The Doctor and the Stone go ghost-hunting and it's safe to say the Doctor is more whipped than ever when it comes to our ginger Time Lady.

It's 'Hide'!

─── ｡ﾟ☆･*.☽ .* ☆ﾟ. ───

The Doctor and the Stone walked up to a large old house in practically the middle of nowhere. It was a dark rainy night and thunder echoed above with lightening crackling around them. "Isn't this a little bit creepy?" Clara asked as they neared the house.

"Creepy?" The Doctor repeated. "Very."

"I'm not scared." Araya blinked up at the house.

"Yeah, but you're like a one-hundred-year-old Time Lord." Clara huffed crossing her arms when they stood in front of the door.

"One hundred and one," the young brunette pouted, "and it's Time Lady."

"Just like your mother." The Doctor chuckled, "She kept reminding me of her age when we were young, doesn't like to talk about it now do you love."

"Sweetheart by now you should remember that we're the same age," the Stone rolled her eyes and knocked on the door, they moved out of the way before it opened.

"Boo!" The Doctor said a little loudly, causing a man who looked to be in his late thirties to jump back slightly, a woman around the same age behind him. "Hello, I'm looking for a ghost."

"And you are?" The man looked at the Doctor.

"Ghostbusters." Clara poked her head out from behind the Doctor. The Stone did the same.

"I've seen that one!" Araya grinned.

"So you've seen Ghostbusters but not Pinocchio?" Clara sighed.

"Yep." She nodded.

"I'm the Doctor." The Time Lord held out his psychic paper.

"Doctor what?"

He shrugged. "If you like, this is my wife the Stone, and our daughter Araya." The little girl waved. "And this is Clara." His eyes brightened when he spotted the large equipment inside. "Ah, but you are very different." He pointed to the man. "You are Major Alec Palmer. Member of the Baker Street Irregulars, the Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare. Specialised in espionage, sabotage and reconnaissance behind enemy lines. You're a talented watercolourist, professor of psychology and ghost hunter. Total pleasure. Massive."

"Actually, you're wrong." A woman who was with Alec frowned. "Professor Palmer spent most of the war as a POW."

"Actually, that's a lie told by a very brave man involved in very secret operations. The type of man who keeps a Victoria Cross in a box in the attic, eh? But you know that because you're Emma Grayling, the Professor's companion."

"Assistant."

"It's 1974." He nodded. "You're the assistant and non-objective equipment. Meaning psychic."

"Getting that." Clara cut him off. "Bless you, though."

"Relax, Emma. He's Military Intelligence. So, what is all this in aid of?"

"Health and safety." He answered. "Yeah, the Ministry got wind of what's going on down here. Sent me to check that everything's in order."

"They don't have the right."

"Don't worry, guv'nor, we'll be out of your hair in five minutes." He reassured and turned his attention to the equipment, smiling widely at it like it was Christmas. "Oh! Oh, look. Oh, lovely." He grinned at it all and started moving the switch. "The ACR 99821. Oh, bliss. Nice action on the toggle switches. You know, I do love a toggle switch. Actually, I like the word toggle. Nice noun. Excellent verb."

"Doctor." The Stone lightly coughed.

"Oh right sorry." He pointed at Clara. "Don't mess with the settings." He ordered pulling out his sonic and scanning Alec and Emma's faces, walking over to the door he then scanned that.

"What's that?" Alec questioned.

"Gadget." He replied not paying much attention. "Health and safety. Classified, I'm afraid. You know, while the back room boffins work out a few kinks."

"What's it telling you?" Clara raised a brow.

"It's telling me that you haven't been exposed to any life-threatening transmundane emanations." He smiled. "So, where's the ghost?" He picked up a small three-pronged candelabra. "Show me the ghost." He held his other hand out to Araya who giggled and took it. "It's ghost time."

×××

They walked through the corridors, Alec walked faster to catch up with the Doctor. "I will not have this stolen out from under me, do you understand."

"Er, no, not really, sorry." He replied.

"I will not have my work stolen, then be fobbed off with a pat on the back and a letter from the Queen. Never again. This is my house, Doctor, and it belongs to me."

"This is actually your house?" Clara asked.

"It is."

"Sorry. You went to the bank and said, you know that gigantic old haunted house on the moors? The one the dossers are too scared to doss in? The one the birds are too scared to fly over? And then you said, I'd like to buy it, please, with my money."

"Yes, I did, actually."

"That's incredibly brave." She noted.

Something creaked and Araya looked over her shoulder, scanning the darkness with her eyes. She shook her head she turned back around. "Listen, Major, we just need to know what's going on here."

"For the Ministry?" He asked.

The Stone sighed. "You know we can't answer that."

He hesitated for a moment before giving in and taking the lead. "Very well, follow me."

The Stone chuckled at her husband who was happily taking pictures of himself and his daughter with an old camera, the Time Lord made odd poses and even some of just Araya on her own. "I'll snatch them from Alec before we leave." She said into his mind giggling with her arms crossed.

"What?" He blinked at her, talking aloud.

"The photos," she nodded at the camera, "they're adorable."

"Yeah." He smiled at his daughter who giggled.

"Come take some with us!" Araya begged.

The Time Lady shook her head. "Not right now Rae."

"Aw." She pouted.

The Doctor gave her a pout as well. The Time Lady rolled her eyes, heading over. The Doctor grinned, turning the camera around to face them before taking a photo of them all.

Araya giggled again as the Doctor quickly kissed the Stones's cheek and took a photo at the same time.

The Stone warmly smiled at the Doctor, who quickly took the opportunity to take a photo of her. And then another, and another.

"That's enough photos of me now sweetheart." She told him after he took two more. He lowered the camera and headed over towards Clara and Emma.

"So, what's an empathic psychic?" Clara asked Emma sitting down.

"Sometimes I sense feelings, the way a telepath can sense thoughts." She explained while Clara sat down. "Sometimes, though. Not always."

The Doctor left Araya alone with the camera. "The most compassionate people you'll ever meet, empathics. And the loneliest." He went on. The Stone sighed at him. "I mean, exposing themselves to all those hidden feelings, all that guilt, pain and sorrow and-"

"Sweetheart." The Stone cut him off.

"Yes, dear?"

"Please stop talking."

"Sorry, dear."

"Thanks, sweetheart." She smiled. Araya giggled at her parents.

"Would you care to have a look?" Alec asked a large group of photographs were now pinned to a wall. They all crowded around. The Stone picked up Araya so she could it clearer. "Caliburn House is over four hundred years old, but she has been here much longer. The Caliburn Ghast." He announced. "She's mentioned in local Saxon poetry and parish folk tales. The Wraith of the Lady, the Maiden in the Dark, the Witch of the Well."

"Is she real?" Clara asked in wonder. "As in, actually real?"

"Oh, she's real." He replied. "In the seventeenth century, a local clergyman saw her. He wrote that her presence was accompanied by a dreadful knocking, as if the Devil himself demanded entry." He explained. "During the war, American airmen stationed here left offerings of tinned Spam. The tins were found in 1965, bricked up in the servants' pantry, along with a number of handwritten notes. Appeals to the Ghast. For the love of God, stop screaming."

Araya pointed to one of the photographers and then another taken in a different room, "She never changes." The girl stated. "She's always in the same pose."

"Araya's right." The Doctor nodded looking at the photographs. "Why is that?"

Alec shrugged. "We don't know. She's an objective phenomenon, but objective recording equipment can't detect her-"

"Without the presence of a powerful psychic." The Stone nodded understanding where Emma came into all of this.

"Absolutely. Very well done."

"She knows I'm here," Emma whispered. "I can feel her calling out to me."

"What's she saying?" Clara asked.

"Help me."

The Doctor read off a small note. "The Witch of the Well." He looked at Alec. "So where's the well?"

"A copy of the oldest plan that we could find." He handed it to the Doctor who looked at it with the Stone. "There is no well on the property. None that we could find, anyway."

The Stone and Araya looked at the photographs for a bit longer while the Doctor terrified Clara by tapping her on her head, causing the woman to jump and spin around, breaking her daydream.

"You coming?" He asked.

"Where?"

"To find the ghost." The Time Lord whispered.

"Why would I want to do that?"

"Because you want to. Come on."

"Well, I dispute that assertion."

"Eh? I'm giving you a face." He nodded his head in the direction of the door to follow. Araya giggled at him and joined her father who took his little girl's hand. "Can you see me? Look at my face."

"Fine." She sighed. "Dare me."

"I dare you." He grinned. "No takesies backsies."

Clara took the candelabra and headed off, the Doctor followed behind holding Araya's hand, the Stone's arm now linked through his other one.

"The music room is the heart of the house," Emma informed them, they nodded in reply.

They walked through a dark corridor. "Say we actually find her. What do we say?"

"We ask her how she came to be whatever she is." He replied.

"Why?"

"Because I don't know, and ignorance is, what's the opposite of bliss?"

"Carlisle." The Stone and Clara answered.

"Yes." He nodded. "Yes, Carlisle. Ignorance is Carlisle."

They walked through the kitchen and soon found the music room, a large harp in one corner of it. "Ah, the music room." The Doctor whispered. "The heart of the house. Do you feel anything?"

"No." Clara lied.

"Your pants are so on fire." He remarked

Araya lightly sniffed. "I don't smell any burning?"

"Oh, Araya." The Time Lady chuckled patting her daughter's head.

The Doctor smiled and flashed his sonic that stuttered slightly, causing him to frown.

"Do you feel like you're being watched?" Clara whispered to them.

"What does being watched feel like?" The Doctor quietly asked. "Is it that funny tickly feeling on the back of your neck?"

"That's the chap."

"Then yes, a bit. Well, quite a big bit." Wood then began to creek, Araya swallowed and shuffled closer to the ginger who placed an arm behind her shoulder.

"I think she's here," Clara muttered.

The Doctor stepped forward and breathed out, frowning when he could see his breath. He stepped back into the light and tried again with nothing showing when he let out a breath. "Cold spot." He muttered glancing back. "Spooky. Cold." He stepped forward and breathed. "Warm." He stepped back and breathed. "Cold." Breath. "Warm." Breath. "Cold." Breath. "Warm. Cold. Warm. Cold." The Doctor grabbed some chalk from inside his pocket and drew a circle around himself.

The Stone tilted her head. "Interesting."

"Doctor?" Clara whispered. "Doctor!" She said louder after he didn't reply.

"What?"

"I'm not happy."

"No." He agreed.

Araya shivered stepping behind the Stone. "I don't like this." She told her mother.

"I agree, come on darling." She picked Araya up and followed the Doctor when he headed out of the music room

"Hey!" Clara called after them.

They stood in a passageway and stopped when a loud slamming noise echoed from somewhere in the house.

"What was that?" Clara whispered. The candle in her hand then went out.

And it suddenly grew colder. "Okay, what is that?" Clara asked.

"It's a very loud noise." The Doctor said. "It's a very loud, very angry noise."

"What's making it?"

"I don't know." He replied. "Are you making it?" Two loud banging noises then echoed.

"Doctor?" Clara whispered.

"Yes?"

"I may be a teeny, tiny bit terrified."

"Yes?"

"But I'm still a grown-up."

"Mainly, yes, and?" He nodded.

"There's no need to actually hold my hand."

"Clara." He swallowed.

"Yeah?"

"I'm holding the Stones hand."

He raised their joint hands and looked behind, screaming and running down the stairs, the Stone tightly held Araya who hid her face in her mother's neck as she screamed.

They ran to the main entrance of the house, Emma and Alec stood around a black strange hole that gyrated in mid-air, the Time Lords ran down the stairs, the Doctor stared at it then looked at the two humans.

"Has this happened before?" He asked.

"Never," Alec replied.

"Camera." The Doctor ordered. Alec tossed it over to him, and the Time Lord took as many photos as possible, the black oval hole started to crack.

Emma stepped back as what looked like a ghost appeared in front of her. Araya turned around and gasped. "Daddy!" She tugged on his leg, spinning around as quickly as possible he began to snap photos of the ghost, she moved towards Emma and finally disappeared as she collided with the woman.

"Help me!" The ghost cried out.

"Doctor." Clara swallowed staring up at the wall near the staircase, the words 'Help Me' frozen into it. The Stone reached up slightly having been near the staircase.

The words evaporated and the black oval hole disappeared.

The Time Lords stood in the dark room while Clara was looking after Araya in the living room, "I had a little peek at your records, back at the Ministry." The Doctor began. "You've certainly seen a thing or two in your time. Disrupting U-boat operations across the North Sea, sabotaging railway lines across Europe. Operation Gibbon. The one with the carrier pigeons, brilliant." He smiled. "I do love a carrier pigeon."

"I did my duty, but then so did thousands of others. Millions of others. I was just lucky enough to come back."

"Yes, but how does that man, that war hero, end up here in a lonely old house, looking for ghosts?" He questioned.

"Because I killed, and I caused to have killed." He sighed. "I sent young men and women to their deaths, but here I am, still alive and it does tend to haunt you. Living, after so much of the other thing."

×××

"So, you and Professor Palmer, have you ever... you know?" Clara asked sipping on some tea having turned down the whisky, even though she wasn't going to actually drink she promised the Doctor that Araya was safe in her care, and she wasn't going to break that promise with one drink.

"No." She replied.

"Why not?" She frowned. "You do know how he feels about you, don't you? You, of all people?"

"I don't know." She shrugged. "People like me, sometimes we get our signals mixed up. We think people are feeling the way we want them to feel, you know, when they are special to us, when really there's nothing there."

"Oh, this is there." She smiled.

"How do you know?"

"Because it's obvious." She grinned. "Sticks out like a big chin."

They laughed at that.

×××

"You see, I was alone and unmarried and I didn't mind dying. I mean, not for that cause. It was a very, very fine cause, defeating the enemy."

"And if you could contact them, what would you say?"

"Well, I'd very much like to thank them."

"Ah ha." They got the image on the photograph and hung it to dry.

"Who do you think she is?" Alec asked looking at the photo of the screaming woman behind the Doctor.

"Not what I thought she'd be." He muttered.

"What did you think she'd be?"

"Fun." He sighed. "Can I borrow your camera?" The man handed it to him. "Ta."

×××

"What about you?" Emma questioned.

"The Doctor and the Stone have each other and I haven't met anyone." She shrugged.

"Good." She nodded, eyes darting to see where Araya was, the girl stood by the board of photos looking at each one.

"Sorry?" Clara frowned.

"Don't trust them." She whispered. "There's a sliver of ice in their hearts."

"But..." Clara looked over at Araya.

"Clara!" They heard the Doctor call. "Araya!"

Clara stared at the little girl, if Emma was telling the truth the Time Lord's daughter could get hurt. She frowned slightly. No, they would never hurt her.

Clara shortly found herself holding an umbrella, and the Time Lords huddled under it with the human, standing in front of the TARDIS. Clara frowned. "I've got this weird feeling it's looking at me. It doesn't like me."

"The TARDIS is like a cat." The Doctor replied. "A bit slow to trust, but you'll get there in the end." He ran inside.

"It's a she not an it." Araya smiled and followed her father.

"And She isn't like a cat," the Stone corrected, glancing from the TARDIS to the human. "Ignore him." She then headed inside.

Clara frowned at the box before she tried to open the door and had to knock.

"You." The Doctor pointed at the time rotor. "Be nice." The Stone opened the door and then headed back to the console.

Clara looked around for a stand for the umbrella. " Hey. You need a place to keep this." She held up her hand.

"I've got one." He waved her off and pointed at where it should have been. He frowned. "Or I had one. I think I had one. Look around. See if you find it. Did I have one? Dear, am I going mad?"

The Stone chuckled. "Oh, sweetheart you were always mad."

He pouted. "You're not supposed to agree."

"But it's true." She winked and whispered into his ear, "I like it."

The Time Lord went bright red. Araya giggled at her father's face not understanding what was wrong with him. Clara shrugged and started to shake off the umbrella.

"No, not in here." The Doctor said taking the umbrella from the human. "How do you expect her to like you?" He asked. "She's soaking wet. It's a health and safety nightmare, especially with Araya who will try to jump in the puddles now." His eyes widened and he turned to his daughter, pointing a warning finger at her. "Don't."

She pouted at him.

"Sorry." Clara winced looking up at the TARDIS time rotor. "So, where are we going?"

"Nowhere." The Stone answered.

"We're staying right here." The Doctor added. "Right here, on this exact spot, if I can work out how to do it." The Time Lady rolled her eyes at him.

"So, when are we going?" Clara questioned.

"Oh, that is good." He nodded. "That is top-notch."

"And the answer is?"

"We're going always." Araya cheered.

"We're going always." Clara deadpanned.

"Totally." The Doctor grinned pointing at his daughter.

"That's not actually a sentence."

"Technically it is." Araya smiled jumping down the stairs, following the Doctor. "It has a verb in it."

The Doctor came back out from under the console a few minutes later. He held up a bright orange space suit. "What do you think?"

"Colour's a bit boisterous."

"I think it brings out my eyes." He grinned.

"Makes my eyes hurt," Clara muttered.

"I like it!" Araya giggled. The Doctor smugly grinned.

"Don't add to his massive ego, Rae." The Stone chuckled making the Time Lord pout, Araya laughed at him, and the Stone pulled a lever dematerialising the TARDIS.

The Doctor headed back into the TARDIS, throwing open the doors and holding out his hands, his suit started to produce smoke. "Back off." He warned making the three step back away from him. "Hot suit. Hot, hot, hot."

"When are we?"

"Araya?" The Stone asked tilting down the scanner slightly so she could see.

"Six billion years ago?" She guessed looking at the view outside.

The Stone nodded kissing her daughter's head.

"It's a Tuesday, I think." The Doctor added.

Next, the four were in a tropical jungle, the Doctor took photos of a giant dragonfly. Then they went to the Victorian era, the Doctor laughed and spun the Stone around in his arms before taking a photo of the house.

The Doctor was back in the environmental suit, the Time Lady could tell that something wasn't right with how quiet Clara had quickly become. "Back in a mo." The Doctor called about to head out. "Are you all right?" He asked Clara.

"Totally." She forced a smile. "Peachy keen."

"Okay then." He nodded. "Well, don't press any buttons or pull any levers or make any funny faces." He pointed at her. "Actually, don't move. Stand completely still. Don't breathe. Well, you can breathe, but shallow breaths."

"Off you go sweetheart." The Stone gave him a pointed look. He held up his hands and headed out.

"Right." The ginger spun around to face Clara as she crossed her arms at the human. "What's wrong?"

"What?" She blinked.

"You're upset, I'm not blind Clara." She shook her head and stepped closer to her. "I'm a mother, I notice things."

"You can tell us," Araya reassured standing next to her mother. "We won't tell Daddy if you don't want us to."

"Araya..." the Stone turned to her. "I will not keep secrets from your father."

"Okay, I won't tell Daddy if you don't want me to." She smiled brightly.

Clara chuckled a little at the girl and looked at the scanner showing the Doctor taking photos of the deserted Earth.

"Have we just watched the entire life cycle of Earth, birth to death?" She quietly asked.

"Oh, Clara." The Time Lady sighed in understanding as she walked over to her.

─── ｡ﾟ☆･*.☽ .* ☆ﾟ. ───