SuperWhoLock: Demons Run [COMPLETED]

Chapter Twelve

Aboard the TARDIS, an entire universe away, a disconsolate group sat around a round wooden table, silent for the most part - all lost in their own thoughts. Every so often, someone would speak up.

"Is there any way whatsoever to get the TARDIS to the parallel universe without tearing space apart?" John asked for the third time.

The Doctor shook his head, again, and repeated his answer. "No. It's too big. Its multi-dimensional interior is so large that it would tear the fabric of reality apart as soon as we even tried."

"Say we did try to go to the parallel universe and did rip up the universe. Would there be any way to fix it again?" Clara tried, twisting her fingers together on the tabletop.

The Doctor shook his head wordlessly.

"Cas," John said, turning to look at the angel. "Could you travel to the parallel universe and bring Sam back?"

"The Doctor scanned the universe with his technology," Castiel said in response. "In that universe, there are no angels, or God, or heaven. I could get there, but then once I was there, I would be powerless. Sam and I would both be stuck."

John sighed and rubbed his forehead with a palm.

Sherlock growled under his breath, shoved his chair back from the table, stood up and began to pace from one end of the room to the other. "There has to be a way," he muttered to himself, pressing the fingertips of both hands to each temple and closing his eyes. "No problem is unsolvable."

"I'm afraid this one is," the Doctor disagreed bleakly.

Dean said nothing, only continued to stare at the tabletop in complete silence.

"Don't say that," Clara said sharply. "You always figure something out." She gestured around the table with a large circular arm motion. "We can figure this out."

The Doctor shook his head. "I don't think so, Clara."

"Shut up," John said to the Time Lord evenly.

The Doctor looked slightly surprised that it was John who'd told him to shut up, but he did so anyways.

"Moriarty can travel to parallel universes with his vortex manipulator, right?" Castiel asked. The Doctor nodded, so the angel continued on. "We could find another one, then, and get him back ourselves."

"I only know of the one," the Doctor put him down.

Clara glared at him. "Just because you only know of one doesn't mean that there is only one. You aren't all-knowing, Doctor."

"If I only know of the one, how do you suppose we could find another?" the Doctor asked flatly. "I hate to break it to you, but time and space is a bit larger than you think."

Clara slammed her palm down on the table. "Stop being such a pessimist!"

"I'm trying not to give Dean false hope!" the Doctor responded, raising his voice.

"I thought I told you to shut up!" John nearly shouted, pointing at the Doctor.

The Doctor crossed his arms and sat back in his chair, staring at the table with a miserable expression on his face.

"We are going to get Sam back," Clara said firmly, meeting eyes with everyone at the table - except Dean. He still refused to lift his gaze from the tabletop. She leaned over and gently slapped his arm. "Dean."

Reluctantly, he raised his eyes to meet hers. They stared at each other for a second, then Dean looked back down at the table.

Clara sighed softly and laced her fingers together on the countertop. "So we can't take the TARDIS to the parallel universe, Cas would get stuck if he traveled there, and another vortex manipulator would take too long to find," she recounted. "Would there be any way to go back in time and ask River Song to borrow the vortex manipulator before Moriarty steals it?"