The Forgotten

Chapter 5

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Leaning against the lab table The Doctor stared at the innocent looking sphere, his mind mulling over the riddle. He had worked it out already, What belongs to you but is used by others? Your name or more to the point his name. But which one?

The Doctor had been given so many names over the years, some of them less than flattering, and depending on who had sent it using the wrong name might have devastating consequences for him and well the rest of planet earth.

"Doctor Osgood is missing, vanished from her tent in the middle of the night."

Closing his for a fraction of a second The Doctors thoughts raced towards one conclusion before he viciously shut them down, diverting his anger to another more readily available target.

"And nobody noticed? Not to be rude Kate but you might want to think about reviewing your security protocols." The Doctor sneered.

"One of the guards reported Osgood did yell out and he went to investigate but Osgood convinced them it was just a mistake and no one checked on her until morning. Doctor we both know who is the most likely candidate to have taken her."

"You are jumping to conclusions Kate." The Doctor muttered yet from the way he couldn't quite meet Kate's gaze she knew he suspected the same thing but unlike her was not prepared to admit it, either because he didn't want to discuss it or because he was avoiding confronting the real possibility himself, like a child hiding their head under the blanket to hide from the monsters.

"Please a cryptic threat turns up in UNIT headquarters keyed to only The Doctor and Osgood goes missing." Kate snorted leaning closer and lowering her voice until she was pretty sure only The Doctor could hear her. "I am pretty damn confident in those conclusions Doctor. I just want to know is she safe?"

"What do you mean?" The Doctor asked suspiciously his eyes narrowing

"Oh don't continue to treat me like I'm an idiot, I was there remember. I saw Osgood willingly leave with The Mistress, and I have studied her since she came back and Osgood displays none of the psyche symptoms of post-traumatic stress she should have. Not even Stockholm syndrome would explain it away." Kate snapped. "I am in charge here Doctor and I am fed up of being kept in the dark, is Osgood in danger? Is UNIT compromised?"

"I don't know, I don't think so...I hope not." The Doctor spluttered his anger fading away in the light of Kate's very real concern for Osgood that made him feel more than a little ashamed at his own outburst.

"You hope not? Well as long as you hope not."

Sighing The Doctor added quietly "Don't discount hope Kate, it can be the most powerful thing in the universe."

Opening her mouth to retort Kate was cut off when there was a flash of a teleport and the room was suddenly plus a groaning Osgood. Kate was the first to rush to her side putting her hand to Osgood's forehead "She's burning up."

"It's a side effect of travelling through time and space without a time capsule I wouldn't recommend it."

Blinking against the bright light it took Osgood's vision a moment to clear before she was staring up into the concerned and curious faces of Kate and The Doctor. "Doctor oh thank goodness, you have to come you have to stop her."

The Doctor doesn't even need to ask who, even as his hearts sank from the confirmation. The Mistress was back to her old tricks it would seem, he wasn't sure why he had ever allowed Osgood to encourage him to hope otherwise. "We will stop her Osgood; I won't let Missy destroy the earth I promise. Whatever this plan of hers is together we will defeat it."

Frowning Osgood shook her head, staring past The Doctor at the sphere. "What no, oh that..." She wheezed remembering something Missy had mentioned as she scrabbled for her inhaler, taking a deep breath as The Doctor and Kate hung on waiting for her to finish.

"I think that's meant to be a gift Doctor, a wedding present for Clara and Danny. She said something about you being rubbish at shopping."

"Hold on." Kate interjected unable to actually believe what she was hearing. "Are you telling me I have put the Heads of State of every nation on earth on high alert because the intergalactic version of Yodel were unable to make delivery direct to The Doctor and we're what his "safe place?"

Blushing in embarrassment The Doctor moved back to the shield placing his hand back on the rippling blue, the message reappeared and this time The Doctor rolled his eyes as he re-read the message. Trust Missy and her attempt at being funny.

Clearing his throat he spoke his name aloud in Gallifrayan, well not his real name obviously but the nickname that Missy used whenever she was being nostalgic. Clearly that matched the signatory requirements to satisfy the delivery, the shield deactivated and the countdown ceased.

Approaching the now defenceless package the Doctor waved his sonic over the sphere which shimmered open to reveal a beautiful glass sculpture, even in the artificial light of the UNIT hanger it shimmered and The Doctor knew that in natural light it would cast beautiful refractions of light in a range of colours that far exceeded the human eye's ability to process.

"Well at least she has good taste." Kate huffed waving her staff to stand down.

Turning to Osgood Kate couldn't help but show her disappointment. "I don't really want to ask where you have been or with who Osgood but I wouldn't be doing my job if I ignored what I have learnt today. Osgood I have no choice but to place you under arrest for the protection of the planet earth and her citizens until such time as your threat level can be determined."

"No Kate you have to understand she needs help." Osgood stood firm turning her pleading gaze on The Doctor who looked up from the beautiful gift and the look on his face near broke Osgood's heart. That ancient face so solemn and yet those blue grey eyes burned with hope and fear, like he was being torn in two.

"Funny then that she didn't ask for it, not that I would be inclined to assist even if I could, it is not my responsibility but you are I'm sorry." Kate's reply was clipped and firm even if her gaze reflected a hint of regret as she motioned for guards to come and arrest Osgood. "It's for your own good Osgood."

"Doctor please...please you have to go help her." Osgood insisted even as she resisted the armed guards come to escort her away. "She's going to get herself killed." She added relieved when that at least caused The Doctor to flinch as if she had slapped him.

"The Mistress is the most qualified person alive at getting herself out of life and death situations." The Doctor insisted even as he felt a frisson of guilt, yet he was certain Osgood had misunderstood and was exaggerating the threat level, either that or Missy had deliberately misled her.

The Mistress would never ask for help, would never play the damsel in distress, not unless there was some advantage to her in it. Well he could afford to get caught up in her dangerous games, not now.

"Osgood I am sure she will be fine and besides I made Clara a promise not to miss her wedding."

"But you don't understand it's not just Missy in danger..." Osgood began, even with the Mistress's warning uppermost in her mind, surely she didn't need to tell The Doctor everything to get him to help, he cared about Missy right, he would go help her without needing to know about the other time lords at stake?

"Who is in danger?" The Doctor demanded eyes narrowing as Osgood actually avoided his gaze increasing his suspicions that there was much more going on here than she was saying, but why lie to him?

"It's complicated...I can't...I can't tell you...Osgood stuttered, clearly trying Kate's last nerve as the guards were now instructed to drag her from the room if necessary. "Please trust me they are really really important and if anything happened you would never forgive yourself Doctor."

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It quickly became apparent to The Doctor that his continued presence in UNIT HQ was no longer welcome and since he had a wedding present to deliver and had left his Tardis round the corner from Clara's flat it seemed as good a time as any to deliver it. Besides he could do with a little of Clara's confident reassurance right now that he was doing the right thing, the sensible thing...If only he could shake of Osgood's parting words.

Yet when he knocked on the door instead of simply piloting the Tardis into her kitchen, Clara had banned his simply popping in for the duration of the wedding, something about Gran's having heart attacks and respecting the privacy of honeymooning couples; well The Doctor still hadn't expected anyone other than Clara to open the door.

"P.E." The Doctor exclaimed as Danny opened the door and tried to hide his own lack of enthusiasm for the Time Lord interloper.

There was still more than a little awkward tension between the two of them; they needed Clara there as the third wheel to give them someone to have in common. Fumbling The Doctor foisted the present onto him and Danny took one look at the exotic glass sculpture.

"Well that is certainly not something we can have out when the in-laws come over."

"Well your welcome, where's Clara?"

"Out." Yet Danny was more observant than The Doctor gave him credit, he could see the way The Doctor was frowning and nervously rubbing the sleeves of his jacket and knew that if Clara were here she could be dragging The Doctor inside and demanding he tell her what was wrong.

"You could tell me. What?"

"What's clearly eating you up, I mean I might not be able to understand everything but you know I will give you my honest opinion."

"No it's..." The Doctor began watching as the look of contempt started to creep back into Danny's expression and he stopped himself.

He had never been fair to P.E. and despite his own poor behaviour Danny was the one offering the olive branch. "It's just I'm worried, someone told me today an Old friend is in trouble and I...I didn't listen...I didn't want to listen and now...now..."

"Now you are afraid they were telling the truth and you just made a mistake." Danny filled in the gaping holes in The Doctor's sentence.

"Yes...Yes I suppose I am...I just seem to always be letting my friends down, if I help one I'll be letting another down and I don't know what to do?" The Doctor added staring down at his locked fingers as if they held the answer to his problems.

"It sounds to me like you have to make a choice, a choice you clearly don't want to make." Danny replied wisely. "But you are going to have to, you know that right? At some point you have to choose, husbands, wives, friends, lovers, children they all demand a piece of you and you have to decide who comes first because what is right for one  might not be right for the other. And if you don't choose then you'll just end up hurting and failing them all."

"I just...I just don't want to hurt or disappoint anyone."

"You're not going to be here are you, for the wedding?" Danny interjected finally catching on. "Here I am almost feeling sorry for you and..."

"I don't know Danny, I am going to try. I do have a time machine I should be able to come back in time, but if I stay in order to keep my promise to Clara ...I just...if my friend is really in trouble...if its trouble even...even she cannot handle..." The Doctor paused glancing up at Danny and catching the moment the lights went on behind his eyes.

"You have to go Doctor." Danny insisted surprising The Doctor with his vehemence. "It's not even a question of choice really because you owe her, you don't leave a man behind; she went after you when you needed help."

"So everyone keeps telling me." The Doctor huffed bringing clenched fists to his forehead and rapping them against his skull. "It would be a damn sight easier to believe if I could remember, if she hadn't...Dammit! Just once can't things go as planned? "

Snorting in amusement at The Doctor's naivety Danny merely retorted "Life."

"Yet whilst there is life there is still hope." The Doctor added sharing a grim smile with Danny Pink who understood that sentiment better than any human alive...well apart from a certain Ms Osgood and a Dr Chang.

"You'll look after Clara..."

"Don't I always?" Danny pushed back a part of him still needled by The Doctor's lack of trust even after everything.

Nodding The Doctor had to concede that he did. "Thank you P...Danny..."

The Doctor finally dropped the unflattering moniker he had labelled Danny Pink, offering his hand to the former soldier relieved beyond measure when after a moment's eyeballing Danny accepted it and something akin to a genuine smile pulled at the human's lips.

"Just don't go getting yourself killed Doctor; I'd rather not have a hysterical bride to deal with on my wedding day."

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