A/N - Welcome to Series 7b! Oh, I am so excited!

They'd been in Victorian England for Elise didn't know how long. They only left the TARDIS when they needed something or visit to Madame Vastra.

Right now they were headed back to the TARDIS after a dinner out for Elise's birthday. Or at least what she thought was her birthday.

The Doctor could sense she was becoming restless just spending every day in the TARDIS.

They walked past a woman and a snowman. "Did you make this snowman?" the woman asked.

"No," the Doctor said.

"Well, who did? Because it wasn't there a second ago. It just appeared, from nowhere."

The Doctor turned around and walked towards the snowman. He slipped on Amy's (and now his) glasses and looked at it. He picked some of the snow off the snowman. "Maybe it's snow that fell before. Maybe it remembers how to make snowmen."

"What, snow that can remember? That's silly."

"What's wrong with silly?"

"Nothing. Still talking to you, ain't I?"

Elise smiled. She liked this girl.

"What's your name?" The Doctor took off his glasses.

"Clara."

"Nice name. Clara. You should definitely keep it. Goodbye!" He walked back towards Elise and grabbed her arm, dragging her away from the girl and the snowman.

"Oi! Where are you going? I thought we was just getting acquainted."

The Doctor looked at her with a wistful smile. "Those were the days."

"Wait. Are we just gonna leave her there?" Elise asked.

"Yes."

"But...but what if the snowman is dangerous?"

"It's not our problem anymore. Now get in the carriage." He opened the carriage door.

"Amy would've helped her," Elise muttered.

"Get. In. The. Carriage."

Elise glared at him, but got in the carriage. She didn't even have the luxury of slamming the door like she wanted to.

The Doctor got in and called Madame Vastra.

"So, how was your jaunt around Victorian England?" she asked.

"We met a girl," Elise said, ignoring her father glaring at her.

"How refreshing to see you taking an interest again. Was she nice?"

"I just spoke to her," the Doctor said.

"And made your usual impact, no doubt."

"No, no impact at all. Those days are over."

"You can't help yourself. It's the same story every time. And it always begins with the same two words."

"She'll never be able to find me again. She doesn't even have the name. Doctor. What two words?"

The hatch on the roof opened and Clara poked her head in. "Doctor? Doctor who?" she asked.

The carriage rocked back and forth as Clara tried to get out.

Elise was worried about it tipping and harming the girl inside.

The Doctor was examining the snow.

Elise would never understand how he could just feel something and know something was wrong with it.

"This snow is new. Possibly alien. When you find something brand new in the world, something you've never seen before, what's the next thing you look for?" the Doctor asked.

"A grenade," Strax said.

Elise rolled her eyes. Sometimes Strax graded on her nerves. She missed Amy's mostly positive attitude. She would have rather been anywhere except with a grumpy Doctor.

"A profit." The Doctor dropped the snow and stood up. "That's Victorian values for you."

"I suggest a full frontal assault with automated laser monkeys, scalpel mines and acid."

"Why?"

"Couldn't we at least investigate?"

"It's none of our business."

"Sir, permission to express my opposition to your current apathy?"

"Permission granted."

"Sir, I am opposed to your current apathy."

"Let me out!" Clara yelled.

"Thank you, Strax. And if ever I'm in need of advice from a psychotic potato dwarf..." The Doctor put his hands on Strax's head. "You'll certainly be the first to know."

"But if the snow is new and alien, shouldn't we be making some attempt to destroy it? Be reasonable..."

The Doctor hushed Strax by placing a finger on his mouth.

"Let me out!" Clara yelled again.

"It is not our problem. Over a thousand years of saving the universe, Strax, you know the one thing I learned? The universe doesn't care."

But Elise did. She still cared, but she kept quiet. Whenever she even tried to start a conversation with the Doctor, it led to a fight.

"Oi, Doctor! Let me out! Are you listening to me?"

"Now, we have a problem of our own to worry about."

"Let me out! Oi!"

The Doctor walked over to the carriage and opened the door. He climbed inside, Elise following. "Don't worry. No one's going to hurt you," he told her.

"What is that thing?" Clara asked, looking at Strax.

"Silence, boy!" Strax ordered.

"That's Strax. And as you can see, he's easily confused," the Doctor said.

"Silence, girl. Sorry, lad."

"Sontaran. Clone warrior race. Factory produced, whole legions at a time. Two genders is a bit further than he can count."

"Sir, do not discuss my reproductive cycle in front of enemy girls. It's embarrassing."

"Typical middle child of six million."

"Who are you?" Clara asked.

"It doesn't matter because you're about to forget that we ever met." The Doctor turned to Strax. "We'll need the worm."

Strax nodded. "Sir."

"You'll need the what? The worm? What worm?" Clara asked.

This was wrong and Elise knew it, but maybe it was for the best. This Clara girl wouldn't leave them alone unless they did this.

"Don't worry, it won't hurt, but one touch on your bare skin and you lose the last hour of your memory," he reassured her.

Strax returned, but without the worm.

"Where is it?" the Doctor asked.

"Where's what, sir?"

"I sent you to get the memory worm."

"Did you? When? Who's he? What are we doing here? Look, it's been snowing!"

"You didn't use the gauntlets, did you?"

"Why would I need the gauntlets? Do you want me to get the memory worm?"

"You..."

Strax was currently under the carriage, trying to grab the memory worm.

Clara and Elise were standing off to the side.

"So, what's your name?" Clara asked, "You've been very quiet."

"Elise Smith."

"So, what is he your suitor or something?"

Elise shook her head. "He's my father."

"And has he always been like this?"

"No. We...our friends died. So now he doesn't want to go out and do anything."

"Well, can you see it?" the Doctor asked Strax.

"I think I can hear it."

Clara giggled.

"Oi, don't try to run away. Stay where you are," the Doctor told her.

"Why would I run? I know what's going to happen next and it's funny."

"What's funny?"

"Well, your little pal, for a start. He's an ugly little fella, isn't he?"

"Maybe. He gave his life for a friend of mine once."

Elise's hearts sped up. Was he actually talking about Amy?

"Then how come he's alive?"

"Another friend of mine brought him back. I'm not sure all his brains made the return trip!"

"Neither am I."

"I can see it," Strax said.

"Ooo! Can you reach it? Have you got it?" the Doctor asked.

"Got what, sir?"

Clara walked over to them and held up the gauntlets. "Because these are the gauntlets, aren't they?"

"Sir, emergency! I think I've been run over by a cab," Strax cried.

The Doctor put on the gauntlets and grabbed the memory worm. "There you go. One touch and you lose about an hour of your memory. Let it bite you and you could lose decades." He put the worm into a glass jar. "And you're still not trying to run."

"I don't understand how the snowman built itself. I'll run once you've explained," Clara told him.

"Clara who?"

"Doctor who?"

"Oh, dangerous question."

"What's wrong with dangerous?"

Were they...flirting?

A snowman appeared.

"The snow emits a low level telepathic field..." the Doctor started.

"The snowman," Clara breathed.

Elise stepped closer to the young woman.

"...it seems to reflect people's thoughts and memories and because it's unusual, somehow it carries a previous shape and..."

"No, Doctor." Clara grabbed his arm and pulled him over. "The snowman."

"Ah! Interesting. Well, were you thinking about it?"

"Yes."

Another one appeared and soon they were surrounded.

"Well, stop. Clara, stop thinking about the snowmen!"

The snowman growled at them.

"Get down!"

The three of them knelt.

The Doctor grabbed Clara's face. "Clara, listen to me. The snow's feeding off your thoughts."

"I don't understand."

"You're caught in their telepathic field. They're mirroring you. The more you think about the snowmen, the more they appear. Imagine them melting. Picture it. Picture them melted!" Clara closed her eyes and they were splashed with ice cold water.

"Well, very good. Very, very good. Ha!"

The Doctor and Elise stood up.

"Is that going to happen again?"

"Well, if it does, you know what to do about it."

Clara stood up. "Unless I forget."

The Doctor grabbed Clara by the arm and directed her into the carriage. "Don't come looking for us. Forget about me. You understand?"

"What about the snow? Shouldn't we be warning people?" Clara asked.

"Not my problem." He shut the door. "Merry Christmas. Take her back where we found her."

Strax nodded. "Sir."

The carriage drove off.

When the Doctor looked at Elise, she was smiling (despite being dripping wet). "What?" he asked.

"I've missed this."