Thorn Bush (Doctor Who Story)

Chapter 5: The Bells of Saint John

A/N: Third Clara episode! This wasn't intentional but just how I felt was the best flow of episodes. After this it is a different companion, trust me 😅

Don't know whether you have noticed but I decided to largely reword this as I feel writing in the third Person will be better than first. Plus I had been writing in another of my stories in third and it felt weird writing this in first and I felt restricted.

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In the short immediate years, Kathy faced being drowned as a witch as she and Ashildr had been accused of being witches after their tireless efforts of curing an entire village of scarlet fever. Kathy's genetics saved her and Ashildr is good at holding her breath so they were alright. Though honestly you try to help people and they turn against you! As Ashildr says, ungrateful peasants.

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Kathy has reached the year 1207 and is living in Cumbria when she meets the Eleventh Doctor for the first time. She had gotten into the wool trade and was working on one of the machines when he suddenly runs into the home she's currently living in.

"Kathy! I knew the TARDIS would find you! I need some help, future you told me to find you here." He immediately exclaims without even saying hello. She raises an eyebrow trying to hide her excitement at meeting another of his faces particularly this one he was the Doctor when she started getting into Doctor Who in her old world. "Where's Carlyle?" So he had met Carlyle?

"He met a girl a few centuries ago, I believe he's with her right now." He opens his mouth to ask more questions but she diverts the conversation before he can get any more spoilers. "What's happened?" She observes his clothes and can see that this is post Ponds but since there is no Clara with him, it's pre-her as well.

"There's this woman – well you probably already know. She's died twice! The same woman!" He rambles. His arms wave about as he speaks.

"Ah," Kathy answers. "I do know. Clara/Oswin?" She hasn't told him she hadn't met this face yet as she didn't know how to explain that she had been with a future face of his when he believes that he has no regenerations left.

"Yes!" He cries jubilation. "I need to be somewhere quiet, a little girl told me to. To think. Where do I go? Unless you can tell me?"

Kathy shakes her head. "No, spoilers, but I can give you a hint: you need to wait for the bells of Saint John to ring. There's the monastery nearby that could house you and you can wait there. It'll let you do a lot of thinking." She replies.

"Then that is what I'll do. Come come." He starts running out of the room.

"But Doctor," Kathy runs after him. "I'm a woman, I can't be a monk!"

"Pretend then!" He dismisses.

And that is how she ends up pretending to be a man so she can be a monk and join the Doctor in his solidarity confinement.

——

Kathy ends up at the monastery with the Doctor for about a month. She thinks during that time he might have realised she hadn't met this face before or he already knew but none of them acknowledged it.

One day she hears the Abbott talking to another monk as they walk down the hall to the cavernous room that the Doctor and Kathy had taken up residence in.

"They call them the Mad Monks, don't they?" The monk states rather than asks.

"They shouldn't. They're definitely not monks."