone suddenly started ringing.

The Doctor smirked. "You might want to get that."

Clara frowned, taking a look at her phone. Her frowned deepened before she headed towards the TARDIS doors. "One moment."

"Maybe you should go as well, Lucas." Lexi suggested, smiling a bit.

Said man looked at her curiously before quickly going to follow Clara out the doors.

The Twins of Time looked at their parents once it was just the four of them. "What did you do?"

***

Clara, followed by Lucas, stepped out of the TARDIS and stepped out of the way of pedestrians on the street as she answered the call, Lucas watching her from a couple feet away. "Hello... Hello?"

"It's me." A familiar voice said.

"Yes, it's you." She said, frowning slightly. "Who's this?"

"It's me, Clara." The voice said again. "The Doctor."

Clara's frown deepened. "What do you mean, the Doctor?"

***

The Eleventh Doctor sat on the floor as he sat back against the TARDIS door with the phone pressed between his ear and shoulder.

"I'm phoning you from Trenzalore." He said tiredly.

***

Clara sucked in a breath. "I don't..."

"...from before Lex and I changed."

Lucas squinted as he looked at the shocked expression on his best friend's face. "Clara, who is that?"

"I mean it's all still to happen for us, it's coming. Oh, it's a-coming..." Eleven's voice said into Clara's ear as she stared at Lucas. "Not long now."

Clara sniffled, looking back down away from Lucas and returning her attention to the phone call. "Where's the Glorious?"

***

Eleven chuckled softly, breathing slightly heavy. "She had something to take care of herself."

***

Clara held her phone to her chest, fighting back tears. She took a deep breath before speaking again. "Why? Why would you do this?"

"Because I think it's going to be a whopper. And I think you might be scared." He said before adding. "But however scared you are, Clara, the two you and Lucas are with, the two that I hope you are with right now, they're more than likely more scared than anything you can imagine right now. And they... they need you."

Clara glanced over Lucas's shoulder, said man turning around to the see the Family of Time standing by the open TARDIS door.

"So who is it?" The Twelfth Doctor questioned.

"Is that the Doctor?" The Eleventh asked.

"Is that the Doctor?" The Twelfth Doctor echoed.

***

"Yes." Clara's voice told Eleven.

"He sounds old." The Eleventh Doctor complained. "Please tell me I didn't get old. Anything but old." He could hear Clara giggle through her tears. "I was young." He grumbled. "Oh... Is he grey?"

***

"Yes." Clara answered, smiling. "The Glorious doesn't seem to mind, though."

"Sounds like her." Eleven remarked, breathing in. "Speaking of... How is she?"

"Brilliant, as usual." Clara sniffled, smiling slightly at the fact that he was actually asking about his wife's new incarnation. "Where is she, again? You never said."

***

"Clara, please, just..." Eleven said, ignoring her question. "for me, help them. You and Lucas... help them. And don't be afraid." He said to her before pausing. "Oh, and tell Lucas to answer his phone." He told her before smiling a bit. "Goodbye, Clara."

***

"Miss ya." The Eleventh Doctor added.

Clara ended the call and wiped her tears before looking to Lucas.

"What the hell was that?" He asked her seriously, taking a step forward.

Clara opened her mouth to respond to him, but was cut off by the sound of Lucas's phone ringing.

Said man frowned, pulling his phone from his back pocket. He looked at the caller ID before slowly looking to Lexi.

"You and Clara are very popular people today, aren't you?" Lexi asked him, winking. "Now, go on. Don't keep your caller waiting."

Lucas frowned at her before walking a few paces away as he answered, pressing his phone to his ear. "Hello?"

"Hello, Impossible Man." A familiar Scottish voice greeted, making Lucas suck in a breath.

"Is this who I think it is?" He asked softly.

***

Lexi 1.0/the First Glorious chuckled softly as she sat on the snowy ground, her back against the back of the TARDIS as she held her phone in between her ear and shoulder. "It is, Lucas. It really is."

"I don't understand."

"Oh, of course you do." She sighed, tucking a strand of her long red hair behind her ear. "Think about it. Really think."

***

Lucas glanced back at Lexi 2.0/the Second Glorious and the Twelfth Doctor as they stood with Sky and Jupiter over by the TARDIS before he turned away and spoke into his phone again. "You're phoning me from Trenzalore, aren't you?"

Lexi 1.0 chuckled sadly. "See? I knew you were a clever one."

***

"I am phoning you from Trenzalore, just before the Doctor and I changed." She told him, leaning her head back against the back of the TARDIS. "The Doctor's actually in the console room right now, making a phone call to Clara. How is she, by the way?"

"She's actually standing a few feet away, staring at me." Lucas's voice replied. "Probably wondering the same things I was when she received her phone call... You and the Doctor really think ahead, don't you?"

Lexi 1.0 giggled. "I suppose we do."

***

"How are Jupiter and Sky taking things?" She asked.

Lucas glanced back to Jupiter and Sky standing with their parents, watching him expectantly as he turned back away from them. "Really well. But I suppose they would, you know, given who they are."

"Good."

Lexi 2.0 smirked before calling over to Lucas. "Is that the Glorious?"

"Is that the Glorious?" Lexi 1.0's voice echoed.

"Yes." Lucas answered.

***

"Please tell me I didn't go English!" Lexi 1.0 thumped her head back against the back of the TARDIS, wincing when she did so. "I was a fiery, red headed Scot."

"Yes, well, now you're a fiery, blonde Englishwoman."

"Blonde, really?" Lexi 1.0 straightened. "What about the Doctor?"

"Yeah." He answered. "And the Doctor's taken after you and gone Scottish, but with grey hair."

***

"Well, I suppose blondes do have more fun. And a Scottish silver fox. Mm..." She hummed, making Lucas chuckle as he looked down at the ground. "Anyway, never mind that, serious time now. There really is a point to this conversation, Lucas. I need you to really listen to these next words. Okay? Really, carefully, listen to them."

***

"...Okay."

Lexi 1.0 took a deep breath as she leaned back against the back of the TARDIS. "You are my Impossible Man... I know you and Clara are probably unsure of who the Doctor and I've become, and that's okay." She assured him, closing her eyes for a moment. "But the two people you and Clara are with, the two people that I hope you are with, they are scared. Both of them are. But me? She's really, really scared. She's never done this before, and she is terrified."

***

"...She won't say it out loud." Lexi 1.0's voice said as Lucas glanced back at Lexi 2.0, said woman giving him a wary smile. "She's going to try and hide it, but she needs to know that you'll be there for her." Lucas turned away again, listening as he heard Lexi 1.0 take in another breath. "She may have the Doctor, and Sky and Jupiter. But the Doctor's going through this process as well for himself, and Sky and Jupiter aren't always around."

***

"She needs her friend." Lexi 1.0 clutched her phone tighter. "The person she can talk to when she feels like she can't talk to anyone else. The person who can make her laugh when everything around her is falling apart." She sniffled, fighting back tears. "She needs her lifesaver Lucas Harper... She needs you."

***

"And if you choose to stay, say you'll hold onto everything, all of it, for as long as you can." Lexi 1.0 told him, her voice cracking. "Promise me that."

Lucas took a deep breath, closing his eyes for a moment before he whispered. "I promise."

"Good." She said softly, a sad smile evident in her tone. "Goodbye, Lucas... Miss you already."

Lucas sniffled, swallowing down his emotions as he ended the phone call.

"Well?" The Doctor tilted his head.

"Well what?" Clara asked as she and Lucas turned to them.

"They did ask you questions." Lexi shrugged. "Will you help us?"

"You shouldn't have been listening." Lucas accused, but the corners of his mouth were quirked up.

"We didn't have to." The Doctor shook his head slightly. "That was us talking."

"Please, say that you can see us." Lexi pleaded. "That may have been us on the phone, but we're also right here in front of you now."

"We'll be there as often as we can." Jupiter assured the two friends.

"But there will be times when you'll have to deal with things yourselves." Sky added.

"Please. We're standing right here." The Doctor told them, pointing at himself while also pointing at Lexi. "Please, just... just see us."

The Impossibles slowly walked over to them, studying their faces.

Clara smiled. "Thank you."

"For what?" Lexi raised an eyebrow.

Lucas gave her a smile of his own. "Phoning."

The Doctor and Lexi stumbled back as their respective companions enveloped them in big hugs, the Doctor not quite knowing what to do with his hands while Lexi laughed, wrapping her arms around Lucas as he lifted her slightly off the ground with the force of his hug.

"I... I don't think that I'm a hugging person now." The Doctor managed as he held his hands out behind Clara's back.

Lexi pulled away from Lucas slightly, glancing over at her husband with a raised eyebrow. "What was that?"

"Well, except for you."

"That's better."

"I'm not sure you get a vote." Clara smirked, releasing him.

"Nope, he doesn't." Lexi agreed as she pulled away from Lucas.

"Why are you ganging up on me all of a sudden?" The Doctor frowned.

"It's funny, mate." Lucas chuckled.

The Doctor rolled his eyes. "Whatever."

Clara giggled before looking around at where all of them were. "Where exactly are we?"

Sky sniffed the air. "Glasgow, definitely."

"Ah." Clara smiled. "You and the Doctor will fit right in. Scottish."

"Right." Jupiter smiled, shaking her head. "Does anyone want to grab a bite to eat while we're here?"

"Chips and coffee?" Lexi suggested.

"Sounds divine." Clara sighed, liking the sound of that as the six of them started down the pavement. "Lucas is buying."

"Hey!" Lucas scowled, Clara laughing at his expression.

"Oh, come on." Jupiter giggled before grabbing Lucas by the arm and tugging him ahead, Clara and Sky laughing as they went to catch up with them.

"I think we'll be okay." Lexi commented quietly, taking the Doctor's hand.

The Doctor gripped her hand a little tighter in his as they followed after their companions and children.

"Yes, love, I do believe we will be."

*****

Author's Note

And there you have it! 😁

I seriously hope you enjoyed it, and I'm sorry it took so long to get it published. ❤️

Anyway, tell me what you think! 😃 I really do want to know your thoughts.

What do you think about Lexi 2.0 being able to play the piano? 🎹 And about how she has a grand piano in her own little nook of the console room? I thought it would be fun to make this Couple of Time kind of musically, you know, since 12 plays the electric guitar. 🎸

Oh, another thing, do you like the description of Lexi 2.0's outfit? If you want to see what it actually looks like, there's a picture of it in her description chapter after this episode. It's titled "😎 LEXI POND 2.0 / THE 2nd GLORIOUS 😎".

Anyway, here are some of my thoughts. . .

• Jucas is starting to come alive, as you probably noticed, and may become an actual thing sometime this series. 🎉

• This episode was an absolute blast to write. :) I'm already loving Evaldi, and this is just their first episode. ;)

• I'm already thinking ahead to episodes like "Robot of Sherwood" (that's gonna be hilarious 😂), "Time Heist" (that's gonna be badass 😎), "The Caretaker" (I've got some surprises for that 😉), "Kill the Moon" (that's gonna be one that I think will have a lot of you mad at me 😈), "Mummy on the Orient Express" (a mystery will begin for one of our characters 🤫), "In the Forest of the Night" (that's gonna be an interesting one as well 🌳🌲), and then the two part series 8 finale "Dark Water" and "Death in Heaven" are going to be episodes where some serious sh*t goes down. . .

Basically all of our characters are going to be going through A LOT of stuff this series. *grins evilly*

I hope I've intrigued you more.

Now, I think that's all I have to say for the time being. So, I suppose I shall depart from y'all for now.

There's a very special little filler chapter coming up next! And I think it's one that y'all will definitely want to read. . . 😏

Until then! 😘

━━ { ⋆｡˚ 🌟 ˚｡⋆ } ━━

Please leave your wonderful comments below and don't forget to vote! <3

– Maddy Xx